Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

The match schedule on the big screen lit up row by row—

[IG vs. Duoduo Team]

【OMG vs. Rice Ball Team】

[LGD vs WOA Dawnwing]

[Peak Force vs. DK Team]

【RS vs. Youthful Bloom】

【…】

Each time a group's name lit up, the faces of the team leaders who weren't drawn grew increasingly somber.

Because the further you go, the fewer notes remain in the jar, the greater the probability of encountering that name.

But as the saying goes, what you fear most is what will happen to you.

The drawing of lots took place for the second-to-last group.

The host, Baby, reached into the glass tank, pulled out one of the last two slips of paper, unfolded it, glanced at it, and read into the microphone: "Group A—"

"HWG!"

The chat was silent for half a second.

On the big screen, the black and red HWG team logo jumped out.

Immediately afterwards, her partner tore open the last note and read out the name destined to be etched into the history of today's bullet screen comments: "Their opponent is—Huayi Spider!"

The baby waved the lottery slip in his hand, smiling and maintaining a dignified posture to show fairness.

Unfortunately, the moment the match result was announced, no one, whether at the stadium or in the live broadcast room, was watching her anymore.

The barrage of comments poured out like water from a bursting dam.

[Wuhu, please welcome our first victim!]

[HWG: Hehehe, Wayi Spider, huh? We're coming!]

[This is some incredible luck! Not only were they placed in the same group, but they also ran into the strongest team from the qualifiers at the start.]

"The strongest? Dude, you guys are exaggerating. Emperor is playing his first professional match. WE didn't participate in the qualifiers, so IG should be second."

[IG? You mean the IG that almost got swept by HWG in the qualifiers?]

[For those who are unfamiliar with the strength of the team assembled by E-God, here's a quick explanation: HWG won all six matches in the qualifiers, and none of the matches lasted more than thirty minutes.]

[Let's not dwell on the usual mid-lane domination; the other members of HWG are incredibly strong. Their top and jungle are familiar faces—yes, the two big spenders who jokingly called themselves "Big Brother" and "Second Brother" during E's stream and then came to play professionally.]

[According to an insider, a weapon master actually smashed PDD's head.]

Wow, that's strong?

Otherwise, why do you think these guys looked so nervous before HWG was drawn, and so relieved when the teams weren't in Group A?

[Actually, any long-time fan of E-God, just based on his tutorial videos and his performance directing random teammates in high-elo ranked games on the Chinese server, wouldn't be surprised by HWG's strength.]

In short, he can take a 2000-point apprentice to 2500 points, and even teach a 1600-point idiot like me to 2000 points. Now, with four obedient teammates playing professionally, his competitive level will only be higher.

Yes, HWG is the strongest team in the entire LPL league in terms of following commands, so their overall strength can't be too far off.

So here's the question: why are HWG's players considered to be the most obedient to commands?

[(Laughs) You're the highest ranked mid laner, and the boss is too. Would you dare disobey?]

Viewers in the live stream chat were laughing, joking, and hurling insults, with the chat flooded with comments.

The price was that the five members of the Wayi Spider team, who were sitting on the scene, were in a very bad mood.

"Gurgle!"

Dull swallowed hard and asked his AD partner beside him.

"Wenxiao, do you think we still have a chance to advance if we lose this game?"

"Hey bro, have some backbone! We haven't even played a match yet, and you're already admitting you can't beat HWG?"

SS rolled his eyes. "You have to believe in Chen's strength. He can easily beat LN and kick Emperor in the mid and jungle."

"Then I really thank you for thinking so highly of me."

Mid laner Leaf said with a wry smile.

Whom did you kick?

Emperor?

I, with a score of 2300, went head-to-head with a 3000-point powerhouse.

Will it win?

Brothers who are bound to die.

Despite his inner complaints, Leaf didn't give up right away. Instead, he comforted his teammates, saying, "I'll do my best in the mid lane to hold off Emperor and create opportunities for you guys."

"That's more like it."

Top laner Easy patted Leaf on the shoulder, "What are you afraid of? Let's just go for it. If we win, we'll become famous overnight—and then we'll get tons of sponsorships."

Speaking of sponsorship—

SS's gaze swept across several rows of seats, landing on the HWG team in black and red jerseys not far away. "Emperor is truly outrageous. How did he manage to attract so many big spenders to HWG?"

On the long-sleeved jackets worn by the HWG players, there were six or seven sponsor logos densely packed on their left and right hands and shoulders—YY Live, Bloody, Hongxiangji… The brands ranged from live streaming platforms to peripheral hardware to snacks and fast-moving consumer goods, with such a wide range of categories that it didn’t seem like a newly established team, but rather like an old club like WE that had been operating for two or three years.

SS stared at the logos for a few seconds, then looked down at the clean fabric of their team uniform.

There was absolutely nothing. Forget about sponsors, even the team logo was printed by the team leader himself at a printing shop.

Leaf noticed the change in his teammate's gaze and kicked his chair leg: "Stop looking, just focus on your own game. Sponsorships and all that, we'll get them if we win."

"I know." SS zipped up his peripheral bag, stood up, and said, "Let's go sit over there. Sitting here and just looking at those logos on other people's team jerseys is an eyesore."

The five people, carrying bags, walked towards the contestants' area on the other side.

After walking a few steps, Dull suddenly asked in a low voice, "Hey, that 'Hong Xiang Ji'... does it sell braised dishes?"

"...Can't you fucking think about anything serious?"

"I was just asking."

"If you want to eat, you can go find the Emperor after the match."

Why?

"His Taobao store sells this."

"Oh~"

"..."

the other side.

Feeling the gazes coming from all directions, Lin Shu, who was walking at the front, smiled and was not affected by the environment in the slightest.

The four people behind them didn't have the same good attitude. The feeling of being the center of attention made them somewhat uncomfortable.

Lin Shu did not rush to offer any words of comfort.

Mental resilience is also a part of training required for playing professionally.

He had seen far too many talented players in his past life who failed to achieve results due to their inadequate mentality.

He's fierce in training matches, but his legs tremble when he steps onto the competition field.

He dominates in ranked games, but gets dominated in competitive matches.

There are countless examples of this.

Right now, it's just a matter of being looked at a few more times. If you can't even handle this little bit of pressure, what will happen when you're playing in the finals or the World Championship, with thousands of people cheering like a tidal wave?

Therefore, he is not going to speak for the time being.

Let the contestants process this themselves.

As for why so many people were watching him, Lin Shu knew better than anyone else.

It's likely that, besides their terrifying record of six wins in the qualifying rounds, the densely packed sponsor logos on their team uniforms also played a role.

There was no way around it; it was just too eye-catching.

In 2013, most esports teams came from humble backgrounds—forget about sponsors, even their team uniforms were purchased in bulk from Taobao manufacturers at the lowest price. They were just plain T-shirts with the team name printed on them, without even a logo.

The difference is so obvious that it's not that you want attention, it's that you simply can't hide it.