Chapter 401 – 401. World Championship Quarterfinals

The moment has finally come.

First match of the quarterfinals.
A match between Korea’s Battle Angels and China’s Best E-Sports.

I looked at my teammates as if determined.

Players who have improved their skills even by changing their whole body over the past few days.
And even the coaches who worked hard day and night to support them.

… Of course, to work day and night here meant to have sex non-stop.

“The teams we will face from now on are truly world-class championship contenders.”

There were many strong teams among the teams that we have fought so far, but at best they were teams that were organized even within the ACK League.
There was a gap with us, who were from the 1st tier of ACK.

However, the opponent to fight this time is BES, who finished 1st and 2nd in the Chinese league.
There was nothing to say about his dignity, and it was not enough to dare to say that he was a candidate for the championship.

To be honest, it wasn’t strange at all if I lost to BES in the quarterfinals and went home empty like this.
Of course, I had no intention of doing so.

“Still, I have no doubt that you will definitely win.”

I spoke firmly and made eye contact with each player.
Then, he reached out his hand to the middle of us who were standing in a circle.

The girls’ hands piled up on top of it.

“Then let’s cheer up and go.”
“Yes.”

Kang Yul, the captain, looked around and shouted first.

“Battle Angels!”
“Ascension!”

Our hands are raised high in the sky.

Finally, the quarterfinal match has begun.

###

The round of 16 of the World Championship is all over.
All 16 teams deserved to win just by advancing to the tournament stage.

However, the teams that made it through the jungle-like round of 16 and eventually made it to the quarterfinals are truly strong teams in a league.

It is not an exaggeration to say that it was an all-star game, and when the match was concluded, the fans cheered.

– Arena World Championship Tournament Stage, Round of 8

1. Battle Angels (Korea)
VS
2. Best E-Sports (China)

3. Play the Game (USA)
VS
4. Crystal Snake (USA)

5. TinTin Chimera (China)
VS
6. Royal Blood (UK)

7. NingNing Gaming (China)
VS
8. Mad Tiger Gaming (Korea)

The teams that made it to the quarterfinals are from Korea, China, North America, and Europe, which can be said to be major leagues.
In particular, in China, all three teams that advanced to the World Championship advanced to the quarterfinals.
Indeed, it could be said that this is the strength of the country that took first place last season.

[Look at the lineup… My heart grows grand.]
[Only two confrontations between Korea and China, the civil war in the United States, and North America’s only hope, Royal Blood’s asshole show haha]
[Is it Chuseok? Why is there so much to see?]
[It’s a funeral. The Chinese league funeral.]
[I think we’re going to have a funeral, what are you talking about… ]
[Battle Angels, “Do it.”]

Among them, the biggest interest was undoubtedly the Korean women’s team Battle Angels.

It was like the eye of a storm as it was the team that received the most attention this season.
As each and every move is a hot issue, great interest was also drawn to the quarterfinals.

Especially in Korea, the home town of Battle Angels, it felt like there was only talk about Battle Angels in any community.

[Prophecy. The Battle Angels run all the way from the round of 16 and even win the championship. And this article becomes a holy ground.]
[Day 401 of the Battle Angels victory.]
[Yeah~ I don’t care if I win a game league or not haha(Please fucking win…)]
[BES was fucking good… Honestly, even if I lose, I can’t help it.]
[BREAKING NEWS] BES mid liner replaced.]
[What is it? Is it real?]

And the topic in the community goes to the change of members of BES.
Sudden BES mid laner change.

What is clear is that the new mid laner is not a seasoned veteran, so this is good news for the Battle Angels.
Fans thought so too until disturbing rumors spread.

[Gyakkul~ Even if it wasn’t, the mid laner was awkward, but it worked well haha]
[Suddenly, something happened hahaAnyway, it’s a dog’s profit.]
[I heard that the new mid laner beats all the other teams in scrims? The physical is coming.]
[I’m tired. Why do you think it’s a mountain beyond a mountain?]

