"Your hands are really fast—no wonder you used to be a pro player!" The newcomer stood behind him, watching his rapid movements in awe.

"That was just mobile games," Brian Bennett said.

"Same principle, same principle."

Amid the newcomer's sighs, the seating order chart, which was already nearly finished, was quickly completed by Brian Bennett, who casually sent the file directly to the newcomer's phone.

"Nice, I'll go deliver it and be right back," the newcomer said.

"Why are you coming back?" Brian Bennett asked.

"To have you help me rank up, of course!" The newcomer, a man over six feet tall, actually threw a flirtatious wink at Brian Bennett as he spoke, making Brian Bennett feel a wave of nausea.

"Not free today," Brian Bennett replied irritably. Ranked matches are one of the most important modes in Honor of Kings, where players are rewarded or penalized with points based on wins and losses, resulting in seven tiers from Bronze to King—a direct reflection of a player's skill. But for pro players, ranked tiers are no longer enough to prove their strength; they've already ascended to another level as top-tier experts.

Back in the day, Brian Bennett was a much-watched KPL star jungler, but now he had become a tool for his colleagues to climb the ranked ladder, which left him feeling a bit disappointed. He had planned to quit gaming altogether after retiring, but after meeting this colleague named Eric Foster, he couldn't withstand his relentless pestering and ended up picking up the game again, helping him rank up every few days. The new ranked season had just started, and Eric Foster had been nagging Brian Bennett about ranked matches for days. But today, Brian Bennett was unusually firm in his refusal, giving Eric Foster no chance to work his usual tricks, grabbing his jacket and heading out the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Eric Foster was surprised by Brian Bennett's uncharacteristically resolute attitude and couldn't help but ask.

"My brother is reporting in today. I'm going to pick him up," Brian Bennett said, walking away without looking back.

"Your brother? A freshman? Which department? Hey! I'm going to use your computer!" Eric Foster called after him, but Brian Bennett was already gone. Eric Foster didn't mind, sat down at Brian Bennett's computer, forwarded the seating order chart he had just finished to a few more people, then made a phone call to give a few instructions before leisurely opening Honor of Kings on his phone.

"Saves me a trip," he muttered as he started a solo ranked match.

With Brian Bennett carrying him, victory was almost guaranteed. The problem was, he played far more games on his own than with Brian Bennett helping. Brian Bennett would get him to King rank, and within two days, he'd lose his way back to Diamond. On days without Brian Bennett leading the team, Eric Foster's ranked record was always a string of double-digit losses, along with countless complaints and penalties in his system message box.

Last season was the most extreme: after Brian Bennett got him to King, he dropped all the way back to Gold in just a week. It's no exaggeration to say that if Bronze rank didn't have point protection and no star-dropping mechanism, Eric Foster would have fallen back to the beginner's Bronze I with no trouble at all. Eric Foster's gaming talent and skill were clear for all to see. Yet he never admitted it, always insisting his teammates were unreliable. To make up for this, as soon as he entered this Gold-ranked match, Eric Foster confidently typed: "Pro here, will fill any role."

In the game, different heroes excel at different positions, and choosing the right heroes and team composition is crucial. Eric Foster's statement was, in spirit, a responsible and reliable attitude—letting his teammates pick their preferred heroes and positions first, then filling in the team's gaps himself.

Whether his four teammates noticed his message or not, they all quickly picked their heroes. Eric Foster saw that the five positions—top, mid, marksman, and support—were all taken except for jungle, so he immediately picked the assassin hero, Lanling King.

"I'll jungle and carry," Eric Foster declared confidently.

The match started quickly. Having reached King rank with Brian Bennett's help, Eric Foster didn't take Gold-ranked games seriously at all, humming a tune as he headed straight for his team's blue buff area. The jungle role involves hunting monsters in the jungle to gain experience and gold, usually making them the fastest to develop in the team and able to lead the team's tempo. Eric Foster hummed as he farmed, already imagining how he'd soon be everywhere, dominating the game. Suddenly, two enemy heroes appeared at the upper choke point, charging straight at him.

Eric Foster hurriedly retreated, but the two enemy heroes easily killed the blue monster he was fighting, stealing the blue buff that is crucial for junglers at the start. Furious, Eric Foster immediately turned on voice chat: "Top, why didn't you watch for me!"

"I gave vision. The enemy marksman and support didn't show up—they were either taking red or invading blue."

His in-game teammates didn't respond, but suddenly a voice sounded behind Eric Foster, startling him so much he almost dropped his phone. He turned around to see a student-looking boy standing behind him, eyes fixed on his phone screen.