Chapter 8: The Overwhelmed "Prodigy Youth"
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No numbers! Just parameters! If Zhe Su had seen such a clip online, he would have been convinced that there was some strange device plugged into that person’s computer.
Confident breakthroughs, precise positioning—like a bulldozer, he tore through CT’s defense entirely.
The whole process could be summed up in one word: wild!
It also made him understand what it meant to be a sixteen-year-old prodigy, brimming with youthful arrogance, as if to say, “Your reflexes aren’t faster than mine! Your aim isn’t more precise!”
He had originally thought his playstyle on the ladder was already quite bold, but in the face of such maneuvers, Zhe Su felt no different from a timid lizard.
During this realization, he also grasped some of Donk’s thought process during breakthroughs.
He had played the Desert Mirage map before. If it were him, after entering A1, he would have immediately positioned himself at the terrorist jump spot, waited a moment, then pulled back to find someone for a gunfight.
As for why he waited, he didn’t really know—just felt it was safer that way.
Donk, as the lead breaker in the front line, first thought to stretch out the team’s gunline, then fully utilize team utility throws to seek kills.
After finishing this reflection, Zhe Su was still somewhat unsatisfied. A previously unheard-of player like Donk was enough to make him realize some of his own mistakes on the ladder. So what about stars like Niko and Electronic, who had been famous for years?
Casting aside such fantasies, Zhe Su settled down to continue honing his fundamentals while completing his daily tasks.
Having witnessed the glory of a professional breaker, he clearly understood his own shortcomings.
Though the moves were simple, if he tried to replicate them himself, he couldn’t.
Behind the wild breakthroughs were subtle details not easily observed—details only Zhe Su could perceive thanks to the system’s perspective.
In the following week, Zhe Su became exceptionally disciplined.
Every morning, he started with half an hour of fitness as his first daily training task, then, aside from attending essential university classes, he devoted all his remaining time to CSGO.
Among the daily tasks, the most challenging for him was the pre-aim challenge.
On the first day, with no pre-aim foundation, Zhe Su spent a full six hours completing the task, even resorting to some tricks.
Pulling out from behind cover, the crosshair was completely off from where he expected, requiring a second adjustment each time.
In the end, he had to rely on memory to know where bots were positioned before opening fire preemptively.
Yet despite this, the pre-aim challenge brought him tremendous improvement.
First, his map familiarity increased, revealing that even the most obscure spots might be occupied.
His movement control also improved significantly compared to before.
And Zhe Su vividly remembered that when he first completed the pre-aim challenge, he earned more than 700 Rise Points!
Although the rewards gradually diminished afterward, they remained substantial.
It was another pleasant Sunday. Having just returned from the playground, Zhe Su first took a shower, then picked up the steamed buns he brought back from the cafeteria and began his breakfast.
While eating, he summoned his system panel.
[Host: Zhe Su]
[Age: 18]
[Team: None]
[Positioning: 45-50]
[Movement: 37-43]
[Gun Control: 41-46]
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[Awareness: 31-36]
[Reflexes: 63-68]
[Rise Points: 1563]
[Weapon Proficiency:
AK-47 (LV4.1)
AWP (LV1.3)
…(expand)]
[Skill: Chosen One]
[Overall Level: C]
[Evaluation: Congratulations, young man. After persistent effort, you have truly stepped into the world of CSGO, reaching the level of an ordinary player. But how could a prodigy like you be satisfied with this? The road ahead is long—keep pushing forward!]
Over 1,000 Rise Points again!
Zhe Su immediately opened the shop page.
[Spend 1,000 Rise Points to purchase an attribute point?]
[Yes!]
After gaining one attribute point, Zhe Su allocated it directly to [Reflexes], raising this attribute to [64-69].
All the Rise Points he earned that week were poured into [Reflexes].
To him, [Reflexes] equaled [Talent]—essentially one’s ceiling.
If two players pulled out simultaneously to gunfight, the one with faster reflexes would complete their aim and shoot first.
Other attributes could be gradually improved through daily training, but reflexes were stubbornly slow to grow!
