After the results of CNHOOK2s 13th game came out, the players on the forums erupted into another wave of cheers. Hed managed to win five games in a row after hitting a bit of a rough patch! And he was single-digits away from becoming Rank 5 on the Korean Challenger Ladder!

The best part of the night was that CNHOOK2 still had a little over a half hour before the server shut down and the ranked ladder was reset. That was enough time for onemore game. If CNHOOK2 managed to play and win that game before the server slammed shut, hed end his run firmly in the Top 5 Challengers on the Korean Server!

The millions of League of Legends fans across China sat at the very edges of the seats with trembling thighs. The finish line was right in front of their eyes! The light at the end of the very dark tunnel that this gauntlet had become. CNHOOK2 would smash through the kimchi ceiling for all of China!

More importantly, everyone invested in CNHOOK2s climb felt an incredible weight lift up off their shoulders when CNHOOK2 didnt have to play against Moon in his last game. It was terrifying good luck. Because the Moon Emperor was a truly daunting opponent. Despite the fact that everyone in China wanted to be the wind at CNHOOK2s back and not the spit in his face, no one believed that he could stand a chance against the Moon Emperor. As long as CNHOOK2 didnt have to play Moon in his final game of the night, hed break into the Top 5 and smash the Korean Gauntlet.

But just as the League fans across China relaxed and celebrated, the lightning of misfortune struck and travelled leagues through copper wires damn near instantaneously. Just as CNHOOK2s last game finished, the Moon Emperors game also ended.

Moon played Talon in the Mid lane. 20 minutes after the start of that game, hed gotten 8 kills without being killed in return. Legendary. By the 28th minute, hed carried his team to victory. And now he was back in the queue, looking for another game to play. At the same exact time that CNHOOK2 was looking for his final game of the night.

Moon, or the Moon Emperor, was just as well known as Rake was among the Chinese League of Legends Community. He was Koreas second Emperor, and had demolished more than enough LPL teams on the World Stage. Even Daybreak Hermes, whod gone up against and beaten Moon before, had lost to him more often than hed won. Moon was the lowest ranked Emperor, but that didnt mean much at all. He was still one of the best Midlaners in the whole world and a truly strong player whose name struck fear in the hearts of many.

Right now, CNHOOK2 had achieved deity-status. Countless Chinese League players, streamers, and fans worshipped him and believed in the miracle that he was currently accomplishing. But despite that reverence and worship, even they didnt believe that CNHOOK2 could triumph against Moon. There were Gods above gods, after all. The best case scenario here, the one that they all hoped and prayed and wished would happen, was if CNHOOK2 didnt face the Moon Emperor at all.

Just like any large internet-based community, people wasted no time at all typing out walls of text in forum threads stating their opinions and armchair analysis of the situation.

In Dark Glorys Gaming House, Lightles Hearts watched the conversation unfold both in his chat and on the forums. He silently contemplated the issue in his own mind. The Moon Emperor Man, these guys have no idea what theyre talking about. If CNHOOK2 queues up a little later just to avoid getting matched up against Moon, thats such a bitch move! Theres no way THAT GUY would do that. Just waiting five minutes in these final few minutes is acknowledging the superiority of Moon as a player and CNHOOK2 admitting that hes the weaker player on his own. Without a fight! What a stupid, stupid, stupid thing to do! Even if CNHOOK2 gets into the Top 5 that way, itll always be with an asterix

Before Lightless could finish his thoughts and organize them so he could convey them to his viewers, a similar view started sparking its way through his chat. Apparently, his viewers had gotten there on their own, just as he did.

What, fuck off! Thats the cowards way out!

Yeah! This is why you losers will never get girls!

lol, so if Moon is online, does that mean Hook2 has to wait until Moon is in a game to start queuing up every time?

hows that any different from admitting that youre shit!

What if Moon wants to snipe him? Does that mean Hook2 just wont play?

Thats way too humiliating!

You guys this my boi Hook2 scared of Moon? Or Rake?

Even if he loses to Moon, hell still walk away with his head held high!!!!!!!!

You wantto bring shame to this miracle like you brought shame to your family????

Do u stp wanking bcuz ur scared ur daddy might wake up to piss and see your catepiller dick???!!!

However, this newly formed faction of viewers who believed in honorable play and the better sentiment immediately received fierce pushback from the viewers who believed that making decisions logically was better.

Are you all idiots? This is called being smart.

Get fucking real. Do you know who Moon is!? HES AN EMPEROR!

did anybody say anything abotu doing this every game. Hook2 is only one game away from hitting Rnank 5. If he bumps into Moon, hes screwed!

If hook2 loses and fails to get into the top 5, that means all his hard work tongith went to waste!

would you guys be okay with that?

If he juswaits 2 mins, well have Top 5! Moon cant do anything!

Who knows when a chance like this will come around again? We gotta be smart about this and make it happen while the sun is out!

The two factions warred endlessly in the chat, both sides picking up more and more steam as viewers swayed to one side of the fence or the other. Neither camp was willing to back down.

Until Lightless Heart spoke up.

Whats the point of all of this? What do you guys think? Why do you think Hook2s working so hard to climb tonight, playing right up until the server shuts down? You think its about a number? Top 5? Top 8? Top 10? This aint about reaching some arbitrary rank or number! Its never been about that! All of that is completely meaningless! This is to prove that a Chinese player can also play with the best in the world! Its to show everyone that our style of League of Legends is just as good! Now, youre talking about Hook2 avoiding a fight with Moon? Just to reach Rank 5? Youve got your priorities mixed up, and you dont even understand why Hook2 is out there fighting to get you guys!

In an instant, the stream chat became quiet.

Lightless gaze flickered with a complicated expression as he looked at CNHOOK2s name on his screen. None of this matters anyway. Hes not looking at us or letting us weigh in on this decision. Nah, nah. The only thing that matters here is the choice hes going to make

CNHOOK2 still showed up as Online on Lightless friends list. For the time being, it didnt show any signs of changing. And countless League fans across China watched that indicator along with Lightless, anxiously waiting to see what decision CNHOOK2 would make. Would he cower or would he face the Moon Emperor head-on?

Back at the hotel room in Beijing, An Xin checked the forums on her phone again and turned to Lin Feng, her eyes twinkling and a faint smile in the corner of her lips. Moon just finished his game too. Looks like hes about to queue up for another match. Do you want to wait?

She asked the question that everyone watching CNHOOK2s climb across China kept asking online and in their minds. It wasnt really her question though. Truth be told, An Xin already knew the answer without even asking.

Wait? For what? Lin Feng asked, puzzled. Were running out of time! Theres no point in wasting more just to get out of a game with Moon. Ill play who I gotta play, and Ill face them with everything I got. It doesnt matter who they are anyway, I just need to win! He appeared completely unconcerned as he moved his mouse and clicked resolutely to start queuing up for another game.

A few seconds later, Lin Feng found a match and entered Champion Select. This was the 14th game of the night, his final and most important one. The finale for CNHOOK2s climb on the Korean Server!

The summoner names of the ten players on the two teams appeared on the left and right sides of the screen, and Lin Feng scanned through them quickly. Moons name wasnt on his team. Then he looked at the opposing team, and his eyes stopped when he read the name of the player in fourth pick.

I didnt think Id see him tonight