All-Round Mid Laner

Xie Xiaotian was going to 1v1 the new omega mid laner!

In less than five minutes, this bit of news had circulated throughout the entirety of Team Tianhuan.

The members of the starting lineup, the second-string team, and even members of Tianhuan's rookie training camp all fixed their gazes on their computer monitors. They all started to privately message Xiaotian, asking—

[Which room?]

[Add me as a spectator!]

Training matches had a spectator mode, so there was no need for everyone to crowd around the monitors of the two players to watch them 1v1. They could get a clearer view by watching as spectators inside the game. Xie Xiaotian didn't mind being watched—the more people who watched, the better he could prove himself!

He and Cheng Xing had joined Tianhuan's rookie training camp in the same year. Because the two of them were gifted and performed very well in their class of rookies, they had very quickly been added to the second-string team.

Originally, when Old Nie and A-Ning retired, it had been assumed that the marksman and support from the second-string team would be promoted. Or maybe the team would have recruited a marksman and support from elsewhere. No one had imagined that the coaches would suddenly ask Cheng Xing to switch to playing marksman and debut next season.

Cheng Xing was very happy about this, of course. He'd shared the good news with Xie Xiaotian as soon as he got back from that talk. The two of them were good friends, but while Xie Xiaotian was happy for Cheng Xing, he couldn't help but feel a bit down in his heart.

The two of them had joined the team in the same year, after all. Now, Cheng Xing was about to debut, and Xie Xiaotian was still a substitute on the second-string team. Plus, the starting mid laner Qu Jiang was in a very stable condition. Would Xie Xiaotian have to wait until Qu Jiang's retirement to get his chance?

Xie Xiaotian had already resigned himself to waiting another two years. He never could have imagined that Qu Jiang would switch to support… and that the club wouldn't consider Xie Xiaotian for their new mid laner, but had actually pulled in an omega mid laner from outside?!

Truth be told, Xie Xiaotian was feeling extremely aggrieved.

When they played 1v1, Xie Xiaotian could usually go 50/50 with Qu Jiang. His personal strength wasn't lacking when compared to Qu Jiang's. Why did the coaches have to find some new mid laner, instead of letting him have a shot? He'd already played in the minor leagues for half a year, where he gained some practical experience in real games.

On the surface, his challenge to Ye Shaoyang was just a way to test the new guy. But in truth, Xie Xiaotian also wanted the opportunity to prove himself to the coaches and Captain Chi.

Xie Xiaotian rubbed his hands together and took a deep breath to pump himself up.

Ye Shaoyang and Xie Xiaotian weren't friends in the game. Ye Shaoyang turned to Chi Shuo and asked, "Captain Chi, lend me a hand?"

Chi Shuo hummed and swiftly made a training room. He scrolled through a note on his phone and sent a set of login details to Ye Shaoyang. "You go ahead and use this alt. All the mid laners are unlocked on this account. You can use it to train in the future too."

"Okay." Ye Shaoyang quickly logged himself in. This alt account was at the King rank, with one star. All of the mid lane heroes were unlocked, and the account was named 'Mid Laner No. 7'. It was very similar to Chi Shuo's 'Jungler No. 8'.

Chi Shuo added Ye Shaoyang to the room he'd created, then added Xie Xiaotian's main account 'Happy Every Day' to the room as well. Once he'd done that, Chi Shuo made himself a spectator and handed over control of the room to Ye Shaoyang.

Ye Shaoyang typed into the public chat: [Xiaotian, you pick the game mode. Play until the first kill, or until we destroy the opponent's crystal?]

Xie Xiaotian wrote: [Let's push the crystal.]

Ye Shaoyang: [Alright. You pick your hero first.]

Xie Xiaotian instantly chose the Abyssal Lord.

He was thinking that this new hero had only been out for one month. Ye Shaoyang might not be too familiar with it, so it was the perfect chance for Xie Xiaotian to show off.

Qu Jiang exchanged a look with Qin Yizhu, then muttered under his breath, "You really know how to pick 'em."

Qin Yizhu quietly murmured, "It seems we forgot to tell the second-string team… that Ye Shaoyang is the streamer Xiao Bai? The National #1 Abyssal Lord."

Qu Jiang crinkled his eyes with a smile. "It wouldn't have done any good even if we told them. These kids from the second-string team don't watch much Whale Streaming. They don't even know who Xiao Bai is."

