After laughing enough, Chao Mi brought the discussion back on track and joked: “Leaving everything else aside, Demon Blade's play there was definitely stable enough! Serpent's entire goal was to pressure Demon Blade's development, but Myerii cleared the entire wave. What pressure is left? Imaginary pressure!”
“Serpent's in an awkward spot now. Should he invade PNG's red side? But Demon Blade can rotate at any moment, and Cloud has already cleared the nearby camps. Once your position is exposed, everything becomes so much harder!”
Ahn Seung-soo hissed through his teeth as his scalp tingled.
In the end, he could only turn his attention back toward mid lane. It was the same story as before. No opportunities. Unless he walked directly into lane and applied pressure in person.
But showing up in lane would soak up a lot of experience. Taking a bit from top lane was one thing; stealing mid-lane experience was another matter entirely.
If he took a share, and then Kim Seok-chan took a share too, was Choi Hyun-woo ever supposed to reach level six? If the upcoming Rift Herald fight featured a level-five Phantom Trickster, UG would simply explode on the spot.
Helpless, Ahn Seung-soo clicked several times near PNG's red-side exit while recalling and reminded his teammates: “Cloud just cleared red side. Be careful if he rotates mid.”
Park Se-woo's Broken King in top lane was another tough customer who wasn't easy to gank. If Ji Yunyu wanted to create momentum, his options were basically limited to mid and bot.
Still, after thinking about Shadowbane Fanlei's miserable base attack damage and jungle clear speed, Ahn Seung-soo concluded that Ji Yunyu would almost certainly recall after finishing his first clear.
After all— Who could handle coming out of the jungle with only 55% HP left? Take a few more hits and the jungle monsters might kill him themselves!
Fanlei jungle deserved to be removed from the meta, okay?
“Serpent chooses to recall. There really wasn't much to do on the top side. Recalling now to upgrade his items lets him prepare for the next play!”
Da Ju stroked his chin. Ahn Seung-soo's handling of the situation wasn't bad.
For a jungler, recalling while seemingly having nothing to do wasn't necessarily a mistake. In some situations, recalling was a way to reset the game state. A jungler could leave base and re-enter the map from scratch, re-establishing pathing in jungle areas that lacked early vision. Everyone returned to square one, except he now had upgraded items and fresh consumables.
The same principle applied to laners.
“...Which is why,” Da Ju explained, “the timing of recalls is extremely important for both junglers and laners. Once your recall timing goes wrong, your ability to stabilize your own tempo becomes a serious test of skill.”
Ahn Seung-soo was clearly one of the smart ones.
He had taken a beating in the early game. Even though he wasn't entirely sure who had done what or said what to shut him down, he could use his experience to regain control of the game. Starting with this recall.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
At 3:58, just as Ahn Seung-soo sprinted out of fountain after buying his items, terrible news arrived from mid lane.
“Cloud is level four now, but his health is in terrible shape at only sixty percent! Is he really going to force a mid gank?!”
Seeing Ji Yunyu appear in the left-side mid brush, Chao Mi grew anxious. “The wave is pushing toward UG! False should have sensed the danger already—he's backing off!! There's absolutely no opportunity under the tower. I really don't think they should take this risk—”
“The jungler wants to gank me. They're planning to dive.” Choi Hyun-woo calmly asked his teammates, “Can anyone get here?”
[UG_Key] is on the way!
[UG_Serpent] is on the way!
[UG_Leave] is on the way!
Three pings rang out instantly. Kim Seok-chan, who had been monitoring the entire map all along, had already started moving earlier and was now halfway through the river, not far from mid lane.
But a quick glance at the minimap told Choi Hyun-woo that his teammates probably wouldn't arrive before PNG completed the dive.
“The wave's almost gone. Dive?” Sui Ning asked, his eyes fixed on Ji Yunyu.
Ji Yunyu nodded. “Dive.”
Neither of them said anything else.
Sui Ning immediately understood. Fan'en stepped forward two paces and cast [Q - Abyssal Path] across both the minion wave and the nearby wall. The spell finished off the last few low-health minions while simultaneously drawing tower aggro.
