Chapter 46

The match went just as Park Chaerin had predicted.

Star Prism, judging that the stamina-depleted Super Sylph would go all-in during the Early Game, took a very defensive stance.

Harassing the Control Point with their Sniper.

And throwing Bombs, they Cast a “don’t you dare take the point!” play.

However, three minutes after the match began, Star Prism also realized something was wrong.

“Why are they missing one player?”

“Could it be a Double Sweeper?”

“Goddammit.”

Thinking she had given them too much time, Park Iseo ordered a charge on the Control Point.

Star Prism had left only one Sweeper behind and sent four players to the center, giving them one more person in the fight than Super Sylph.

Then, this time, Super Sylph reversed roles and started throwing Bombs to stall for time.

Every time they tried to enter the Control Point, a Bomb would drop, making it difficult to capture.

“This isn’t working. We can’t just walk in. We have no choice but to take them all down first!”

Deciding that Point Capture was impossible without melting the enemy players, Star Prism used Acceleration and attempted an all-out battle.

This was the turning point.

The Super Sylph members remaining in the center were Shin Aram, Seo Dami, and Hwang Jua.

The three of them had to stall for as long as possible to prevent the enemy from easily taking the Control Point.

Watching the enemies charge in, confident in their numbers, Shin Aram raised her Shield.

Super Sylph’s Leader.

Twenty-three years old, the player with the most Stamina on this team was none other than Shin Aram.

With a loud crash, Shield met Shield.

The enemy Defender’s charge.

But Shin Aram didn’t get pushed back.

On the contrary, the opponent staggered, letting out a grunt.

In that instant, Shin Aram’s eyes glinted.

The moment her opponent’s balance broke, she used a Charge Skill.

She had pushed her opponent away.

The Defender, whose feet got tangled, fell, and the protective wall for Star Prism’s Dealers crumbled.

And Seo Dami and Hwang Jua, who were waiting behind Shin Aram, did not miss this opening.

Seo Dami’s accuracy, in particular, was razor-sharp.

Unless you were a Defender, it was impossible to completely block the Damage from the Arclight Rifle, which hit with near-perfect accuracy.

With a series of dull thuds, the enemy Dealer’s Health Gauge was chipped away.

However, Star Prism’s Counterattack was just as fierce.

Trusting their numerical advantage, they boldly poured their Mana into attacking the ground beneath Seo Dami’s feet.

Shockwave.

A Skill that caused an earthquake in a specific area to deal shock damage.

The intense shockwave from the earthquake made Seo Dami lose her balance and fall.

Even for Seo Dami, it was impossible to react.

The Shockwave was a Skill that came from a blind spot in her Vision.

‘Ah, my Stamina…!’

Although the attack came from an unseen location, she might have been able to dodge it somehow if her Stamina had been full.

But Seo Dami’s Stamina, now in the 3rd Set, was not in a state to withstand this Ambush.

As Seo Dami fell, Park Iseo seized the opportunity and unleashed a Rapid Fire.

Seo Dami down…!

The match descended into chaos.

As the Point Gauge went back and forth, 17 minutes had already passed since the Set began.

Considering the average game time for a Domination Battle was about 20 minutes, this was clearly the Late Game.

17 minutes.

It might seem like a short time, but for the players who had already played two full Sets, it was an eternity of hell.

The players on both teams had long since grown stiff in their footwork.

The Snipers, who moved less, were still maintaining their performance, but the Defenders and Attackers had slowed down considerably.

Amid the floundering, Star Prism’s Point Gauge surpassed 90 percent.

Just 10 percent more and it would be Star Prism’s victory.

This was Super Sylph’s critical moment.

Because their Strategy was to have two Sweepers who were Buff collectors, Super Sylph’s base Attack Power, Mana Regen, and Defense Power were already far superior to their opponents.

So, if they could just disrupt this one more Gauge Charge, they could secure a definite path to victory.

But that “one more time” was incredibly difficult for Super Syl-ph.

‘It’s heavy…’

Even after using Acceleration, her speed just wouldn’t pick up.

It felt like someone was holding onto her feet, pulling her back so she couldn’t move.

Had it ever been this hard? Seo Dami wondered.

She suddenly thought of Han Youngin.

When she was with him, her pace had never once been broken.

Because the Youngin in her head had always watched over her pace, telling her, Don’t Overpace. Don’t get needlessly nervous. You’ll lose your strength.

But Han Youngin was no longer here.

