novelraw Chapter 169 : Concept Is a Big Deal (4)
Chapter 169 : Concept Is a Big Deal (4)
Concept Is a Big Deal (4)
Creep.
Monsters inhabiting the jungle typically served as the standard stepping stone for a jungler's growth.
Since junglers couldn't earn money by killing minions, it was common for them to secure funds and obtain items by hunting creeps.
Even among such creeps, there were different ranks, and the amount of money one could earn upon a successful hunt varied.
However, among the creeps, there were also types that didn't just give gold, but awarded you a buff upon a successful kill.
― Are you seriously going for the buff right now?
― On top of that, you're going to solo it with no items? LOL
― Hyung? Is this for real? Really?
― Ah, lol, if it's Godple, I kinda think he can do it
― Anyway, he says he can do it!?
There was only one reason viewers were concerned about Lee Gyeongbok's decision. A better reward meant the creep was that much stronger.
― Don't you normally only go for it in the mid-game?
― Yeah, and the standard is to take one teammate along
― For real, lol, you don't take that solo even in ranked
― Chu, get over there already!
― Now's not the time to be farming CS!
So the viewers began calling for Genome.
Taking down a buff creep was safer and faster if you took the mid laner with you rather than going at it alone.
But Genome had already returned to his lane as soon as the invade ended.
"Come on, there's no need to call for help if I can solo it."
Lee Gyeongbok responded lightly to the frantic reactions. His unflappable attitude brought a wave of laughter to the chat window.
― If nothing else, this guy's confidence is maxed out...
― That's Purple confidence (nods)
― Hyung! At least buy some items first!
― Lol, honestly, getting some items would be better, right?
― He's saying Godple can handle it!
― Don't you know about Geumsuhunji?
― Is it time for the ban wave soon, lol
With the chat getting a bit heated, Lee Gyeongbok cleared his throat to draw their attention.
"There's no need to rush buying items. The enemy will respawn if I go back to base, so I'll take this for myself before then."
― LOL, this is what a perfect jungler looks like
― As expected, the Black Company boss, scary stuff
― The equivalent of a meme of a Korean cooking in a British kitchen
-???: I'm not giving this to anyone else. I'll eat it all by myself.
― If you want to argue, only argue if you play better than Purple, lol
― Was it from this moment I became a "yes man"?
― A forced, irrefutable course of action, lol
In the end, no one tried to stop him anymore. There were simply more people who believed in Lee Gyeongbok's skills.
"It's bigger than I thought?"
With all the chatter, they had arrived at the lair of the first buff creep, the 'Blue Guardian.'
True to its name, the Blue Guardian was a massive statue emanating a blue aura.
Due to its name and appearance, players often called it simply 'Blue.'
― Bigger than you thought?
― Now that I think about it, isn't this Godple's first time hunting a buff creep?
― Yeah, back when he played Yami, he never did it because he was always ganking
― Wait;;; He's going no items, solo, and it's his first try?
― Has he lost his mind? lol
― To succeed on the first try—that's what we call 'perfectly common sense,' isn't it?
― What the heck is 'perfectly common sense,' lmao
The viewers grew even more anxious.
Yami was hard to use, but the flexibility of his skill set was extraordinary. No wonder people called him OP on his debut.
― But he's not using Yami—can he do it with Barzan?
― No-item Barzan is a bit much;;;
― Wow, this REALLY feels like he should buy some items first
― Barzan is pretty awkward as a champ
― Barzan really relies on synergy with other champions
But Barzan was different.
To put it nicely, he was a jack-of-all-trades—but put another way, he was a "mutt."
Stat-wise, his stamina was lower than that of other champions, and both his attack and defense were below average.
Instead, like in the invade, his 'Declaration of War' buffed teammates, and he could chain it with the 'King of the Vanguard' to shut down enemy actions, making him a champion specialized for ganking and team fights.
'Is it because there are so many Mystic mains?'
There were more worry-filled comments than Lee Gyeongbok had expected.
He glanced at the chat while grasping his flag. He had no intention of stopping, regardless of their anxiety.
