Chapter 104

As Coach Park Chaerin said, Defense Training is inherently difficult.

If you invested the same amount of time, Attack Training was generally more efficient.

But…!

Coach Park Chaerin didn’t know the most important fact.

And that was that I had joined Super Sylph.

With my return, the first person whose skills soared was Seo Dami.

This wasn’t so much a sudden increase in her abilities as it was a recovery of the skills that had been suppressed because I wasn’t there.

She was a player who could have been doing better all along, but because I was in Japan, she couldn’t perform at her full potential.

‘I don’t know how Dami plans to continue her career as a player without me.’

It was a good thing that her skills had improved, but her high dependency on me was something to be wary of.

I shook my head inwardly and then focused on my own training.

Among the players who benefited from my return, Jung Yunseul was certainly one of them.

I will defeat Kamui at this year’s World Championship, no matter what.

To achieve this momentous goal.

Dami tearfully allowed me to keep spending time with Yunseul.

I didn’t know why Dami was the one giving permission, but in any case, to improve the team’s skills, it was the right decision to pay more attention to Yunseuli.

When comparing Dami, who was already near completion, and Yunseul, who still had much to learn, it was only natural that Yunseul’s growth rate would be faster.

And now, under the pretext of directly feeding Yunseul Experience Points, I was leading the game and Skill Practice, so it was inevitable that our Defense Ability would stand out.

Comparing my skills to Yunseul’s, who debuted as a Second Division League player and was in her third year, it was obvious that I was better.

Now, up to this point, the Defense Ability of the team’s key Attackers had greatly improved, so it was understandable that Coach Park Chaerin would react with, “What’s with these guys? Their level suddenly…?”

But it didn’t end there.

As Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul’s skills improved, there was a player who reaped unexpected benefits: Shin Aram.

Shin Aram.

The Leader of Super Sylph and the player in the Defender position.

She possessed a peculiar ability rarely seen in players of her level, and that was her eye for the game.

Back when Super Sylph was struggling in the lower bracket of the Second Division, she had a Match Record of contributing to the team’s losses by stubbornly insisting on First Division-level positioning even while in a Slump.

It was a case where thinking only of high-level movements without considering the team’s weight class had backfired, but this aspect of Shin Aram began to gradually improve after Seo Dami joined the team.

It was all thanks to our team training hard and acquiring the tactics and skills befitting the First Division League.

But then, there was another change.

As Dami and Yunseul’s skills improved, her movements and judgment gained another boost of momentum.

Her Class was a Defender to begin with.

Having practiced only defense throughout her Pro Gamer career, her Defense Ability was bound to be good, but with her teammates’ skills improving, she began to attempt more difficult positioning.

‘Look at her, will you?’

Following behind Shin Aram, who was running with a Shield, my eyes sparkled at her movements.

‘Her insight has gotten even better?’

Shin Aram’s eye for reading the state of the game.

While I was in Japan, her ability to grasp the Battlefield situation had developed further and upgraded to the next level.

If before she showcased positioning on par with the First Division League, I could now see that she was pursuing a higher level of play, the kind you would see at the World Championship.

Moreover, Shin Aram was originally a player who, when faced with a choice between an offensive and a defensive decision, would choose the defensive one, so that aspect also acted as an advantage in this training.

‘How has Aram been doing lately?’

<Aram Unni? She’s been rewatching a lot of World Championship matches.>

‘Really?’

Frequently reviewing World Championship matches.

Whether it was out of a desire to go to the World Championship, or simply to improve her own skills.

Either way, it seemed to have had a positive effect on her as a player.

With three out of the five players’ skills improving, the Coach couldn’t help but react with, “Why are they so good?”

Dain was a Sniper to begin with, so even if she played defensively, it wasn’t very noticeable.

However, Hwang Jua was struggling to adapt to the changed Tempo, going, “Huh? Huh?”

The playstyle of slowly pushing the Line to pressure the opponent seemed to feel very awkward for her.

‘Jua needs some pretty intense practice.’

Once we entered a real match, Hwang Jua was the one who would obviously struggle the most.

So what was the difference between Hwang Jua and Kamui’s Supporter, Haruna?

While she fell short in everything from her aim to her Physical, if I had to pick the biggest difference, it would be her Judgment.

On team Kamui, it wasn’t just Haruna; all the players in every position knew how to match Kato Mikane’s movements.

They were players who all understood when to charge in and how the picture would be painted, and moved accordingly.

On the other hand, Hwang Jua had no talent for predicting how our team’s Attackers would move.

She could play the role of following and assisting after Dami or Yunseul ran ahead, but it was difficult to expect her to do things like land a Heal Shot by knowing where an Attacker would be two or three seconds later.

