Ruler: People from the LPL, Ignorant and Audacious

Inside the SSG training base in Seoul, South Korea, the air conditioning was blasting, but the air felt as if it had frozen.

The scene from the Korean server ranked match that just ended is frozen in the afterimage of the crystal exploding at the end.

Crown leaned back in his gaming chair, expressionless, his hands crossed under his chin, his eyes fixed on the most prominent ID on the results screen.

Hide on bush.

"It's him again, this is outrageous."

Crown spoke slowly, his voice revealing a deep weariness and confusion.

Lee Sang-hyeok, the person behind this ID, and Lin Xiu, who played duo queue with him.

After sweeping through the Korean server during this period, everything about it was exposed.

EDG's substitute mid and jungler, Lee Sang-hyeok, is Korean!

Ruler, who was standing nearby, pulled up a chair and leaned closer, glancing at the match results, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Minhao, you got really badly beaten this time. I remember you played against Hide on Bush a few times before, and although you lost a few times, you weren't beaten this badly, were you?"

"He's different today."

Crown shook his head, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Before, he was like a perfectly functioning machine, without any mistakes, allowing the game to unfold step by step according to the path he had set."

"But today he seems very excited and plays much more aggressively."

Crown gave a wry smile.

"I already felt he was incredibly strong before, and I needed to be 120% focused to lane against him. I didn't expect him to be even stronger this time when we were matched together."

"This ranked game today was more tiring than a professional match. Was he holding back all along?"

"Oh! That substitute mid laner from EDG?"

Master An, who was browsing the web, took off his headphones and interjected,

"I saw the news today. He completely dominated Rookie in his LPL debut. Now the LPL is full of discussions about him and that new jungler."

"I also watched his interview, where he said that LPL is the strongest region."

Ruler chuckled, his tone carrying an inherent arrogance:

"The strongest region? That certainly sounds like something someone who plays in that region would say."

"The people in the LPL are arrogant and ignorant. They always make grand promises before each match, but they crumble at the first sign of trouble. After the match, they start making excuses and digressions."

"Ignorant and audacious!"

Ruler delivered a concluding speech.

"But Jae-hyuk,"

Master An slowly stood up, casually picked up the iconic baseball bat model on the table, and gently tapped Ruler's chair back with the tip of the bat.

"Although LPL is weak, you kept pushing the lane and feeding kills to the enemy Jarvan IV, making it really hard for me to play in the jungle!"

"Damn it, aren't you a bit ignorant and audacious too?"

Ruler shrank back, his smug laughter abruptly ceasing.

At Samsung, you can ignore the coach, but you can never disregard the legendary captain who upholds justice with a baseball bat.

"Brother, it's my problem!"

Ruler chuckled awkwardly, deftly pulling an unopened can of beverage from the drawer and handing it over.

Master An took the drink and pointed at the water dispenser with his stick:

"Go, get Minhao a glass of water too."

Ruler hurriedly ran to get water.

Seeing Ruler's fawning behavior, Master An laughed heartily and patted Crown on the shoulder.

"It's okay, Minhao. He probably had a good time stomping noobs in the LPL today, so he changed his playing style, and you just haven't adjusted yet."

Crown listened to his teammates' discussion, and although he still felt that some details of the previous game were a bit off, he nodded slightly.

"That's right. The LPL's tactical system has always been very rigid. Players make decisions almost entirely based on instinct. It's also full of players who were eliminated from our LCK. Their skill level is really poor."

"Furthermore, I've heard that their players often act like divas and skip training, sneaking out of the base at night to go on dates, etc. Players will definitely decline if they play in this environment for a long time."

"The fact that a region like this can still pose a threat to us from time to time can only be attributed to its massive population."

"But this guy is a promising mid-laner, why didn't SKT sign him back then?"

Ruler placed the water glass on Crown's table and waved his hand.

"Even the best talents will fade into obscurity after a while there, so there's no need to worry."

......

Meanwhile, in EDG, Abu's office was brightly lit.

The ashtray was already stuffed with three or four cigarette butts. Abu held a newly printed player analysis report in his hand, his hair in front of his forehead slightly messy.

Opposite him, Clearlove (Ming Kai) was standing with his arms crossed, staring at the large screen on the wall, which was playing highlights of EDG's match against IG that afternoon.

"Mingkai, what do you think?" Abu broke the silence, his voice hoarse.

The factory manager pointed to the route Lin Xiu's Nidalee was taking to invade the jungle on the screen, a complex smile playing on his lips:

"Xiaolin's jungling style is somewhat reminiscent of Mlxg. How to put it? He does have an element of recklessness and gambling, but his strength lies in his clear thinking and strong execution. He can accurately predict Kid's moves."

"As for Ai Luoli, that kid is too soft-hearted. She can crush weak teams, but in tough battles, she's just Scout's puppet."

"To be frank, Ai Luoli is not suitable to stay in the starting lineup anymore. Lin Xiu is definitely better than him."

Abu sighed and nodded:

"Regarding Ai Luoli's matter, I'll discuss the possibility of her being transferred or demoted later. The problem isn't with him, it's with the other three."

Abu slammed the report on the table and pointed to three names: Scout, Faker, and Lin Xiu.

"Ruican's strength is beyond doubt. He is still one of the top 3 mid laners in the LPL in terms of overall ability. If we break up with him and he enters the free market, I'm afraid half of the clubs in the region will be scrambling to buy him."

"Not to mention our direct rivals like RNG and WE, who are willing to spend a lot of money to poach our players."

Abu's expression became somewhat conflicted.

"But you've seen Faker's performance too."

Abu lowered his voice, revealing a hint of hesitation.

"His laning phase with Cassiopeia today, his support with Galio, his thinking was so clear, and his chemistry with Lin Xiu was perfect. This is so precious for EDG right now, which lacks an engine."

The factory manager snorted coldly and voiced his most pressing concern:

"But Faker is a rookie after all. Our priority is to be consistent, get into the top three in the league, and qualify for the World Championship. Scout is all about consistency."

"I think we could have Lin Xiu replace Ai Luoli first, and then Faker and Scout could take turns."

"But Lin Xiu has clearly broken off relations with Scout and is now associated with Faker."

Abu rubbed his temples.

"This kid is really determined. He dared to confront me on stream the other day, and he'll dare to jump ship with Faker tomorrow."

"If we let these two players enter the free market, within two years, or even this year, we will see them standing on the opposite side of us in the game."

"A happy trouble..."

The factory manager smiled, but there wasn't much of a smile in his eyes.

"Let's keep Scout calm first, after all, he's a player we can contribute immediately."

"But Lin Xiu and Faker's contracts must be upgraded immediately; they need to be long-term contracts that include high penalty clauses for breach of contract."

"Even if they can't play in the short term, we should still make them EDG's secret weapon."

Abu turned around, his eyes revealing a complex mix of decisiveness and helplessness:

"That's all we can do for now. For the remaining regular season games, I plan to start with Scout and Ai Luoli, and see how Scout performs under the immense pressure of public opinion."

"Aren't you afraid they'll crash?" The factory manager raised an eyebrow.

What kind of upsets can happen in the regular season?

Abu sneered, a sly glint in his eyes.

"Besides, if they turn the tide, wouldn't that be the perfect reason for me to rotate Lin Xiu and Faker in the future?"