Chapter 32: Substitute Jungler, Firrrrrre!

Coach, I'm not going today, I'll guard the house for you.

It was past four in the afternoon when Ka Lao Si called everyone to head out; Liang Yan turned back and shouted, intending not to go to the venue.

One reason was that he couldn't stand the smell in the car.

Another was that yesterday's scene was still fresh in his memory.

Ka Lao Si heard this, paused his steps, suddenly turned around, hurried over, took off the headset Liang Yan was wearing on his head, and tugged at his arm:

"No no no, you have to come..."

Liang Yan was pulled up by him, bewildered:

"Why? I could play two more ranked games at home, why do I have to go?"

"Last night I already talked with Lao Li (CyanideFI's real name) about it; today's match against GIA isn't intense, so if there's no problem, I can let you go up and try it out."

"Moreover, didn't you see the starting lineup at noon? I put you on it—no nonsense, hurry up, the driver's waiting, let's go go go!"

Without further ado, he dragged Liang Yan out the door.

Liang Yan was a bit dazed.

"What? The starting lineup includes me?"

Although Liang Yan had a feeling after yesterday's match against OG that his chance to appear was coming, he predicted it would be on the 16th against H2K or the 17th against UOL, since those two are European powerhouses, tough matches for G2, and by then Ka Lao Si would likely crack under pressure and probably throw him in as a desperate measure to test the waters.

But he didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"Damn, I'm going on stage?"

"No way, bro, this is too sudden!"

To say there's no surprise would be false; Liang Yan broke free of Ka Lao Si's hand, quickened his pace, and sprinted onto the car.

CyanideFI sat in the back row, giving Liang Yan a friendly smile.

Liang Yan returned the smile, feeling a bit embarrassed as he walked over, sat down beside him, and started chatting with a greeting.

Today the team captain Biman didn't come along, but Tang Anna actually volunteered to ride with them, so the number of people in the car didn't change; it was still just as crowded.

Tang Anna sat in the single seat behind the passenger seat, silent and still, as quiet as air.

Liang Yan, as usual, squeezed into the back row with a few big guys.

The smell was still strong.

But at this moment Liang Yan felt excited, and the ride wasn't as hard to endure.

Ka Lao Si hadn't lied; CyanideFI indeed knew that Liang Yan would be playing today.

He also knew this was Liang Yan's debut on the professional stage.

This guy is decent; because Liang Yan was friendly when he joined the team, they weren't strangers, so he took the role of a veteran and kept imparting experience along the way, telling Liang Yan what to watch out for before and during matches, as well as actions that would incur penalties.

"You can't bring any drink bottles with brand logos to the player's seat; you should have noticed, there's a big box under the water dispenser in the restroom with some disposable cups with lids—you can use those to hold water and bring it up to drink."

"Also, from the start of the record until the crystal explodes, your hands must not touch the headset, or the referee will warn you; if you offend again after a warning, you'll be penalized directly the second time."

"What does 'start of the record' mean?"

"After entering Summoner's Rift, seeing the enemy's position, or entering the enemy's jungle, or when minions clash, it counts as the game officially starting; the official term is 'start recording'."

"There's even this rule?!"

"Yes, many people have been fined for taking off their headset early."

"What's the penalty?"

"Of course it's a fine. Usually Riot sends the penalty notice to the club after the match and posts it on Twitter; the club then penalizes the player, generally by deducting it directly from their salary—touching the headset usually incurs a fine of five hundred."

"Five hundred... euros?"

"Of course."

"Hold in the pickled radish! /Holy shit!"

Liang Yan's cursing and Lao Zhang's exclamation rang out together.

Five hundred euros, at the exchange rate then, equals 4000 RMB!

"How harsh! Is Riot trying to make money by fining players? That's too dark!"

Lao Zhang couldn't help but complain.

Although he had played professionally before, back then the various systems of the League of Legends professional league weren't as complete as now, and there weren't so many rules.

Liang Yan started biting his nails.

Although it hadn't felt real yet, after hearing CyanideFI list all the match rules, he actually felt some nervousness arise.

Perkz watched the two newcomers' nervous looks and burst out laughing.

CyanideFI glanced at AP and added:

"AP, what are you laughing at? I remember you were fined twice in the spring split: once for flicking snot on the ground, and once for taking off your headset early."

AP couldn't laugh anymore.

At this moment, Ka Lao Si turned his head from the passenger seat, smiling at Liang Yan and said:

"Don't worry, when newcomers get fined the club helps pay the fine; they won't actually penalize you, after all there needs to be an adjustment period."

"What?"

AP widened his eyes,

"Then how did I get my salary deducted!"

"Oh, this is a new rule the club just set."

Ka Lao Si said lightly.

AP then asked: "When?"

Ka Lao Si said: "Just now."

AP immediately burst out cursing.

It's unpleasant to hear.

……

After arriving at the venue, Liang Yan sneaked over to take a glance at the scene.

The venue is still packed today, possibly because people came to watch G2 for fun.

But it's also possible they came to watch the later VIT vs SPY match, and bought a bundle ticket that includes this G2 game, since there are only two matches today and the bundle is more cost-effective.

VIT is a strong team ranked third in the spring regular season points, so its popularity is naturally high as well.

Meanwhile, G2's opponent today, GIA, is a weak team ranked last in the spring regular season points, barely avoiding relegation.

So it's true that Ka Lao Si said the pressure isn't great.

But Liang Yan knew nothing about Ka Lao Si having Tang Anna evaluate him once, and he never imagined that his appearance today was due to Tang Anna's assessment.

Liang Yan will appear in the second game.

The first game was still with CyanideFI.

But the player introduction segment includes substitute players.

"Substitute jungler, Firrrrrre!"

After the host loudly called out his ID, Liang Yan, waiting backstage, took a deep breath, turned, walked out of the passageway, and strode toward the stage.

Bright lights shone down from the venue ceiling, illuminating his path all the way.

Thousands of gazes came from the stands; the background music drowned out the audience's murmurs, making the venue unusually quiet.

Liang Yan took his position at the far left of the team, and his nervousness suddenly vanished at that moment.

He saw many spectators in the audience whispering to each other.

And he could guess what they were saying:

"Who is this?"

"An Asian? A Korean import?"

"Looks like a Chinese person..."

"Oh shit! Isn't he the guy who beat Trcik?"

"Goodness, it's him!"

"Ka Luo Si is really stupid, not taking MVP but keeping him instead?"

"And so on."

Liang Yan didn't care at all.

From the moment he officially stepped onto the professional stage, no one could stop his march toward the summit.

After he reaches the peak, his brilliance will overshadow everything, and everyone will forget what they said at this moment.

This stage has always been like that: the victor takes all.