NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64
Sometimes, in casual games, there are matches that are simply beyond the comprehension of ordinary folks.
This happens because there’s a certain division of MMR between casual and ranked games.
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[Allies / Enemies]
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(Platinum 3) / (Master)
(Level 21) / (Grandmaster)
(Gold 3) / (Diamond 3)
(Silver 3) / (Level 341)
(Level 26) / (Diamond 2)
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Yeah, just like right now.
“……”
Is this a joke from the enemy team?
No, it’s not just about the enemy team—why is there such a tier difference between both teams from the get-go?
Legends of League is a relative game.
Regardless of what the absolute tier of the opponent is, if they’re higher than your team, then that game becomes exceptionally tough.
But what’s up with this tier difference right now?
I sensed something was very unfair about this match, but I couldn’t complain since this bizarre phenomenon was likely caused by the winning streak I had.
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[GameIsFun4148]
[Level 21]
Solo Rank
– Unranked
Casual Game
– 51 Wins 0 Losses
– Win Rate 100%
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51 Wins 0 Losses.
Even considering this is a casual game, that’s a streak that doesn’t come by easily.
Of course, it’s pretty rare to have such an extreme tier difference between both teams, but just because it’s rare doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
In other words, I could say I was just unlucky.
Sigh.
But the game already started, so I had no choice but to dive into it.
-Enemy defeated!
-Our ally has fallen!
It wasn’t an easy game, nor was it particularly baffling, but it certainly turned into a long one.
[Victory]
57 minutes 14 seconds.
That was the moment I traded their Nexus for Baron with a backdoor.
[Whoa… They actually pulled that off]
[Hey, what tier are you on your main?]
Despite our team being at a disadvantage from the very early game, it was a game that was hard hit by our early struggles.
Surprised they didn’t expect to lose, the enemy team seemed dumbfounded, while we were ecstatic.
[Wow, good carry!]
[I had a life-changing game here, lol]
[For real, lol]
[Seriously, what’s your tier? I saw the enemy jungler is Grandmaster, wow, are you a true Challenger smurf?]
“Ugh……”
It felt exhausting since it’s been a while since I had a lengthy battle.
I thought about taking a break but remembered if I rest today, I’d have to play two games tomorrow, so I half-heartedly decided to queue up again.
[Finding a game!]
[Accept / Decline]
And…….
[Victory]
I won again.
[Victory]
Win after win.
[Victory]
Of course, the process wasn’t easy.
If it were just another game with a simple tier difference between teams like before, I would have been fine.
But as always, nothing in the world goes as expected.
I encountered the ones I was meant to meet.
[? Our 3rd pick has a 100% win rate, huh?]
[Throw it]
Sometimes, there are such players.
They’re the type that, with an unwavering determination, want to tarnish my glorious 100% win record by intentionally refusing to play.
Sigh…
It feels inevitable to meet trolls in Legends of League.
And the lower the tier goes, the exponentially more frequent these encounters become.
It was an unavoidable aspect of the tier system.
Moreover, this was a casual game.
A so-called “joke” game.
The fact that there’s no score to deter trolling is a major issue.
Hmm.
For me, it was relatively rare to encounter a troll like that since I hadn’t been playing smurf accounts until now, but the existence of trolls wasn’t completely unfamiliar.
No matter how much the top-tier players troll less, that’s just a relative frequency; there are still instances.
Especially, I had often witnessed emotional fights in-game resulting in trolling.
“This isn’t just a disease game for no reason.”
However, the troll I faced now wasn’t the kind that resulted from an emotional battle; they were just out for fun.
It was a pity that I had to crush such players, but since victories grant more experience than losses, I had no choice but to move on quickly to ranked games.
At least the good news was that the trolling didn’t stem from any in-game conflict, but purely out of enjoyment, making it not overly malicious.
All they did was mindlessly throw themselves into the mid-lane repeatedly?
-Our ally has fallen!
-Our ally has fallen!
-Our ally has fallen!
-The enemy is on a rampage!
To really troll correctly, one shouldn’t just recklessly crash into the enemy mid.
Instead, they should grow steadily while hindering their own team by eating jungle monsters.
Or maybe that really is their skill level.
Looking at their behavior, it seemed more likely to be the latter.
“I ought to quickly improve my tier.”
For that, leveling up was the priority, and to level up faster, I needed to win this game.
[Victory]
Can we call this a human triumph?
Even in a 4:6 game with a troll, I still saw the word “Victory.”
[0/27/2]
At that point, the ally troll’s deaths were a staggering 27.
Though such a death count wouldn’t be seen in a normal game, it didn’t stop me from winning.
“Throwing even that, they still lose, huh, what a bunch of bugs.”
The troll left the lobby, leaving that parting word.
They were truly ugly until the end.
[Report]
Go ahead and get reported.
Even if many say that the penalties for trolls are weak, that’s mostly due to the ambiguity surrounding what acts are defined as trolling.
Such flagrant trolling by obtaining over 20 deaths will surely get penalized, even in a relaxed penalty environment.
