CS: The Last Dance, a Dance That Leads to Professional Success

Chapter 2: Could you come to G2 and help me level up my account when you have time? (Please add to your favorites)
[Host information detected!]

[Goat system binding begins!]

This system provides guidance to novice hosts, allowing them to gradually ascend the path to godhood.

Beginner stage?
Meng Lang carefully examined the panel in his mind. Although he was a young man who often read online novels, he was no stranger to the so-called "Deep Blue".

But isn't there something wrong with this system?

His early days as a beginner can be traced back to twelve years ago, when he was six years old. He first encountered a computer at his aunt's house, with his middle-aged uncle and five-year-old cousin standing beside him. From then on, he was hooked and opened the door to Counter-Strike.

That was his early days.

But isn't it a bit too late for this system to arrive now? The thing is, I don't need any beginner system right now!
Before Meng Lang could think any further, a mechanical voice came to his mind.

[Binding complete]

[Host: Meng Lang]

【Age: 18】

[Title: Empty]

[Basic shooting skills (aiming, recoil control, spraying, flicking): 79 (damaged state)]

[Response (Location, Transient Response, Multi-Target Processing): 91]

[Awareness (positioning, information processing, offense-defense transition): 71]

[Map: Scorching Sand City (90) Folded.]

[Weapon: AWP (79+10→89)]

[Assignable attribute points: 0]

[Skill: Empty]

[Goat value: 233 (in progress)]

（数值划分：90以上世界T0级，80-90是T1级，70-80是T2级，60为职业最低及格线。）
(System Evaluation: Terrifying!!! For a newbie like you, your shooting skills are approaching top-tier! Your reaction time is comparable to world-class stars! While your awareness and map pool are somewhat lacking, you are already a prodigy for a newbie! You are truly the best gift God has given to CNCS!! We suggest announcing to the world: "A 17-year-old Goat is on his way—"!!!)

???

Meng Lang was completely bewildered by the system's barrage of praise.

The suggestion is to announce to the world: "A 17-year-old Goat is on his way?"

The best gift God gave to CNCS?
His eye twitched!
Well, back when Meng Lang was young and fearless, he did think that way when he first entered the professional scene. But now, after playing professionally in the European and American shark pool for so long, and seeing what it means to have "heroes as numerous as carp crossing a river," that idea has long since disappeared.

Meng Lang still remembers the rave reviews he received from netizens on HLTV not long ago.

His innate talent for reaction and AWP expertise created the illusion of him being a top-tier player, but his lack of awareness, map skills, and a sudden hand injury shattered his facade. It is recommended that he learn to read the minimap before retiring.

He's so sarcastic!

Yes, that's quite accurate.

But this Goat system is surprisingly good at praising people, and Meng Lang couldn't help but smile.

Cough
At that moment, the mechanical voice echoed in my mind again.

[Congratulations, host, on binding with the system! The beginner's guide kit is coming soon!]

【Do you want to receive it? 】

Huh? Do you still have the beginner's three-piece set?

Although the beginner's stuff might not be of much use to him, Meng Lang still thought it was a waste not to take it—he was the kind of guy who would pack up his toiletries and take them with him when he left a hotel.

【receive】

Ding Ding Ding-!
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the "CSGO Weapon Map Handbook"]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a "Basic Energy Potion"—to replenish and restore your energy and repair your depleted body (chance to be found in quest chests)]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the rare skill "Spider Sense. Beginner (0/100) - When you gather enough information during a match, there is a certain chance that a sixth sense will guide you!"]

Meng Lang was stunned when he saw the rewards; he had initially been somewhat indifferent.

Spider senses?

Peter's spider sense?
If it's not closed, it means it's not open, right?

This is way too much!

However, after reading the explanation that "when you gather enough information during the game, there is a certain chance that a sixth sense will guide you," Meng Lang became somewhat thoughtful.

Do we need to collect information to make a judgment? That doesn't seem like a big deal.
After all, some professional gamers are born with this ability.

As for the [Basic Energy Potion], Meng Lang's heart stirred slightly, and his right hand, which was in his pocket, touched a hard, unidentified object. This wasn't this morning, something was wrong!
Meng Lang took it out and found a test tube filled with green liquid in his hand. It was the same as Gul'dan's Fel Energy Little Green Juice. He glanced at the instructions and saw that it replenished his energy and repaired his overdrawn body.

Meng Lang put it away first, then looked up and saw the "CSGO Weapon Map Handbook".

