LOL: My talent is top-tier, my professional skills are unparalleled.

Chapter 2: The First Battle - A Do-or-Die Situation!

Abu seemed to be deep in thought, and soon remembered the man's identity.

Wang Yao, who just turned 18 this June, was originally a relatively unknown AD player in EDG's youth training camp. His skills were mediocre, at best only at the level of a Korean server Challenger.

But two months ago, the previously unknown Wang Yao suddenly had a breakthrough. First, he dominated in the King of Glory matches with over 1000 points, achieving the top spot in the Korean server once, and then he crushed his peers in the LSPL league.

Wang Yao's outstanding performance led to his promotion to the first team by EDG's management, where he became iboy's substitute AD carry.

Abu is conflicted.

When it comes to esports talent, iboy is undoubtedly better.

After all, iboy is a genius AD pick from the national talent show, and he is the strongest new generation AD player among players of the same age as JKL, Able and others!

However, no matter how strong a professional player is, once their mentality collapses, their performance will inevitably become distorted and abstract.

Even with a perfect score of 100, the final score they can achieve is at most 60, which is a passing grade.

Over here, Wang Yao, with his sharp eyes and powerful aura, also noticed Abu's hesitation, and his heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that I've been too conspicuous and someone has noticed...? If I'm to play, then the contract renewal fee for the second half of the year won't be a rookie price.

I want the highest salary in the entire league!
Wang Yao remained unmoved, calmly observing the EDG members with their varying emotions, as if he were an outsider.

He's only paid as a substitute player, so there's no need for him to worry about the starting players.

"Alright, I've decided to have Wang Yao replace Xiao Zhao. Submit the personnel change application now."

Manager Abu made the decision and told the staff around him to go and notify the player of the change.

With time running out, he had no more room to think. Anyway, Wang Yao's performance in the training matches was no worse than iboy's. In the next official match, he just needed to play steadily, and that would be a success!

"what?"

iboy and Meiko simultaneously let out a bewildered exclamation, and Wang Yao, the player who had been sitting idly in the corner on the bench, officially appeared before the EDG team.

The factory manager, still reeling from the shock, was about to erupt in protest against Abu's decision to temporarily replace him, but after careful consideration...

This rookie AD seems pretty good. I've encountered him several times in Korean ranked games, and he always completely overwhelmed me.

Seemingly unable to find any reason to refute, the factory manager, who had wanted to say something but hesitated, chose to remain silent, which can be regarded as an acceptance of Abu's decision to replace him.

Head coach Nofe glanced at Wang Yao's recent rank data, a whole page of impressive green MVP stats, which made him extremely happy.

"Wang Yao, you're going to play the third game. Play well, this might be your only chance to play in the LPL finals in your lifetime!"

"Row."

Wang Yao nodded calmly, showing no excitement whatsoever for a substitute player making their debut. He was as mature and experienced as a ruthless professional player who would boost their ranking.

iboy wanted to say a few more words and try to get back into his starting position, but Abu's resolute expression and Clearlove's tacit approval made him choose to remain silent in despair.

Forget it, I'll just take this opportunity to cool off... If we lose, someone will take the blame for me, and if we win, I might be able to go back on the court and turn the tide to save the team!

After confirming the replacements, the factory manager looked at this teammate who looked familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar. Wang Yao was usually too low-key; besides playing practice matches, he spent his days playing Korean server ranked games and almost never interacted with anyone.

This is very similar to the factory director himself.

"The enemy ADC likes to push the lane and is incredibly aggressive. Just wait for me to come, then stabilize your advantage and snowball."

"Leave the rest to me."

As Uzi's old rival, the factory manager knew his opponent's weaknesses and playstyle all too well, and he pointed out Uzi's countermeasures to Wang Yao in just a few words.

Wang Yao nodded. He had faced Uzi quite a few times in ranked games on the Korean server, and he felt it was about even... However, Wang Yao often didn't play seriously in ranked games. He liked to switch screens to play Plants vs. Zombies while laning, and occasionally switch screens again to play Dou Dizhu (a card game).

"Play seriously next game, don't give the opponent any opportunities. If you perform well, you can continue to start."

The factory manager patted Wang Yao on the shoulder and solemnly painted a rosy picture for him.

He has a good impression of this mild-mannered and stable substitute rookie. A good AD is one that doesn't get overheated, and a good player is one who can withstand pressure!

"Don't put any pressure on yourself, just treat it like a regular training match," Abu encouraged Wang Yao.

"Ok."

Wang Yao maintained a calm tone, and his expression remained composed, showing no trace of the nervousness one would expect from a newcomer.

Although he didn't know what would happen next, Wang Yao had only one thought in his mind: I will dominate the world!

……

Halftime is about to end.

The commentators, including Wawa and Miller, were having a great time, talking about the long-standing rivalry between RNG and EDG, and how Uzi was about to win his first championship trophy tonight.

Meanwhile, the LPL official live stream, Huya, Douyu and other platforms were also flooded with comments and traffic.

"I feel so sorry for Meiko! I've seen initiation supports and AD carry protectors, but I've never seen a support who ends up watching over the AD carry's grave. ED!"

"iboy's AD play is so abstract! He's cowardly in lane and feeds in team fights. While Uzi is chasing after people to deal damage, iboy is just chasing after people to die and feeding kills!"

"A teddy bear-type AD carry, huh? Cowardly yet loves to play!"

"..."

The chat sections of each live stream were flooded with angry EDG fans, while all that remained were cheers and jubilation from RNG fans.

Amidst the discussions between the two fan groups, iboy, the rookie AD player, was instantly propelled to the peak of popularity.

On the LPL finals stage, even the slightest mistake by a professional player will be exposed under the dazzling spotlight.

The moment one is in the spotlight and the next is met with fierce criticism.

"As a rookie player, iboy's synergy with the team is definitely not as good as that of RNG as a whole team. EDG failed to stabilize in the early game, which caused the advantage that Clearlove built up through ganks to be wasted, which is quite a pity."

Just as Guan Zeyuan was about to continue analyzing the differences between the two teams, a new message suddenly came through the director in his earpiece, which startled him slightly.

The Haier Brothers, who were standing nearby, also received the message. After a brief moment of confusion, the doll explained to the audience in front of the camera:
"We have received information that EDG has made a change in the AD position, with their second team's AD replacing iboy."

“Is this a bit…”

Miller frowned slightly, and then he saw the same confusion and bewilderment in the eyes of Wawa and Guan Zeyuan.

This last-minute substitution doesn't seem quite right.

It gives the impression that they simply couldn't beat the opponent, so they brought in a newcomer to admit defeat or to take the blame.

If it were a normal rotation, that would be fine, but this is the finals, and the player who came on is a rookie, playing as a substitute in the LPL league for the first time.

In this situation, either EDG has prepared a super secret weapon in advance, or the substitute AD has offended the coach, manager, or team leader Clearlove.

If it's the latter, then EDG club really lacks a sense of human touch...

Considering the realities of the situation, the second guess is more likely!
(End of this chapter)