Chapter Eleven: Success Has No Shortcuts

"Comeback!!!"

"Nice, that felt so good."

"Holy sh*t, I thought we were done for. Luo Ji, you’re a beast!"

"If this were the regular season, that would definitely be in the weekly Top 5 plays."

The moment the crystal exploded, the V5 players couldn't help but cheer and pump their fists. Under the camera's gaze, however, one person stood apart. Luo Ji, the true MVP of the match, chose that very moment to pick up his water cup and take a calm sip. He carried an air of detachment, as if watching flowers bloom and fade in a courtyard, completely unbothered by praise or humiliation.

Of course, in reality, he was just playing it cool. He knew the cameras would be on him after the win, so he figured he might as well build a "stoic master" persona. Otherwise, wouldn't all that showing off go to waste?

"That game was perfection."

After returning to the lounge from the stage, Coach Nofe was the first to greet him, taking Luo Ji’s peripherals. "Naturally, I hope you can maintain this form and bring new changes to this team."

As one of the few LPL coaches with a searchable reputation on Baidu, Nofe had his moments of brilliance, but he also had his flaws. His "illnesses"—as the fans called them—stemmed from his stubbornness. The infamous "three kneelings of Scout" during EDG’s S7 run and HLE’s second-to-last finish in S10 were both his handiwork. He was the quintessential "theoretically sound on paper" Korean coach. If you don't get it, think of playing a mobile game: you pull out your highest-level gold-tier team, and you’re convinced there’s no way you can lose—only to get stuck on a boss mechanic or stage gimmick.

But that didn't mean he lacked ability. On the contrary, his tactical repertoire was incredibly rich; he just needed players with top-tier execution. In Luo Ji’s eyes, Nofe might actually be better for him right now than someone like Redmi. While Redmi would demand he become the specific type of top laner in his own head, Nofe trusted his players' mechanics and execution, granting Luo Ji a certain level of freedom.

Luo Ji nodded earnestly and smiled. "Then I’ll be counting on your guidance, Coach. I’m a very good listener."

The corners of Nofe’s mouth curled upward as he patted his shoulder. "Keep it up. I’ll be watching you."

"Yes!"

That night, although it was just a victory in a life-or-death group stage match, the group gathered to have a proper feast... of takeout. Yes, takeout was all they could afford. The Demacia Cup left them with little time; going out for a meal would take hours, which was a luxury they couldn't spare. This dinner also served as a send-off for XLB and the young ShowMaker, as Karsa and Rookie were set to return.

"It’s a shame. Brother Long might still have a chance to play, but for me, I think that’s it," the young ShowMaker said, perhaps a bit dejected from having had too much to drink. He truly felt he had found a sense of team synergy in today's match. He loved the atmosphere of shouting and charging forward together on the stage. He was young enough not to worry about future opportunities, but finding teammates this compatible wasn't guaranteed.

"Then just work hard. If you’re truly strong, can the coach really keep you benched?" Luo Ji wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Besides, wanting a chance to play is simple. The easiest way is to find your own niche. For example, take me—what was your deepest impression of me today? Was it my laning, my team fighting, or my rotations?"

The sudden question left the young ShowMaker momentarily stunned. He hesitated, then said, "The... the third one?"

"Exactly. That’s my tag right now: supporting the team, or in other words, map awareness. So, if your competitor is Rookie, what is something you can practice and master that even Rookie can't do?"

The young ShowMaker fell into deep thought. Luo Ji didn't need to lecture him; a simple hint was enough for the other to understand his point. He was always happy to do these small favors. The professional scene was a place of fame and fortune, but even more so, a place of relationships. There were grudges between individual players, but most were young peers striving together on the same stage. If you made enemies left and right, what would you do if you ended up on the same team next season? Clubs didn't care about your grievances; if you couldn't perform, you were out. It was that simple.

