Chapter 12 Since the Ascent Has Begun, I Trust You Will Not Halt

[Ding~]
[Daily Training Tasks Updated]
1. Eliminate 1,000 bots on the aim training map.
2. Complete the pre-aim challenge on the seven active-duty maps three times.
3. Secure 500 kills in Deathmatch mode.
4. Play at least one competitive match on each of the seven active-duty maps in ranked mode.
5. Watch one game demo daily.
6. Maintain 30 minutes of physical exercise every day.
[Suggestion: The host is advised to perform weighted training during daily challenges to earn additional Rise Point rewards.]

[Ding~]
[New Task Received: Reach Diamond S rank on the Perfect World platform. Reward: Random B-rank reward.]

Seeing the long list of tasks, Su Zhe almost suspected he was playing a game from a greedy corporate developer. This was way too grindy! And Leon Kai was the NPC issuing these tasks.

However, this was exactly what he wanted. The reason his progress had been slow lately, besides his limited playtime and lack of experience, was that the rewards from daily tasks were too meager. Even after converting all his Rise Points into attribute points for Reaction, his current score was only between 67 and 72.

But he was most interested in the new task that had just appeared. Reaching Diamond S not only granted a B-rank reward but also a ticket to becoming a professional player! If a D-rank reward like "donk’s skill insight" could give him such a massive boost, what could a B-rank—or even higher—reward achieve?

"Keep it up!" Su Zhe silently encouraged himself before diving back into CS:GO.

After finishing the new daily tasks, Su Zhe felt that the most challenging part was playing the other maps in ranked mode. Although he had gained a rough understanding of map geometry through pre-aim challenges and Deathmatch, map knowledge wasn't just about running around and knowing the paths. It was about knowing what utility to throw at the start of a round to secure map control, predicting when opponents might push, and so on.

Without a vast amount of gaming experience, playing these maps well was impossible. The most absurd one was Nuke; he could even get lost while playing it. As a map known for being heavily CT-sided in professional play, he actually performed better on the attacking side. This highlighted the importance of map understanding. Fortunately, the current trend of educational content on social media was highly competitive, with some creators even teaching specific spots on certain maps, which allowed him to save time and follow in the footsteps of those who came before him.

He was also accumulating more and more Rise Points from his daily training.

...

Busy days always pass quickly. Walking on campus, withered leaves could be seen scattered everywhere; cities in the northern part of the country had gradually entered late autumn. After the Paris Major in May, Valve had canceled the second half of the 2023 Major season due to the transition to CS2. However, in the month since the update, several S-tier tournaments had been held, such as IEM Sydney and the Kangaroo Cup.

The annual CAC Asian Invitational was also about to begin in Shanghai, with a generous prize pool of $500,000 attracting many top-tier professional teams from around the world, including legendary esports giants known to everyone, like FaZe and Mouz. As the tournament date approached, many professional players began arriving in Shanghai.

As Valve's domestic partner, the Perfect World platform was the only choice for pros looking to practice in Deathmatch or play ranked matches. On social media, many people were posting pictures or videos of themselves randomly encountering professional players in ranked games.

"Fatty" had just returned to the dorm from the school bathhouse. While drying his hair with a towel, he shouted at Su Zhe, who was sitting in front of his computer, "Zhe, want to queue together?"

Su Zhe didn't even turn his head. "In a minute, give me a few minutes. I still need about 200 more bot kills."

"Sure, that's just enough time for me to dry my hair."

After tucking his toiletries under his bed, Fatty looked at the focused Su Zhe and sighed, "I suspect you’re possessed or something, treating CS:GO like a nine-to-five job. But your progress is truly ridiculous. It’s only been a month, and you’ve gone from C+ to S! Who would believe that?"

Su Zhe, controlling his mouse and keyboard with muscle memory to keep killing bots, smiled at Fatty’s remark. "You’re even better than me. You reached the S-tier in just two weeks."

"Get out of here! That’s not the same thing," Fatty laughed and cursed. "Even though CS2 has changed quite a bit from CS:GO, the fundamentals are more or less the same. Isn't it normal to regain my form and get back to S in two weeks?"

"You, on the other hand, are a monster. You made me think climbing in CS2 was easy, but looking at it now, there's no difference."

Perhaps due to the atmosphere, roommates in university dorms usually played the same games. After his recent failed online relationship, Fatty found Valorant increasingly boring. Influenced by Su Zhe, who played nothing but CS:GO every time he returned to the dorm, Fatty had gradually returned to the game. After the initial discomfort of the first day, he slowly regained his lost "aim feel," and last night, while duo-queueing with Su Zhe, they both reached the S-tier.

Fatty, finished drying his hair, stood behind Su Zhe’s chair and teased with a grin, "When you hit S yesterday, you didn't actually cry, did you?"

Su Zhe glanced back at Fatty without saying a word.

The moment he hit the S-tier yesterday, he had indeed shed a few tears. If his roommates hadn't been there, he might have even wanted to scream at the top of his lungs.

[S-tier is more than just a rank; it is a new world.]
[The climb has begun; believe that you will not stop here.]

The animation hadn't been particularly epic, but when he truly reached the S-tier and looked back at the effort of the past month, it felt indescribable. Over the last month, he had spent at least ten hours a day on CS:GO. On days when his class schedule was full, he would sometimes finish his daily training tasks as late as three in the morning. He had to be thankful for his roommates, who slept like logs and wouldn't be woken up as long as he didn't make too much noise.

Long-term sleep deprivation and high-intensity ranked play had left him completely exhausted. This was no longer driven by positive reinforcement; it was something he had pushed through by sheer willpower. Yesterday, when he promoted to S-tier, the sensitive side of Su Zhe had released all the negative emotions he had bottled up over the month.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Let's queue. Today, your brother is going to carry you to some serious S-rank points!" Fatty patted Su Zhe’s shoulder with his usual grinning expression.

Sitting down at his own computer, he recalled the first time he reached the S-tier. He had been in his third year of high school. He vaguely remembered it was 2:12 AM on Wednesday, September 22, 2022—though he didn't remember the specifics clearly. That night, he had shouted in excitement, only to be caught by his father, who was heading to the bathroom, and get a sound thrashing.