Chapter 698: Let's go!

When Easyhoon said he and Faker had never been teammates, the venue exploded with a boom.

The live chat barrage also surged.

Host Li Anna gaped, staring in shock at Easyhoon, never expecting him to say such a thing.

Backstage in the LCK lounge, everyone exchanged glances as dozens of gazes turned toward SKT; although competing for the same position is common, everyone knows Easyhoon's character— to make such an honest person hold a grudge and even speak out publicly, SKT must be formidable, showing just how outrageous the past events were.

Faker sat among the SKT teammates, expressionless; he had no personal grudge against Easyhoon, no bias, and the suppression of Easyhoon had nothing to do with him since those who made the decisions never consulted him.

Those who suppressed Easyhoon back then aren't even here now.

That person is cCarter, the team manager—or coach—of SKT's League of Legends division.

At this moment, sitting beside Faker, SKT head coach Kkoma has a complex mood and expression; he wasn't the main architect of suppressing Easyhoon, but he had discussed it with cCarter and agreed.

There are many reasons, but if we had to pick the biggest one, it's undoubtedly because Easyhoon is too old.

Easyhoon, born in 1992, was already 23 during the S5 season; a 23‑year‑old player in esports is already over the hill, meaning his career is nearing its end—he won't have many years left to play.

Although Easyhoon from the S5 season still looks at his peak, viewed from a higher standpoint over a longer timeline, his training value is clearly far inferior to that of Faker, born in 1996.

Moreover, in talent Faker far surpasses Easyhoon; in skill they were about equal back then, only their styles differed slightly; in future potential, Faker completely outclasses Easyhoon.

How could one choose whom to make the team's absolute core to cultivate? Isn't it obvious?

So when cCarter considered making Easyhoon a water‑machine attendant, Kkoma at the time voted yes without hesitation.

Kkoma feels guilty toward Easyhoon.

But even now, even if Easyhoon performed exceptionally in this match— even to the point of crushing Faker— Kkoma does not think his vote was wrong, let alone regret it.

Zhixun... you should be able to understand me, right...

Kkoma thought, filled with sorrow.

Otherwise, why would your ID on the Chinese server be 'Rimu Tuyuan'? You must know you're in the twilight of your years.

……

After the post‑match interview ended, Easyhoon returned; VG members went to the door to greet him, Gao Jun patted his shoulder to encourage him, saying 'VG will always be your home,' and said nothing else.

Others on the team were even less likely to say anything.

Next, everyone gathered in a circle again to discuss who would play the third game.

Surprisingly, EDG volunteered.

Wensen looked at the EDG members in surprise: 'Although Samsung and KT aren't their strongest, three games are absolutely the toughest! Are you sure you want to go up?'

That's obvious at a glance.

This is the finals; LCK has already lost two games, and losing one more means going home. In this situation, whoever steps up for the third game will surely field their strongest lineup and give their utmost effort.

Liang Yan also said: 'Yes, the third game is the hardest; even if we go up, no matter which team we face, we have no guarantee of victory.'

However, A Bu waved his hand: 'Enough talk, we've decided—we're going up!'

Wensen looked over at WE: 'What do you say?'

WE hasn't played yet today; if EDG wins— looking at their gritty, fierce determination, that's quite possible— WE would miss the finals. If that really happened, it would be a huge loss for WE. It's rare to appear on the international stage and reach the finals, only to have no sense of participation— isn't that just being a mere makeweight? So, for fairness, as the head of the LPL team, Wensen still wants to consider WE's opinion; if WE disagrees, we might have to resort to rock‑paper‑scissors.

WE coach Homme opened his mouth, then turned to ask the WE players: 'What do you all think—should we go up?'

The WE members spoke in low voices.

Condi: 'Definitely yes!'

Xi Ye: 'I'm fine with anything.'

Mystic&Ben: '-_-'

957: 'Uh, I think it'd be pitiful for EDG to go back like that—they might get flamed by a lot of people… maybe we should let them go up.'

Condi: 'What the hell, Leg Bro, what's wrong with you? Losing a match is their own lack of skill— what does it have to do with us!'

Xi Ye: 'But the third game is indeed tough.'

Condi: 'Don't be scared of nothing!'

Homme glanced at his watch: 'Hurry up, we're out of time.'

957: 'You decide—I'm fine with anything.'

Condi: 'We gotta go up!'

Xi Ye: 'I'm easy either way.'

Homme: 'Don't be like this… hurry up, I need an answer.'

Xi Ye: 'Or you just decide.'

Homme looked at the WE members: 'Should I decide?'

The WE members nodded.

Homme thought for a moment, then shook his head at Wensen: 'Let EDG go up.'

'Sure?'

'Sure.'

'OK, EDG up!'

'Let's go!'

A Bu waved his hand and stood up.

The EDG members all rose, filled with killing intent, and marched out.

The coach is Nofe; A Bu naturally isn't going up—he just sees them to the door, then returns, smiles at Homme, and says, 'Thanks, Coach Hongmi, I owe you one.' He still has that jianghu vibe.

Hongmi smiled and said nothing.