'I'll just show them.'
He knew well that the most convincing argument was to show the results.
He threw his flag, hitting the statue dead center. With each following attack, the Blue Guardian's health rapidly dropped.
― What is this? He's killing it so easily?
― It's going down super fast, huh?
― So we were backseat-gaming with no clue, lol
― For real, if you don't know, just keep your mouth shut like me!
Viewers unfamiliar with the Mystic League began to chime in. But their opinions were immediately countered.
― Ah, lol, you boomer Demons just don't get it
― That's the power of his passive skill
― Barzan's basic attacks deal damage proportional to the enemy's health, lol
― You'd think it's a broken skill, but it's actually trash, lol
― For real, if the fight drags on, he actually loses, lol
What they were witnessing was thanks to Barzan's passive skill, 'Dignity of the King.'
When he landed a basic attack, it added bonus damage equal to 5% of the target's current health, but the less health the enemy had, the less impact the skill had.
–Other damage skills don't mean much in melee, though;;
–True, declaration of War is single-use and King of the Vanguard can't be used up close
–That's why you need the mid laner to come help
–Why isn't Genome coming even while reading the map?
–Did he already side with the enemy?
–Come on, genome can't be a rat here, too, lol
But that skeptical tone in the chat didn't last long.
—He's still killing it quickly though?
—Huh?
—Look at Blue's health drop, wow
—Wow, lol, he's doing it!
—That's what physical prowess looks like LOL
The Blue Guardian's health was melting at a dangerous pace. Lee Gyeongbok dodged the giant statue's attacks and swung his spear without rest.
Other Barzan players would simply stab or swing the spear, but he was different.
—What the, lol, did Godple learn spear techniques?
—Was there another game where he used spears?
—No spears there, right?
—5252, wasn't he Unique Sword?!
—Lol, sword is just what he's best at using!
—For real, it's not like he can't use other weapons, okay?
—Perrzan! Perrzan! Perrzan!
He parried the flying stone swords with his spear, then used the spear as a lever to leap high and evade attacks.
With seamless, fluid chains of attacks, cracks widened in the Blue Guardian's body and fragments flew all around.
And finally—
When its health was fully depleted, the Blue Guardian's body shattered and collapsed, revealing the blue orb hidden within.
"Thanks for the food."
Lee Gyeongbok smiled nonchalantly and claimed the buff. The blue aura wrapped around his body.
[Blue Buff – Coolheaded Reason]
[You will gain additional resources required for champion skills.]
[While this buff lasts, barzan II's flag limit is increased by one.]
The system message explained the effect. Lee Gyeongbok smiled as he checked the extra flag on his back.
"Then I'll go straight for Red."
At his next declaration, the chat switched from thrilled to confused.
—Eh?
—You mean you're going for Red too?
—Ah, taking them all for himself, literally, huh
—Isn't it about time for respawns?
—This could actually work out
—Yeah, enemy lanes are all busy so they can't try a second invade
—If Yami comes to the jungle, godple can definitely handle it
—For real, just look at those hooks, they're clearly below Silvers
—Hey, aren't you Gold-tier?
—A Mystic's trait: ignores anything below his own tier
But since Lee Gyeongbok had already proven his skill, any concerns quickly died down.
Lee Gyeongbok moved past mid lane. He saw Genome gathering cash by picking off weak minions.
"Staffer Ji! Good work!"
He playfully waved his hand and planted a flag in the mid lane. Genome dramatically grabbed his head with both hands.
"Boss! Isn't installing personal CCTV a labor law violation?!"
"It's all for the good of the company!"
As Lee Gyeongbok swiftly crossed past the mid lane, the chat exploded with laughter.
Barzan's flags also served as short-term wards within their time limit.
—Crazy, lol, calling it a CCTV
—Trchoip-level, lmao
—A typical Black Company move: boss monitoring his staff
—This concept is insane, seriously lol
—???: There are plenty of people who can do your job!
—But isn't everything visible on the minimap anyway?
—Boring guy detected!
