NOVEL WEB Chapter 111 - Everything Went Well
– Clank. Clank.
Against the background of the giant crossbow’s crank turning, the Warrior and the Holy Knight resumed their combat. What differed from before was that the Holy Knight had turned into a timid coward.
Having been hit by the ballista’s spear, the opposing knight’s health was at most 50%. A single effective hit from that brutish double-edged axe would be instant death.
The pressure was considerable. Taking advantage of the space the retreating knight gave up, the Warrior safely positioned behind him.
This was a position where he could respond no matter the path the opponent took to join, and it could block any blind attacks with the logger’s barricade. It was surprising the knight had given up such a position so easily.
Although the reloading was almost complete, it wasn’t possible to fire immediately after finishing. With this crudely blatant weapon, it wasn’t easy to find a timing to land an effective hit on a shielded knight.
However, they couldn’t wait indefinitely for the perfect angle. The main base, fighting a 4-on-5 battle, couldn’t hold out much longer.
《Retreat! Retreat! Fall back once! The opponent’s using searing lightning! Priests, focus heals on the knight, everyone fall back!》
《More here? We’ll lose the center!》
《It’s better to retake it later! We can’t afford to die first! Fall back! Retreat!》
… Ark had a lot on her plate. The orders to hold position while retreating without dying were being followed meticulously. Ark might collapse before the main base.
Unlike the chaotic and unorganized fights happening at the main base, the combat in front of me was tediously boring. Though I knew the entire strategy of this duel hinged on gauging distances… it wasn’t ideal. There wasn’t time to waste like this.
Just from hearing Ark’s screams, I could tell the main base was on the verge of collapse. We had to regroup before it fell.
“Finish them quickly. The final blow is all that’s left.”
《They’re retreating on purpose to bait us. If I charge in foolishly and die, you’ll die too.》
He was being overly cautious. While it was understandable since his berserk mode hadn’t been triggered yet…
Ah.
Right.
“Shall we trigger berserk mode?”
《What? How can we… Hey!》
– Thrust.
I slyly poked his side, checking the health bar above Revan’s head.
Sure enough, the archer’s dagger dealt too little damage.
As expected, the dagger was fundamental for a rogue.
“Hmm… One more time?”
-Swink.
Ah, it worked.
“Alright, charge.”
《Hey, you crazy woman-!》
… Even though he said that, his body was honest. Revan’s back, charging with pumped-up speed, looked ferocious beyond measure. He really could do it that well.
With a satisfied smile, I raised my loaded crossbow. It didn’t matter where I hit. In this situation, it was enough to just restrict movement.
Shoot when they try to block.
Shoot when they try to dodge.
Shoot when they try to attack.
Anyway, whatever they try to do, shoot to counter it.
Whatever you want to do, I’ll stop you from doing that. That’s what games are about.
Repeating this in my mind, I lightly moved the aimed crossbow so it seemed to waver. With each movement, the knight’s gaze briefly turned toward me and his swordpoint shook, which was quite thrilling.
Archery wasn’t so bad after all.
Not as good as thievery, but still.
* * * *
『PadaPada has been slain!』
『Revan(Warrior) → PadaPada(Holy Knight)』
《Player PadaPada! In the end, he gives up his life! He couldn’t respond to the sudden rampage that occurred at an unexpected timing!》
《It was extremely difficult to counter this. Oh, here’s the replay. Watch this timing—GetDevoured hides behind Revan, disappearing from PadaPada’s sight in a snap! He has to be conscious of projectiles flying from unseen places. Taking advantage of that, they triggered an ally warrior’s rampage. How could he have spotted those reddening eyes amidst this chaos!》
《It seems like a precisely trained coordinated play. In such a distanced state, if an ally attack triggers a rampage, usually you can just pull back the moment you see it. But the rampage was confirmed too late, and the overwhelming speed of the crossbow’s projectiles meant he couldn’t carelessly turn his back. The GetDevoured Devoured and the Five Rogues team has prepared their composition exceedingly well!》
《Ah, now the warrior and archer are descending from the top to join! For player Ark, who has been struggling alone, this reinforcement is like rain in a drought. The up-until-recently aggressive Old Man and the Sea team is now surrounded from front and rear! This is a crisis!》
Orthodox never liked the commentators’ typical excitement, but this time, he had to somewhat acknowledge it. That was something. It was indeed a play worthy of such excitement.
Even though he had retired, PadaPada was not someone you could easily beat by mere luck. It was partially because he hadn’t expected an archer to suddenly emerge from the underground and ambush him, upon reflection, it became clear that this too was part of a strategic plan.
Where did the planning start and end?
The enemy’s underground forces were blocked off from growth in the 2 underground, while their main base was pushed back due to a lack of numbers. Consequently, the enemy’s main base, seeking to capitalize on the situation, advanced deeper to gain advantages—only to be ambushed by a surprise kill from the top.
As their main base, previously in retreat, solidified into a formidable anvil, the strongest warriors and archers by burst joined from the rear, striking the enemy like a hammer.
The seamless flow of the strategy exuded a meticulous intention. Especially notable was the fact that the bronze-included main base mostly acted as a meat shield.
