"What's this? Where did the crying SSD go?"
"Crying SSD? You mean Hyunseok? Yeah, who's that new player in top lane? First time seeing them. Did they get a substitute because someone didn't show up?"
"Ah, that guy's getting old now. He's at an age where he needs to watch his health. Must be taking a break because he's sick."
"Hey, you think you won't hit thirty soon? I'm turning thirty next year, man. Your time's coming too."
As always, in the cheerful practice room of the Fearless team.
When they entered the waiting room before their scrim match against HLG team, the players noticed something unusual.
The opposing team's top laner was someone they'd never seen before.
"Wait, is that Noel herself?"
"Who's that? Are they famous?"
"She's pretty good. I've played against her maybe three times while climbing to Challenger. There's something wild about her playstyle."
"Her name comes up in the community forums sometimes. I heard she just hit Challenger. You think they're testing her out against us?"
Of course, she wasn't completely unknown to them.
Noel, as a League of Champions player, was someone they'd occasionally encountered in solo ranked games.
Even those who hadn't met her directly had heard her name in the community.
Although none of them had watched Noel's streams.
Since they were all top-tier players, they naturally crossed paths with each other.
"That could be it. She seemed pretty good at top lane, so she must be trying out for HLG."
"Is Hyunseok retiring?"
But the Fearless team players didn't find this strange.
If a gamer has skill, they can become a pro gamer.
If a pro gamer's skills decline, they should be prepared to pass their position to the next generation.
This wasn't unique to the gaming industry.
In all genres that could be called sports, in all competitions where there are winners and losers.
Players are in a state of endless competition.
So Noel taking another player's position was something that could happen commonly.
Moreover, the players didn't have a bad impression of Noel.
After all, solo ranked games were full of people with terrible personalities.
Some deliberately threw games to let the enemy team win.
Others wasted time insulting and mocking their own teammates when they should be fighting the enemy.
Many carried their bad mood from previous games into the next one, causing trouble.
But what about Noel?
She didn't use chat, and her playstyle was a bit aggressive.
But you could say she was a player who did her best to win the game in her own way.
She proved that with her high win rate and current ranking.
So having a rookie participate in a scrim between active pro gamers wasn't something to be upset about.
The purpose of scrim matches was to analyze the strength of teams they would face in upcoming tournaments and to get feedback on their strategies.
If anything, it was welcome to be able to assess a new talent's capabilities.
With all the players having entered the waiting room for the scrim match.
The game began.
Among players choosing meta-appropriate champions for the season.
Noel stood out with her aggressive champion selection.
Although the players already knew how powerful Noel could be from solo ranked encounters.
None of them felt intimidated by her.
"You think you're the only one who's good? We're professionals."
That kind of pride.
That confidence began to crack from the early game.
The Fearless team's top laner noticed something off about Noel's movements and positioning.
"Wait, she's using Fleet Footwork but playing so aggressively? Guys, can Fleet Footwork Jax win against Conqueror Aatrox?"
"What are you talking about? Even with Jax's passive attack speed increase, Conqueror still wins."
"Don't tell me you're losing to someone who just hit Challenger? Isn't top lane all about momentum? Are you already giving in?"
"Huh, I've never faced Fleet Footwork Jax before, so I'm not sure about the matchup. Should I just fight and see?"
When Jax momentarily stops to kill minions.
Aatrox swings his greatsword down to harass Jax.
No matter how short Jax's basic attack animation is.
After attacking a minion, the calculation was that it would be impossible to react and dodge the downward slash.
But the Fleet Footwork rune increases movement speed after a basic attack.
With a small health recovery effect as a bonus.
Of course, the Fearless top laner playing Aatrox knew this.
Well, dodging once with that is understandable.
Since Aatrox's skills don't use mana, it's not even that annoying.
Did she choose that rune just to dodge skills occasionally?
Isn't the potential too low compared to Conqueror?
That was the only question in his mind.
So Jax killed three melee minions with basic attacks.
Aatrox slashed his greatsword from a distance to kill melee minions.
As soon as Aatrox's Q skill went on cooldown.
Jax immediately leaped toward Aatrox.
"What?"
