NOVEL WEB Chapter 26
After Gawol defeated Camelian, the community became quite lively.
In the field, the Assassin could slice through anyone.
For some reason, this peculiar character had been only PKing without checking out the streams or the pro scene.
Recently, there was a mysterious female user whose image had become rather ambiguous.
Talk about Gawol had swept through the domestic Infinity Black users.
A streamer who focused on match analysis wouldn’t miss out on such juicy bait.
[Title: Gawol’s Secondary Qualifiers Breakdown Analysis]
[‘Yulang’ is currently streaming.]
Streamer Yulang.
He made a name for himself with unique brain skills and is now working as an analyst for a pro team.
Recently, he had gained attention for creating a spear-hunting build.
In the Pro League, his devastating physicality had held him back, but even that became a quirk in the internet streaming world.
Now it was something he could laugh about, though he couldn’t quite find humor in the culture that frequently set the chat ablaze.
For some reason, there were a lot of troublemakers among his viewers.
– Here they come, here they come, here they come!
– Why are you late, why are you late, why are you late?
– Me.
– 
– Rock!
– Me.
– Rock!
–
“Sorry everyone, I found something late while reviewing the video. Calm down. Since I’m late, let’s get right to it.”
As he said that, Gawol’s footage immediately appeared on the screen.
At the very start, it was Gawol preparing for battle in the waiting room.
A momentary smile appeared as if enjoying the situation, and the presentation materials popped up next to him.
“I always say this, right? In Infinity Black, you start with about 30% from the initial build. Of course, that’s what we’ll look at first.”
There was no need to go through the complicated details one by one.
After all, such info had been available on strategy sites for a while.
What people expected from him wasn’t a boring skill lecture.
Yulang understood that point clearly.
“First, player Camelian. Just the basics, right? ‘Nice to meet you, let’s fight well together.’ That’s what it means. The problem is with Gawol, so don’t try to copy this. Only Kelberos uses a build like this.”
As the PPT slide switched, Gawol’s build was revealed.
It looked extremely extreme at first glance.
For Yulang, who played with a focus on stability, his psyche seemed questionable.
The combat in Infinity Black is movement-based.
So while passive skills have high efficiency… wasn’t this a bit too much?
“To summarize this, it’s ‘I’m good at fighting. I’m confident. Only offense!’ Sounds confident, right? This mindset was clearly displayed in the first match.”
Yulang skipped through the video.
The next moment replayed was when Camelian’s spear first targeted Gawol.
It was the moment Gawol effortlessly evaded.
“Basic skills of a warrior. A downward slash. But look at the spear placement. It was aimed right at Gawol’s shoulder, wasn’t it? Perfect distance control. I’ll mention it in advance, but Camelian performed well that day.”
– Assassins are hard to hit.
– She used it from the perfect distance!
“What was the meaning of this? Just a greeting. ‘Hello?’ It’s a casual check. You’re curious, right? Is this person evasive or defensive? But here Gawol suddenly ramps up. ‘How dare you test me?’ Her expression looks a bit flustered, doesn’t it?”
Elderin and Sulbbang sharply pointed out the missed cues.
Camelian’s first attack could have been dodged or blocked.
The reason for an unproductive attack was clear: to get to know the opponent Gawol.
However, Gawol suddenly bound her weapon, and the match began to tilt.
“From here, I analyzed frame by frame. What did I say about Gawol’s build earlier?”
– I’m good at fighting.
– I can do it… if it were me!
“Yes. She truly just fought well. Especially that part where she moves up while riding the spear—isn’t it artistry? Even in that moment, the dagger’s position is sharp. What I felt here is, this person uses her body exceptionally well.”
– Huh?
– Oh!
“To have scenes like that, there must be fundamental understanding of the mechanics, right? You need to know that such movements are possible to even attempt. Especially the flexibility shown here. It makes you suspect she might have great athleticism in reality.”
Yulang flipped through the frames of the video.
In this moment, Camelian had no other choice. The details of using two daggers were impressive.
His simple yet clear explanations were kind of his specialty.
But did he get too absorbed in the explanation?
His chat was already boiling over with another topic.
Yulang’s mouth dropped as he spoke calmly.
– ???: Gawol uses her body really well.
– Hahaha!
– Clarify that!
– ???: Gawol’s body must be very flexible!
“Hey, you crazy bastards! That’s not what I meant!”
*
[Author: ㅇㅇ(776.45)]
[Title: Yulang’s “Gawol’s body must be very flexible and soft” Statement]
I’m just stating the facts without slander.
[Comments]
– Which IP is this?
– Is this for real?
