“Yes, Professor Hwang. Thank you for your effort. Yes, yes, I will pay you a visit whenever I get the chance. Yes.”
It had already been four years since the head of the Raon Clan had been confined to a hospital bed due to a heart attack.
Kim Seok-il, who had taken over the temporary duties of the clan leader in place of his father, finished a phone call with Professor Hwang Bo-heum of the Sephiron Foundation and slowly stroked his chin.
‘Second grade? In the elementary division…?’
Acting Clan Leader Kim Seok-il burst into laughter, perplexed by Professor Hwang’s words.
A deep sigh followed as he felt deflated, realizing how futile his efforts had been in recruiting someone known as NoName after rummaging through various academies.
Outstanding wizards were like walking corporations in their own right.
There was a famous article about a young theoretical mage affiliated with “Raon” who paid over 20 billion won in income tax last year alone.
However, like any other clan, Raon was simply a collective of individuals rather than a corporation, and as far as tax laws were concerned, they were treated as joint business operators working at a single-place business.
Thus, even if he felt it was inappropriate for a clan leader to publicly disclose income, it was an area he couldn’t touch—it was a matter of personal freedom after all.
In other words, every talent was incredibly valuable to the clan.
Someone with extensive knowledge in the pure sciences and 5-circle magic, not to mention having developed Unique Magic, was naturally appealing regardless of age.
Unlike the more conservative clans, Kim Seok-il trusted his own judgment, making him decide to search for NoName.
As the academy officials were unable to speak due to that damn “oath,” he resorted to his usual tricks.
He sought out those who held ambiguous positions, being both affiliated with the foundation and not at the same time.
His target was Professor Hwang Bo-heum, who was a professor in the magic department at Princeton University and had served as an admissions officer at the Sephiron Foundation for the past three years.
And what he revealed was a series of shocking statements.
“If he’s in 2nd grade at Sephiron Academy… isn’t he in the same class as my nephew…!?”
His younger brother’s son, the snotty Kim Han-gyeol, would be in the 2nd grade of the elementary division now.
It was confirmed since last spring he personally gifted him a Light Transmutation Circle Inscriber as a congratulatory present for entering the academy.
Kim Seok-il counted the numbers in his head, but the count was interrupted at 8 and never resumed.
“What was I doing at 8 years old? I think I was eating dirt or something.”
He blurted out what he had only thought in his heart.
But Kim Seok-il’s voice was not the only one in the study.
Channel 172, Twish TV.
[The second set has been taken in the meantime! The set score is now 2 to 0! Call Me The Supporting Team is cornered to the brink! You can’t predict a thing, is this the finals? And Call Me The Supporting Team must regain the overwhelming power they showed in the tournament! They can’t just lose this set so easily! If they lose once more, it’s all over!]
Kim Seok-il remembered passionately playing League of Legends, an experience so captivating it made him skip school back then. Now it continued its legacy under the name “Legacy of Legends,” thriving even in virtual reality.
The audience was immense, and the heat was palpable, making it feel like a professional competition, not some amateur event.
And the person causing him trouble was calmly gaming over there.
Logically, it would be better to dismiss Professor Hwang as senile and talking nonsense.
But hearing the name of NoName’s adoptive father made Kim Seok-il’s uneasy feelings resurface.
Cheon Kyu-jin. His name before changing was Cheon Byeong-ho.
He was a renowned figure, a war hero from the Yamim Noraim War that broke out in the early 2020s, also known as the Fifth Middle East War. Korea was one of the participating countries.
Young folks today might not know, but 30 years ago, many were adorned with the title “war hero.”
Notable among them included the unparalleled genius Ham Cho-rong of the 21st century, alongside Park Tae-seok, Kim Woong, Gu On-yu, and Cheon Byeong-ho.
Although all but Ham Cho-rong had fallen into obscurity, Kim Seok-il, having lived in the same era, knew very well how remarkable these individuals were.
He had no idea why the specters of the past had resurfaced.
He placed his tea on the table and decided to refocus on the bickering among the young friends.
[The pick and ban for the third set has begun! This time, the red team has not banned Asteria once again. It seems like they are blatantly trying to bait the pick, right?]
[For now, it seems they will safely pick Rell as the first… AAAAAAH! Asteria! Asteria is back again!]
[Uhh… Is this right? Are we not mistaken right now? The team that just called it will once again have Zoe and Rell for mid-jungle synergy.]
[The flow of the match is eerily similar to the last game. Many viewers are sending their concerns. But isn’t this the stage to prove oneself? We hope to see a good performance in this third set!]
[No one is unaware of NoName’s peak with Asteria at this point. If he can explode in this third set, the upcoming picks and bans are expected to go smoothly.]
[The third game of the Deconstruction War brought to you by Letterbox and Twish begins right now!]
*
“Na-me…”
“I just need to do better. Shia, just do your usual thing.”
“Okay! Let’s do our best until the end!”
They hadn’t let Asteria out the entire tournament, but suddenly in the finals, they decided to let it through in a ban-free surprise.
