With Top Esports' announcement posted on Weibo, countless TES fans erupted with excitement.
At last, the losing streak finally seemed stoppable.
Even though the next round of matches hadn't started yet, everyone felt that the right five players had finally been found.
Top lane Duke, jungle Tian, mid lane Left Hand, bot lane JackeyLove, support Mark.
"At least we won't have to watch another TES public humiliation, right?"
"Probably not. The dead weight has already been carried off."
"No wonder that 'low-IQ' guy's mentality exploded last night—he even deleted the game on stream."
"Now it all lines up. Once a stronger support was found, with no chance to play, all that was left was to act out."
"Whatever. He's basically a clown anyway. Anything he does feels normal."
"Now we can finally look forward to TES's upcoming matches."
"Does anyone seriously think TES losing was all the support's fault? I'll say it outright—if these players don't change their habits, they'll keep losing."
"Where did this paid shill come from? Wasn't it the support's fault?"
"Please. Real shills are the ones who can't even see how their idol keeps eating Qs in matches."
"I think the biggest issue is mid lane. Zero creativity, nothing but farming. If farming alone could win, last year's Doinb would've been world champion."
"That's because the other lanes collapsed too hard. Left Hand had no room to operate—he could only farm."
"Then why didn't you defend Dark Angel like this? Every day you call him a turret statue. Isn't it because top and bot were losing so hard there was no way to play?"
"If we're talking about TES, then stick to TES. Don't drag Weibo drama in here. Isn't TheShy still dominating top lane? To this day, his Irelia hasn't lost a single game."
"Then you look at the standings—two wins, three losses. They're only eighth in the league. You talk like they're already first."
Even though this was TES's official Weibo, fans from other teams still flooded the comments.
After all, this was a professional league. And with JackeyLove and TheShy both formerly part of IG's trio, their fanbases naturally compared them.
TES didn't plan to moderate these comments.
The louder the arguments, the higher the traffic—and that was a welcome sight.
After spending so much money, even if matches hadn't started yet, at least there had to be some noise.
…
Back at the Top Esports club, Mark, guided by the coach, greeted everyone. This marked his official introduction.
They'd interacted before during matches, and unless something unexpected happened, Mark would be the starting support. Under those circumstances, being friendly was only natural.
And bringing in a stronger player was good news for everyone.
League of Legends had always been a team game—not individual heroics.
One strong player could reach playoffs, maybe even Worlds, but couldn't win the World Championship alone.
A championship-level team might have weaknesses, but those weaknesses wouldn't become fatal flaws—sometimes they even served as bait to lure opponents into mistakes.
"Alright, everyone's acquainted now. I won't say much more," Luo Sheng said with a smile. "Wenbo, you and Ling Xu should get familiar as soon as possible and get some practice in. Before next week's regular season match, we'll scrim several teams. Use these days to build synergy."
JackeyLove nodded, glancing at Lin Fan beside him.
The coach's words made it clear—Mark was here as the starting support, without even a rotation.
"Good." Luo Sheng felt increasingly satisfied.
This was Top Esports' championship puzzle, finally complete.
White Moon had become a thing of the past. His new ID was Crescent.
As for Lin Fan…
Luo Sheng's smile gradually faded. The manager had said to keep him for now and see if any teams wanted him—selling him could recover some funds.
Looked at that way, Dine was money.
And nobody disliked money.
It was precisely because of him that they could bring in Mark.
At the very least, Lin Fan needed to resume regular training. His form couldn't drop too far, or he'd be hard to sell.
Every team needed supports, but they weren't idiots—they wouldn't waste money on a completely useless one.
"Lin Fan, you need to work harder too. Keep up with the team's rhythm. You'll have chances to play in scrims later, and you should build good synergy with JackeyLove."
Lin Fan hadn't expected the coach to call him out.
It was a bit surprising, but the coach's face still had to be respected.
With the system in hand, he had no intention of retiring anyway—maintaining good relations with teammates mattered.
"I understand. I'll work hard."
"Good. Everyone keep training." Luo Sheng nodded in satisfaction and left the training room.
Aside from JackeyLove, everyone else returned to their stations.
This was the ADC's support, not theirs. Duo queue was naturally between bot lane partners.
"I ran into you in solo queue a few days ago. You're really strong."
"Which game? You were on the other side?" JackeyLove asked, confused.
"You were on Kai'Sa with a Bard support. I was playing Karma. We got completely outplayed in the level-one fight."
"Oh, that one. That game was mostly luck. I had my jungler helping. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten rolling."
"That's still being modest. Anyone else with that lead wouldn't have been able to open the game like that."
JackeyLove nodded.
Plenty of players built advantages with jungle help, only to throw them away.
In teamfights, they'd often get lost entirely.
Only players with real skill were worth investing in—like TheShy, like Rookie.
If the jungler knew his solo laners were those two, he'd camp mid or top without hesitation. Get the carry ahead, and victory was assured.
"So should we queue now, or wait a bit?" Mark asked.
JackeyLove glanced at Lin Fan.
"You playing?"
Lin Fan shook his head. He was still slacking—no way he was touching League of Legends.
"Alright. I'll duo with Mark today to get familiar and prep for scrims."
"Sure. You guys go ahead. I'll watch for a bit."
Mark scanned the room and chose a side seat, a little embarrassed to directly take Lin Fan's spot.
He logged into his Korean server account and added JackeyLove.
Meanwhile, Lin Fan was already scouting good opening starts in Rise of Kingdoms.
You train to get stronger.
I slack to get stronger!
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup