NOVEL WEB chapter 1150 - Spider's Tactics (2)
[The first match of the team battle has begun. As I mentioned during the individual match earlier, I’ll quickly explain the background story for those watching now.]
[There were many valuable moments during the individual match. If you missed them, it’s best to check out the highlight reel.]
[That’s right. Just like in the individual match, the players are now facing trials set by the higher beings of Zeta. During these trials, all of the characters’ stats, skill levels, and items from the adventure mode are reset to their starting state.]
[So it’s like they’re back to when they first became ‘The One Who Opened the Door,’ right?]
[Exactly. However, when the difficulty of the trial is higher, the number of growth points provided by the main base also increases.]
As explained by the caster and commentator, all players facing the trials return to the state they were in when they first became ‘The One Who Opened the Door,’ with their abilities reset to a beginner’s level.
However, the trials were mostly designed in such a way that they couldn’t be overcome with those basic stats, so the players had to grow stronger.
The easiest and quickest way to do that was to use the growth points provided at the starting point—the main base.
[There aren’t many growth points at the main base. Players must explore the field or defeat enemies to earn experience or secure growth points.]
[Can players also grow by defeating members of other teams?]
[Yes. But exploring or defeating enemies is definitely more efficient. Avoiding combat is usually the best strategy. However, if there’s competition over growth points or enemies, or if a mission or quest is being disrupted, players might have no choice but to take down members of the other team.]
As the commentator explained, the competitive match had limited resources on the field, and with the added variable of opposing teams, a variety of situations could arise.
So, how to utilize the given time and resources to grow had to be decided carefully, with a strategic approach. Players also needed to be flexible and ready to adapt their strategy based on the circumstances.
‘This is just like in real life, too.’
In reality, there are limits to the time and resources available to us.
For instance, this was true during the players' high school years.
A teenage player who had just mastered the art of awakening a divine power had about three years of limited choices in which to grow.
At this stage, gaining experience and improving oneself was more beneficial than hindering other players.
In many ways, PlayerZ’s competitive system seemed to be more helpful to players who were still growing or underdeveloped rather than those who had already reached their peak.
Players aiming for rapid growth within a short period would likely find much to learn from it.
“Oh, the vice president friend is the first to leave the base.”
“Really? I didn’t notice because I was watching the other team. Hyo-don, did you see it from the map?”
“Uh…”
Among the class, it was Maeng Hyo-don who first noticed that Yoo Sang-hoon had exited the base.
Of those participating in this match, Yoo Sang-hoon was the only one playing in VR mode, and yet he was the first to use his growth points, distributing his stats and leveling up his skills.
Even with the most complicated controls, his movements stood out, likely because he was a dedicated gamer.
The caster and commentator praised him, replaying his moves.
From Yoo Sang-hoon’s perspective, the screen transitioned so quickly that it almost made his eyes spin, and his control of the controller was precise.
[The shield bearer is the first to start exploring. This will give the Shielders quite an advantage.]
[That’s right. Looking at BPB’s status, he hasn’t invested in insight skills, so the item search will have to be done by another teammate. But still, securing a safe area is already a good move. Plus, he’s checking the terrain and giving orders.]
[Then, after confirming the orders, let’s briefly analyze the skill tree the shield bearer has chosen. We received a lot of complaints for not explaining the casting skills well before, so caster, are you prepared today?]
[Of course! You’ll be surprised at how much I’ve studied!]
The caster and commentator broke the tension with light jokes before diving into a skill explanation.
Yoo Sang-hoon had chosen the typical tank skill tree.
As the commentators explained, he had no insight skills, nor did he have any offensive abilities.
‘I picked some insight skills and some offensive abilities during the individual match. Now that I don’t need to fight alone, I’m fully focusing on the pure tank build.’
The strategy of the shield bearer was completely different from his individual match style, and the commentators and audience began discussing it.
Under the protection and orders of the shield bearer, the Shielders team made steady progress up the rocky mountain.
When they reached the middle of the mountain, something unexpected happened.
[It’s a surprise attack! The detection robot set up by the mechanic has detected the opposing team’s approach and sent an alert.]
[It looks like the first combat between players will begin. Doesn’t it feel a bit early for that?]
[It certainly feels early, but it’s not a bad choice! The defense team has a tank like the shield bearer, but the attacking team has no tank. They probably intended to go for a short battle right from the start.]
A team with a tank of Yoo Sang-hoon’s caliber had the advantage in a prolonged battle.
In high-difficulty games, if you don’t have the power to quickly defeat your opponent, you need tanks and healers.
A pure tank, while having almost no offensive capabilities, makes the team’s total attack power weaker, but it gives the team safety and stability, helping them to grow and refine their power over time, making it advantageous in the long run.
