Rise

guess what he meant.
He was saying that he only needed one hand to beat Lin Feng.
He then said in broken Chinese, “Easy.”

✹

Team Shanghai was making the most out of the little time they had to prepare for the next round of the Winter Collegiate Cup.
They were still only a newly formed team and really needed every second they could get to work on their synergy and plan out strategies.
This was further reinforced by the minor setback due to Zeng Rui and Zhang Hao changing their approach to the game.
It made them better players, but it’d take time to adjust the team’s strategies and synergies to these changes.
So they practiced every afternoon, meeting up at the cybercafe after school and only going home for dinner.

Lin Feng went through the motions.
School in the morning, practice with Team Shanghai in the afternoon and walking home with Tang Bingyao around dinner time.
Su Xue was waiting for him at home every night, dinner usually already on the table.
They’d share a quick bite together, after which he went to his room to do his homework.
The night ended with him joining Su Xue on her stream, playing a couple of games with her or her viewers.

Before Lin Feng could grow too comfortable in this rhythm, it was interrupted.
He’d just finished his homework and was about to have fun with Su Xue on stream, when his phone started ringing. Who ’s calling me this late at night? He reached for his phone and checked the caller ID.
His eyes went wide in shock.
He double-checked the caller ID, just to be sure.
Then he smashed on the green phone icon and placed the phone next to his ear.
“Sir!”

“SIR!” Lin Feng repeated a second later impatiently.
He moved the phone from his ear again and checked to make sure the call was still connected.
It was.
He was on the phone with One, his mentor, the most famous player in world esports! There were many people out there trying to make a name for themselves, like Han ‘Rake’ Seho or the older Lee ‘Rake’ Dojae, but none of them reached the illustrious height of One.
He was renowned worldwide as the best player in the famous massive online battle arena game DotA! He was the first name added to the Esports Hall of Fame! He was everything Lin Feng aspired to be! It’s One! One is calling me! One! One!

“Sir, sir! Are you there?” Lin Feng asked for a third time.

“Hey, hey? Can you hear me?” One asked.
“Sorry, I’m in Thailand.
The signal is pretty terrible here.”

Lin Feng smiled and quickly replied, “It’s good! The connection is good! I can hear you!”

“Good! That’s good!” One said.
“I heard you’re playing in the Winter Collegiate Cup? How’s that going?”

“Yeah, I am! We won the first round! And the second round!” Lin Feng exclaimed, grinning.
“We crushed the opponents! It went really well! I guess I’m still really good at winning games too! Oh, I think we’re going to the Regionals next!”

One chuckled and asked, “You’re winning the tournament, yeah?”

“Of course I am!” Lin Feng replied, almost sounding insulted by the question.
“I wouldn’t let you down! We’re going to win this tournament easily!”

“Good, good,” One said.
He breathed in sharply and looked out the window of his villa at the beautiful green scenery outside. Winning a university tournament when he was the best player in the world.
He played at the World Finals! And now he sounds excited about winning a university tournament… How the mighty have fallen, hehe. He shook his head and moved his lips around. But he really needs to start challenging himself.
He won’t learn anything from this.
Hmm… Can I help him somehow? What could I make him do? He looked at his computer, which had the League of Legends client open. I could do that… The season is almost over.
Some last minute climbing of the ladder could challenge him… Yeah, that’ll work. He smiled and asked, “Did you know that the competitive ranked season ends in a month on the Korean server?”

“I guess?” Lin Feng replied.
“Why?”

One ignored Lin Feng and continued, “The top ten Challengers in the Korean server are being tracked live until the season ends.
Right now, Rake has got three accounts in that top 10.
First, second and ninth.
And it would be one, two and three if there were more hours in a day.
You know how good he is.
The entire top 10 could be his if he had the time and energy to go for it.”

Lin Feng listened to One, his usual grin disappearing.
He stared at his laptop and chewed on the inside of his cheeks. I know.
I know.
I know he’s playing really well! He’s the best player in the world! I’m nowhere near good enough to be playing against him yet.
I need more time! A lot more time! But he’s using that same time to get better himself! It’s difficult! I don’t know… It’s really difficult! Maybe I’m not good… I’m good enough, but maybe there isn’t enough time… He laughed at himself.
He shook his head and laughed at himself. Here I was all happy about beating some Diamond players in a university tournament… What am I doing? Am I really happy about this!? Those guys were never my opponents! I’m way too good for that level! It’s not even… It’s not even worth my time.
I’m only falling further behind Rake.
All the time I’m spending messing around, Rake is getting better! And better! AND BETTER!

Lin Feng was breathing faster and faster, biting on his lips in frustration. I’m letting myself get distracted! My goal isn’t this Collegiate Cup! I want to become the best player in the world! And I can’t do that if I’m satisfied by beating a couple of Diamond players! That won’t help me improve! There is only one thing I should be focusing on.
To get back to my original level.
Get on the level of the Four Emperors! Screw these damn qualifiers! They mean nothing! I need to stop letting myself get so happy about winning them! It’d be a disgrace if I lost them! These teams are bad.
I’m so much better that I don’t even have to try to win! He knocked himself on the forehead.
“Stupid.
Stupid.
Stupid!” While I’m here having fun, Rake is working hard to become better! I need to get my head in the game! I’ll never get to his level like this!

One breathed out loudly, interrupting Lin Feng’s thoughts, and asked, “That Midlaner from Team Guangzhou? Goalie? You know who I’m talking about?”

“Yeah,” Lin Feng replied, dejected.

One continued with a second question, “He peaked at Rank 7 on the Korean Challenger ladder, right?”

“Yeah,” Lin Feng repeated in the same dejected voice.

“You’re going to beat him, right?” One asked.

“Yeah,” Lin Feng said, still dejected.

One paused for a brief moment before saying, “Alright.
Then I have a job for you.
Something that might actually push you.
Before this whole Winter Collegiate Cup ends, I want you to climb up to Challenger on the Korean server.
And.
You’re not stopping when you get there.
You’re going to surpass Goalie’s peak and then break into the Top 5.”

Lin Feng stuttered a few incoherent words, speechless. Top five? Top five in the Korean server? Can I? That is right up there at the top! Rake is there! I’d have to play against Rake… and, and I’d have to beat him! I can’t get to the top five if I don’t play against Rake! Unless I only play when he isn’t around.
But he’s always playing… I’ll have to play against…

“What?” One interrupted.
He chuckled and asked, “Think you can’t do it?”

The message landed.
Lin Feng clenched his phone and gritted his teeth.
He breathed in deeply, letting the air fill his lungs, and then breathed every negative emotion out of his body.
His laptop stood on his desk.
He glanced at it, determined.
“I can do it.
Of course I can do it! I’ll do it! I’ll get to the top of Challenger on the Korean server before the Collegiate Cup is over!”