Chapter Summaries

Wang Chuan announced League of Legends’ first update, holiday rewards, and five new heroes just as Penguin and Net Entertainment revealed rival games for the end of the month. He told Huangtu Game’s staff to focus on testing their update, events, and ranked matchmaking, promising a surprise when the competitors launched.

• Tian Boxun sensed that League of Legends’ appeal involved more than simplified settings, while Lin Yao and Lu Hui praised its team coordination.
• Wang Chuan announced League of Legends’ upcoming update, Children’s Day rewards, future holiday events, and five new heroes.
• Penguin announced the MOBA game Heroic Ballads, and Net Entertainment announced the WYYL game Alliance of Ten Thousand Races, both with no-wipe open betas planned for the end of the month.
• Players learned details about the rival games, and some of Wang Chuan’s fans accused the companies of copying League of Legends.
• Zhao Jing asked Wang Chuan about countermeasures, and Huang Shanshan complained about the competitors’ timing.
• Wang Chuan told the staff to check the update and events and retest ranked matchmaking so League of Legends would be ready to compete.

On June 1, Wang Chuan launched a major update for League of Legends, drawing players in with new heroes, a new game mode, events, and a CG animation. The chapter leaves players exploring the update’s extensive content while Wang Chuan focuses on growing the game before developing its wider lore.

• League of Legends received its scheduled update on June 1 as its daily active users continued to rise and Wang Chuan increased promotion.
• Players crowded into Huangtu Game’s experience store to try the update, where they watched a new CG animation showcasing Garen, Katarina, Twisted Fate, and other figures.
• Players excitedly discussed the animation and speculated that its unfamiliar characters might be new heroes.
• Wang Chuan explained that League of Legends needed to become widely popular before its complex world and lore could be developed.
• Players opened the update log and found video and illustrated explanations, while Wang Chuan had Zhao Jing publish official guides and gameplay tips in the community.

Wang Chuan released five heroes and the ARAM mode for League of Legends, driving player activity and game statistics sharply higher. At Penguin Games, Tian Boxun, Lin Yao, and Lu Hui saw the update as matching the direction they had discussed for their own game.

• Wang Chuan added Sion, Master of the Shadow Order, Vayne, Xin Zhao, and Leona, emphasizing more mechanically demanding heroes.
• Wang Chuan introduced permanent ARAM with random hero selection and removed Twisted Treeline from his plans.
• Players praised ARAM’s fast matches and teamfights, though some complained about random heroes and the gold cost.
• Three days after the update, Wang Chuan reported over ten million daily active users and four million peak concurrent players.
• Tian Boxun, Lin Yao, and Lu Hui discussed their game at Penguin Games, and Lin Yao said Wang Chuan’s update matched the direction they had considered.

Lu Hui and Lin Yao discussed League of Legends’ ARAM mode as the game reached record popularity, while Penguin began promoting its competing game, Heroic Ballads. Wang Chuan kept League of Legends’ promotion on schedule and awaited more information as players and producers anticipated the contest between Huangtu Game and Penguin.

• Lu Hui and Lin Yao praised ARAM’s fast teamfights, shared gold, and death-based shopping, while Tian Boxun suspected they were overlooking something about Wang Chuan’s design.
• League of Legends broke its records on the final day of its event, reaching more than 4.5 million concurrent players and prompting game companies to study it.
• Penguin launched Heroic Ballads’ promotion, highlighting its talent trees, multiple playstyles, varied maps, and removal of gold and equipment systems.
• Wei Wei and Zhao Jing suggested that Huangtu Game counter Penguin’s campaign, but Wang Chuan told them to stick to their plan and said ranked mode would be announced later.
• Wang Chuan asked Wei Wei and Zhao Jing to report any new information about Heroic Ballads as players and producers anticipated the competition between Huangtu Game and Penguin.

Wang Chuan watched A'Dai struggle with Master of the Shadow Order in League of Legends and explained that the hero was strong once players learned how to use him. He declined to take over A'Dai's match, leaving the livestream viewers divided over whether he was confident or making excuses.

