Just as TES were celebrating their second straight league win after defeating JDG, Knight's mind was in complete chaos back in the team's backstage lounge.
The way this match played out was completely different from what he had imagined.
How did they win?
Wasn't Lin Fan supposed to go on stage and get farmed like a pig?
Did Yagao and Kanavi mess this up or what?
Mid lane Viktor—while you two were Xin Zhao and LeBlanc—and you didn't manage to launch a single threatening attack?
From start to finish, you never killed Viktor even once?
When I'm on stage, it's like everyone's on stimulants—tower dives, forced kills, all kinds of plays. So why didn't they play like that once Lin Fan went up?
WQNMLGB… disgusting.
TL: WQNMLGB = 我去你妈了个逼 - Fuck your mom, what the fuck.
Were they targeting me on purpose?
Or did they secretly take Lin Fan's money and deliberately screw me over?
Even if my Viktor got caught and died eight times, Yagao's laning really isn't that amazing—if Kanavi hadn't been babysitting mid nonstop.
And Tian, that idiot with no brain, doesn't even know who the real carry is. That's how things ended up like this.
If they had just controlled vision around mid properly like this game, let me farm up, I could've carried the tempo too.
Looking at all the smiling faces in the lounge, Knight felt even more miserable.
One thing he was absolutely sure of: he definitely wouldn't be starting next match. No matter how strongly he objected, after Lin Fan's performance this game, everyone on the team would vote for Lin Fan without hesitation.
And the next opponent was FPX…
So damn frustrating!
FPX right now was basically being carried by Lwx alone. He remembered Gori—the former NS mid laner who came in to replace Doinb.
Two words: trash.
Perfect as an experience battery for getting his form back.
But now, that experience battery was going to belong to Lin Fan instead.
Already in a terrible mood, thinking about this just made him angrier. He pulled out his phone, fiddling with it absentmindedly.
After the post-match interviews ended, Knight just blankly followed the team onto the bus back to base.
The dramatic turnaround in the TES vs JDG match sparked widespread discussion online.
"Anyone who says Rise of Kingdoms Bro is unprofessional should open their eyes—this on-stage performance is pure domination."
"Upstairs is aggressive, but I agree. Knight's performance can be summed up in two words, so I'll use a symbol instead: ÷. Those who know, know."
TL:
÷ = 拉胯 (lā kuà)
The symbol ÷ visually looks like someone with their pants pulled down (stick figure with something at their feet) It became a meme/coded way to say someone performed badly without typing the actual characters
"Rise of Kingdoms Bro really surprised me. Viktor actually carried the tempo! If it were Taliyah or Ryze I wouldn't be shocked—but Viktor? That game sense is top-tier!"
"The analyses on Bilibili are spot-on. His mid-lane details are insane. He's been seriously underestimated. Three straight MVPs already prove his strength."
"Did everyone forget Little North, who benched Uzi back then? He also shined briefly before fading. Same thing—time will tell."
"None of that hits the key point. Rise of Kingdoms Bro didn't even touch League for three days and still kept this form. If he trained seriously, wouldn't that be terrifying?"
"Yeah, no training and he's already slaughtering people. If he really trained, would he just become a god?"
"Just wait two more days. Week 5, Day 1—TES plays again. High chance Rise of Kingdoms Bro starts."
As people talked, Rise of Kingdoms Bro quietly climbed the hot search again, with the tag: 'How high is Rise of Kingdoms Bro's ceiling?'
No surprise—top ten on Weibo hot searches once more.
As a rookie, hitting the hot search after every match was basically a record.
Calling him the 'Hot Search King' wasn't wrong at all.
On Sunday, aside from watching the LNG vs RNG match, many people were also watching to see whether Lin Fan's professional attitude would change after three straight MVPs.
Would he secretly start training?
The result?
No change at all.
He bounced between different games, even more addicted to others—especially Naraka: Bladepoint.
The moment his stream opened, red flashes filled the screen.
Parry!
Unfortunately, his opponent was clearly skilled. No blue armor break at all—clean, flowing combos instantly emptied the HP bar of Lin Fan's Flamebringer.
"…"
"Still not good enough. Gotta keep practicing."
He practiced all night.
"Task completed."
"Max proficiency: Kalista. Mechanics +5%, Game sense +5%."
"Tired, tired… time to rest. There's a match tomorrow, right? Sweet dreams, little viewers."
With the slacking task complete, Lin Fan said goodbye and ended the stream.
Naraka gave him zero enjoyment all day—die, revive, look for fights, die again.
This weapon was way too hard to master.
He'd joined too late. Everyone else was already far ahead.
The strong had become monsters, the weak were eliminated, and new players just got instantly deleted.
Sticking it out—from newbie to expert—required a truly strong heart.
At this point, Lin Fan felt numb. All he wanted was to go back and sleep.
"Brother Fan really doesn't train, leaves early again, yet performs way better than those of us who grind every day. I'm still not working hard enough…" JackeyLove sighed as he watched Lin Fan leave the training room.
"There's a match tomorrow. Let's queue until 2 a.m.?"
"Sure," Mark nodded.
"By the way, has anyone seen Knight? I haven't seen him all day."
"No idea. Didn't notice him at all. We're already on a two-win streak—let's aim to 2–0 FPX tomorrow. I don't want a third game."
Even late into the night, the atmosphere in the TES training room remained intense.
Week 5, Day 1.
5 p.m.
V5 and LGD went to three games, and the series left viewers stunned.
V5 looked cold in Game 1 and got crushed, but in the next two games they snapped back into form and dominated. Rookie's Orianna showed absolute control.
Seven straight wins.
Firmly first place.
After the roster overhaul, the Great Dragon had returned.
This spring, the veterans seemed ready for a second life.
7 p.m.
TES vs FPX entered preparation.
Under staff guidance, both teams entered the player tunnel.
The crowd—and the casters—waited eagerly.
TES had changed their starting mid laner.
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup... is what is supposed to happen. I'm going mad and updating tons of chapters while I still have vacation break, so bear with me.