This thing is the perfect item for a newbie gift pack, but I don't think I really need it. After all, I was a newbie back ten years ago, and now that I'm a pro, I don't need to be familiar with guns.

However, the next second, the moment he opened the "CSGO Weapon Map Handbook," Meng Lang's consciousness was suddenly pulled into it.

Without warning, a space resembling a shooting practice room appeared before my eyes, with all sorts of CS:GO weapons displayed on the walls, and bots could be added for practice.

Scroll down further.

Below that, there's an option to freely add "virtual mirror images" of players you've faced within the past month to the map, as well as simulate 1v1 duels, 5v5 team duels, and recreate endgame scenarios.

bite-!
[Friendly Reminder: Host simulation training can only be used while sleeping and requires a certain amount of Goat points]

Uh?
A shooting practice room inside the brain during a dream?
Meng Lang was slightly taken aback, but immediately realized what was going on.

A slight thought crossed his mind, and his consciousness returned to the "CSGO Weapon Map Handbook".

Sure enough, all the CSGO maps appeared in Meng Lang's mind, which he could freely enter. The opponent he added was a player from the FAZE team, whom he had last scrimmaged against online two weeks ago when he was with EG.

and many more!

Doesn't this mean that I can practice shooting in my head without using a machine, and find someone to practice with without scheduling training matches?
Meng Lang immediately realized what this meant for a professional player.

For any top professional player, talent is only one factor; they also need a lot of tedious training. The exaggerated gaming hours of many prodigies who debuted as stars are proof of this.

Meng Lang once relied solely on his talent to forge ahead, but he didn't lay a solid foundation.

When talent is exhausted, the upper limit is reached.

Some people who weren't as talented as him went further in their careers than him.

When Meng Lang first debuted, his best skill was Sand 2. Although he has been in North American youth training for two and a half years, his best skill is still Sand 2.

But the brain training that the Goat system provides for beginners actually takes place during sleep!
This "sleep training" was tantamount to giving him a chance to mend the fence after the sheep were lost, and a chance to rebuild the foundation.

It can also improve the problem of his "map pool" being too shallow.

But here comes the problem!

What is the "Goat value" required for intracranial training?
Meng Lang was puzzled, but a familiar mechanical voice immediately came to his mind to explain.

[The host can obtain Goat points by completing tasks randomly issued by the system, or by expressing emotions—a natural-born star is destined to have the world's attention on you as you grow. All emotions such as shock, anger, mockery, and admiration evoked by the host can be collected and converted into Goat points.]

Current Goat value: 233

233?

Where is it?
A sudden idea flashed through Meng Lang's mind. He took out his phone and opened the two posts he had just updated simultaneously on Weibo and Instagram. In the comments section, some people offered words of comfort, while many trolls mocked him.

As the number of comments under the posts on both platforms increased, the Goat value on the system panel did indeed increase slowly. Meng Lang roughly estimated that two comments were equivalent to about 1 Goat value.

Hmm, why is it only 1 point for two comments?

Is this a conversion equation?
Or perhaps, the Goat score he received had nothing to do with the comments, but only with his emotions.

After all, there are some people on the internet who want to say something about everything they see, but they don't actually have any emotional fluctuations at all—simply put, they are just ruthless commenting machines, much like the daily pop-up check-ins in a group chat.

But this is not bad at all!

Meng Lang immediately grinned from ear to ear.

He has a naturally optimistic and sharing personality; even if he loses a game, he will still post an update first.

In the past, these were his ways of relieving stress.

But now, this has just translated into the Goat value he needs for simulating the game.

This is a complete end-to-end battle!

Meng Lang was feeling quite pleased with himself when his gaze quickly fell back to the [Assignable Attribute Points] section at the bottom of the panel, and the mechanical voice echoed in his mind once again.

[When the host performs a "Goat" maneuver as determined by the system in a professional competition, they will be rewarded with free attribute points, which can be directly added to improve the host's attribute values.]

Goat operations?

and many more!

What kind of operation is considered a Goat operation?

Similar to s1mple's blind-sniping of Mercy that prompted Valve to release map graffiti.

That's way too difficult!

Over the years, only a handful of people, such as Senpo, Olaf, and Coldzera, have received this honor.

Doesn't that mean my chances of improving my attributes are slim?

Meng Lang couldn't help but ask, "Can my attributes only be improved by gaining attribute points through performing Goat actions?"

The host can also improve "slowly" through simulated training and real training.

That's it!

Upon receiving the reply that "training can also improve," Meng Lang felt relieved and a smile appeared on his face.

