novelhk Chapter 72 Kanavi's Disdain!
Chapter 72 Kanavi's Disdain!
JD Gaming Esports Club, training base.
Unlike the tense atmosphere of preparation at Top Esports, the air here is filled with a sense of relaxation that belongs to those on a winning streak.
Kanavi was streaming, playing high-elo ranked games on the Korean server while interacting jokingly with the chat.
On the screen, his Nidalee was leaping and bounding around in the jungle, and the chat was scrolling faster than he was clearing the jungle.
Hey Pianbao, Top Esports' new mid laner Lucifer is really popular lately, what do you think?
Top Esports has won seven straight games. Next up is your match. Are you feeling the pressure?
[Lucifer's been really fierce lately, hasn't he? First he slew the Thief Saint, then he destroyed the Song Saint, and then he captured the Tiger Emperor. It feels like those old fogies aren't even a match for him!]
Why isn't the anchor saying anything? Are they stunned by Lucifer?
At first, Kanavi was focused on his own gameplay and ignored the comments.
But after a mistake in a ranked game, his Nidalee crashed headfirst into the enemy support's skill, and the screen instantly turned gray.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance, finally shifting his attention from the game to the rhythm displayed on the screen.
"Lucifer?"
He read the ID aloud, drawing out the last syllable with a hint of amusement.
"You're asking me what I think? He's just so-so, only a newcomer."
He leaned back in his gaming chair, arms crossed, and gave the camera a disdainful smile.
"That's how it is in the LPL now. After winning a few games, any kind of monster or genius can be hailed as a 'genius boy'."
"His playing style is just taking advantage of the fact that no one has studied him, exploiting an information gap, isn't it?"
"To put it bluntly, if a mid laner of this caliber were placed in the LCK, he would at best be a starter in one of the lower-tier teams, and it would be hard to say whether he could even secure that position."
"I might end up guarding the water dispenser."
The live stream chat exploded instantly.
Holy crap! That's insane!
[Haha, I love watching this! Let's fight! Let's fight!]
To be fair, Kanavi is right; the LPL's idol-making campaign is excessive.
[Bullshit! Our Lu Bao's strength is real! You just wait and get a lesson!]
【…】
Kanavi looked at the chaotic chatter and seemed somewhat displeased before speaking again.
"I'm not kidding you guys, he'll only be arrogant for a day or two, and he'll show his true colors tomorrow."
"Who's our coach? Coach Redmi!"
"He had already analyzed every frame of Lucifer's game footage thoroughly. The coach knew exactly what that newcomer was capable of."
"His little bit of cleverness is no match for Coach Hongmi."
His words both praised the coach and belittled the opponent, while also placing himself in an absolutely dominant position.
The JD.com fans in the live stream went wild, flooding the chat with comments like "Redmi is awesome" and "Kanavi is invincible".
Just then, a steady voice came from behind him.
"Kanavi".
It's Ruler.
He took off one of his earphones at some point, turned around, and looked at him calmly.
Kanavi was startled and quickly sat up straight, his arrogance fading somewhat.
"Huh? What's wrong, Hyukyu?"
"Don't underestimate him." Ruler's Chinese wasn't particularly fluent, but his pronunciation was very clear.
"I watched his matches, and he was very stable in lane and his judgment in team fights was also excellent."
Ruler spoke in a calm tone, as if stating an objective fact.
But Kanavi found these words particularly jarring.
He almost instinctively retorted, raising his voice slightly.
"Bro! You're the Finals MVP!"
"You'd be afraid of a rookie who's only played a few games?"
As soon as he said that, the previously noisy atmosphere in the training room instantly quieted down.
Yagao and Missing both instinctively looked over, their eyes filled with surprise.
Ruler's expression didn't change much; he simply looked at Kanavi quietly, his eyes showing no anger, only a barely perceptible hint of disappointment.
He didn't argue anymore, just shook his head, put his headphones back on, and isolated himself in the world of the game.
This silent reaction irritated Kanavi more than any heated argument.
To cover up his embarrassment, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and turn to the camera in the live stream to salvage his reputation.
"See, family? Hyukkyu is just too mature, which is a good thing!"
"But don't worry, it's just a match against Top Esports, just a regular season best-of-three series."
"While we can't say it's a sure win, we can still teach the newcomers a lesson."
"Then we'll see how I treat that rookie mid laner like a jungle monster and just let him get away with it!"
……
Top Esports' team bus drove smoothly on the road to the venue.
The carriage was quiet, but not in a suffocatingly oppressive way.
With soothing music playing in their headphones, most of the team members were resting with their eyes closed, conserving their energy for the upcoming battle.
369 was whispering something to Meiko beside her, while Ah Shui leaned her head against the window, lost in thought.
Xiao Tian crossed his arms, his eyes closed, but his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were conducting a final tactical rehearsal in his mind.
Chen Xiao did not rest.
He leaned back in his seat, his fingertips swiping rapidly across his phone screen.
The light from the screen illuminated his calm, expressionless face.
Major esports forums are already buzzing with excitement over the upcoming showdown.
Let them take the blame for the pressure.
A post that was highlighted and highlighted in red was placed in the most prominent position.
"A rational discussion: How valuable is Top Esports' seven-game winning streak? They're about to be exposed by JD Gaming today!"
The original poster wrote a lengthy analysis of over a thousand words, but the core argument was only one:
Top Esports (TES) has only beaten weak teams before, but today, facing a truly strong team like JDG, they will inevitably be exposed for what they are.
The comments section below was flooded with messages.
[Finally, this day has arrived! I can't wait to see Lucifer get slaughtered by Kanavi! Serves you right for being so arrogant before!]
[Indeed, the more fun they had with their trash talk, the more miserable they'll be during the match! I'm telling you, Top Esports will get a complete shutout today!]
[Top Esports fans, stop struggling. Don't you know the quality of the teams you played against before? The real test will be the match against JD Gaming.]
[Kanavi: I heard someone's planning to raise pigs in my jungle?]
[Haha, today we'll see Lucifer get his comeuppance! Ruler and the Porn Guy will teach him a lesson!]
Of course, there were also those who spoke up for Top Esports and Chen Xiao.
I believe in Lu Bao! Didn't you see his previous commands and plays? His intelligence and skills are top-notch, why can't he win?
[Exactly, the match hasn't even started yet, and you're already predicting a loss? I'm betting on Top Esports to win 2-1!]
[JD.com isn't the same company it was last year. Do they really still think they're the king of the LPL?]
【…】
But such voices were quickly drowned out by endless condemnation and ridicule.