Is B considered expert level?
It clearly depends on who you're asking. For Wei Cheng, who had just started playing, B Rank was already considered expert level. After all, they weren't even C+ yet, and there was a whole rank between them.
But for Lin Yu, whose true skill level was at A+, B Rank was just another fish in the pond.
So, he smiled and patted Wei Cheng on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, we'll crush him."
Wei Cheng just gave Lin Yu a sidelong glance and said, "I think you've had too much to drink and started talking nonsense."
"If I crush him, you're buying lunch tomorrow."
"Deal. I'm two wins away from C+, this match is crucial. If you can crush him and we win, I'll treat you. But it doesn't count unless you get the top kill."
"Alright."
After quickly reaching an agreement, their screens went dark, and they entered the loading screen.
Their beds faced each other, so naturally, their desks did too. They played games back-to-back, so even when sitting down, they couldn't see each other's screens.
Thus, even when playing side by side, they relied on in-game voice chat to communicate.
Before putting on his headphones, Lin Yu glanced at the stats and IDs of the ten players, nodding confidently.
T: Shark (Lin Yu), WCCCCW (Wei Cheng), Garden Strong Mom, s1mpleee, Sekai Saionji.
CT: I Will Always Love Sakurajima Mai, Challenge Anyone Under First Grade, Challenge Anyone Over Sixty, I Am Not Cheating, Makoto Ito.
On their side, apart from him and Wei Cheng who were both C Rank, the other three were C+.
As for the CT side, aside from Sakurajima Mai who was B Rank, the rest were C Rank.
Overall, the skill levels of both sides weren't too different.
Lin Yu then put on his headphones and waited quietly for the loading to finish.
Soon, the voices of teammates and opponents filled his ears.
"Hey, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear."
"Great, bro."
"Niko lost again."
"Who's Niko?"
"I just started watching, seems like he's the rifler for NAVI."
"Didn't NAVI win?"
"..."
Amidst the chaos, the commotion finally subsided as the last player joined.
After everyone refused a knife fight, the pistol round began.
Lin Yu stood at T Spawn, glancing at his spawn position near Long A.
Coincidentally, a teammate's voice came through his headset.
"What's the plan?"
Without hesitation, Lin Yu started directing his teammates.
"We're hitting Long A. Someone throw a smoke and a flash, help me with a flash at Long A, I'll push out from Long Doors."
"No problem."
"Charge!"
Despite his teammates' assurances, Lin Yu wasn't naive. He checked their utility bars, unsurprisingly finding them empty. All four teammates had bought armor.
This wasn't CS2 where you could refund armor. With only $800 at the start, a Kevlar vest cost $650, while a flashbang was $200.
In other words, if you bought armor, you couldn't afford any useful utility, maybe just a decoy grenade, which was practically useless in real play.
Seeing this, Lin Yu sighed helplessly and decided to drop the idea.
This was the reality of C to C+ players. Their attitude was great, but execution was another matter.
"Forget it, no flash, let's hit A Short. I'll lead."
"No problem."
"Go, go, go!"
With his teammates' enthusiastic words, the preparation countdown ended. Lin Yu pressed the W key, heading straight for A Short.
On the other side, CTs opted for a traditional 2-1-2 setup: two at B Site, one at Mid, one on A Platform, and one at Long A.
As Lin Yu and his team appeared from Mid, they were spotted by the CT at Mid, prompting quick communication among the CTs.
"A Short, A Short."
At this rank, flanking wasn't a thing.
As soon as one CT spotted enemies, all CTs would immediately rotate.
Indeed, as soon as the call was made, all CTs started moving. The two at B Site headed straight for the sandy area, and the CT at Long A began rotating back.
Meanwhile, the Terrorists moved swiftly, led by Lin Yu, advancing through the front of A Short.
During this, Lin Yu noticed the CT at Mid standing foolishly near the blue truck, shooting non-stop.
Faced with such a static target, he aimed decisively, firing a shot at the CT's head.
A bullet precisely passed through the gap at Mid Doors, hitting the CT's head, forcing him to retreat and stop observing Mid. Lin Yu continued forward, reaching the fateful corner in the Black Room where he had practiced countless times.
Without releasing the W key, he rounded the corner, climbed the stairs, and reached the exit near A Short.
Lin Yu kept moving, pre-aiming A Platform as he pushed out from A Short, pressing the mouse button. A bullet fired almost simultaneously with his character's movement, a scene he had practiced countless times in the Black Room.
He aimed and pre-fired at the box behind A Platform, a common position for holding A Short.
As a player without much natural talent, Lin Yu had spent a lot of time in lower ranks and understood low-rank players well. They loved holding common positions.
So he was somewhat confident about this shot.
If the enemy wasn't there, Lin Yu wouldn't mind. It was just a regular match, and missing wouldn't matter. But if he hit, it would look cool.
Fortunately, his understanding of low-rank players paid off.
A precise bullet hit "I Will Always Love Sakurajima Mai" in the head, followed by another headshot. Without a helmet, "I Will Always Love Sakurajima Mai" couldn't even see how many enemies had come from A Short before his screen shook violently.
Only after dying did he realize.
"A Short, they're here."
"Fuck, they got me before I even saw them."
"I suspect they're either wallhacking or smurfing."
"I'm done!"
Meanwhile, the Terrorist voice chat was a completely different scene.
Seeing Lin Yu take down the CT guarding A Platform, the Terrorists' morale soared.
"Nice shot!"
"Awesome, bro!"
Lin Yu heard his teammates' encouragement, but his killing spree wasn't over.
After taking down the CT on the platform, with his years of Dust2 experience, he was sure the CT from Long A was on the way.