—Student, mind your own business^^
—He was just joking since he got the buff, you know lol
—Don't kill the mood for our stoic buddy!
While viewers bantered, Lee Gyeongbok stood before the second buff creep, "Red Trant."
As with Blue Guardian, he began his strategy while checking the minimap.
"All enemy team members have returned to their lanes."
The viewers were surprised by those words again.
—?
—Is he reading the map while fighting?
—Lol, he just glanced at it, right?
—How is he finding time to look at the map while fighting like that!
—Wait;;; judging from his eye movements, he's actually reading the map?
—Perfect eye ON!
He wasn't just reading the map.
With the enemy team returning, he needed to give commands.
"Bottom lane, hold your position. The gold gap's widened, so you can recall one at a time to buy items."
The duo who had held the bottom lane from the beginning had grown steadily. Meanwhile, the enemy bottom duo was just starting to collect cash, so the gap was wide.
"Staffer Ji, use your movement speed buff to focus on harassment and deny them as much CS as possible, and if you see a chance, go for the kill."
Placing the flag wasn't just for fun. Since Genome's DD skill was full of variables thanks to card shuffles, sometimes he needed to escape or even dive, depending on the circumstances.
"Deputy Ecl, you're good as usual."
Ecl from top lane needed no further instructions. There was hardly anyone who could beat him in a 1v1.
—What clean command skills!
—Wait;;; is he really jungling right now?
—Octa-Core performance, lol
—Bus quality off the charts, lol
—He's seriously going for the Perfect-Carry!
—He keeps his word, that's just common sense, right?
—In Mystic, isn't it more common to break promises and blame others?
—He's got the skill, I just wish his teammates could learn some of Godple's mindset ㅠㅠ
The chat was full of awe and envy. Before long, Lee Gyeongbok had secured the Red buff as well.
[Red Buff – Burning Passion]
[Basic attacks now inflict damage over time and cause the enemy to consume resources.]
A red aura layered over the blue.
"Let's go for some real ganking now."
Lee Gyeongbok grabbed his spear with a cheerful smile.
—Killer smile ON!
—Ah! That's scary!
—Let's see how many champions will fall...!
—The game's already over, lol
—Honestly, the real match was already decided by the invade, lol
—For real, the snowball effect is just growing now
Thanks to a successful early invade, victory was nearly certain. Now, with Lee Gyeongbok's ganking in play, victory was almost guaranteed.
What's more, the Lee Gyeongbok going for ganks now was on a completely different level from before.
—Godple with buffs? This is unstoppable, lol
—Is this the Purple buff?
—But I seriously see purple right now?
—Lmao, the red and blue auras are mixing together
—Wow, that's actually perfect
—Ah, the color of perfection itself (nods knowingly)
—Even now he's making a perfect clip for Q-tube, lol
The chat was filled with cheers and anticipation.
As the red and blue auras intertwined and swirled, there were flashes of purple in between.
Lee Gyeongbok playfully made a remark.
"The buffs really know who their master is."
* * *
With Lee Gyeongbok's ganks and lane intervention, all three lanes were pushed back quickly. The enemy team resorted to their last stand under their base tower.
"Still, it's nice to see they're not giving up."
Lee Gyeongbok complimented the enemy team with an easy smile. The viewers agreed.
—For real, gotta respect their perseverance.
—If it were me, I'd have rage-quit or surrendered by now
—Honestly, anyone except Godple would've left by now, lol
Soon, Lee Gyeongbok gathered his teammates.
"This is the perfect time to practice a proper 5v5 team fight. Everyone get ready; we'll engage as soon as the minions reach the tower."
The others all nodded. Winning here would seal their victory for good.
—Using even the enemy team as practice, black Company ethics, wow
—Ah lol, this is why Demerc folks get ostracized
—Whoa, demerc spoilers getting risky?
—Boomer Devils, watch out!
—This is Black Company (despair version)
—Come on, is there a hope version of Black Company? Lol
As the viewers kept up their lively banter, the minions started to march down the lane.
With Lee Gyeongbok at the front, his team followed.
"They're coming!"
"Guard the tower first!"