• A'Dai complained about Master of the Shadow Order after going 1-6, while his livestream viewers argued over the new heroes.
• Wang Chuan arrived and said Juggernaut only seemed weak because players had not yet learned his playstyle.
• A'Dai asked Wang Chuan to demonstrate the hero, and the livestream viewers eagerly reacted to his arrival.
• Wang Chuan refused to take over, saying the match was still close and his intervention would be unfair to the other players.
• The livestream viewers split between praising Wang Chuan's confidence and accusing him of avoiding a possible loss.

Wang Chuan announced that League of Legends would soon add ranked mode, then published its rules and tier system ahead of the update. Players eagerly anticipated the new competitive mode, which Wang Chuan hoped would help standardize the game and develop its esports scene.

• Wang Chuan told A'Dai that a minor patch would add a new game mode and ranked play, exciting nearby players and livestream viewers.
• Players spread news of the upcoming ranked mode across social media and game forums.
• Wang Chuan published ranked details two days before the patch, including role selection, entry requirements, champion bans, and ranked tiers.
• Wang Chuan explained that players from Bronze through Diamond would climb through divisions, while the top two thousand players on the single server would become Strongest King.
• Players celebrated the announcement and discussed the ranked system's competitive features.

Wang Chuan announced a livestream to teach players the fundamentals of ranked League of Legends and revealed launch-day rewards. League of Legends' ranked launch and livestream dominated the trending list, while Penguin's Lin Yao and Lu Hui tried to see Wang Chuan's move as proof that their game had threatened him.

• Wang Chuan announced that he would livestream on ranked mode's opening day, explain its rules and gameplay, and reward players with chests, points, and skins.
• Players discussed Wang Chuan's past livestreams and debated whether his Warcraft experience meant he would excel at League of Legends.
• Huangtu Game's promotion helped League of Legends' ranked launch top the trending list, pushing Penguin's Heroic Ballads into second place.
• Lin Yao and Lu Hui reassured each other that Wang Chuan was reacting to the threat posed by Heroic Ballads, while Tian Boxun felt increasingly uneasy.

Wang Chuan agreed to stream a Ranked match after players crowded around him and challenged him to prove his skill. He picked Master of the Shadow Order, and his teammates doubted him before the game began as his livestream audience laughed at their exchange.

• Players surrounded Wang Chuan and persuaded him to play a Ranked match on stream.
• Wang Chuan announced the stream, turned off the barrage, and queued for Ranked.
• Wang Chuan's team banned several popular champions, then picked Garen, Amumu, Corki, and Soraka.
• Wang Chuan picked Master of the Shadow Order for mid lane, prompting his teammates to worry that he was an inexperienced Juggernaut player.
• Wang Chuan told his teammates he would show them his moves, and they continued to doubt him while the livestream audience laughed.

Wang Chuan streamed an instructional game as Juggernaut, demonstrating how the champion could dominate early and turn an advantage into map pressure. As Wang Chuan split-pushed bottom lane, the enemy team decided to hunt him while his teammates moved to take Baron.

• The enemy Kassadin recognized Wang Chuan before the match began, and Wang Chuan confirmed his identity and promised his teammates skins.
• Wang Chuan explained Juggernaut’s early-game strengths, pressured Kassadin out of lane, and built a level advantage.
• Wang Chuan helped Amumu invade the enemy jungle, killed Nunu, and later helped secure the dragon.
• Wang Chuan continued pushing and roaming, then split-pushed bottom lane while his team faced the enemy elsewhere.
• The enemy team agreed to group up and kill Wang Chuan, while Wang Chuan told his teammates to take Baron and said he could handle himself.

Wang Chuan outplayed a five-man ambush as Zed, killing three enemies before their team surrendered, then used Twisted Fate to dominate the next match with steady map-wide support. His livestream drew a rapidly growing audience, surpassing six hundred thousand concurrent viewers.

• Wang Chuan dodged the enemy team's attacks and used Zed to kill Icey, Kassadin, and Morgana in a one-versus-five fight.
• The enemy team surrendered, and Wang Chuan's Zed match left the livestream viewers and gaming lounge players astonished.
• Wang Chuan started another match as Twisted Fate, farming to level six before using his ultimate to support his teammates across the map.
• Wang Chuan's identity became known, and his livestream popularity rose as players invited friends to watch.
• Fox Live promoted Wang Chuan's stream, and its person in charge saw that the concurrent viewer count had exceeded six hundred thousand.