“Hmph……”
Having once again squeezed out what’s called a “squeeze win,” I leaned back in my chair and slouched.
Playing games like this would drain anyone, even me.
“Is this right?”
It’s gotten to the point where I feel ambivalence about the game I used to love so much.
If someone were to see me like this, they’d probably say, “It’s just casual games, isn’t it fine to play easy?”
But I couldn’t agree with that.
“No matter what, I don’t want to lose a game I could win.”
However, if I keep playing like this, it’s bound to spread quickly, so I decided to change my playstyle a bit.
“Maybe I should ease up.”
Everyone has those picks of their own.
They’re the so-called signature picks that come with an odd pressure to win as soon as they’re selected.
The so-called serious picks.
But for me, I have decent confidence in almost all champions that can be played in the jungle.
In other words, that means almost every jungle champion is seen as a champion for winning.
So, the choice became a position change.
Not the jungle position.
Anywhere is fine.
It just needs to not be jungle.
By playing a non-main position, a strange sense of psychological comfort arises.
I can afford to lose this game.
I don’t have to carry this game.
I can mess up a bit in this game.
That thought gives me some breathing room, and oddly enough, more fluid gameplay often emerges from that.
[Victory]
[Victory]
.
.
.
[Victory]
Thanks to the position change, I found myself reclaiming victories with a slightly more relaxed mindset than before.
Of course, the process wasn’t completely smooth.
There were several incidents where not just one but more than two players went AFK or trolled, yet I kept winning.
[Level 29]
As I kept winning over and over, my level neared 30.
Just a bit more, and I’d reach the long-desired rank play level.
“Just a little more to go.”
Once I hit level 30, it’s farewell to this relentless casual game.
“Does casual game MMR impact placement matches? I think I’ve heard something like that…”
If so, considering my current record, I might climb to tier faster than I expected.
“Then I’ll quickly get to Challenger, and swiftly accept scout offers to debut as a pro.”
It was a rough plan, but I felt confident.
I had already reached the top once as a Prisoner.
Once I get through this hurdle, everything will fall into place.
At least, that’s what I thought.
[Finding a game!]
[Accept / Decline]
“Accept.”
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NunnaHeeuhhnggg joined the lobby.
qq7785dd55 joined the lobby.
GameIsFun4148 joined the lobby.
IlIIIIIllIlIll joined the lobby.
NamiArtist OdaHye joined the lobby.
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[눈나헤으으응응 : ㅇㄷㅇㄷ]
[GameIsFun4148 : I’ll take whatever’s left except jungle]
As I waited a bit longer, team members began mentioning their roles one by one.
[IlIIIIIllIlIll : I’ll go jungle]
[NamiArtist OdaHye : I’ll support]
“Let’s see… it looks like top and mid are the last picks.”
Since I didn’t mind where I went, I decided to ask the team.
[GameIsFun4148 : Where are you going, 2nd pick?]
But…….
A long time passed and there was no response.
“Is he AFK?”
As I felt a slight curiosity, I noticed the ID of the 2nd pick seemed oddly familiar.
qq7785dd55.
Soon, I searched their record and recalled where I had seen that ID before.
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[qq7785dd55]
Rank 506
Solo Rank
– Grandmaster
– 626 LP / 89 Wins 16 Losses
– Win Rate 85%
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‘GRS Nightmare, Li Zhi-Xuan.’
To be honest, encountering Nightmare wasn’t particularly rare for me.
In fact, I had often encountered Nightmare as a teammate or opponent when I played as a Prisoner.
But even still, running into Nightmare in a low-tier casual game?
What are the odds?
“Should I dodge?”
But then I shook my head.
“…No, that’s a waste of time. I’m about to hit level 30.”
If I were in the jungle position now, I might have seriously considered dodging, but I wasn’t in the jungle.
Even though Nightmare was determined to recruit a Prisoner, connecting myself with my old role right now wouldn’t be easy.
[GameIsFun4148 : I’m going mid]
Knowing the enemy couldn’t understand Korean, I decided to outright pick Raise.
Raise had recently become one of my favorite champions, and I was quite enjoying playing them.
“And besides, they don’t overlap with any jungle champions.”
There’s almost no chance that any hints of my former life as a Prisoner would slip out.
After I picked Raise, it seemed like Nightmare realized his lane was top because he picked Kamal.
[NunnaHeeuhhnggg : ? Wait, what’s the win rate of the 3rd pick? And the 2nd pick is Grandmaster?]
[IlIIIIIllIlIll : For real?]
[NunnaHeeuhhnggg : Yep!]
[IlIIIIIllIlIll : Whoa, seriously? This is insane!]
[IlIIIIIllIlIll : It’s an honor!]
A bunch of messages flowed in.
Seeing a Grandmaster or a 100% win rate smurf in a casual game is rare, so it was a pretty natural reaction.
[Please choose your skin!]
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[3]
[2]
[1]
As the game began, I couldn’t hide my shock looking at the nicknames that appeared in the loading screen.