Let Me Sleep a Little Longer [Esports] - Chapter 01
Chapter 1, 001
September 29, 2016.
San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, USA.
[Hello everyone, this is the first match of the 2016 League of Legends S6 group stage.
It’s China’s GI team against Korea’s second seed CQW team.
I’m the commentator for today, Xiao Hai.]
[I’m Dai Mao.]
Cheers erupted from the audience.
People of different races and skin colors gathered together, with excited fans at every seat waving at the camera.
The barrage on the live platform was lively, showcasing the current popularity of esports.
Commentators from different countries sat upright on the stage, their faces filled with smiles in response to the audience.
Xiao Hai: [Many people are surprised that the GI team made it to this year’s global finals. Dai Mao, do you have any predictions for today’s game?]
Dai Mao: [In terms of this year’s performance, the GI team has had significant fluctuations, with game durations ranging from 25 to 60 minutes and frequent roster changes.]
Xiao Hai: [That’s right, although it’s the first match against a strong Korean team in the group stage, we’re still looking forward to seeing GI’s starting lineup today.]
Dai Mao: [Yes, if Sleeping plays today, there shouldn’t be any problems.]
At the mention of Sleeping’s name, some Chinese fans below started to scream.
The barrage on the live broadcast became more intense.
Xiao Hai laughed: [You dare to say that! Okay, the GI players are entering the stage now, let’s introduce them one by one – first, we see the captain of GI, and also the top laner, Sun He.]
Dai Mao chimed in: [Sun He is already 24 years old this year, considered a veteran in the esports industry. I heard he will announce his retirement after this year’s S tournament, which is a bit of a pity since this is GI’s first time entering the global finals.]
Xiao Hai: [Yeah, getting older in this game eventually takes its toll.]
Before the words fell, there was a deafening cheer from below.
Xiao Hai pretended to cover his ears: [We don’t even need to look to know who’s here, the pinnacle of LPL’s looks, also GI’s mid laner – Zhou Lingxing. I believe this player doesn’t need any introduction from us.]
Dai Mao: [Why do I feel like you’re being a bit sarcastic? Here comes GI’s jungler, will it be Sleeping playing today?]
Xiao Hai glanced at the short-haired boy behind Zhou Lingxing, who looked dejected, and patted Dai Mao’s shoulder leisurely.
[Dai Mao, I understand your fanboy feelings, don’t be too disappointed. Xiao Ban, this jungler, can be quite agile occasionally.]
Dai Mao sighed: [Yeah, Xiao Ban’s agility is good, but looking at his past games, he lacks a lot of practical experience.]
Xiao Hai quickly took over: [Next is the bot lane duo, Wave and Lao Yu. Wave seems to be in a good mood, we can see him smiling and chatting with his support, Lao Yu, the whole time.]
Dai Mao, still reeling from the blow, sounded disheartened: [Isn’t Wave always smiling?]
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
Xiao Hai tried to salvage the situation: [Alright, the players from CQW are also entering the stage now, from left to right are Lucky, the top laner, and Chi Changgen, the mid laner…]
Meanwhile, the atmosphere among the GI team on stage was subdued, especially for Xiao Ban, the substitute jungler.
Xiao Ban was trembling as he adjusted the mouse sensitivity, with an almost visible « I’m scared » written all over his face.
In his heart, he cursed the narcoleptic girl.
Wanting to scream at the sky, damn it, I’m just a substitute!!!
Sun He glanced at Xiao Ban and chuckled, « He’s really scared. How can someone sleep through this situation? »
Before the fragile Xiao Ban could respond, Wave’s discontent voice came through the headset.
« I said let her share a room with one of us, at least that would guarantee her presence at the venue. »
Yeah, yeah! Xiao Ban nodded vigorously, even knocking his headset askew.
He quickly reached out to adjust the crooked headset.
Suddenly, Zhou Lingxing’s calm voice sounded in his ears, « Men and women should not be too close. »
Wave was so angry he twitched, his face was a sight to behold, « What do you mean by men and women should not be too close?! She slept through the game! »
Zhou Lingxing’s face darkened slightly as he glanced at his support, « Who said yesterday that he could guarantee she would wake up? »
Lao Yu couldn’t help but tremble at the implication, and his words became somewhat incoherent.
« I, I’ve already… placed more than a dozen alarms in her room… and each alarm is set to maximum volume. »
He chuckled awkwardly, « …who knew even that wouldn’t wake her up?! »
Seeing his support cower under the team’s tyrant, Sun He couldn’t help but reassure him, « Alright, although Xiao Ban lacks strategic vision and doesn’t have her skill or speed, at least he follows commands. »
Xiao Ban’s heart was in turmoil at this moment, Captain, are you praising me? What do I do if I’m even more scared now?
More scared now, what should I do?
Outside the venue.
The target of continuous accusations by five people finally jumped into a taxi without even bothering to take the change, quickly heading towards the venue.
The girl wore a simple white short-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and canvas shoes, blending into the crowd and disappearing immediately.
The only notable items were the duck-billed cap on her head and the mask covering most of her face.
Her shiny long hair was tucked behind her ears, and even though her face was not visible, her beauty could still be felt.
She swiftly navigated through the crowd, and people didn’t even realize what happened, only hearing apologies near and far as they let the girl squeeze past them.
She darted through layers of people with skillful ease, heading towards the backstage.
Two minutes later, Coach Shen Jianian’s calm voice came through the earpieces of the GI team members, with a hint of a smile.
« Xiaoban, Su Hong is here. »
Xiaoban suddenly stood up upon hearing this, wiping away the frustration from her face, leaving her headphones behind as she ran towards the backstage.
