Chapter 101
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Canyon Domination
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The canyon.
Mid was the most important lane there.
In a way, it was obvious—mid was right smack in the center of the map, after all.
That meant it connected to top, bottom, or jungle. In other words, mid was the maestro dominating the entire game from their own lane.
Players holding down mid called themselves the "royals," flaunting their superiority.
Of course, that was just what they said. To everyone else, they were nothing more than minion-munching supports.
Tools to use whenever needed, right?
Anyway, the two self-proclaimed royal mid laners were locked in a fierce psychological war, nerve battle, and war of attrition, all to seize control of the lane.
Shin-hyeok's team mid laner was a mage class, while the enemy mid was an assassin class.
The mage steadily whittled down their opponent while using powerful AoE attacks to clear minions at lightning speed.
In contrast, the assassin picked off minions with thrown attacks, dodging enemy hits to preserve health and constantly angling for a dive.
Naturally, the mage knew this all too well and never gave them an opening.
Thus, the intense mid lane war between the two reached its conclusion.
"Delivery!"
"...Gah!"
It was Shin-hyeok who burst out from the bush, black lightning coiling around both legs.
Lightning Horse Step.
The first technique Shin-hyeok had learned from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but as his main movement skill, its power far outstripped the assassin player's reflexes.
If he'd known it was coming, he might've had a chance to react—but unfortunately, the bush Shin-hyeok sprang from had already been swept by Tarkhan, who smashed the vision wards. No sight there.
In short, it was an attack too fast to react to even if seen... and now it came from nowhere.
Especially since Shin-hyeok's demonic spear was wrapped in spear qi. For an already fragile assassin low on health, it was impossible to survive.
Plus, the lane phase had already chipped away at his HP thanks to Shin-hyeok's team mid laner.
Anyway, after one-shotting the enemy mid laner, Shin-hyeok turned to his own dumbfounded mid laner and said,
"Mid."
"Yeah?"
"Push up quick. Gold incoming."
"...Damn it!"
The mid player, already aware of the bot lane drama, scowled at Shin-hyeok's familiar line and hastily started clearing minions.
"Bon appétit."
"Ugh, my life."
But naturally, not a single minion was left for him.
As a mage player specialized in burst and AoE clears, he was great at farming—but Shin-hyeok? Nuclear burst with AoE rivaling any mage.
"ADC, you're finally getting it... How the hell did you survive that all lane phase...?"
Just one encounter, and it was already agony.
So how much hell had his own ADC endured against Shin-hyeok the whole time?
The mid laner sighed over his earlier dismissal of bot lane woes, but Shin-hyeok was already gone.
"Top's a treat too."
The final lane: top.
The most isolated lane, where top laners immersed themselves in their own world.
Top was a weird lane.
Unlike mid or bot, it was detached from the overall flow.
Why? Because the game-changing unique monster spawned bot-side first.
The other one was top-side, but that hit mid-game, and its insane strength meant you only hunted it late-game. So top rarely saw major skirmishes.
No profit, so no one came. No one came, so top laners could only trust themselves.
They devolved into Galápagos islands of nonstop, insane brawls.
But surprisingly, these sidelined top laners often turned won games around—or even pulled off comebacks.
That's why they called themselves "grand generals."
The deciders of victory in the war called the game.
Yeah, just like mids with their "royals," it only flew among top players.
Most called them lunatics.
"Kuhahaha! You hit hard!"
"Not bad yourself!"
Right now, top was pure lunacy—brawling nonstop, ignoring minions.
But unlike the usual, this game made top a battlefield.
"Juuungleeeeer!!!"
"You damn hack! Get your ass here NOW!!!"
"Shit, if only that KS hadn't happened..."
"Only spot left is top..."
Shin-hyeok's jungler had nowhere but top to go. Enemy jungler couldn't enter their own jungle without Tarkhan ambushing, so ganks were it.
Crucially, bot was off-limits for both junglers. Top was the only answer.
Thus, top became a nonstop 2v2 Warring States bloodbath.
"Gotcha!"
"Calling jungle into the sacred top lane? You're no true top laner!"
"Bullshit—you called yours first. Pathetic."
"Jungle diff! Jungle diff! Jungle diff!!!"
The enemy team won.
Basic skill gap favored them.
Shin-hyeok the balance-breaker aside, his teammates were overall weaker.
Anyway, as Shin-hyeok's defeated top laner cursed the team jungler lying beside him, a heartwarming scene unfolding—
"Tarkhan."
"Aye, let's go!"
[Ally defeated.]
[Ally defeated.]
BOOM!!!
No ninja here—Shin-hyeok and Tarkhan crashed the party.
The enemy top laner startled, hurriedly bracing for defense.
Of course, he didn't forget to finish off Shin-hyeok's half-dead top and jungler first.
Two kills, level up, some HP/mana regen—he felt confident.
'M manageable. Choi Shin-hyeok's a monster, but I've farmed well. With our jungler, it'll be even.'
