novelraw Chapter 173 : Destiny (1)
Chapter 173 : Destiny (1)
Destiny (1)
Even after the first game, team PerG-Day continued their winning streak. Their collaborative broadcast was so successful that it was hard to believe it was their first time teaming up in Mystic League.
Thus, team PerG-Day's debut stream came to an end.
[Breaking news) Black Company's Purple stock price soars with public listing (999+)]
[Are you jealous of Chu? Upvote ㅋㅋㅋ (999+)]
[As a fellow supporter who rode the zero-to-hero bus (certified) (941)]
[The true king of Mystic League is Perfazan! (932)]
[You can really trust PerG-Day ㅋㅋㅋㅋ (871)]
The Mystic League community started to burn with related stories. Although every game was excellent, there was one match everyone picked as the best.
[From now on, barzan is the Lagnel counter-pick ㅋㅋ (999+)]
[Analysis of Perfazan-style move-speed item build (999+)]
[A new paradigm in jungle invading (999+)]
[Insane death crate ending ㅋㅋ (999+)]
[Perfect Barzan VS Fully-controlled Elephant.avi (999+)]
That was the very first game.
In particular, it was the showdown against the TierOne pro-gamer, elephant.
[Seriously, how do you win with only a 30% win rate? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
And it was against Lagnel, controlled by Elephant.
ㅋㅋㅋ
Godple seems to be a true champion rework master, with Perfect Yami as well ㅋㅋㅋ]
[-Rework is real ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[But honestly, the rework level is spot on ㅋㅋ]
[Rework (pilot swap)]
[Seriously, baboong is completely different now ㅋㅋㅋ]
[What's with all the MP. GG big data! He's just got physical prowess!]
[Where did he learn spear skills?]
[Godple has never played a spear character beforeㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Seriously jaw-dropping ㅋㅋㅋ Instantly became an expert]
[Yeah, that's what you call a 'Perfect-Master']
Even though it was his first time with the champion, his mastery and ability to overcome the counter were on full display.
[Forget analysis
Only Godple can pull this off, don't try it yourselves, damn
All the trolls going move-speed items on Barzan in ranked are getting reported and immortalized]
[-Sinker bait]
[-Ah ㅋㅋ Just thinking about people imitating Perfazan gets me pissed]
[-It makes me dizzy just imagining all those sparrows showing up again, doesn't it?]
[-???: That bird is a harmful one]
A completely different item build from before.
[Seriously, jungle roles are rare enough as it is, but
I've never seen jungle invading done like this before
How do you clear camps that fast?
It was truly insane play ㅋㅋㅋ]
[-Monopolizing the jungle!]
[Forcing a herbivore meta ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Elephants are herbivores, right~]
[Reason for extinction: Purple]
[Honestly, this one's Godple's fault ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Isn't Barzan's ult usually for guaranteed 1v1 kills or trapping for teammate escape after a buff?
Damn ㅋㅋㅋ If you've got physical prowess like that, you can use Barzan's ult like that too
When Godple does it, everything's different, seriously]
[-Death crate, that title is nuts ㅋㅋㅋ]
[The genius starts from even thinking to use the ult that way]
[3v1 hold was impressive enough, but taking out two in the process ㅋㅋ]
[I was more amazed by Elephant escaping ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Truly, a pro is a pro ㅋㅋㅋ]
Pulling off a daring, even reckless, yet successful strategy against a pro-gamer.
[This isn't even a pro-tournament, yet the quality of the match is insane?
I've followed Elephant for a long time and this is truly his peak right now ㅋㅋㅋ
Too bad Elephant lost, but you can see this experience will let him explode in potential ㅋㅋㅋ]
[-Legendary from game one ㅋㅋㅋ]
[As soon as the two faced off, it was a whole different genre]
[This is what top-tier is all about ㅋㅋ]
[Top-tier equals Diamond]
[Hey, here come the low ranks acting up again?]
[You want a 1v1 mid duel?]
What attracted the most attention was the mesmerizing clash between the two players.
The community's mood was scorching, but sometimes this fervor was a precursor to an explosion.
[Let's be real, it's not like Elephant lost because of inferior skill (999+)]
At the center was one post.
[Anyone who watches Elephant knows, right?
His condition lately has been dreadful, he's been struggling with last-game syndrome and stuck at the bottom of the 2nd team, can't climb back up. It's so frustrating lol
But just because he lost one game, why are so many people suddenly calling him "bottom-El"?
Seriously, does Mystic League judge skill by one match? Or by a 1v1 result?
It's a team game in the first place, so people dragging Elephant down are just outing themselves as clueless.]
The post's main argument was that you couldn't disparage Elephant's skill based only on this one game.
