Chapter 127

After the Set.

The break time given until the start of the next Set was 2 minutes.

This duration, which would feel short even to an ordinary person, was bound to feel even shorter to the players.

Hadn’t they just returned from a fierce 15-minute battle in the Deathmatch alone?

For the players, 2 minutes was just enough time to catch their breath and check the next Battlefield.

But what would happen if an accident were to occur on top of all this?

They were bound to be in a state of utter chaos.

During the final break before the 3rd Set.

Seo Dami sought Han Youngin’s advice.

It was because the Power of the Ley Line no longer worked.

“What should we do?”

Seo Dami whispered, looking at Jung Yunseul.

Jung Yunseul knew well that the question was not for her, but for Han Youngin.

However, she couldn’t give any answer.

For some reason, she couldn’t feel Han Youngin’s presence.

It was as if he had never been there in the first place.

Seo Dami frowned because the strategy they had prepared didn’t work.

Jung Yunseul, on the other hand, was frowning because she couldn’t sense his presence.

“Yunseul. About a new strategy… did he say anything?”

“Just a moment.”

Jung Yunseul’s head ached.

She had never anticipated a situation like this.

This was a very serious problem.

For Oppa to suddenly disappear in the middle of a game?

The effect he had on Super Sylph wasn’t just the Power of the Ley Line.

Besides the Attack Buff, Han Youngin was also in charge of being Super Sylph’s brain.

Most of the sharp strategies coming from this team had originated from his mind.

‘Is this a problem caused by Kato Mikane?’

In the 2nd Set.

Because of Kato, Han Youngin had felt immense pain.

So, if he suddenly disappeared, it was a very reasonable guess to find the cause in Kato.

The problem was that she couldn’t tell Seo Dami the truth as it was.

Jung Yunseul, who shared the world’s most special secret with her, knew Seo Dami as well as anyone.

‘I must never tell Unni the truth.’

Jung Yunseul was certain that if she told her what had happened, she would break down before the 3rd Set was even over.

If she said Oppa’s presence had vanished, it was obvious she would spiral into negative fantasies, wondering if he had died.

‘There’s no way Oppa is dead. This is just a passing incident.’

A simple accident.

Just like how he had possessed someone’s body without warning.

Jung Yunseul steeled her heart, believing he was surely watching over them from somewhere right now.

After some thought, she relayed an answer to Seo Dami as if it were Han Youngin’s.

“We can’t use Boost anymore.”

“Okay.”

The Boost mentioned here referred to attacking while channeling the Power of the Ley Line.

“Because Kato is preventing us from using our full power.”

“I felt it too.”

“So… for now, we have no choice but to compete with what we’ve prepared.”

“Okay.”

After saying that to Seo Dami, Jung Yunseul was lost in thought for a moment.

What she pulled from her memory was a fragment of the past.

A time when she had a conversation with Oppa, as if he knew something like today would happen.

“Yunseul.”

<Yes?>

“What would you do if I suddenly disappeared?”

<Why would you disappear, Oppa? Don’t say things like that, even as a joke.>

“It’s a ‘what if.’ Let’s just assume. If I’m not here, are you guys going to give up and throw the game? You wouldn’t.”

At that time, Han Youngin had said this.

If some accident happened to him and he suddenly couldn’t help them, would they give up the game?

<No…>

“The reason I’m teaching you so hard is so that you can stand on your own as players, as excellent Pro Gamers. It’s not that I’m going to keep helping you forever.”

<Can’t we just keep going together? Whether as a Coach or a Director, we can be together, can’t we?>

“Ahem. I have dreams too, you know. Don’t you think I should win a championship at least once?”

Pro Gamer Han Youngin.

He still had a strong desire for a championship.

At his words that he wanted to return as a player anytime his body recovered, Jung Yunseul couldn’t bring herself to ask him to stay with the team.

Seeing a healthy him lifting the UA trophy was also a long-held dream of Jung Yunseul’s.

“So you all need to know how to navigate a game without me.”

<I understand what you mean. But shouldn’t Unni be part of this conversation too?>

Jung Yunseul had asked if it wouldn’t be better for everyone to have a discussion of that nature together, but Han Youngin said that the topic for today assumed a more special situation.

For instance, a case where he had to be away for a while for some reason.

“If I suddenly disappear. Dami is the type to completely break down.”

<What about me?>

“You have a strong Mental.”

<I do?>

“It’s about the mental aspect, I guess. Between you two, I think you, Yunseuli, are the one whose way of thinking is closer to mine.”

<Hehe…>

At the unexpected compliment, Jung Yunseul felt very happy.

