Season 2: Chapter 196: The Return of Silster (1)
What was the biggest spectacle in The Avatar of LIL? The performance of a new champion? The guest's skill? The host’s wit? None of the above.
Most viewers of the show were waiting for this moment right now. When the guest was playing the new champion in a ranked match for the first time.
"Ah. Now it's time to pick. I'm already excited about what his teammates will say," OrangeKing chuckled.
Conflict was inevitable when guests picked a new champion in ranked mode.
— Lololol, so trueee.
— I’m excited!
— Just before a family massacre, lol.
— ??? I'll spare your parents
— 1 second before summoning my ancestors.
The reason for the conflict was simple. It was because of the nature of LIL. LIL's rank mode was played in teams of five with each player having a specific role. The type of champions chosen significantly impacted the game’s outcome. In tournaments, this was called the ban-pick phase.
The ban-pick phase could determine half the game in tournaments, so team members were always understandably sensitive about which champions were chosen. If a champion didn’t match one's role or the player wasn’t skilled enough, the team's win rate would plummet.
What if someone picked a champion who was just released today?
[ADC, who are you going to play?]
[I'll play Sori.]
[Sori... the one released today? You're choosing that?]
The supporter’s voice grew cold. The mood was not good. It wasn’t unexpected.
A newly released champion wouldn’t be proficient yet and research wasn’t lacking about their optimal role. It was a pick that could drop the team’s win rate.
The teammates in other positions also chimed in.
[Sori?]
[You're playing the one released today?]
[Oh... crazy.]
[Die, new character freak~ please~]
OrangeKing seemed to be having the time of his life.
"This is going wild, right?!"
— Lolololol~
— Doomed!!
— It’s starting!
— This is the real LIL!
"They don't know it's Almond, right? It might be better if they knew."
The ID used was provided by Police, so the guest had no way to leverage their fame and the rest of the team proceeded without knowing the player’s identity.
However, the host shook his head.
"No. Even if they knew it was Mr. Almond, he would still get scolded."
"Why?"
"Because Mr. Almond's rank is diamond, which is lower than the people here. They wouldn’t accept him anyway."
"Oh~!"
OrangeKing clapped and recalled something he had forgotten.
"Right! Most guests are usually above master rank! I forgot."
In LIL, one’s rank meant everything. Regardless of fame, teammates would likely always push lower ranked players around.
"Even for streamers, rank is everything."
"Then it's a win for Mr. Almond."
The host looked puzzled at what OrangeKing meant.
"A win? What do you mean?"
— Getting scolded is a win?
— ???
— What's he going to say now? Lol.
OrangeKing argued as if it was obvious, "Other guests above master rank get unjustly scolded here, but Mr. Almond was going to get scolded anyway. So it's a win for him."
— It’s actually better for him~
— For real, lol.
— What crazy logic.
Other guests wouldn't be scolded if they revealed their true rank, but Almond was in a situation where he would get scolded anyway. His situation was relatively better. Although the logic to it was a bit unique, it wasn't wrong.
"Now, it's Mr. Almond's turn to pick!"
"Yes. They just verbally declared their picks earlier. It's actually time to pick now. Let’s see how his teammates react..."
Thump.
Eventually, Almond's pick appeared. It was no surprise.
[Cautious Hunter - Sori]
Obviously, he picked the Cautious Hunter Sori, the champion who was just released today.
The noisy waiting room suddenly became quiet.
"Ah... it suddenly became silent!"
— Lolololololol~
— I can't handle this, lol.
— Oof...
Their conversation resumed after a moment, but not in a good way.
[Tf... he’s really going for it.]
[Shit...]
[Fuck. I’m screwed. It’s my first queue today. Please, someone dodge...]
The top, mid, and jungler kept grumbling. However...
[No...]
The supporter sounded quite agitated. His position acted together with the ADC, so he would be most affected by Almond’s choice.
"It finally comes out! The supporter’s resistance!"
— He’s starting, lol.
— Hahahaha.
— I’m so nervous to watch this!
This was the start of infighting within the team. Such conflicts often started with the word "no" to deny reality.
Here too, the supporters slowly started to get riled up.
[No, how many games have you played with that champion? Have you even tried? She felt like crap.]
[I played one game.]
— ???
— You're lying, lol.
— One game in practice mode, lol.
[Sigh.]
The chat turned into a sea of laughter at the supporter's sigh.
— It was a genuine sigh, lol.
— If that guy knew it was only one practice game, he'd be bawling lol
— HAHAHAHA.
— Soon, a new disciple of ADC worship will emerge.
The supporter seemed more infuriated by Almond's nonchalant response, so he made a drastic declaration.
[Someone, please dodge. I'm not playing this one. FUCK THAT. Is Master rank a joke?]
He requested others to cancel (dodge) the game as a boycott.
— Wow!
— This is LIL!
— Oh wow~
— Such an asshole.
— He should dodge it himself.
"Ah! The supporter is really pissed off!? If the pick phase starts like this, the game will be tough!"
Almond scratched his head and replied.
[Just dodge it yourself.]
He was genuinely curious why that player wouldn't just do it themselves, but that comment was like pouring fuel on fire.
[It's my promotion match! It's the final game!]
