Chapter 694
Grand Slam!
Faker looked at Su Mo, a relieved smile finally appearing on his lips: "Next year, I will continue to challenge you. As long as I can still hold a mouse."
"I'm ready to serve you anytime," Su Mo replied softly.
When he walked up to ADC Gumayusi, this player, known for his confidence and arrogance, looked like a wilted eggplant.
“Brother Mo…” Gumayusi held Su Mo’s hand, her face full of bitterness and helplessness, and even a hint of aggrieved coquettish tone, “Can we talk about something? If we meet in ranked matches next time, or at the World Championship next year, can you please not play assassins? In the three games I played today, the total game experience was less than ten minutes. I couldn’t even press the ultimate skill before I melted.”
Su Mo was amused by his pitiful appearance and nodded gently: "Okay, I promise. Next time I'll play Sion or Maokai and tank the damage in front so you can get a couple more auto-attacks."
"You said it yourself!" Gumayusi finally managed to force a smile.
Finally, there's the support player, Keria. This emotional and talented support was already in tears, covering her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Su Mo didn't speak, but simply stepped forward, gently hugged the young support player, and patted him on the back. The silent comfort spoke volumes. Keria choked back tears as he said, "Congratulations, senior," and watched the entire EDG team walk out of the soundproof booth.
After the handshake ceremony, Su Mo led the EDG team members back to the center of the stage, which was covered with gold confetti.
There, the Summoner's Cup, representing the highest honor in League of Legends, stands quietly at the intersection of spotlights, radiating a captivating silver glow.
Coach Ming Kai had already excitedly run out from backstage, his eyes brimming with tears. He rushed forward and hugged Su Mo, who was walking at the front, his voice trembling: "Mo Zi! We did it! Another Grand Slam! Another championship!!"
"Coach, your clothes are wrinkled." Su Mo smiled and patted Ming Kai on the back, then his gaze fell on the trophy.
Although this is the seventh Summoner's Cup he has won, every time he sees it, a warm feeling still wells up in his heart.
Chen and Yue, two newcomers stepping onto the world championship finals stage for the first time, stood in front of the trophy, so excited that they were at a loss for what to do and didn't even dare to reach out and touch it.
"Brother Mo...you touch first, you touch first." Ah Chen swallowed and took a half step back.
In the LPL and within EDG, Su Mo held an unparalleled position. Everyone felt that the honor of being the first to lift the trophy rightfully belonged to him.
But Su Mo shook his head slightly. He walked to the trophy, but instead of grasping the most conspicuous handle, he placed his hand lightly on the base of the trophy in an extremely low-key manner.
He turned his head, looked at his four teammates with burning eyes beside him, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips: "What are you daydreaming about? This is your championship, let's lift it together."
JackeyLove grinned: "Since Brother Mo has spoken, then we won't hold back, brothers!"
Meiko, JackeyLove, Achen, Xiaoyue, and coach Mingkai all reached out and grasped the edge of the Summoner's Cup.
"one two three!!!"
"boom--!!!"
The moment the five of them lifted the Summoner's Cup high above their heads, the giant cold flames hidden around the stage erupted instantly, transforming into dozens of dazzling pillars of fire that shot straight into the sky! Even denser golden rain, accompanied by the rousing theme song of S13, completely engulfed the entire Gocheok Sky Dome!
"We are—the champions!!!"
The team members roared wildly, releasing all the pressure and sweat of the past year.
At the center of the crowd, Su Mo simply held the base with one hand, looking tenderly at his ecstatic young teammates beside him. He didn't try to get the center of the shot, nor did he shout at the top of his lungs. Instead, like a parent watching their child succeed, he quietly shared in the joy.
The director very considerately gave this close-up shot.
The live stream chat was completely overwhelmed at this moment, filled with tears and emotion:
He's so kind! He was clearly the biggest contributor, yet he gave the most glorious moment of lifting the trophy to the newcomer!
[The seven-time Grand Slam champion, you see not a trace of arrogance or haughtiness in him, only a gentle and inclusive nature like water.]
This is the totem of the LPL! As long as he's there, the flame of the LPL will never be extinguished!
Holding a thermos cup and supporting the trophy base, this scene is probably unique to Mozi throughout history, hahaha!
After the celebratory celebrations of raising the trophy, the staff on stage quickly and systematically began setting up the awards ceremony venue.