The young ShowMaker seemed to grasp something, the light in his eyes returning. XLB, sitting next to Luo Ji, downed his drink; having successfully "stolen a skill," he was already planning to spend the night studying Karsa’s champion pool.

On the other side, Xiao Yan and Ppgod listened quietly to the two newcomers, looks of approval crossing their faces. In just one match, they had gained a completely different understanding of their top laner: warm, kind, and approachable. That inexplicable charisma radiating from him made people forget his age, causing them to subconsciously view him as the big brother of the team. They didn't find it strange at all; in fact, it fit the image of a big brother top laner they had in their minds.

...

Demacia Cup. There was a one-day interval between the group stage and the knockout stage. Rookie and Karsa returned that very day. Keeping the mindset that "Rookie helps me make money, so I must support the boss," Luo Ji was waiting at the front door early the next morning, successfully meeting them.

Faced with such a sensible young brother, the naturally good-natured Rookie was amused and delighted. He hadn't had a bad atmosphere back at IG, where everyone treated him as the big brother, but after being backstabbed, he had expected to have to readjust to a new environment. Luo Ji’s flattery immediately made him feel at home. *This kid has a bright future.*

Before long, the two also waited for Karsa. As soon as they met, Luo Ji stood at attention: "Reporting, General Karsa! I’ve been practicing Gnar and Gragas. Please give your orders, General!"

Hearing this, Karsa, who had just stepped out of the car, almost lost his composure. He shot a resentful look at Rookie, who was covering his mouth to hide his laughter, and said helplessly, "Did you teach him this?"

"Nope," Rookie shook his head righteously. "It's just that your 'tag' is too strong, you know? That scripture with 369 is too iconic."

"Get lost! Without your orders, would a rookie talk to me like that?" Karsa laughed, throwing an arm around Luo Ji’s shoulder. "Don't be afraid. He’s an old fart, and so am I. If he gives you a hard time, come tell me secretly, and we’ll isolate him to death."

The three of them burst into laughter. The return of the mid-jungle duo gave the newly formed V5 immense confidence. Karsa and Rookie were well-known "good guys," and with Xiao Yan already familiar with Karsa, their return didn't sour the relationship with the substitutes. Instead, through their charisma, they quickly had the team calling them "Big Brother," and the team atmosphere remained harmonious.

On the sidelines, Nofe watched the room with narrowed eyes. As a coach, he loved this lively, ego-free environment. And the root of it all... he looked at Luo Ji. In his hand was the LDL data chart Luo Ji hadn't shown him when he was hired—a shockingly large polygon.

Given the tight schedule of the Demacia Cup, after a brief period of synergy, assistant coach Zero began introducing their quarterfinal opponents. Due to the butterfly effect, having defeated OMG, they had taken their place in the bracket. Their next opponent was LNG, a powerhouse that had built a "galaxy battleship" with big moves for S12.

Top laner Ale, the "50-yuan" spokesperson—one of the few high-light top laners in the LPL Luo Ji recognized, known for his laning strength, though he could be a god or a demon depending on his form.

Jungler Tarzan, the most potent mercenary-style jungler in the LPL, a terrifying rhythmic engine; with him, a playoff spot was basically locked.

Mid laner Doinb, also known as the roaming, fighter, "Nice," and "non-scapegoat" mid laner, possessing high game IQ. In the original world, he retired after making his money, only to return when he needed capital and traffic, successfully taking down the "All-God" IG.

As for the bot lane, Light and LvMao didn't need much introduction. Light's talent hadn't fully materialized in S11, and he was only average in the S12 regular season, only becoming a god during the playoffs. As for LvMao, he was a pure veteran; he might have the brain, but his hands were struggling to keep up.

This team was clearly built to win the championship. Zero continued to display the personal champion pools and recent ranked history of the LNG players, while Luo Ji let his mind wander.

The knockout stage would be a best-of-five. The clash between the teams would undoubtedly be a clash between the mid-jungle duos. Given the mutual dislike between Rookie and Doinb, calling it a grudge match was an understatement.

