LPL History

Chapter 325: The image of an old friend evokes many thoughts; a storm is brewing for the mercenary king.

Kou Rou shook his head, dismissing the absurd idea.

I've never heard of anyone who plays tanks so well, let alone warrior heroes.

The opposing team is probably one of IG's newly recruited top laners. These kinds of rookies are the most likely to be full of vigor, but they lack match experience and are not to be feared!
"This Zhou seems very experienced; he doesn't seem like a newcomer at all."

The factory manager's voice came through.

“Every time I try to catch him, it seems like he can sense it in advance.”

After the training match, it's natural to do a review.

Jayce, who went on a rampage in the third game, naturally became the focus of everyone's discussion.

Upon hearing the factory manager's words, Kou Rou paused for a moment.

"Huh? Have you ever offered to help me catch one?"

The factory manager's face instantly darkened.

"I told you at least four times that I'd come to the top lane to help you gank, but you were wearing headphones and listening to music. Did you not hear me even once?"

Abu didn't want to waste time on braised pork and immediately ended the conversation.

"Mingkai, when did IG recruit this player? I haven't heard anything about it."

Factory owner shook his head, as if he had thought of something, but in the end he didn't say it.

Like the braised pork belly, the factory manager also saw the shadow of an old friend in this Jess.

Although he and his old friend had not faced each other many times, even including previous training matches, the total number of games they played together did not exceed ten.

But in every game, Zhou Li, who was still with LGD at the time, left a deep impression on him.

油！
It's so oily!

The number of times the factory manager has successfully ganked Zhou Li is 0, a statistic that has been a deep sting for this top jungler in the LPL.

He has always been best at analyzing his opponents; as long as he's in the LPL, there's no opponent that Mingkai can't figure out.

The Zhou rites were an exception.

Facing Zhou Li, the factory manager always felt a deep sense of powerlessness. In the eyes of outsiders, Zhou Li had almost no presence in LGD's matches at that time, and netizens called him a "carry" (meaning someone who doesn't contribute much). However, only those who were actually playing the game could feel just how monstrous Zhou Li really was.

Whether it's Koro1 or other top laners, they've all said things like, "Zhou Li has a magnetic field around him; if you get close to him, he'll pull you into his gang."

But today's Jess is neither like Zhou Lixiang of that time nor like him.

The factory manager observed the opponent's positioning and anti-gank awareness, and was certain that this person, like Zhou Li, had extremely rich competition experience.

Unlike Zhou Li, this Jayce player is incredibly aggressive in the laning phase and has an extremely terrifying grasp of details. He completely outclasses Koro in both mechanics and psychological warfare, and often chooses to take on some extremely risky plays.

"IG's top laner needs more research. If he's a rookie, he could be terrifying in the future."

Abu nodded.

"I'll see if I can arrange another practice match with them tomorrow. The Summer Split is about to start, and I need to thoroughly study them."
-
IG e-sports club.

Kakao expressed his admiration for Zhou rituals without reservation.

In this game, Zhou Li not only completely dominated the opposing top laner, but also, together with him, completely overwhelmed Clearlove's jungle.

Kakao is a highly aggressive jungler with a very sharp playstyle.

But he's suffered quite a bit recently working under the factory manager.

In the beginning, Kakao could easily beat Clearlove with his eyes closed, but as he played more in the LPL, Clearlove quickly figured him out. In their recent encounters, Kakao, who was aggressive and didn't like to build vision, suffered a lot at Clearlove's hands.

But today, all the pent-up frustration from before was finally released in one go.

The most dangerous thing between people is comparison.

With this lump of mud now possessing a certain posture, the precious gem of Zhou rituals appears all the more valuable.

Zhou Li slumped into a chair.

"How was the pose? Did you learn it?"

His gentle demeanor was tinged with surprise, and he murmured unconsciously:

"Your Jayce playing is amazing."

Zhu Kai, who was standing to the side, was also somewhat puzzled.

"When did you learn Jayce? I've never seen you play him before?"

"Do I need to learn this? I can always learn it right away."

Kakao held Zhou Li's hand and said excitedly:

"Brother, you have to be a starter. I'll definitely tell the management to let you be a starter."

“No need,” Zhou Li silently withdrew his hand. “Starting is too tiring. It’s better to let Zita start.”

However, Zhou Li clearly forgot his "pure and innocent" persona. In Kakao's opinion, Zhou Li, who uttered those words, was truly pathetic.

He suffered such unfair treatment at LGD, which even drove him to the brink of mental illness, and he was eventually sidelined and kicked out.

Even after going through so much since joining IG, she still maintains her original aspirations, never competing or fighting for anything, which makes people feel sorry for her.

Zhou Li also clearly underestimated how stubborn Kakao was.

On the second day of the training match, after seeing Zz1tai start, Kakao suppressed his dissatisfaction and finished the first game.

After losing the first game, Kakao couldn't hold back anymore.

He started hurling insults at everyone, cursing the child, Cocoa, and Zitai from beginning to end.

