Chapter 78

The sensation of entrusting her body to an Acceleration cast by another and moving forward was quite foreign.

Seo Dami ran, pressing her feet down harder than usual.

Her footsteps glided swiftly.

A communication came in from Jung Yunseul, saying she sensed the enemy’s presence in the center.

This eliminated the possibility that all five enemies were guarding the door.

However, upon arriving at the door, Seo Dami couldn’t help but frown.

There were more enemies than she had expected.

-Three of them?

-How did they know?

-Are they stream sniping?

The meaning behind the number of people the opponent had deployed was clear.

The Blue Team’s gambit had been completely read.

Titans must have analyzed in advance how a Flank Run in the Nicaea Research Lab would unfold in the current Meta.

‘I knew they’d do this.’

Spotting Seo Dami, who had stopped mid-run, Woo Yeonhui smirked.

With the Meta shifting to transferring Buffs and Mana to others, the flow of UA games was becoming much more aggressive.

Especially for teams with a highly skilled Ace, it was common to drag the game along by relying on the Ace’s ability to Score.

So, Woo Yeonhui thought that unless the Blue Team was unaware of this Strategy, if they knew, they would definitely attempt a Flank Run with Seo Dami at the forefront.

And her prediction was spot on.

After all, Seo Dami had appeared right before her eyes.

The Titans members guarding the door were three in total: Woo Yeonhui, an Attacker, another Attacker, and a Supporter.

The ones Jung Yunseul had sensed in the center were only a Defender and a Sniper.

Just as Seo Dami was about to report via comms that there were three enemies here, Titans’ attack flew in, and the Engagement began.

The two Titans Dealers, having received Acceleration from their Supporter, split to the left and right and charged.

The opponents were also First Division League Pro Gamers.

Their attacks were fierce, and even Seo Dami couldn’t easily overcome the crisis.

Moreover, this Battlefield, the Nicaea Research Lab, had no decent Cover unless one was in the central cross-shaped passage.

This meant she had to dodge all the bullets with pure Physical ability, which wasn’t easy even when using Acceleration to its fullest.

Amidst the pouring attacks, Seo Dami saw the enemy’s movements become even faster, surpassing her own maximum speed.

This was the second time she had been outpaced in a speed battle, following the first Set.

Seo Dami was considered one of the top players in the country for Acceleration optimization, so what on earth was happening?

The answer lay in Skill stacking.

Right now, Titans had received Acceleration Support from their Supporter, and on top of that, they had overlaid their own Mana to Boost their Acceleration once more.

What happens then?

Like a rocket’s second-stage ignition, the effect was pumped up, allowing them to exert even greater speed momentarily.

It was a moment where it wouldn’t be strange to fall.

Seo Dami rolled on the floor toward the wall.

The rattling sound of Live Rounds echoed loudly, and sparks flew from beneath Seo Dami’s feet.

As the Viewers watching this held their breath with a gasp, Seo Dami’s hand touched the wall.

‘What is she trying to do?’

Woo Yeonhui grew curious about Seo Dami’s action.

Was she trying to make the wall protrude to create a temporary barrier?

Woo Yeonhui was aware that Skills that manipulated terrain had become quite common recently.

But the Nicaea Research Lab was a structure made of steel alloy, a Space Station-type Battlefield.

Manipulating the terrain of such a Battlefield was a much more difficult Skill than in places like the Artica Temple or the Garden of the Gods, where the surroundings were made of earth.

So, she couldn’t possibly make any particularly effective move in this situation, could she? Just as Woo Yeonhui thought this, an anomaly occurred.

Thud-!

A vibration that shook the Battlefield.

The moment a look of “Oh no!” flashed across the Titans players’ faces, the Battlefield flipped and rotated.

The Gravity Shift, a characteristic of the Nicaea Research Lab.

Of all times, it had to happen now.

Woo Yeonhui thought this could never be a coincidence.

And she was right.

The change in the Battlefield’s gravity direction was all a result of Seo Dami’s Skill.

Before starting the second Set, the information Seo Dami had searched for on the transparent screen in the Waiting Room was precisely this Gravity Shift Skill.

‘No way!’

The characteristic of the Skill Custom System was the ability to freely create effects appropriate to the power that could be produced with Mana.

But the change Seo Dami had just caused was on the level of flipping the entire Battlefield’s gravity.

To produce such an effect, even tens of times the Mana wouldn’t be enough, so how on earth did she do it?

While such questions dominated Woo Yeonhui’s mind, Seo Dami, who had planted her feet with a smooth movement as if completely unaffected by the Gravity Shift, launched a Counterattack.

With a bang, the Arclight Rifle flashed, and the Titans Attacker’s Health Gauge was completely shattered.

