3-4, Shared Selection Round.

I stared at my device with a grave expression.

Player 8 / Lv.6 / HP. 87 – 8-win streak

Thanks to the champion enhancements, I breezed through Stage 2 based on my own strength.

However, after the 2-7 monster hunting round.

As core items began to appear in earnest, finishing battles without taking damage became impossible.

Even overwhelming victories were no exception.

It would only worsen in the late game, where all players’ power levels would naturally rise.

I finally realized just how difficult the ‘win with 77 or more HP’ condition truly was.

A single slip-up meant instant elimination.

I couldn’t afford to let my guard down for even a moment.

Checking the memos I had written on the wall of the command room, I racked my brain for a solution.

Player 1: Steel Bullets Faction

– Gunslinger, Guardian, Sun

Player 2: Ice Peng Faction

– Noble, Steel, Elementalist

Player 3: Armadillo Faction

– Archer, Brawler, Assassin

Player 4: Fortune Faction

– Slaughterer, Guardian, Robot

Player 5: Runan Faction

– Bard, Gunslinger, Shieldbearer

Player 6: Lotus Faction

– Despicable, Wild, Gunslinger

Player 7: Carpet Faction

– Swordsman, Mage, Steel

I had jotted down the information Profano provided when spinning the roulette.

And below that, I added notes on the intel gathered from directly encountering them on the battlefield.

The status board was already covered in a wealth of information—valuable data that would aid my judgment.

I recalled the champion list I had seen in the Paradise Private battlefield guidebook.

All champions of 3-Cost or higher were listed in the guidebook, and among them was one I desperately sought.

The 4-Cost Magic Engineering Assassin champion.

Reyan Rutabus (★)

– Magic Engineering

– Assassin

– HP: 245/245

– Mana: 30/60

– Lock On (★): Dashes to the enemy with the lowest HP and deals 80 physical damage. Restores all mana if Lock On deals the finishing blow.

– Self Healing (Passive): Transitions to standby mode when HP reaches 0, and gains 50 HP after 5 seconds.

This champion boasted exceptional performance even among 4-Cost champions.

However, 4-Cost champions only appeared in shops at level 7 or higher.

If I invested all the gold I had saved up, I could reach level 7 before the next round began.

I had managed to save gold during the build-up phase, after all.

The result of steadily rolling the snowball and maintaining my win streak was 30 gold.

Once this round ended, it would reach 40 gold.

I needed 30 more XP to reach the next level.

My current champion roster was as follows:

Shieldbearer (★★)

Shieldbearer (★)

Steel shieldbearer (★)

Avatar of the Earth shieldbearer ‘Goros’ (★)

Magic Engineering Mage (★)

Magic Engineering Gunslinger (★)

Active synergies: Shieldbearer (4), Magic Engineering (2)

To maximize the early-game power I had built up, the shieldbearer synergy was essential, so I constructed my deck around it.

By not forcing my tempo too aggressively in the early game and saving gold for level-ups while maintaining my win streak, I was able to roll the snowball effectively.

But now, brute-forcing my way with gold had reached its limits.

From the next round onward, most other players would have completed their decks as well.

Some players would even possess two core items.

During the build-up phase, pure skill mattered far more than luck, but once decks were fully assembled, synergy matchups and core items determined the outcome of battles.

What was particularly disadvantageous for me was that the two players utilizing the Gunslinger synergy were sitting in 2nd and 3rd place.

With my current deck composition, I couldn’t be certain of victory in the next battle.

Moreover, I was aiming for the jackpot.

It meant I didn’t just need to win; I needed to achieve an overwhelming victory.

But without an item combination formula, it was an impossible feat.

If not this opportunity, when would I ever get another chance to obtain an item combination formula…

I stepped up to the status board covered in memos.

Tap- tap-

I tapped the board with my fingers, agonizing over my options.

I closed my eyes.

My mind raced through rapid simulations.

My greatest advantage was my wealth of experience.

I possessed data accumulated through thousands—millions—of experiences.

Data on matchups, skill utilization, positioning, and the resulting battle dynamics.

Though much had changed, it was fundamentally the same game.

I could fully apply this data to the battlefield.

I finished organizing my thoughts.

I opened my eyes.

The status board before me listed the information of all players participating in this battlefield.

“I’ll face one of 3, 4, or 5 in the next round.”

This wasn’t a mere guess. It was the result deduced from analyzing the matchmaking order of players in this battlefield and the accumulated data.

Of course, there was a low probability of an exception occurring.

However, betting on the highest probability was both natural and wise.

If I kept picking the highest probabilities, I could ultimately expect the maximum outcome.

– Player 4 has selected ‘Avatar of the Despicable Slaughterer Trilow (★)’.

– Player 3 has selected ‘Dull Dagger’.

– Player 5 has selected ‘Steel Shield’.

I added the other players’ selections to the status board.

The device-linked status board was continuously updated with data during each round’s preparation phase.

The expansive board now had no empty space left.

Synergies obtained from the roulette.

Synergies primarily used by their respective factions.

Information gained from direct combat.

Remaining HP.

Level-up timings.

Information from the 2-4 Shared Selection Round.

Information from the 3-4 Shared Selection Round.

Individually, each piece might seem insignificant, but when all the data was aggregated and calculated, the probability approached infinitely close to 100.

“Assassin or Slaughterer.”

These were the two synergies I would encounter in the next round.

– Player 8 has selected ‘Steel Shield’.