[Seriously, he played with first-time teammates in solo queue]
[You can't compare him to Purple, who came with a premade team, that's nonsense ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Finally, the real expert appears]
[I was also feeling off seeing the vibe in the community ㅋㅋㅋ]
But the tone was a bit harsh. People who agreed or, oppositely, those trying to stir up drama, chimed in.
[Expert, lol]
[Honestly, elephant's condition was bad, but did you watch the clips to the end?]
[Lol, he was playing fully controlled mode by the end]
[If you're going to quibble over teamwork, perG-Day's ranked games were also first games]
[Why is everyone so mad, anyway?]
Since the post went against the flow, rebuttals came quickly.
[I wasn't going to compare, but after reading this, I'm convinced he's bottom-El ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Come on, if you're comparing Godple and Elephant, the 1v1 already decided it]
[Do you really need to say more, given the counter-pick matchup?]
[Plus Godple was commanding the team while doing the trades ㅋㅋㅋ]
The counter-arguments were solid too. Since Purple's side had taken the win, it was the natural result.
[Why are you making losing to Godple sound like a flaw?]
[Come on, godple's not just a smurf, he was an aspiring pro]
[Right, from the way Elephant and Godple talked, they seemed to know Director Baek, too?]
[If he went pro, he'd dominate everything ㅋㅋㅋ]
[People look at smurfs through colored glasses ㅋㅋㅋ]
[So, who's clueless now?]
The excitement became a spark, and the community began to be consumed by it.
[Nothing beats foreign input to put out a fire!]
(A photo of an actor holding a pizza gazing at a burning room)
I was dying laughing watching PerG-Day's broadcast, spreading it on Reddit and making a translation, but
why is everyone so heated?
Both are amazing to me, why do we need to rank them?
Anyway, just watch this.
(Crazy! Is this Perfante?)
(No, it's Perfazan now)
(WTF? The opponent was Elephant? At Tier One? Seriously?)
(Counter-picks don't matter at all)
(WA! Literally "perfect play,"
"mythic," can't imagine playing the same game as him)
Like you can see, all the comments are extremely positive
No need to talk about Purple's skill, but that's not why people are heated, is it?
The key is this person.
(Elephant is the most impressive jungler I've met. But who is this player? I can't even begin to imitate that)
Surely everyone knows, right?
That should be explanation enough lol]
It was a post by the person who'd always been translating Lee Gyeongbok's stream's international reactions.
Comments came flooding in underneath.
[-Hey, why-are-you-translating, welcome]
[Now he even makes things to translate before coming ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Professional translator, I acknowledge you]
[Perfect gif choice, what is that?]
[-Wow, cheyenne watched this?]
[World-class]
[You said foreign input but it's a waterfall pouring down ㅋㅋㅋ]
[As expected, foreign press is trustworthy!]
[Foreign press, lol]
[Is it Cheyenne or Saiyan or whatever?]
[How can you not know Cheyenne from Mystic?]
[You don't know the youngest MidCup winner?]
[He was a Barzan master, even got a championship skin]
[The Fnatic logo's even next to his name]
[Ah, the trolls just outed themselves?]
[Go play in your own circle!]
Not only was there overseas reaction, but also the world championship for Mystic League — called 'MidCup' — whose champion, a Barzan main, watched and expressed amazement.
[So it was trolls who don't play Mystic causing the mess]
[No one was saying Elephant was bad, then suddenly drama]
[Trolls went to the TierOne gallery to stir things first ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Seriously, what's wrong with these people's lives]
Thanks to the post, it became clear that troublemakers were instigating conflict. The admin quickly deleted the problematic threads.
Thanks to that, the controversy soon died down.
[Here come the nationalistic hype spinners]
[Never expected a Cheyenne cameo ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Shouldn't they release a Perfazan skin by now?]
[Ah, step one: chroma changes to purple]
[You crazy people! Stop trying to imitate Perfazan!]
The community became even more fun than before.
* * *
The next day, at TierOne e-sports team's training house.
The results of the promotion matches were announced.
With the Mystic League players gathered, elephant heaved a deep sigh.
His teammates patted him on the shoulder.
"Man, you were insane today."
"Seriously legendary!"
"We all knew you'd come back to the main roster!"
"At this rate, mCK won't be a problem?!"
Elephant had been promoted back to the main team.
He had showcased a performance so overwhelming, all his teammates acknowledged it.
But the man himself didn't look happy.
"... What's important is keeping this up from now on."
Worry outweighed joy. It was because of his chronic jinx: "last-game syndrome."
His teammates knew that, giving him wry smiles.
"Hey, hey, it's okay."