Woo Yeonhui was also cornered.

Losing one’s balance during an Engagement was tantamount to exposing a fatal weakness.

Seo Dami did not miss the opening when Woo Yeonhui faltered for a brief moment due to the Gravity Shift.

For Pro Gamers, a single small opening like this could decide the Win-Loss of a match.

“Ugh…!”

Woo Yeonhui dodged the thunderous Laser from the Arclight Rifle by weaving her upper body.

Because she was using full Acceleration, the movement was so fast it left an afterimage.

However, Seo Dami had also pushed her Acceleration to its peak.

Precisely tracking her opponent’s movements with her eyes, Seo Dami swung her Lightsaber upward with all her might toward the ducking Woo Yeonhui.

An upward diagonal slash.

Woo Yeonhui couldn’t even let out a yelp as her Health Bar was taken by the Lightsaber.

Two Dealers down in the blink of an eye.

After felling Woo Yeonhui, Seo Dami flicked her Lightsaber once and glared at the last remaining enemy Supporter, who let out a “Heek!” as if to say, “What kind of monster is this?”

Since Titans had read the Blue Team’s gambit and were prepared, even receiving Support from their Supporter, the Chat window couldn’t help but erupt.

-She won this? She won this? She won this?

-The best! Seo Dami!

-I told you. Super Sylph is winning it all this year!

-Didn’t think she’d actually win, for real ;;

-Still, for Seo Dami to wipe the floor with Titans 1 vs 4.

Strictly speaking, she didn’t do it 1 vs 4 alone, but it was clear that Seo Dami had Hard Carried the game.

A moment later, Seo Dami succeeded in taking down the remaining Titans Supporter and opened the door to the data vault.

Data theft successful.

The first Round ended in 2 minutes and 12 seconds, with Seo Dami’s Blue Team succeeding in completely breaking Titans’ Momentum.

“How on earth did you do that?”

The second Round began.

It was the Blue Team’s turn to defend.

Jung Yunseul, on behalf of her teammates, asked about the Skill Seo Dami had showcased.

It was a question of how she had generated such a powerful effect that encompassed the entire Battlefield when the amount of Mana one person could use was fixed.

-fr, I’m curious.

-It’s not like she can use tens of times more Mana than anyone else.

-Even if she min-maxed the efficiency with Advanced Mode, this is impossible.

Seo Dami answered Jung Yunseul, who was waiting for a reply.

“I’m confident when it comes to the Nicaea Research Lab, you know.”

“I guess so.”

The reason Seo Dami was strong in the Nicaea Research Lab.

It was thanks to the sense for reacting to Gravity Shifts that Han Youngin had taught her over the past year.

“So I thought about it. I wondered if there was a way for me to cause a Gravity Shift at the Timing I want, freely.”

“No way? Is there really a Skill like that?”

“No, there wasn’t.”

“……?”

“Except for one place. The Nicaea Research Lab Battlefield.”

The powerful characteristic of the Nicaea Research Lab, the Gravity Shift.

According to the game’s lore, this change was caused by the station’s gravity generator malfunctioning due to enemy action, making gravity control unstable.

The Battlefield’s gravity is controlled by a specific system.

Focusing on this information, a few Users came up with a different approach.

Creating a high-density gravity source in a specific area with Mana to change the point of force application is an effect impossible with personal Mana.

But what if one could send a signal to the gravity generator remotely?

For example, something like, “Change the gravity right now.”

The results of the experiments conducted in this way were quite successful.

When a User sent a command to the system through a Skill, the gravity generator actually initiated a change.

It was a Skill akin to a form of hacking.

“That’s possible?”

“Yeah. It’s not a Skill I made, but…”

Seo Dami had discovered this Skill while searching for gravity-related Skills after the Battlefield was confirmed to be the Nicaea Research Lab during the waiting time.

The Skill’s name was Gravity Hack.

It had the effect of interfering with the Space Station’s system to cause a Gravity Shift.

-Why did she touch the wall?

-Just from the Skill’s effect, isn’t she just sending a remote command to the system anyway?

“Ah, that. I read the description. It’s because this Battlefield, the Nicaea Station, has electronic panels inside the walls. If you touch the wall and use the Skill, you can send the signal with less Mana, and it’s also better for min-maxing the Skill with the Advanced effect…”

The Viewers didn’t quite understand the principle, but they got that it was a Skill that was more efficient if you touched the wall while using it.

-Wow. So is this a Meta where we have to consider Battlefield effects now?

-My head’s gonna hurt.

-Who on earth knows about and makes these kinds of Skills?

-What a great idea.