Seeing this, Sun He laughed out loud, « As soon as she hears her name, Xiaoban runs faster than anyone. »
The bottom lane duo exchanged glances, noticing subtle glints in each other’s eyes.
In an unknown corner, Zhou Lingxing’s eyes deepened, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Unaware commentators watched Xiaoban suddenly leave the scene in shock.
Little Hi: « There might be an unexpected situation. We just saw GI’s jungle player Xiaoban suddenly run backstage. Could it be that the player isn’t feeling well? »
The unknown commentator’s face changed dramatically upon hearing « GI » and « jungle, » showing exceptional excitement.
He looked at Little Hi beside him, also showing excitement, « Isn’t it possible to change players before Ban & Pick? »
The unknown commentator suddenly stood up, unaware of the intensity in his eyes.
« Yes! Audience friends! After a month, today we finally get to see Sleeping participate in the S6 Global Finals Group Stage! I’m commentator Duimao, and I’ll be providing real-time commentary on the game process. »
The Chinese audience below erupted in excitement.
The live platform even experienced lag due to the sudden surge in bullet comments.
« Finally seeing the legendary Sleeping Miss, so excited!! »
« The commentator’s tone is hilarious, hahaha! »
« A newbie watching GI games for the first time, can someone tell me who Sleeping is? »
« Sleeping, the jungle player for GI. Known for his unconventional tactics, he rose to fame by instantly picking a swordsman during LPL regular season matches, a hero that no one dares to use in official games. »
« Oh my god!! I was there for that swordsman jungle match!!! Besides Sleeping, who else dares to pick such a non-conventional, non-AOE, squishy hero in high-level matches? »
…
Of course, there were also negative comments.
« No one dares to pick it in high-level matches, but can LPL matches be called high-level? »
« Don’t know why you like her. Esports can’t even tolerate romance, let alone women? »
« Wearing a mask every time she plays, if she’s ugly, don’t come out to scare people! »
« Never seen anyone changing team members before the official match, embarrassing even on an international level! »
Ignoring the online storms, the much-anticipated figure finally walked slowly onto the stage.
The girl had already taken off her hat under the persuasion of the staff, but her face was still covered by a large mask.
Her skin was pale, her uncovered eyes sharp and clear, with a hint of fatigue.
She seemed indifferent to the screams from the audience below, quietly sitting down at her spot, lifting her hand to adjust the equipment.
Wave, looking annoyed at her lack of seriousness during crucial moments, glared at her, « Why do you always mess up at critical times? This is the Global Finals! The Finals!! Not regular season! »
The girl paid no attention, not even furrowing her brows, using her slender hands to warm up by swinging them twice.
As if remembering something, she slowly picked up the headphones that Xiaoban had just thrown behind the monitor and put them on.
After a moment, she finally turned slightly to look at her adc, softly opening her lips.
Her clear voice poured out, quite pleasant.
A clear and cold female voice poured out, quite pleasant to hear.
« Li Weiyi, hurry up, I’m a bit sleepy. »
It sounded like a joke, but the girl said it with utmost seriousness.
Wave gritted his teeth. « I’ve told you not to call me by my real name! »
He didn’t argue against the girl’s « a bit sleepy » remark, as if he had no objections to it.
Upon hearing the girl’s words, the other team members all wiped the smiles off their faces.
When she said she was a bit sleepy, it meant we really needed to move faster.
In this regard, the girl never spoke in vain.
No one wanted to remember the painful memory of her falling asleep during a regular season match and not waking up until the game ended.
Before she fell asleep that day, she said the same thing to everyone: she was a bit sleepy.
Unfortunately, everyone ignored that sentence, not believing she would actually fall asleep during the match.
And then, there was nothing more.
Since then, whenever she mentioned feeling tired during a match, the opponents on the other side would notice that GI Team started speeding up like a pack of wild dogs, leaving their opponents breathless.
That’s also why the duration of GI Team matches ranged from 25 minutes to 60 minutes.
The screen in front of them switched, finally entering the Ban & Pick phase.
Cheers erupted again in the audience stands.
The commentators also became excited.
Dai Mao: « Dear audience, it’s the first match of the group stage of the 2016 S6 Global Finals! »
Xiao Hai: « GI versus CQW――the game is officially starting! »
Author’s Note:
1. The League of Legends map is divided into three lanes: top, mid, and bottom, each leading to the enemy base. The side that destroys the enemy’s last crystal in the base wins.
The top lane is a solo lane, and the player in this lane is referred to as the top laner.
Similarly, the mid lane and bottom lane have players referred to as mid laners and bot laners (consisting of an ADC and support).
There’s also a player in the jungle area who ambushes in the three main lanes to help the team gain advantages, known as the jungler.
2. LPL refers to the League of Legends Pro League in China. Other major regions include LCK (Korea), LCS (North America and Europe), LMS (Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan), and IWC (Wild Card regions). The Wild Card regions are countries not included in the major regions and must qualify through a Wild Card tournament to participate in the Global Finals.
3. Master Yi is a jungle champion in League of Legends, but can also be played as a mid laner.
No CC: No crowd control abilities; CC abilities immobilize enemies or prevent them from using skills for a short period.
AOE: Area of effect damage.
Melee: Refers to champions with short-ranged attacks.
Squishy: Low health pool champions.
4. Regular season refers to daily matches held domestically by LPL teams to earn points. The team with the highest points qualifies for the Global Finals.
5. Ban: Both sides ban three champions to maintain fairness in the game; the banned champions cannot be picked by either team.
Pick: Both teams select five champions to use in the match.
