The God-Tier Support is Carrying the Game - Chapter 1

In early summer, in a fourth-floor apartment somewhere in Bofeng City, half an hour remained before the first day of June. The lights in the hall remained brightly lit.

Tonight in Eternal, a large number of players were still grinding, trying to make the leaderboards on the final day of the season.

Today was particularly special, as players awaited the new season update for another reason: the game’s two major sectors, the Q-District and the V-District, were about to merge.

Beyond the server merger, the leaderboard rankings drew even more attention.

Merging meant the Heavenly Rank leaderboards, which were previously independent for each district, would be unified. In the final moments of the rankings, players from both districts worked tirelessly. No one wanted to be pushed down by a player from the other district with the same ranking.

Nearby, Wan Yi looked at his score after losing a match. He realized he was destined to miss the board after the merger; he would be lucky to even squeeze into the top 100.

Wan Yi simply gave up and turned his attention to Pei Shiyu. “Captain, that kid who is first in the V-District has 3 fewer points than you. As long as you do not start another match, you will be number one on the leaderboard after the merger.”

Pei Shiyu sat before the computer, leaning back against his gaming chair. The overhead lights cast shadows across his sharp features and messy hair, giving him a cold, weary expression.

Pei Shiyu pursed his lips slightly. “What is the gap?”

Wan Yi replied, “5 points.”

With a 5-point lead, as long as the second-place player did not start a match or lost one, the top spot of the Heavenly Rank for the first season after the merger would belong to Pei Shiyu.

However, if the runner-up played and won, they would overtake Pei Shiyu for first place.

Pei Shiyu rested his elbows casually on the armrests, his slender fingers sliding across the phone screen. On the hero selection interface, he lightly tapped “Confirm.”

He did not like leaving the choice in someone else’s hands.

Wan Yi did not have time to stop him. He sighed deeply, letting out a long breath. “Captain, our King of the Jungle is truly stubborn.”

Although Pei Shiyu risked his “No. 1” position by starting a match now, Wan Yi felt the risk was negligible.

Eternal utilized a matchmaking system based on rank and overall game points; Pei Shiyu was at the top tier in both. This meant finishing a match in the remaining 15 minutes would not be easy. As long as the V-District guy did not win, Pei Shiyu would remain first.

On the hero selection screen, Pei Shiyu chose a Jungler who excelled in the early game, a character he usually used to dominate the field.

Just as Pei Shiyu started the match, Wan Yi let out a surprised “Hey!”

Pei Shiyu ignored him, so Wan Yi leaned over. He looked at Pei Shiyu’s game screen projected on the computer, then at his own phone, making a puzzled sound. “What a coincidence.”

Pei Shiyu’s match showed he had been playing for two minutes, and the V-District’s top-ranked player, Hong Mao, also showed a play time of two minutes.

If the servers had not been merging, Wan Yi would have suspected they were in the same game.

However, to Wan Yi’s shock, they actually were in the same game.

Wan Yi was stunned when he scrolled through the game threads on the forum. The forum was filled with people just as confused as he was.

“Can someone tell me? Isn’t the merger at midnight? Why are the top players from Q and V appearing in the same match?”

“Is it a bug?”

“Are we witnessing the birth of the ‘King’ early?”

“Who will be at the top of the Heavenly Rank after the merger?”

Amidst the discussion, an official announcement finally arrived a few minutes later.

“Hello, dear players. We have entered the ‘Merger Testing’ phase. During this period, some players will randomly experience the merged environment early. The official midnight merger remains unchanged.”

The official response sparked further heated debate.

“Wow, ‘random experience.’ Good one.”

“The response was so quick; it is hard not to think the developers did this on purpose to hype the merger.”

After all, one was the long-standing No. 1 in the V-District, and the other was the dominant No. 1 in the Q-District. Both were Junglers. A head-to-head battle was bound to be spectacular.

