The King’s Moment - Volume 1 Chapter 1

“Welcome to Honor of Kings, the enemy will arrive on the battlefield in 5 seconds. Please prepare yourselves!”

The grand in-game voice echoed through the massive arena, instantly igniting the excitement of the live audience. They roared and cheered fervently for their supported teams, creating an overwhelming din. The match commentators, Lu You and Tuanzi, also couldn’t help but get swept up in the atmosphere, their voices brimming with enthusiasm and excitement.

“Hello, everyone! Welcome to the KPL Autumn Finals. We are here for the deciding match between the teams South Central and Heaven’s Choice. I’m Lu You.”

“And I’m Tuanzi.”

“This season’s KPL has been truly spectacular, and now we’ve finally reached the final moment. During the ban/pick phase, I felt the tension and pressure akin to two peerless sword masters dueling at their peak. Tuanzi, did you feel the same way?” Lu You continued. (BP: Short for Ban/Pick.)

“Absolutely. The BP phase was a back-and-forth exchange, full of brilliance.”

“But there was one move by South Central that came as no surprise to anyone: once again, He Liang’s Li Bai was banned.”

“Of course. We’ve always known that the Li Bai used by regular players and the Li Bai used by professional players are like two different heroes. But this season, we discovered a third type of Li Bai—that is, He Liang’s Li Bai.” Tuanzi introduced solemnly.

He Liang’s Li Bai!

Sitting in front of his computer, watching the live stream of the match, He Yu couldn’t help but feel his blood boil at such a description. After all, the one who wielded Li Bai above all others was none other than his own brother.

“Indeed, I don’t even know how to describe or express He Liang’s Li Bai anymore. Let me just give you one statistic: when He Liang picks Li Bai for Heaven’s Choice, their win rate is 100%. That alone is enough to show how terrifying He Liang’s Li Bai is,” Lu You praised the rising star without holding back, for He Liang’s performance had been truly outstanding.

“So, in a sense, I think He Liang can abandon Li Bai as a hero because no team will ever let him have it,” Tuanzi laughed.

“Exactly. So, in today’s deciding match, we see that He Liang has picked Dharma as his jungler.”

“Well… Dharma is a versatile hero, capable of initiating team fights and not too dependent on the economy. Choosing Dharma as a jungler probably means he intends to give up some experience to the damage dealers,” Tuanzi analyzed.

“The match has begun, and after initial contact, both sides are just testing the waters, with no conflict breaking out yet. It’s a relatively peaceful start,” Lu You began commentating on the match.

“Heaven’s Choice’s blue buff has been given directly to the mid laner, and the red buff to the marksman… Wow, I just mentioned that the jungler Dharma might give up some experience, but I didn’t expect it to be so thorough!”

Heaven’s Choice’s mid laner, Zhou Jin, was known as the KPL’s top mid laner, often joking that if he didn’t contribute 50% of the damage, it meant he lost. Even in KPL matches, his damage percentage regularly hovered around 40%, with occasional performances exceeding 50%.

Heaven’s Choice’s marksman, Zhang Shichi, was renowned for his flashy moves and meticulous control, with his Marco Polo often banned by opponents. However, in this match, Marco Polo was left unbanned, and Heaven’s Choice immediately picked it first for him.

With both players securing the blue and red buffs, Heaven’s Choice’s intention to center the match around these two was evident. Both were top-tier professionals, so this arrangement wasn’t surprising. But to He Yu, both Zhou Jin and Zhang Shichi, though powerful, had one flaw—they could deal massive damage but often failed to finish off their opponents. It seemed they were too cautious about their safety while they dealt damage, so when it was time to secure their kills, they were always just a little too far from the dying enemies.

Was Heaven’s Choice protecting these two, hoping their economic advantage would solve their “almost there” problem? But wouldn’t it be more effective to let He Liang play an assassin jungler to secure those kills?

He Yu felt a bit puzzled, but the match continued.

“Both teams are now setting up around the first Tyrant, but Heaven’s Choice’s jungler Dharma, having given up too much experience, isn’t even level 4 yet. Will they have to give up the Tyrant?”

“South Central sees that Dharma isn’t level 4 and decisively moves to take the Tyrant!”

“It looks like Heaven’s Choice isn’t planning to give it up! They’re moving in! Dharma is crossing the wall to enter! No one is stopping him? Smite! He got it! Both sides released their Smites simultaneously, but in the end, it was He Liang’s Dharma who secured the Tyrant. But it seems he can’t escape… Oh no, first blood… Dharma gives up first blood but secures the Tyrant, which is an acceptable trade.”

“Yes, after all, Heaven’s Choice’s jungler is more of a support in this game…”

However, He Yu’s expression had already turned serious in front of his computer. Because of Zhou Jin and Zhang Shichi’s safety-first mentality and style, they hadn’t put enough pressure on the opponent during the Tyrant contest. Dharma’s entry was more of a steal than a secure play. The success in stealing the Tyrant was largely due to He Liang’s precise timing and skill execution—a lot of it came down to luck. What if he hadn’t succeeded? Losing the Tyrant and giving up first blood would have immediately put Heaven’s Choice at a disadvantage.

…

“Alright, they can dive on the tower now. Dharma is going in with his ultimate—great! Eh? The marksman and support didn’t follow up… Dharma tanked two turret shots, and now… the enemy reinforcements have arrived… they’re going to get counter-attacked… Oh no… He’s dead. Heaven’s Choice’s coordination was a bit off here!”

“Yes, if the coordination had been on point, even if Dharma died, it should have been a 1-for-2 trade, and they could have taken the bottom turret easily, which would have been worth it.”

