Practice Time (2)
"Haneul, instead of Osya, focus on broadening your champion pool."
Hong Suyeon's explanation was straightforward. The other teams already knew that Nam Haneul was the core of her team and that Osya was the only champion she excelled at. With the ban system applied just like in ranked games before the matches even started, it was best to reduce her one-trick tendencies. Bluntly put, restricting Osya right now would halve her game performance.
So the single task given to Nam Haneul was clear: no Osya in solo queue or scrims.
"Y-Yes, got it."
And so the first game began. She picked the twin-pistol fugitive, Ferric.
"You ever tried Ferric~?"
Saryami asked as she selected the Herald of Flags, Maro. She didn't know much about Nam Haneul yet.
"I've... tried it a few times, simply put..."
It wasn't a confident reply. Among the champions she'd properly played and mastered with her boosted game stats, Osya was the only one.
In truth, she'd been a varied player before, but after pulling off super plays with Osya on stream, she'd grown attached. Besides, her pre-status window champion mastery didn't count for much—her low Judgment and Comprehension back then made any "mastery" dubious at best.
"Then take it slow~ Aja aja."
"It's just practice to get familiar! Right?"
Saryami was in her late twenties—not that old. But her old-school tastes and made her feel like peers with Butang.
"I'll do my best...!"
Nam Haneul clenched her fist and nodded. The game loaded. The enemy bot duo was Shadow Bullet, Mystin, and Freezing Victory Rifle, Nobel.
Nobel was originally an ADC champion, but with its heavy slow effect and wide hitbox skill, it saw occasional support play. Mystin, conversely, lacked multi-target damage but packed a punch on single targets.
"Mystin-Nobel duo, huh~"
The combo was notoriously strong, common in games. Nam Haneul was just easing in with a casual first game, but she pursed her lips in tension.
"Nngh..."
But her current Appearance was 105. Viewers went wild no matter what she did. It had been great at first, but now their gazes felt burdensome. She'd never been this watched before. And it was embarrassing—people saw her not as a man, but an incredibly pretty woman.
"Ferric's got~ lots of mobility, you know that, right~?"
"Y-Yeah, I know..."
Ferric was a lot like Osya—an ADC style. Three of its four skills were dashes. Practically all but the ultimate. Each had unique effects, of course. Its basic attacks hit hard, but it had a reload system: fire a set number, then reload.
Mastering Ferric meant chaining dashes with precise autos. Its passive reloaded instantly on dash, no animation.
"Don't tense up too much~ Slowly! Got it?"
"Y-Yes—"
They reached lane. Nam Haneul poked lightly without overextending, farming minions. Loading screen showed both enemies were Diamond tier. Solo rank and flex didn't compare directly, but Diamond meant they could play.
"Their arm~ is longer, so play safe~"
Nam Haneul marveled at her first "good support." Saryami mixed autos into minions exactly when needed for wave management. When enemies pushed, she warded river without fail. Her poke skills always clipped the enemy ADC.
"Our health... looks good. We could go for it...!"
After laning, ironically, the enemy ADC's health was worse. Even unfamiliar with Ferric, Nam Haneul's Physical stats gave her great movement. Nobel's wide skills all missed—against Osya, some might've hit. But with Saryami's solid poke, she dashed freely to dodge.
Health favored allies, but mana favored enemies. So Nam Haneul planned a dive. Line was pushed—not ideal for turret dive, but burning a spell was worth it.
"Perfect~ I'll go first~"
"Huh? Okay?"
Osya's aggressive engages, Nam Haneul's Physical prowess—solo queue bots always dove first. Osya thrived on bold entries, easier than waiting for support angles.
But Saryami thought the same. She dove with spell, dropping a slow zone on their escape and a speed flag on Nam Haneul's path. Ignite on enemy ADC too. Considering Ferric's dashes, she placed it offset from Nam Haneul's position.
Nam Haneul short-dashed into the speed buff and charged. Bang-! Two bullets slammed the enemy ADC. They resisted with skill, but she chained another dash, stuck close, and fired two more.
Mystin was near death—one auto to kill. As Ferric reloaded, Nobel hit with damage+slow skill; Mystin dashed away. Then Saryami's Maro fired a damage flag.
Thud- It hit perfectly, but shield spell saved her. Support heal helped her escape with extra health.
Gains: enemy ADC full spells, support heal. Cost: Saryami's flash+ignite. Solid trade.
Mystin and Nobel flashed+shielded back under turret and recalled.
And—ratatatang-!!
Four Ferric bullets ripped into Mystin before she could react.
[Monmons has been killed!]
"Backing off now...!"
"Nice instincts~ You did great~."
"Hehe..."
Ferric normally fired two then reloaded, but four in a flash? Simple: two autos, cancel animation with dash, two more. Even entering toward turret ADC used a dash—perfect skill-auto weave.
Recalling support targeted turret-damaged Nam Haneul, but Ferric was already out with Maro's buff. Zero spells burned.
She cleared the wave and recalled.
"Good job~ For barely playing it, you did really well~ Such a good girl~."
"N-No, Saryami did more... better..."
Returning to lane, Nam Haneul's lips curved up. Praise from her laner felt great. But with others in the game, she held back the goofy grin.
And Hong Suyeon's brow twitched watching. Her stream was off, but players' small cams showed on her miscord.
With her huge fanbase, many read her mood well. That brow twitch signaled displeasure—like at Worlds when allies flubbed.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry."
Mid laner Solti, after a solo kill, spiraled into apologies, blaming himself for her mood.
But contrary to predictions, Hong Suyeon's irritation was simple.
'Why's she so happy about that?'
Nam Haneul getting chummy with Saryami irked her.