CS: I became Top 1 by grinding my skill level

"Don't get me wrong, what I mean is that the salary we agreed on for the two of you in the last contract was six thousand, which was really too low."

"I have to say I feel a little guilty."

Seeing Han Tian and Zhang Zhen looking at each other, Du Sinian quickly explained.

"With the collapse of capitalism... even families... have hearts...?"

With his mouth full of desserts, Ike protested incoherently.

Ignoring this guy who had too many flaws, Du Sinian took out his phone and gestured for Han Tian and Zhang Zhen to come over and take a look.

"This is the contract I just drafted. Apart from the salary, there are basically no changes."

"After Orange Esports Club was established, my younger sister helped me check the average salary of CS players nowadays."

"On average, it's around 20,000 yuan per month, so I'm going to increase your salary from 6,000 to 30,000 yuan."

Han Tian felt that Du Sinian was giving too much. Even the salaries of veteran Chinese clubs like Tianlu didn't reach 30,000. He could only sigh that the captain was not only rich but also kind and loyal.

Just as Han Tian was about to decline the salary, which was far above average, Zhang Zhen, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up.

"Thank you, Brother Du, but 30,000... is too much... I can't accept it."

"I'm already very grateful for the opportunity to make this a career, but I know I don't deserve a salary of 30,000 right now."

Zhang Zhen paused, then turned to look at Han Tian, ​​"But Han Tian is different. I know you, Brother Du, are also someone who understands CS, so you should understand... Han Tian... is absolutely worthy of the salary of a top player."

Looking at the boy who spoke with a slight stutter, Han Tian felt a mix of emotions.

In fact, within the team, he was the one who chatted with Zhang Zhen the most and knew Zhang Zhen's background the best.

Zhang Zhen comes from a rural area and his family is not well-off. His parents, who work away from home, also have to support his younger brother and sister who are studying at a primary school in their hometown.

It is said that children from poor families mature early, so Zhang Zhencheng started working part-time while studying. He delivered food and carried packages. Fortunately, he had a great talent for Counter-Strike and was introduced by a friend to a job as a proxy player. Although it was easier than those physical jobs, he still earned hard-earned money from each order.

However, despite his poverty, Zhang Zhen remained ambitious and his honest nature prevented him from taking money that did not belong to him.

Furthermore, Zhang Zhen sincerely felt that Han Tian was the one who pulled him out of the mire of doubt and guided him onto his professional path. He also sincerely believed that Han Tian possessed a talent more terrifying than anyone else's and would definitely become a world-class star player.

The more you understand CS, the more you realize how strong Han Tian's timing, positioning, and aiming skills are.

Clearly, Zhang Zhen, who was sitting next to Han Tian during the competition, knew this better than anyone else.

"Take the 30,000, because I'll give Han Tian 40,000, is that alright?"

Du Sinian was both amused and exasperated; why were they pushing and shoving each other over payday?

But it's good, at least now it finally looks like a team.

After adding some miscellaneous terms, such as the option to choose online training after the start of the school year.

Du Sinian gave everyone a red envelope containing 1,000 yuan. Then he prepared to fulfill his duty as captain—to say a few words about the offline competition three days later. He was interrupted by a loud voice just as he was about to open his mouth.

"Hey! Boss, look! Registration for the Perfect CAC preliminary rounds starts in a week!"

Ike excitedly squeezed over with his phone in hand, practically wanting to shove it right up to Du Sinian's face.

"I know, of course I know!"

With a blank expression, Du Sinian pried open the man's hand. After being interrupted, he was so angry that he forgot his lines for a moment.

"Is this a preliminary match for the CAC qualifiers?"

Han Tian raised his hand to speak. Of course, he knew about this large-scale CS tournament that would be held in Shanghai, China this year.

CAC stands for CSGO Asia Invitational.

It is held every October in different stadiums in Shanghai, China.

There are 8 participating teams, 6 of which are directly invited by the organizers – the top six teams in Valve's ranking points.

The remaining two team slots will be awarded to the first and second place teams in the CAC qualifiers.

The spots for the CAC qualifiers will be contested between four directly invited teams and four teams directly invited from the CAC open qualifiers.

In general, new teams like Orange that want to enter the official CAC arena have to go through two major hurdles—open qualifiers and preliminary rounds.

"But this competition format is too grueling. You have to win two preliminary matches in a row before you can enter the venue."

Even Han Tian was a little troubled by this. It was a series of interconnected events, and the other team was directly invited to play against him at full strength.

And you don't even know how many games you've played; your tactics and habits have been figured out by others.

"We don't need to go through open auditions."

As soon as Du Sinian finished speaking, all the team members, including Han Tian and the other two, looked over.

"I knew the boss had connections everywhere! Could the boss pull some strings and get us a direct pass to the finals?"

Ekko even started fantasizing about meeting his European star buddies in the finals, and how he would grab a mouse and ask them for autographs.

"Captain, you mean you've bought it...."

Han Tian immediately understood the reason.

"Yes, before Orange registered, there was a team in Guangdong Province that was about to disband, so I bought their slot directly."

Du Sinian stroked his chin, lost in thought. "Huh? How much did I spend back then...?"

"call--"

Han Tian breathed a sigh of relief. If he won the preliminary round, he would be in the top eight and could go to the offline venue to meet his star professional friends.

"Maybe we'll run into that big shrimp whose whiskers haven't grown yet?"

Han Tian took out his phone and checked the current top ten Valve teams:

BIG

Vitality

EG

SHIPS

G2

phases

FNC

Liquid

FURY

COL.

If nothing unexpected happens, considering some short-term ranking changes or certain teams suddenly refusing invitations.

The six spots for the CAC Asia Invitational in the next few months should be selected from these ten teams.

Looking at the teams Vitality, NAVI, and FAZE, Han Tian recalled the images of several celebrity guys.

The debut of the top-ranked "Prison King Zaiwu," the long-time top-ranked sniper jinchūriki s1mple, the mighty Niko who carved out his own path in the era of snipers with his rifle, and coldzera, one of the main architects of the Brazilian dynasty...

Although he didn't know if all of their teams would be able to come to Shanghai to participate, Han Tian was still secretly excited. His idols from his previous life were about to clash in this life.

Only by playing against them and their teams can you be seen by the whole world, attract the attention of countless coaches, analysts and commanders from various teams, and gain a place on the CS world stage.

"There aren't as many live spectators this time, so there's no home-field advantage..."

"Our map pool is still too weak; we should focus on practicing one map these next few days..."

Han Tian smiled as he watched the captain encourage everyone while explaining his training plan.

"CAC will allow the world to see me, but it will take a long time. The Electric Snake Cup in a few days will allow all of China to see me immediately."

"Come on, everyone, look at me! I have something to announce! I'm a... total cheater!"

At this moment, the 17-year-old boy was immersed in his own fantasy. His upper lip suddenly opened like a stage curtain, revealing a row of white teeth that shone brightly under the light.