With a grave expression on his face, Qin Yizhu silently lit a preemptive candle for Xie Xiaotian.

Coach Lin hugged his arms and stood to the side to watch the scene unfold before him. The corners of his lips quirked up with a slight, meaningful smile.

The game began.

Two Abyssal Lords faced off in the middle lane. Ye Shaoyang discovered very quickly that this Xie Xiaotian had a very solid foundation. Whether it was positioning or farming creeps, all his fundamental skills were first-rate. It was just that the kid was a bit impatient.

Ye Shaoyang calmly farmed minions and leveled up.

Upon reaching Level 6, they both learned their ults. Perhaps because he was too eager to show off in front of the coach and the captain, Xie Xiaotian instantly led his three shadows forward to kill off Ye Shaoyang with one skill combo.

However, Ye Shaoyang suddenly summoned his own three shadows and swiftly used his E skill to swap places with them.

Xie Xiaotian attacked as fiercely as a tiger, only to look back and find—

He'd only managed to destroy a shadow. Meanwhile, Ye Shaoyang's Abyssal Lord was still standing around in perfect health!

Xie Xiaotian was a bit baffled. Ye Shaoyang's movements just now had been beyond fast. Xie Xiaotian hadn't even gotten a good look at what he'd done. He had clearly marked his opponent, but his opponent was still safe and sound? He hadn't even lost a single drop of blood?!

Seeing this, Lin Feng silently gave Ye Shaoyang's plays some appreciation.

Ye Shaoyang had played very smartly. When the Abyssal Lord set out to kill other mid laners, he could group up all his black shadows and instakill his opponent in one go. But when two Abyssal Lords faced off in a 1v1, this was impossible—because the Abyssal Lord's E skill allowed him to swap places with a shadow.

As long as a player could make the swap quickly enough, the enemy's marks would all miss their target.

Which meant that Ye Shaoyang, by swiftly transporting himself around in this triangular formation, had remained in an 'untargetable' state the whole time. Xie Xiaotian's skills struck nothing at all. He'd used up all of his skills, but only succeeded in taking down one of Ye Shaoyang's shadows?

Once Xie Xiaotian finished using his skills, Ye Shaoyang didn't rush to counterattack. He waited until he had all three of his shadows back before he suddenly struck—

First Blood!

Xie Xiaotian practically hadn't been able to see exactly what Ye Shaoyang had done. He only saw those three shadows weaving in front of him, attacking him head-on like a fierce storm. He didn't even get a chance to use his flash before he was taken down in an instant.

Everything had happened too quickly. Not even 'as fast as lightning' was enough to describe the moves Ye Shaoyang had used just now!

Xie Xiaotian froze for a moment, then hurried back to the middle lane after respawning.

This time, he was much more cautious. He didn't attack unthinkingly, instead carefully farming minions from the bottom of his defensive tower. Ye Shaoyang didn't try to take down his opponent with one swift set of moves either. Instead, he entered a war of attrition with Xie Xiaotian.

Xie Xiaotian soon realized, with despair, that several black marks had appeared on his body. His HP started to plummet. As for the shadows he released, none of them could even so much as brush his enemy's clothes.

Ye Shaoyang always used his E to swap places with a shadow at the perfect moment, deftly avoiding Xie Xiaotian's abyssal marks. As a result, Xie Xiaotian's marks always landed on Ye Shaoyang's shadows, failing to do any harm to the master of those shadows.

Meanwhile, Ye Shaoyang's marks were perfectly capable of striking him. Xie Xiaotian was clearly swapping places with his own shadows as well, but it was like his opponent was living inside his head. Like he could guess at all of Xie Xiaotian's thoughts. Ye Shaoyang could always precisely lock on to his position.

[Mid Laner No. 7] killed [Happy Every Day]!

This one had been a slow death. Xie Xiaotian had been ground down to his doom. It was even more uncomfortable to bear than the quick kill that had been inflicted upon him at the start of the game.

After Xie Xiaotian died twice in a row, his mid lane outer tower was destroyed by Ye Shaoyang. Xie Xiaotian had also missed out on two waves of minions. Still, he stubbornly wanted to keep fighting and try again—unfortunately, Ye Shaoyang's equipment was already much better than his by then.

