A Lion's Opening Bid

Looking at the 8-13 scoreboard, Su Zhe couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

His burst of skill was like inspiration, only a fleeting moment.

Although Su Zhe managed to get an ACE under immense pressure, helping his team narrowly win a point, Nip didn't give them many more opportunities afterward.

Coupled with his teammates' lack of support, their score was gradually overtaken by Nip until they lost the ranked match.

The whole process felt like an old man playing with a child.

"You did your best," Fat Brother comforted from the side. Even just watching, he could feel the pressure during the match. If he had to play himself, he probably would have given up long ago.

It wasn't the pressure of losing gunfights, but the pressure of not even being given a chance to gunfight.

"It's fine, we really couldn't win," Su Zhe quickly adjusted his mindset. He had already experienced this feeling of powerlessness once before when he went for a tryout with Tianlu, it just wasn't as stressful then.

"Huh? Someone added you as a friend," Xiao Guang reminded him from the side.

Su Zhe shifted his gaze back to the computer screen. After opening the request list, he saw it was k0nfig again. The last time on Perfect World Platform, k0nfig had also proactively added him as a friend.

After accepting the friend request, k0nfig proactively sent a message: "Why are you playing on Faceit?"

Su Zhe considered for a moment, turned off his stream, and then told the truth: "I'm looking for opportunities to play professionally."

K0nfig:?

Dude, I asked you when you were in Shanghai if you had any thoughts about playing professionally in Europe, and you said no.

Now you come to Faceit saying you're looking for professional opportunities. Do you think our Nip is bad?

But since things had come this far, k0nfig had no choice but to reluctantly ask, "Do you have any teams in mind? Maybe I can help recommend you."

Su Zhe: "Not yet."

He was telling the truth. He definitely had teams in mind, like G2, FaZe, and other top-tier powerhouse teams, but he needed them to want him first.

K0nfig: Do you have any requirements for a team?

Su Zhe: I don't really have any requirements. A higher salary would be better, just enough to cover my daily expenses.

K0nfig:?

Dude, are you looking down on our team? You don't have any requirements and you're not even considering Nip?

K0nfig felt hopeless and planned to end the chat early, but unexpectedly, the other party sent another message.

Su Zhe: "Are you guys still recruiting?"

K0nfig's eyes lit up. They would definitely recruit talent like this!

Although the four of them in Nip had easily won this match, he couldn't help but think more highly of Su Zhe.

This kid was even stronger than when he encountered him on the Perfect World server. Otherwise, he wouldn't have used professional tactics to deal with them.

K0nfig immediately replied: "Of course, we are! What? Are you thinking about joining our team?"

Su Zhe: "Yes, but I have one condition."

K0nfig:?

Dude, you just said you had no requirements for finding a team, and now you have one? Are you playing favorites?

He patiently asked, "What condition?"

Su Zhe: "If I can successfully get into the youth academy, I require that I can be promoted to the main team within half a year."

K0nfig:...

He thought it was some difficult requirement, but it turned out he was asking for the moon?

He glanced at his teammates behind him. They looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

They were here to recruit for their main team.

While CSGO is a game that heavily relies on experience, with the changes in CS2, most of the old strategies are no longer applicable.

This might not be a big deal for casual players, but for professional players, the details are crucial.

This is why FaZe was able to win three S-tier tournament championships after the CS2 update.

It wasn't just that their players were in better form, but more importantly, they adapted to the new version faster.

The launch of CS2 is not only the best time for new players to get into the game, but also the best time for teams to recruit new talent.

K0nfig immediately replied: "As long as your tryout results meet our expectations, I can personally guarantee this requirement for you."

Su Zhe didn't know what the Nip players were thinking. After receiving a positive reply, his clenched fist relaxed.

Although he didn't know what the outcome of this tryout would be, at least he had a glimmer of hope.

"Awesome! You're really going to be a pro player!?" Xiao Guang couldn't help but exclaim after translating their conversation.

Even though he knew Su Zhe was going to play professionally, he still felt it was too dreamlike.

What a growth rate! Right before his eyes, his roommate with whom he used to duo queue was about to become a professional player.

Su Zhe was very excited internally, but he didn't get too arrogant: "It's not certain yet. We'll have to pass the tryout first."

Fat Brother cheered him on: "Good luck anyway! I believe you can do it. If you perform well, passing Nip's tryout shouldn't be a problem."

"I just didn't expect that in just a few years, Nip's team strength would decline so severely. However, for you, the stage is already very big."

Su Zhe also understood Fat Brother's meaning. During this period, he had learned about the major teams.

If you mention the history of professional CSGO teams, the first one you can't avoid is the Nip team.

They were the first team to establish a dynasty in CSGO, and the 87-win streak record set by Dog Head Man leading the team remains unbroken to this day.

They had also won championships in the highest honor, the Major.

However, with the development of CSGO, they gradually began to decline, until now they have become a team that even a second-tier team can easily step on.

But no matter how down on their luck a powerhouse team is, they are still a powerhouse team. They still have the qualifications to participate in major tournaments, which is why Fat Brother said the stage was very big.

Afterward, Su Zhe and k0nfig agreed on the trial time in two weeks. Since he had to go to Sweden, he needed a visa and other miscellaneous things.

After communicating, Su Zhe suppressed the excitement in his heart and reopened the stream.

[What did you talk about? Did they come specifically to humiliate you after you crushed them last time in China?]

[Looking at Xiao Zhe's expression, it doesn't seem like it? Did they praise you for playing well?]

[Speak up! Riddlers should die!]

Su Zhe smiled at the bullet comments in the stream. He didn't plan to reveal the news of receiving the Nip trial invitation in advance, as nothing was set in stone yet.

It wasn't certain if he could pass the trial. He would talk about it after everything was settled...

K0nfig also let out a sigh of relief as he closed the chat window.

REZ said thoughtfully, "Are we really okay making this decision on our own... without telling the management?"

"Besides, no European CSGO team has ever had a Chinese player join. Will the management really agree?"

His concerns were not unfounded, as the performance of CNCS had been notoriously poor in recent years.

If a Chinese player were truly allowed to join the team, it would definitely make history for European CSGO, much like letting a foreigner join China's table tennis team.

Es3tag thought for a moment and said, "There's no reason for them to refuse. You've all seen his skill, and we've long since transitioned to an international team, so there are no communication issues within the team."

"Moreover, our biggest shareholder is Chinese. The management will most likely agree."

Nip was originally an authentic Swedish team, but it was acquired and merged by a Chinese company at the beginning of this year, 2023.

REZ nodded upon hearing this. As long as the individual skill was sufficient and communication was not an issue, there was indeed no reason for the management to refuse.

K0nfig sighed, "If he can successfully pass the trial, we can also focus our attention on refining the roster. The Major isn't far away."

Everyone present shared the same thought. How could a lineup with one spot missing allow them to focus on training properly?