Although it's described as a slow improvement, and we don't know exactly how slow, as long as there's improvement, that's fine!

What's more, the system can now help him see his improvements very intuitively.

Positive feedback is very important!
This beginner system is not too late at all!

Meng Lang couldn't help but sigh again!

If the Goat system had been loaded when he was six years old and just started learning CS, he might have truly become the chosen one, a gift from heaven to CNCS.
But it's not too late now.

Contentment is always happy.

Meng Lang grinned.
The mechanical voice echoed in my mind again.

[A small step for the newcomer, a giant leap for GOat! In the future, victory will be your passport to GOat, and the ranked battlefield right now will etch your awakening! Activate the perfect ladder engine and experience your first victory with precision and strategy!]

[New Player Normal Quest: The Battle of Breaking the Cocoon - The Trial for Your First Ranked Victory]

[Task Reward: [Time Delay Inverse Entropy Bandage]; Goat Value +100]

[Tip: There's a chance to get a treasure chest upon completing the mission]

Wait a minute.

A perfect ladder?

When Meng Lang saw his first beginner's quest, he couldn't hold back anymore.

I play FPL (FACEIT Pro League) overseas, and my Perfect World account probably hasn't been used for a while. Besides, it's pointless to ask a professional player to get their first Perfect World win.

Can this really be considered a task?

Isn't that too easy?

but!

We like it!
Meng Lang's gaze fell on the reward: what exactly is the Time Delay Inverse Entropy Bandage?
As soon as the thought moves,
A notification sound came to my mind.

[Time-Lag Reverse Entropy Bandage: When wrapped, this bandage can inhibit hand damage in the host and slowly reverse the healing process. (Effectiveness is better when the hand is used vigorously; it only works on the host.)]

Upon seeing the reward description, Meng Lang was immediately stunned, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face!
What is this about vigorous hand use?! Wait, no! This thing can actually treat his hand injury?!
It is important to know that Meng Lang's hand injury was diagnosed last year as "fracture of the neck of the fifth metacarpal bone, soft tissue injury and neurovascular injury". After half a year of rehabilitation treatment, he has recovered completely, but there is still a long-term complication that will cause "traumatic arthritis and fine motor dysfunction of the hand caused by incomplete recovery of nerve damage".

In fact, this is also the predicament that Meng Lang is currently facing. He is famous for his fast and accurate head-on sniping.

But since his hand injury, his sniping skills have been reduced to speed, and his transition to a rifleman hasn't been very successful.

But now, the bandages rewarded by this mission not only allow him to suppress his hand injury during the match, but also incredibly repair it.

How could Meng Lang not be excited!
He admitted,
I was a little too loud just now!

The Goat system is not late at all!
You've come at just the right time!

At this moment, Meng Lang only wished he could immediately secure his first victory and claim the newbie mission rewards.

But the next second, his expression turned somewhat awkward. Now that Gong had left the base, he didn't even have a computer, let alone a place to live.

You need a computer to get your first win, right?
Go to an internet cafe?
Meng Lang hesitated only slightly.

Just then, my cell phone rang in my pocket.

Like a fledgling bird that cannot yet fly, I lamented my powerlessness. Oh, sorrow! Quickly transform into wings! Yesterday, I merely trembled and waited, until my dream came to meet me!

Only when this legendary songstress, who spanned the Showa and Heisei eras, sang the line "Riding on the back of a silver dragon, transporting away, nurturing the vortex of rain clouds" in her booming, upward-sweeping voice, did Meng Lang finally answer the phone with satisfaction. The caller was Nikolai Kovich.

"I heard you left the team, Bro? Could you come and fill in for me on G2's account sometime?"

rash:???
Berlin, Germany.

With the Antwerp Major fast approaching and only a week left before the Challengers Tournament, G2's fan forums are buzzing with excitement.

What's the situation with G2 this year?

"It's one thing to fall short in the IEM Catalonia finals, losing 2-3 to FAZE, but to be eliminated in the group stage of EPLS15 and not even make it to the knockout stage, are they even human?"

"This is nothing. Last year, our Bosnian brothers almost burned to death and turned into two relics."

"This year, they brought in Leonardo DiCaprio and Monesy, and even touted themselves as having the 'strongest lineup on paper,' but they were eliminated in the first round of the EPLS15 group stage. It's really frustrating."

"It's ridiculous that JaCkz, an invisible person who's practically invisible, wasn't demoted this year. Luckily, he managed to get into RMR recently."

"With RMR performing like that, it would have been better if they hadn't even made it in. They should have just forfeited the Antarctic Major instead of humiliating themselves in the Challengers Group."