Riot Games' CEO and a group of executives, dressed in suits, stood on one side of the stage, holding custom-made medals symbolizing championship honors. LCK's leading female host, Yoon Soo-bin, and LPL's official bilingual host, Xi Ran, were finalizing their scripts.
During the wait for the awards ceremony, the stage lights dimmed slightly.
Ah Chen and Xiao Yue were still holding the trophy and taking pictures of each other by the team photographer. JackeyLove, on the other hand, was discussing with Meiko which champion skin to choose later.
Su Mo retreated to a relatively quiet corner at the edge of the stage.
He took his phone out of his peripheral bag and glanced at the screen.
Sure enough, WeChat was completely bombarded with congratulatory messages.
TheShy: "Mo... invincible. I saw it, he's too strong. Come back, I'll treat you to some good wine."
Rookie: "I'm impressed. Seven consecutive championships, are you really not going to leave any room for others to survive? (thumbs up)"
Uzi: "Bro, that was amazing! That composure, that play, it's making my hands itch! Let's celebrate tonight!"
Even Doublelift, who is far away in North America, tagged him like crazy on Twitter, posting a bunch of "GOAT" and goat emojis.
Su Mo smiled faintly and replied to a few familiar friends with a simple "Thank you, let's encourage each other."
Then, he unscrewed the black thermos he always carried, tilted his head slightly, and took a sip of warm goji berry water. The sweet water slid down his throat, soothing the barely perceptible fatigue from three high-intensity best-of-five matches.
"Don't you feel that this moment is even more enjoyable than the game itself?"
A clear and gentle voice rang in my ears.
Su Mo turned his head, and Xi Ran had already walked up to him without him noticing. Today, she was wearing an extremely gorgeous red dress with traditional Chinese embroidery elements and high heels, making her look noble and elegant. But in front of Su Mo, her eyes still revealed an undisguised tenderness and admiration, just like they had in the hotel lobby the night before.
"Playing in competitions is work. Once the work is done, of course I can relax." Su Mo put down his thermos, looked at the smiling girl in front of him, and teased her gently, "The interview questions later shouldn't have been made more difficult at the last minute, right?"
"Don't worry, I've already memorized it perfectly." hope Ran waved the script in her hand, then her gaze fell on Su Mo's handsome profile, which remained striking even in the dim light. Her voice lowered slightly, "However... Riot Games has just decided on the FMVP. Are you ready to trend on social media again?" Su Mo wasn't surprised at all, just smiled faintly, "As expected. But I'd prefer they give the FMVP to Chen; newcomers need some encouragement."
"You always seem so nonchalant." Xi Ran shook her head helplessly, but her eyes were full of smiles. In this man, it seemed that all the honors in the world were just a breeze, easily swept away.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Please turn your attention to the center of the stage!"
The English announcement suddenly came on, interrupting their conversation. The spotlight returned to the center of the stage.
"The awards ceremony is about to start, I'm going over there now. See you later, Mo-ge." hope Ran winked at Su Mo, lifted her skirt, and gracefully walked towards the stage.
Su Mo closed the thermos, put one hand in the pocket of his team uniform, and walked back to the middle of the EDG team with a calm gait.
As Riot executives presented the team members with their weighty championship medals, all eyes and cameras finally focused on the Riot Games CEO, dressed in a suit.
He held a gold envelope in his hand and walked towards the microphone with a smile.
"Over the past month, we've witnessed countless miracles. But one player transcended miracles altogether, becoming a living legend of the game. With an incredible hero pool, perfect tactical execution, and unparalleled individual skill, he dominated the entire series!"
As the CEO opened the envelope, the entire audience of 100,000 held their breath in unison.
But in everyone's heart, there is already a unique name.
"2023 League of Legends World Championship, Finals Most Valuable Player (FMVP) —"
The CEO took a deep breath, spoke into the microphone, and shouted the name at the top of his lungs:
"EDG! Mo!!!"
"boom--!!!"
The large screen above the stage instantly switched to a high-definition photo of Su Mo holding the cup, and countless dazzling fireworks burst forth once again inside the venue.
"Brother Mozi!!! FMVP!!!"
"Well deserved!!! Seven championships and seven Finals MVPs in seven years!! Unprecedented!!!"
In the commentary booth, the three commentators were so excited that they were incoherent.