"Yeah, as if we don't have ups and downs ourselves?"
"Everything's gonna be fine."
Elephant mustered a feeble smile.
It was comfort he'd always heard. He appreciated the thoughtfulness but it didn't actually help.
"Okay everyone, good work today."
At that moment, a voice made the players turn their heads. There stood Baek Kangmin, their coach, in his red TierOne uniform.
"Sangjun, let's have a word."
"Yes, sir."
Elephant — Jeong Sangjun — nodded. He could guess why the coach wanted to speak.
"You did really well today."
As the two entered the room, Baek Kangmin lightly patted his shoulder.
"Thanks for proving my belief wasn't wrong."
"Thank you."
"But."
Coach Baek soon erased his smile and spoke seriously.
"The issue's not over yet, is it?"
"... No."
"Right, so you understand why, even after your promotion, you might be benched?"
The tournament roster wasn't finalized yet. He'd been promoted to the main team, but might still not get field time.
"Still, it's a good sign. You've never performed this well before."
Baek Kangmin encouraged him.
He wasn't saying it to be nice; his skills had truly leveled up.
"You've pushed past your limits, so your minimum standard's gone up too. If you narrow those mood swings, being on the main team won't be an issue."
Baek Kangmin rated his potential highly. That's why, despite risks, he'd brought him back up.
"Thank you, coach. Um..."
Elephant bowed, then hesitated. Finally, with a determined look, he spoke.
"I have something I'd like to ask regarding that."
"Hm?"
"Do you... know someone called Purple?"
At that, Baek Kangmin surprisingly nodded right away.
"Oh, that."
As a coach, he'd been monitoring the online community directly to care for players' mindsets. Sometimes, online comments about players could do more harm than good.
Thus, he was aware of the Purple vs. Elephant match from the day before.
"With games, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Don't get too down. Your opponent is a pretty renowned streamer, right?"
"Oh, no. Losing the game is fine."
"Hmm? Then?"
"I wanted to know if you know Purple personally."
"... Personally?"
Baek Kangmin's eyes widened, but he soon shook his head.
"No... this is the first time I've heard of him. Maybe he's a scouting candidate, but I haven't heard anything about debuting as a streamer."
"Still, it seemed like Purple knows you, coach."
Elephant said this as he showed a Smart Link video.
It was an interview between MetaGamer and Purple.
"He said the offer wasn't from Mystic League. It was before virtual reality, probably Legend League. He had to refuse due to health issues."
"Legend League? Health...?"
At the explanation, Baek Kangmin's expression changed. Sensing hope, elephant showed another video.
"He said his parents passed away back then, so it all fell through."
Baek Kangmin's eyes widened in shock.
Legend League, high school days, health issues, losing his parents.
"... Gyeongbok?"
Only one person fit that description. In all his years in this field, he'd not met anyone else with that level of talent.
When he murmured it, elephant's face brightened.
"Do you know him? Are you still in contact...?"
"No, it's been a while since we last spoke."
Baek Kangmin sighed shortly.
"I don't know if that friend is Purple. I gave him my number, told him to call if he ever changed his mind, but never heard back."
"So you still have his number?"
"Uh, but it's so old I don't know if it works."
Baek Kangmin scratched his head.
"Could you try calling him? Playing against Purple helped me recover my condition! Today's performance is all thanks to him!"
Moved by Elephant's earnestness, Baek Kangmin agreed.
"All right, let's give it a try."
He dialed the number. Both men held their breath as the call connected.
〈Hello?〉
"Ah, um... Is this Gyeongbok's phone?"
Unconsciously, elephant clenched his fists until his hands were white.
Soon, the answer returned from the other side.
〈Gyeongbok? No, I think you've got the wrong number.〉
"Huh? Wait..."
The call cut off, and silence fell.
"Hmm... Looks like he's changed his number. Well, it's been almost ten years."
Baek Kangmin wrinkled his nose and turned away. Elephant nodded with a dazed expression.
"Nothing we can do. Thank you..."
As he thanked him and got up, Baek Kangmin dialed again.
"Wait — maybe I'll get through on this one."
"What?!"
Elephant's eyes lit up again. As the call rang, he covered his mouth, not wanting to disturb.
In a tense silence, the ringing continued.
And finally, the call connected.
〈Hello?〉
Elephant cocked his head. This time, he heard a woman's voice.
"Ah, is this Gyeongbok's guardian?"
The recipient of Baek Kangmin's call was—
〈Gyeongbok? Oh my, who could this be? I saved your contact as Mr. Baek, but my list is such a mess.〉
It was Yanghwa Bosal, Yang Gyuri's auntie.