[Mission: Reach number one on any platform] [Distributing rewards...] [Congratulations, Old Timer, you have received 10,188 Comeback Points...] [Congratulations, Old Timer, you have received SyrsoN's AWP skills...] [Congratulations, Old Timer, you have received a 'Battle-Scarred Mousepad'...] [Congratulations, Old Timer, you have received one 'Random Hex Card'...]
Jiang Yang looked over the rewards for this mission.
He'd been looking forward to the rewards for a long time. After all, reaching number one on any platform was no small challenge for him.
At a glance, there were quite a few rewards for completing this mission.
First off, there were more than ten thousand Comeback Points.
For someone in debt like him, that was a hefty sum.
Still, he didn't regret buying [NIKO's pre-aiming] back then. The skill had genuinely improved him by a lot.
Next up was 'SyrsoN's AWP skills.'
He knew SyrsoN. He was currently the AWPer for the German team BIG, and because of his personality, he was nicknamed the Socially Awkward Sniper God. His AWP skills were one of his signature strengths.
Jiang Yang had once happened to see SyrsoN's POV, and it was just absurd.
When playing ranked, he'd carry an AWP around looking for fights. It was downright insane.
All he could say was that when SyrsoN picked up the AWP, he became a complete 'social menace,' chasing people down with his rifle.
Jiang Yang didn't use the AWP much, since ECO Special Attack meant he rarely had to worry about money.
He used the Big Sniper more often.
But the AWP actually had plenty of room to shine.
A body shot did around 70 damage, while a headshot was an instant kill.
Most importantly, it only cost 1,700.
The Desert Eagle could do something similar, but at longer ranges, a sniper rifle still had a huge advantage.
[Use 'syrsoN's AWP skills'?]
"Yes."
The next second, Jiang Yang felt himself appear in that space again, surrounded by blurry white mist.
Only the computer in front of him was clear.
The familiar words appeared before his eyes.
[Use the AWP to kill every enemy in your field of vision...]
Then he found himself on A Platform on Dust II, holding an AWP.
He scoped in and held A Main first, since the Minimap showed a teammate at A Short.
The Ts quickly began taking the Bomb Site from A Main, smoking and flashing CT Base. After backflashing, Jiang Yang swung out and held Big Pit.
His read was right. One of the opponents had indeed jumped into the pit, and he took them out with a single shot.
Then he checked the Ts along the wall at A Main and fired a shot with the AWP.
But he was quickly killed.
He'd only taken out one and a half before getting traded. That clearly wasn't good enough.
The next second, a clip of SyrsoN's gameplay appeared in his mind.
When SyrsoN held the rifle, his playstyle was completely different from Jiang Yang's.
Standing on A Platform, he kept peeking, playing both aggressively and carefully. It gave off a very strange impression.
Jiang Yang thought it over, then tried a few things himself to compare. At last, he understood.
He rarely used the AWP and had been relying on habits he'd picked up from using the Big Sniper.
But the Big Sniper and the AWP were different. The AWP let him move faster, so he could reposition more quickly.
SyrsoN kept using the AWP's high movement speed to pull opponents around, making it harder for their shots to hit him.
When using the AWP, he also aimed a little higher, more often going for headshots to secure instant kills.
Once he understood the AWP's strengths, the scene before his eyes gradually shattered.
[SyrsoN's AWP Skills (Beginner)] [Progress: (0/1000)] [Effect: Slightly improves agility while moving with an AWP.]
Then he looked at the two remaining rewards.
[Item: Battle-Scarred Mousepad] [Description: This mousepad has been worn down by the passage of time, until it has become perfectly broken in to Old Timer's right hand. Each time you move your mouse during a match, your aim will feel better.]
The first thing Jiang Yang saw was an incredibly battered mousepad, one that made him want to complain the moment he laid eyes on it.
Was this seriously not something they'd picked up from a junkyard?
It looked visibly sticky to move across, and the edges were curled and peeling. How was he supposed to use this thing?
It looked like some kind of ancient relic.
But when he looked more closely at its effect, he was genuinely surprised.
Aim feel was incredibly important in a shooter. Didn't this basically mean he'd get better and better the longer he played?
Overtime was common in CS:GO. One bad turn could even lead to a grueling overtime battle.
If he could maintain a great feel during overtime, he could definitely turn the tide.
(Jiang Yang during overtime)
Thinking of it that way, he looked at the mousepad with completely different eyes.
What did he mean, battered? These were traces of history!
Last was another familiar 'Hex Card.'
