Chapter 315: Luck Transfer Successful
The death of the Barbarian King relieved some pressure on the team, but they were still at an absolute disadvantage. In a direct team fight, they couldn't win.
Chen Mo calmly continued pinging the map: "The enemy might be here. I'll keep pushing the bottom lane. This time, you guys set up an ambush here. We should be able to catch the Malphite or Karthus alone."
...
Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment Headquarters.
Jin Jieguang handed a detailed report to Lin Chaoxu, including in-game data and survey results from churned players.
Lin Chaoxu read the report carefully twice, then said, "So, the key to the high churn rate is that we brought in too many casual players?"
Jin Jieguang cautiously corrected Lin Chaoxu's statement: "Mr. Lin, strictly speaking, relative to COG, the vast majority of domestic players are light-core players. It's not an issue with our user acquisition."
Lin Chaoxu remained silent.
Jin Jieguang continued, "Mr. Lin, there are a few data points you should focus on."
"First, the critical churn points. The vast majority of churned players left after completing their first match. Additionally, the number of players who left between the first and second matches is also very high. In other words, most players quit after their first player-versus-player match, and some even force-quit the game."
Lin Chaoxu frowned slightly: "So, their experience in their first PvP match was terrible. Why doesn't *League of Legends* have this problem?"
Jin Jieguang explained, "Because COG's tutorial isn't as detailed, and it doesn't force players to play bot matches until level 3. The team composition requirements aren't as strict as in *League of Legends* either. That means many new players start PvP matches without even understanding the game's real mechanics."
Lin Chaoxu frowned: "But doesn't COG have a matchmaking system? It should match players of similar skill levels..."
Jin Jieguang nodded: "It does, but it's useless. When a player plays their first match, there's no data on them. We have no way to judge their true skill. Some players have experience with RTS games, while others have never played anything similar. Even though both are playing COG for the first time, their skill levels are vastly different."
"Furthermore, COG's complex mechanics and snowballing effect further widen the skill gap. So, the experience for those new players in their first match is... very poor."
"*League of Legends*, on the other hand, uses a detailed tutorial and mandatory bot matches to gauge a player's skill to some extent, making the matchmaking data for the first match more accurate."
Lin Chaoxu nodded: "Mm, go on."
Jin Jieguang continued: "Second, the survey. We specifically surveyed the core players who stayed with COG and the players who churned. The results were very surprising. The evaluations of the game from these two groups were completely different."
"Most of the core players who stayed are veteran players of the original COG map, or have extensive RTS experience and fast APM. They are very satisfied with the game and rate it highly. This is also why COG's ratings have always been high."
"They enjoy stomping noobs."
"As for the churned players, they found the game difficult to learn and couldn't figure it out. They couldn't even explain some basic game mechanics. So, they got stomped badly and had a terrible experience."
Lin Chaoxu was a bit puzzled: "But isn't that the same for RTS games?"
Jin Jieguang nodded: "That's why RTS games have a narrow audience. Also, RTS games like *Warcraft III* have a barrier to entry—players have to pay for it. So, anyone who bought it was already a hardcore RTS fan, naturally filtering out a portion of the population."
"But COG is a free game. Anyone can come in. However, its actual difficulty is very high. To these less-skilled players, it's just as hard to learn as an RTS, so they all churned."
Lin Chaoxu tapped the table lightly and said, "So, these churned players became the silent majority. They didn't leave bad reviews or curse on the forums. They just silently deleted the game."
Jin Jieguang nodded: "I'm afraid... that's the case. This is the key reason why COG's ratings are so inconsistent with its retention rate."
Lin Chaoxu felt a headache coming on.
Jin Jieguang said, "Mr. Lin, it's clear Chen Mo's approach is the right one. He saw how unfriendly this game type is to new players and simplified the mechanics to capture the market."
"And, more frighteningly, *League of Legends* hasn't even reached its peak yet. He has plans for further optimization and updates!"
Lin Chaoxu leaned back, deep in thought: "So, what do you think we should do?"
Jin Jieguang said, "I think it's impossible to get those stubborn foreigners to change COG. Perfect timing. We should release a similar game ourselves, following Chen Mo's final blueprint! Our game will be the ultimate winner. Chen Mo could never have imagined that his *League of Legends* would pave the way for us, making the wedding dress for someone else."
Lin Chaoxu stood up, paced a couple of steps, and hesitated.
"Hold on. Let me think some more."
...
Inside the experience store, the battle was fierce.
