The Spring Split is still in full swing, but the situation of each team is very different.
UR continues to be strong, but SKT is about to hit the bottom.
Lee Sang Hyuk's performance is getting worse and worse, and it can be seen with the naked eye that he is starting to change as he gets older.
In fact, it is obviously a bit exaggerated to say that he is too bad to play professionally, but now Lee Sang Hyuk is indeed unable to do what a top mid laner should do, and his control of the battle situation is getting slower and slower.
He has indeed changed his mind.
After the failure of S4, this was the biggest setback Lee Sang Hyuk encountered.
Even the most experienced players have no choice but to train like crazy and postpone the process as much as possible when faced with this irreversible decline.
But the sad thing is that this process can never be reversed, and it will even decline faster due to too much training.
“I feel like I can’t hold on any longer.”
To his teammates and outside media, Lee Sang Hyuk always looks like he is sure of winning. He never exposes his vulnerability, discomfort, helplessness and other emotions.
But for Xu Ruoguang, an old teammate, Lee Sang Hyuk never thought of hiding it.
"I've really changed my mind, Ruoguang."
He told it very calmly, as if he was telling someone else's story.
"I used to be able to make the most correct decision the moment I saw someone. However, even if I know what to do now, my reactions and operations can no longer support me in completing all of this."
"My career is almost over, right?"
Xu Ruoguang stood on the second floor of the UR Club with a phone in hand, looking at the drizzle outside the window.
After a moment of silence and no direct answer,
"Then are you willing?"
"I should be quite satisfied, right?"
Lee Sang Hyuk smiled indifferently,
"I've already won three championships. How could I not be willing to give in? It's true..."
He paused and continued with a normal expression.
"...It should be almost done. After playing this year, I might consider retiring."
"Then you retire."
Xu Ruoguang thought for a while and said with a smile.
"It's so great to be retired. You don't have to train every day. You're not short of money now. You can do whatever you want, right?"
"There is no performance pressure yet, and no one will mention you again. When talking about Lee Sang Hyuk, everyone's reaction is that he was the Triple Crown winner. He was very powerful when he was a professional."
"Is this not what you want?"
Li Sang Hyuk was silent for a moment and said hum.
"What you said makes sense."
"Right, playing professionally is so tiring. I haven't made enough money yet. I will retire when I make enough. Whoever likes to play can play."
Xu Ruoguang said seriously.
"Um……"
"By the way, Sang Hyuk, remember to come when Eun Jung and I get married next year."
"…………"
"Hello? Hello? Why is there no sound? I have no signal? That shouldn't be the case. I can still have no signal in Seoul? Could it be that we called over there?"
"…………"
"Xianghe, don't worry about Eunjing. I will take good care of her. Remember to be my best man when the time comes. It shouldn't be too much trouble for you, right?"
"I suddenly didn't want to retire."
Li Sang Hyuk gritted his teeth and said.
"Ah? Don't, how can you give up when you have made up your mind? Just retreat, I beg you."
"No, not only will I not retire, I will also watch you retire. Even if you retire, I will not retire!"
Li Sang Hyuk said coldly,
"I disappoint you!"
"That's not particularly disappointing. You're just one of my defeated generals. There's nothing special about it."
Xu Ruoguang sighed and said with a smile.
"……Bye."
Li Sang Hyuk resisted the urge to gank Xu Ruoguang offline and hung up the phone.
Xu Ruoguang looked at the hung up phone, shook his head, and continued to rank with a bright smile.
At the SKT base, Lee Sang Hyuk's originally cold expression showed a slight smile after hanging up the phone.
"Is there a way to stimulate generals..."
Of course he knew why Xu Ruoguang said that. While he was moved, he also developed the courage to persevere.
"Xu Ruoguang, do you know? Eunjing has long been irrelevant to me."
"If I can't beat you once, I don't want to retire in my life."
Apart from UR and SKT, the team with the best performance right now is Griffin.
However, Griffin at this time did not look as happy as during the winning streak.
In the corridor under the cold light, two men in suits were confronting each other.
cvmax looked at the smiling Zhao Kuinan in front of him and wished he could punch his cunning face.
"I told you not to do such unnecessary things. Zhao Kuinan, you are going too far."
cvmax suppressed his anger and spoke as calmly as possible.
Zhao Kuinan showed a somewhat surprised expression, looked at him with a half-smile, and said with a smile.
"What did I do? I just asked them to help their teammates. Is this too much?"
"Hmph, you are really good at avoiding the important and taking the easy. But Zhao Kuinan, is this how you help your teammates? Ah?"
cvmax didn't like him at all and spoke with a sneer.
"You want Tarzan to be number one in the Korean server. OK, I can support that. I also like this kid. But just because you want Tarzan to be the first in the Korean server, you can't ask other team members to fake games for him when he is ranked.