The officials did not clarify if it was intentional or accidental. Instead, they began broadcasting live streams of the match from both Pei Shiyu’s and Hong Mao’s perspectives across various platforms.

The title read: “Battle of the Century: Jing Zhe (Pei Shiyu) VS Hong Mao, Who is the New King After the Merger?”

Some people even started placing bets.

Inside the game, Pei Shiyu was unaware of the external attention. He focused on controlling his character and doing his job.

Pei Shiyu’s team had a high-tier lineup. Compositionally, as long as his teammates played normally, they should win. They had damage, control, and defense. Provided his teammates’ skills were not completely deformed, Pei Shiyu was confident he could lead them to victory.

The prerequisite was “normal operation.” However, less than four minutes in, their Support, a tanky hero with a large health bar, had died three times and dragged the Marksman down with him once.

To put that in perspective, running from the respawn point to the lane four times takes dozens of seconds. In the remaining three minutes, he had been “killed” by the enemy that many times.

Pei Shiyu frowned and turned on his voice chat, arranging things calmly. “Support, watch your positioning. Protect the Marksman. Let us stabilize and farm first.”

They were just behind in the early game; it was still salvageable.

The Support did not answer. Pei Shiyu said nothing more and continued playing normally, looking for an opportunity to enter a fight and secure some kills.

After a small team fight, Pei Shiyu used his ultimate to kill the enemy Marksman and Top Laner, retreating with low health. His team’s Support arrived late. Pei Shiyu ignored him, but suddenly, the Support activated his third skill and charged toward the enemy, letting out an ultimate roar.

The Support precisely pushed the enemy Jungler out from under the enemy’s defensive tower and right into Pei Shiyu’s face.

With a wall behind him, Pei Shiyu watched helplessly as his hero was taken out by the enemy Jungler’s light basic attack.

Pei Shiyu was momentarily stunned by his teammate’s “betrayal.”

The enemy Jungler, having claimed Pei Shiyu’s head, typed a line in the public chat.

Eternal Player 7 (Jungle): “Jungler Brother, do you like this wall-slam?”

Pei Shiyu shivered at the “Jungler Brother” address. It was not out of shyness; he was purely disgusted.

Before Pei Shiyu could respond, the Support’s maneuver completely enraged the rest of the team. After all, he had just thrown away the advantage they had gained in the team fight.

Mid Lane: “Support, did you do that on purpose? Where did this bot come from?”

Top Lane: “The rankings are about to be set, and you are acting like this?”

The Marksman, who had been dragged down earlier, turned on his mic and cursed the Support’s family in a Guangxi dialect.

Faced with the accusations, the Support replied in the public chat with something completely irrelevant: “Do you guys think true love really exists in this world?”

Seeing the Support’s philosophical question, even the Top and Mid Laners turned on their mics. Instantly, Pei Shiyu’s ears were filled with a diverse array of curses.

It was a picture of global unity. Meanwhile, the official live stream from Pei Shiyu’s perspective was filled with a long string of bleeps.

Turning a deaf ear to his teammates’ abuse, the Support sent a few more messages.

“Why? I loved her so much, yet she still cheated on me?”

“Why? I even forgave her for cheating, but she still does not like me?”

“It is fine if she does not like me; I can even accept that the child in her belly is not mine. But why won’t she even give me a chance to take care of her and her child?”

As the Support posted one sentence after another, the shouting in Pei Shiyu’s ears gradually died down.

The Marksman asked weakly and with a hint of shame, “Is what you are saying true?”

The viewers in the official live stream were equally bewildered.

“Wasn’t I supposed to watch a script of two kings fighting at the summit? Can someone tell me what is happening now?”

“Is this Support an actor hired by the officials?”

In the ensuing match, Pei Shiyu’s teammates stopped scolding the Support. After all, no matter how important a game was, no one would surely make themselves look this miserable just for show.