"."

At this point, the G2 club's management was also at a loss.

This year, they demoted their former in-game leader nexa and former main sniper Amanek. They not only acquired the 16-year-old Russian prodigy m0NESY from NAVI's youth academy for $60, but also brought in in-game leader Xiao Lizi from OG, who is "good at building solid default tactics". They even changed their coach to XTQZZZ.

We aim to solve the problems of weak sniper positions and rigid tactics in one fell swoop, and build the strongest "Galactic Battleship" on paper to compete for a championship!

But who would have thought that more than two months have passed,
Hopefully it will come soon.
Go faster
G2 Club Base.

The new coach XTQZZZ, who just replaced maLeK this year, rubbed his bald head with a headache and turned to Niko, saying, "Dude, is that Asian player you introduced reliable?"

The man opposite the coach, with his well-defined features, high nose bridge, and slightly prominent brow bones, shrugged helplessly and said, "It's meaningless to talk about whether he's reliable or not now. The key question is, where are we going to find a suitable substitute at this time?"

Unlike League of Legends, major tournaments like the CS Major and IEM allow substitutes, but the rules are strict, requiring advance registration and the provision of valid proof in case of emergencies.

Making a substitution during the competition is allowed, but you will be penalized with point deductions or bonus penalties.

What did Jackz say?

He said he wanted to give it a try.

"Give it a try? Then get into the zone!"

The bald coach suddenly became furious.

Fake!

The game turned out like that.

They said they'd give it a try.

Do you really want to drag everyone down with you?

But immediately,
But then he sighed.

Despite Jackz's individual statistics and competitive impact being at the bottom of the main roster, making him the most criticized player in G2's current lineup, the bald coach has seen his tactical sacrifices and professional attitude over the past three years with G2.

He knew there was no way to smear this.

He is truly a benchmark for "non-star players".

Replacing someone without saying a word is understandable in terms of reason, but not in terms of psychology.

It's a bit heartless.

Yes, G2 is still better than EG in this respect.

However, professional clubs,

This isn't a place where personal relationships matter.

After a few seconds of contemplation, the bald coach finally made a decision, saying, "Then let's wait until Dark, whom you mentioned, joins the team and let him get used to it. Then we can arrange a practice match between him and Jackz."

"Competitive selection for the position?" Niko asked.

"The winner stays."

The bald coach left with a single sentence.

Niko turned around and exchanged a glance with her cousin next to her; both of them looked somewhat helpless and tired.

These two Bosnian brothers, one a dribbler and the other a libero, have really been carrying G2 through the mud in recent years.

It burned out.
It's almost burned out.
A day later, Meng Lang arrived at the G2 Club base with his suitcase.

"This G2 is pretty luxurious!"

Meng Lang entered and immediately began to look around.

G2 truly lives up to its reputation as one of Europe's most prestigious clubs, boasting a large, multi-functional clubhouse in a prime location in Berlin. According to Lao Ni, the base integrates audio-visual entertainment, and even has a gym—a standard feature of any CS club—in the basement.

There's no way around it; most professional CS players are full of martial spirit and admire muscular men!

Meng Lang straightened his hair in front of the club's floor-to-ceiling glass entrance, then straightened his back and strode confidently into the G2 Club.

Five minutes later, after putting down his luggage, Meng Lang was told to go to the manager's office, where he "bumped into" Jackz.

—He is the "cancer" that G2 fans call him, and the person who competed with him for a spot on the Antwerp Major team.

"Hey buddy, let's get acquainted. My name is Dark."

As soon as they met, Meng Lang extended his hand very warmly.

Jackz was made somewhat uncomfortable by their enthusiasm.

After all, the two are currently competitors.

Even setting aside the subjective animosity, there's an objective situation where it's either you or me.
In the end, only one person can stay on the team.

Is such enthusiasm really necessary?
Ah!
Hypocritical Orientals!

However, some people simply cannot resist the smile of that sunny and cheerful young man. French athlete Jackz, for example, subconsciously raised his hand, a slight smile still tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Jackz".

After saying that, he quickly suppressed the smile on his face.
We must not let our guard down!

"Hey hey! I know."

Meng Lang, however, casually put his arm around Jackz's shoulder and said with a carefree laugh:

"It's no coincidence! I was also just kicked out of EG. But there's a Chinese saying, 'All things in their being are good for something!' Everyone has their own talents, and a tree dies when transplanted, but a person thrives. Changing teams might open up a whole new world for me!"

That sounds quite comforting.

