The Korean ranked ladder was the most competitive one in League of Legends. Professional players from every region visited Korea just to have a shot at reaching Challenger on this server. And most of them failed. They got to Master and then found out why it was so difficult to get any higher. Pure, raw talent. There were so many outstanding players on the Korean server that the level of each game was far above the worldwide average. Even the Ionia server, the most competitive server in China, couldnāt come close in prestige to the Korean server. Yet One threw Lin Feng at it as if it were nothing.
Lin Feng still held his phone close to his ear, but he wasnāt talking or listening. His eyes were focused on his laptop and he was chewing on his lip. He wants me to hit Top 5 Challenger? Can I even do that? I know the rankings⦠Back in the day, yeah, but Iām not there yet. Iām not anywhere near to that point yet. Chinese professional players are better than I am right now. And most of them canāt even make it to Challenger on the Korean server! What am I going to do?
Chinese players challenged themselves to climb the Korean ranked ladder every season. They wanted to prove to their Korean rivals that there was some talent in China. That there was hope for China on the international stage. That the League of Legends world wasnāt centered around Korea! But they never got all that far. The Chinese players who reached all the way to Master were proud of themselves, and the couple who made it to Challenger were either professional players or players being scouted by professional teams. But none of them ever made that final step into the Top 10. It was just too difficult to beat the many talented players on the Korean server.
Top 5, Top 5⦠Collegiate Cup and Top 5⦠Where am I going to find the time to even do that? Can I even do that? But I told One⦠Lin Feng chewed on his lip, biting off a thin layer of skin. His stomach dropped and he grimaced. I wanted to take it one step at a time. Slowly make my way back to the top. But Oneās right. I canāt do it like this. Thereās no challenge for me here. The Collegiate Cup is just another tournament where I donāt really have to try. I can just⦠I can take it easy. It doesnāt matter if I screw up a bit, because I can just turn it around later⦠He scratched his forehead, tense. I canāt go on like this. I need to challenge myself sooner or later. One is right. I need to fight. And the Korean ladder is probably the best bet for that!
Something swirled in the pits of Lin Fengās stomach. His heart started racing faster and faster, pounding against his ribs. He felt his face heat up. A real challenge! And One gave it to me. He trusts me. He believes I can do it! He believes I still have it! Lin Feng closed his eyes and tried to push the rush of adrenaline down. One trusts in me! Iāll repay him with results! Top 5 Challenger? Ok. Yes. Iāll do it! Itāll be hard. But Iāll do it!
Lin Fengās eyes shot open. A new fire burned in them. He tossed the Winter Collegiate Cup to the back of his mind. What am I getting all worked up about a university tournament? I made it all the way to the world finals! I need to remember why Iām even competing. To find good teammates and to start building a team! But itās not to get back in form. I need to do something else for that. This might just be that something! The Korean ladder⦠He took a deep, long breath and closed his eyes again. Rake. Rake will be there. Iāll have to play against him if I want to make it to the top of Challenger. Iāll have to play against him⦠Iām not good enough yet⦠He chewed off a second bit of skin from his lips and then suddenly slammed his palm against his head. NO! Iāll face him! Iāll play against him, with him, whatever! Itās not a big tournament. Itās practice. I need to get better, and to do that I need to face better players. He nodded, confident, and said to One, āI can. And I will.ā
āGood to hear,ā One said, laughing. āOh, right,ā he added. āDo you have a Korean account?ā
āUhhhā¦ā Lin Feng scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. I was so caught up about beating Rake⦠My account isnāt Challenger yet. Itās going to be really hard just to get there. He said, āWell, I do. But itās not in Challenger yet. I can get to the top of Master, but someone needs to lose their Challenger spot for me to take itā¦ā
āYeah, that wonāt do. There isnāt enough time for that,ā One agreed. He briefly paused and then said, āIāll just give you my Challenger account.ā
Give a Challenger account? The words went off like a bomb in Lin Fengās mind. Give a Challenger account? GIVE? He muttered a few incoherent words, trying to make sense of it. A Challenger account is super expensive! Itās way better to just buy something in Plat for $5! How can he just borrow me a Challenger account? Thatās insane! I donāt have that much monā
āOf course,ā One interrupted Lin Fengās thoughts. āIf you fail to reach the Top 5, Iāll just take my account back. But how about this. If you do make it to the Top 5, the account is yours to keep.ā
...my account. Lin Feng finally understood what One was implying. One has a Challenger account? Is he playing again? He actually made it to Challenger on the Korean server? How is he still that good!? He was so good at DotA, but that was DotA and this is League! How can he still be this good? Heās better than I am right now⦠He breathed unevenly and his head started swirling. āD-do you⦠Wait! DID YOUāā