Amidst thunderous applause and cheers from his teammates, Su Mo calmly stepped forward. He accepted the FMVP trophy, the highest personal honor, from the CEO and politely shook hands with him.
The spotlights, like a dazzling galaxy, illuminated the center of the stage of the Takachi Sky Dome as bright as day.
Su Mo stood quietly in the center of the stage, holding the gleaming gold FMVP trophy in one hand and his ever-present black thermos in the other. Beside him, LCK's star player Yoon Soo-bin and LPL's official host Xi Ran walked gracefully towards him with microphones in hand.
The two top female hosts from the Chinese and Korean e-sports circles stood on either side of Su Mo, a sight that instantly turned the global live stream chat into a sea of envious comments.
"Congratulations, Mo, on winning the World Championship and FMVP again!" Yoon Soo-bin was wearing a well-tailored white evening gown that accentuated her stunning figure. She tilted her head slightly, looking at the handsome and upright man who was more than half a head taller than her, her beautiful eyes shining with undisguised admiration and adoration.
She asked a question in soft, gentle Korean, and even when the microphone wasn't picking up the sound, she subtly took half a step closer to Su Mo, a faint scent of high-end perfume drifting into Su Mo's nostrils on the Seoul night breeze.
"As the only player in League of Legends history to win seven consecutive championships and sweep all the FMVP awards, how do you feel today, having defeated T1 3-0 with highly distinctive champions like Tryndamere, Evelynn, and Camille? Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans around the world?"
Su Mo remained composed, showing no sign of unease despite the proximity of the nationally renowned female host from South Korea. He lowered his head slightly, facing the microphone, and calmly answered in fluent Korean, even with a standard Gangnam District accent from Seoul:
"I'm very calm. Winning the game is a team effort; my teammates performed perfectly today and relieved a lot of pressure for me. As for what I want to say..."
Su Mo paused, his gaze sweeping over the sea of red below the stage, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Thank you all for your support over the past seven years. And thank you to T1 for playing so tenaciously today, not making me work overtime for too long. I am indeed a bit hungry, I'm going to get some barbecue later."
"Boom—Hahahaha!"
Both the Korean audience and the Chinese fans burst into good-natured laughter upon hearing the translation.
[Damn it, they didn't make me work overtime for too long!!]
[Faker: Are you kidding me? We're fighting tooth and nail on our high ground, and all you're thinking about is barbecue?!]
[The most lethal form of deception is the invisible one! Yoon Soo-bin's gaze towards him is practically dripping with lust!!]
Yoon Soo-bin was amused by Su Mo's casual and humorous reply, covering her mouth and giggling. Her gaze towards Su Mo became even more intense. In South Korea's e-sports environment, where seniority and pressure are extremely important, a man like Su Mo, who treats the World Championship finals like "clocking out of get off work" and possesses absolute strength, is simply irresistibly attractive.
Next up was Xiran's Chinese interview segment.
Today, hope Ran wore an absolutely stunning red Chinese-style cheongsam dress, her figure graceful and elegant. Looking at Su Mo before her, her eyes were filled with undisguised tenderness and a smile.
"Brother Mo, that Camille kick that just came crashing down from the sky not only shattered T1's hopes of a comeback, but also ushered in another dynasty for our LPL. Many fans say that as long as you're here, the glory of the LPL will never be extinguished. What are your new goals for next year?"
Su Mo looked into hope Ran's bright eyes, and the two exchanged a knowing glance on stage.
"Let's talk about next year next year." Su Mo put one hand in his team uniform pocket and raised the microphone. "After all, records are meant to be broken. If possible, I hope next year can be a little easier, like playing a couple more games with Sion."
"Whoa—!!!"
The EDG players and audience members below the stage all booed and jeered.
Chen, holding a bouquet, shouted from below the stage: "Brother Mo, you're kidding me! You can solo the enemy's high ground with Sion!"
The atmosphere on and off the stage was filled with joy, and with a final burst of fireworks, the S13 World Championship awards ceremony came to a successful close.
……
Although the competition is over, the celebration for the champions has only just begun.
Su Mo, carrying a peripheral bag, the FMVP trophy and a thermos in his hand, followed Coach Ming Kai off the stage and through the long player tunnel.
Just as I reached the corner, a series of crisp high-heeled footsteps came hurriedly from behind.
"Senior Mo! Please wait a moment!"
Su Mo stopped and looked back. (End of Chapter)