That she resembled him as a player.

To her, who had watched Han Youngin’s performance for a long time, it was the highest praise.

<That’s a top-tier compliment.>

“You think so…?”

<To me, it is. They say married couples start to resemble each other, you know~.>

“……?”

Anyway, in their conversation that day.

Jung Yunseul had discussed with Han Youngin how to handle such an emergency.

For instance, pretending it was no big deal until the game was over.

Or acting as usual.

“You know what I mean, right? When I’m not here, you’re the control tower.”

<Yes.>

“It means you should move with faith in your own judgment. You can do it, right?”

<Of course.>

To the question that demanded an answer, Jung Yunseul replied confidently.

<Just think about who raised me.>

From now on, I have to lead the game.

When he’s not here, I’m to take his place.

Recalling the order she received from Han Youngin, she calmly began to assess the situation.

‘The luck of the Battlefield is on our side.’

The Set Battlefield decided for the 3rd Set was the Nicaea Research Lab.

Coincidentally, it was Super Sylph’s favorite Battlefield (though in truth, only the two Attackers were particularly fond of it).

But this alone was not enough.

Their opponent was Kamui.

And there was still Kato Mikane, who was unilaterally wielding the Power of the Ley Line.

‘To maximize our ability to respond to Gravity Shift…’

The reason Super Sylph liked the Nicaea Research Lab was that the Attackers had inherited a certain feel for how to respond to Gravity Shift from Han Youngin.

However, Jung Yunseul judged that frequently causing Gravity Shifts to maximize this ability was a poor strategy.

‘It’s better to reduce the frequency.’

Any strategy, if used repeatedly, allows the opponent to build up a resistance.

The true value of a strategy lies in using it at the most crucial point, when you can definitively seize victory.

Judging that she could narrow the power gap with the opposing team to some extent by using Gravity Shift well, she went over the remaining parts.

‘Something more to shake up the board…’

Jung Yunseul thought of Kato Mikane, who would be in the opponent’s Waiting Room.

The one and only player with the Carry potential to destroy every strategy that exists in UA.

To catch her, who wielded the unfair ability called the Power of the Ley Line, she needed something more.

Something that would allow them to take one more step forward.

“Unni.”

“Huh?”

10 seconds before the match began.

Among the players who were all standing up and preparing to enter the Battlefield.

Jung Yunseul decided to give Seo Dami a boost of strength.

“Oppa is in a lot of pain.”

“What…?”

“I think what Kato hit him with earlier was the problem.”

Jung Yunseul lied without a single change in her expression.

No, considering the context, it wasn’t exactly a lie.

Wasn’t it because Oppa was really in pain that he had left?

She just thought that if Han Youngin had been here.

He would have surely said that.

And upon hearing those words, Seo Dami’s eyes flashed for a moment.

“Let’s make sure we win this Set.”

“Okay.”

The Ace, full of Fighting Spirit.

And so, the players of both teams headed to the Battlefield.

“The 3rd Set has begun. The Battlefield is the Nicaea Research Lab.”

“Who would have predicted that this match would go to a 3rd Set.”

“Super Sylph. They’re showing a very good performance today, aren’t they?”

“That’s right. Although they collapsed a bit helplessly in the 2nd Set, this team has very good data in the Nicaea Research Lab.”

“It seems we have something to look forward to. Now, will Super Sylph! be able to become the true protagonist of this tournament!”

The Spectators always go wild for an underdog’s rebellion.

By now, there were quite a few people in the World Stadium cheering for Super Sylph’s victory.

It was a place where a diverse crowd from all over the world had gathered.

Many fans had their own national teams they originally supported, and from their perspective, whether it was Kamui or Super Sylph.

It didn’t matter which team won as long as the match was entertaining.

And in today’s match, the more interesting outcome would undoubtedly be Super Sylph pulling off a miracle.

-Is Super Sylph really going to do it?

-Until last year, Kamui looked truly overwhelming.

-It seems the drastic change in this year’s Meta was effective.

-In other words, they’re a team with excellent adaptability.

-They’re engaging…!

The two teams began to clash.

The first place they met was the cross-intersection of the central passage.

Kamui was the one that had to break through, and Super Sylph was the one that had to defend.

A 5v5 central passage Engagement.

A fierce battle of wits unfolded as they induced Mana consumption from each other with Blink and TP Barrier.

And not long after, the Cheer of the Spectators erupted.

The first to move was Super Sylph.

Having gained the upper hand in the battle of wits, they used Blink to get behind the enemy.

It was a moment when TP Barrier Casts were flying back and forth, so a misstep could have resulted in wasting Mana for no effect.

