Chapter 284: Duplicate Miracle!

“That was a whiffed Q, and what a pity—the Skycrown coach was so close to dealing the final blow to Blood Eagle!” Zhang Aijing lamented.

As he slipped out of view, Zhao Tinghua feinted and caused Yu Luocheng’s skillshot to miss him. Still enjoying the benefits of the Blue Buff, ‘Safeguard’ was soon available to him again, and he hopped right back to the same ward he’d placed a moment ago, before continuing to flee back towards his side of the jungle.

Soon, Luocheng had lost track of him completely. He declined to pursue, allowing the miserable wretch to scurry away with his life.

Turning back, Luocheng fired another Sonic Wave into the Golems camp, and promptly resumed farming.

Earlier, when Tinghua used his ‘Resonating Strike’ on the Golems in order to escape, he was still bearing the shield from ‘Safeguard’, otherwise they might very well have just beaten those last fifty HP out of him. If he’d gone down that way, it would have been the death of his legend.

Finishing off these Golems would finally allow Luocheng to reach Level 4. He rained a flurry of blows upon the nearest one, while at the same time luring it after him to the junction which opened out to the Bottom lane. Besides protecting against a sudden ambush from Tinghua, it also spared him a few of the Golem’s attacks. This was the most painless way to clear the Golems camp.

This sort of thing was common practice in DOTA, but LOL had compensated for this technique so that it couldn’t be exploited too much. At most, Luocheng could only reduce their damage slightly by kiting them like this—he couldn’t outright mitigate their damage entirely.

By the time the last Golem had been reduced to rubble, Luocheng hadn’t lost that much health, thanks in part to the Lifesteal provided by his second-phase W-skill, which helped to recoup some of his lost health.

Now that he’d attained Level 4, Luocheng experienced a sudden bout of indecision.

Which of his skills should he upgrade?

Considering the current state of his health, if he raised ‘Safeguard / Iron Will’ to Skill Level 2, those skills would quite likely enable him to claim the Red Buff with the health he had left.

Blood Eagle had definitely gone back to base this time: he wouldn’t be running around with only a handful of HP left. This was the perfect moment to take the Red Buff!¹

Let’s do it!

“What… Is the Skycrown coach really going to try for the Red Buff? With that itty-bit of health he’s got, he might just get slaughtered by the Lizard Elder. According to the rules, being executed by creeps also constitutes a loss. If he just gets killed off by a monster…” Qi Qiao watched Luocheng’s Lee Sin anxiously.

He really didn’t have much health left, and he didn’t have Smite. Challenging the Lizard Elder in this condition, it was no different from committing suicide!

Upon the screen, Luocheng’s Lee Sin slammed a palm into the ground, starting the fight!

The Lizard Elder lashed out in fury, mighty claws tearing away no mean amount of Lee Sin’s health!

Thank goodness for that Cloth Armor, otherwise each attack from the Lizard Elder would be lopping off fifty to sixty health from him, and he’d be down in moments!

“Hoo!” Safeguard!

A damage shield worth eighty HP surrounded Lee Sin, and it would persist for up to five seconds. Sadly, that was barely equal to two of the monster’s attacks.

W again: Iron Will!

10% Lifesteal for the next five seconds.

Lee Sin’s health was very nearly at zero. It felt as though a couple more attacks from the Lizard Elder would put paid to him.

And yet, somehow, after one skill combo from Luocheng, his health rose back up by no small amount. He’d even mitigated perhaps two attacks’ worth of damage!

“What’s going on? Lee Sin suddenly got back a whole bunch of HP!” Qi Qiao wondered aloud.

“He used his Level-4 skill point to raise his W to the second tier, which grants 10% Lifesteal and Spell Vamp, so that he’s regaining health through his skills as well as his basic attacks. If he goes for maximum damage during the five seconds that effect is active, he can get back quite a bit of his health. Keeping your health topped off while Jungling as Lee Sin relies upon optimal usage of Iron Will,” Aijing explained.

Luocheng’s low-health Jungling method was another instructive demonstration for the members of the audience. Countless players who favored Lee Sin were realizing for the first time the different functions served by variations in the order of their skill combos.

The Lizard Elder’s health continued to dwindle away to nothing. One last kick from Luocheng, and it toppled over dead, transferring its flaming red aura over to Lee Sin!

Effortlessly swatting down the two Young Lizards, Luocheng now found himself at Level 5!

Level 5, and he had the Red Buff, to boot. The next time he caught Tinghua would also be the last!

A smirk lit up Luocheng’s face.

“Hah!” Suddenly, a Sonic Wave streaked in from beyond the wall!

Luocheng was in the middle of Recalling, and this sneak attack had caught him completely by surprise! His heart leapt into his throat!

Tinghua hadn’t Recalled, after all! He’d anticipated that Luocheng would make a move on the Red Buff!

The audience gave a start at the sight of that Sonic Wave. It seemed to have come out of nowhere!

Luocheng glanced at his health. Five HP left. That one Sonic Wave had nearly slain him with a single hit!

He heard a shout from the other side of the wall. Like an eagle diving straight down from the clouds, he dove towards Luocheng!

Luocheng had truly let his guard down. Unable to respond to the situation, all he could do was watch helplessly.

Tinghua was already grinning. This one kick would end it!

Wham! That was a hit.

Luocheng’s Lee Sin fell sprawling to the ground, and the Red Buff changed hands again.

He’d been slain!