Wang Chuan streamed ten League of Legends placement matches, demonstrating strategies and champion plays while Fox Live amplified his broadcast with recommendations. After winning all ten and reaching Platinum III, he ended the stream, and players began discussing and studying his gameplay.

• Fox Live's director learned that Wang Chuan's League of Legends stream drew over six hundred thousand viewers and gave him every remaining recommendation slot.
• Wang Chuan showcased different roles and champions in ten teaching matches while viewers praised his plays.
• Wang Chuan won all ten placement games, was placed in Platinum III, and quickly ended his stream.
• Players discussed Wang Chuan's matches online, and ranked games began featuring matchups and strategies he had demonstrated.
• Wang Chuan edited the stream recording and uploaded it as study material, prompting skilled players to make League of Legends strategy videos.

As Penguin prepared to launch Heroic Ballads, producers and players compared its team-focused, economy-free mechanics with Wang Chuan’s League of Legends. The chapter left players eager to try the new game, especially those frustrated by League of Legends’ demanding last-hitting.

• League of Legends’ ranked play boosted its popularity, while Net Entertainment delayed Alliance of Ten Thousand Races amid rumors of an agreement with Penguin.
• Producers studied League of Legends’ success and anticipated Heroic Ballads as a different take on the MOBA genre.
• Observers noted that Heroic Ballads removed economy and equipment systems, added interactive maps, and gave heroes skill trees.
• Players discussed Heroic Ballads online and said they planned to try it, with some hoping its mechanics would be easier than League of Legends’ last-hitting.

Wang Chuan planned League of Legends’ rapid updates, overseas release, and future esports while expanding Huangtu Game’s staff and experience store. After assigning the work and encouraging Qin Ming, he went downstairs to look around the store.

• Wang Chuan reviewed the next version with Qin Ming, who had been taking on more responsibility for League of Legends’ updates.
• Wang Chuan decided League of Legends needed a much larger champion roster before launching esports, and planned to organize major events through Huangtu Game.
• Wang Chuan discussed developing an overseas version of League of Legends with Zhenguo Software.
• Wang Chuan authorized hiring middle- and lower-level employees while keeping the core team under his control.
• Wang Chuan decided to expand the experience store by taking over neighboring storefronts, but abandoned plans to build a company headquarters.
• Wang Chuan encouraged Qin Ming in the second-floor office area, then went downstairs to walk through the experience store.

Wang Chuan visited the crowded experience store, where A'Dai celebrated reaching Platinum in League of Legends. Wang Chuan teased an upcoming update and hinted cryptically that Penguin’s Heroic Ballads would fail, leaving players eager to see what happened when its testing began.

• A'Dai reached Platinum after struggling through promotion matches, while Wang Chuan’s matchmaking changes made promotion games especially competitive.
• Wang Chuan congratulated A'Dai and explained that Diamond was within reach for players already near the top of Platinum.
• A'Dai asked Wang Chuan about a League of Legends update and Penguin’s upcoming Heroic Ballads, and Wang Chuan confirmed another update would arrive in a few days.
• Wang Chuan said he might make smaller games and claimed he was watching Heroic Ballads, then recited a line about a grand building collapsing without explaining further.
• Wang Chuan let players share his remarks online, and the posts sparked anticipation for the update and Heroic Ballads’ testing.

Penguin Company launched Heroic Ballads in an open beta and saw strong reviews and player numbers, making it look capable of challenging League of Legends. Tian Boxun remained uncertain about the game’s direction as the industry debated which title would shape the future of MOBAs.

• Lin Yao questioned how quickly Wang Chuan was updating League of Legends, while Lu Hui said the updates showed Wang Chuan felt threatened.
• Tian Boxun reviewed League of Legends players’ increasingly positive opinions and began doubting Heroic Ballads’ development path.
• Penguin Company launched Heroic Ballads’ no-wipe open beta in late June and offered generous rewards to attract players.
• Players gave Heroic Ballads positive reviews and a score of 9.2, praising its accessible controls, combat, and varied hero skills.
• Heroic Ballads reached about two million active players in its first 24 hours and a 60% day-two retention rate, leaving Tian Boxun unsure whether its approach could rival League of Legends.
• Developers, publishers, and gaming media debated whether League of Legends or Heroic Ballads would define the future of MOBA games.