-Go!!!

Super Sylph’s Attacker pair, having gotten behind, fired their shots, pressuring Kamui.

It became a picture of them attacking Kamui from the front and back.

However, the one who stepped forward to face the enemies that had gotten behind was the queen of UA, Kato Mikane.

“Not a chance!”

Kato’s twin pistols, shouted at the enemy, spewed fire.

An Acceleration versus Acceleration Engagement.

In a fleeting moment, Seo Dami felt that her Physical couldn’t keep up with her opponent and slightly turned her Muzzle.

Her plan was to deal Damage to other enemies, since shooting at Kato would just result in her deflecting or dodging everything anyway.

However, Kato’s speed was faster.

Before Seo Dami could even fire a few shots, Kato’s attack struck Seo Dami’s vital point.

Realizing that she would just die if she held her ground, Seo Dami completely broke her posture and rolled on the floor.

It was because she had to survive as long as possible, even if it looked a bit pathetic, to create an opportunity.

Having thus neutralized Seo Dami’s attack for a moment, Kato moved her Muzzle like lightning.

Her next target was Jung Yunseul.

The side where she presumed Han Youngin would be.

‘Now. Let’s see what kind of trick you pull this time.’

Although she had Sealed his ability to use the Power of the Ley Line, Kato was still wary of Han Youngin.

She thought that even in a situation like this, he would have prepared a sharp move.

But something was strange.

Han Youngin’s presence couldn’t be felt anywhere.

And at that moment.

Jung Yunseul, whose eyes met hers, charged forward with a look of intense fury.

“Vengeance for my Oppa!!!”

At her cry, Kato, and the Spectators.

Everyone couldn’t help but be quite surprised.

That was because her cry felt completely disconnected from the flow of the game.

-What did she just say?

-Didn’t she say vengeance for her Oppa?

-What Oppa?

-?????

While the Spectators were collectively displaying question marks.

Jung Yunseul inwardly marveled at her own acting skills.

She felt that this was an act that could fool anyone.

As she had predicted, a look of bewilderment flickered across Kato’s face.

The original Kato Mikane would have been able to counterattack while dodging, but she focused on evasion, completely giving up her Right of Attack.

And Jung Yunseul had no intention of easily letting go of this flow she had worked so hard to grasp.

A tenacious, clinging attack.

As she launched her offensive, Jung Yunseul displayed her rage as if facing a mortal enemy, vowing not to let her go.

And as if empathizing with Jung Yunseul’s anger, Seo Dami, who had regained her posture, added her strength to the attack.

“You shouldn’t have touched someone who was in pain!”

-DamiDami…?

-What in the world is happening?

-Did Kato do something wrong to them?

-I don’t know;;

It was certainly a sight not often seen in UA.

Two players who were genuinely enraged.

And watching them, a puzzle began to piece itself together in Kato’s mind.

Their anger and Han Youngin’s absence.

There was only one thing it could mean.

Something major had happened to him.

‘Because of me? What on earth!’

What in the world had happened?

Kato’s once-clear mind began to get cluttered with thoughts and grow dizzy.

‘Did something happen to the ghost? No. He must be somewhere.’

Kato, parrying the attacks, tried her best to maintain her composure.

She had already confirmed through the previous Sets that Han Youngin could change his position at will.

‘Could he be preparing a third player…?!’

When her thoughts reached that point, Kato became conscious of the other Super Sylph players who were fighting her main force.

If he had possessed a player other than Seo Dami or Jung Yunseul, that could be a truly huge variable.

But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find his presence.

Only then did Kato Mikane realize the gravity of the situation.

He was nowhere.

At least not inside the Arena.

‘Don’t tell me…’

At that moment, Kato Mikane imagined the worst-case scenario.

‘He died? Because of me…?’

At that moment, Kato’s Muzzle trembled.

It was the first time her Mental had been shaken since she became a Pro Gamer.

And Jung Yunseul did not miss this opening.

“Attack!”

As the cry “Attack” burst from her lips, a Skill was Cast.

Gravity Hack.

An attempt to hack the space station’s gravity control system was made, and Gravity Shift was Activated.

The Battlefield turned upside down.

Towards the off-balance Kato, Seo Dami drew her Lightsaber and charged.

Just as Kato, realizing her mistake, focused on regaining her posture, a flame flickered and a spark flew.

Purifying Lightning.

Jung Yunseul’s shot, piercing as sharp as an awl, slowed Kato’s body, creating an opportunity for Seo Dami.

Simultaneously, the strike was completed.

The decisive attack created by the two players reached Kato.