Chapter 372: Level 2 Solo Kill
Orianna and Karthus headed toward mid lane, weaving back and forth to probe each other, but neither made a move.
Whether Orianna leveled Q or E at level one, Karthus was definitely stronger at that stage. Hu Jing wasn't foolish enough to force a direct confrontation with Karthus at level one. He just wandered around, trying to bait Chen Mo into using a few Q skills to drain his mana.
But Chen Mo seemed completely uninterested in him, apparently dead set on farming his way to victory.
Hu Jing licked his lips, unable to suppress a surge of excitement.
There weren't many professional players in China that he respected. After all, IF had fought their way through qualifiers, and he had beaten every mid-laner they faced along the way.
But Chen Mo was different. Hu Jing felt a strong curiosity about him.
Chen Mo's past streams were simply too impressive. Champions like Anivia and Gragas, widely considered weak, became incredibly strong in his hands. Many pro players had even studied his stream replays to learn techniques.
However, Chen Mo had long since stopped playing ranked. Although Hu Jing was also a Challenger now, he had never had the chance to face Chen Mo. So, he had no idea just how strong Chen Mo really was.
Now, Hu Jing finally had the opportunity to fight Chen Mo. How could he not be excited?
IF's team manager, the other players, and Sun Xiao were all watching from behind, silently breaking out in a cold sweat.
IF's players were worried that if Hu Jing offended Chen Mo, he could just walk away and go back to being a rich second-generation heir, leaving the rest of the team to clean up his mess.
Sun Xiao was also a bit helpless. Hu Jing was clearly an immature internet-addicted kid. Why was Chen Mo bothering to get into a spat with him?
And a 1v1? If he lost, wouldn't that just make things awkward for himself?
Sure, Chen Mo was strong, but Hu Jing was now a professional player for IF, arguably the strongest mid-laner in the country. Wouldn't it be illogical for him to win?
The onlookers were all helpless, but since things had already come to this, they could only watch in silence.
Soon, the minion wave arrived.
What Hu Jing never expected was that the moment the minions clashed, Chen Mo's Karthus walked straight forward, past the minion wave, to pressure him!
"What? So aggressive?"
Hu Jing was stunned. He had been baiting Chen Mo earlier, but Karthus hadn't even used a single Q. It seemed like he was just going to farm. So why was he suddenly being so aggressive, coming straight at him with Q?
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Karthus's Q skill, [Lay Waste], exploded on the ground in three marks. The skill's area was very small, just a tiny point on the ground, and it had a 0.5-second delay before activating, making it very hard to hit.
But Hu Jing's Orianna twisted left and right, yet still got hit twice in a row.
"This..." Hu Jing was dumbfounded. What was going on?
Orianna instinctively moved back. Karthus didn't chase, stepping back and using basic attacks to last-hit three low-health minions.
Clearly, Hu Jing had never seen such an aggressive Karthus, so he was completely thrown off.
Level one was indeed Karthus's strong point, but no one had ever seen a Karthus pressure this hard, because his Q was so hard to land!
If the Q skill kept getting dodged, he would be punished by Orianna's counterattack.
But Chen Mo's Karthus could accurately predict Orianna's movements, placing his Q skills precisely where Orianna was about to move, making it look like Orianna was walking into them.
These two Qs hurt Orianna badly.
Moreover, to save mana, Chen Mo didn't use Q to farm at all. He used only basic attacks for last-hitting, saving all his Qs to chip away at Orianna's health.
Anyone who had played Karthus knew that his attack damage was weak and his projectile animation was terrible. Using basic attacks to last-hit was practically self-torture.
But Chen Mo's last-hitting was terrifyingly steady. He used only basic attacks and didn't miss a single minion.
Hu Jing felt immense pressure.
Clearly, Chen Mo's Karthus wasn't the kind that just farmed. He was looking to kill!
Whenever Hu Jing's Orianna stepped forward, Chen Mo's Karthus immediately pressed in, refusing to let Orianna last-hit.
Hu Jing tried again, but this time, Chen Mo hit him with two more Qs. Orianna's health dropped to half, while Karthus still had about two-thirds.
If Karthus's Q hit an area with only one unit, the damage doubled. These Qs were cast past the minion wave, so they were very painful for Orianna.
Hu Jing drank his health potion, feeling a strong sense of defiance.
Why should Karthus be able to pressure me like this?
If this were a professional match, this would already be considered a losing lane, and at this level, the jungler couldn't possibly come to help.
Hu Jing was being pressured unbearably. He desperately wanted to reach level two quickly. Whether he learned W for poke or E for a shield, it would make laning much more comfortable.
But just as Orianna stepped forward to last-hit, a flash of light appeared on Karthus. He had reached level two!
Clearly, due to the difference in experience, a level gap had appeared between Karthus and Orianna.
Hu Jing was startled and immediately moved Orianna back, but Karthus was already on him. Ignite was applied, and the edge of his E skill grazed Orianna.
"He wants to kill me?!"
Hu Jing's Orianna didn't dare run straight to the tower. He knew Karthus would place Q skills directly on his retreat path.
Hu Jing frantically weaved Orianna left and right, but Karthus's Qs followed him like a persistent curse, always appearing exactly where he was about to go.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
With each Q, Orianna's health dropped significantly. Although Orianna flashed straight to the safety of the tower, Karthus flashed right after her, tanked one tower shot, and then threw out another Q before turning around gracefully.
"First blood!"
Hu Jing's screen turned black and white.
Orianna had been solo-killed by Karthus. A level 2 solo kill!
Karthus walked out of tower range gracefully, still at nearly half health.
Hu Jing was stunned. He stared at his screen, unable to believe what had just happened.
He had been solo-killed by Karthus?
How was that possible? Karthus was widely recognized as a late-game champion in League of Legends!
IF's team manager and players were all dumbfounded. What was going on?
A professional mid-laner, arguably the strongest in the country, had been solo-killed by Chen Mo at level two?
Was Hu Jing slacking off? It didn't seem like it. He was playing seriously, even if he had been caught off guard. He was clearly trying his best.
But a level 2 solo kill? How could that be explained?
There was no explanation!
Chen Mo glanced at Hu Jing. "Convinced?"
Hu Jing bit his lip lightly and said nothing.
Chen Mo said calmly, "Not convinced? That's fine. Let's play another round. This time, you use Karthus, and I'll use Orianna."