Wang Chuan ignored concerns that Heroic Ballads was hurting League of Legends, and League of Legends surged ahead after a major update. When players asked Huangtu Game to make another Meta Game for a new official event, Wang Chuan decided to consider the idea.

• Qin Ming, Huang Shanshan, and Wei Wei asked Wang Chuan whether Huangtu Game should respond to Heroic Ballads, but he told them to play it and stick to their existing plan.
• Huangtu Game released an update for League of Legends with system adjustments and five new champions, which players praised.
• League of Legends' popularity surpassed Heroic Ballads, while both games became major PC titles and disputes among players emerged online.
• Huang Shanshan told Wang Chuan that players were petitioning for another Meta Game after authorities announced an event supporting the genre.
• Wang Chuan logged into social media and, inspired by the request, settled on making a Meta Game.

Wang Chuan decided to make Undertale after players called for a new Meta Game, and he developed it with Huang Shanshan. He announced that the game would launch that weekend, drawing widespread attention.

• Wang Chuan saw players asking him to make another Meta Game and chose Undertale for the project.
• Wang Chuan wrote the design document and asked Huang Shanshan to help with the game's music and art.
• Wang Chuan and Huang Shanshan worked overtime for several days until Undertale was nearly complete.
• Wang Chuan announced that Undertale would launch that weekend, and the game and related topics surged in popularity.

Undertale launched early for ten yuan, but Huangtu Game users could claim it for free with a coupon, drawing players and livestream viewers to the game. Brother A'Dai began playing and encountered Flowey, whose tutorial introduced the strange meaning of LV as “love.”

• Undertale appeared on the official game platform and Huangtu Game, where a coupon let players claim it for free.
• Wang Chuan offered the game cheaply as a gift to players, and Huangtu Game gained new users.
• Brother A'Dai switched from League of Legends to Undertale during his Fox Live stream and urged viewers to claim it.
• Brother A'Dai started the game and watched its illustrated introduction to the war between humans and monsters.
• Brother A'Dai guided the protagonist to Flowey, who began a tutorial and called LV “love,” leaving Brother A'Dai briefly confused.

A'Dai played through the Ruins, mistook Little Flower's ambush and Toriel's attacks for scripted deaths, and killed Toriel after she tried to stop him from leaving. Shaken by her final words and the viewers' reaction, he agreed to start another run and try to spare her.

• A'Dai touched Little Flower's friendship pellets, lost nearly all his HP, and was saved from its attack by Toriel.
• Toriel introduced herself as the Ruins caretaker, guided A'Dai through simple puzzles, and explained that he could persuade enemies instead of fighting them.
• At the basement exit, Toriel blocked A'Dai, and her attacks kept missing him even when he failed to dodge.
• A'Dai assumed he needed to reduce Toriel's HP to trigger her approval, attacked her, and killed her with a final slash.
• Toriel urged A'Dai to leave before vanishing, and he agreed to replay the game after viewers asked him to spare her.

A'Dai spared Goat Mom by repeatedly choosing Mercy, but Little Flower confronted him about killing her in a previous run and resetting the game. The reveal stunned A'Dai and his viewers, while Huang Shanshan and her coworkers discovered the same scene as they replayed Undertale.

• A'Dai restarted his save and chose Mercy fourteen times until Goat Mom embraced the protagonist and let them leave.
• Little Flower appeared and accused A'Dai of killing Goat Mom before going back to the past, then said the power to reshape the world came from determination.
• A'Dai and his viewers realized Little Flower seemed to know about the player's actions, and the livestream chat erupted in discussion.
• At Huangtu Game Company, Huang Shanshan, Gong Yingnan, Wei Wei, and their coworkers replayed the Goat Mom encounter to find another ending.
• Huang Shanshan and her coworkers reached Little Flower's return and reacted in unison with shock.