The soft chime from the game echoed in his ears as Seunghoon's hero pulsed gently.
[Welcome to battlefield.]
[Minions will spawn in 30 seconds.]
Valea's body swayed from side to side as it stood frozen still while Seunghoon bought his first item.
All players receive 800 gold in currency at the start of the game.
"Alright, let's see." Seunghoon gently moved his mouse and had her move at the base. He immediately opened the in-game shop and purchased his starting items— a Demon Shoes for movement speed and sustained mana regen and 2 wards for vision.
It was a classic item for a support that heavily relies on skill to impact the game. He still remembered how the builds worked, though he was a little outdated when it came to the new items.
Seunghoon clicked Valea to move to the bot lane. Her walking seemed slow, but he was just right behind their ADC.
The map was also already alive with the movement of his other teammates.
On the minimap, WhiteLotus was already deep in the jungle, prepping for the spawn of the Duskwolf, one of the larger monsters on the map. Jamino moved towards the top lane alone. While YameteKudasai pinged mid aggressively, already positioning near the river as if he was confident enough to win his lane.
Seunghoon continued to follow Lolo09 from behind. Their bottom lane, Siv, was a marksman with a fiery gun that targets enemies in a long distance.
[Minions have spawned.]
From the base gates, waves of tiny soldiers emerged. Sword-wielding melee minions and ranged spellcasters marched in a straight line down each lane.
Bot lane would be his home for now.
"Guess it's you and me, Siv," Seunghoon muttered.
As Valea reached the first bush near the river's bottom entrance, he placed a Ward—a tiny orb of light floating above the grass. It blinked softly, giving vision for 90 seconds.
Across the river, he could see a movement in the bush. It seemed like the enemy's support also placed their ward down there.
[Enemy spotted.]
The enemy support and marksman emerged—Yeans and Rauein. Yeans was a heavy crowd-control support with icy chains, while Nexa was a sleek, crossbow-wielding marksman who moved with grace.
Lolo09 fired first, poking with basic attacks. Rauein returned fire, trading blows, but Seunghoon didn't panic.
He positioned Valea carefully, staying behind Lolo09 but within range to cast a spell when needed. When Siv's health dropped below half, Yeans surged forward, aiming to stun her.
But it was too late.
Seunghoon cast , a soft pulse of golden light radiated around Siv, healing him steadily. With the new added health, Siv remained courageous. He positioned himself well and continued to shoot the enemy's minions.
"Not bad," Seunghoon muttered.
Lolo09 pressed the advantage, forcing the enemy duo to retreat under their turret.
[First wave cleared.]
When his hero leveled up, he immediately activated his first skill,.
Gold trickled in as the minions died on their lane. Seunghoon knew this phase well: the dance of pokes, trades, and keeping your carry alive while keeping yourself from being first blood.
Then, a ping from the jungle sounded.
[WhiteLotus]: Moving to bot.
Perfect timing.
Seunghoon quickly moved Valea back slightly, hiding in the lower bush. He saved his skills. The enemy had overextended trying to trade back.
Yeans was low in HP. Rauein was at 60%.
WhiteLotus's shadowy figure blinked into view from the jungle,
Engage.
The clash happened in seconds.
Valea's Light Burst exploded with a flash of golden light, catching both Yeans and Rauein in its radius. A slow aura surrounded them, their movements visibly slowed down.
WhiteLotus emerged from the shadows like a ghost, it's blade gleaming with shadow energy as he struck first—his combo bursting Rauein down to a sliver of health before she could react.
She tried to retaliate with a rain of arrows, but Seunghoon was ready.
Guardian Shield.
Valea raised her hands, summoning a dome of divine energy around Lolo09 and WhiteLotus. The glowing barrier absorbed the arrows of Rauein's desperate skill, keeping both of them in fighting condition.
Yeans tried to heal Rauein, but it was of no use against their enemy.
Siv fired again and again.
A clean shot pierced Yeans's chest just as she tried to retreat into the bush.
[Lolo09 has slain an enemy.]
[First Blood!]
Rauein panicked and tried to disengage, flickering backward with his in-game spell, but WhiteLotus wasn't finished. He also flickered forward, closing the distance in an instant—and unleashed a final slash.
[WhiteLotus has slay an enemy.]
[Double Kill!]
[Enemy bot lane has been wiped out.]
"Fuck, I love this." Seunghoon leaned back slightly, his heart racing with adrenaline. His timing had been nearly perfect. A successful 2v3 gank, and not a single one of them died.
Their minions pushed forward, unhindered. Lolo09 pinged the turret, and all three began to chip away a health of it.
Seunghoon kept Valea in position, occasionally casting another on Siv whenever the turret shot back or the cannon minion exploded nearby. He knew better than to tank turret shots himself.
He glanced at the scoreboard in the corner of the screen.
0/0/2
Not bad for his first few minutes back. He hadn't landed a killing blow, but his impact was undeniable.
This was his job in this role—to enable, protect, and turn fights in their favor without ever needing the spotlight.
A ping echoed from mid lane.
[YameteKudasai]: Missing Mid!
Seunghoon's eyes flicked to the minimap. Sure enough, the enemy mid laner, Nexa, had vanished.
He quickly typed:
[Red]: Care bot, missing mid.
Siv responded by backing up immediately. WhiteLotus retreated back into the jungle to return to farming.
Seunghoon bought a new ward and placed it deeper in the river bush. Vision was their biggest advantage now.
Red pressed to recall. Valea began her graceful animation, floating upward as light wrapped around her like a veil, before she disappeared, reappearing back at base moments later.
He quickly bought an Enchanted Tome for cooldown reduction and mana regen and upgraded his boots for extra resilience.
Then he moved back out.
"I still got it, huh?" he muttered with a small smile.
The tempo of the match was good. They had an early pressure on the bot. If top could stabilize, mid could win his lane, and jungle could keep the pressure...
Then maybe this game would be a stomp.
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A/N: Haven't read that many esports novels, so I don't know if I'm doing good. Anyway, I hope it's at least decent! If you have any suggestions, then do tell. Thank you!