Most of the teams that played BES and scrims shared the results on SNS or officials in surprise, and then the rumors were blown away.
And in fact, BES, who joined forces with the newly changed mid laner Hua, has a completely different style and stronger fighting power.

But at the same time, there were also people who were puzzled by such changes in BES.

[Where did such a mid laner suddenly pop out?]
[Looking at this bastard playing solo lang, his style has changed a lot from before? Are you correct?]
[You must be right. Then how do you represent it? He must have practiced hard to change his style.]
[Arrest a bastard from above ^o^]

The first match of the quarterfinals mixed with anxiety and anticipation.
Fans with even the slightest interest in the game gathered in front of the monitor.

The Arena World Championship has now become famous enough to be felt in everyday life, to the extent that it is mentioned little by little in the news and politics.

###

I was familiar with the news that BES’ mid laner was changed to a rookie.
As he entered the position after pushing out the veteran mid laner who had a lot of experience and was in charge of the carry rule, he seems to show some outstanding skills.

‘I don’t think he’ll be good at games just by looking at his looks.’

I remembered Hua’s appearance as I passed by during the waiting time.
The feeling of something round and round and the fact that I meditate with my eyes closed most of the time gives me an unusual feeling.

It was as if a snake was hibernating.

Still, I couldn’t be bothered.
If appearance determines whether a game is good or bad, our players cannot be good at the game.

“What will the starting members do?”

Hwang Ji-yeon looks at me and asks.
After a bit of worrying last night, I answered without difficulty.

“Let’s go with Heo Sook-hee for the top and Lee Ji-ah for the mid.”

BES and our team have never played a single scrim match during the World Championship.
This meant that they were very unfamiliar with each other’s strengths and styles.

And among our players, if I were to choose the one that was the most difficult to deal with when I first met her, it would be Lee Ji-ah.
Since she had only been playing games for less than a year, there were times when it was hard to know what she was thinking.

Also, her physicality is enough to deal with the new face of BES.

“Okay. Then I’ll get the kids ready.”

Hwangbo Jiyeon nodded her head and headed towards the players holding her notebook.
In the meantime, I pondered for a while about which pick to bring out.

There was a lot of information about the opponent, but since most of them are veteran players, I tend to do more than average with any character or combination.

‘First… Shall we look at the mid side for the first set?’

That’s why we decided to target Hua, who had little competition experience.
If you can take down an inexperienced mid laner in the first set, you will be able to solve the rest of the set without difficulty.

And soon after, the game started.
BES was the blue formation, and we were the red formation.

[BA Battle: We’re going to target the opponent’s mid side. Try sniping the width of the opponent’s character and see what style they use often.]
[BA Ryu: Yes!]

With a lively answer, the opponent’s first ban comes in.
Mid Freyja was banned as if he had the same thoughts as us.

It was a direct sniping at Lee Ji-ah, who often plays an assassin character.

In fact, Jiah Lee had a much shorter career than Hua.
It is natural for opponents to aim for Lee Ji-ah’s thin character width and immature play.

[BA Battle: It seems the mid is a bit fierce. Can I do it?]
[BA Sia: … Yes.]

As expected, we picked our first van while listening to her weak voice.
I don’t know much about Hua’s playstyle, but I’ve heard that he’s been using mostly physical characters lately.

Concerned, I banned the nine-tailed fox, an assassin similar to Freyja, who was banned from BES.
And then the opponent’s ban is Oni.
He was a character who could make super plays as long as he had good physical skills.

‘So you’re trying to go from the middle to the end.’

I believed that Lee Ji-ah would make it through without difficulty, but somehow I couldn’t stop feeling ominous.
If they start with the midfielder turned off, it will definitely affect their mid laners, but the fact that they went ahead despite risking it must mean that they have a corner to believe that much.

Still, if I had come this far, I couldn’t back down either.

I also chose a mid character for the next ban, and also took the direction of reducing mid characters consecutively in BES.
In the end, we ended up playing a game that was extremely middling from the first set.