First, lower his health! Choi Hyun-woo made an immediate decision. Q, auto, W, auto, E. A full burst combo landed instantly on Sui Ning. A massive damage number floated upward as the fragile Fan'en's health plummeted to sixty-five percent in an instant.
At the same time, the tower's laser had already locked on. Each shot could remove fifteen to seventeen percent of a champion's health.
In a mechanically demanding situation like this, Choi Hyun-woo's thinking was crystal clear. His damage calculations were world-class, and he naturally knew how to coordinate with the tower's damage.
Although he appeared to have used his abilities, he had actually held onto the second activation of W the entire time. He was saving it to dodge a crucial ability.
The commentators were alarmed. “False is looking for a turnaround!” Chao Mi became even more nervous. “PNG's mid-jungle duo are both low on health! They can't tank this tower! False's next combo is definitely going to kill someone!!”
“And didn't Wind's first Q completely miss??” Chao Mi was practically sweating. “It didn't hit False at all! Half the ability hit the wall!”
He couldn't help being anxious. He had never seen Wind attempt a tower dive with such a crooked skillshot.
The champion already dealt negligible damage in the early game. He had no items. And now he'd missed a Q.
How were they supposed to kill anyone? Choi Hyun-woo didn't immediately understand either. The reason was simple. Very few players in the world could pilot this champion combination properly. Lacking experience against it, even someone like Choi Hyun-woo couldn't instantly see through the opponent's plan from among countless possibilities and formulate a counterattack.
His eyes instinctively drifted toward that strange Q.
The dark pathway left behind by [Q - Abyssal Path] was attached to the wall for nearly half its length. And Cloud's position...
Choi Hyun-woo's pupils contracted. He instantly realized what was happening.
[UG_False] is requesting assistance!
“—He’s using the wall!” A powerful sense of dread surged through Choi Hyun-woo's entire body. He only managed to hoarsely shout half a sentence before Ji Yunyu's skill was already flying straight toward him!
“Fan'en's summoned minions can't tank the tower, so what happens now? Cloud can only rely on himself—” The commentators stared wide-eyed, unwilling to miss a single detail!
Ji Yunyu moved close to the [Q - Abyssal Path] left behind by Sui Ning. The passive icon on his skill bar instantly lit up, indicating that the Synergy Enhancement effect had activated.
He immediately targeted the wall and threw out [E - Mark of Execution]. The serrated dagger shot toward Choi Hyun-woo like a bolt of lightning!
-138!
The tower detected a new enemy and instantly switched targets!
At the same moment, the young assassin—masked and cloaked—moved with astonishing lightness. Using the Abyssal Path provided by his brother, he effortlessly stepped onto the stone outcropping on the left side of mid lane. With a few light taps of his feet, cloak fluttering behind him like a black hawk, he swiftly escaped the tower's attack range.
All of Chao Mi's worries jammed themselves in his throat. Only then did he remember one of the most important effects of their Synergy Enhancement:
Synergy Enhancement – Twin Shadows: When Fan'en is nearby, Fanlei can also move along the Abyssal Path. His movement causes the abyssal path to spread as well.
This effect ignored terrain.
Ignored terrain!
Despite Sui Ning and Ji Yunyu having already used this mechanic to create countless legendary plays and highlight moments, Chao Mi still found himself stunned by their coordination and imagination.
One sideways-cast Q from Fan'en had transformed the wall and the huge area beneath the tower into Fanlei's personal stage!
Gripping his dagger tightly, Fanlei marked Choi Hyun-woo with [E - Mark of Execution]. At the same time, the icon for [Q - Omen of Death] lit up. The additional damage and bleed effect would activate upon impact, while simultaneously triggering Fan'en's Synergy interaction.
“EQ lands! Two stacks of bleed!” Chao Mi shouted at the top of his lungs. “Cloud isn't staying to fight! His health is too dangerous—he can't tank the tower! He gets his damage off and immediately vaults back over the wall! And that Q also triggered Wind's skill effect, spreading the Abyssal Path even further!”