– Where did the softness come from, you idiot?
*
[Author: Red Hammer from Ganseokdong]
[Title: Galaxy Gaming Rifle Round 2 Elimination]
The barrier of the world is high.
But good job anyway.
[Comments]
– Who did you face?
└ Haruka
└ Japanese Kunoichi Master
*
[Author: ㅇㅇ(315.20)]
[Title: Just got eliminated by Kelberos in Donghae too.]
So who’s left among the Korean participants in the arena?
If we exclude Luce and Traveler, are they all gone?
Looks like the International match is going to be a disaster this year too…
[Comments]
– ‘Gawol’
└ Hahaha!
*
[Author: ㅇㅇ(422.95)]
[Title: Hey!!!! Stop using Chain Scythe!]
[Author: ㅇㅇ(422.95)]
[Title: Do you think you’re Gawol, you bastards?*
[Author: ㅇㅇ(422.95)]
[Title: If you use Chain Scythe in front of me…*
*
[Title: Arena Round 3]
[‘Sigma e-Sports Luce’ is currently streaming.]
The Berserker’s battle axe swung wildly without pause.
Though the shield was imbued with holy light, it seemed insufficient to withstand that furious onslaught.
In the end, it was the Paladin who first took a step back.
But that didn’t mean she intended to completely relinquish control.
The blonde Paladin, Luce, wedged her longsword between the axe blades.
As she pulled her weapon outward, both locked one arm.
At the same time, she charged forward with her shield leading the way.
[The Berserker’s determination shakes your heart.]
[‘Blessing of the God of Light’ is used. Ignores fear status effects.]
[Physical defense increases by 20.]
The Berserker did not stand idly either.
As the axe struck the gap the shield could not protect, the armor crumpled, leaving a wound.
However, he could not stop his dash.
The inherent strength of a warrior, combined with the weight of the heavy armor, meant the Paladin’s shield charge was, in itself, a type of mass weapon.
The Berserker’s body collided with the solid wall, blood bursting from his mouth stained his beard red.
The Berserker’s remaining health was just over 20%.
With just a bit more pressure, it could be over, but Luce chose to retreat without hesitation.
Charging in recklessly was the Berserker’s job.
Covered in blood, the Berserker shouted loudly.
“VALHALLA──!”
The essence of a berserk build.
A skill synonymous with the Berserker’s identity was unleashed.
[The Berserker receives the ‘Frenzy: Valhalla’ effect.]
[The Berserker cannot recover health, and all defenses are fixed at 0. Additionally, every second he takes fixed damage equal to 0.8% of his maximum health.]
[However, his attack power increases by 75% of the defense lost. He gains a shield equal to 10% of the damage dealt…]
The remaining time until the Berserker’s self-destruction was about 30 seconds.
But at this timing, the Berserker was more powerful than any class in Infinity Black.
Once again, the shield, charged with holiness, was enlarged to block the front but could barely hold for a few seconds.
The Paladin’s slow movements made it impossible to evade the combat.
This was likely a build designed to account for that.
Yet a sense of relief was visible on Luce’s face.
She felt she could endure. Thanks to pulling the early battle in her favor, she had plenty of cards left.
The moment the Berserker shattered Luce’s shield, pure white angelic wings enveloped her.
Blood-red eyes met hers, yet the madness quickly faded.
– Oh, God of Bravery, grant me the soul of the warrior…
[Round 3-3 Victory Achieved.]
[vs Igor (Berserker)]
[Success in advancing to Round 4.]
As the system message appeared, Luce slumped down.
Clenching her fist, it seemed she was confirming her reality.
With a heart-stopping result, the weight of the moment lingered.
“Ha…wow. That was really close.”
Battles between warrior classes are the most popular matchups in Inbl.
Heavy and clunky, yet each strike is deadly!
It was a fight enough to shake the hearts of many men, but… it also drained a lot of stamina.
Especially today, it felt like her stamina was being drained substantially.
– Wow, I’m so relieved!
– Igor is really scary!
– I thought he was just a crazy concept player, hahaha!
– So in love with the Berserker that he became one himself…
“Today’s arena… I’ll be wrapping it up here. I feel like I’ve used up all my focus.”
– True, the last round was a sweat-drenched win too.
– The matching luck seems a bit savage;
– I heard Gawol will be running the arena soon. Are you going to watch?
Spectating, huh.
She was planning to just relax from this point onwards, but watching was probably okay?
Luce felt a tug of curiosity.
“Ah, really? Then… I’d love to see it. It’ll be a rare opportunity. Shall we all watch together? Just a moment. I’ll check with Sulbbang and Elderin if I can stream it.”