This difference would manifest as a huge gap in a real match.

Especially in a showdown between the world’s top teams.

‘It’s a shame. She’s a kid with decent aim.’

And it’s not like I could possess Hwang Jua’s body and teach her directly.

I decided to take my time and think about how to solve this difficult situation.

Somehow, I had to raise the team’s capabilities before the winter World Championship opening.

The Second Half League had begun.

Super Sylph’s opponent for the opening match of the Second Half was the 4th place team, Star Force.

The Attacker Park Yubin (25), who had been on the national team with Seo Dami during the recent Olympics, was a member of Star Force.

Their head-to-head Match Record for this Season was a Win Rate of just over 60%.

From Star Force’s perspective, they must have thought it was a winnable match, but when the lid was lifted, the result was completely different.

“My word, what is going on here!”

“Super Sylph. They seem to have become a completely different team over the break…!”

A solidified Super Sylph.

Starting the Season with a playstyle of scoring methodically without rushing in, Super Sylph crushed Star Force 2:0, heralding a storm in the Second Half League.

The Viewers who watched the match were shocked.

Because Star Force was originally a team that went back and forth with Super Sylph, but suddenly the gap had widened immensely.

-I knew General Seo was good, but was she this good?

-She came back from the Olympics a total monster.

-No. She was always that good, you should see the First Half as her being in a Slump.

-So her Form is back now?

-Yup.

-Then what’s with Jung Yunseul…?

-We don’t really know about that either.

-If you team fans don’t know, who does!

-Could Yunseuli also have had a late awakening…?

-FR, I thought General Seo was using a Clone technique today.

-GOAT PER SYLPH

Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul’s cooperative play.

Star Force couldn’t get a grip and collapsed against their play, which swept through the Battlefield as if they were one body.

Seo Dami did the MVP Interview, but this was a result of Jung Yunseul taking on a sub-role to support Seo Dami, rather than her playing poorly.

Starting with that victory, Super Sylph began to race ahead, racking up a 5-game Win Streak.

It wasn’t particularly strange since they had always held an advantage over teams that weren’t in 1st or 2nd place, but what was important was the content of those games.

Domination.

In the Second Half, Super Sylph showcased one-sided games against every team they had faced so far, ruling the Battlefield.

“For a player’s skill to improve so much so suddenly is actually a very rare sight. Not just in UA, but across all sports and games.”

Experts began to cautiously predict that at the center of Super Sylph’s performance were the rapidly grown Jung Yunseul and the fully blossomed Seo Dami, and that this team might have the potential to become a team that represents Korea in the future.

And two days later.

On a new Monday, Super Sylph’s true capabilities were put to the test.

The time had finally come for a showdown with the team they had a losing record against, the current 1st place team in the League, Ilsung Electronics Galaxy.

Galaxy’s roster was solid, to the point where they had sent two players to the national team for the last Olympics alone.

Led by Defender Kim Seohyun (25) and Supporter Oh Yeonseo (24), who had worn the national team mark, they were a team that played with a solid yet balanced style.

They could be seen as a team with the exact opposite tendency to Super Sylph, which was strong in its Attackers.

A team evaluated as the origin of defensive power in the domestic League.

At the news of a match against Galaxy, the reactions within Super Sylph were split in two.

There were those who said Galaxy would still be difficult, and those who said the changed New-per Sylph had a fighting chance.

-Still, isn’t it worth looking forward to?

-The kids’ Form is at its peak.

-Ayy;;

-No matter what, it’s still too much for them.

-We should be praising the coach just for changing the team’s constitution this much during one month of Off-Season.

-Are you sure it changed thanks to the coach?

-Hmm.

-I think it’s thanks to Park Chaerin…

-Anyway, just don’t play a shitty game.

-Just do as well as you’ve prepared! Just as well as you’ve prepared.

And so, the match that drew so much attention.

Unlike the fans who were moderately nervous, the atmosphere in the Super Sylph team Waiting Room was utterly peaceful.

They were a team they had been thrashed by countless times during the First Half anyway.

Losing one more time wasn’t going to be a burden, and the team’s mood was on the rise, including recent practice and real matches, so the feeling was good.

In the Waiting Room, Director Lee Gangseon said the same thing to the players who were about to deploy as the fans had.

Just do as well as you’ve practiced.

He said that if they did, they were a team they could definitely beat.

“Don’t be nervous! Got it!”

“I think you’re the most nervous one, Coach.”

“Anyway, let’s do well.”

The players put their hands together, shouted “Fighting!” and entered the Battlefield.

The 1st Set Battlefield was the Starship Enterprise.

The moment the random result for who would Attack first came up, it was team Galaxy that got to Attack first.