The first League match she’d played in a long time, standing on her own, was difficult and lonely.

‘I want to hear Oppa’s voice…’

If she could just hear a single word of encouragement, like You can still do it!, she felt like she could summon strength she didn’t have.

But no matter how much she called out for someone who wasn’t there, she would never hear his voice.

Seo Dami, who had been staring at the sky for a moment, quickly shook her head.

‘Get a grip. You said you wouldn’t make him worry.’

Shutting her eyes tight, Seo Dami set her gun down beside her and slapped both of her cheeks.

The fans, who had no idea why she was doing that, gasped, “Oh my!”

-She must be having such a hard time ;;

-I’m tearing up…

-The shoulders of the nineteen-year-old Ace are too heavy…

-General Seo ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

The fans thought that Seo Dami was slapping her own cheeks to muster up her Fighting Spirit, to shake off the burden of victory and rouse her exhausted, disobedient body.

In terms of results, it was similar.

After all, a player who had fallen after hitting her limit had stood up again.

-General Seo!

-From now on, an attack on General Seo will be considered an attack on me.

-Thank you for coming to our team…!

How many players in the League had ever shown that much fighting spirit?

Someone who never gave up no matter how disadvantageous the situation and rose again for the sake of victory.

For that fighting spirit and will.

The fans sent their unsparing support toward Seo Dami.

In the meantime, Star Prism’s Point Gauge had filled another 3 percent, surpassing 93 percent.

Shin Aram, who had been downed once again, Respawned at the base and shouted.

“Dami. If you don’t go in now, it’ll be too late!”

“Just give me a little time. Just a little…”

In a situation where the Control Point could be lost at any moment, Seo Dami asked for time.

What on earth was she thinking in this urgent situation…

Shin Aram couldn’t know what was on her mind, but she trusted Seo Dami.

“Dain, Yunseul! Stall them for a bit!”

“Roger…!”

An all-out offensive, calling in the Sweepers who had gone to the outskirts.

While the players were buying time, Seo Dami maintained her composure as much as possible and controlled her breathing.

In her mind, a voice was replaying as clearly as if she had heard it yesterday.

<Do you know why your body gets so tired when you play UA?>

“No?”

<It’s because your breathing gets messed up.>

Han Youngin had said.

He said that UA players, who run for a shorter time than marathoners, burn out faster because their breathing gets disrupted.

<It makes sense. Marathoners can run while maintaining a steady breath, but we have to clash bodies, use Acceleration, and fire shots. Our bodies are shaking all over, so our breathing can’t be steady, right?>

“Yes.”

<When you don’t breathe properly, the ability to supply oxygen to your cells drops sharply. So when you’re tired, fix your breathing first. The more tired you are, the more you need to slow down and regain your composure to be able to make a last-minute Comeback.>

Taking a deep breath, Seo Dami focused on calming her frantic rhythm.

She forgot the Cheers of the fifteen thousand Spectators and the communications from her teammates, concentrating solely on mastering her inner self.

When she opened her eyes again, the Gauge had surpassed 97 percent, and Seo Dami stood up and began her final Attack at the same time.

“Player Seo Dami! She’s back on her feet!”

“It looks like she’s attempting a final Breakthrough!”

-So persistent.

-You’re still not giving up? Huh? Still?

-Just die already!!!

The Star Prism fans, with victory right before their eyes, screamed and cursed Seo Dami.

On the other hand, Super Sylph was cheering for the final Attack, chanting Seo Dami’s name.

With the Control Point just ahead, Seo Dami was confronted by a gale-force wind surrounding the area.

An intense whirlwind created by Star Prism pouring their Mana into it.

The gust of wind was sweeping over the Control Point with an ominous sound.

‘This should stop you from doing anything!’

Park Iseo, who was waiting for Seo Dami inside the whirlwind, snickered.

This whirlwind was a countermeasure to Seal Seo Dami’s specialty: inducing a Chaotic Battle after using a Smoke Screen.

It didn’t do any Damage with the wind, so its only purpose was to block the Smoke Screen.

It might seem like a waste of Mana, but it was a Strategy Star Prism could afford to use since they would win anyway if they could just get past this one critical moment.

“Entering in 3 seconds!”

Before pushing her body into the whirlwind.

Seo Dami notified her team through her in-ear.

Asking anyone who could sync up with her final Attack to help.

In response, Hwang Jua and Jung Yunseul said they could make it in time.

