Chapter 61: The Happy Wind Man’s Reckoning

Hua Mu’ai was left speechless.

Her earlier bravado was instantly doused by a bucket of cold water.

The atmosphere grew incredibly awkward.

“Then… what about you?” Chu Yuyao inquired tentatively, noticing her silence.

“Ahem!” Hua Mu’ai cleared her throat, her gaze flickering evasively. “This young lady… is, of course, also from District One!”

“That’s wonderful! We can queue together for ranked matches…”

“Absolutely not!” Hua Mu’ai interjected immediately.

‘It would be a joke to let a Master know she was merely a Silver-ranked player. How could she ever show her face again?’

“Why not?” Chu Yuyao asked, bewildered.

A flush crept up Hua Mu’ai’s cheeks. She turned her head away, stubbornly explaining, “This, this young lady hasn’t played in ages! I only recently returned to the game, so my rank… is a little low! I can’t queue with a Master!”

“No, no problem at all!” Chu Yuyao quickly reassured her, as if fearing she might change her mind. “I have a smurf account; we can play together on that!”

Hua Mu’ai fell silent, stunned.

‘After such an offer, refusing again would only make her seem guilty.’

“Oh… very well, then.”

Blushing, she donned her headphones once more and navigated to the in-game friend request interface.

Having added each other as friends, they quickly entered the duo queue.

Upon entering the champion select screen, Chu Yuyao immediately locked in the jungle role.

Hua Mu’ai discreetly checked the girl’s match history using the game app on her phone, finding a formidable record of assassins and fighters, with an alarmingly high win rate.

Soon, it was her turn to select a champion.

Her mouse hovered over the portrait of a champion named “Blade of Shadow” before locking it in.

This was a male assassin, cloaked and wielding twin blades, whose lore painted him as a ruthless killer. His most crucial ability, “Path of the Assassin,” allowed him to scale walls.

Wherever a wall stood, he could effortlessly vault over it like a parkour master, ghosting through Oracle’s Canyon and becoming the bane of all squishy champions.

Given Blade of Shadow’s relatively slow jungle clear speed, those who chose him for jungling were either one-trick ponies or outright feeders.

Moments later, it was Hua Mu’ai’s turn to choose.

She had initially intended to pick a champion she was proficient with and play seriously. However, the thought of being forced into becoming some ‘idol’ flared up her irritation again, reminding her why she had sought solace online in the first place.

‘Isn’t the whole point of playing games to have fun?’

‘With a Master to back her up, she could just focus on having a good time!’

Her mouse glided across the champion list, finally settling on a long-sword-wielding man dressed as a wanderer.

The Wind Swordsman, Yasuo.

A legendary champion in Battle of the Oracles, known for his polarizing reputation.

Players affectionately referred to him as “Happy Wind Man.”

Indeed, playing this champion brought immense joy; his E-skill, “Sweeping Blade,” allowed him to dash fluidly between minions and enemies, embodying the grace of a true master.

Yet, the price of this joy often came at the cost of his teammates’ suffering.

A common saying among players went: “Nine out of ten Yasuo players are feeders, and the tenth one is on the enemy team.”

This champion demanded exceptional mechanical skill; a good player could perform dazzling feats, while a poor one became a walking ATM for the enemy. Novices would merely dash aimlessly, often finding themselves deep within enemy lines only to die instantly.

The vast majority of players fell into the latter category. Even so, this did not diminish their fervent love for him.

For them, winning or losing held little importance; as long as they dashed quickly enough, their teammates’ pinged question marks wouldn’t catch them. Even with a score of 0 kills and 10 deaths, nothing could deter their joyful urge to charge in with a resounding “Hasagi!”

The moment Hua Mu’ai locked in Yasuo, the chat box exploded.

[Where are my teammates, save me?]: Enemy top is Molten Boulder, and you’re still picking Yasuo as a counter?