But Jackz felt something was off.

and many more!

Fake!

I haven't left yet!
You knew you'd be the one left in the end?
Thinking of this, the face of this "elderly player," a rarity in the CS professional scene, turned somewhat grim.

Born in 1992, he only began to make a name for himself in top-tier competitions after the age of 30. He played for second-tier French teams in his early career, and only entered the mainstream after joining G2 in 2018. Throughout his career, he faced the crisis of being relegated or benched multiple times.
But he made it through it all!
not to mention.
Jackz glanced sideways at Meng Lang, who had an Asian face.

CN is a desert of FPS games.

What kind of flowers will it bloom?
Let's fight it out fair and square!

G2 Manager's Office.

After officially informing the two players of the "competitive selection" that the coaching staff had discussed in advance, manager NiaK also informed them that there would be a training match in two days - the opponent was Astralis, who were ranked eighth on the T10 team list released by HLTV in January of this year.

Manager NiaK's conversation was frank and open, without any reservations. He directly stated that today's practice match against Team A would determine who would participate in the Antwerp Major.

They must give it their all.

"must."

Meng Lang said with a smile.

Although he was optimistic, he wasn't so optimistic that he thought a simple word from Old Ni would be enough for a club of G2's caliber to let him take over the veteran's position in the Major without hesitation.

Jackz was slightly taken aback.

Has this moment finally come?

"OK! I will prove myself."

After regaining his senses, he nodded solemnly.

Manager Niak gave a few more instructions, and Meng Lang and Jackz went out one after the other.

At the end of the corridor, Meng Lang smiled and raised his hand, gesturing for the other person to bump fists in encouragement.

"Let's cheer each other on, Bro!"

But this time Jackz didn't raise his hand. He just glanced at Meng Lang, turned around and left the corridor with a cold face.

Meng Lang's hand froze awkwardly in mid-air.

But the next second,
He put his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't mind him, he's actually a nice person."

Niko patted Meng Lang on the shoulder, and the two watched Jackz's departing figure together.

Meng Lang scratched his head.

"I don't mind, but I feel like I'm letting Bro down."

Young Master Ni shook his head and sighed, "If there were no other way, the coach and management wouldn't have considered making a change. G2 can't afford to lose again this year."

is not that right?

At the beginning of this year, G2 underwent a major roster overhaul, and when the news was officially announced, their official Weibo account even jokingly remarked, "With this new roster, there's no reason for us to still have zero championships this year, right?"

But that's why G2 has a chance!
Judging from the current situation, G2 might actually have a complete disaster this year and be aiming for zero titles!
It truly is a case of "words becoming law".

While this isn't entirely Jackz's fault, he is undoubtedly the one with the biggest problem.

The community's assessment of him is that "he can neither break through nor play as a free agent; he can only barely defend specific areas; and although he is in the middle position, he has no core role."

Meng Lang sensed the melancholy in the old nun's tone.

Like the dream-chasing factory manager next door, Niko has been competing for so many years and desperately wants a Major championship. If he misses this Antwerp Major, he will be even more eager.

When is the next time?
Who knows?
"rest assured."

Suddenly, Meng Lang patted the old nun on the shoulder and pointed to himself.

"I will take action!"

When he said this, the young man's face was full of youthful vigor.

He exudes an inexplicable, vibrant, and inspiring energy!
Young Master Ni paused for a second, then suddenly laughed and scolded:
"Bro, you should try to stay on the team first."

As he said this, the image of the first-tier youth competition he had witnessed earlier this year flashed through his mind.

The optimistic young man in front of him, whom he had watched grow up, revealed a completely different side of himself during the competition.

Violence!

anger!
Totally crazy!

But Niko understood.

Because he felt that if it were him...

In such a crucial situation, if you miss a shot and get counter-killed, you might just get a hard punch in return.

Yes!

Niko and Meng Lang are the same kind of people.

Beneath their seemingly sunny and cheerful personalities lies a deep-seated, intense desire for victory!

This is also why he recommended Meng Lang to join the team this time.

"Come on, I'll take you to the training room to check out the computers. You can set up your peripherals. Prepare well these next few days. The management hasn't completely decided who to keep yet."

"No problem, by the way..."

"what?"

Who can reimburse me for the plane ticket to get here?

Niko looked at Meng Lang's serious face and couldn't help but laugh and cry. "Don't worry, when you go for a trial, do you think any club will refuse to reimburse your travel expenses?"

“I know some clubs only reimburse fifty dollars.”

"???"

(End of this chapter)