Among them, the one who received the most criticism was his younger brother, Rookie.

Rookie was completely stunned by Kakao's scolding; he couldn't hold back and burst into tears. (*)

By the time Zhou Li and Xiao You returned from their meeting, IG had already started the second game.

Zhou Li sat casually in his seat watching the movie, but every now and then his gaze would sweep towards Kakao and he would see outrageous scenes.

One moment Kakao is lounging in his gaming chair, playing a match, and the next, he's turned the chair around, kneeling on it, his eyes peering through two holes in the back of the chair at the screen. (*)

Zhou Li couldn't hold back any longer; he wondered if the kid was born in the Year of the Monkey.

As expected, IG lost the second game of the practice match.

When Zhu Kai saw Zhou Li, it was as if he had seen a savior, and he quickly pulled Zhou Li over.

"Come on, Zhou Li, you'll play in the next match."

He was completely terrified of this Korean jungler.

Upon seeing Zhou Li, Kakao's gloom vanished instantly, and the corners of his mouth immediately turned up.

"Hey! Brother! You're finally back!"

The Zhou rituals were so elaborate that people were completely numb to them.

They had only known each other for a little over ten days, and he felt that Kakao was somewhat lacking in boundaries.

Kakao over there was clearly unaware of Zhou Li's resistance and was still excitedly shouting:
"Hey, come with me into the enemy jungle, I'm going to kick Clearlove's ass to pieces!"

Seventeen minutes later, the IG team left the game, completely satisfied.

Kakao turned to look at Zhu Kai and said awkwardly in the Chinese he had just learned last night:
"Cook Kai! He's starting! Okay?"

Zhou Li felt that Kakao was too much of a jerk, and he just wanted to be a substitute, but they insisted on making him start.

But just as Zhu Kai was about to nod in agreement, Zhou Li saw that his historical records had been unlocked.

Kakao, whose real name is Lee Byung-kwon, hails from South Korea. As a young man, he joined KTA as a jungler. In the summer of 1944, he led his team to victory against a strong opponent, winning the OGN championship and earning the title of "Jungle Hero." However, after achieving great success, he retired and soon crossed the sea to join the Chinese team IG. At that time, mid-laner Rookie was his equal, known as the "Coal Mining Duo," battling against LPL powerhouses and becoming a force to be reckoned with. However, Kakao's volatile temper was unbearable for Rookie, so he and Su Xiaoluo went to find a kid (a popular Chinese esports player) and asked if he could jungle. The kid agreed, and Kakao lost his position. Later, he went west to Europe to play for Misfits, and then returned east to Royal Never Give Up (RNG) to treat his mother's illness. He changed teams six times in ten years, never staying long.

At that time, people joked: "Kakao is like a mercenary soldier, fighting when money arrives and moving away when money runs out." But in reality, Kakao is neither fraudulent nor deceitful; it simply exchanges skills for money, with clear contracts and no deception of the young or old.

After the year of Bing Shen (2016), Kakao's skills gradually declined, and he moved between competitions in Turkey and Brazil. Some people asked, "If you had an army of ten thousand, would you help Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions? Or help Cao Cao defeat the Red Cliffs?" Kakao laughed and said, "I am not a match for ten thousand men, but only a firewood carrier. Serving a small country now is enough to make a living." However, frequent changes of ownership eventually led to his decline, and he disappeared from the competition in the year of Jia Chen (2014).

But now, having met Zhou Lang, Kakao has changed his mind, vowing to defend the banner and pledge allegiance to IG. Thus, he has shed his chivalrous spirit, hardened his heart, sharpened his blade, and prepared his horses to fight alongside you.

Thus, his achievements grew daily, his fame resounded throughout the Rift, and he ultimately became renowned worldwide, achieving glory in esports. Was this not due to your efforts?

[Key character (kakao) unlocked, ability gained: Mercenary.]

[Mercenaries: Unlike regular troops, mercenaries typically only appear in crucial moments. Now, for every match you substitute in, you will gain one opportunity to exchange for hero proficiency.]

[Heroes: Sivir, Graves, and Twisted Fate have reached perfect proficiency.]

Looking at the abilities he had acquired from the Records of the Grand Historian, Zhou Li became even more determined not to start, and quickly said:

"I'm not starting him. I think Zz1tai plays very well, so he has to start!"

Kakao looked at Zhou Li and asked, puzzled:

"Why are you always so deferential? You're clearly much better at it than him."

Zhou Li sighed.

"Actually, I was under too much pressure while playing for LGD, so my current mental state isn't suited for high-intensity training or too much pressure..."

Kakao paused for a moment, then quickly said:

"Brother, I didn't consider your situation. It's okay, I'm willing to wait for you!"

In a secluded corner where no one paid attention, Zizhi forcefully held back the tears welling up in his eyes.

The doctor said I shouldn't cry, otherwise my acne would get inflamed.

And time quickly came to May 22, 2015.

After a short break, the 2015 League of Legends Pro League Summer League has finally begun!
(End of this chapter)