I chose the best option among the remaining choices.

Thus, the 3-4 Shared Selection Round came to an end.

【+4G】

▶ Base reward of 4 gold has been granted.

【+3G】

▶ 8-win streak reward of 3 gold has been additionally granted.

【+3G】

▶ Interest income of 3 gold has been additionally granted.

*Held Gold: 40G

Maintenance time before the start of round 3-5.

I decisively invested my gold.

【-28G】

▶ Consumed 28 gold to purchase 28 XP!

▶ Reached Level 7! You can deploy an additional champion.

The shop only offered useless 1-Cost and 2-Cost champions, so I immediately refreshed the list.

【-2G】

▶ Consumed 2 gold to refresh the shop’s list.

《LV.7 Shop》

Wild Druid (★) – 2G

Avatar of the Noble Bard ‘Poronka’ (★) – 3G

Avatar of the Steel Brawler ‘Rocrani’ (★) – 3G

Reaching level 7 introduced a chance for 4-Cost champions to appear, and the probability of 3-Cost champions appearing also increased.

From among them, I hired the one champion I needed most.

【-3G】

▶ Hired Avatar of the Steel Brawler ‘Rocrani’ (★).

*Held Gold: 7G

I transferred all the items from the warehouse to Rocrani.

▶Rocrani (Steel Shield, Leather Armor, Composite Bow)

Then, I flipped the formation.

I placed Rocrani at the very front line of the battlefield.

The four Shield Bearers were moved to the very back. The Gunslinger and Mage were placed one tile forward, positioning them ahead of the Shield Bearers.

“Are you sure this is right?”

“What in the world are you thinking…”

The ranged champions trembled with anxiety.

Naturally, since the Shield Bearers who should have been protecting them from the front were stationed at the very back.

Dong- dong- dong-!

Regardless of the champions’ anxieties, the battle began.

*player 8 / Lv.7 / HP. 87

Shieldbearer (4): Shield Bearers reduce damage taken from all attacks by 20.

Steel (2): Steel champions take no damage for 1 second when their HP drops below 50%.

Magic Engineering (2): At the start of combat, allied Magic Engineering units fire a pulse bomb. The bomb explodes, disabling the items of enemies within 2 tiles for 5 seconds.

*player 5 / Lv.6 / HP.54

Assassin (4): Leaps to the enemy’s rear at the start of combat, and the first attack deals 130% bonus physical damage.

Despicable (2): When a Despicable champion deals a finishing blow, their attack power increases by 20 for this battle.

Player 5 had adopted the Hardcore Assassin deck.

Whether they utilized the information I had spread, a single shieldbearer was stationed at the very back of their formation.

To allow the assassins to conceal themselves and reach attack range, we advanced forward by one tile.

The assassins infiltrated the empty space created as a result.

Clang-!

Unfortunately for the assassins, what they encountered was a thick wall of shields.

With the shieldbearer (4) synergy active, we could easily withstand the assassins’ attacks.

Rocrani, stacked with items, and the ranged champions quickly dispatched the enemy shieldbearer, then immediately joined the rear combat.

Assassins blocked by a shield wall were utterly useless.

In the end, I secured an overwhelming victory without losing a single champion.

Round 3-6.

Based on probabilities, the next player I would face would be one of 3, 4, 6, or 2.

Since no useful champions appeared in the shop, I kept my gold as is.

I maintained my formation as it was.

*player 8 / Lv.7 / HP. 87

Shieldbearer (4): Shield Bearers reduce damage taken from all attacks by 20.

Steel (2): Steel champions take no damage for 1 second when their HP drops below 50%.

Magic Engineering (2): At the start of combat, allied Magic Engineering units fire a pulse bomb. The bomb explodes, disabling the items of enemies within 2 tiles for 5 seconds.

*player 4 / Lv.6 / HP.58

Slaughterer (5): Slaughterers gain 15% life steal on all damage. Deals 30% bonus damage to champions with less than 40% HP.

Despicable (2): Each time a Despicable champion deals a finishing blow, their attack power increases by 20.

This time, I faced a Slaughterer deck composed of melee champions.

Since I had pulled the Shield Bearers back to the very rear, only Rocrani remained at the front line.

Rocrani began taking attacks from six enemy champions.

“Damn it- I knew this would happen!”

Seeing this, Rockefeller, the Magic Engineering Mage, vented his frustration.

Once Rocrani fell, he knew he would be next.

But something Rockefeller hadn’t anticipated occurred.

The difference in attack range.

Shield Bearers were melee champions, while the Mage and Gunslinger were ranged champions.

This meant the Shield Bearers had to step forward to attack.

While Rockefeller and the Gunslinger Yunao provided ranged support, the Shield Bearers charged forward, naturally returning the formation to its original state.

Steel (2): Steel champions take no damage for 1 second when their HP drops below 50%.

Rocrani, stacked with items, fought valiantly.

But taking attacks from six enemies quickly triggered his synergy effect.

However, he had bought enough time for the Shield Bearers to reach the front line before he died.

<<Stomp(★)>>

Deals 80 physical damage to nearby enemies and stuns them for 1 second.

Battered by attacks, Rocrani used his skill right before dying.

It chipped away at the HP of the enemies swarming around him, and the real battle began.

The matchup between Shield Bearers and Slaughterers.

Slaughterers healed for all damage dealt, but Shield Bearers possessed a synergy that reduced all damage taken.

As a result, the Slaughterers’ HP recovery was inevitably slower than usual.