Chen Mo's Tryndamere was already 0-7. One more death and he'd be feeding. But he was relentlessly attacking the enemy's bottom lane inhibitor, each swing feeling like a stab to the hearts of the five enemies.
A Tryndamere with full fury, Infinity Edge, Statikk Shiv, and Bloodthirster, yet not a single critical hit. Everyone was wondering if the game was bugged.
The five enemies had a team-fight composition, but Chen Mo's Tryndamere was driving them crazy. Every time they initiated a team fight, they gained something, but Chen Mo solo-killed so many towers.
Although Tryndamere was caught and killed a few times, the initiative had already shifted to Chen Mo's side.
The onlookers marveled, "The store manager has turned *League of Legends* into a game of hide-and-seek!"
Li Jingsi's Vayne was already 7-0-2, a stark contrast to Chen Mo's 0-7.
Especially her incredible plays that left the enemy team scratching their heads, making Chen Mo sigh, "These days, the pros love to pretend to be noobs? She said she'd never played Vayne?"
Jia Peng was also excited. He never imagined they could completely turn around such a disadvantageous early game through split-pushing.
"Store manager, they're starting a team fight again!" Jia Peng said.
"It's fine. Stall them. I'm about to destroy the Nexus!" Chen Mo was already heading for the final Nexus.
The enemy clearly didn't want to recall. They were so annoyed by Tryndamere that they just wanted to rush in as five and end the fight.
Soon, messages started flooding the screen. Malphite and Amumu forced an engage on Lulu. Annie counter-killed Karthus instantly. Master Yi went in for the cleanup, while Vayne was outputting like crazy...
But they were ultimately one man down. Although Li Jingsi's Vayne dodged as many skill shots as possible, she was still taken out by Karthus's Requiem after he died.
Only Miss Fortune was left alive, desperately pushing Chen Mo's Nexus.
Chen Mo was also destroying the enemy's Nexus, but he checked. Although the 100 unlucky events were completed, he was still one death short!
Time was running out. Chen Mo brought the Nexus down to its last sliver of health, then used Spinning Slash to dive into the enemy fountain.
As Tryndamere fell, a thrilling "Victory!" echoed in everyone's headphones.
"Wow, store manager, you're amazing!!" the onlookers shouted excitedly.
Jia Peng was already slumped in his chair, exhausted.
Chen Mo also let out a long breath. He glanced at the virtual screen on his wristband.
[All tasks completed. Luck Transfer Successful!]
...
Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment Headquarters.
Lin Chaoxu seemed to have a sudden epiphany. He said to Jin Jieguang, "I've decided. We can't put all our hopes on those foreigners this time. We'll make our own game, following your plan!"
...
The chapter order is back to normal.
Just as he reached the elevator, Chen Mo suddenly realized a serious problem.
No, he couldn't take the elevator!
What if the elevator suddenly malfunctioned and got stuck? It would take a long time for rescuers to arrive. Everything would be too late.
Chen Mo slammed on the brakes and ran towards the fire escape.
Fortunately, nothing else went wrong while he was running down the stairs, except for two near slips that almost sent him tumbling down.
Chen Mo jogged into the first-floor lobby of the experience store, drawing everyone's attention. Everyone was wondering, what's wrong with the store manager today? Why is he so flustered?
Could it be... he choked on dog food?
Chen Mo checked the time on his wristband. Good, he completed the task with the last 30 seconds to spare.
[System Task (1/5): Arrive at the first-floor lobby of the experience store. Completed.]
[System Task (2/5): Complete a premade match in *League of Legends*. Time limit: 1 hour.]
Chen Mo was stunned. That's it? Just play a game with friends? It didn't seem that hard.
Unless the experience store suddenly lost power? The computers crashed? The mouse failed? The keyboard electrocuted him?
That shouldn't happen. The computers and peripherals in Chen Mo's store were of good quality. As for a power outage or internet disconnection... that would be too much, right?
The front desk girl asked, "Store manager, would you like something to drink?"
Chen Mo said grumpily, "No! I called you so many times just now, why didn't you answer?"
The front desk girl was stunned: "Huh? No one called just now?"
Chen Mo: "..."
It seemed the bad luck spirit was at work. Chen Mo decided not to pursue it. The first task was done. Time for the second.
But who should he play with?
Just as Chen Mo was thinking, someone called out from the store entrance: "Store manager!"
Chen Mo looked up. Jia Peng, Chang Xiuya, and a girl he didn't recognize were walking into the store.
Chen Mo was surprised: "You guys... haven't gone home yet?"
Jia Peng said, "No, we just got on break today. Our train tickets are for tomorrow, so we came to play at the store for a bit."