Orthodox suddenly felt an urge to watch the broadcasters playing the game rather than the official broadcast cluttered with annoying commentary. He tried hard to suppress that impulse with his experiences from societal life.
“Look, hyung! This really makes sense, doesn’t it? Despite being overshadowed by GetDevoured’s physical prowess, they are a true genius in terms of strategy and build.”
“… If it was a proper match, their main base would have been already crushed, and their central position overrun before they reached the top. What does crossbow shooting have to do with the 2 underground?”
Though Orthodox grumbled and let out a disgruntled noise, as he didn’t quite like the gleeful look of those sparkling eyes as soon as the blue team took the lead, he also felt there was something to that movement.
If someone among those broadcasters had devised that strategy, he wanted to have a conversation with them. Of course, he planned to scold his teammates a bit for watching internet streams before the World Series.
“The fact that an archer can roam to the top like that is possible because of the 2 underground. And the only reason the main base held on was because the rogue’s growth rate was too fast given the time. The archer was able to cover for the rogue, deterring opponents encountered in the underground level. If that rogue had been a challenger instead of silver, we wouldn’t know what might’ve happened to the main base.”
Listening to the rapid-fire explanation, as if reciting rap lyrics, Orthodox found his anger dissipating. He had no choice but to believe that they were sincerely thinking about the team’s victory.
“Alright, alright, calm down.”
The blue team finished off the last remaining knight and secured the central stronghold. Naturally, the archer who should have been preparing to snipe from the tower dove into the underground with the rogue.
‘2 underground… It looks like the archer is the carry, but the key is the rogue.’
Their movements were far from flashy. Hunting neutral monsters together, then splitting up, lying in wait for ambushes, rejoining the line—seemingly aimless movements that the audience could hardly understand.
Despite that, it was hard to look away. Even as Orthodox imagined himself in the purple team’s underground, no effective countermeasure or movement pattern came to mind.
‘It’s obvious given their numerical advantage… but this isn’t an ordinary movement pattern. They’ve optimized the play of two ganging up on one.’
In this situation, the underground should be abandoned, and something must happen at the main base. Meanwhile, the rogue, roaming freely and opening free chests, grew disproportionately stronger.
‘Maybe a different composition… No. Ultimately, if you have to breach the main base within the time limit, the initiative will always be taken.’
Orthodox, who prided himself on being in the top ranks of KoK globally for underground play, noticed his gamer intuition shining stronger the more he simulated the scenario in his mind.
Not perfect, but… there was a possibility. The strategy had the scent of being a wildcard move to take the opponent by surprise in a World Series match.
“Hey, what are you guys doing? Huh? This is a tournament?”
“Ah, coach. Would you like to watch this together? It’s an internet broadcast tournament, but the strategy might be worth trying in a scrim.”
“Yeah! That’s right, hyung! You think this is usable too, don’t you?”
“Be quiet. It’d be great if we use the same strategy in the second match. By any chance, is there a video of this team practicing 2 underground?”
“Well… yes. It should be on FanTube.”
“FanTube? Well… Anyway. Send me the link via chat later.”
“What? What kind of team is this? 2 underground?”
“Yes. I’m still a bit unsure myself… but let’s watch together during the break.”
Orthodox, looking for anyone to hang out with, had even the team coach sitting beside him as they started their full-fledged viewing and analysis.
* * * *
『StarPork is going wild!』
“S-She cut off the priest too!”
《Nice! StarPork is insane!》
StarPork was panting heavily. The score of 5 kills, 0 deaths, and 3 assists displayed at the top of the screen felt somewhat surreal. How long had it been since such a carry?
The electrifying sensation felt when taking down the magician and priest in quick succession still buzzed in her fingers. Was this what it felt like for those who were good at the game?
If she could always enjoy this feeling, it was no wonder people loved gaming so much. Her excited gaze darted around before settling on the empty chat window.
There were times when she preferred it to be empty, preferring it over seeing only sharp, critical comments. But at that moment, the rule restricting chat felt regretful. Surely, it would have been filled with awe and praise.
She longed to see the usually dismissive viewers, who mocked her Bronze rank, be amazed.
《Well done.》
She resolved to meticulously review the official broadcast chat replay later, her excitement slightly quelled by her mentor’s calm voice.
‘You’re a real god! Unbelievable! How… you’re a real god!’
Of course, only slightly.
It was natural. Carrying a match against Diamonds, nearly impossible to even look up to, in a tournament being watched by thousands. Seeing a daydream that would have seemed embarrassing even in her imagination before going to bed come to life, it would have been odder not to be excited.
Come to think of it… she had called her the Guru, hadn’t she? Although she had brushed it off as a joke, her feelings towards Lee Yena now were akin to a profound reverence, almost like religious faith.
‘What’s with Yena? Why isn’t she going pro? Is pro play too mundane for her? Is it because she’s a god or something? Yeah, even her face is goddess-like. That’s right.’
At first, when all she did was make her play horror games or train her to run until she was exhausted, she had regrets… looking back, those were sacrilegious times.
But the results spoke for themselves, didn’t they? Now, she only felt it had been the right choice to follow her with such devotion.
《Surrender! They surrendered!》
Just one step away from victory. StarPork was already deep in thought about what she should say in her acceptance speech for the mentee MVP that would make her mentor the happiest.