Bloodsucker stared at his screen as it sprung back to life, vibrant colours replacing the dull tones of grey. He knew it was only temporary, though he refused to admit it. He stubbornly guided his Fizz back to mid lane. All I need are a couple of last hits. Thatâll see me right back into the game! I just need a few more⊠a few more! He gritted his teeth. If it wasnât for this damned LeBlanc, Iâd be winning right now! LeBlanc was always there, cutting him off when he tried to last hit a minion or zoning him away from the lane entirely. Then heâd hide underneath his tower, the only place where he could at least get the experience from the dying minions. But LeBlanc didnât even let him get experience. She baited him to use Playful Trickster, the only skill that could help him escape, and then killed him with a sudden burst of magic damage. And then it started all over again. And again.
At 17 minutes, Bloodsucker had completely given up on the mid lane. He didnât even want to look at it anymore. He had his Fizz move into the Red teamâs top side Jungle and attacked the Raptor Camp, which was adjacent to the mid lane. He could use Playful Trickster to land some splash damage and speed up killing the Raptors, but he didnât. LeBlanc was somewhere, he didnât know where. And if she came, he needed Playful Trickster to escape. I just need a bit more gold⊠a few more kills⊠then Iâll finally be relevant again! Iâll shâ
A silhouette dashed over the jungle wall into the middle of the Raptor Camp, just as Bloodsuckerâs Fizz was about to kill the big one. Two Sigils of Malice slammed into Fizz, followed by LeBlancâs Ethereal Chains. Bloodsuckerâs screen flashed red for a brief moment before it turned grey again. He never even got to use Playful Trickster to escape. LeBlancâs burst damage was too high.
ăYou have been slain!ă
Bloodsucker pinched his mouse and lifted it up, searching for a wall to throw it at. Then he gritted his teeth and fought back that urge. âFUCK!â He slammed the mouse back down on its pad. âFUCK! FUCK! HE FUCKING DID IT AGAIN! HOW DID I NOT SEE HIM? FUCK!â He smashed down on the E key, his screen still grey, and shouted, âPLAYFUL TRICKSTER! PLAYFUL TRICKSTER! JUMP, YOU STUPID FISH!â
The game wasnât even 20 minutes in and Bloodsucker found himself at the same score as in his previous game, 0/8/2. But in his Tryndamere game, he was playing against God Roundy in his secondary role. He didnât like losing, but he could still accept that. But now he was playing his main role against some no-name Midlaner with his main Champion. He ground his teeth, glaring at the LeBlanc. FUCK THIS GAME! AND FUCK THIS STUPID LEBLANC!
Bloodsucker hurled a constant stream of abuse at his monitor, calling LeBlanc every bad word under the sun. But when his Fizz respawned, he didnât chase after her. There was something else he felt beside humiliation. Fear. This was the first time in his still relatively short League of Legends career that heâd played against someone who made him feel utterly and completely helpless. Iâve scrimmed against LSPL teams and played against almost every big name on the Ionia server⊠I didnât win every game, but that was never really my fault. They always come to gank me, and my Junglers usually help other lanes⊠Or my Junglers suck, like this one. He gave a fucking kill to the LeBlanc! But I should still be crushing her. How is she this good? Who is she? Where the fuck did she come from? God fucking dammit! He slammed his fist on his desk and shouted, âIâm supposed to be the most talented Midlaner in China! IâM SUPPOSED TO DEFEAT RAKE AND GET SOME HONOUR BACK FOR OUR REGION! ME! ME! ME! NOT SOME FUCKING RANDOM PLAYER IN SOLO QUEUE!â Then he slumped back into his seat, out of breath. He canât be better than me! HE ISNâT BETTER THAN ME! Iâm the best! Iâm going to play at Worlds next year! I canât lose to some fucking nobody! I WONâT!
âč
At 20 minutes, Lin Fengâs LeBlanc was still hunting down the Fizz. But it became harder and harder to find him as he started refusing to even leave the base. Lin Feng looked around the map to take stock of the game. Bot lane was minding their own business, having what looked like a fun skirmish that went back and forth. And Tian Tian was steamrolling the top lane after a slow start. Lin Feng smiled and shrugged. âGuess Iâll keep hunting the Fizz, all the way to the fountain if I have to. But maybe I can bait him out tooâŠâ
[All] MapleInShrub (LeBlanc):ăSooooo boring. Guess I shouldn't have expected more after seeing your top⊠lolă
[All] MapleInShrub (LeBlanc):ăMaybe if youâd stop spending so much time shittalking people, you could actually get a little good at this game⊠Though I suppose youâre really not all that talented...ă
Bloodsucker grimaced in humiliation. He wanted to yell at LeBlanc that he did have talent. And that he was going to become the best Midlaner in the world! But he couldnât get himself to. Itâd sound ridiculous right now. Even he could see that. He took a deep breath and growled as he exchaled. Then he suddenly started smiling. You want to act cute? Ok. Fuck you.
