Hearing that my wife plays League of Legends brought a wave of anxiety, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of excitement. After all, she’s practically a perfect superhuman in front of me. I couldn’t resist a smile at the prospect of finally witnessing her struggle in a game.
“What champion are you thinking of playing? Is there anyone you’re drawn to?”
I started by browsing the shop, throwing the question her way. Since there aren’t many champions when you first start, the efficiency might not be great, but I was secretly planning to charge my own money for the character she wanted to pick.
Typically, women tend to prefer cute or charming characters, and I imagined she’d probably opt for a support or mage role rather than a frontline fighter.
“Hmm… I’ll go with Ned.”
“What? Ned?”
【Kokkiyaho】- Huh? Ned?
【I’m Telling The Teacher】- Sis, that’s seriously not it…
【HolicShit】- A newbie starting with Ned is kinda…
But just like that, I was completely taken aback by her unexpected choice. The viewers responded similarly.
Indeed, the champion she picked was Ned, who just so happens to be one of my top favorites. You’d think it would be easy for me to teach her since I often play him, but the surprise came from the fact that Ned is considered one of the tougher champions in the game.
Of course, once you actually play him, he might not seem too difficult, but that’s only from the perspective of someone who has experience. It’s a fact that recommending Ned to someone who’s never played is just wrong.
He’s fundamentally an assassin, meaning he’s pretty squishy and tends to die easily. Plus, as a melee character, he can struggle in lane, and more than anything, he’s quite tough to shine in team fights.
The high skill required to toy with opponents using shadows is also a point that makes him hard to recommend.
“Yeah, but he’s your most played character. So I thought I’d give him a try.”
“Uh, hmm….”
【BINGO】- The intention’s pure but…
【Subjectivity】- I can’t find a good excuse to talk her out of this…
【White Whale】- Isn’t she gonna quit right after one match?
However, just as the viewers said, my wife’s reason for picking Ned was so worthy that I couldn’t possibly argue against it.
Sure, since she wasn’t really looking to get serious about playing League and just wanted to try it out for a day, maybe it’s better she does what she wants.
“Then let’s pick Ned for now, and I’ll buy you a skin too. Let’s just try a bot match to get a feel for it.”
“Is that a gift from you? Thank you.”
【Alpaca Hunter】- She’s just happy receiving a character and skin while he’s giving away his entire workspace…
【Gyeonghwa Sueol】- Seriously, where’s a woman like her?
【Cro-Magnon】- Suddenly, I’m feeling the urge to stab something.
What? Why did anyone feel like stabbing something? You guys should appreciate every small thing, just like my wife does.
Though, in reality, it’s likely impossible.
– The game has started.
I had to suppress any possible distractions as the game began, observing the screen as I internally braced myself.
“Okay, you see that sword-shaped item over there? Buy one of those and a potion.”
“Like this?”
“Exactly. Next, go to the middle lane, we call it mid. You’ll just run straight towards the turret and then stand there.”
“That’s the spot you often stand, right?”
Exactly. I may roam around positions, but my main role is mid after all.
“Soon, minions will crawl out, and when their health gets low, kill them to get gold. That’s typically what we call farming.”
While slowly explaining the basics of the game systems, my wife’s lips curled into a playful smile, and she said, “Heh, farming is your weakest point, right?”
“…Huh?”
She hit a sore spot. I do get a lot of kills in-game, but my farming is notoriously bad and I frequently end up with fewer CS than my opponents.
【Arisa Loves It】- LMAO
【Soju Flavored Hand Cream】- That was a direct hit!
【JeobiChuriSal】- Look at the broadcaster trying to save face!
【Allfreed】- The dust leader here is serious about not only watching the broadcast!
【Bera666】- Why is she so good at League?
The chat exploded with laughter as the viewers sensed an opportunity to poke fun at me.
I never imagined I would hear such snide remarks from my wife. It left me so stunned that I couldn’t think of a retort.
She was, unfortunately, right.
“Hey honey, I think an enemy’s coming. What do I do?”