Almost instantly, the entire wall and the area surrounding the tower became covered in faintly glowing black shadows. The shadows seemed alive, flowing and writhing as something eerie emerged from within—
Synergy Enhancement – Twin Shadows: When Fan'en is nearby, Fanlei's [Q - Omen of Death] causes all of Fan'en's Shadows to immediately cast either [Abyssal Path] or [Omen of Death], ignoring 35% of the target's magical and physical defenses.
Whenever a Shadow dies or disappears, 25% of this skill's cooldown is refunded.
In an instant, two additional black Shadows appeared on the battlefield. The ground became flooded with Sui Ning's abilities like spilled ink.
“There are Fan'en Q paths everywhere! Cloud can run wherever he wants now!” Qing Ci stared with eyes wide open. “He can fight however he wants! They're only level four!”
He was completely dumbfounded. This is absurd. Designer, what are you doing?! They're paying you that much money and this is what you design?!
Ji Yunyu's agile figure darted back and forth through the shadows. Although neither player had unlocked their ultimate yet, their constant manipulation of tower aggro and attack range allowed them to survive far longer than they should have.
Long enough— To force a kill.
No matter how strong Choi Hyun-woo was, early-game abilities were still limited.
Kim Seok-chan shouted anxiously, “I'm coming! I'm almost there! Hold on!”
The commentators were nearly blinded trying to follow the action. Chao Mi desperately attempted to keep up with the duo's mechanics and began stumbling over his words: “—The mid-jungle coordination is incredible!! They're abusing the tower aggro mechanics! They're actually confusing the tower itself!! False is in such an awkward spot! Fan'en's Shadows are fragile, but he doesn't dare kill them! Every one he clears refunds 25% cooldown—that's a cactus! Touch it and you'll get pricked!”
“If he doesn't kill them, they keep scratching at him! Fan'en has no items, so the Shadows don't hurt much individually, but getting scratched over and over isn't a solution either—”
“...” Grinding his teeth, Choi Hyun-woo finally had no choice. He burned Flash and attempted to retreat.
The Korean commentators immediately beat their chests in frustration. “Oh no! False hesitated! He should've flashed immediately at the start! PNG's mid-jungle duo excels in drawn-out fights. Now there are too many Q paths spread across the area—”
Of course, that was pure hindsight. Easy to say after the fact. Was Flash free?
For the next five minutes, any professional player without Flash would have to play nervously and cautiously.
Before the commentator even finished speaking, a black figure emerged from beside the wall.
Between the outer and inner towers was a small patch of ground not covered by turret fire. Choi Hyun-woo's Flash hadn't traveled far enough. His landing spot was precisely that dangerous open area.
Beneath Fanlei's hood, dark-purple eyes locked firmly onto him.
“This is bad!” the Korean commentator cried. “Cloud's going to catch him here!”
Whoosh—
-197!
A blade cut through the air. A flash of silver light. The edge of the dagger reflected the blood-streaked face beneath the Phantom Trickster's hood—
[PNG_Cloud (Shadowbane) has slain UG_False (Phantom Trickster)!]
[First Blood!]
Fanlei lightly tapped the ground and leaped into UG's jungle, escaping tower range.
84 HP remaining.
“WOOOOOO—!!!”
“PNG! PNG! PNG—!!”
The audience instantly erupted. Cheers exploded through the arena as spectators leapt to their feet, applauding wildly while chanting the names of PNG's mid-jungle duo!
A kill that seemed to come completely out of nowhere shattered the entire world's understanding of Fan'en and Fanlei!
In broadcasts across every language, commentators found themselves shouting the names of the two champions in unison:“Fan'en—! Fanlei—!”
“My God!” A foreign commentator, seeing something like this for the first time, nearly sprayed saliva in his excitement. “Is this really something these brothers can do? My God, is this real?! Level four! They tower-dived and killed our world champion mid laner! Their coordination had not a single mistake, not a moment of hesitation!”