He didn't stand a chance. Once again, he gave away his head. And he could only watch as Ye Shaoyang destroyed his base crystal right before his eyes.

As his crystal shattered before his eyes, Xie Xiaotian felt his whole worldview starting to crack—he had been killed three times in a row! Where was the cute and gentle omega he had been promised?!

After sitting in a daze for a while, a red-faced Xie Xiaotian said, "I'll switch my hero. I'm not too familiar with this Abyssal Lord."

Ye Shaoyang kindly said, "Okay. You pick whoever you'd like."

Then Xie Xiaotian switched over to the Illusionist. This hero was relatively easy to play, and success with him depended largely on one's sense of timing. Xie Xiaotian had often used the Illusionist to get solo kills on Qu Jiang in the past. He was sure he could even out the score!

The game began.

First Blood!

When Xie Xiaotian was laid out flat on the ground, he didn't even know where the enemy Illusionist had popped up from. This kind of sneak attack was too hateful!

He quickly respawned and started to lurk around in the woods, hoping to stage a shady ambush.

However, Ye Shaoyang acted like he had eyes on that area. He simply didn't go near the spot where Xie Xiaotian was lurking. He gave him a wide berth, always staying outside Xie Xiaotian's range of attack.

Xie Xiaotian lurked for half a minute before finally losing his patience.

The instant he emerged from the woods to start farming minions, a decisive flash was waiting for him—along with a long-prepared Dizzying Illusion!

Immediately, a dazzling storm of illusory shards swirled around him and stabbed at his body. Countless purple shards gathered around him, and the fragile Illusionist was killed in an instant.

Xie Xiaotian was experiencing the total destruction of his mind.

Ye Shaoyang led his minions forward to destroy the enemy tower.

Xie Xiaotian's face was thoroughly flushed. "I… I didn't do well that time. I'll switch to another hero!"

Ye Shaoyang took the initiative to suggest, "How about the Destiny Goddess?"

Xie Xiaotian thought to himself that the Destiny Goddess was very difficult to play. If he messed up again, wouldn't that be very shameful? He took a deep breath and said, "I'll take the Storm Goddess."

"Alright," Ye Shaoyang said.

Both players chose the Storm Goddess next. This hero required a very strong predictive sense. A Storm Goddess whose skills hit and a Storm Goddess whose skills always missed were two completely different heroes.

The game began. When Xie Xiaotian hit Level 6, he moved around nimbly and unleashed three consecutive tornadoes, which surrounded Ye Shaoyang from three sides.

Ye Shaoyang had no way to dodge. He was blown up into the air by those tornadoes. Xie Xiaotian's heart filled up with giddiness. Just as he was about to follow up with another round of damage… Ye Shaoyang suddenly flashed behind him.

How did the enemy get behind me in the middle of a fight?

You're a mage, not a jungler!

Xie Xiaotian froze for a second. Immediately afterwards, a tornado suddenly rose up from the ground beneath his feet. The tornado rampaged in the direction of Ye Shaoyang's defensive tower. Before Xie Xiaotian even got a chance to react, he had been blown back to the tower by three of Ye Shaoyang's tornadoes!

At that moment, there were no minions under the tower.

The defensive tower would, therefore, automatically target any enemy heroes who came into its range.

Ye Shaoyang's tactic of flashing behind his opponent and blowing his opponent towards his own tower left many of their spectators dumbfounded, with their eyes bugging out of their heads.

And poor Xie Xiaotian was eaten alive by the tower, just like that.

[Defensive Tower] killed [Happy Every Day]!

Xie Xiaotian was speechless.

He wasn't happy today. He was going to end himself.

After winning three games, Ye Shaoyang typed into the global chat: [Good game. ^_^]

Xie Xiaotian's whole face was burning. He wanted to dig himself a grave and bury himself inside. He let go of his keyboard and mouse like they were hot potatoes, then bowed his head without daring to say a single word.

0-3. He went 1v1 against the new omega mid laner and wound up losing 0-3!

What about his pride?

How was he ever supposed to lift his head to Ye Shaoyang again in the future?

Xie Xiaotian was just wallowing in despair when he heard a clear, bright voice ring out from next to him.

"Xiaotian, your talent is pretty good. Your movements and reactions are pretty quick too. You're just a little hasty. You're in a rush to win, which makes it easy for me to catch you out on your mistakes."