Over the week, he faithfully followed Fat Brother’s training method, doing half an hour of fitness daily, yet the reflex attribute remained unmoved, and the Rise Points awarded were pitifully few.
Perhaps it hadn’t crossed a certain threshold yet. Since some Rise Points were granted, there had to be some effect—this was Zhe Su’s consolation.
He was eager to see how he would perform in matches once his reflexes were maxed out.
Watching professional highlight reels, the most impressive aspect to Zhe Su was always their godlike reflexes.
After quickly finishing the last few buns, he checked the time—it was exactly eight o’clock—and then clapped his hands before skillfully pressing the power button on his computer.
[Rise Points +57]
[Rise Points +61]
[Rise Points +91]
After over three hours of effort, Zhe Su swiftly completed his daily training tasks and opened the Perfect Platform.
Seeing his B+ rank with a score of 1987, he planned to try pushing for promotion again before lunch.
With his fundamentals improving, since reaching the B division, climbing ranks had become easier—until he hit the score just shy of advancing to the A division.
The gap between B and A was only 400 points; with good performance, winning a dozen or so matches would suffice.
However, the skill difference was already a clear dividing line. Teammates began to communicate and cooperate with tacit understanding.
Though inexperienced in such matches, Zhe Su could still hold his own thanks to his sharp reflexes and steadily improving fundamentals.
The map was still the Desert Mirage he knew best. Both sides were evenly matched, and the score was now 11-10.
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This long gun round was a pivotal moment in the game. With the score tightly contested, both teams’ economies were strained.
Spawning near point B, Zhe Su grabbed the AK he had confiscated last round and headed straight to the B bombsite.
As defenders, their setup was a 3-1-1 formation, with Zhe Su responsible for solo B defense.
He liked to hold the white van position when solo on B. Suddenly, he recalled Donk’s direct peek from that day.
He still didn’t quite understand why constant movement was necessary when defending.
Why not give it a try?
Thinking this, Zhe Su began emulating the maneuver he had seen, continuously tapping the AD keys to keep his body moving.
Suddenly, a smoke grenade fell, catching his attention.
“The enemy might be pushing B! Smoke on B door!” he called out over voice chat, then quickly threw a molotov at B entrance.
The first terrorist in the yellow position, after his teammate cleared the smoke, peeked from B entrance, strafing toward the white van.
Just as he finished a sudden stop to aim and prepare to shoot, the CT opponent moved out of his crosshair!
This forced him to readjust his aim, but the next moment bullets came flying.
“Rat-a-tat-tat!”
[The top breaker of Cape using AK-47 headshot killed C9’s shroud himself]
After holding the first terrorist, Zhe Su repositioned and waited until he saw the next terrorist’s silhouette before stopping and firing.
“Rat-a-tat-tat!”
[The top breaker of Cape using AK-47 killed Ji Bochang]
[The top breaker of Cape using AK-47 headshot killed I’m Kamisato Ayaka’s Dog]
Solo on B, Zhe Su played like a god of war! He took down three terrorists in a row before finally being finished off by a trade kill.
“What the f**k! Mine!” Ji Bochang shouted over voice chat. “When I pulled out, the enemy was moving, so my first shot missed.”
I’m Kamisato Ayaka’s Dog sighed, “Same here. There’s nothing we can do. CS2’s movement speed is just too fast!”
They lamented their bad luck—why did the enemy just happen to be moving when they peeked?
The match continued. With Zhe Su taking down three opponents, they secured a decisive numbers advantage.
Players on both sides were evenly matched, but under numerical pressure, the terrorists were crushed before even planting the bomb at site B.
After losing this critical rifle round, the terrorists’ economy collapsed; they couldn’t even afford full armor and grenades, and failed to make a comeback.
In the end, the defenders won 13-10.
“Finally made it to A!” Zhe Su exclaimed.
...
PS: When CS2 first launched, many pros continued using their CSGO playstyle, standing still for straight duels. Even when moving, it was minimal swaying to keep focus.
Only after Donk’s upset over the Galaxy Battleship at Katowice did many begin to study mobile defense.
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