Chapter 42

As Seo Dami grimaced and dropped behind a pillar, a fierce roar erupted from the Supernova fans who had been suppressed.

-This is it!

-How’s the First Division taste?

-It’s definitely different, right?

The Super Sylph fans, on the other hand, seemed a little shocked.

Seo Dami had been hit!

In truth, it was strange for an Attacker to be moving alone without a Defender or Support, but the fans didn’t think that far.

It was because Seo Dami had pulled off so many solo Carries in the past.

Whenever Seo Dami ran, enemies would just drop, so some people thought that was just how the game was played.

Leaving the shocked fans behind.

Seo Dami touched her abdomen, which had been pierced just a moment ago, and calmed her startled heart.

‘I almost died!’

The opposing Sniper’s shot was truly sharp.

She had grimaced not because she felt pain, but because her Health Gauge had been depleted more than she expected.

The moment the shot had lodged itself in her.

Seo Dami had reflexively deployed a Shield Skill on her abdomen, reducing the enemy’s Attack Power.

If she had failed, she would have died right there.

It wasn’t easy to dodge an attack in mid-air, no matter how much you twisted your body.

That was why Han Youngin had emphasized that she needed to develop the ability to cast a Shield on a localized area with her remaining Mana at any time.

<If you want to be a First Division League Attacker, you have to develop the ability to not die until your Mana runs out. To do that, you have to be able to create a Shield at any time.>

Acceleration and Shield.

Han Youngin’s firm belief was that if you could master just these two skills in Advanced Mode, the First Division teams would be fighting to recruit you.

But right now, Seo Dami was using not only Acceleration and Shield, but also Blink, Smoke Grenade Toss, Red Sight, and Bullet Enhancement.

She was executing a variety of skills at a level close to Master.

The skills Han Youngin had honed from his debut at seventeen until he turned twenty-five.

She was able to reproduce most of them thanks to the Experience Points hammered into her body.

<Calm down. What did I say the game was?>

‘It’s not over until you’re dead.’

With Han Youngin’s advice, she got back up.

And soon after, a Heal Shot flew in from a distance and hit her precisely, restoring her Stamina.

Thanks.

After conveying this to Hwang Jua with her eyes, Seo Dami took a breath and opened the comms.

“I’m going to Attack one more time.”

It was a very strange statement.

Why did she keep trying to Attack solo in a team game?

Just as that question popped into the minds of the fans watching this scene, Seo Dami, having pushed her Acceleration to the limit, ran once more.

An attempt to Breakthrough from a shorter distance.

That made it much harder to dodge attacks.

‘Are they looking down on us?’

The Supernova players, thinking it was a futile Attack, became indignant and unleashed a barrage of attacks.

A rain of attacks poured down on Seo Dami.

However, they didn’t know that this was all a planned setup.

“Ah! Seo Dami! She’s using the terrain to close the distance bit by bit!”

The first charge had been a nearly straight-line Breakthrough.

A Breakthrough based on pure speed, relying on her Physical to dodge attacks through leaps.

But this time was different.

She weaved between pillars, actively hiding her body as she closed the distance.

Of course, she was exposed to some shots in the process, but it didn’t lead to a kill.

Part of it was that Seo Dami’s movements, handling Acceleration, were incredibly fast, but it was also thanks to Hwang Jua’s Heal Shot supporting her Health Gauge at the perfect moments.

-That Supporter’s shots are pretty… good?

-So their five-game Win Streak in the Opening Match wasn’t just a One-Man team’s luck?

The Supernova fans thought.

For a Second Division League team, the Supporter’s Heal Shot was high-level.

They didn’t know.

That to create this situation, Seo Dami and Hwang Jua had practiced all weekend, cutting back on sleep.

The execution wasn’t improving, so Han Youngin had considered giving up midway, but in the end, the two broke through the wall and achieved a stable rhythm.

And a moment later, without a second to breathe, Hwang Jua’s hands moved and Mana flashed three times.

Object Teleportation.

Summoning three Smoke Grenades in a row, Hwang Jua moved the objects a great distance, laying down a Smoke Screen along the Route Seo Dami would take.

This Skill consumed Mana in proportion to the distance, so Hwang Jua’s Mana hit rock bottom in an instant.

It would have been much more efficient if Seo Dami, who was closer to the target point, had used the Skill, but she had to Attack one more time, so Hwang Jua consumed the Mana instead.

“Go! General Seo!”

At Hwang Jua’s shout, Seo Dami charged toward the Control Point.

With the Smoke Screen deployed, it wasn’t as easy for Supernova to check her as before.

“Supernova! Are they going to give up the Control Point just like this!”

As the Commentary Team shouted, Supernova ran towards the Control Point without hesitation.

Their plan was to cut off Seo Dami first and then take the Control Point.

However, that plan was blocked from the very start.

A bullet flying from somewhere struck the Defender’s Shield hard.

With a thud, the Defender was pushed back several steps, and the Supernova players who were stuck behind him almost tripped over their own feet and fell in a heap.

“What was that!”

“A snipe.”