The enemy team, having spotted them, raised their voices. Since it was a defense, their strategy was obvious and they made no effort to hide it.
Lee Gyeongbok ran, pulled out his flag, and hurled it with force. The flag sailed through the air and—
—??
—Huh?
—Was that a miss?
—Did he throw it from too far away?
—Nah, it's fine, he's got another one!
—and landed harmlessly on the ground.
Thankfully, the Blue buff had given him an extra flag.
So Lee Gyeongbok immediately threw a second flag.
"D-dodge... urk!"
Fortunately, this time it hit its mark. The enemy ADC stumbled from the direct hit, and Lee Gyeongbok followed up with a spear throw.
"Scatter!"
They couldn't fall for the same trick twice.
As his spear flew in, the enemy champions moved to the side. But they couldn't dodge it completely.
—3-car pileup!
—Let's go for the team fight!
—Purge! Absolutely purge!
—Spoiler: PerG-Day is going to win
—Who doesn't know that, lol
Right from the start, three enemy champions were launched into the air. The rest of the team joined the fight.
The enemy base's tower fired bullet after bullet, but the itemized allied team didn't go down easily.
"Support and ADC first!"
The enemy targeted the weaker, more vulnerable players: the bottom lane duo.
"Hey, hey!"
"Oh crap!"
Frantically firing off heal skills and guns, the two were caught off-guard by the sudden rush of enemy champions.
Genome and Eclipse tried to help, but the enemy tank charged in and shoved them away.
—Seriously! Keep cycling your heals!
—What are you doing?!
—You gotta hold out, not fall back!
—No, lol, they should retreat!
—Don't you know about aggro ping-pong?!
The viewers frantically spammed the chat, but their opinions were divided. Even if they hadn't been, there was no way the players could hear them.
The bottom duo, who were in panic, and the enemy champions, wearing triumphant smiles—
It looked like the outcome was set in stone.
If not for the spear that flew through the air at that moment.
"Whoa!"
"What the—?!"
"Purple?!"
The enemy champions froze when a spear flashed before their eyes.
That was their fatal mistake.
"Where are you looking?"
Not just the enemies, but even the bottom duo—
Those who reflexively looked in the direction the spear came from were shocked by a voice from the opposite side.
As if bewitched, Lee Gyeongbok was right there. And he wasn't alone.
"A flag?"
"Shit."
The first flag Lee Gyeongbok had thrown—
The one people assumed was a missed skill, lying harmlessly on the ground—was right beside him.
Which could only mean—
That his CC (Crowd Control) skill, 'King of the Vanguard,' had been activated.
"Dodge—ugh!"
"Damn!"
Those who realized a moment late tried to twist away, but even a moment was too long.
An afterimage cut through them, sending them flying.
The faces of the bottom lane duo, which had been clouded with panic, lit up with joy and amazement.
"Let's finish them!"
"Yes!"
"Amazing!"
With Lee Gyeongbok's lively voice, the two gleefully took down their fallen foes.
—Wow, lol, so that wasn't a mistake
—He placed the flag ahead of time by predicting where the bottom duo would be?
—So sweet! What even is this?
—A 4-car pileup on top of it, for real
—How many moves ahead can he see?!
—Check out the bottom duo's expressions, they must be dying of joy
—???: Is this what the zero-to-hero bus feels like?
—What the hell! Give me a ride too!
—Ahhh! I hate Genome now!
—Why the sudden Genome bashing, lol
—Buying a season pass just to be petty, hahaha
The viewers erupted in admiration.
With Genome and Eclipse joining in, the enemy champions were wiped out, and their base was finally destroyed.
[Victory!]
As the victory message popped up, the chat exploded with praise.
—PerG-Day! PerG-Day! PerG-Day!
—Hail to the king's return! Hail to the king's return!
—The only rightful king is Perrzan! The only rightful king is Perrzan!
—What's with that Guyen NPC dialogue, lol
—The way our guy clones multiply in the chat, it's insane, lol
—Honestly! You can't help but follow Perrzan!
—If it's Perrzan, he could rule like the Queen of England
—???: Haha, still my win!