āAlright, Iāve kept you up for too long. Youāll need every second you can get. Iāll send you the account information in a bit. Just gotta change the password around,ā One said over the phone. āOh, and kid, donāt let me down.ā
Lin Feng nodded, too dazed to realise One couldnāt see his response. Oh, and kid, donāt let me down. Donāt let me down⦠Lin Fengās hands were trembling. Heās passing his account on to me. His hard work. I have to pick up and carry on for him! One is giving me a real test! To prove to him that Iām good enough to pick up where he left! He balled his fist and grinned. I have the talent! He knows I do! But I have to move forward. I canāt stop taking the safe route. The Top 5 on the Korean server is just the first step. Iāll do it. For One. For myself. Iāll do it. He nodded to himself again and then said, his voice trembling, āIāll do it. I mean, I wonāt.ā
One chuckled when he heard the response. Good. It sounds like he understands what this means. Heās going to have to try really hard, but he can do this. He just has to want it. Anyway, that settles that. He said, āSomething else entirely, I heard BunBun moved to Shanghai? You two are on the same team then, I take it?ā
āYeah!ā Lin Feng replied, rediscovering his usual grin. āWeāre on the same team in the Collegiate Cup! Sheās our coach and the Jungler! Itās amazing! Just like the old times! Sheās a really good coach!ā
āHuh? Sheās jungling?ā One asked in surprise. Did she jungle before? He shook his head and moved past it before Lin Feng could latch on. āSounds like sheās still a great coach then! Hey, do me a favour. Tell her to give the missus a call. Sheās been asking about BunBun a lot lately.ā
āFive? You mean five? The missus is Five, right? Right?ā Lin Feng exclaimed, excited. āHow is Five? Are you two on your honeymoon right now? Is she having a good time? How is Five?ā
āHey! Her name isnāt Five!ā One interrupted. He briefly paused to breathe and then complained, āThatās Mrs. One! Weāre engaged now! Ha! If she hears you call her Five, sheāll give you a spanking! And a couple of jabs too!ā
Lin Feng grinned and said, āLies! Sheād never do that! Five is way too nice for that! Sheās the best! How is she doing? Did she ask about me too? What did she say when I won the Shanghai 16 School Tournament? Did you watch it with her?ā
One listened to another minute of Lin Feng badgering him with questions before giving up. He shook his head and said, āYouāre hopeless. You know what, Iām hanging up. Talk to you later.ā He put the phone away from his ear and could still hear Lin Feng firing off questions. That kid. He shook his head and chuckled, ending the call. Heāll understand. One then leaned back on his sofa and looked at the television that was playing Lin Fengās most recent game at the Winter Collegiate Cup. I wonder if he can do it. I hope he can. Itād be fun to see him up there with Rake again.
One closed his eyes and thought back to the Season 5 World Finals. Lee Dojae really went all out with that award ceremony. That was quite the thing. āPassing on the torchā, haha! I like it. It has a nice ring to it. Would be kind of cool if Lin Feng can help me do something like that. But⦠He chuckled and shook his head. That kid is still far away from getting there. But Iām in no rush. Thereās still plenty of time to make that happen. Iāll pass my torch onto him eventually. Iām sure heāll get there. And my torch is way bigger than Lee Dojaeās torch!
The next couple of minutes were spent laughing about Lee Dojaeās torch. But then One narrowed his eyes. Lin Feng needs time. Heās nowhere near ready to face Han Seho again. Rake⦠Lin Feng just isnāt there yet. And I wouldnāt mind letting him take his sweet time. Itās just⦠He took a deep breath and shook his head in annoyance. The Chinese esports circle isnāt going to be so patient. Theyāre going to find out soon enough that heās back and then theyāre going to push him. I just need to give Lin Feng a couple of pushes right now, so that when it comes to that, heās ready. Besides, itās not like a little bit of added pressure is bad for the kid.
One laughed as he remembered the excited tone in which Lin Feng told him about the Shanghai 16 School Tournament a while back. And how excited he now sounded about beating two university teams. Heās having a good time and slowly making his way back. Thatās his way. We should respect that. But heās also going out of his way to not really push himself. A university tournament? Thatās just too easy for him. Top 5 on the Korean ladder. He can do it and itāll also be an actual challenge. He might even start losing some games and remember what thatās like. And heāll have to play with and against Rake. Against Rake⦠He nodded and mumbled, āThatāll be good for the kid.ā
The television mounted on the wall in Oneās living room played scenes of Lin Feng toying around with a random Midlaner. One shook his head and mumbled, āNo challenge, no growth. He needs to put himself out there. Just not so much that he breaks again. Iāll have to make sure those esports guys donāt try and push him too hard.ā He continued watching the screen that switched focus from Lin Feng to An Xin. One rubbed his chin and wondered, āThat girl, did she always Jungle? I donāt recall her ever Junglingā¦ā