Promotion matches were a series of games like a test before ranking up. Players had to play three games and winning two out of three promoted them to the next tier. If they lost, they had to start all over again to reach the promotion matches.
During promotion matches, canceling a game during the pick phase, or dodging, counted as a loss. The player with a promotion on the line had to win the game for better or worse.
[Um... then there's no choice.]
Almond shrugged his shoulders as if it was unfortunate.
— Lol, so annoying~
— The support seems ready to inquire about his parent’s well-being, hahaha.
— But honestly, the supporter's mentality is trash for real.
The supporter started yelling.
[Why are you talking about it as if it's someone else's problem!? It's because of you, motherfucker! We'll lose because of you! That's why I'm trying to leave!]
[Then leave.]
[No!]
— Lololololol!
— This guy exploded, haha.
— Almond's style of argument, lol.
— Ugh..
[FUCK... Hey guys? Can't anyone dodge?]
The supporter, apparently at a loss for words due to Almond's ignorance, begged the other members to dodge just once for him. However, no one seemed willing to take the dodge for him.
[Ahem...]
[Let's just start.]
[I don’t see a reason to dodge here...]
The host wondered, "Why isn't anyone actually dodging? Didn’t they act as if they wanted to quit just a few seconds ago?"
They didn’t want to play the round just a moment ago, but why weren’t they dodging now? It wasn’t even their promotion match.
OrangeKing responded, "You all know that I’m a rank psychologist, right? I know exactly why."
"You know exactly why?"
"The relativity of opportunity costs. That's what I call it."
— Wow, so grandiose, lol.
— OrangeKing's theory is ON.
— Rank psychology, lol.
"Look. Now that one person is playing their promotion matches, it feels like less of a loss for you. Do you know what I mean? Your situation seems better than his even if you lose, so there's no need to dodge. Losing becomes less scary!"
"Ohhh, you feel like you're losing less compared to him when weighing the losses. That's why it feels like less of a loss, right?"
"Yes. Someone else is losing their promotion match, so your rank points don't seem like much. You might as well take a gamble on this chance to win! Logically speaking, it doesn't make sense, but that's how human psychology works."
"Wow, classic LIL. You get to see all sorts of human behaviors!"
— Mom! This game is about social studies, okay?! Mom! This game is about social studies, okay?! Mom! This game is about social studies, okay?!
— If Yuval Noah Harari had played LIL, Sapiens would have been published three years earlier.
— LOL.
"Shall we start the game?"
And so, the game began.
"The supporter said he's not playing and chose someone weird, right? Iron Ball as a support? Let's see how it goes!"
"Why is he trolling on his promotion match?"
"That's the mystery of humanity!"
— Iron Ball supporter, hahaha. WTF.
— Wow, what a troll…
— Makes me want to report this guy.
— Let’s gooo~
***
The game did not start smoothly in the beginning. The conflict in the pick phase continued into the game itself. The five of them gathered at the sanctuary, but only four got ready to move. The supporter just stood idly.
[Ugh, our team's support isn't moving.]
The top laner complained.
[The idiot is in his promotion match, and he's not moving?]
[Choosing Iron Ball deserves a punch~]
Almond also wanted to say something, but gave up. After all, he bore some responsibility for this situation. Choosing a champion released today was bound to create conflict.
'I'll just play well.'
He decided to just do well on his own and headed to the bot lane after equipping basic items.
'Looks like I'll be fighting one vs two.'
In the bottom lane where the support and ADC teamed up for two vs two battles, Almond would end up facing a two vs one battle with a champion he was playing for the first time because the allied supporter didn’t want to participate in the game.
A typical player would have lost their mentality at this point, but Almond was not fazed. He was fundamentally strong when it came to mentality.
'Actually, this is better. It's a perfect chance for my YouTube.'
After all, he was a streamer and actually enjoyed such extreme situations. Streamers didn’t play LIL to rank up, but to entertain their viewers. Thinking this way made every situation easier.
[Minions have spawned!]
'Here they come.'
The minions approached. He drew his bow and aimed at them. His focus was on farming minions while staying safe. If successful, he would level up faster than usual since he was alone. He would receive experience meant for two.
The moment his level was higher, he would look for an opportunity to fight with the jungler. That was Almond's plan.
'Huh...?'
Ziiiiiiing!
Someone appeared from behind and a loud noise followed.
'The supporter?'
It was the supporter who had declared that he was giving up on the game. He used Iron Ball's Roll skill and rolled toward the enemies at a terrifying speed. He was deliberately charging at the enemies to kill himself.
[There's no need to win for someone who picks a champion released today.]
The player left these words as his last will. Then, he zoomed past Almond.
'!'
Almond widened his eyes and quickly thought. How should he deal with this situation? If that guy gave away a free kill, his plan to slowly reverse the level advantage would be ruined.
However, it wouldn’t just be a simple death.
'Something will be used up.'
The enemies would have to spend time attacking or using skills to kill the supporter. Something would be consumed no matter what. Hence, an opportunity would arise.
'I'll go in too.'
Almond had to grab that opportunity. The moment they unknowingly wanted to kill the supporter charging at them, a gap would open. He had to find a way to widen that gap.
Tako had said, “If you charge in alone, it's trolling. If we all charge, it's a team fight.”
With that thought, Almond kicked off and ran. He stuck close behind the supporter.