And then with Zoe, Rell, and Nautilus as support came their strategy to focus on marking me.
“I’d be so frustrated if we go unbeaten all the way just to lose in the finals.”
The opposing bottom duo made childish provocations as part of their showmanship.
Obviously, a team that has only one winning pattern has its limitations.
In our disadvantaged position, Shia silently gritted her teeth, but I found no reason to retreat.
“Didn’t you think it would be more frustrating if we ended up with a win-win-loss-loss-loss?”
“Hoh-ho! NoName, you’re so cute! Even if we lose this game, please don’t hold a grudge and let’s team up next time. Or we have LCK tickets; do you wanna go watch together next week?”
“Stop bugging Na-me! Let go of her already and hurry up, shoo shoo!”
Shia, who had chosen a stout champion, held onto my legs, pulling me away from the enemy.
In 30 seconds, our voice communications would close, and the lane phase would officially begin.
Taking a deep breath, I questioned myself.
Am I nervous?
Anyone would feel nervous in this situation.
Then, what I needed to focus on wasn’t emotions but how much I could immerse myself in the game.
Etch in every cell that there is no room for retreat any longer.
“If you’re looking for a date, look for someone older than me.”
With those words, the comms closed, and the vast roar of the battlefield shook the ground.
Keep thinking and keep suggesting to myself.
I am not NoName; I am Asteria.
From now on, every action will be limited solely to the means of destroying the enemy’s fortress.
Six soldiers met in the middle of the plains, beginning a heated standoff.
My eyes darted relentlessly, gathering all available information in my brain.
The distance between soldiers, targets they were aiming at, the distance between champion enemies, their directions, mana, health, movement speed, attack range, and even their gazes.
“Whooo…”
As my breath barely escaped my lips, I called to Shia and initiated the fight.
Up till now, I had compulsively focused too much on avoiding death, especially regarding the enemy jungler.
Now, thoughts were shifting.
Just as we aren’t perfect, the enemy won’t be either—this notion struck me and I decided to fight violently starting from level one.
I could see the surprise in their eyes.
In this type of chicken game, the side that stops attacking first is at a severe disadvantage.
They knew that too, resulting in both sides gradually chipping each other’s health away.
“Deep in position!”
I recalled Shia’s advice. In the last match, I would’ve retreated here, but I kept pushing the lane forward.
Now was the time to make the bet.
When the jungler comes, we’ll create an illusion that we’re preparing for a counter-gank.
Avoiding the recent laser beams, filling Selcore’s passive.
30%.
Not enough. I isolated myself in a dangerous position to lure the enemy out of the fortress.
To win the game, what I need isn’t a sure and small gain but a massive uncertain gain.
If I roll over for a small gain, my teammates won’t wait. I just needed to adjust to their style.
“Damn, is the pressure this intense…?!”
The opponent stumbled back and made the mistake of retreating into the fortress and stone wall. This was an opportunity.
“Shia, now!”
With their movement restricted, I dove into the fortress to take their head.
I aimed the barrel of the ‘Star Destroyer’ at the enemy.
Possession rate was nearing 90%, almost reaching 100%.
Stay calm and collected.
I landed 3 basic attacks, first on the support with 2 hits, then 1 on the ADC, placing my escape route just before the possession hit 100%.
Even the smallest blunder could let the enemy escape. It was a risky gamble.
But Asteria was originally a girl who had lost her entire family and was blinded by a thirst for revenge.
Playing recklessly was, of course, expected.
[La Asteria Shuhatta Fileum]
A deluge of starlight fell from the sky.
Strong winds grazed my cheeks, and dust whirled around.
Even in the limited visibility, I locked onto my prey with certainty.
I rushed to collect the scattered star shards and swung towards the enemy’s heart.
Always think about the future, not just the present.
Me five seconds from now,
Me ten seconds from now,
Me one minute from now.
I pondered constantly about where I would need to be in the future and took the shockwave from defeating the enemy.
In the midst of that, the enemy support barely managed to survive.
Ready for another attack? My calculations were swift and concise.
[Double Kill!]
The fortress unleashed its five-stack laser.
My healing spell came back just in time, reducing my health precisely by 550, allowing me to survive.
[HP: 2/1025]
“Top, keep track of the jungler’s location. Mid can reach side bushes in 6 seconds.”
As soon as I issued the order, the enemy jungler popped out from down bottom.
It seemed they had come to clean up a dive that ended up backfiring.
I could reach them as they entered my attack range, and I was certain they hadn’t used Smite.
“We can catch him. Keep going.”
“Especially with this health? Ahhh, I don’t know!”
Shia’s health was at 320, mine was at 19, and the enemy’s at 445. This meant…
“It’s enough.”
If I landed every skill right, we would take them down after one complete cycle and just two basic attacks.
I’ll endure as much as possible with the thorn e-shield.
Maintaining my health precariously between 3 and 50.
I felt the murderous intent from the enemy champion, who had been quietly taking hits.
After all, all I need to do is land one last blow.