“Oh, in that case, keep farming the minions, and if you see an opportunity, throw your shuriken to hit the enemy. That’s the hardest part in the beginning.”
This is the foundation of the game, the Alpha and Omega of League. In simple terms, it’s “eat well, dodge well, hit well.” But saying it is way easier than doing it, and it’s no exaggeration to say beginners struggle because of this one element.
You have to be aware of the enemy while watching the minions’ health to farm them, and if you happen to miss the minimap and get ganked by the jungle, that’s just icing on the cake of all things going wrong.
“Wow! I hit him, honey!”
“Oh? That was nice!”
【LEGO Swallowing Pigeon】- Whoa, are you carefully managing to farm while harassing?
【TWS2425】- Did you just last-hit a minion next to the enemy with your Q?
【Astral Chronicle】- What a talent!
However, contrary to my worries, my wife performed surprisingly well right from the start of her lane.
Although Ned’s passive makes last-hitting easier, for a beginner to time hits correctly is generally tough. Still, she steadily gathered CS while harassing the opponent with her shurikens.
She even stood in line with the opponent while picking up ranged CS, making me wonder if she was actually aiming for that! The fluidity of her plays was hard to believe for an amateur.
Is it just because we’re in a bot match? Even so, I find it hard to believe it was her first match.
“Now that you’re level three, you’ll learn W. That summons a shadow clone, and it uses the same skills that Ned does. Wanna try using it in front of the enemy?”
“Like this?”
As she executed my instructions, a shadow appeared in front of the opponent.
“Right! Now try pressing EQ at the same time.”
Slash!
“Wow! The shuriken just flew!”
“Oh, that’s right! That’s how you use it.”
As Ned’s skill hit, the effect of ‘Thunder’ activated, making a lightning bolt strike the opponent.
This thunder gets triggered when you hit three attacks in succession so it meant my wife just managed to hit both the shadow’s EQ and the shuriken from her main character as well.
【Mushroom Soup】- Oh, thunder’s struck!
【Flower Sank into the Abyss】- What a skill shot!
【K-HipHopTopCosmo】- You hit all of the main character’s Q too, LOL.
【Lemon Candy】- It seems like the broadcaster might not be the best Ned player anymore?
This was the moment when the haters came flooding in again, but I chose to ignore them, focusing on my wife’s gameplay while casually giving her simple advice.
For instance, when more enemies showed up, I would tell her to back off, or suggest what items to buy when she went home.
“Ah, looks like you’ve hit level six. That’s when you can learn the ultimate skill, which is your strongest.”
“Oh, how do I use this?”
“Hmm, Ned’s ultimate can be a bit tricky to explain. In short…”
【Please Be Positive】- The hard part starts here, LOL.
【Just Woke Up from Eating】- I quit Ned because of the W and Ultimate mechanics…
【That’s it, Cosmo…】- It’s okay if it’s usable in lane, but how do you use it in a team fight? I always get confused…
As if it were the true beginning of the game with excitement bubbling in the air for the viewers and my wife responding either in confusion or understanding.
I even considered taking control and playing it myself to show her, but thinking that would just leave her twiddling her thumbs until my ultimate was off cooldown, I decided it was better for her to give it a shot herself after a simple explanation.
“So when you click on an enemy with this, you dash invulnerably, and a clone will appear behind, and if you click again, you can return, right?”
“Exactly.”
“And during that time, I need to hit as many enemies as possible.”
“Correct.”
“So it’s both an attack and dodge skill? And like the W shadow, it’ll copy my skill too, so if I hit the enemy with my skill, it’ll deal even more damage…”
“Oh…”
Hearing her digest that information left me surprisingly impressed, since it’s tough for someone with little gaming experience to grasp it so quickly. Many had mentioned that Ned was hard because of that mechanic alone.
“I’ll give it a try, okay?”
“Feel free to just go with the flow. I’m totally okay with it.”
She didn’t even need to ask for my permission, yet she nodded her head and pressed the R key.