The previous 'Buy Now, Pay Later' had helped Jiang Yang quite a bit. Otherwise, even if he'd unlocked [NIKO's pre-aiming] last time, he would've had to watch it disappear when the shop refreshed the next day.
Now he had another one, and he couldn't wait to find out what it did.
He went straight to his personal inventory and used the Hex Card.
[Congratulations, Old Timer, you have received Hex: Dungeon BOSS.] [Description: Once activated, you will enter a special simulated match. Your team will always have three players or fewer, and you can get the best guns for your team. Do your best to win the match. (1/1)]
Well, damn.
What kind of hellhole was this supposed to be?
At first glance, Jiang Yang thought he was going to face a dungeon BOSS. He hadn't expected this Hex to give him a training space, as if it were trying to turn him into a dungeon BOSS.
[Use Hex: Dungeon BOSS?]
"Yes!"
The next second, he appeared on Nuke.
They were on the T side, and a recap of what had happened even appeared in his mind.
The caller had ordered a fake Inner Site hit, followed by a drop outside into K1. They'd defaulted around Inner Site, but one player had died. Then, just as they were getting ready to launch a full-scale attack from below, someone had opened the door and been sniped.
That left them with a 3v5 to play out. Jiang Yang had a Big Sniper in his hands.
Seeing his teammate get killed, Jiang Yang swung out through the Iron Door and shot the sniper at Iron Plate.
Then he heard footsteps coming from Pipe and turned around, holding the angle with his Big Sniper.
He easily caught another one, then immediately pulled toward Cover and switched to his P250. He fired twice at the CT who came to trade.
He got the kill, but bullets came from behind and took him out.
He'd forced a three-for-one trade. In a 1v2, surely his teammate could do something.
But the teammate with the Bomb, standing near the Bomb Site, died with ease.
"Unlucky, unlucky."
The intense match had pulled Jiang Yang right into it. He instinctively spoke up to comfort his teammate, forgetting that this was a simulation.
In the next round, following the caller's instructions, they launched a fast push onto Iron Plate.
But the defenders on Iron Plate held their ground and killed one of them through their Line of Fire. Then Jiang Yang's teammate botched the trade and TK'd one of their own.
So even after taking Iron Plate, they were left in another tough 3v4.
This time, he had an AK47. After killing the enemy on Iron Plate, he stepped onto the railing and peeked Under Third Floor, headshotting an opponent who was about to come out and scout.
Later, they went to hit B, and the opponents left the underground area completely open, giving them a very comfortable spot to plant.
Jiang Yang stood in the Control Room, using well-timed body swings to scout. With his reactions and pre-aim, he took down every opponent who showed.
He won the match with a five-kill round.
Jiang Yang let out a long breath.
"So it's not that hard after all." He smiled.
But Jiang Yang was celebrating too soon.
In the next round, his teammates handed him a 1v4.
Yeah, he'd gotten a great ace, so they rewarded him with a 1v4.
As the simulated match went on, he realized his teammates weren't even human.
The opponents had incredible aim, too. Their movement and choices when trading kills put real pressure on Jiang Yang.
It was a brutal experience, but by the end of the match, he'd managed to win twice.
He was completely stunned.
"So this is what pro-level competition is like? That's terrifying!" Jiang Yang grumbled inwardly.
Still, he'd gained plenty from the experience.
Simulating matches against opponents at this level immediately exposed all the bad habits he'd picked up in ranked.
The sunlight shone down, revealing everything.
Jiang Yang adjusted at a rapid pace, and as the match went on, he clearly started playing better and better.
Looking at it now, the best reward from this mission was definitely Hex: Dungeon BOSS.
Although this training was painful, and Jiang Yang's mindset had nearly collapsed halfway through.
He understood that grinding was unavoidable if he wanted to become a top pro.
If he couldn't keep his composure, he'd never reach the top.
This simulated training as a 'Dungeon BOSS' was tremendously useful to him right now!
Looks like he'd have to keep working hard.
However, Jiang Yang planned to start improving his familiarity with other maps next.
During this simulated match, he'd felt like he didn't even know how to play Nuke. His positioning and everything else had been a mess.
Dust II alone wouldn't be enough for him to compete professionally. From now on, he had to build up his familiarity with the other maps, too.
Just then, familiar words appeared before his eyes again.
[You have reclaimed the number one spot on the platform. Quite a few old acquaintances now know who you are. Join a team and return to the pro scene.] [Mission: Join a team. Reward: Unknown]
Another chapter written at the internet café. These power outages are brutal.
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