As the commentators finished speaking,
the audience began cheering in unison.
"Go, WE!"
"Go, WE!"
"Go, WE!"
A few faint cries of "IG" could be heard, but they were drowned out by the far more numerous members of the Red Miracle.
The contrast was pretty stark.
"Tsk, tsk." Ning Wang clicked his tongue, envy written all over his face. "One of the Three Royal Houses, all right. Just look at that popularity."
Rookie sounded a little wistful too. "Once we get some results, maybe we'll have this many fans too?"
Lu Chen adjusted his headset and chuckled. "No need for maybe. We'll definitely surpass them."
"Really?" Rookie scratched his head uncertainly.
It wasn't that he lacked confidence.
The hype surrounding the Red Miracle in S7 was simply staggeringly intense!
Anyone who hadn't lived through it couldn't understand just how ridiculously popular WE had been back then!
Or rather, that had been true of all Three Royal Houses.
In truth, from S2 to S6, interest in competitive League hadn't been particularly high.
But it had steadily grown over the years.
With Tencent and TJ Sports continually pushing the development of League of Legends esports and making the scene increasingly professional, major investors had also begun pouring in.
Ultimately, in S7, interest in League of Legends esports exploded on an unprecedented scale!
To enjoy the latest chapters as soon as they release, please visit .
It also happened that this year's World Championship was being held on home soil, with the finals taking place at the Bird's Nest.
That sent the expectations of countless LPL viewers soaring!
Put it this way: before the finals even began, tickets to the Bird's Nest were already being resold online at astronomical prices!
Had RNG and WE not both fallen in the semifinals, leaving two LCK teams to contest the final, the hype around League in S7 would have gone through the roof.
And right now, most of that popularity was concentrated on the Three Royal Houses.
Over on WE's side, the players were chatting and laughing, looking relaxed.
"So?" Condi asked with a grin. "Mystic, feeling any pressure facing C God this game?"
Nearby, Mystic turned and frowned. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?"
"Got it, Mystic." Condi waved him off without a care.
Mystic was speechless, but he answered seriously anyway. "I've played against him on the Korean Server. His playstyle is seriously aggressive."
Calling it aggressive was putting it mildly.
He still remembered that Ranked game, when the enemy Kog'Maw had spat on him until he was utterly miserable.
In the late game, shielded by Lulu, that Kog'Maw had even pulled off an iconic "annihilation," spraying down all five of them in the Baron Nashor pit and wiping out their entire team.
Remembering that Ranked game, Mystic couldn't help shuddering. "Xiang Renjie, make sure you gank him bot a lot."
Condi gave him a surprised look. "He's really that good? I haven't run into him in Ranked yet."
"He really is," Xiye agreed with a nod. "Once I hit six, I'll roam bot more too. Just hold steady early."
Condi laughed casually. "Sure, I'll pull out the classic level-two bot gank too. This is his first LPL game, right? Perfect time to turn up the pressure and let him experience the LPL's 'warm welcome.'"
So what if he was strong?
With enough focused attention, anyone could be dealt with.
Hadn't Marin received all sorts of "warm welcomes" after coming to the LPL?
It was hard to imagine: a top laner who had just won the World Championship MVP arrived in the LPL, only to get camped relentlessly before he could even show his stuff. There were enough memorable moments to make a whole compilation.
You could say the LPL's "hospitality" had given Ma Datou quite a scare.
Soon, the loading screen finished.
Accompanied by the system announcement, both teams entered the game.
"Welcome to League of Legends!"
"Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Go, go, go!"
IG's spirits were running high.
The five players first spread out in the standard line formation, then took up their respective positions at key spots.
WE did the same. They had a late-game composition, so there was no need to force a level-one fight.
Just then,
Lu Chen guided Kalista step by step toward the edge of the dragon pit, hugging the wall as he shuffled back and forth.
"Huh? What's Chen Yu doing here? Does he have something in mind?"
Miller sounded surprised. "WE has a ward in that brush. If Chen Yu gets any closer, he'll be spotted!"
Yet on-screen, Kalista kept hugging the wall, slowly making her way toward the brush near mid lane.
"He wasn't spotted!" Wawa sounded shocked. "Kalista threaded her way right through the blind spot in WE's vision! Has IG studied WE's warding that thoroughly, or was that just good luck?"
Miller chimed in. "Wow, Chen Yu may be an LPL rookie, but you can tell he's got guts. If he gets spotted here, he'll have to burn Flash at the very least."
"He seems to be trying to steal WE's Blue Buff?" Rita said hesitantly.
Wawa looked baffled. "But IG has no vision here. How's he supposed to steal it? Just take a shot in the dark?"
An AD carry actually wanted to steal the enemy's blue right at the start?
This was a professional match!
In IG's voice chat, Ning Wang was equally confused. "C God, what are you doing?"
"Just giving it a try." A smile tugged at Lu Chen's lips. "Nothing much to lose if it doesn't work."
Baolan, on the other hand, had no questions at all. He calmly placed vision, then turned back to help Ning Wang start his clear.
By now, he followed Lu Chen's calls without question, almost as though he had given up thinking for himself.
Soon,
WE's bot lane duo helped bring the Blue Buff down to half health, then headed to bot lane.
Condi kept hitting the Blue Buff until it had only a sliver of health left.
The next second!
A spear suddenly flew in from diagonally ahead, struck the Blue Buff with pinpoint accuracy, and killed it!
"Huh?!"
Condi was stunned. "Where's my blue?"
He realized what had happened a moment later, his face practically turning green. "Their AD carry's in our jungle!"
Xiye glanced at the minimap, looking confused. "Didn't we ward that? How did he get through?"
Playing Kassadin into Syndra's pushing power, he had been forced back
almost all the way under his turret, so there was no way he could get over there.
Their bot lane duo had only just reached lane, so it was too late for them to circle around and cut her off.
As a level-one Gragas, Condi couldn't possibly chase her either. He could only hurry off to clear his other camps and cut his losses.
And so,
WE could only watch as a Kalista wearing their Blue Buff strolled brazenly out of their jungle brush and headed toward bot lane.
This time, Lu Chen didn't bother avoiding the wards. He openly showed himself in the enemy's vision.
"That was sick! C God, you actually stole that!" Ning Wang laughed.
Lu Chen laughed too. "I was just giving it a shot. Didn't think it would actually hit."
By the time he returned to lane, he had missed one minion's worth of experience.
It wasn't exactly a huge gain for him, but for the opposing jungler, Condi, it was a crushing loss.
For a jungle Gragas, losing his Blue Buff early hurt even more than people might imagine.
"Wow, that actually worked?!" At the commentary desk, Miller looked utterly stunned. "An AD carry really stole the Blue Buff?"
Wawa's jaw was hanging open. "How did he predict it that precisely? He had no vision at all. That play made absolutely no sense."
"This is the first time I've seen him play like that too," Rita said, blinking.
Miller sucked in a breath. "He's like a human radar. If I ran into that in Ranked, I'd definitely call hacks."
(End of chapter)
Before you continue