"Coming to the store to play games today—now those are true fans," Chen Mo remarked.
Chang Xiuya introduced them: "Store manager, this girl is our junior, Li Jingsi. She's a junior this year. Jingsi, this is the store manager I always talk about, Chen Mo."
Li Jingsi was slightly taller than Chang Xiuya, about 1.67 meters. Her short hair was very neat, but she had a unique, cute charm. She was very beautiful, probably on par with Wen Lingwei, the type that would turn heads anywhere. But unlike Wen Lingwei, Li Jingsi gave off a very gentle vibe, not at all aggressive.
And when Li Jingsi smiled, her expression was very relaxed. She was the epitome of a healing type.
Li Jingsi smiled and nodded at Chen Mo: "I've heard so much about you."
Chen Mo nodded back: "Welcome, welcome. Jia Peng, you two are bringing in new customers again. I'm so grateful. I should give you a lifetime achievement award."
Jia Peng said, "Store manager, don't give me that fluff. Just give me a full set of SSR in *Onmyoji*—that's more practical."
Li Jingsi was observing Chen Mo, but not with an impolite or intense gaze. It was more out of curiosity.
Chen Mo didn't mind. He had bigger problems to worry about, like being haunted by bad luck.
Jia Peng checked the time: "Let's head in. Oh, store manager, do you want to play a couple of games with us? I'm a bit overwhelmed trying to carry two girls by myself..."
Chen Mo was a bit speechless: "Not going to sit in the lobby and chat for a bit? You guys came to the store on a day like this just to play games?"
Jia Peng coughed twice: "Store manager, if you keep talking, we'll just be hurting each other's feelings. Can't we just tacitly agree not to mention it?"
"...Yeah, my brain short-circuited for a second. Don't mind me," Chen Mo said. "Alright, I'll play a couple of games with you today. Go find some seats. I'll grab some milk tea."
"Great!" Chang Xiuya was very happy. She was a bit nervous earlier, thinking Jia Peng couldn't carry both of them alone. Hearing that Chen Mo was joining, it looked like an easy win.
Jia Peng led the two girls to a row of four seats. Since it was almost New Year's, the store's foot traffic had dropped, so finding empty seats wasn't hard.
Chen Mo hadn't arrived yet. He was probably waiting for the milk tea.
Chang Xiuya whispered to Li Jingsi: "So, how do you feel meeting the S God?"
Li Jingsi smiled: "Nothing special, except that he's very young. Is he really that good at games?"
Jia Peng said, "Of course. He's beaten all the top players on the *Warcraft III* ladder one by one. What do you think?"
Li Jingsi was a bit regretful: "Too bad I started playing *Warcraft III* too late. I never got to play against him. But I've heard a lot about him from Goph and the others. I heard the famous Wind Rider strategy was his invention."
"It's okay. There's still time. After we finish *League of Legends*, you can ask him to play a couple of *Warcraft III* games. He'll probably agree," Jia Peng said.
As they were chatting, Chen Mo arrived.
Handing out the milk tea to everyone, Chen Mo noticed that the others had left the middle seat for him, between Jia Peng and Li Jingsi.
Jia Peng explained: "Store manager, you sit in the middle. It'll be easier for you to command us."
"Alright." Chen Mo sat down, but he was a bit uneasy.
If it were before, carrying these guys in a normal match would be like playing against bots. He could even 1v5. But now, he was cursed with bad luck. If every word he said turned into a jinx, commanding would be a disaster.
He opened the *League of Legends* client and entered the game.
Chen Mo used his usual ID, "Silent." He had already played a few games during the beta test, so his account was level 5, high enough for normal matches.
Li Jingsi had clearly played before too. Her account was just level 3, barely enough for normal matches.
Jia Peng had the highest level, already level 10.
Jia Peng invited the three to form a party. They couldn't make a full five-man team, so they would queue with one random player.
As they entered the queue, Chen Mo glanced at the virtual screen on his wristband. On this screen, visible only to him, the tasks had refreshed again.
[System Task (2/5): Complete a premade match in *League of Legends*. Time limit: 1 hour.]
[System Task (3/5): Choose a champion that relies on luck in the match.]
[System Task (4/5): Complete 100 unlucky events in the match.]
[System Task (5/5): Win the match with a 0-8 score.]
All the tasks had appeared at once, but the later ones had to be completed during this match.
Chen Mo's mouth twitched slightly. So many restrictions?
Finish the match within 1 hour, choose a luck-based champion, complete 100 unlucky events, and win with a 0-8 score?
This... this meant he had to feed and still win!