E-sports is the new trend of the present era. If you have even a little talent, don't hesitate to reach for the distant peaks.
May 15, in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.
"Hasegawa! Don't sleep in class like that."
"Shut up! How can you understand the hardships of a student who has to do homework and improve his ranking in Chronicles of Heroes at the same time? It would be great if there were no homework in the world."
"Stop complaining like that and focus on studying for my exams, do you know that the final exams are coming up?"
"You also play Chronicles of Heroes, why don't you understand? If you slack off even a little bit now, someone else will take your place on the rankings. How can I quit playing games just to spend a few days studying, you know my current ranking."
"Yeah yeah whatever! But when you fall asleep during the exam, don't blame me for not reminding you."
Chronicles of Heroes, the most famous game on PC today. It is a 5v5 team game where both individual and team skills are important. You can play with friends or randomly pair up with other players, all you need is a strong enough computer and a stable internet connection to enter fiery battles.
The rules are quite simple, destroy the enemy's main base and you will win. On the map, each team will have a main base and nine outer protective towers, divided equally across all three lanes. Only when you destroy all three towers on the same lane will you have the opportunity to approach the main base. And to optimize, each team will have two forest resource patches and waves of soldiers continuously produced on each lane to make destroying structures easier. When soldiers enter the enemy's tower or base, the destruction speed will be faster and vice versa.
In addition, the game also has two major goals: dragon and python. Defeating dragon will add physical damage and gold, while python will enhance all health, damage, soldiers and have the ability to burn enemies for three minutes, helping to increase the winning rate. Chronicles of Heroes has rankings from E to S. That is, the lowest rank for beginners is E, then gradually up to D, C, B, A and finally S. 50 players who reach S rank will be honored and appear on the server-wide rankings.
Chronicles of Heroes is not only a battle of skills, but also requires smooth coordination between positions.
First is the python lane (also known as the top lane). This is where you will have the opportunity to show off your personal skills through direct battles, fighters will be the priority choice in this lane.
Next is the jungle lane, where you will be given a lot of resources through monster camps. You will need to have a quick mind and decisiveness when you will be the one to decide which lane to support early to optimize the advantage for the team, the assassin will be the priority in this position.
Next is the mid lane, where the mages gather. Like the jungle, the mid lane will have to move continuously to optimize the amount of gold as well as the advantage for the team.
Finally, the dragon lane (or bottom lane). The marksman and the support will guard together in this lane to easily share the burden with each other. The marksman's mutability and the support's ability to initiate combat and protect teammates will be the key to winning for the team. Although the game has been released for three years, its appeal has not decreased but even increased over time when not only young people but also adults are passionate about it.
And like many people, I was immersed in it as a matter of course. I, Hasegawa Shino, 16 years old, Class A, second year Naga High School, have been following this game since the very beginning and have now achieved a certain position - Rank 5th on the entire Japanese server. My favorite position is none other than the python lane, the feeling of showing off my superior skills to crush my opponents in direct battles, it's so great.
And of course, I don't just want to stop at improving my achievements through ranked matches, but also in higher arenas such as domestic and international student tournaments. Although the tournament system has only been introduced since last year, it has quickly created an unprecedented fever in the history of global e-sports. And I can proudly say that we, high school students are the pioneering gems of our country's Chronicles of Heroes.
It's just that up until now, in my second year of high school, I still haven't been able to find suitable teammates to be able to step up to that pinnacle of glory. Why is it like looking for a needle in a haystack?
I swear that since my first year, I've tried my best to search a lot. From first year students, second year students to seniors, I didn't spare anyone. And yet… why can't there be anyone suitable, I clearly remember that the conditions I set weren't that high. At first, it was only in the S rank - that is, the top 50 people, then I even lowered the standards to just knowing how to play games, so why is it that Mr. God has treated me so unfairly.
Fortunately, I have found a like-minded person to form a team with me for the past year.
"Hasegawa, you still haven't given up on forming a team?"
"Of course not, just trust me. It's only mid-May, the summer tournament doesn't start until early July, finding members a month in advance to register is enough."
"Haizz... then there are only two weeks left. Maybe by the winter tournament we still haven't found anyone."
The person I was talking to was Nakamura Hiyori, my classmate. Although she kept reminding me not to spend too much time on Chronicles of Heroes, she was a true addict, spending all her pocket money on Chronicles of Heroes to buy costumes. It's true that people who talk about morality often don't make sense.
But unfortunately, only I know her true nature. Now, even if it was announced that Class A Nakamura was a game addict, no one would believe it. You know why? A person who always achieves excellent results in both studies and sports, has a personality that is always sociable and cheerful with others, has a pretty appearance, and is neat down to every strand of her shirt, if it were me before I knew her, I would never believe it. And in the Chronicles of Heroes, she is also an excellent player in the mid lane, currently ranked 22nd in the entire Japanese server.
By the way, the summer and winter tournaments we mentioned above are the two largest domestic Chronicles of Heroes tournaments for high school students nationwide. Every year, the four best teams from the eastern, western, southern, and northern regional qualifiers will gather in Tokyo to find the most worthy name to become the Japanese champion. Our school is in the southern region, where dozens of strong opponents from neighboring provinces gather.
Although the two biggest domestic tournaments are like that, the winter tournament is not really that important for long-term goals as it can only improve achievements and prizes. In contrast, the summer tournament is the focus of the year, because the two champions and runners-up of the tournament will be selected to represent Japan in the Asian tournament.
And if they achieve good results here, that team will have the opportunity to participate in the biggest Chronicles of Heroes tournament on the planet - the World Championship, which includes all the best teams from all over the world. This is not only the pinnacle of Chronicles of Heroes, but also the place where all the players and audiences around the world come together every time the tournament is held. And of course that is also my goal - Hasegawa Shino, but first I have to find enough members to form a team.
"Are you sure you have searched every corner of the school?"
"If I had the energy to do that, our team would have had enough members a long time ago…."
"That's true, but you keep talking big and complaining. I thought you were so passionate, but it turns out it's just a temporary pleasure?"
This old hag, where does she get the energy to mock me all day long?
"I have plenty of passion, but if I want to find members, I need a strategy. You see, every year at this time, a bunch of school clubs are busy recruiting members, so many students have the mentality of refusing all offers before they even hear them all. I guess they unintentionally refused my invitation because they felt too suffocated before I even finished telling them my intentions."
"Okay, let's assume that's the case, so do you have any plans? There's not much time left before the summer tournament."
"Tonight when I log into the Chronicles of Heroes, I plan to try to text each S rank person to try to find out if anyone is from the same school as me. Then convince them all at once. If anything happens, you can help me when you enter the game. If we continue to be introverted, we can only say goodbye to my dream of the summer tournament."
"And in the next few days at school, I will continue to ask the other classes, seniors, and juniors."
"Then let's settle it. If anything happens, I will also go scout for news with you tomorrow, but don't expect too much."
After returning home from the unpleasant conversation with Nakamura, I lay on my bed with my computer waiting to boot up to enter the Alliance.
"If three people suddenly appeared in front of me and asked to join my team, wouldn't that be much less difficult?"
Finding teammates was harder than I thought, so I'd just play the game to relieve the pressure and then find more.
Encouraging myself like that, I pressed the matchmaking button while still thinking absentmindedly about a distant future.