Everyone had watched it happen: Zhao Tinghua had taken down Yu Luocheng!

The attack had come too abruptly. No one had expected it!

After Luocheng claimed the Red Buff, he should have been guaranteed to get the kill on Tinghua the next time they met, what with his advantage in levels, not to mention the Red Buff providing True Damage and Slow.

Who could have known that instead of Recalling to base, Tinghua would double back? He didn’t even have fifty HP just now… Where did he find the guts to come lay an ambush for Luocheng in that state!

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Most unbelievable of all: it had worked!

That one skillshot had found true onto Luocheng. While everyone was still considering how Luocheng had secured the upper hand by seizing the Red Buff for himself, Tinghua had shown up all of a sudden and struck him down!

This outcome had arrived too abruptly, completely unanticipated.

For a long moment, everyone stared up at the screen in a daze.

Tinghua’s Lee Sin stood triumphantly over the fallen body of Luocheng’s Lee Sin, thoroughly pleased with himself.

A smirk pulled at the corners of his lips. He stole a glance at where Luocheng was sitting.

Despite not saying a word, it was clear that he was declaring his victory!

Luocheng remained fixated on his own screen. He snapped the view back to the Item Shop at the Fountain, unsure of which items to get…

“What a shocking turn of events! A daring ambush by Zhao Tinghua has ultimately won him this solo—no, wait! His Lee Sin is still burning from Ignite!” Qi Qiao had just been about to announce the conclusion of the duel when she noticed this.

Ignite… When was that Summoner Spell placed upon Tinghua?

The smile froze on Tinghua’s face. He looked at his own champion, dumbfounded.

Little by little, the damage-over-time from Ignite was eating away at his health, and there was nothing he could do to stop it!

Inconceivable!

Tinghua stared at his screen in disbelief.

“Argh!” With a cry of agony, Tinghua’s Lee Sin flopped down to the ground three seconds later, and the scene of his victory was now cast in shades of gray.

“This… this is all too much to take in! Team Skycrown’s coach used Ignite on Blood Eagle’s Lee Sin in mid-flight! What an incredible response speed!”

Tinghua’s Sonic Wave out of nowhere had been impossible for anyone to react to. Following up immediately with the flying kick, he’d killed off Luocheng before anyone even understood what was happening.

But who would have thought that, during those last few milliseconds, Luocheng had managed to set Ignite upon Tinghua?

True, Luocheng’s champion had fallen—but Tinghua’s was quick to follow suit!

They’d traded kills again!

Apparently, the duel wasn’t over yet. It had been a heart-pounding battle so far, with one shock after another as both players demonstrated the very limits of Lee Sin’s potential… but it had ended in another draw!

It defied words to describe what a spectacular feast for the eyes this duel between both Junglers had been!

A cheer suddenly arose from the crowd. To the spectators, it would be a shame if an epic clash of this magnitude were to be ended so quickly!

***

Displeasure shone from Tinghua’s eyes. He looked over at Luocheng again, only to find him watching his screen indifferently, probably shopping for items.

“This guy…” Tinghua cursed him silently, in his heart.

To be able to throw out an Ignite even in that situation… He hadn’t been playing professionally, but his responses were still that sharp. It was downright aggravating!

Everyone else on Team Skycrown had sprouted a few white hairs for Luocheng, but as Tinghua fell to that Ignite, they were all smiles once more.

That’s the captain for you. One couldn’t help but admire his natural-born reflexes and adaptability.

It was a crying shame that he wasn’t playing professionally!

***

“How can that guy be such a bad-ass? It feels like even the Blood Eagle can’t keep up with him,” Huang Lin of Fudan University remarked.

Lin Siyong didn’t take his eyes off the screen. This solo duel had clearly demonstrated to him the truth of Luocheng’s abilities. Thinking back to those couple of times when they’d met face-to-face, he now understood why he’d experienced that sense of dread.

This guy named Yu Luocheng was a prodigy to challenge even the gods. He was up against the top Jungler in the nation, and he was soundly holding his own. So this was what he was capable of!

“Head coach…”

“Head coach, you came as well?”

The sudden sound of his teammates’ voices pulled Siyong out of his reverie.

Turning around, Siyong spotted a tall man in his mid-twenties heading this way. He was wearing an American-style cap and a heavy coat, giving one the mild impression of foreign cultures.

He had the features of an Easterner, but his style of dress made him stand out from the locals.

Siyong’s expression lit up instantly with delight. “Head coach!” he greeted the man reverently.

The man with the American sort of flair nodded in reply. Smiling, he asked, “You lost the match?”

“Yeah, we…” Huang Lin’s tone was heavy with shame.

Siyong lowered his head as well.

The guidance and instruction of the man who stood before them was the main reason why Fudan University had been able to accomplish all those breakthroughs. They’d thought that the assistance of this top instructor from America could get them into the LPL, but they’d been defeated in the end.

“I’m not blaming you guys,” the guy declared sedately. Looking past the barrier, he watched the solo duel playing out on the screen. “Team Skycrown comprises three world-class pro players. For you to have taken them two games out of five, I’m already overjoyed.”

“Three world-class pro players? Coach Li, were there really such amazing talents on Team Skycrown?” Siyong’s face was marked with consternation.

“Yup. They’ve been inadvertently left out of the faulty memory of the e-sports world, and no one’s been sparing them any attention. However, in the United States, Korea, and Europe, they still have a great many fans.”