He could barely catch his breath. “In addition, I remember our designers already issued targeted nerfs to Fan'en and Fanlei. But today, on the stage of the Season 6 World Championship Finals, I'd like to ask those designers a question—do you really think those nerfs were enough?!”
The commentator beside him was equally excited. “No, Mike, I don't think this is entirely a champion issue. Otherwise, why haven't we seen a performance pushed to such limits before today?”
“Perfect synchronization! Yes, absolute synchronization! Completely aligned thoughts and ability timings combined to create what we're witnessing right now!”
“This is a spectacular moment that belongs exclusively to PNG_Wind and Cloud!”
“PNG——!!”
“WooooAooo——!!”
“First Blood has been secured!” Chao Mi finally relaxed his tense nerves, delight written all over his face.
The arena microphones picked up the deafening roar of applause and cheering from the stands behind him, forcing him to raise his voice as well. “—The crowd has completely lost its mind! That First Blood was beautiful! Two early-game weak champions, both below full health, facing False's Phantom Trickster—and they actually took down the stronger side and sent him back to base for free!”
Da Ju was equally thrilled. “Don't be fooled into thinking that dive looked reckless. PNG was actually incredibly precise. Their timing was perfect! The enemy support Key couldn't make it in time, and jungler Serpent had just recalled! PNG knew False was completely isolated! If even one teammate had arrived, that dive would've ended very differently!”
Kim Seok-chan's reaction had already been extremely fast. He was still just a little too late. The speed at which Sui Ning and Ji Yunyu executed the play was simply beyond imagination.
“Some viewers think PNG is just a brawler team that wins by throwing wild punches and overwhelming more experienced opponents. Seriously—after watching this play, it's time to change your opinion!”
[HOLY SHIT!]
[@War of Glory designers, care to comment on this play?]
[I bet the designers are staring at the screen in shock right now, lmao.]
[HOLY CRAP THAT WAS SO COOL!! Cloud, you've finally stood up and become a man!!]
[WIND!!!—Actually, never mind. This is basic stuff for Feng-bao. Everyone, sit down.]
[My mid-jungle husbands, lick lick lick— (frantically wagging puppy)]
Every detail of Choi Hyun-woo's laning had been world-class. Throughout the entire sequence, he had left no obvious opening. Even after being collapsed on, his reactions had been nearly perfect.
Yet despite being that cautious, Sui Ning and Ji Yunyu still tore open a crack through sheer coordination.
Or rather— "Coordination" no longer felt like a sufficient word.
Choi Hyun-woo couldn't help asking himself: Was what they just did actually that difficult? If separated, every individual action performed by either Fan'en or Fanlei was something he could replicate with ease.
But put together? Reproducing it would be as difficult as climbing to heaven.
Even if his partner were Ahn Seung-soo—a brother-in-arms who had experienced both the team's highs and lows alongside him—Choi Hyun-woo didn't believe they shared a connection that deep.
“Did these two grow up wearing the same pair of pants?” he muttered. “Ah, damn it... or are they sharing the same brain?”
This First Blood felt incredibly unfair. Painfully unfair. Against anyone else, he wouldn't have died. He might even have turned it around and killed one of them.
But he just had to run into these two. And they just happened to be playing some ridiculous brother-combo champion pair. A strategy that apparently only they could truly understand. Something like that deserved an instant ban.
Fortunately, this wasn't a critical dragon or Rift Herald timing. Choi Hyun-woo's death wouldn't immediately cause UG's entire game plan to collapse.
He simply pinged for assistance. “Help me hold mid wave.”
Kim Seok-chan, who had only just arrived, replied: “OK.”
Sui Ning had recalled. The wave state was unfavorable for UG. Kim Seok-chan drew minion aggro and held the wave in place, preventing it from crashing into the tower and causing his mid laner to lose farm.
After a short wait, both Choi Hyun-woo and Sui Ning returned to lane.
At the same time, an unexpected visitor from the enemy team also arrived in mid lane.
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