Give away points!”
"Fake match? No, no, no, I think Coach Jin, you are too strict. This is just ranking, not a game at all."
Zhao Kuinan waved his hands repeatedly, looking like he was wronged.
"For professional players, this kind of thing must never happen. You are breaking the will of the players. If they follow your instructions today and arrange for tarzan to perform, then if there are other high-level requests in the future, they must lose.
What about the competition?”
cvmax argued hard and then softened his tone.
"Our results this year are very good. We really have a chance to go to the S9 World Championship. I beg you, Zhao Kuinan, please stop interfering with my arrangements for the team. I really want to achieve results."
Zhao Kuinan's smile disappeared.
"Do you think you are the only one who can come up with results? But I don't recognize your ability. Why do you coach Griffin? They can live a better life."
cvmax looked at his stern face and smiled.
"Don't speak so high-sounding, Zhao Kuinan. In the final analysis, you are just not convinced that I coach GRF. Do you want to achieve results? Tell me, what do you mean by contacting them? Huh? You don't think I don't know, do you?"
Zhao Kuinan's pupils shrank,
"You know? This is my business, you are too involved, Jin Dahu, I am the CEO!"
"If you want to say that, then I can tell you that first, I am a coach sent from GRF headquarters, and it is not your responsibility! Second, you have no right to interfere with my tactical arrangements for the team. Third, I
That’s the coach!”
cvmax stared at him and said word by word.
Zhao Kuinan smiled,
"Oh? Do you think anyone listens to you?"
He took a step forward, relying on his height advantage, and spoke condescendingly to cvmax.
"Sword, the top laner, and Tarzan, the jungler, they are all people I brought here."
"The assistant lehends are also the youth training assistants I bought from T1."
"AD, nuclear, he has nothing to do with you."
"As for chovy... you did bring him here, but what use can a mere chovy do?"
Zhao Kuinan looked at cvmax with some contempt.
"When it comes to relationships with players, I'm much better than you, Jin Dahu. Being strict with players will only make them tired of you. Do you think everyone is a player like Emporer or faket? Don't be too self-righteous."
he laughed.
"I know you are doing them a favor by being strict with them, but do they know? You don't understand people's hearts at all!"
I don’t understand people’s hearts?
cvmax is somewhat silent.
He is a relatively traditional LCK coach who has strict requirements on players and cannot tolerate losing his right to speak. This is the most fundamental reason why he and Zhao Kuinan do not deal with each other.
He opened his mouth dryly and looked at Zhao Kuinan.
"viper...is it because of this that you sold him to UR?"
Viper is his direct descendant, and he has attracted GRF from a long time ago, which had not received capital injection before the name change.
He is also a player that cvmax trusts very much.
"No, no, no, actually viper is fed up with your endless requests. After UR sent out the purchase request, I didn't do anything at all. I just asked him if he wanted to go, and the transfer was completed after he agreed."
Zhao Kuinan waved his hands repeatedly and denied having anything to do with this matter.
He really wasn't telling a lie in this sentence, at most he was adding a little more fuel to his words.
In fact, viper has never expressed any views on cvmax.
But the latter part is indeed true.
"is that so...?"
cvmax's eyes dimmed a little.
Viper's departure was a huge blow to him.
[In fact, after cvmax was kicked out by GRF, he originally had no intention of breaking the news. After all, he had never tried to fight for power. If he lost, he had to admit it. But at this time, viper, who had received the instructions from the top management, warned cvmax in an interview not to
Revealing anything about GRF will directly make cvmax, who originally thought that the viper he brought here will definitely stand on his side, break the defense, and then break the news about kanavi's contract.】
"That's it, you don't understand anything at all. E-sports is not about fighting and killing, it's about human nature."
Zhao Kuinan glanced at him contemptuously, turned and left.
Only cvmax was left leaning against the wall, looking up at the cold white light, his eyes distracted.
Zhao Kuinan walked all the way to where the youth training players lived, but did not see Kanavi.
He didn't care, and finally found it in the cafeteria.
"Kanavi, come here."
Kanavi followed him to a secluded place with some fear. After sitting down with the meal, Kanavi mustered up the courage to speak.
"Manager Zhao."
Zhao Kuinan nodded.
"JDG has sent you a message, right?"
He adjusted his cuffs slowly, without looking at Kanavi, and said calmly.
"Yes... the manager at JDG told me that he wants to transfer me to JDG without signing a loan contract."
Kanavi couldn't figure out what he meant and said honestly.
"Oh? Then how did you reply?"
Zhao Kuinan stopped moving and his eyes were sharp.
"I...cvmax coach told me not to reply, otherwise it will be a violation of the team agreement."
"uh-huh?"
