Chapter 185

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on March 2, 2025

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

“Yes, Professor Hwang. Thank you for your help. Yes, I will visit you when I have time.”

It has been four years since the leader of the Raon Clan has been bedridden due to a heart attack.

Kim Seok-il, acting leader of the clan in place of his father, finished his phone call with Professor Hwang Bo-hyun from the Seviron Foundation and slowly stroked his chin.

“Second year? Elementary department…?”

Acting leader Kim Seok-il laughed out loud at Professor Hwang’s words.

A deep sigh followed, feeling a sense of disillusionment from having searched through several academies to recruit a person known as NoName.

Outstanding magicians were practically walking corporations by their mere existence.

An article noted that a young theoretical magician affiliated with “Raon” had paid 20 billion won in income tax alone last year.

However, like any other clan, Raon was merely a collection of individuals gathered together and was treated as a joint business entity with multiple people operating in a single establishment in terms of tax law.

Thus, despite his displeasure at the idea of publicly disclosing income, there was no area he could touch on. It was a matter of personal freedom.

In other words, each talent was incredibly valuable from the perspective of the clan.

Having not only mastery of 5-circle magic but also extensive knowledge in pure academia and having developed unique magic, it was only natural to feel attracted regardless of age.

Unlike more conservative clans, Kim Seok-il decided to seek out NoName, having firmly trusted his own judgment.

The academy staff were unable to speak due to that “oath,” so he resorted to his usual tricks.

He searched for individuals who were affiliated with the foundation yet were somewhat ambiguously positioned not to be fully bound by it.

Targeting Professor Hwang Bo-hyun, an associate professor at Princeton’s Department of Magic and a member of the admissions committee at the Seviron Foundation for the past three years, was his choice.

And what he heard was a series of shocking revelations.

“If NoName is in second grade at Seviron Academy… wouldn’t he be in the same class as my nephew…?!”

His younger brother’s son, the snot-nosed Kim Han-gyeol, must currently be in second grade of the elementary department.

It was confirmed since he had personally gifted a simple crafting pen as a congratulatory gift for his academy admission last spring.

Kim Seok-il counted the numbers in his head, starting from one. But the counting came to a halt abruptly at eight.

“What was I doing when I was eight? I think I was just eating dirt.”

What he had only thought inwardly slipped out of his mouth.

However, he was not the only one in the study.

Channel 172, Twish TV.

[The second set is also for the team called ‘This Time,’ which brings victory! The set score is now 2 to 0! Call Me This Time is now on the brink! I can’t predict even a step ahead, is this a final match? Call Me This Time needs to regain that overwhelming strength shown in the tournament now! They can’t let the third set slip away this easily! If they lose one more time, it’s over!]

League of Legends, which had once captivated Kim Seok-il to the extent of skipping his school classes as a child, had now transformed into Legacy of Legends and continued to thrive even in virtual reality.

The energy and audience attending the amateur tournament felt far beyond what one could imagine.

And the very person causing him trouble was there, playing the game leisurely.

Logically, it made sense to dismiss Professor Hwang as being senile and babbling nonsense.

However, upon hearing the name of NoName’s stepfather, Kim Seok-il could not hide his uneasy feelings.

Cheon Kyujin. The name prior to his change was Cheon Byeong-ho.

In the early 20s, the Yamim Noraim war, or the Fifth Middle Eastern War, broke out. Korea was among the participating nations.

Although younger folks might not know, there were several figures who were hailed as war heroes thirty years ago.

Prominently among them were the phenomenal genius Ham Cho-rong of the 21st century, Park Tae-seok, Kim Woong, Gu On-yu, and Cheon Byeong-ho.

Except for Ham Cho-rong, the rest were forgotten names, yet Kim Seok-il, having lived in the same generation, knew how remarkable they were.

It was unclear why the ghosts of the past had resurfaced.

He put down the tea he was drinking and decided to refocus on the bickering among the young folks.

[The pick and ban for the third set has begun! This time the red team didn’t ban Arsteria again. Seems to be a blatant setup for picking it!]

[For now, it looks like they will go for Rell as the first pick… Ahhhh! Arsteria! Arsteria has come out again!]

[Uhh… Is this right? We are casting just to make sure we are not wrong. Then, ‘This Time’ team picks Joy Rell again to secure mid-jungle synergy.]

[The atmosphere is similar to the last match. Many viewers are expressing their concern. But isn’t this tournament a place for proof? They need to show a good performance in this third set!]

[For those unaware of NoName’s Arsteria’s peak, everyone will now be familiar after this match. If they can unleash it in this third set, the future picks and bans will become smooth.]

[Let’s meet right now for the third match of the Decline War, presented by Letterbox and Twish!]

“Nameya…”

“I just need to do better. Sia, just do as you usually do.”

