Chapter 11:
Rayn tapped the screen.
> Rank: Epic V
The icon looked sharper.
The color had changed.
But the real shift? It was in the silence between his thoughts.
No celebration. No ego. Just a sentence in his head:
> "Let's see how different it really is."
---
He queued. Draft phase loaded.
And immediately—there it was.
> "Ban Xeno please."
"Meta pick only."
"I can't support. Someone else?"
The calm chaos of Epic.
Everyone knew more.
But not everyone did more.
Rayn just picked last and typed nothing.
He hovered his current comfort hero: Rivena.
---
One teammate flamed:
> "Another Rivena pick in Epic lol."
"GG already."
He didn't mute them.
He didn't argue.
He simply thought:
> "A good pick becomes a bad one only when you don't know why you picked it."
---
The game began.
The enemies rotated faster.
Their mage waited in fog for ambushes.
The jungler stole buffs with precision.
Rayn didn't panic.
He tracked habits.
Wrote mental notes mid-match:
> – Their tank always rotates 3 seconds after wave clear
– Enemy marksman uses dash before tower dives
– Mid prefers side ambush instead of direct lane trades
It wasn't pressure.
It was puzzle-solving.
---
They lost the game by a narrow margin.
But Rayn smiled.
Not because it was close.
But because he had seen enough.
> "In Epic, it's no longer about who's better—it's about who adapts faster."
---
He opened his notebook and wrote a new title:
"Epic Tier Behavior"
> – Draft egos are louder. Don't echo them.
– Vision wins fights, not flashy skills.
– Most players here know what's right—they just don't always do it.
And then one last thing:
> "Play clean. Don't rush to impress."
---
That night, he tried a new hero—one he'd been saving.
A midlane burst mage with subtle map presence.
He wasn't switching roles.
Just expanding his mind.
Because Rayn didn't want to be known for one hero…
He wanted to understand the game itself.
----------------
Hero description
🔥 Hero: Xeno
Role: Assassin (Jungle )
Damage: ★★★★★ Defense: ★★☆☆☆
Skill 1 – Phase Cleave:
Dashes forward and slashes enemies in a line. If it hits a marked target, cooldown is halved.
Skill 2 – Echo Step:
Teleports behind the nearest enemy with lowest HP and slows them. Can be used to dodge or chase.
Skill 3 (Ultimate) – Void Erase:
Locks onto one enemy. After 1 second delay, Xeno blinks through them three times, dealing heavy burst damage and silencing briefly.
Passive – Phase Mark:
Basic attacks and skills mark enemies. If an enemy is hit 3 times within 6 seconds, Xeno gains +15% movement speed and a short invisibility burst.