Kim Dain.

Her decisive check, with stacked Attack Enhancement Skills, had begun.

“Deploy Shields and go in! Those guys have already started their gauge Charge!”

Thanks to Seo Dami’s Attack, Super Sylph captured the Control Point first.

If they reached 100 percent on the gauge like this, it would be Super Sylph’s victory for the first Set.

Naturally, Supernova tried to advance again, but at that moment, the Arena thundered.

-Behind! Behind!

-Look behind you!

Domination Battle.

The only Battlefield where the Spectators’ Cheers could reach the players.

They couldn’t hear it clearly, but if the Spectators were screaming, they could at least tell that something was happening.

As the Supernova players got goosebumps from the Spectators’ Cheers, a Defender and an Attacker were charging in from the Rear.

While Seo Dami and Hwang Jua were creating a diversion with the Smoke Screen, Shin Aram and Jung Yunseul had circled around and gotten behind them.

Drrrrrk-!

As Shin Aram’s Handgun and Jung Yunseul’s Rifle spat fire, the rear line of the Supernova team was swept away with cries of “Ack!”

“Scatter and block them!”

Supernova’s Leader shouted.

Their rear Supporter had been taken out by the Ambush, but the remaining players’ Stamina and Mana were still usable.

Turning a 4 vs. 5 Engagement around was a common occurrence in the Pro League.

Just as they were thinking it wasn’t time to give up the game yet, Jung Yunseul used Object Teleportation to detonate a Smoke Screen at the feet of the Supernova players.

And that was the signal.

Seo Dami, who had finished the Point Capture and appeared out of nowhere, rushed towards the scattering Supernova players.

Her presence was nothing short of menacing.

A blue flash exploded from Seo Dami’s hand and struck the opponent’s head with perfect accuracy.

The enemy Attacker collapsed with a gasp.

With that, the Momentum of the high-spirited Supernova team was greatly broken.

<Tell the kids not to get complacent.>

A victory in the first Set.

The atmosphere in the Waiting Room of the Super Sylph team, who had won the Attica Temple Domination, was truly festive.

However, I felt the need to quickly calm this atmosphere, and I intended to set the mood through Dami.

<It’s not over yet. Tell them not to get excited.>

‘Okay!’

In fact, in the Late Game of the first Set.

Supernova’s movements, as they regrouped their Battle Line and tried to somehow turn the tide, were fierce.

The early Ambush on the Control Point was successful, but in the fights that followed, we were generally pushed back.

Why?

Because we lacked skill.

In a straightforward 5 vs. 5 fight, it was true that our team’s skills fell short of theirs.

Except for Seo Dami, the other kids still needed more time to grow.

If it weren’t for the lead in the gauge Charge we’d earned from the early Ambush and Seo Dami’s ability to Carry, we would have been the ones to lose.

After hearing my advice, Dami whispered into Shin Aram’s ear.

That it wasn’t over yet, so they should calm their excitement a bit.

Shin Aram nodded, and she soon spoke to her teammates.

Let’s stay calm, not get excited, and focus on taking the second Set.

While everyone replied that they understood, the second Set Battlefield was decided.

It was Arc Factory No. 2, a Deathmatch Battlefield.

The moment I saw the Deathmatch Battlefield, I furrowed my brow slightly.

A match where the team that gets more Scores in 15 minutes wins.

It was bound to be a battle of attrition, and if we lost here, the Win-Loss of the third Set would be uncertain.

<Damn it. Of all places, Arc Factory had to show up here.>

Dami would probably hold up, thanks to her intense training, but the other players were borderline.

Just looking at the Late Game of the first Set, they were seen stumbling repeatedly, so if they went through a fierce battle in the second Set and moved on to the third, Hwang Jua or Jung Yunseul might be panting and crawling on the floor.

Especially if another Deathmatch Battlefield came up in a place like the third Set, it would be absolute hell.

<It’s not like the League ends if we lose once, but…>

Still, I wanted to continue the Win Streak if possible.

No Pro Gamer preferred defeat over victory.

<If this were a Big Game like the World Championship, I would have considered a strategic move.>

‘A strategic move?’

<Throwing the second Set.>

Give up on a Battlefield that demands a battle of attrition.

It’s a hard Battlefield to win, especially when there’s a large skill gap between the two teams.

So, there was the option of throwing the second Set and hoping for a better Battlefield in the third.

<But there’s no need to go that far right now.>

The Strategy of intentionally giving up a Set to plan for what comes after often appears in Big Games, but it wasn’t a method to try during the League.

First of all, showing a losing performance for 15 minutes was disrespectful to the fans, and it could leave other teams with the impression that, ah~, Super Sylph is a total pushover in Deathmatch. They have no confidence.

Image was more important than one might think.

I didn’t know about the Second Division, but in First Division matches where top-tier teams competed, how you perceived your opponent had a huge impact on your actual Game Performance.

If you feel the opponent is absurdly strong.

An insurmountable wall, your body shrinks back without you even realizing it.

Even if the opponent is actually manageable, just thinking that way makes the game harder.