“Okay! Let’s do our best until the end!”

They had persistently not let Arsteria out during the tournament, but suddenly they didn’t ban it in the finals and handed it to me.

And the strategy of the opponents, bringing out Joy Rell and Nautilus as the supporter to specifically mark me, hit our team’s weakness right on point.

“Coming this far with a perfect record, it would be frustrating to lose 3 to 0 in the finals.”

The opposing bottom duo came at us with childish provocations as a part of their showmanship.

Truly, a team with only one winning pattern has its limits.

Given our disadvantage, Sia grit her teeth quietly, but I found no reason to back down.

“Didn’t you think it would be more frustrating if we lose, having thought we won?”

“Hoho! NoName, you’re so cute! Even if we lose this round, don’t hold it against us, and let’s team up next time. Or I have LCK tickets; do you want to go together next week?”

“Why are you aiming for Name? Stop talking to the kid and go away, hurry!”

Sia, who had chosen a stubby champion, grabbed my leg and moved me away from the enemy.

In just 30 seconds, our voices would close, and the real laning phase would begin.

I took a deep breath and asked myself.

Am I anxious?

Everyone would feel anxious if they were in the same situation.

Then what I need to care about is not my emotions. What matters is how immersed I can be in the game.

Now, make sure that there is no more room to step back, engraved in every one of my cells.

“If you’re looking for a date, find someone older than me.”

With those words, our voices closed, and the massive roar of the battlefield shook the ground.

Keep thinking continually and affirming.

I am not NoName but Arsteria.

From now on, every action is solely limited to the means of destroying the enemy castle.

Six soldiers faced each other fiercely in the middle of the plains.

My eyes darted non-stop, absorbing all information into my mind.

The distances between soldiers, the targets each soldier was aiming at, the enemy champions’ distances, the direction the champions were facing, mana, health, movement speed, range, and even their gazes.

“Hu…”

As my breath escaped, Sia called out to me for a fight.

Until now, I had been overly obsessed with the thought of not dying.

Now, I would change my thoughts.

Just as we are not perfect, the enemy likely isn’t either, and with that thought, I aggressively fought starting from level one.

I caught the confused look on the enemy’s face.

In this sort of chicken game, the one who stops attacking first is put in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position.

Knowing this, both sides watched each other’s health steadily dwindle.

“Position is deep!”

I recalled Sia’s advice. In the last match, I would have retreated by now, but I continued pushing the lane forward.

Now was the time to take a chance.

I pushed aggressively, making it look like we were prepared to counter-gank when the jungler came.

I avoided the current laser beams and filled Selcore’s passive.

30%.

Not enough. I isolated myself in a dangerous position to lure the enemy out of the fortress.

To win this game, what I needed was not guaranteed small gains but uncertain yet huge returns.

Our teammates won’t wait for minor benefits to build up. I just needed to adapt to their style.

“What’s with this pressure…?!”

The enemy stumbled back and made a mistake, entering between the fortress and the stone wall. I couldn’t let that chance go.

“Sia, now!”

With their movements restricted, I pierced through the fortress’s attacks to take the enemy’s head.

I pointed the barrel of the ‘Stellar Destroyer’ at them.

The possession rate approached 90%, inching closer to 100.

Calm and collected.

I dealt three basic attacks—two to the support, one to the marksman—and laid down my escape direction right before reaching 100%.

Even a minor error could allow the enemy to escape. It was a gamble close to an adventure.

However, Arsteria was originally a girl blinded by vengeance after losing her whole family.

It was obvious I would play without any backup.

[Ra Arsteria Shuhata Filum]

A massive stream of starlight cascaded from the sky.

A fierce wind brushed against my cheek, and dust swirled around.

Even in limited visibility, I clearly locked onto my prey.

Leaping into the air, I gathered the scattered star shards and swung towards the enemy’s heart.

“Always don’t look at the present, think of the future.”

Me in five seconds,

Me in ten seconds,

Me in one minute.

Constantly contemplating the position my future self would be in, I took the impact when I defeated the enemy, absorbing the shockwave with my whole body.

Meanwhile, the enemy supporter survived barely with low health.

Shall I attack once more? Calculations were quick and sharp.

[Double Kill!]

Fortress’s 5-stack laser.

At the same time, my healing spell returned.

It reduced my health precisely to 550 and allowed me to survive.

[HP: 2/1025]

“The top is currently considering the location of the jungle. The mid can reach the side bush in six seconds.”

No sooner had I issued the order than the opposing jungler burst forth from the bottom.

They had apparently tried to see the bottom after eating the camps and were now looking to make up for their losses.

They came into my range, but the enemy didn’t use their smite. It was clear they were out of spells.

“We can catch them. Keep going.”

“This health? Ahhhh, I don’t know!”

With Sia at 320 health and mine at 19, and the enemy’s at 445. That means…

“That’s enough.”