Enterprise was a Battlefield that traditionally favored defense.

The fact that they could have a high probability of winning the first Round was already a picture that smiled upon Super Sylph.

“To your positions.”

Under Shin Aram’s Order, the players split into two teams.

The Starship Enterprise had two long Main Passages.

Usually, one side is blocked by a Sniper and a Supporter who can provide Buffs, while the other passage is blocked by an Attacker and a Defender, but Super Sylph’s composition was a bit peculiar.

They had attached Shin Aram and Hwang Jua to the Sniper, Kim Dain, completely sealing off one passage.

Giving a Defender to a Sniper who was already powerful in a straight passage?

It was a declaration of their will to completely prevent the passage from being breached in a potential Sniper vs Sniper Fight.

Then the members on the other side naturally became the Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul Duo.

Two Attackers blocking a passage.

Composition-wise, the synergy wasn’t very good.

Because if the opponent pushed forward with a Shield, it would be difficult to stop them from entering the inner area.

The only option was to lure them inside and hit them with a Counter, but the expressions of Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul, who were tasked with blocking one passage, looked extremely relaxed.

And at that moment, the Galaxy team players, who had confirmed the opposing team’s composition through a Scout Skill, were contemplating which way to push through.

“They’re split in two to defend. Left is Seo Dami, Jung Yunseul. Right is the other three. Which side should we break through?”

“The left.”

“I vote left too.”

When Galaxy’s Team Leader, Kim Seohyun, asked, the team members unanimously chose the left.

“Kim Dain’s aim has been on fire lately.”

“It’s hard enough to break through as it is, but adding a Defender is just overkill.”

“Then let’s go left. But what about the distribution here?”

Kim Seohyun asked for opinions on the personnel distribution.

They had decided to Attack the left, but it wasn’t like all five of them could just rush in.

This Battlefield’s Main Passage was long, so if they only attempted an Attack on one side, Super Sylph would have enough time to group up their five members to defend.

That’s why the Attacking Team would usually either do an honest 2-vs-3 personnel split, or go with a “stop us if you can” approach where all five would stick behind a Defender and rush in. But starting this year, the pattern had changed a lot.

It was thanks to the explosion in the number of Skills, which created all sorts of diverse Metas.

Kim Seohyun pulled out one of the newly emerged Meta tactics.

“Let’s go in with an Illusion.”

Kim Seohyun decided to use a Decoy Tactic using an Illusion-Type Skill.

First, send the team’s Sniper towards the opponent’s Shield and Sniper Nest, and make a motion as if they intend to Attack that side.

The opponent wasn’t stupid, so of course, if only one Sniper was poking at them, they would redistribute their personnel, but this is where the Illusion Skill came in.

Illusion Skill.

Using this Skill, one could ‘mimic’ a player’s movements to some extent.

It was a brief deception, but since the distance on Enterprise was long, it would take time to determine whether it was an Illusion or real, and the Strategy was to break through the opposite attack route in the meantime.

Having made their decision, Galaxy attempted their Attack.

Galaxy’s Sniper, Yang Haein, went on the Attack with fake Clones created through the Illusion Skill.

And while their attention was drawn there, Galaxy’s main force ran down the High-Speed Passage.

To be thorough, the Galaxy team also invested Mana into a Stealth Skill.

If the visible number of personnel exceeded five, the other side might suspect a Decoy Tactic, so they hid some of the main force’s members using the Stealth Skill.

The Mana consumption was not insignificant, but they pursued perfection to secure a definite victory.

This was Galaxy’s aim.

As the Attack began, Suppressive Fire flew in.

It was fierce fire.

Even though it was continuous, the Aim barely wavered as it hammered the Shield.

It was the fire poured out by Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul.

But it wasn’t so much that they couldn’t withstand it.

“We’re going in like this.”

Just as Kim Seohyun was leading her teammates while providing Cover Fire from Super Sylph’s suppression with her Shield, a Smoke Screen went off at the end of the passage.

“What’s this?”

The defending side is using a Smoke Screen, not the attacking side?

This was an action that went against common sense.

Because if their Vision was mutually blocked, it would create a very advantageous environment for Galaxy, who needed to close the distance.

A question mark popped up above the heads of not just Kim Seohyun, but all the Galaxy players.

But there was no time to dawdle.

To take control of the Bridge, they had no choice but to advance.

‘We’ll break through like this…!’

Just as the Galaxy team was running with their eyes wide open, a loud BOOM!* sounded, and a bolt of lightning flew towards them.

“What the hell?”

A cracking sound as the Shield shattered and a Health Gauge that split apart in vain.

Kim Seohyun’s pupils quaked.