And after counting to three in her head, Seo Dami rushed into the whirlwind.

Sharp attacks rained down on her.

While deploying her Shield, Seo Dami set off a Smoke Screen at her feet.

“I told you the Smoke Screen is useless! You idiot!”

Park Iseo shouted in excitement, forgetting that insulting an opponent was grounds for a Warning.

Why else would she have set up the strong wind?

Seeing Seo Dami use a Smoke Screen despite that, it seemed like she had completely lost her composure.

Her excitement at the thought of catching the monster with her own hands was short-lived; in the easily dispersing smoke, Seo Dami’s body flashed and disappeared.

Blink.

When Seo Dami’s figure vanished, Star Prism grew extremely tense and scanned their surroundings.

And at that moment, Jung Yunseul and Hwang Jua rushed in, dispersing Star Prism’s Vision.

Bombs and Grenade Rounds flew wildly, and a fierce battle erupted.

‘Where is she! Where is she!’

Park Iseo left her teammates to deal with the two and frantically scanned the area, searching only for Seo Dami.

It felt like she wouldn’t be able to rest easy until she saw Seo Dami die with her own eyes.

With the clash between the two teams, the Gauge was stuck at 99 percent.

Just then, with a tatatat! sound, there was movement behind Park Iseo.

To Park Iseo, it was definitely Seo Dami’s footsteps.

She had been hearing those footsteps for all three Sets today, so there was no mistaking them.

It was the sound of the devil’s footsteps, recognizable just by hearing them.

‘Please just die-!!!’

Without hesitation, Park Iseo twisted her body and jumped, firing a Rapid Fire shot behind her.

Tududududu-!

Park Iseo’s attack, Enhanced with Mana, swept through the area.

She was certain.

This attack would leave Seo Dami’s Health Bar in complete tatters.

“Huh?”

But Park Iseo, letting out a deflated sound, widened her eyes.

Seo Dami, who should have been behind her, was nowhere to be seen, and in her place were just a shoe and a boot.

‘What is this?’

Where did the person go, and why are there only shoes here?

Before she could even finish the thought, there was a heavy impact hitting her side.

The blue flash of the Arclight Rifle.

Seo Dami’s Rapid Fire instantly blew up Park Iseo’s Health Gauge.

‘No way…!’

Park Iseo was down.

Confirming that the enemy Leader had fallen, Seo Dami threw herself forward without hesitation.

There were still enemies left.

As Han Youngin had said, a game isn’t over until it’s over.

-Waaaaah-!!!

-Seo Dami!

-Seo Dami!

-Seo Dami!

A barefooted spurt, having even thrown off her shoes.

The Ace’s fighting spirit, aimed at saving her team, ignited its final flame.

The victory interview was over.

She had dinner with her teammates.

It should have been a happy time, but Seo Dami couldn’t bring herself to smile.

She just forced herself to act cheerful so her teammates wouldn’t worry too much about whether she was sick, then returned to her room and collapsed onto her bed.

Lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, Seo Dami recalled the final Engagement from today.

When she decided to use a Fake to trick Park Iseo, she had spontaneously thrown off her shoes.

To recreate a play Youngin had shown her once.

Park Iseo was completely fooled by the Skill that made the shoes run while making footstep sounds.

Thinking back, it was a perfect Fake.

“Oppa should have seen it too.”

She murmured.

“I won today. By doing what you taught me. I did well, right…?”

“But even though I won, I’m not that happy. It’s strange. Maybe it’s because you’re not here, Oppa.”

“But don’t worry too much. I’ll definitely keep my promise.”

That she would play games diligently on her own, so she hoped he would recover completely too.

That was Seo Dami’s prayer.

‘I hope I can meet Oppa again…’

And so, the night of Day 1 of standing on her own passed.

The prayer was answered all too quickly.

Seo Dami’s time standing alone ended in just one day.

The day after winning the match against Star Prism.

Waking up early in the morning, she realized her body wouldn’t move.

<Huh huh?>

“You slept soundly for once, huh?”

And as if waiting for her, a familiar voice rang in her ear.

<Huh huh!>

“Why do you keep saying ‘huh huh’? You didn’t forget how to talk, did you?”

<It’s my Oppa!>

“Why am I your Oppa…”

<What is this! How did you get here!>

Seo Dami tapped her head insistently, expressing her intense delight.

“Hey, hey. My head’s ringing! Stop it!”

Han Youngin was back.

And with his energy completely restored, at that