If all skills hit, I could secure them with exactly one cycle and two basic attacks.

I would endure as long as I could with the thorns and the E shield.

My health fluctuated between 3 and 50, precariously maintaining a fragile state.

I felt the intent to kill from the enemy champion who had merely been absorbing damage.

After all, if I just land one last hit…

Suddenly—

Coincidentally, the enemy jumped to me with a flash just as Sia used her skill. My last hit missed.

“Huff!”

After all, when using my Q skill to land, it would either be left or right.

I locked my gaze on them and tried to read their next move.

Dividing time and again, I predicted where the next attack would land.

And in that fraction of a moment, I stopped moving and positioned myself in place.

Sharp thorns erupted from the ground and grazed past me.

“I told you it was obvious.”

I fired a mana bullet into the enemy’s open-mouthed bewildered face.

[Triple Kill!]

* * *

-Asteria is really going crazy well, hahaha.

-I got chills when they ganked back.

-Do they still let her go? Do they? Do they?!

-Yeah, Asteria is irresistible~ Try pulling out Kalista, Draven, anything!

-There was a reason they had to ban her; once she gets going, you can’t stop her, haha.

-They should have burst her in the top lane like sets 1 and 2.

-NoName pushed the lane too hard, making it impossible not to gank.

-This teamfight vision is unbelievably good.

The reason ‘This Time’ had no choice but to let Asteria out to NoName was evident.

“I shouldn’t have let them fight at level one; that was a mistake.”

“If we avoid that, it’ll be enough.”

If they catch any ranged dealer aside from Asteria, they can’t win the lane.

Moreover, since NoName is a master of Asteria, once she’s let loose, he will seize her in an instant, making it easier to respond in the picks and bans.

Thus began the fourth set with only the blues and reds swapped.

“Why is Asteria so strong! This is a ridiculously powerful champion, why hasn’t she been nerfed more?”

“No… I don’t know… I feel like I’ve never seen a tank die after receiving four hits in my ten-plus years of playing League?”

[Asteria: 21/0/4]

In the end, Asteria was the problem once more.

The final fifth set.

“Wait, Miroking player! He has rejected Mirocell and selected Tristana! It seems to have come out as a counter to Azir!”

“Hold on! Joy? Oh, Joy? Then it’s top Azir and mid Joy! Wow, ‘This Time’ team is impressive! Since they have players with pro experience, they’re not falling behind in picks and bans! This is getting complicated.”

“Another Rell appears, making it much harder if Asteria comes out. It will be far more frustrating than sets 3 and 4.”

“The marksman going down to pages 4 and 5 doesn’t leave much for anyone. Asteria is still open. So ‘This Time’ team is… ah… Akshan? No, a marksman Akshan! Wow!”

“This is declaring, ‘You can’t win the lane!’ They take control over all three lanes with jungle Rell! Can any of the remaining marksmen win against Akshan?”

“If Asteria comes out, they’re basically declaring they will kill her at any cost! Then, what will the last pick for the red team of the Call Me This Time team be?”

-If it’s Asteria, they definitely lose.

-It’s impossible to say there’s no lane dominance.

-Tristana can’t win against Akshan either.

-Yeah, marksman Tristana is total garbage.

-Will they just ignore and go with Asteria’s Heart?

-Then it’ll burst just like in set 1, after 25 minutes! Haha.

-It’s not a great combination for Iz.

-If they picked Azir, they should have grabbed Rell too.

-Who predicted that they would pull out Joy again? Hahaha.

-If they win a single team fight, their late-game composition will rot, but there’s nothing to last through the early game.

It was a huge mistake to take the marksman as the fifth pick; there is no flexibility.

[11…]

[10…]

The countdown below 10 seconds began.

The final pick for NoName, which would put an end to the long journey of the Decline War, was upon us.

Some suggested bringing out Asteria and finishing the 5-win series, while others expressed reluctance, saying they should resort to marksman Tristana.

[2…]

[1…]

With only one second left, the champion selected by NoName was something no audience member had predicted.

[Irelia]

“Huh? Irelia? Wait, does this mean mid Irelia and marksman Tristana?”

“Yes, that seems to be the case, with Azir in the top. But I wonder if Miroking player will be okay, considering he hasn’t played Irelia even a single time in scrims.”

-Miroking can’t play Irelia at all, this is bad!

-This guy who’s been all about tanks suddenly picks a blade champion, haha.

-What about Tristana?

-Actually, he learned Tristana from losing to NoName in scrims.

-Haha!

-Seriously messed up, damn it…

-Without a coach, the draft can go downhill in an instant.

-No, it’s not that; the Call Me This Time team has too narrow a champion pool.

-They keep going into drafts and losing, ugh…

-Why didn’t they swap?

-??

-????