novelhk Chapter 17: Popularity Soars, Fan Group Begins to Take Shape!
Chapter 17: Popularity Soars, Fan Group Begins to Take Shape!
Lin Jin's fluent English interviews and communication instantly made him a sensation in the e-sports community.
After all, in the LPL region, it was rare for players to be able to conduct interviews entirely in English without needing a translator.
Only a few people, such as Tabe and Icon, can do it.
Lin Jin's unintentional slip of the tongue instantly propelled him to the top of the trending searches.
It was around the time when people in China were going to work in the morning, and students and office workers were all excitedly discussing yesterday's game.
"Top Esports is awesome! They beat Rookie!"
"Brother Huo is really fierce; that crocodile is practically a prehistoric giant."
"Haha, the post-match interview was entirely in English without needing a translator, awesome."
"What's Huozi's educational background? How come his English is so good?"
"I heard he got into university and took a break from his studies. That's amazing!"
"That's really amazing. Not only did you play the game so well, but your English is also so good. You have a bright future ahead of you."
"Huozi is definitely going to become a legend; he's going to be a god in this World Championship."
"Jack Hot Dance died several times yesterday. Luckily, Huozi was there, otherwise it would have been really hard to keep up."
"If it weren't for Huozi stabilizing the situation, Top Esports would have lost long ago. If they lose this game, it will be terrible. With a 1-2 start, I don't know how we can play from here on out."
North America, competition venue.
During the interview, Lin Jin answered the last question: his goal for this World Championship.
He was silent for a moment before saying:
"Do your best, go all the way, do your best, and leave the rest to fate."
Hey?
He doesn't seem very confident.
When the interview ended, he was greeted with a huge cheer from the audience.
Back in the lounge, the system sent him two messages in a row.
"Congratulations, host, for leading your team to the second point in the group stage. You have gained 5% of your rescue points."
"Congratulations, host, for conducting an interview entirely in English, enhancing the influence of LPL players, and gaining 5% of your rescue points."
He previously had 35% of the rescue value, and now it adds up to 45%.
Strangely, winning the first game did not increase any rescue points.
It seems that only an outcome different from the previous timeline can increase the "salvage value".
The second round of matches next week will be the most crucial.
As soon as he entered the lounge, Guo Hao took the lead in applauding.
His teammates joined in the applause.
Mark laughed and said, "Little Fire is awesome, conducting an interview entirely in English!"
Gao Tianliang: "Teach me English later, okay?"
Jack's Hot Dance: "Aren't you from Tsinghua University? Why do you need to learn English?"
Gao Tianliang: "I at least went to high school, what about you?"
Jack's hot dance: "Alpaca..."
Everyone smiled at each other, and the lounge was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
At the same time, head coach White Crescent poured cold water on everyone's enthusiasm.
"Although you won this game, you still exposed many problems."
"If these problems are not resolved, it will be very dangerous for us to advance to the next round."
"You guys don't think that a 2-1 score is already a sure thing, do you?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment, their smiles freezing on their faces.
Guo Hao's expression was also a little awkward, because he was the one who was laughing the most.
After a pause, Lin Jin spoke first:
"Why don't you smile when you win, and then cry when you lose?"
White Crescent retorted angrily, "I think you're just getting arrogant."
"My many years of professional and coaching experience have taught me that it is precisely at times like these that we must not relax or become complacent."
Lin Jin raised an eyebrow at him and gave a cool smile:
"Which eye of yours saw us become arrogant?"
"Just finished a match, smile, relax, and that's considered arrogance in your eyes?"
"You're just being stubborn. You're upset because I carried the game, and you feel like your coaching status and authority have been lost."
"Uncle Luo, Uncle Luo, put away your pride."
"You can target me, but don't stop the team that pays your salary from going further."
These words pierced the heart like an arrow, striking directly at the very core of the white crescent moon.
He was breathing heavily with anger, his face turning ashen.
Seeing this, Guo Hao quickly pulled him out, leaving him with the words:
"Take a break, we'll go out for dinner later."
Jack said in a low voice in private:
"You've got some nerve, aren't you? You won't even give me this little bit of face for nothing?"
Lin Jin shrugged: "When has he ever given me any face?"
"Haha, you're the best."
White Crescent didn't attend the dinner party that evening, which was perfect, as everyone could then indulge in their food and chat freely.
The team was not very satisfied with their performance in the first round of the group stage. The initial plan was to win all three matches.
But it's okay, there's still a chance to correct it in the second round.
On the day of qualification, there are three matches in one day, with additional matches to be counted separately, so you qualify directly in one step.
Top Esports' goal is to finish first in the group stage, so that they can avoid facing other group winners in the knockout stage.
The next day.
Day 4 of the World Championship group stage: Top 5 highlights, Lin Jin takes the lead.
His crocodile flanking maneuver and chasing down three opponents became the highlight of the play.
The official League of Legends Twitter account also retweeted it:
"This is a rising star from the LPL! He's showing the world his power!"
Lin Jin has also sparked heated discussions on major domestic forums.
"A hint of a superstar emerging?"
"To be honest, Huozi's playing style is that of a star player. He overwhelms his opponent with his individual strength and saves the day in times of crisis. This kind of storyline is very easy to attract fans."
"I use a VPN to access Twitter, and many people have a high opinion of Huozi Ge, and some have even formed a fan club."
"Huozi only played a few games in the league, but suddenly exploded in the World Championship. It's really strange."
"Being number one in the Korean server is quite prestigious, and I haven't lost that title yet."
"I'll probably drop next week, since I won't have time to play on the Korean server anymore."
"Huozi is Top Esports' lucky charm. It's just a pity about Dahuang."
"With Huozi carrying the team, Zuo Shou and Jack La Wu will be under much less pressure."
"You really think it's a liberation for the two carries? I think it's activated Xiaotian, he played really well."
"Gao Tianliang and Huozi's Ueno are currently in a league of their own."
"Here we go again. The group stage is only halfway through, and the world's best teams are already here."
"Keep bragging, it'll all come crashing down eventually."
The next day.
Top Esports and EDG continued with a practice match, where Jhin dominated Flandre twice.
Furthermore, EDG's bot laner Viper wasn't in good form; even with his Aphelios skin, he struggled to perform.
Top Esports easily defeated EDG 2-0. Head coach Maokai was furious and scolded the players. He then went to Top Esports' headquarters to complain to White Crescent.
"Sigh, this World Championship feels so tough."
Maokai said helplessly:
"Moreover, the team is difficult to manage. We just won the championship and are the defending champions. The team seems to lack morale and drive."
"Sometimes I don't even listen when I'm talking."
As soon as the door closed, White Crescent heard these words and gritted her teeth, saying:
"Heh, does anyone even listen to me?"
"This year's contestants are all troublemakers!"