Teach them a lesson

After finishing three rounds of AI matches,

the five of them had gotten much more familiar with the gameplay of Immortal vs. Demon.

"Finally, we can play against real opponents!"

Seeing the Matchmaking feature unlocked, Zhong Yi rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"What, didn’t get beaten up enough by the bots?"

Zhou Yue teased.

"Old Zhou, you don’t get it… I was studying the champion mechanics," Zhong Yi said mysteriously, brushing off the joke.

"This Windblade Swordsman is definitely strong—just takes some practice! I’ve got him figured out now. Just wait and see how I carry you later!"

In those three AI matches, his Yasuo had died a total of twenty-six times.

Every game, he fed relentlessly.

But that didn’t stop him from having an absolute blast.

Especially when dashing through minions with Steel Tempest.

That split-second feeling of freedom and exhilaration made him wish he could truly become a wandering swordsman.

"Senior Sister Li, what are you looking at?"

Zhou Qiaoling noticed their team’s strongest player deep in thought and couldn’t help but ask.

"Runes… masteries…"

Li Moran murmured, studying the newly unlocked system.

Back when League of Legends first launched, runes and masteries were one of its defining features.

Though the rune system had drawn plenty of complaints early on,

there was no denying how much it boosted player retention.

Right now, Lu Ze needed players to spend more time in the game.

So keeping the rune system was a necessity.

"This system is really interesting!"

After a quick glance, Zhong Yi was already brimming with ideas.

Runes provided essential stats—a few extra points in movement speed or attack damage could make all the difference.

The mastery system was even more intriguing.

Just from the keystones he saw, Yasuo could be played in multiple different styles.

"Wait, champions cost spirit stones from the illusion realm? Oh, good thing they gave us free trial cards…"

"Let’s hurry up and start! I want to hit level 12 fast—that Flash summoner spell looks super useful."

"Let’s go, let’s go!"

Soon, the five of them queued up.

With Immortal vs. Demon’s massive player base, the match popped instantly.

After three AI games, they’d each found their favorite champions.

"Death is like the wind—always by my side."

The deep, smooth voice rang out almost immediately.

Zhong Yi had locked in Windblade Swordsman again.

"Dammit, Lao Zhong! You’re only fast when picking champs! Why can’t you move like that in-game?!"

Zhou Yue gritted his teeth in frustration.

He’d been dying to try Yasuo.

The guy looked like a total noob magnet, but also ridiculously cool.

Especially when zipping through minions—it just looked so fun.

"Quiet, quiet! Just watch me pop off later… Junior Brother Mu, what do you think of this Molten Colossus?"

Zhong Yi patted Mu Yawen on the shoulder, recommending the champion.

"Whoa! This guy’s huge! A real demon beast!"

Mu Yawen’s eyes sparkled as he locked in without hesitation.

"Solid as a mountain!"

A gruff, simple-minded voice boomed as molten rock encased Mu Yawen’s arms.

"Heh, this one’s gotta be strong!"

Mu Yawen was thoroughly pleased with his pick.

"Good, good."

Zhong Yi nodded in satisfaction.

Yasuo’s ultimate required enemies to be airborne—but his tornadoes never hit anything. He needed someone else to set it up.

"Stick with me in the top lane. We’ll play safe, hit level 6… then no one can stop us!"

"Got it!"

After their painful first-game experience getting wrecked by jungle camps, the group decided to stick with the 2-1-2 lane setup from the AI matches.

Mid lane, being the solo lane with the fastest leveling, went to their strongest player, Li Moran.

That left Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen as the top lane duo.

"Hey, unlucky bro, hurry up and pick!"

Zhou Qiaoling urged.

"I don’t wanna play ADC again…"

Zhou Yue grumbled, his face dark.

He’d played marksmen three games in a row.

The recommended build was crit-based.

Yet somehow, with an 80% crit chance, he’d managed to miss four crits in a row…

But Zhong Yi had analyzed it—marksmen were crucial for late-game teamfights. Someone had to do it.

In the end, he locked in the free champion Frost Archer.

Zhou Qiaoling chose Yeti Rider.

"Junior Sister Li, what are you picking? Maybe a mage? Otherwise, short-range champs might struggle against poke…"

Zhong Yi suggested.

"No need."

Li Moran shook her head and selected a champion called Exiled Blade.

In all three AI matches, her picks had been different, but they all shared one trait—they wielded blades.

"Lao Zhong, you’re worried about her? Worry about yourself first!"

Zhou Yue laughed, poking fun.

Zhong Yi huffed. "Hmph! This game, I’m stomping my lane!"

With champions locked in, the five loaded into the game—and immediately recognized some familiar names.

"Whoa! Shen Yan? From the Sky Profound Sect!"

Zhong Yi’s fighting spirit instantly ignited.

Mu Yawen agreed. "We can’t let the Lingxiao Sect lose to them!"

"Speaking of which… I wonder what happened. Brother Shen suddenly became a hammer wielder—even his champion uses one."

Zhou Yue eyed Shen Yan’s pick, Hammer of the Divine, with curiosity.

"Brother Shen, top lane duel!"

The moment the game started, Zhong Yi messaged him.

Shen Yan responded just as eagerly.

"Bring it! A real man’s 1v1 in top lane!"

"Heh, hooked him good~"

Zhong Yi smirked slyly and waved the others over.

"Let’s all head top and teach Brother Shen the importance of first blood…"