So why would we need to instill the perception that our team is a pushover?

There were still over 120 matches left in the League, and we had a long way to go.

As the matches progressed, opposing teams would devise all sorts of methods and strategies to overcome us, so there was no need to create a point of disadvantage for ourselves.

<If we’re going to win, let’s go all out and clash here.>

‘Yes…!’

And so, the second Set began.

A battle in a Munitions Factory divided into a first and second floor.

Perhaps because of what happened in the first Set, the Supernova team’s movements were as cautious as could be.

But they couldn’t be cautious forever if they wanted to claim the Additional Supplies that appeared throughout the Map, so the distance between the two sides steadily closed.

“They might try some other weird trick over there.”

It was a truly strange thing.

Every team that faced Super Sylph said the opponent’s movements were strange.

If every team they faced called them strange, wasn’t that proof that their tactics were excellent, not that they were actually strange?

Anyway, Supernova was cautious and moved without sparing Mana on Scans.

Using Scan could identify hidden enemy Stealth personnel nearby and prevent a sudden Ambush.

“Clear.”

“Nothing unusual nearby.”

“Good. To the center!”

Both teams emerged from the passages of their Respawn Points and entered the center.

Everyone was moving in a tight formation with their Defender in front.

“Run!”

At their Leader’s shout, the Supernova players began to scatter.

Their intention was to secure more Objectives than the opponent.

And aim for an advantage in Individual Combat.

This was possible because Arc Factory was a Battlefield with plenty of Cover to hide behind.

If not, they wouldn’t have been able to scatter in all directions without a Defender like that.

Supernova, having assigned a Supporter to their Defender, sent their Sniper to the second floor and spread their Attackers to the left and right like wings.

2, 1, 1, 1.

It was a formation that anticipated combat in four different locations.

Faced with the opponent’s free movements, Super Sylph hesitated for a moment and solidified their defense.

If they split their personnel to match the opponent’s movements, they were likely to be picked off one by one.

The enemy Sniper who had gone up to the second Floor was particularly bothersome.

They had won the first Set a moment ago, but he was a player with good enough aim to have cornered Seo Dami several times.

<Dami. Let’s go up. We have to take control of the second floor.>

‘Okay.’

Currently, the only way to definitively take down the sniper on the second floor, who had better aim than Kim Dain, was Seo Dami.

And so, Seo Dami broke from the formation, went up the stairs, and entered the second floor.

Super Sylph fans roared as they watched Seo Dami charge in under Stealth.

-How dare they try to induce a Chaotic Battle?

-They won’t come to their senses until they get a taste of General Seo.

But the fans had no idea.

That all of this was Supernova’s setup from the very beginning.

The Supernova players were communicating with their Sniper.

“Put in a few sniper shots. Then Seo Dami will head your way. You know what to do then, right? Put up your Shield and focus only on defense.”

Then the Attacker below would use Blink to go up, get behind Seo Dami, and take her down.

This was Supernova’s plan.

The setup began with a sharp snipe.

Simultaneously, the Supernova Supporter generously used Scan, keeping a close eye on the opposing team’s status.

“Someone’s breaking off! Heading to the second floor!”

The Scan caught one member of the Sylph team breaking away and running to the second floor.

It was obviously Seo Dami.

“I’ll give you the signal. Not yet…”

The Supporter, who was tracking the enemy’s movement with Scan, shouted “Now!” a moment later, and the Attacker on the ground launched herself toward the second floor and Cast Blink.

The Stealth Skill not only consumed a lot of Mana, but it could also be easily broken if one was attacked or if an impact occurred nearby.

Moreover, the passage along the second-floor wall was rectangular, so all one had to do was shoot straight ahead.

It was a setup where you could kill the enemy just by pulling the Trigger, even if you couldn’t see them.

‘Just… die!’

Words far too brutal to say out loud.

The moment the Supernova Attacker aimed her Muzzle, determined to take down Seo Dami and Score.

A thwack! rang out, and her body fell backward limply.

Far from taking down her opponent, she had been taken down herself.

‘Huh?’

-????

-What is this?

-Why the fuck did Haneul die!

-Did that bastard just shoot without even looking back?

-Isn’t he fucking crazy;;

First Death.

It happened so suddenly that not only the player but also the Nova team’s fans were bewildered.

‘Why did I die?’

It was impossible.

Blink makes no sound.

Therefore, a precise Counterattack at the exact Timing of getting behind someone was absolutely impossible unless they had eyes on the back of their head.

What kind of player is this?

How can you Counterattack from there?

The unexpected Death of their Attacker.

As something that defied common sense occurred, the Mental of the Supernova players was severely shaken.

They would never have dreamed.

That Seo Dami really did have eyes on the back of her head.

And that those eyes were now showing Seo Dami the path to victory.

<Your Stealth is broken! Run! Go wipe out the Sniper too!>

‘Yes!’

Seo Dami put strength into her legs, and her Acceleration was pulled to its limit.

The Grim Reaper’s sprint.

The Arclight Rifle, which had taken down the Attacker like a thunderbolt, spat fire once more.