One: Top had the fastest leveling in canyon.
Two: Constant 2v2s boosted his growth.
Three: Tarkhan was a summon, usually weaker than players. So 2v2 was really 2v1.5.
"Gotta bail."
"What?"
"That orc psycho!!!"
Of course, pure delusion from never facing Tarkhan.
The enemy jungler, jungles raided and kills fed every time, PTSD kicked in—he bolted without looking back.
Top laner, trusting jungle, reacted slow.
That meant one thing.
"Alone... I'm alone..."
"Kiyaaaaak!!!"
Shin-hyeok and Tarkhan.
Two monsters on one guy.
If he could handle that, he wouldn't be Platinum scrabbling—he'd own Heavenly Pinnacle spots.
[Enemy defeated.]
Soon, he dissolved into clinking gold.
"While we're here, let's trash the tower too."
"You got it."
Enemy top dead, ally top dead—empty top lane.
Shin-hyeok moved to demolish the nutritious, tasty tower.
Bang bang bang!
Shin-hyeok swung demonic spear and holy sword; Tarkhan his glaive.
Against two summoner-summon combos, the sturdy turret crumbled like tofu.
[First turret destroyed.]
[Bonus gold granted.]
"Mmm, sweet."
Tower gold plus first-tower bonus.
Pockets full, Shin-hyeok headed back to base.
"My toweeer!!!"
Shin-hyeok's top laner respawned to the enemy turret rubble and wailed.
To top players, the enemy's first tower was holier than their nexus.
They say even if nexus falls, breaking enemy T1 top is victory.
But now stolen by another? Tears flowed as he rose.
Tower gone, but minions remained—he'd farm those.
"...Gotta do what I gotta... Wait, where's my minions?"
Enemy minions? Shin-hyeok swept them clean. Top laner became one with the dirt, back-sweeping the lane.
Thus, as Shin-hyeok ravaged all lanes and enemy jungle, the game fully tilted his team's way.
Over 30 minutes since game start.
Enemy team tried hard their way—best efforts, even unorthodox strategies for variables.
They eked out small gains—
"Block that psycho!"
"Ugh, killing peons? Pointless... Can't touch Choi Shin-hyeok."
"Dude's hoovered every resource—full monster now."
"Invaaalid! Game's invalid! Invalid!!!"
But they couldn't catch Shin-hyeok. Nothing changed.
His teammates barely grew.
Shin-hyeok black-holed every resource.
They call it "carrying the log."
Drop the carrier, and 9v1 flips.
But Shin-hyeok never fell.
5v1? Cakewalk. Even aced two kills and escaped.
Still, enemies didn't quit.
"Too stomped... Loss means brutal penalties..."
"Sigh, months of stats down the drain..."
"No choice. One way: Catch the Demon Incarnation."
"...Yeah, that's it."
Loss meant losing months of stats.
So, they rolled the dice.
Demon Incarnation.
Mid-game unique monster top-side.
Kill it: Massive gold, buffs, blessings exclusive to it. Comeback fuel.
Fail? Hope dies. But better than meek defeat. They snuck to its nest.
Surveillance locked, traps galore for enemy joins.
Canyon-special shop traps—potent stuff.
-The vermin have arrived. Die.
WHOOOOSH!
Prep done, battle joined.
Demon Incarnation wielded demonic energy.
Violence incarnate via overwhelming attack power.
Endless demonic qi from nest—tricky foe, but manageable.
"...A unique monster tougher than one player? Real?"
"Watch one player?"
"Yes, Choi Shin-hyeok is dangerous."
"Less talk, more skills! Almost down!"
Beaten by Shin-hyeok so much, they'd grown(?).
Thanks, Shin-hyeok! thumbs up
As they closed in—
Rumble CRACK!
Distant massive black lightning bolt caught their eye.
Far beyond Shin-hyeok's Lightning Horse Step. Unease hit.
"Fuuuuck! Kill it fast! FAST!"
"Shit, skills on cooldown!"
"H-he's coming! He's coming!!!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
Explosions outside vision, closing fast.
Faster by the second.
Instantly at nest edge—they froze, staring.
A monster emerged.
"Turtle Ship Summon, Heaven-Destroying Peng Fist."
ROOOAR!!!
-Kieeeek!!!
Turtle ship boasting monster size and weight.
Even that dwarfed by the heaven-shattering peng claw.
"Bon appétit."
KABOOOOOM!!!
Shin-hyeok atop it all, crashing onto the Demon Incarnation.
[Demon team stole Demon Incarnation.]
Canyon split into Demon and Heaven teams.
Shin-hyeok's was Demon.
Heaven team vision-locked, trapped, smashed it for a minute—Shin-hyeok sniped the last hit.
"Ahh, stuffed."
His endless hunger finally sated.
"Now for dessert."
"Please, no."
Main course and dessert are separate stomachs, though.
Shin-hyeok charged the exhausted Heaven team relentlessly.