155. Bronya's Worries
The next day, Yun Ling got dressed early, as Bronya had said she would take him for a morning run.
"You're already up? Perfect, let's go."
Bronya changed into a smart tracksuit and took Yun Ling for a run around the city.
The two didn't run fast, enjoying the bustling morning city while feeling the morning breeze.
However, they hadn't run far before Yun Ling's clothes were soaked.
"If your eyesight is good, you can even see the club's sign from here..."
"Can't keep going? Give yourself a pep talk, run another hundred meters." Bronya's legs didn't stop; instead, she stood still, waiting for Yun Ling.
"Hmm..." Yun Ling adjusted his breathing and caught up with Bronya's pace again.
Just as Yun Ling was about to reach his limit, Bronya finally stopped.
Although Yun Ling didn't know how far they had run, it was definitely more than a hundred meters.
"Good. Remember this distance, and try to surpass your current performance tomorrow," Bronya encouraged.
"Yes…" Yun Ling, leaning against the side, couldn't help but gag.
Once Yun Ling had somewhat recovered, Bronya led him to a breakfast shop by the roadside.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat?" Bronya handed him the menu.
Yun Ling's hand suddenly trembled twice.
"I… I don't have any money."
He looked somewhat uneasy, as if countless eyes were staring at him, mocking him mercilessly.
He subconsciously clutched his clothes, his face gradually turning red, as if he were about to flee at any moment.
"It's on me, don't worry." Bronya glanced at Yun Ling, her brows slightly furrowed.
Yun Ling's outward demeanor was somewhat timid. Compared to the spirited, domineering young man in the game, the real Yun Ling seemed like a completely different person.
Inferiority complex, introverted, timid...
This wasn't anything to be ashamed of; Yun Ling's behavior was unnecessary.
His upbringing clearly had a significant impact on him.
Perhaps...
Yun Ling then took the menu and ordered a bowl of rice noodles.
"What about side dishes?" Bronya asked.
"N-no need..." Yun Ling shook his head.
Sighing, Bronya could only order extra side dishes for herself.
Back at the club, after a quick shower, training officially began.
Yun Ling progressed rapidly, mastering a hero after just a few games.
Soldier was responsible for teaching Yun Ling about hero counters and counter-strategies.
"Alright, everyone can take a break now." Bronya glanced at the time; three hours had passed without her noticing.
"Wow, yay~" Kiana's relaxed voice came through the voice chat.
"Yun Ling, you can take a break now."
Ai reminded Yun Ling, who was still sitting at his computer.
"I want to practice a little more." Yun Ling's eyes remained fixed on the screen.
But the next second, Ai pressed the power button on his computer.
"No, rest is essential because we have a practice match later," Ai explained.
Yun Ling could only helplessly take off his headphones and drink some water to soothe his dry throat.
After an hour's rest, the five of them started an online practice match.
They were facing a veteran professional team. Normally, if it were Soldier or Li Sushang playing top lane, the two sides would be evenly matched.
However, after switching to Yun Ling...
The enemy top laner was already drenched in sweat after just a few minutes in lane.
"Did they find a new top laner? So strong..." the top laner couldn't help but complain.
Only seven minutes had passed, and he was already down by more than ten CS, a level lower, and had run out of health potions.
This was even with his champion slightly countering Yun Ling's.
He didn't dare imagine what would happen if he were countered.
Soon, because he greedily tried to gain experience from a minion, he was chased down to near death by Yun Ling.
At this moment, Ai, controlling the jungler, suddenly jumped out from behind the turret and instantly killed the unsuspecting top laner.
"Wow, so confident?" The professional top laner was utterly bewildered.
Because the minion wave was currently closer to Yun Ling's side, it would take some time to push the wave forward.
But Ai had been lying in ambush in the bush below beforehand—was it a coincidence or a tactical maneuver?
With Yun Ling's superb lane control and godlike positioning, the top laner didn't even get jungle support before quickly giving up another kill.
With the top lane tower falling, the game was essentially over.
This is the BRN team.
BRN's style is to focus on supporting the bot lane, and their two players are indeed among the best in the game.
Therefore, trying to dominate BRN's marksman and support in lane is just a dream come true; not getting completely crushed is already considered top-tier professional play.
In the second game, it was a two-level reversal. The opponent picked the same hero Yun Ling had picked in the previous game, and Yun Ling picked the same hero the opponent had picked in the last game.
He was once again relentlessly suppressed; each skill seemed to have a "magic pull" constantly drawing him in.
Even hiding behind minions, he could be hit through the gaps.
This gave the veteran professional top laner a demonstration of what it means to have a good, unpredictable attack.
Without further ado, Yun Ling easily won again.
In the third game, they were completely outmatched, a 20-minute sweep.
"You guys got a new top laner?"
That was the first message the opposing coach sent after the match.
"This is our new trainee, like him? Bro," Bronya replied playfully.
The opposing coach sent six dots, expressing his speechlessness, before leading his team in a replay.
Bronya took a deep breath. Sure enough, only a top-tier top laner like Yun Ling deserved to be on their team.
He could withstand pressure, dominate in the solo lane, was incredibly strong in team fights, and was a killer in the lane.
With this, the final piece of the BRN team puzzle was complete. It's no exaggeration to say that the current BRN team is the strongest team on Earth!
However, she was still a little worried about Yun Ling's personality.
"Ai-chan, check if any offline tournaments are coming up, preferably ones with a lot of viewers," Bronya called out to Ai.
"Okay!"
Soon, Ai found a large-scale offline competition to be held in a neighboring city next week.
The champion's prize is 200,000, which is no small sum, so many people are paying close attention to this event.
Bronya wanted to test one thing: whether Yun Ling would get stage fright.
Playing online and playing offline are completely different things.
Online, he can stay safely in the club without worrying about other things interfering.
But offline, the flashing lights, the voices, and gazes of the crowd all become an invisible pressure on the player.
Therefore, she had to ensure that Yun Ling could still perform at his best under those circumstances!
...