Chapter 25: These days are becoming increasingly worthy of a prison sentence!
Chapter 25: These Days of "Prison-Bound" Life Are Looking Increasingly Like a Sentence!
Whether it was the voice comms within IG, the commentary booth, or the livestream chat, the atmosphere was one of pure jubilation. It was a world where only TES was hurting.
Beyond the triple kill in the bot lane, IG had just pulled off something major. Since the three members of TES had clearly committed to a bot lane gank, IG’s top, mid, and jungle weren't about to sit idle. Xun and Rookie reached an instant consensus and teamed up with TheShy to ambush the top lane. 369 was caught off guard and taken down on the spot. Knight arrived on his Akali, but outnumbered three-to-two, he was overwhelmed. He fought with everything he had, eventually trading his life for Xun’s Nocturne, but both he and 369’s Camille were left dead under the tower.
Unable to initiate, unable to deal damage, and unable to tank, the morale of the TES players crumbled. Their gameplay became deformed, and their laning grew increasingly sloppy. From Camille’s failed E-Flash to Akali’s inexplicable R-dash into the heart of the IG lineup, they were falling apart.
Cheng Xian managed to pull out three different heroes in a row, all of which performed brilliantly. It was a good thing. With the game’s momentum firmly in their favor, IG’s sharp fangs tore through the TES Nexus in just over twenty minutes, sealing the victory!
"Let us congratulate IG on taking the first game! A truly beautiful performance! Especially the Support Darius picked by Shaqima, who single-handedly carried the early game tempo and shattered the spirits of all five TES members! Pushing down the base in twenty minutes—I feel like I’m seeing the dragon-soaring, tiger-leaping IG of S8 again!"
During the halftime break, Nofe quickly greeted the team, offering words of encouragement to the young men who had just fought through a grueling match. When he looked at Cheng Xian, he didn't say much, simply patting him firmly on the shoulder and giving him a thumbs-up.
"For the next game, play whatever you want, pick your best hero! You don't need to consult me," Nofe granted Cheng Xian a special privilege.
Cheng Xian excused himself to the restroom, locked the door, and took a breath. He pulled up his system interface.
[Ding! You have completed the daily task—Use ‘Darius’ to secure ten kills with your ultimate!]
[Reward: EXP +500, System Coins *2, Random Rare Equipment Shards *3!]
[Ding! You have completed the routine task—Win a game using the ‘S-Rank Slack-Off Talent’ state!]
[Reward: EXP +500, Game Potential Points +1, Random Rare Hero Shard *1, System Coin *1!]
Two 500 EXP bonuses secured. Cheng Xian checked his progress and, without hesitation, clicked to upgrade the system to Level 4. A blue technological screen hovered before him. He noticed a new sub-screen had appeared: [Shard Function].
[Description: Here, you can fuse your collected hero shards, equipment shards, and skill shards. The resulting complete cards can be used during a match. When paired with a random state, they create powerful chain reactions.]
Cheng Xian quickly understood the function. If he fused a combat-enhancing card and the random state was also combat-enhancing, the multiplier would propel him to the absolute pinnacle of the League.
He looked at his inventory: 3 Rare Hero Shards, 4 Rare Equipment Shards, 2 Rare Skill Shards. He decided to throw in the skill shards and clicked "Fuse."
A brilliant purple light flashed.
[Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the Ashe E-skill—Hawkshot, skill card!]
[Description: A single-use card. Once equipped, it can be activated once during the current match for a duration of 30 seconds!]
[Description: Upon activation, your perception increases by 1000%! You are able to pierce the fog of war through deduction!]
[Note: During the card's use, there is an extremely low probability of it becoming a 'Reality Card'! Can be used in real life!]
Cheng Xian’s eyes widened. This was incredible! It could save his life at a critical moment. He pondered the "piercing the fog of war" aspect—it was essentially like a pro player predicting the enemy's position. If the enemy top-side jungle had been untouched, the enemy jungler’s pathing must be in the bottom-side jungle.
"It’s a pity, but I’ll save the remaining shards for now," he muttered.
He looked at the time; the halftime break was almost over. He pulled up his pants and dashed out, arriving just in time to join his teammates in their chairs.
Looking at the system card slot, the Level 4 system only allowed for one slot. This meant he could only carry one attribute card per game.
"This 'prison-bound' life is looking increasingly like a sentence!" he chuckled to himself. He stood up and headed back to the stage, ready for the next round. A new game, a new state of mind.