Just like that, Ned darted forward towards the enemy in an invulnerable state, appearing right behind the opponent. And then…
Whoosh. Slash!
When it comes to Ned, the speed at which this combo is executed often distinguishes pros from amateurs. As an assassin, he needs to eliminate the foe as quickly as possible; knowing how to jam in combos while escaping safely is crucial.
I had an expected vision when my wife cast her ultimate. I imagined she’d use it, slowly cast her skills, deal a few normal attacks, then return back to safety, with the enemy surviving and looking bewildered.
But what just happened? I could barely comprehend how quickly it all unfolded.
From what I could see, after she dashed in with her ultimate, she dropped W behind the enemy, executed EQ to hit a total of three shurikens, then immediately returned to where she first cast her ultimate!
Slash! …Boom!
Like a cheap secondary character in a cartoon who didn’t even realize they got their sword pulled before dying, I stared blankly as the thunder struck while I watched the enemy character perish under Ned’s ultimate damage.
Did she just pull off a three-shuriken combo at her first match?
【Melt Master】- Huh?
【BlueBungieWooRuh】- Whoa, three shurikens, holy moly!
【Dust Brigade Join Us Now】- ????????
【Just Woke Up from Eating】- Why’s her reaction so fast?
In disbelief, the viewers filled the chat with question marks, utterly stunned by my wife’s dazzling performance.
“Honey! How did you just do that?”
“Heh, actually, I’ve watched you play a lot. You do it all the time, right? Rush in, create a shadow behind, and hit with three shurikens to finish off the opponent.”
“True, but still… how can you replicate it so well just by watching?”
I knew my wife had done some pre-study through videos, but even considering that, what she just pulled off was way too clean and fluid for a beginner.
Did she sneak off and practice without me knowing?
“So about that… honey, after this, how about we do a one-on-one match?”
“A one-on-one?”
“Yeah, you sometimes play with the viewers, right? I want to try too.”
I was stunned into silence, only able to clap in awe at her performance, when she casually proposed a match.
It seemed the easy win from earlier had made her a bit smug, but I never imagined she’d challenge me to a one-on-one.
How am I supposed to handle this?
“Of course, let’s set up some handicaps for it, what do you think? The viewers would probably enjoy it.”
“Um….”
“If it sounds scary with handicaps, you don’t have to impose it.”
“…Let’s head to the Rift immediately.”
【Kokkiyahou】- LOL!
【Potato Ring】- She thought about it, then got taunted and is immediately ready to go!
【Arisa Loves It】- The broadcaster is up against his wife…
【Allfreed】- The broadcaster’s expression says it all!
Isn’t it natural for my eyes to bulge out? No matter how much she’s my wife, challenging a professional gamer to a duel? There’s an ancient saying that men can withstand all kinds of taunts, but they can never forgive “You can’t game.” This calls for some serious education!
“Alright, since you’re daring, how about we incorporate a wager as well?”
“A wager?”
And with that, I proposed a bet with the intention of really teaching her a lesson, and she tilted her head, eyes gleaming, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“Yeah. If I win, you have to call me ‘Oppa’ for a day.”
“Not Oppa… but ‘Older brother’?”
“It’s gotta be something that feels like a punishment!”
This was definitely an embarrassing title, maybe it was such that even my wife wouldn’t budge easily. So I decisively established the forfeit.
The viewers merely enjoyed the chaos, cheering from afar.
“However, since I hold a significant advantage, if I lose, I’ll grant you one wish.”
“One wish?”
“Yeah, a wish.”
It felt drastic, but regardless of any handicap, my overwhelming advantage was a given. This degree of risk only made the game more exciting.
“…For real? Anything is fine?”
“Since I said wish, just not impossible stuff.”
“Hmm… Really? You won’t regret that statement?”
“Of course not! Absolutely not.”
Even though a shiver ran down my spine, I brushed it off, nodding firmly.
I mean, even if I play badly and use weird builds or items, there’s no way I’ll lose against her.
The mere thought of being called ‘Older brother’ by my wife for an entire day made my heart swell.
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