Fleet Footwork isn't an effect that's always active.
Once you receive the effect, you need to move or basic attack to charge it again.
And in the early game, that charge time is not short at all.
Moreover, triggering it intentionally isn't easy.
How far you move or how many basic attacks you make.
Controlling all that while playing the game requires too much attention.
But Jax clearly just received the Fleet Footwork movement speed boost recently.
There's no mistaking it, since the effect isn't hard to recognize.
It's not even an effect that's difficult to identify during large team fights.
This was a one-on-one lane where both players were focusing all their attention on each other's movements.
But when Jax leaped in.
When Aatrox instinctively responded with a basic attack, Jax smoothly escaped with the movement speed buff.
The leap distance itself had charged Fleet Footwork.
According to the normal matchup, it would be risky for Jax to leap in first.
Even if Jax stacked his passive attack speed buff before going in.
Aatrox has three charges of his Q skill ready.
Even after trading a couple more basic attacks, Aatrox would come out ahead in the exchange.
Of course, if Jax farms without giving up distance, they might start a proper trade once they reach level 2.
But having leaped in like this.
Even though Aatrox's greatsword was on cooldown.
Jax should still take a passive-enhanced basic attack and retreat at a disadvantage.
Since he'd normally take another hit while escaping.
But Jax didn't take that extra hit thanks to the temporary speed boost.
And with the healing effect, she actually ended up with a health advantage over Aatrox.
So when the passive-enhanced basic attack and Jax's leap skill and basic attack were exchanged.
Noel's Jax came out smiling.
"This feels bad. She's pretty good. I guess masters have their own builds. Can you gank now?"
"I'll come after clearing the top 3 camps."
"That's too predictable. Can't you gank first and then finish the camps? Looking at her, she'll probably leap every time it's off cooldown. See, she's doing it again. Let's do it when you're level 3 and we're level 2."
"It's a bit risky, but I'll give it a try."
So when Jax wasn't expecting it, the Fearless team's top laner and jungler coordinated closely.
A strategy they might have avoided in a tournament due to the risk.
But in a scrim, they could try it without pressure.
Noel, who usually didn't fall victim to enemy jungler interventions.
Perhaps she didn't anticipate this play.
A moment later, Jax leaped again.
She was probably planning to slowly chip away at Aatrox with Fleet Footwork and leap.
But that aggression will be your downfall.
Think pro gamers are a joke? You need to learn your lesson.
As soon as Jax leaped, Sejuani the Winter's Wrath swung her flail to support Aatrox.
With that flail swing, Bristle the war boar charged toward Jax.
Jax, thinking this wouldn't end with just health loss, used Blink like lightning to dodge the charge.
But at the pro level, reacting to that is also common.
Sejuani also used Blink during the charge, forcibly connecting the war boar's charge.
Aatrox simultaneously swung down his greatsword, using Blink to reach Jax.
With leap and Blink on cooldown, Jax was momentarily stunned after being hit by the boar.
Then she was briefly launched into the air by Aatrox's greatsword.
As the flail swung and stacks accumulated, Jax finally froze.
With that fluid coordination between top and jungle, Jax ultimately lost her life.
"Good start. Well, what can you do? Am I the one who's going to make her fail the tryout?"
"If she fails because of this, that's her luck and skill. Don't let your guard down. She's the type who can recover on her own even if we shut her down."
"Come on, I've been playing top lane five years longer than her."
So the Fearless team took an advantageous position from the early game.
As soon as Jax respawned, she immediately teleported back to lane to minimize the loss from minions hitting the tower.
But now Aatrox could use the gold from killing Jax to buy more items and maintain lane dominance.
The strategy of slowly chipping away at his health would be difficult now.
The raw stats from even one early game item make a significant difference.
Plus, Jax is a champion that uses mana.
Meanwhile, Aatrox uses skills without cost and even has a passive skill that recovers health.
He was now in a position where he couldn't possibly lose to Jax.
This situation is commonly referred to as "top lane is broken."
After 20 minutes, the player controlling Aatrox felt strong discomfort and confusion.
"I'm clearly ahead in score, so why can't I create a meaningful growth difference?"