The Support continued to narrate his love story throughout the match. His gameplay remained bizarre, but his teammates did not curse him anymore. Instead, everyone’s attention drifted toward the public chat, focusing on the Support’s tearful self-narrative.

His teammates’ play became as distorted as the Support’s, leaving Pei Shiyu to struggle alone.

In the live stream chat:

“I feel the Support brother’s pain!”

“In this world, deep affection is always betrayed.”

By this point, the match had become a form of art.

Some clear-headed viewers wondered, “Is this really not a programmed segment by the officials?”

Wan Yi, witnessing the whole process from the side, could not help but clap in admiration. “Incredible! Simply incredible!”

As the screen turned black once more, Pei Shiyu looked up at Wan Yi expressionlessly. Wan Yi froze and shut his mouth.

Wan Li, who had just finished showering and was also waiting for the merger, walked over. He looked at Pei Shiyu’s interface and commented casually, “A 7-1 score is not bad.”

Before Wan Li could continue, Wan Yi quickly covered his mouth and sat back in his chair, acting as if nothing had happened, signaling Pei Shiyu to keep playing.

After respawning, Pei Shiyu tried to fight back, taking three more heads from the enemy. Unfortunately, none of his teammates were in the zone; their attention was not on the game at all.

Pei Shiyu had to dodge enemy skills while also watching out for the Support’s “roar.” He never knew when the grieving Support would get excited by his own story and let out a “roar” that blew an enemy hero toward him.

As fate would have it, every person the Support roared toward him was the enemy Jungler.

First time: Eternal Player 7 (Jungle): “Jungler Brother, do you love me that much? I do not like boys who are too aggressive!”

Second time: Eternal Player 7 (Jungle): “Jungler Brother, I have received your love. I will consider it.”

Third time: Eternal Player 7 (Jungle): “Jungler Brother, I am touched. Let’s be a couple!”

The live stream viewers:

“Is that a provocation? That is definitely a provocation.”

“I would call it flirting. This is definitely flirting. He is doing it on purpose.”

“With the ID ‘Hong Mao,’ how could it not be intentional?”

“#Rank 1 and Rank 2 #Dual Junglers #Destined Enemies #Hong Mao, Jing Zhe”

“A dance on the edge of a blade, a startling red dance. I ship it! I ship it! Ah!”

From the “Betrayed Deep Affection Brother” in the first half to the “Dual Jungler Love-Hate” story in the second, the popularity of the ten-minute match skyrocketed. The officials made a fortune from this.

In the game, Pei Shiyu’s high-ground towers were being demolished.

However, seeing the enemy Jungler flirting with Pei Shiyu, the Support got upset again.

Eternal Player 3 (Support): “Why? Why do I have to watch someone else’s sweet romance while I am heartbroken?”

Pei Shiyu’s hand slipped when he saw the text, and he accidentally missed his ultimate.

Wan Yi could not hold it in any longer; he collapsed into his gaming chair, twitching with laughter.

Perhaps Pei Shiyu’s figure, fighting a lonely battle, was too determined.

Kind-hearted viewers in the live stream commented:

“I feel a bit sorry for ‘Jing Zhe’.”

“There is still hope. If he can drag this match past midnight, even if he loses, he will still be No. 1 after the merger. It depends on whether he can carry this mess until then.”

It was 11:56 PM Beijing time. The blue side, where Pei Shiyu was, had lost three high-ground towers. Only the Crystal remained.

After respawning, Pei Shiyu ignored the Crystal, which was already at half-health, and fought to the end. He charged straight for the nearest enemy Jungler.

A few seconds before his Crystal exploded, Pei Shiyu finally killed the enemy Jungler, though he was also taken down by the surrounding enemies.

Coincidentally, he collapsed right next to the enemy Jungler.

In the final second before the Crystal shattered, Pei Shiyu saw the last message from the enemy Jungler in the public chat.

Eternal Player 7 (Jungle): “And here I thought dying for love was just an ancient legend!”

