[TS] The Return of The Gamer - Chapter 170

"Whatever."

The answer that came was surprisingly refreshing.

"R-really?"

"Yeah."

Kim Jihoon answered nonchalantly, but Kim Jaemin, upon hearing that answer, couldn't contain his trembling heart.

'Could he actually be a good person?'

Kim Jihoon was still a rigid and intimidating figure to Kim Jaemin, but he felt that the distance that had seemed so far away had lessened even a little bit due to the conversation just now.

"Hyung... can I call you that?"

"I told you you could."

"R-really...?"

He had clearly said that during their first meeting, but he hadn't actually called him that.

What should I say... Where would there be a zebra that would approach a lion just because it said it wouldn't bite?

'No, not even a zebra.'

If I were to make an analogy, it would be like a cat in front of a lion.

"What are you doing?"

Kim Jaemin's shoulders flinched at the heavy voice that came soon after.

One might say, what's the big deal about something like that, but Kim Jaemin's current situation was such that he couldn't help but overreact to every single word.

"Ah, this won't work as a duo. Wait."

Currently, the account sosimhansaram190 has over 1000 Challenger points, so Kim Jihoon took out the sub-account he had briefly used in the past.

[sosimhansaram105] [Diamond 1]

"...What are the numbers behind there for?"

Now he knows that 190 is Kim Jihoon's height. Then, 105 on the sub-account is....

"Old weight."

"Oh..."

Muscle has a higher density per weight than fat.

Kim Jaemin was intimidated by the ferocious physique, with no sign of any excess fat despite weighing over 100kg.

"I have to go to the gym, so I can't do much. We'll only do two games."

"Ah, yes, yes!"

That much was already a blessing.

Moreover, if they were to win two games, it would soon be the master promotion match, so this duo was more important than anything else.

'He said Grandmaster.'

It's a place that seems far away if he were alone, but there was a possibility if he were with sosimhansaram190, Kim Jihoon.

Kim Jaemin knows Kim Jihoon's skills.

There's no need to look far, because he had directly worked together with him in this scrim.

'As expected, a Challenger 1000 point supporter.'

Even if the meta isn't bad for supporters, maintaining Challenger 1000 points as a supporter is tantamount to proving one's skills.

Beyond just the points, in fact, Kim Jaemin hadn't once been able to lead the bottom lane during the last three scrims.

No, rather, it was difficult for the ADC to keep up with the support's rhythm.

It was bound to be a shocking experience for Kim Jaemin, who had always believed he was much better than his tier.

'I have to admit it. I... I don't deserve to stand next to these people yet.'

The current holes in OLZ can be largely seen as the mid and the ADC.

Of course, someone might say that the top is also a weakness, but currently, Seoyeon Woo, the top laner of OLZ, who is known as the top 3 player, has the potential to solo kill EZ, who is ranked at the top of Challenger and is even mentioned as a candidate for the best top laner.

And Outlaw was one of the few junglers who could bring out that potential to the fullest.

In other words, the top, who runs wild without regard for the front or back in solo rank, met the jungler Outlaw and became an obedient, excellent horse.

Also, the mid is, strictly speaking, a hole, but Getback Baek Seong-an was a seasoned veteran who knew how to use even his weaknesses, unlike Kim Jaemin.

When he failed in a trade and managing his health became difficult, he used that to lure the enemy jungler into a fight, and thus grew the jungler.

Despite being a weakness, he possessed cunning and craftiness that didn't seem like a weakness.

So, what about the ADC?

He has no strength, no strategy.

All that remains is a stubborn lump that holds back the teammates.

To the point where the game was smoother when using a non-ADC champion that he hadn't played a few times, rather than a traditional ADC pick with high proficiency.

That fact came as an even bigger shock to Kim Jaemin.

That it would be more helpful if there was no ADC in the game...

In the League of Legends that he knows, the ADC, despite the infamous term of being a spoon, was the core and the flower of late-game team fights.

But in OLZ, which has an overwhelming upper body, the ADC was just a presence that only needed to not die.

A position where it doesn't matter if you're overwhelmingly losing CS or picking a support.

Kim Jaemin didn't want to accept that fact at all.

'I will, prove it.'

The duo with Kim Jihoon was the first step for that.

[Game Found!]

[Accept / Reject]

The ban-pick started.

Kim Jaemin and Kim Jihoon's picks were the 2nd and 4th picks, respectively.

It was a decent pick order, neither good nor bad.

+

[Ban List]

Sylas / ⛝

Xayah / ⛝

LeBlanc / Gwen

⛝ / Lucian

Risen / Graves

+

The bans were ordinary.

Although there were a few more no-bans, it could be seen as decent if you consider the ban-pick state of the usual diamond queue.

Their team's pick was a second pick.