Zhao Kuinan snorted noncommittally,
"So what do you think? What kind of contract is proposed by JDG?"
"To be honest, I... don't really want to sign."
Kanavi struggled a little,
"The contract they said is too long...three or five years, which is almost a whole career for me. I don't want to stay in JDG for the rest of my life."
Zhao Kuinan nodded and changed the subject.
"But you know, Kanavi, even if you don't reply, you have actually violated the team regulations and belong to a private team."
He stood up, his tall body casting a shadow under the lights of the cafeteria, covering Kanavi.
"If, I mean if, I reported this matter to the higher-ups and behaved badly like this, guess what kind of outcome you would get?"
Kanavi's body couldn't help but tremble. He suppressed the panic in his heart and asked.
"Wha...what?"
Zhao Kuinan smiled easily, but what he said almost made Kanavi despair.
"I can make it impossible for you to have a professional career again."
"No, no!"
Kanavi couldn't suppress her emotions and spoke eagerly.
"Manager Zhao, help me, please! I really want to play professionally, I am very talented! I can help Griffin enter the World Championship! Please forgive me this time, I really don't know this is personal
United team, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!"
His eyes were red.
As a trainee, it's hard to get ahead. How could Kanavi accept such an ending?
Zhao Kuinan looked like he had a headache,
"This matter of yours is difficult to deal with. Too many people know about it. I know it, and so does cvmax. JDG can also use this to blackmail you."
"No matter what happens, it doesn't matter, you must help me! Please!"
Kanavi spoke eagerly, as if a drowning man had grasped the last straw to save his life.
Taken the bait.
Zhao Kuinan showed a secret smile and said in deep thought:
"If you want to solve it...actually, maybe it's not impossible."
Kanavi was overjoyed,
"You say, no matter what you do, I will listen to you!"
"That's okay."
Zhao Kuinan nodded calmly and looked at Kanavi.
"Then agree to JDG's request and play in JDG for five years."
Kanavi sensitively noticed that something was wrong.
"Manager Zhao... isn't it a three-year or five-year contract? Why does it have to be five years... Five years is too long, is three years okay?"
Nonsense, how can I earn transfer fees if you sign for three fucking years?
Zhao Kuinan smiled secretly in his heart.
"No! This is JDG's request. If you don't agree, then just stay in Griffin as a trainee for four years and only get one million won per year."
"Of course, after four years, you won't be able to play professionally. You will never be able to play professionally."
Zhao Kuinan turned cold and looked at Kanavi's frightened face and said,
"It's an act of mercy on my part to give you a way, Kanavi. If I didn't have a conscience in my heart and didn't want to let a talented professional player like you ruin his career, you wouldn't have a way!"
Kanavi is still hesitating,
"Yes Yes……"
"What is it? Agree and go to JDG to play in the LPL. A great future is waiting for you. If you don't agree, you will be a trainee in Griffin for four years. You will not have a career after the contract ends. GRF will kick you away."
"Choose!"
Zhao Kuinan said coldly.
"me……"
Kanavi really couldn't make a choice, but Zhao Kuinan no longer had this patience.
He looked at the untouched rice in front of Kanavi and suddenly smiled.
I waved and the staff was summoned.
"Manager Zhao!"
"Take away the food and bring some leftovers. I don't think he wants to eat them very much."
Zhao Kuinan calmly said something that Kanavi never expected.
"Yes Yes!"
The staff's scalp is numb. Is this corporal punishment of youth training players?
But he is just a staff member.
We don’t dare to say, and we don’t dare to ask.
As the leftovers were served, Zhao Kuinan looked at Kanavi, whose face became increasingly embarrassed, and smiled softly.
"If you don't want to, this is how you will be treated in the future."
His expression became ruthless.
"GRF does not support idlers. A player who is not qualified to play professionally is worthless."
Kanavi exhaled. The fear in his heart and the uneasiness about the future made him completely lose his ability to resist.
He lowered his head and whispered.
"...I, I sign."
Zhao Kuinan was afraid that he would regret it, so he immediately beamed with joy.
"This is right!"
I took out my mobile phone and ordered a high-end Korean beef set meal in front of Kanavi.
He stood up, patted Kanavi on the shoulder, and smiled amiably.
"I'm sorry for delaying your meal. It was just a joke. How could we at GRF let an outstanding youth training player like you eat leftovers? Hahaha."
"You eat slowly, it should be delivered soon, I won't disturb you."
Zhao Kuinan walked out of the cafeteria, took out his mobile phone and made a call.
"...Yes. It's been solved."
"Hmm. Is it still what we said?"
"He is just a youth training player. You don't need to give him a high salary. Just pay him the lowest level. He doesn't dare to say anything."
"But, for us at GRF, he is a very good player, and he is also a player that our GRF focuses on training. In terms of transfer fees..."
