Chapter 521: He's here!

After shaking hands, the five KT members left the stage with numb faces, and after returning backstage they were still scolded bloody by the coach—the point of criticism was exactly their complacency.

"The jungler is doing things on the top lane, why aren't you retreating on Xia Lu?!"

"Huh!"

"Damn it!"

"Look me in the eyes!"

"Xu Yuanshuo! Jin Heokui! Zhao Shiheng!"

"Tell me! Why won't you retreat!"

"Don't you want the championship anymore?! You've made enough money, you don't even care about the hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money, huh?!"

"And Song Jinghao, why didn't you go block the male gun in that first Baron teamfight? You helped create such a big advantage, can't you even beat a jungler!"

"Can't you see that the ice archer is bound to die?! As long as you also replace the male gun, they can't take Baron, and we still have hope to seize a mistake and turn things around!"

"You've disappointed me too much!!!"

"Poor execution, chaotic tactics, no discipline! With you like this, you still want to win the world championship? You're just dreaming!!"

"Wake up, kids!!!"

"This isn't your playground!!!"

Only Score wasn't scolded.

On the surface, Score looked terrified, but in reality, watching the world champion trio (two S‑season champions and one MSI champion) get ripped apart by the coach, he secretly felt pleased.

It's not exactly a team fallout; Score simply felt he had made no mistakes this game, it was a pure loss due to being carried, so he harbored some resentment.

In Score's impression, the coach actually has a good temper normally and rarely flies into such a rage; it's really that this game Xia Lu gave too many opportunities.

KT's current head coach is Li Zhihun, nicknamed 'Massage Li', with the ID FIFAHUN.

From the ID you can tell this coach is actually a former FIFA professional player and also a veteran member of the KT team; as a FIFA player he won countless FIFA championships, later he transitioned to coaching the KT StarCraft division, also leading them to championships, and from the S4 season he began coaching the LoL division. Professionally, FIFAHUN may lack some ability, but as a team head coach his overall ability is outstanding, and with the tactical coach ZanDarC and the life and mental coach AnimaIDAX assisting, KT's entire training staff can be said to be very strong.

This year KT spent a huge sum to assemble this team, which in the LCK can be called a galactic battleship; their sole goal is to chase the championship—the league title, the MSI title, and the World Championship title—and they want all of them.

Having already secured the league championship, as the regional representative he brought the entire region's expectations to the World Championship stage, but right from the start he threw away a big advantage. Although to viewers in other regions KT's loss to last year's world champion doesn't look shameful, the huge gap finally made FIFA lose his temper and he lashed out at the players on the spot.

The players naturally dared not talk back, each lowering their heads and meekly taking the scolding.

Because the coach was right, they indeed had been complacent.

Starting from the pick‑and‑ban phase, they had gone completely wrong; now they regretted it deeply, and they really shouldn't have forced the coach to pick such an extreme composition……

During the post‑match interview, the host asked for their thoughts on the game, and Perkz also answered with a smile:

"I feel that from the very start they didn't treat us as a real opponent; otherwise they wouldn't have picked Galio. Although they've already paid the price for their complacency, I still think this match wasn't that satisfying, because neither side brought out their full strength……"

The on‑site audience gave Perkz's confident remarks the warmest applause.

……

Backstage, VG lounge.

"……The composition and tactics are too extreme; they didn't work early on, making later play harder. G2 just needs to play normally, avoid big mistakes, and even without that Baron teamfight, KT would actually still lose……"

Tabe was analyzing KT's reasons for defeat.

The applause from the venue came in at that moment, booming like a huge wave.

The lounge fell silent for a moment.

Gao Jun looked at everyone and smiled:

"The pressure's here, brothers—this MSI opponent is really strong."

Just as he finished speaking, a knock sounded. Staff came to inform them that G2's post‑match interview had ended and VG needed to get ready to go on stage.

Today's schedule second match: VG versus FW.

Gao Jun took a deep breath, stood up, and said:

"This is our team's first time showing our faces on the international stage; to speak boldly, the opponent isn't that strong, so I hope everyone can play a little more beautifully this game and fire off a shot to establish our reputation！"

"Come, everyone put your hands together, let's cheer each other up！"

Everyone gathered in a circle, stacking their right hands together:

"One! Two! Three!"

"Victory!!!"

……

After the brief break, the broadcast switched back to the on‑site commentary desk.

Sjokz, wearing a tight dress covered in sequins, sat at the commentary desk with her long legs completely hidden under the table, and she was the first to face the camera and speak:

"Welcome back to the live broadcast of the 2017 MSI! In the opening match just now, G2 smashed the galactic battleship KT with a perfect textbook‑style defensive counter‑offensive operation！"

"This is G2's first victory over a strong team from another region on the international stage since winning the championship last November, half a year ago！"

"This match proved that, although Firrrrrre is no longer in the lineup, Perkz used his Ekko to declare to the world that as long as this FMVP remains on the team, G2 still possesses a fearsome dominance on the international stage！"

MarkZ: "Exactly, that play over the first Baron's ownership—G2's vision control and bold psychological tactics—really reminded me of last year's team! But now, please everyone follow me and turn your gaze to the other side of the stage！"

"——that monster that once belonged to G2 and to Europe is now leading a brand‑new LPL powerhouse back onto the world stage！"

"Yes, VG!!!"

"He's here!!!"

The whole audience erupted in cheers and boos alike, the atmosphere electric.

The commentary desk continued to hype the atmosphere:

"And the opponent VG will face today is likewise an absolute king in their region—the FlashWolves from the LMS!!!"

"Come on, audience members both on‑site and watching on screen, please cast your precious vote for this clash of kings and give the score you think they deserve！"