With a whoosh-
At the exact moment Shia used her skill, the enemy leaped in at me with a flash. I didn’t land that last hit.
“Ugh!”
Whether I was hitting left or right, it would be a hit to the ground with the Q skill.
Look carefully to read the opponent.
Slice time into pieces, predicting where the next attack would land.
And in that brief instant, I halted my movement and left the champion still.
The sharp thorns shot up from the ground, narrowly missing me.
“I told you it was obvious.”
I fired a magic shot into the gaped mouth of my stunned opponent.
[Triple Kill!]
*
-Asteria is seriously insane lololololol
-I was chilled to the bone when the enemy jungler turned back on them
-Can they let her out? Can they let her out? Can they let her out?
-Yeah Asteria is uncontainable~ Try bringing out Kali, Devyn, anything~
-There’s really a reason they kept banning her; once she gets a chance, it’s impossible to stop her lololol
-They should’ve taken her out in the top lane during the first and second sets
-NoName kept pushing the lane, so they couldn’t even gank them
-Sight for the team fights is extremely good
That was the reason why the “Call Me” team had no choice but to let Asteria through to NoName.
“I shouldn’t have engaged at level one; that was a mistake.”
“If we can avoid that, we’re good.”
If they caught any other ranged dealer besides Asteria, winning the lane phase would be impossible.
Moreover, NoName was an Asteria specialist, so once he got her, it became a lot easier for him to plan around the picks and bans.
Thus began the fourth set, which started with only blue and red switched.
“Why is Asteria so strong?! This must be a broken champion; why haven’t they nerfed her more?”
“No… no… I’ve been playing LOL for over 10 years, and I’ve never seen a tank die after taking four hits.”
[Asteria: 21/0/4]
In the end, Asteria was the issue yet again.
The final fifth set approached.
“Miroking has opted for Tristana instead of Mirocel! It seems like a counter against Azir!”
“Wait a second! Zoe? Oh, Zoe? This means top Azir and mid Zoe! That’s impressive for the Call Me team! The pro-level experienced players are certainly holding their ground in draft picks! This will complicate things.”
“Rell has popped up again, making it difficult if we go with Asteria! It’ll be far more tricky than sets three and four.”
“The ADC has little choices left as it descends to pages four and five. Asteria is still available! So the Call Me team… oh… Akshan? An ADC Akshan! Wow!”
“This is totally declaring ‘You can’t win your lane.’ Three lanes dominate, with jungler Rell on top! Is there any remaining ADC that can defeat Akshan?”
“Now that Asteria is in play, it’s a declaration of war on the Call Me team! Now, what will the red team of The Opposing Team’s last pick be?”
-If it’s Asteria, then they have no chance at all
-Not having control of all three lanes is just not possible;;
-Tristana will fail to beat Akshan anyway
-Yeah, ADC Tristana is utter garbage
-Could they just ignore this and go with the Beast’s Heart for Asteria?
-If that happens, it will blow up just like the first game at the 25-minute mark lolol
-Playing Ezreal doesn’t seem like a good combo at all
-Why didn’t they pick Rell after eating Azir instead of waiting around?
-Who would have predicted that they’d bring out Zoe again? lolol
-If they can just win one team fight, this comp can decay in the late game, but there’s nothing to keep us in early game
-That last pick for ADC was a mistake; they’re lacking freedom
[11…]
[10…]
The countdown continued, inching down toward 0.
This was to be the final pick of noName in the long and extensive journey of the Deconstruction War.
Some said that since they were at it anyway, it would be better to pull out Asteria to complete a series of five victories.
While others suggested they reluctantly go for ADC Tristana.
[2…]
[1…]
With just one second left, the champion picked by NoName was something that no one among the tens of thousands in the audience could predict.
[Irelia]
“Wait? Irelia? Hold on a sec, is that mid Irelia and ADC Tristana?”
“Yes, it seems so. There’s Azir on top. But I’m not sure if Miroking will do well since he hasn’t played Irelia even once in scrims.”
-Miroking is really bad at Irelia; this is a disaster!
-Only ever playing tank champions now going for a blade champ lolol
-What about Tristana?
-Actually, Tristana also learned from NoName while getting scolded in scrims
-Lololol
-This is a complete mess; it’s all gone to hell…
-Without a coach, the drafting becomes a mess just like that
-NoNo, it’s also because The Opposing Team is too narrow-minded in champions
-They keep losing drafts to start off withㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Why didn’t they swap, though?
-??
-????
“Oh wait? It seems like there hasn’t been a swap made… is this a spectator bug or…?”
“Oh my God? Oh my God? Wait, could it be? ADC Irelia?”
“Wait, mid Tristana and ADC Irelia! It seems like the game is proceeding like this!”
“Wow… wow… wow!!! This is sick, noName!!”
“In the Fallen War Finals, in the last fifth set, ADC Irelia against ADC Akshan!”
-LOL LOL LOL LOL
-That bottom lane kyaaa LOL
-Why are the champions that should be in mid coming down? LOL
-Is this right?
-This looks seriously fun!