Time: 11:59:59.

Pei Shiyu: Losing MVP with a 12.6 rating.

As the match ended, a cry of surprise came from Wan Li in the next room.

The training room fell into a strange silence for a few seconds. The Wan brothers held their breath.

Pei Shiyu looked up at his phone. In Heavenly Rank matches, IDs are only revealed after the game.

“Hong Mao.”

Pei Shiyu rubbed his throbbing temples. In all his years of gaming, he rarely felt his blood pressure spike this high after a single match.

Hong Mao, huh? A cold light flickered in Pei Shiyu’s eyes. Heh.

He would remember this.

Wan Yi asked, “Which club does this ‘Hong Mao’ belong to? Or is he actually a rando?”

Usually, those on the leaderboards were either professional players or youth trainees from a club. If a signed player made the rankings, the club gave out bonuses. Having a club prefix on the Heavenly Rank also served as publicity. Even if they were not with a major club, they should be a streamer on some platform. Otherwise, where would a hidden master come from who could contend for first place for several seasons?

Pei Shiyu gave Wan Yi a lukewarm glance. “You are so interested in the rankings. What is your rank?”

“Cough! Cough!” Wan Yi faked a coughing fit. In the list of the top 100 players after the merger, he found his name at number 99.

Wan Yi laughed awkwardly. “I barely made the list.”

Pei Shiyu stared at him. Wan Yi’s laughter died out.

Wan Li threw a few packs of noodles over. “Go cook some ramen!”

Wan Yi caught the cups. “How many should I make? Captain, are you eating?”

Hearing this, Wan Li took a deep breath and spat out one word through gritted teeth: “Get out.”

Wan Li thought for a moment and could not help but smack Wan Yi on the back of the head. “Are the club registration materials ready?”

Wan Yi grumbled, “So disrespectful. I am the older brother!”

Wan Li held back. “Do not force me to commit fratricide!”

He just could not understand. They were twins, born only ten minutes apart. How could his brother be so exceptionally stupid?

Inside the headquarters of Eternal, this version update was a major iteration. Everyone in charge of IT operations was working overtime.

While ensuring the game did not lag, they had to keep a close eye on any other issues.

Half an hour after the update, the staff finally breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, no problems.

The IT department supervisor loosened his tie and spoke to a youth sitting in the corner with his head down. “Xiao Qing, thanks.”

The boy called Xiao Qing put down his phone. Before the screen went black, he closed the victory screen without a hint of nostalgia, even though the black screen reflected a lingering smile from the match he just played.

Xu Qing looked up. He had naturally curly, fluffy hair and a handsome face that appealed to everyone. He wore a blue and white athletic suit with a pair of pure white headphones around his neck.

The youth was a stark contrast to the IT men in the department, who wore plaid shirts, had thinning hair, and smelled of overtime.

Hearing Uncle Li’s thanks, Xu Qing stretched his neck and shook his head nonchalantly. “It is okay, Uncle Li. It is the last time, anyway.”

Uncle Li was stunned, not understanding. “The last time?”

Xu Qing gave a quiet “Mm” in a nasal tone. “The last time.”

Uncle Li asked, “Does your dad know?”

Xu Qing lowered his head slightly, his thick eyelashes obscuring the emotions in his eyes. His tone was a bit cold. “What does it have to do with him?”

“I am eighteen, Uncle Li. He cannot control me anymore.”

Uncle Li was caught off guard by the answer. He instinctively asked, “What about the game? Xiao Qing, will you still play? Even though the account belongs to the department, you have been using ‘Hong Mao’ to help us with testing. If you want it, you can…”

“No need.” Xu Qing interrupted Uncle Li’s next words gently but firmly.

Xu Qing looked up with a sunny smile, the overhead fluorescent lights making his canine teeth flash.

“It is just a string of meaningless code. I do not need it.”

Support The God-Tier Support is Carrying the Game