NOVPUB
Chapter 20 - RPK Teams
Seunghoon didn't leave immediately.
Instead, he stood there, blending into the crowd. He watched the match unfold on the massive screen outside RPL Arena. The LED display flickered between the team cams and in-game camera, each skill cast and kill was followed by a sound of cheering from the crowd.
The match was between ZEAL and FalcoX—two of the more popular teams in the current standings.
ZEAL was methodical and slow. FalcoX, on the other hand, was aggressive, with a jungle-mid duo that was known for their high-tempo plays.
Seunghoon followed their movements with sharp eyes.
In his mind, he could tell what was going to happen in the game before the casters even opened their mouths.
FalcoX's midlaner tried to force a roam top, but Seunghoon already knew it was a bait. ZEAL had vision, and they were just waiting for the right timing.
And as expected, just five seconds later, the gank turned into a disaster. ZEAL's support had rotated early, and their jungler countered the dive with near-perfect timing.
The crowd gasped when FalcoX's top and mid were wiped out
"Whew. That was clean," someone muttered on the side.
Seunghoon turned his head slightly. A group of men in their twenties were watching the game next to him. One of them was wearing a RN Seoul jersey, and another had a keychain with the logo of Nova dangling from his backpack.
"FalcoX is too greedy sometimes," the guy in the RN jersey muttered. 𝚗𝚘v𝚙𝚞b.𝚌𝚘m
"They always throw mid-game," another replied. "That's why ZEAL just waits. They know how to play patient."
Seunghoon shifted closer to them, his hands in his pockets.
"Don't worry. FlacoX might have lost that but they're going to go for the Turtle next," he said quietly.
The group looked at him, caught off guard.
"What?"
"Turtle? But they just lost two." One of the guys raised a brow.
"They did," Seunghoon replied, his eyes still on the screen, "but their bot lane has priority, and their jungler is already on the way. ZEAL used ultimates to defend the top, so they won't contest. FalcoX will use it to buy back tempo."
The others fell silent, blinking at him. They glanced back at the screen.
Just a few seconds later, the camera cut to the bot side of the map.
[Objective Alert: Turtle Spawned]
FalcoX's jungler appeared on the screen, just as Seunghoon predicted. Their bot duo rotated in perfectly. ZEAL's support didn't even move.
[Team FalcoX has slain the Turtle.]
The small crowd murmured again. One of the guys let out a low whistle.
"Bro, you read that like a coach."
Seunghoon gave a small shrug, lips tugging into a faint smile.
"Guess I just really like the game."
Another man chuckled. "No, seriously. That was kind of impressive."
"Yeah," the guy with the Nova keychain added. "Most people don't even know how rotations work."
"Yeah," Seunghoon replied.
"Not really." Seunghoon kept his tone casual. He smiled and shook his head. "I used to play a lot. But not anymore, I guess."
They all nodded like they understood.
"Yeah. You look like you're still a student. You must be busy with university, now that's why." The man sighed.
"..."
Seunghoon was about to say something when their conversation trailed off as a massive team fight broke out in midlane. FalcoX's midlaner redeemed himself with a perfect ultimate that chained into the other team's support's CC. ZEAL's ADC got caught too deep.
"Wow. That was nasty," one of them muttered.
"FalcoX might turn it around now," another said.
Seunghoon didn't respond. He was already watching the minimap, eyes tracking the players' positions with instinct.
"ZEAL's gonna reset and push side. FalcoX won't fight for the next 2 minutes."
Sure enough, a moment later, ZEAL recalled and split their players across the map. It was textbook macro, and Seunghoon saw it coming like he was reading the game.
"Holy shit," the RN fan muttered, "you really know this stuff."
Seunghoon didn't answer right away. He just smiled a little.
He was careful with his words.
As the match continued, the group of men started including him in their chatter more and more. They pointed things out, asked for his thoughts on certain items or rotations, and even debated hero picks.
Every time Seunghoon spoke, it was like he was reciting from a script.
By the end of the match, ZEAL pulled off a miracle comeback with a risky play and a wiped out right after.
The crowd exploded into cheers.
People clapped in the arena. Some shouted. While others groaned.
Seunghoon stood still among them all, smiling faintly as the victory screen lit up in bright blue:
[Victory – ZEAL | Match Score: 2-1]
It was chaos. But it was a beautiful kind of chaos.
"ZEAL's macro is on another level this split," someone murmured. "That's why they're top of the standings."
"Yeah. They're definitely good."
"The score is so close, though."
Seunghoon continued to listen to them, but his eyes stayed locked on the screen. The scene was transitioning to a post player interview from the winning team.
Seunghoon's mind, though, wasn't on the game anymore. It was on the league itself.
The current team standings were being flashed across the bottom of the broadcast.
RPK Current Rankings:
1. ZEAL
2. RN Seoul
3. Nova Esports
4. ONYX Esports
5. FalcoX
6. KRK
7. Blaze
8. NineTeam
9. AceBrave
10. Hound
11. WARP Tigers
12. LUX OrionAStorm
Seunghoon's gaze stayed fixed on the screen as the standings rolled across the bottom of the broadcast.
ZEAL. RN Seoul. Nova Esports. ONYX. FalcoX.
Then there it was.
6th place.
KRK.
The moment the name appeared, something inside him stirred. He blinked and his breath slowed.
KRK—short for Krakens Rising Korea—wasn't just another team in the league to him.
That used to be his old team.
Back then, KRK wasn't just a middle team. They were kings. A top-three team in the region for nearly three full splits, feared for their early game aggression and clutch mid-to-late game calls. Their scrims were legendary. Their teamfights were clean. And at their supposed to be peak time, KRK was talked about in the same breath as ZEAL and RN Seoul.
They were the kind of team that didn't need superstar names because they played like a five-man machine. And in the heart of it all, there was one player who stood up when it mattered.
Their midlaner.
VIVID.
It was his old name.
However, when he got replaced, their synergy faded. Their identity also blurred. Slowly, they slid down the rankings over the past few years.
They were still good, but no longer great.