[All] Bloodsucker (Fizz)ăMe? Talking shit? Loool⊠I havenât said anything. Oh, you mean last game?? That wasnât shit talking!ă
[All] Bloodsucker (Fizz)ăAll I said was that KG lost 0-3 to SSK. And that that stupid fat pig was an embarrassment to all Chinese players!ă
[All] Bloodsucker (Fizz)ăThat isnât shit talking! I was only stating the facts! KG did lose! And Roundy did play like the fat pig he is! Is that not allowed anymore? You sensitive pussy! HAHAHAHAH!ă
Lin Feng slowly nodded. Sure, keep at it. Thatâs going to ease the pain for you. But I can state some facts too. He smiled as his fingers started gliding over his keyboard again.
[All] MapleInShrub (LeBlanc):ăOh, well, let me state some facts for you then.ă
[All] MapleInShrub (LeBlanc):ăItâs a fact that you fed last game and showed that you have exactly 0 talent as a Toplaner.ă
[All] MapleInShrub (LeBlanc):ăAnd itâs a fact that youâre just as terrible in the mid lane.ă
[All] MapleInShrub (LeBlanc):ăDid you buy a boosted account to look cool to your friends or something?ă
Bloodsucker read that last sentence, gnashing his teeth. Lin Feng had struck him where it hurt the most. He was proud of how good he was in the mid lane. And he liked how his friends looked up to him! I CLIMBED THE LADDER MYSELF! AND I AM A GOOD MIDLANER! It became harder to breathe as his nostrils flared. He grabbed at his hair and wanted to pull, but kept himself from doing that at the last moment. Then he smashed his fingers down on his keyboard.
[All] Bloodsucker (Fizz)ăyou wanna play it that way? Ok, go for it! Have fun! But that doesnât change anything. KG IS STILL TRASH!!! THEY LOST 0-3! WHAT GOD ROUNDY???? HEâS JUST A FAT PIG! A DISGRACE TO THE LPL! THAT SHAME WILL FOLLOW HIM FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE! HEâLL NEVER MAKE UP FOR IT!!!!ă
[All] MapleInShrub (LeBlanc):ăYou sure about that? Well...ă
That message caught Bloodsucker off-guard, briefly replacing anger with confusion. He scrunched his eyebrows and mumbled, âSure about that? Yes I am. What the fuck is he talking about?â He started typing a response, but then stopped as LeBlanc sent another two messages.
[All] MapleInShrub (LeBlanc):ăActually, nevermind! Thatâs got nothing to do with you anyway.ă
[All] MapleInShrub (LeBlanc):ăYouâre just a boosted noob.ă
âW-whaââ Bloodsucker erupted into a coughing fit. Lin Feng had dealt yet another stab to his already damaged ego. FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! YOU FUCKING FUCK! His vision grew dark as the world in front of him started twisting and swirling until he couldnât even see his monitor anymore. His head was buzzing and his entire body was trembling violently. He forced his eyes shut and bit down hard on his tongue. That brought back enough clarity to his mind to move his hands. They slammed down on his keyboard and pressed the keys in a practiced rhythm, writing out increasingly vile and disturbing messages that were sent to all chat.
âč
The Red Team voted to surrender in the 22nd minute of the game. Their nexus exploded and the energy inside morphed into a large victory emblem for the Blue team. Lin Feng looked at his screen and shook his head. âYou know, Fatty? That Fizz was actually pretty skilled. Good awareness and great game senses.â He paused for a moment before adding, âThink he might even be a pro player.â
Tian Tian looked over at Lin Feng in surprise and asked, âA pro player? Y-you really think so?â
Lin Feng nodded and explained, âYeah. Itâs just the little things, you know? The warding, map movements, roaming attempts, and other little things. Itâs the stuff you donât really see from the best solo queue players, unless theyâve played professionally before.â He looked at Tian Tian and said in a serious tone, âIf he really is a pro, that makes this so much worse. The fact that heâd say all those things? Itâs a disgrace.â
Tian Tian let his gaze fall down to the ground. He was fidgeting with his fingers. I-if Lin Feng is right⊠Another pro player thinks about me like that? T-then what about the fans... M-maybe even Liâ
âWell, it doesnât matter,â Lin Feng said, interrupting Tian Tianâs thoughts. Then he rubbed his stomach that growled in response. âMan, Iâm starving! Weâve played three games and won three games. Thatâs plenty, right? Yeah! Letâs go get something to eat!â
âč
Lin Feng and Tian Tian sat down in a hotpot restaurant across the street from the cybercafe. Lin Feng grabbed a menu and started flipping through it, mumbling, âHmm, what to eat⊠what to eatâŠâ
Tian Tian sat on the other side of the table. He was slouched back and fiddling his fingers underneath the table. L-lin Feng trusted in me. He believed I could win against SSK. B-but I let him down. I let everyone down. I-I should apologize to him. Maybe⊠Maybe heâll forgive me. I-if he doesnât, I can understand that. I wouldnât want a loser on my team either⊠He quickly wiped away a tear with his sleeve and then croaked, âL-Lin Feng, Iâm sorry.â
Lin Feng looked up from his menu, confused, and blurted out, âWhat? What are you sorry for?â
Tian Tian wiped away another tear with his sleeve and tried to hide behind the menu. âW-we lost 0-3âŠâ he started with a hoarse voice. âAt W-w-worlds! T-that guy was right. I couldnât do anything for my team! I let everyone down! I⊠Iâm a dissa... disha-poiintcheed jyuu gwaaaaaah!â He collapsed onto the table and buried his face in his arms. He lost all control over his emotions and broke down, begging for Lin Fengâs forgiveness through his sobs.