With creative Skills continuously popping up, it was a Meta where the Win-Loss depended heavily on who could create a good Build-up and how deeply they researched.

For now, Seo Dami, having landed a solid blow, gathered her teammates and spoke.

“How about we leave just one Guard this time and go for a swift attack.”

The enemy had already had a harsh taste, so they would likely opt for a standard move rather than a bold Strategy.

So, Seo Dami’s suggestion was to leave just one Guard to be safe and push forward.

“Me again?”

“…Please.”

“Can’t be helped.”

The one Guard left behind was usually an Attacker.

If Seo Dami stayed as the Guard, Jung Yunseul would have to Carry the central Engagement, but objectively, Jung Yunseul’s Firepower still couldn’t match Seo Dami’s, so if they were to post a Guard, it had to be Jung Yunseul.

Thus, Seo Dami left Jung Yunseul in front of the door and led her teammates toward the central passage.

And a short while later, the Battlefield shook once more, and the battle began.

The introduction of a New Meta Skill that caught them off guard.

-You think you’re the only ones who can use new Skills?

-Our General Seo gets it done when he needs to!

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Snipers get absolutely rekt-!!!

-This New Meta might not be so bad after all…?

A huge victory in a 4 vs. 5 Engagement, aided by the Gravity Shift.

Titans’ Teamwork was certainly solid, as four of them had come in as a Party, but in a situation where their stances were shaken by the twisting gravity, even that Teamwork couldn’t shine.

In the end, the Blue Team, with Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul, managed to take down Titans and achieve a Dominant Victory.

Thanks to beating a 4-person Party team, they received a score adjustment, and their Rank Match standing rose significantly as a bonus.

“Seo Dami! You did great on the stream yesterday. I never would have thought of a Skill like that, but you managed to find it.”

“It was nothing~.”

The next day, at breakfast.

Dami shrugged and replied to Park Chaerin’s compliment.

A day later, the story of Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul’s pair defeating a 4-man Titans team in a Rank Match had spread all over the UA Community.

There wasn’t much news during the Off-Season, so this was more than enough to become a hot topic.

In particular, the fact that she had immediately used a new Skill tailored to the Battlefield’s characteristics was highly praised by UA Viewers.

There were also predictions that Seo Dami’s destructive power would remain strong in the new Season.

Watching Dami being praised by Park Chaerin, Yunseuli muttered to herself.

‘Unni is the only one getting attention.’

<You did well, too.>

‘Hmph. Really?’

As Jung Yunseul grinned at my compliment, the Coach came into the cafeteria holding a paper bag.

“Coach, what’s that?”

“Some handmade ice cream I got for you all to eat.”

“Handmade-!!!”

At the words “handmade ice cream,” Hwang Jua shot up from her seat and took the paper bag.

“You’re going to eat it now? Eat it after your meal, when you’re bored later. I’ll put it in the fridge.”

“Don’t you know that if it goes into the lounge fridge, it all ends up in Hwang Jua’s stomach? You, give that here.”

“It’s mine! It’s miiine!!!”

“You think that’s all for you!”

While Kim Dain tried to snatch the bag of ice cream from Hwang Jua, Shin Aram stopped them with a look that said she was looking at a bunch of pathetic kids.

“Instead of fighting, you can just write your names on them…”

With that, the brief commotion settled down, and the players wrote their names on the ice cream cups.

There were different flavors mixed in, so there was almost a slight disagreement, but since everyone could have two each, it was smoothly sorted out.

Yunseuli chose green tea and mango flavors, and Dami was writing her name on the chocolate and vanilla ones.

That meant the ice cream that would automatically enter my mouth would be green tea and mango.

<Not a bad pick…?>

As I was thinking that, Dami glanced at Yunseuli and asked, “Want to trade?”

When Yunseuli asked why, Dami whispered, “Because Oppa likes chocolate the most.”

No, it’s true I like chocolate, but to be precise, I eat other flavors without being picky.

But why did she have to say that and make Yunseuli’s glare sharpen again…!

I was getting nervous that the two would fight again, but for some reason, Yunseuli obediently held out the mango to trade for the chocolate flavor.

Should I be thankful for this…?

It’s nice that they’re considerate of me, but my honest feeling was that I’d rather they refrain from their strange war of nerves.

As Dami, having passed the chocolate ice cream to Yunseuli, smiled and resumed her meal, Yunseuli, as if she had a good idea, lowered her hand under the table out of sight and wrote something on her hand with a marker.

A ticklish sensation flared up, momentarily focusing my senses on my hand, but there was no way I wouldn’t know what this girl was writing.

<……>

‘Heheng.’

The content Yunseuli wrote on her hand as she giggled foolishly was a single character.

A small heart.