Ye Shaoyang didn't want to completely destroy one of Tianhuan's young players, so he took the initiative to offer Xie Xiaotian an easy way out. "When your mind isn't steady enough, it's easy for you to make a lot of little mistakes. When you get a chance, review some more."

Xie Xiaotian uttered a sound of acknowledgement, then went to hide in a corner with his head still drooping.

"Is there anyone else who would like to 1v1 me?" Ye Shaoyang asked.

No one from the second-string team made a single peep. After all, Xie Xiaotian had been thoroughly hammered by the new mid laner. It could be said that he only lost three rounds, but he had actually been killed eight times in a row. That could only be called a miserable defeat. Xie Xiaotian was probably at the point of questioning his own existence now.

At a time like that, who would dare stick their own neck out?

No one answered, so Ye Shaoyang smiled at Cheng Xing and asked, "Little Xing, do you want to give it a go?"

Cheng Xing instantly froze in his seat, like a statue. "I… I'll pass. For… forget it…"

"If he wants you to play, you play," Chi Shuo said icily. "What are you cowering for? Aren't you pretty good at beating up on weaklings in low-ranked matches?"

I was wrong, daddy! I was blind back then! I didn't know that weakling would become my teammate!

Cheng Xing looked at Ye Shaoyang, pleading for help with his eyes.

But Ye Shaoyang only smiled and said, "Come. Let's see if the current me has improved at all."

Cheng Xing wanted to cry, but the tears didn't come. He was dragged by Chi Shuo into the 1v1 room. He quietly whispered, "Master, can I play jungler?"

"Use a marksman," Chi Shuo said.

Cheng Xing had no choice but to grit his teeth and choose a marksman.

A marksman versus a mid lane mage? Anyone could imagine the tragedy that would follow.

Marksmen were too fragile. They needed constant protection from a support, and they didn't have many movement skills. Meanwhile, there were plenty of highly mobile mages with the ability to instakill their opponent.

In tournament games, a mage's number one priority was to instakill the enemy marksman.

For the first time, Cheng Xing felt the fear of being terrorized by a demonic mage!

Ye Shaoyang would pop up from god only knows where and take Cheng Xing's life with one skill combo. Cheng Xing couldn't even run. Even if he cautiously took cover under his own defensive tower, Ye Shaoyang would flash in to kill him there—how was he supposed to hide?!

Cheng Xing also lost three games in a row. He was just about ready to end himself too. His eyes were reddened, like he was about to cry.

Off to the side, Xie Xiaotian was also red-eyed, like he was near tears as well.

The two miserable souls exchanged a look, unable to think of a single thing to say.

None of the youths from the second-string team dared breathe a word.

They swiftly started to talk amongst themselves in their private group chat.

[This omega is too terrifying!]

[He kept flashing under the tower to kill Little Xing. Poor Little Xing was killed so many times that he didn't even dare leave his base anymore.]

[Is he really an omega?]

[Too scary. This is the first time I've ever seen such a fierce mage!]

All their heads were full of question marks.

A cute and gentle omega mid laner?

They had to stop dreaming. This was a fucking demonic mid laner who would charge into your tower's range to kill you and say 'good game' after the deed was done!

After watching to that point, Lin Feng coughed lightly with a slight smile and said, "Alright. Let's end our friendly welcoming party for our new teammate here."

Could this be called a friendly welcoming party?

Friendly to the point that Cheng Xing and Xie Xiaotian wanted to delete their accounts and uninstall the game?

Ye Shaoyang stood up and walked up behind Cheng Xing and Xie Xiaotian. He lightly patted the two youths on the shoulder and said, "You're both pretty talented. Your mental state just collapses too easily. Endure some more hardships in the future, to strengthen up your heart."

The two of them nearly blacked out for a second.

What? Endure more hardships?

Hearing that, Chi Shuo couldn't help the glimmer of mirth that rose in his eyes.

It seemed, with Shaoyang joining Tianhuan, the days at Tianhuan would become more and more interesting.

Author's Notes:

Cheng Xing and Xie Xiaotian have run off crying.

Ye Shaoyang: ^_^

The kids still aren't steady enough!

Translator's Notes:

天天开心 (tiāntiānkāixīn): Xie Xiaotian's main account name, meaning 'happy every day'. Uses the same 'tian' from Xie Xiaotian's name.