Lee Gyeongbok clapped his hands lightly and glanced at his teammates.
"Great work, everyone. We won thanks to you all following orders so well."
"No, it's all thanks to you, Purple!"
"Wow, I finally get it now that I've experienced it myself. This is what perfection feels like."
The chat roared with laughter at the bottom duo's comments.
—Immediately in a state of Purple paralysis, lol
—If you experience Para-crazy, you know all you need to
—Tsk tsk, those two are going to suffer from Purple withdrawal symptoms now
—Yeah, super short-term addiction, so the symptoms'll be severe
—Lol, what are you, a controlled substance?
After exchanging greetings, the three returned to the lobby.
"Okay, that's it for our first 5v5 practice game. How was it, guys? Can we just go straight to ranked?"
Genome clapped lightly and made a remark. The chat responded instantly.
—Why aren't you hitting the ranked queue?
—Start the queue right now!
—Ah, lol, isn't it the youngest's job to do that stuff automatically?
—You haven't done it yet? Tsk tsk, staffer Ji has zero awareness
"Hey, are you guys the bosses now? Who's telling whom what to do?"
Genome replied jokingly and glanced at Lee Gyeongbok and Eclipse.
He wanted to know if they were good to continue.
"Then let's end the orientation here and move on to real work."
"My job is to stay by my lord's side!"
With both of their answers, genome started matchmaking.
—Dang, lol, straight from a practice game to flex queue!
—So, what's the enemy team's tier going to be?
—Is it the first game in flex for all three?
—Yeah, it's the first flex match for Genome too this season
—Solo queue and MMR are separated, so it'll be random, right? lol
While waiting for the match, viewers speculated about the enemy's tier. Mystic League's ranked system split solo/duo ('Solo Rank') from squads of 3–5 ('Flex Rank') with separate ratings.
—I bet it'll be Platinum
—Are you just guessing? lol
—In solo queue, godple is Diamond, genome is Platinum, and Eclipse is Gold!
—Wait, Eclipse is Gold?
—Yeah, he got that doing solo queue before streaming with Genome
—So a Platinum average, then?
—Will the other two be around that tier?
—But there are so many variables in flex, who knows
As they speculated, matchmaking succeeded. Attention immediately shifted to the enemy team.
Lee Gyeongbok was watching as well.
"Oh, it's four Plats and a Diamond?"
Four on the enemy team were Platinum, one was Diamond. His gaze turned back to his own allies.
—Wait;;; We have two Golds?
—What's with this balance?
—Flex MMR is wild, lol
—At this rate, it's actually Yellow-balanced, lol
—For real, godple is actually Master tier or higher
—So the MMR really did match, I guess lol
—Wait, diamond on the enemy?
—Elephant? Is it THE Elephant?
—An actual pro?
The mood in the chat shifted drastically.
'Elephant?'
Lee Gyeongbok was puzzled, but Genome understood right away.
"Huh? It's actually Elephant!?"
He blinked in disbelief and looked at Lee Gyeongbok and Eclipse.
"You guys don't know?"
"Who is it?"
"Yeah, I don't know either."
At their responses, genome nodded as if he expected that and explained.
"You know TierOne, right? He's a pro gamer in their Mystic League team's second squad."
The term "pro gamer" drew their attention.
"But he's not just a regular B team player. If you want to be precise, he's a '1.5-stringer.'"
"1.5-string? What's that even mean?"
Eclipse cocked his head in confusion. He figured you were either on the A or B team, not in between.
"Well, elephant's performance is really inconsistent, so he goes back and forth between the A and B team. But when he's playing his best..."
Genome swallowed dryly.
"He's called the greatest jungler in TierOne's history."
"The greatest jungler?"
Eclipse glanced at Lee Gyeongbok upon hearing that. After all, he played the same position.
"Greatest, huh..."
A slow smile spread across Lee Gyeongbok's face.
He was certain.
"Well, this next match is going to be a blast."
Because for a streamer, fun is what makes a stream great—he was sure this ranked match would be enjoyable as well.