Chapter One: The Erased Starter

There were no windows at the end of Obsidian's main corridor. When Lin Zhou was summoned to the first-team conference room, the digital clock clicked over to 1:17 a.m. His right hand still trembled from scrims. The academy squad had lost badly, surrendering seven jungle camps across three games. During review, the coach had offered only one verdict: "Your routes are too predictable." Lin expected to be demoted. Instead, everyone he knew from Obsidian's promotional videos sat around the long table. Manager He Linchuan occupied the head. Midlaner Su Wanxing leaned against a wall, arms folded. Support Chen Du spun a pen between his fingers. Toplaner Zhou Ye looked as if someone had already announced a defeat. Only Shen Yan's chair was empty.