“Hmm… now Dharma is 0-2-0, that’s a bit rough.”

…

“Dharma is diving in, hits three! Beautiful! But… Heaven’s Choice’s two damage dealers were forced to retreat… They decided to disengage, what a pity…”

“Dharma is now 0-3-0…”

…

“South Central is pressuring mid lane for a team fight!”

“Dharma is going to cut the minion wave! He Liang made a very smart choice.”

“Eh? Four Heaven’s Choice’s players were caught while retreating, and a fight broke out?”

“This… a 5v4, and it’s a wipe… South Central is pushing straight for the crystal, and Dharma is desperately running back…”

“It’s too late… It looks like it’s too late…”

“Congratulations to South Central for winning this year’s KPL Autumn Championship! Congratulations to them!!”

The arena was instantly split in two—one side filled with the noise of victory, the other with the silence of defeat. He Liang stood in a dimly lit corner of the stage, gazing at the big screen’s highlights of the match, filled with regret. If only they had made even the smallest adjustments in those key moments, perhaps the outcome would have been different.

“Don’t be disheartened; you’re just getting started. As a rookie, your performance was already excellent,” said the referee who was leaving the stage, patting He Liang on the shoulder. The other four main players of Heaven’s Choice had already walked off the stage, coldly observing the referee’s praise for He Liang.

“Thank you,” He Liang responded quickly, feeling uplifted. Yes, this was just the beginning. This was only his first season in the KPL. The future was long, and he was determined to one day stand at the center of that stage. He looked longingly towards the center of the stage where the awards ceremony was about to begin, but a voice of impatience came from behind him.

“Are we leaving or not?”

“Oh, coming!” Hearing his teammate’s call, He Liang hurried to catch up with them. Facing the post-match interview, he didn’t appear downcast but instead filled with hope. “I’ll work twice as hard next season.”

Watching his brother on the screen, He Yu smiled. He believed that one day, his brother would stand at the center of the stage, raising the championship trophy.

But the next season…

The season after that…

Five years passed, ten seasons in total.

Since that day, Heaven’s Choice never made it to the finals again. Attention-grabbing? Highly anticipated? Genius jungler? The higher they lift you, the harder the fall.

“His strength was overestimated, he is not qualified to be the core of a top team.”

“He lacked ambition, slacking off after joining a top team.”

“He’s too selfish, focused on personal shows, and lacked communication and coordination with teammates.”

Discussions about He Liang shifted from lavish praise in the first season to various negative evaluations over time. Finally, five years later, there was no more discussion, as no one held any expectations for He Liang anymore. The once-talented rookie now seemed just an ordinary player in the KPL arena.

“Next season, I’ll work twice as hard.”

This time, in the fifth year, the tenth season, He Liang didn’t say those words.

A few days later, He Yu saw news about his brother: Heaven’s Choice’s official spokesperson announced He Liang’s retirement. Under the news article, there weren’t many who expressed reluctance, only a few old fans lamenting his wasted potential.

In the past, when He Yu saw criticisms of his brother, he would patiently argue with people. But this time, he didn’t have the heart. As he was messaging his brother, he rushed out of the house, and as soon as he reached the downstairs, he saw He Liang carrying large bags. For the past five years, He Liang had been fully committed to competitions and training and hadn’t returned home even once.

“Bro…” He Yu felt a lump in his throat.

“I’m back,” He Liang smiled. Five years ago, after his failure, he had smiled because it was just the beginning, and he was full of confidence in his future, his smile full of hope. Now, five years later, he had failed again, but he still smiled, though his smile now held a bitterness he couldn’t hide.

“It’s not your fault,” He Yu said. It was the same comfort he had sent He Liang after he lost his first finals. Every season after that, whenever He Liang lost and was eliminated, He Yu would always believe this and send a similar encouraging message to his brother.

“I wasn’t good enough, next…” He Liang shook his head. His response was always the same. But this time, after saying the first half of the sentence, he stopped himself before finishing the second half.

“You’re going to be a senior next semester, right? Are you preparing for the college entrance exam?” He Liang used that word to start a new sentence.

“Yes.”

“Give it your best!”

“What about you, bro?”

“Me?” He Liang heard the question and couldn’t help but look back. “I gave up the college entrance exam to join the pro scene back then, but I didn’t stop studying. I got a communications degree. I’ll look for a job first, then consider whether to pursue a master’s degree.”

“I didn’t mean that, I meant… Honor of Kings?” He Yu asked.

“Honor of Kings… If you want to rank up, I can help you!” He Liang smiled.

“You know that’s not what I meant…”

“I know what you’re asking. After five years of a professional career, are you asking if I’m content? After working so hard for so many years, I did everything I could, so there’s no point in being discontent. I chose to retire because I’ve already let it go. I don’t consider it a regret anymore. So, that’s that!” He Liang put down his luggage and patted He Yu on the shoulder.

“Bro…”

“I’m going up first. Are Mom and Dad at home? Don’t stay out too late yourself.” He Liang said as he turned and walked into the hallway. He Yu watched his brother’s back, feeling an indescribable sadness in his heart. He knew that although his brother said this, it was impossible that there wasn’t a trace of melancholy in his heart. But at this point, there was no need to say anything more.

“Bro, let me help you with your luggage,” He Yu called out, about to catch up. But just as he approached the entrance, he suddenly heard the sound of soft sobbing coming from the hallway. He Yu froze in place, not stepping in, and only listened as the sobs grew louder, finally turning into an outpouring of wails.

Aren’t you discontent?

Is there any regret?

Why did I even bother asking those pointless questions…