Public opinion exploded!

After the game ended, the big screen displayed both teams' stats.

One figure stood head and shoulders above the rest, drawing everyone's attention.

Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance, damage dealt: 22,091!

That was more damage than the entire WE team had dealt combined!

"Hmm." Lu Chen glanced at the stats before getting up and stretching.

"Come on, stop looking." Ning Wang walked over with a grin and patted Lu Chen on the shoulder. "Even an idiot could tell you came first. The MVP is definitely yours too."

TheShy, on the other hand, had grown increasingly bright-eyed as he studied the stats, seemingly comparing them with his own experience playing a melee champion into a ranged one that game.

Finally, he took a long look at Kalista's portrait before leaving pensively, unnoticed by the others.

Rookie also stood up, looking relaxed. "That's our little booster we hired with Super Rockets! Money well spent!"

Lu Chen chuckled. "Why do I feel like I sold myself short for those few Super Rockets?"

Baolan scratched his head with a sheepish laugh. "I'll send you a few more when we get back, bro."

Lu Chen was speechless. "That really won't be necessary."

Laughing and chatting, they left the stage together and headed toward the lounge.

Online.

As WE's Nexus exploded...

Public opinion exploded right along with it!

The official stream's chat was so densely packed with messages that it was dizzying.

"??? This is the Red Miracle?"

"Losing is fine, but did you have to lose that badly?"

"Mystic has fallen!"

"Don't be scared, Mystic. Even if you got destroyed, I still like your sister!"

"0/4/0, down a hundred CS at eighteen minutes on Varus. I could do that too."

"You could? Get in there and you'll discover just how brutally C God treats people. Going 0/4 would count as a success."

"So this is what the spring champions can do? Zero dragons, zero towers, zero kills? Love it."

"No wonder SKT demolished them at MSI."

"It's only the first game. Aren't you starting the hate a little early?"

"Let's go, WE! Fight back!"

"Didn't that Chen Yu only get ahead because he cheesed a Blue Buff at the start? You think he can do that again next game?"

"Steamrolled in eighteen minutes, lmao, and you're still making excuses."

"Holy crap, I just realized-wasn't C God's debut a little too perfect?"

"First win of his pro career, 7/0/1. Shame he didn't get legendary."

"Killing people like that in a pro match? That's ridiculous."

"What does a god-tier booster look like? Exactly like this!"

On the well-known forums Kangba and Guoba, new threads were flooding the page.

"Just how explosive was C God's debut performance?"

"How big is the difference between pro matches and ranked, really?"

"Farming kills in pro games like it's ranked? Where is C God's ceiling?"

"Does Mystic really count as a top-tier LPL ADC? How could he get crushed that badly?"

"How low can a poke duo sink when they can't land a single skill?"

"Script-level movement: a rational discussion of whether C God is actually cheating."

"Stealing Blue Buff at level one: game sense or luck?"

"This year's IG feels like a different team! Rookie fans moved to tears!"

"Another superstar LPL ADC after Uzi?"

"Something big is coming. Waiting for IG to 2-0 WE!"

In the Deyun Se stream, home of the famous fat-and-bald duo.

"Wasn't I right?"

Xiaoxiao looked smugly into the camera, grinning from ear to ear. "I told you ages ago that this was a massive upgrade for IG, but you wouldn't believe me."

"I told you we had inside information." Xika started showing off too, bobbing his head. "Surely you don't think you know more than we do?"

"Apologize!" Xiaoxiao was getting carried away. "Everyone who doubted me, spam your apologies!"

Instantly, the chat filled with "Sorry."

Before Xiaoxiao could enjoy it, the chat turned into a barrage of mockery.

"C God was already a beast. What's there to be smug about for guessing that?"

"The second Baldy smiles, I know he's getting full of himself."

"Lmao, inside information? If you really have any, tell us."

"Does he still think he's part of IG? How many years has it been since they kicked him out?"

Xiaoxiao's face fell at once. "You people just love refusing to admit you're wrong. I won't hold it against you."

Meanwhile, in WE's lounge.

"Get your heads up!"

Coach Redmi spoke with a serious expression. "You should all know exactly what went wrong in that game."

None of WE's players said anything. Mystic simply lowered his head even further.

He was still feeling dazed.

That overwhelming pressure, that helplessness as every skill failed to land-it all left him feeling as though he couldn't breathe.

Seeing this, Redmi knew Mystic's mental state had probably taken a hit, but there was no time to work on it now. After some thought, he said, "Next game, pick a bot lane duo that can hold out in lane. Keep farming steadily. Jungle will focus on mid and top."

"Okay," Condi answered first.

957 and Xiye nodded as well.

Redmi turned to Mystic. "Chen Shengjun, can you do that?"

"Yeah..." Mystic hesitated. "I... I'll do my best."

Redmi frowned, a little helpless. "In any case, try not to trade blows. If you don't give him an opening, he won't have a chance to outplay you."

In truth, it wasn't just the players. Redmi himself was still stunned.

An eighteen-minute stomp without a single kill! They hadn't even seen Baron spawn!

Was this really the WE he had built with his own hands? The Red Miracle that had blossomed in the Spring Split?

How had they suddenly been beaten so badly?

Before the match, Redmi had specifically studied the opposing ADC, Chen Yu. After all, the name of the monster known as C God was all over the internet.

He had watched almost every recording of his streams.

The guy really was ridiculous. His ability to farm, his movement, his positioning-all of it was absurdly strong!

That was exactly why Redmi had banned Draven and Caitlyn right away.

But he still hadn't expected the guy to perform just as fiercely in an official match as he did in ranked!

Thinking this, Redmi walked

over and put his hands on Mystic's shoulders, speaking earnestly. "It's okay. This is just a regular season match. Stay calm. You've only just come out of the offseason, and there's a new patch, so you haven't quite adjusted yet. We'll get things back on track."

Mystic slowly raised his head at those words, looked at Redmi, and nodded solemnly. "I understand, coach."

Soon, the break ended.

The players and coaches from both teams headed onto the stage together.

"All right, welcome back to day two of the first week of the LPL Summer Split!"

Miller's voice rang out from the commentary desk. "As you can see, IG currently leads WE 1-0, putting them at match point in this best of three!"

Wawa chimed in. "Wow, I'm sure that last game's result caught quite a few people by surprise. IG's new players really delivered some outstanding performances."

"That's right." Rita smiled and nodded. "Chen Yu in particular. I'm sure his Kalista left a deep impression on a lot of viewers."

"But on the other hand," Miller said, puzzled, "WE, our Spring Split champions, don't seem to have adjusted to this patch yet."

"Exactly. Their bot lane duo in particular seems a little off form. Hopefully they can make some adjustments, because bot lane is just too important on this patch."

"All right, the players are ready. Let's turn our attention to the stage as both teams enter the pick-and-ban phase!"

"Let's see whether WE can pull one back, or whether IG can ride their momentum straight to a series victory!"