In that case... the support for the side lanes would be relatively minimal. And he had to lane against the laning-intensive "50-yuan" Ale. No joke, he was already thinking about how to be a "passenger" in the top lane.

"What’s wrong? Not confident against Ale?" Karsa asked quietly, noticing his distraction.

"It’s not about confidence. If I can't beat him, I can just play safe," Luo Ji organized his thoughts. "I’m just curious: Ale is a solo-player, Doinb will TP to take resources, and Tarzan, even if he’s a utility jungler, eats resources like crazy in the early game. With those three at the same table, are there really enough resources to go around in LNG?"

Karsa took a deep breath. It seemed... hard to imagine that scene.

After the meeting, the GIF of Luo Ji’s super-long-range E-Flash-E finally began to circulate. For a player who had only appeared in the Demacia Cup group stage, the traffic this GIF could generate wasn't much, but it was enough to make a small group of people recognize that such a player existed.

The LPL had many new players every year, but most were stuck as starters or subs on bottom-tier teams. Often, one loss and they were gone, never to have another chance. Many people played professionally, but left no memory in the minds of the audience. The circulation of this GIF at least gave some viewers an impression: *V5 has a new top laner, and his Camille is flying all over the Rift.jpg*

By the early hours of the day of the match—three or four in the morning—the time when the north was asleep but the nightlife in the south was just hitting its peak, the V5 training room remained brightly lit.

If it were a team in the playoffs, the players would likely still be awake, as the ticket to the next stage was right in front of them, and cramming was in the DNA of every Chinese player. But in the Demacia Cup, few players trained this late.

Xiao Yan (Photic) wasn't a hard-working player. Usually, by this time, he would be in bed, asleep. But tonight, his mind was filled with the match against OMG. The "DNA" was acting up again. Before falling asleep, his mind would always race.

*Win: Goodnight.*
*Lose: The event, the time, the place, the people, the trigger, the root cause, the direct cause, the influence, the lesson.*

Thinking and thinking, he couldn't sleep. He grabbed a jacket and walked out of his room. Despite being a reorganized club, V5’s base in Shanghai wasn't as massive as those of the wealthy giants. He soon arrived at the door of the training room.

Following the dazzling light, he saw two figures focused on their work. Nofe was staring at a replay on his screen, pausing every now and then to scribble in his notebook.

Beside him, Luo Ji was facing away from him, his computer running a custom game, not a ranked match. He was using the same hero, casting the same skill, over and over again. It was dull, tedious, and mechanical, yet he persisted, like a programmed robot performing the same task. The only difference was that he would maneuver his hero to cast it from different positions.

The atmosphere in the room was strangely harmonious. After a long while... he seemed to have made up his mind. He slipped quietly into the room and sat down at his station.

No words were needed. Luo Ji and Nofe just glanced at his station, smiled, and returned to their focus. If it were veterans like Rookie, Karsa, or Ppgod, they would have told him to go back and rest. On the stage, older players were doing well just to perform for a single series, sometimes needing psychological counseling or medication. Younger players were different; they could "stand tall" all day without going soft.

Of course, I’m referring to their competitive form.

From the very beginning, they knew V5 were the "Avengers." As a hybrid team of old and new, they lagged behind the veterans in every position—whether in strength, experience, mentality, or awareness.

In the match against OMG, Xiao Yan had realized this deeply. He had almost been solo-killed by Able, whom he didn't even consider a threat.

So, what was their chance to overcome the status quo?

It was hard work. The Demacia Cup was just an exhibition, and not all teams took it seriously. This was both an opportunity and a challenge.

The same maneuver:
Practice it ten times, and you’ll likely make a mistake.
Practice it a hundred times, and you might make a mistake.
Practice it a thousand times, and on the one-thousand-and-first time on stage, if you don't make a mistake, you earn your precious moment.

That was the profession. Success never had a shortcut.