127 Don’t Hit the Mage?
“Wait for an update,” Qiao Yue replied as she tried to suppress a smile. “It sounds like it’s that player’s fault. How does it have anything to do with the girl?” Qiao Yue asked after a moment’s thought.
Qiao Yue’s curiosity exploded as Qiao Yu’s expression turned black.
“I challenged him to a one-on-one battle, and that woman thought I was fighting him because of her.”
Qiao Yue could no longer hold in her laughter and burst into giggles. At least she tried to cover it up by holding a hand to her mouth. Qiao Yu glared resentfully, so Qiao Yue quickly comforted him. “We’re up! Come, come. Let’s play.”
Hearing that Qiao Yue’s game client had opened, Qiao Yu stopped complaining and invited her to a ranked match.
The queue was surprisingly fruitful, with Xu Hao joining them randomly. It was almost as if they were playing as a three-man team. The game assigned roles to each of them. Xu Hao played top, Qiao Yu in the jungle, and Qiao Yue was the support. Mages and sharpshooters were popular roles, so they were always the first to be snapped up. With no other choice, Qiao Yue had to fill in where ever she could.
Qiao Yue and the other two were fairly skilled and seldom lost. The game’s matchmaking decided who they teamed up with, going from Bronze to Silver, Platinum, Diamond, Starshine and King, from low to high. The three of them were all ranked Kings. There was a subtle science to matchmaking, and it was their luck that they got to play with one another.
Qiao Yu and Qiao Yue played two ranked matches, both victories.
Just as Qiao Yu was about to invite Qiao Yue for another match, he received a friend request.
Qiao Yu clicked on the note attached, which read:
[ Hello, are you a friend of Don’t Hit Mage? ]
Qiao Yu frowned and replied: [ No. ]
Seeing Qiao Yu occupied, Qiao Yue looked up and asked, “Are we not playing another game?”
“We will; don’t worry. Someone just sent me a friend request asking if I am a friend of some guy called Don’t Hit Mage,” Qiao Yu answered a little distractedly.
Qiao Yue was stunned when she heard the name. Wasn’t that the name she had used while the game was still in open beta?
“Why are they looking for Don’t Hit Mage?” Qiao Yue asked, unable to restrain herself.
Qiao Yu shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ll ask.”
[ I don’t know who this “Don’t Hit Mage” is. May I know why you are asking after them? ] Qiao Yu sent the message to the individual who posted the friend request.
He soon received a response. [ Your friend plays like “Don’t Hit Mage”, but I might have been mistaken. My bad! ]
Qiao Yu did not respond. Instead, he turned to Qiao Yue in askance.
“Xiao Yue, do you know someone called Don’t Hit Mage?” Qiao Yu asked.
Qiao Yue paused, still checking she had bought the correct items from the shop. “No. I don’t know them. Why do you ask?”
Qiao Yu pretended to be indifferent while secretly observing Qiao Yue’s movements.
Although he had asked if Qiao Yue had played the game before, and Qiao Yue said she only played a little, Qiao Yu doubted Qiao Yue was as green as she said she was.
In the draft selection screen, Qiao Yu chose to pick his role last, leaving Qiao Yue with either top or mid as lane options.
“Xiao Yue, which role would you like to take?” Qiao Yu asked.
“I’ll take the middle lane,” Qiao Yue replied after some consideration.
When the match started, Qiao Yu realised they were playing against two familiar faces. They were the two who had angered him prior.
Seeing Qiao Yu’s champion remain stationary in their base, Qiao Yue called out, “Fourth Brother.”
Qiao Yu returned to his senses, remarking darkly, “Xiao Yue, I want you to target their mid and jungle. Make sure they die a thousand deaths!”
“Huh?” Qiao Yue did not know where that came from.
“Those two are the ones I was talking about.”
Though he did not say much, Qiao Yue could read between the lines. She burst into laughter, only to receive a vicious glare from Qiao Yu.
“Okay, okay. I’ll do my best. I’ll beat them till they’re black and blue,” Qiao Yue said, smiling.
Qiao Yue reached level four ahead of her opponent, unlocking her finishing move. She pushed her opponent under their tower before disappearing into the jungle.
The enemy jungle had cleared most of the monsters lurking in the underbrush, but that did not matter. Qiao Yue hid in a bush, stalking her prey: the enemy top lane. With enough vision in their jungle, Qiao Yu lured his lane opponent towards Qiao Yue.
The enemy jungle took the bait as soon as Qiao Yu stepped within range. He, and the enemy top lane, ganged up on Qiao Yu.
Qiao Yu activated his champion’s second skill, ‘Shield Protection’, reducing the damage of his enemies’ ultimate moves whilst increasing the gap between him and them. The enemies pursued Qiao Yu relentlessly since he was only at half health.
Qiao Yue seized the opportunity, combining the effects of her second and ultimate skills, unleashing a deluge of damage that sent the two enemy players into critical condition. Qiao Yu cleaned up the rest with a skill and a basic attack, earning himself a double kill.
