Grace (Part 1 End)
Eventually, Sia and Min-jun got banished to the distant top jungle for the crime of getting on my nerves. That left me naturally paired with "WorkHardNoRage" for the bottom lane.
"Se-min-ssi? Nice to meet you."
"Ah, yes! Nice to meet you too. Um..."
"Just call me NoName."
"NoName? Is that really your real name?"
"Got a problem with that?"
"No, not at all."
I picked Astria, same as always. Until the crystal patch hit, this was the champion I'd stick with for the foreseeable future. This was pretty much my last time playing LoL anyway.
It was Se-min's turn to pick. A massive warrior with a shield appeared.
"Braum...? No way, are you still hung up on what happened earlier...?"
"Nooo! Right, Lulu! Lulu's better, yeah?"
"You could just go with the usual Rammus."
"Even so, playing support with that would be a nuisance. You remember?"
"...Let's go."
Free rank lane phase was boring as hell. We hit level 2 first, but the enemies had already pulled back, so we couldn't capitalize on the level advantage. At this rate, it'd be half-farming for us, half-farming for them, no fights, just wasting time until the end. Not a bad comp for late game anyway—no need to force anything early.
Se-min, stuck among celestials, seemed to relax in the chill game vibe.
"When I said I saved NoName-ssi, that wasn't just a joke, right?"
Se-min asked with a hint of resolve in his voice.
"Why would you think it was?"
I teased back mischievously, and he just scratched his head, at a loss for words. His dumbfounded look made me chuckle.
"See, Astria's definitely broken, but her limits are crystal clear. Until level 6, you just have to eat hits like this."
The enemy Vayne rolled forward to attack me. Normally, Lulu would've shielded me, Vayne bails, and we'd kite with the ADC. But I didn't expect that from Se-min.
Better to take a single slap than dive solo without support and bleed HP. So I ate the hit.
Astria's fox ears drooped limply. Did it hurt that bad? Maybe she felt listless.
"Even standard RS farming's tough. With Mipo or Kettle, you could snag it without worry, but Astria demands perfect judgment every second."
Take the enemy ADC's attack to kill a minion, or dodge and miss it?
"Pretend to farm while trading hits, or bait their ADC skill first then reengage. Like this."
My childhood was endless choices. One mistake meant death—no room for even minor screw-ups. Even if it wasn't my fault.
"Hitting 6 doesn't change much."
The chick hatches into a harsh new world. Predators, scorching heat, raging storms. Wings, but can't fly yet. That was level 6 Astria. That was me.
Vayne strayed from her support for a split second. I fired off Supernova immediately.
But thanks to her saved tumble and flash, she dodged two hits by luck, wasting my ult.
Would Vayne feel the crisis? Most wouldn't. Surviving full combo gives confidence—they'd push harder next time.
Cognitive bias deepens selective perception, reinforcing bad decisions. Hard to admit you're the predator about to get eaten.
"When I go in, hit 'em with Grow."
"Asel!"
I Q a ranged minion to meet the ice ratio condition.
"Sai!"
W roots the enemy, E blocks support.
"Riba!"
No extra mark damage, but I charged Vayne without hesitation.
"Ra Astria Suhat Phylum"
⟨ Grow! ⟩
Perfect ult link-up. I'd done it dozens of times. The pattern ignorant players couldn't beat Astria with.
No complex math needed. Vayne's ult is stealth, useless against nontargeting Astria. Both half HP. Logically, Astria's DPS edge is huge.
But the snake clinging to past arrogance gets devoured by the "chick" eagle. Nature's way.
"But Astria's broken because teammates sacrifice until she scales."
Players forget who enabled their growth. Especially Kassadin, Kayle, Astria mains.
Am I here solely thanks to myself? No way. No mother bird, no hatchling.
Until I built my own world, I thanked all who were nests or shields.
"Thank you, Cheon Se-min-ssi. For saving my life."
For spotting my desperate flail in that instant.
"Without you, I wouldn't be here."
Truly grateful. From the heart.
Astria had just nailed a top dive. Min-jun praised her kill score.
(13/0/2)
Some might scoff at "just 13 kills," but that's late-game thinking. Four celestials on one team? The field's not tilted—it's flipped poles.
Even if they claimed casual, it was one-sided. Game time: still 19 minutes.
In other words, enemies ate hits nonstop for 19 minutes.
She hounded the broken enemy top—two solo kills from Min-jun in lane had crushed them. ADC diving top twice at 15 min, two turrets down.
"Nothing more frustrating than dying to turret."
Sia muttered—they only wanted to defend mid.
"Then they should've scaled harder."
Nami shot back cynically, scolding what they'd done while she grew.
I trailed Nami like a puppy, thinking she was utterly unpredictable.
Good thing she seems cheery.
But Se-min couldn't shake her lane words. Walpurgis—that terrorist group from 7 years ago, huge news in Korea for months. Here?
And the prosecutor on that case was probably...
Message from Junho. Se-min remembered he came to PC bang with a friend.
What's wrong with periods?
Se-min was about to reply when—
"Before surrender, I'm killing you at least!"
Enemy Vayne, double flash-spell, chased lone Se-min deep in their jungle. Lulu's laughs had boiled her blood all game. Had to snap the fairy's neck or no sleep tonight.
Se-min fled, but speed gap was huge. Vayne's silver arrows pierced him.
Final condemn about to hit heart—flash of light, HP healed.
Lulu dramatically saved by 4-min heal and 5-min flash cooldown.
"Don't zone out during games."
Astria burned the precious spells to save Lulu. Se-min knew their value, even in Silver.
"Full spell on support's too wasteful, no?"
"Not just any support."
Astria helped the fairy up with her brightest smile yet.
"You're my benefactor."
"Ah..."
"Now, let's end this game."