"After the matter is completed, 1 billion Korean won [approximately 6 million soft girl coins] will be sent to you."
The person opposite spoke in a calm tone.
"Okay, then it's settled."
Zhao Kuinan smiled broadly and hung up the phone.
He even hummed a little tune.
Kanavi’s career?
A player’s future?
What bullshit is that.
In front of 1 billion, it is worthless.
cvmax, who was still deep in thought, unexpectedly saw Kanavi, who looked a little gloomy.
"Huh? Why did you finish your meal at this time?"
cvmax knows Kanavi, and he is very optimistic about Kanavi's future.
"Yes... Manager Zhao invited me to eat."
Kanavi forced a smile.
"Zhao Kuinan? What is he looking for you for?"
cvmax frowned.
Kanavi hesitated again and again, but decided to tell cvmax.
cvmax's face also changed from calm, to surprise, to anger.
"What on earth does he want to do? Five years?! Dentist Nishipachi shake it!"
cvmax used foul language.
cvmax, who had forced himself to calm down, could no longer calm down.
Kanavi forced a smile and left with a somewhat tired pace.
Only cvmax with a gloomy expression was left.
No one knows all this.
Three days later, VIPer, who had just finished the competition, unexpectedly received a call from cvmax.
He was quite surprised. You must know that after viper chose to go to UR, the relationship between cvmax and him was immediately severed, and viper also knew what cvmax was thinking.
So I was very surprised that cvmax would choose to call him.
After hesitating for a while, he picked up the phone.
"Aniaceyo?"
"It's me, Doxian."
The tone of cvmax on the other end of the phone was very calm.
"...Brother Dahu."
cvmax’s real name is Jin Dahu. VIPer had a good relationship with him before, so it’s okay to call him brother.
"I've arrived at UR now. If you call me like this, I'm afraid kkoma brother will misunderstand..."
Viper said hesitantly.
"It's okay, I have business."
cvmax said calmly,
"I'm already planning to fall out with Zhao Kuinan."
"Ah? Arnie, brother, you can't beat him. He has very close ties with the top management now. It's already clear that he was still the CEO after GRF was injected with capital."
Viper was surprised at first, and then couldn't help but persuade him.
How could cvmax be able to beat Zhao Kuinan?
Anyone with a discerning eye can see how big the difference in strength between the two people is. How could a simple coach in cvmax be able to compete with the CEO Zhao Kuinan?
This is too irrational.
"I know, Dohyun, I know everything."
cvmax was silent for a while and said.
"Then why..."
"But, Dohyun, do you remember what I told you?"
cvmax looked at the somewhat dark sky.
The sky was dim and dull at this time, but...
In such good weather, the bright moonlight will surely fill the world soon, and it can... remove those unclean things.
"I want to make GRF better. Once there is a problem with GRF, I will do whatever it takes to cure the problem."
"Even...it will destroy GRF."
"I also cannot accept that GRF like this continues to exist."
Cvmax said softly.
"Maybe I really don't understand people's hearts. I used to be so strict with you and often scolded you. I'm sorry, Daoxian, can you forgive me this time?"
Viper was silent, then nodded after a moment.
"Well, I forgive you, brother."
"Thank you."
cvmax thanked him softly and continued.
"Zhao Kuinan went too far. He chose to ruin the future of Griffin players for his own selfish desires. This is something I cannot accept under any circumstances."
"I don't understand people's hearts, but I have a bottom line."
"I know that I don't have the ability to fight with him, and I can't be his opponent, but now that I've seen everything, I really can't just sit back and watch."
"Dohyun, if I bet my coaching career, I can save that player's career, right?"
"If you think about it this way, it's actually quite profitable, isn't it?"
cvmax said with a smile.
"I'm not a good coach, but I believe he can become a good player."
"Exchanging a bad coach for a good player is a great deal."
Viper's pupils shrank, and a terrible guess came to his mind.
"Brother, you don't mean to...!"
"Yes."
"Brother, what are you thinking about... This kind of thing is thankless. I really don't want anything to happen to you. I pretend not to see it. Can't I say no after I leave Griffin? Do you want to be hidden?"
Viper persuaded eagerly.
This is viper.
In fact, in the original world online, viper's choice to warn cvmax did not necessarily mean that he had taken refuge in Zhao Kuinan.
It is more likely that it should still be protected against cvmax.
However, this is the nature of cvmax.
He doesn't know how to give in and has a hot temper.
Viper knows that cvmax will never win in a battle with GRF.
cvmax also knows.
But he doesn't care.
"Dohyun, listen to me, you should be on the UR team now, right? Can you hand the phone to Emporer? I need his help now."
"Only Emporer players can contact Chairman Li."
cvmax said seriously.
"If I go by myself, the senior management of GRF will definitely reject my application."