[Miss Fortune]

The opponent took Miss Fortune, which can be considered the most decent and good ADC in the current meta, as the first pick.

Miss Fortune is strong in the lane phase, and can also display destructive power through her ultimate in team fights, making her one of the few champions who can be active in team fights in the current meta where the ADC's power has waned.

[Malphite]

Their team's 1st pick picked Malphite, which is no different from the synonym for normalcy and reliability.

It was a good choice in many ways because it could also put great pressure on the opponent's immobile ADC, Miss Fortune.

For now, it was a good situation for the ADC to be active.

"I... should I not ban anything?"

"Do as you like."

Usually, if a first-pick Miss Fortune comes out, it's standard to counter it with a champion with a strong lane phase, like Xayah or Ashe.

But Kim Jaemin wanted to prove it.

That he, is an ADC with fundamentals, not a spoon riding a bus.

And...

Soon, the ban-pick proceeded slowly.

Finally, when it was Kim Jihoon's turn for the 4th pick, Kim Jihoon said,

"What support do you want me to do?"

Kim Jaemin's shoulders flinched slightly, as he didn't expect Kim Jihoon to ask for his opinion.

"A-anything you want..."

"Really anything?"

"Yes, yes! Of course."

He regretted it inside after blurting it out, but Kim Jihoon didn't make a weird pick.

[Alistar]

A pick that is extremely old and standard.

It was the fundamental, ban Alistar combination.

+

[Allies / Enemies]

Top: Malphite / Camille

Jungle: Poppy / Xin Zhao

Mid: Yone / Galio

ADC: Vayne / Miss Fortune

Support: Alistar / Leona

+

Finally, the ban-pick was complete.

[Please select a champion!]

[Please select a skin!]

The combinations of both teams were composed of similar team fight combinations, but the opponent with Camille and Galio had a stronger advantage in terms of operation.

In other words, this game would be very different in terms of the direction of operation depending on which team won the early lane phase.

As the loading progressed,

-Welcome to the Summoner's Rift!

The actual game began.

"..."

There wasn't any conversation between Kim Jaemin and Kim Jihoon during the long loading screen.

From Kim Jaemin's perspective, it was a silence that felt like dying.

[❕] [❕] [❕]

[❗] [❗] [❗]

There were no accidents during the early invade.

An extremely ordinary start.

"Ah, I'll leash this. I have to take it anyway."

Perhaps because he was duoing with Kim Jihoon, Kim Jaemin tried to use the knowledge he knew to the fullest to play team-oriented.

Kim Jihoon also silently followed the judgment without adding any comments.

After the leash was over, the actual lane phase began.

Vayne, Alistar vs. Miss Fortune, Leona.

Alistar and Leona are both tank-type supports. Naturally, they don't help with the lane phase right away.

To put it another way, it meant that the initiative of the lane phase itself could only be determined by the ADC's own performance.

Vayne and Miss Fortune.

The win rate itself in the statistics is slightly higher for Vayne, but that's just a statistic that came out because Vayne has room to be active in the late game.

It is correct to consider that Miss Fortune is at an advantage in the lane phase between those two.

It was when the opponent was slowly putting pressure on and pushing the lane.

"Use Condemn now."

"Yes?"

"Use it, I said."

Kim Jaemin's fingers moved involuntarily at the abrupt, coercive words.

The moment Vayne's arrow flew.

Alistar pushed the enemy Miss Fortune toward the wall with a sharp, forward Flash.

And the wall slam that followed like a picture.

Kim Jaemin doubted his eyes.

'...Is this even possible?'

Making such an intentional wall slam angle like that, timed with the skills flying in?

He knew that such a combo was possible, but he didn't know that he could play like that so nonchalantly in a situation where the lane was under pressure.

It was a very unfamiliar sight for Kim Jaemin, who had experienced, at most, diamond games.

Of course, the admiration didn't last long.

Because, in the end, it was the ADC's duty to respond to the angle created by the support.

-First Blood!

-You have slain an enemy!

The situation didn't end there.

Thump, thump, thump!

Alistar's stun was planted on Leona's head.

-Double Kill!

Soon after, Leona also had no choice but to give up the kill to Vayne.

"Wow..."

Kim Jaemin was dumbfounded, as he didn't expect to get a kill in the lane phase against that combination with this combination.

Kim Jaemin realized.

You shouldn't doubt sosimhansaram190.

His ability as a support was incomparable to any support Kim Jaemin had been with until now.

'This is... the teammate Outlaw chose.'

Kim Jaemin glanced at Kim Jihoon sitting next to him.

The muscle armor, which had only felt threatening, now felt so reliable.

'If I follow this person... I can win.'

No matter where it is.

Somehow, Kim Jaemin had that certainty.