So, from the opponent’s perspective, aiming for a short battle made sense.
[The battle is starting! What happens if you die in a competitive match?]
[Each team has power granted by the higher beings of Zeta, so they can be revived at the main base. The number of times a team can be revived is limited, and once those are used up, revival is no longer possible.]
[So, if other team members use up all the revives, the first player who died won’t be revived?]
[Haha, that could definitely be a frustrating situation. But theoretically, if you’re confident in your PVP abilities, you could keep attacking the other team until they run out of revives and prevent them from coming back.]
[That’s theoretically possible, and we’ve seen it in the qualifiers. However, when you die, you accumulate ‘experience from death.’ A player who dies and comes back takes time to return to the battlefield, but it becomes harder to kill them again. Still, if you’re confident, you can take the challenge.]
[That’s true, but as you said, it takes time to revive. The team that initiated the surprise attack is probably thinking of taking the upper hand by reaching the top of the mountain while the opponent is distracted.]
While there were no problems with the game mechanics, the revival rule still made me uneasy.
In most competitive games, a lot of benefit is set up for players who defeat their opponents to encourage fights, but in PlayerZ, while there is some benefit, it is more advantageous to focus on gathering enemies or completing missions.
And there was one more unsettling rule.
‘The commentators said ‘revival,’ but strictly speaking, it’s not exactly about coming back from death.’
In the competitive match, the death that allowed revival wasn’t truly death.
Before being revived, players were given a choice: “Would you like to accept the hand of the higher being and revive?”
If they chose to accept the hand, they were instantly transported back to the main base to be revived. If they declined, they wouldn’t be revived, so unless there was a special situation, players would always choose to accept the hand.
To sum it up, Zeta’s higher beings would teleport a player to the main base and heal them if they agreed just before dying.
Players who experienced near-death situations would grow significantly and return to the battlefield.
However, if the number of times the higher beings could intervene reached their limit, the player would face true death without any healing.
‘Players might grow into heroes through near-death experiences, but if their luck runs out, they’ll really die.’
The opposing team started their offense with the initiation, launching a full-scale attack, but it didn’t affect Yoo Sang-hoon.
The commentators alternated between showing the faces of the Shielders and the opposing team players. Yoo Sang-hoon and his teammates were focused but didn’t appear anxious.
“Nice job! Throw them off the rock!”
“Ugh, the sword loses to the gun…”
“Jung-muk? The gunner’s on Sang-hoon’s team! Who are you rooting for?”
“I heard from Seon-oh that gun users are OP in Zeta.”
Our class seemed more excited than the players themselves.
Song Dae-seok, who was practically ready to jump out of his seat, clenched his fist and shouted, while Jin Jeong-muk, watching the sword fighter in a tough spot, was either scolded or comforted by the others.
However, some students remained calm and observed the game.
“I feel like something’s about to happen.”
“That’s right. A player with insight skills is sending out signals.”
The Tigers had started researching the game after hearing that PlayerZ might be a hint for games like FLM, and as a result, their understanding of the game grew.
Yoo Sang-hoon sent a retreat signal to his team, but some teammates hesitated to move.
They were being greedy, hoping that by pushing just a little more, they could eliminate the opposing team’s revival chances.
“Now, the ‘unexpected event’ is about to occur.”
As Huang Jiho spoke, the screen shook violently.
Just like in reality, things don’t always go as planned, and in Zeta, too, unexpected situations arose.
For example, while exploring a different dimension, a sudden downpour made it difficult for the defense team to handle enemies with water resistance.
‘In the dimensional exploration simulation, unexpected events occur randomly based on difficulty. It will be implemented starting from the second semester of the second year at Eungwang High.’
The more I watched, the more it seemed like the creators of PlayerZ had done thorough research on the players.
Soon, the unexpected event became visible enough for all players and viewers to notice.
[An unexpected event has occurred! Let’s check the screen of the player with the insight skill!]
[The unexpected event is… ‘Landslide’! The player is standing on a rocky mountain with almost no trees or grass! It’s quite dangerous!]
[That’s right. Trees are usually said to help prevent landslides. The thick roots of trees act as stakes, and their roots spread out and interlock to bind the soil. But there are almost no trees on this rocky mountain.]
[If they don’t escape immediately or use their skills to respond, they’ll take severe damage!]
The ground shook, and players with low agility or strength lost their balance.
To dramatically convey the landslide, the camera shifted to Yoo Sang-hoon’s VR-mode perspective.
Even on the shaking mountain, Yoo Sang-hoon stood firm.
When Yoo Sang-hoon raised his shield, rocks and dirt poured down, covering him and his teammates.