[I’m LBW, not hacking]: Sir, this is my promotion series!

[Legacy of Reverse Q]: Top lane Yasuo is definitely a feeder. I’m out, you can thank me later.

Seeing someone about to quit, Chu Yuyao quickly typed.

[Flash for Turret Plates]: I’ll carry this game, don’t quit.

[Legacy of Reverse Q]: Really? Don’t lie to me.

[Flash for Turret Plates]: Mhmm.

With that, the game officially began.

“Watch closely now, this young lady is about to show you some moves.”

Hua Mu’ai controlled her Wind Swordsman, having learned his E-skill “Sweeping Blade” at level one, and began dashing erratically through the minion wave, a flurry of flashy but seemingly aimless movements.

The enemy top lane champion was a sturdy, thick-skinned Molten Boulder.

Watching Hua Mu’ai bounce around, the Molten Boulder player chuckled.

‘Another happy one?’

Without hesitation, he unleashed his Q-skill, “Seismic Shard,” flinging a rocky projectile that shattered the Wind Swordsman’s passive shield.

Hua Mu’ai, however, showed no signs of retreat; instead, she became even more aggressive, dashing directly into Molten Boulder’s face and initiating basic attacks.

Molten Boulder was momentarily stunned.

‘This person dares to attack beyond the minion wave at level one? Are they insane?’

He simply stood his ground, trading blows with the Wind Swordsman, fist for fist.

Soon, Hua Mu’ai realized something was amiss.

‘Why is this Molten Boulder so incredibly tough? He’s unkillable!’

With her health dwindling, she finally chickened out, attempting to use her E-skill on a minion to create distance.

Yet, the enemy Molten Boulder had already anticipated her retreat, launching another “Seismic Shard” at the fleeing Wind Swordsman.

As “Seismic Shard” stole movement speed from its target, Molten Boulder began relentlessly pursuing the Wind Swordsman.

Realizing she was on the verge of being solo-killed, Hua Mu’ai’s heart jolted. She swiftly used her “Flash” spell to create some distance.

But Molten Boulder had already cast “Ignite” on her!

(Flash and Ignite are initial spells that players can choose to equip two of when starting a game.)

Flames erupted on the Wind Swordsman’s body, and with a pained cry, he fell.

“First Blood!”

The system’s cold kill announcement echoed.

Hua Mu’ai’s screen turned grayscale.

Staring at her 0-1-0 score, she felt a burning sensation on her face.

“It’s fine, just wait for me. I’ll… I’ll be right there to help you,” Chu Yuyao’s voice came through the game’s voice chat.

No sooner had she spoken than Hua Mu’ai saw the kill notification light up in the top right corner of her screen.

[Flash for Turret Plates] (Blade of Shadow) has slain [Enemy Jungler is Master] (Monk).

Chu Yuyao had solo-killed the enemy jungler, and in their own jungle, no less!

Hua Mu’ai was dumbfounded.

Watching Chu Yuyao clear the enemy’s red buff camp, perfectly compensating for the first blood she had given away, Hua Mu’ai found herself utterly speechless.

After respawning, Hua Mu’ai slunk back to the top lane.

She had barely managed to last-hit two minions when Chu Yuyao’s voice sounded again.

“In a moment, go up there and bait him, pretend you’re going to fight.”

“Huh?” Hua Mu’ai asked, a reluctant expression on her face. “Why should this young lady listen to you?”

“Trust me.”

The voice in her headphones was soft, yet it carried an undeniable certainty that made refusal impossible.

Hua Mu’ai hesitated, but ultimately steeled herself, controlling her Wind Swordsman as she charged forward.

Seeing this, the enemy Molten Boulder player grinned.

‘This Happy Wind Man dares to come feed again? Does he truly think himself invincible?’

Without a second thought, he unleashed a full combo of abilities onto the Wind Swordsman, preparing to send this audacious challenger back to the fountain once more.

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