Chapter 103: Chapter 103

[Author: ㅇㅇ(461.118)]

[Title: Isn't it a fact that Q Prime has hit rock bottom lately?]

[Upvotes: 1,058]

[Downvotes: 410]

(Attached video: Gawol guest commentary)

They just beat up on weak teams and get wrecked by the strong ones, lol.

Last year, they still managed to play some decent games, but this year, it’s been nothing but getting beaten up.

What have they done besides doing the same thing over and over?

[Comments]

Does second place in the regular season mean nothing to you?

Gawol’s not even a pro, what does she know?

└ If you can’t argue with the message, attack the messenger.

└ Q Prime fanboys incoming, lol.

...

“And now, after a short commercial break, we’ll be back with preparations for the second match!”

After I had blurted out all those words,

the moment my rational mind returned, I could instinctively tell.

Oh no, I’ve really messed up.

I was specifically told not to speak in a way that undermines a particular team.

But my words had clearly come down hard on Q Prime.

Sure enough, the official broadcast chat was exploding.

Even though there’s a several-minute cooldown after sending a single message,

if the chat was this active, I could only imagine how wild the online communities were by now.

"Um... So, um... I... I’m sorry."

I couldn’t bear to look at the other commentators next to me.

As soon as the cameras turned off, I lowered my head, hiding my face with my hands.

I felt like I was going to die from embarrassment.

The people here had trusted me enough to invite me to this commentary spot.

Their trust was probably built on the assumption that I’d at least follow the basic, minimal expectations.

They surely hadn’t expected me to lose control and cause trouble like this.

Then I felt a tap on my shoulder.

It was Ho-eun, and there was no way I could just ignore him.

Reluctantly, I lowered my hands and looked at him.

“Come on, cheer up. A lot of people probably felt the same way you did.”

“I’m really sorry... I should’ve held back.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry too much about it. The match isn’t even over yet, so let’s focus on doing well in the next round.”

He patted me on the back, trying to comfort me.

And for some reason, it worked.

The tears that had been threatening to spill were pushed back.

Ho-eun looked at me closely, then smiled.

“At least you don’t have to feel bad about us. It’s not like we’re the ones getting criticized, right?”

“Huh? Oh, I guess you’re right?”

“Yeah, we’re not really affected by this.”

Wait, what?

I thought he was being kind and comforting, but now I realized how cold and logical the world of professionals could be.

Still, maybe that’s better.

If he had kept saying kind things, I would’ve just felt even guiltier.

But now that some of the weight was lifted, I felt a bit more at ease.

I must have been making a dumbfounded face for quite a while.

Ho-eun burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

“Hahaha! I’m just joking. Don’t worry so much.”

“Wait, but...”

“I’ve been in this industry for over 10 years. Yes, your comments were a bit strong, but it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Really?”

“You could say you had good timing, actually.”

There was something cryptic about his words.

I wanted to ask what he meant, but Ho-eun just smiled warmly.

Soon, time passed, and we moved on to the second match.

[IKL Semi Final - Match 2]

[Simga eSports vs Q Prime]

[Score - 1:0]

[Map: Hall of Shadows]

[Rule: 4-Player Winner-Stays-On]

“We now move on to the second match between Sigma and Q Prime! Let’s see how it unfolds!”

“The stage is the Hall of Shadows. Classes that can utilize darkness—especially assassins with stealth or shadow skills—have the home ground advantage here.”

“It’s unfortunate that Sigma doesn’t have an assassin in their roster right now. Q Prime might have the upper hand in this match.”

Sigma currently had no main assassin player, unless you counted the second-stringers or trainees.

I’d heard they tried to recruit one, but luck hadn’t been on their side.

Luce had once told me they wanted to recruit me even more because of that.

Honestly, I was thrilled.

Competing on the same stage as Luce had always been a dream of mine.

Having my role model want me—there couldn’t be a bigger reward than that.

“And as it happens, assassins are your main class, Gawol. What’s your take on this match?”

“Well, generally speaking, assassins do have the advantage here. But you shouldn’t let your guard down. An assassin’s strength is overcoming bad matchups with skill. In other words...”

“You’re saying even a favorable matchup can be overturned. Got it.”@@novelbin@@

I glanced at the player waiting room.

As expected, Q Prime had selected Sparrow, their assassin.

Sigma, on the other hand, had chosen Luce, likely to keep Traveler in check.

A swordsman doesn’t match up well against a lancer.

But even if that weren’t the case, Luce would’ve been the obvious choice as the starter.

“The starting players have been chosen.”

“A holy knight versus an assassin. When it comes to a one-on-one matchup, we can’t avoid asking for your thoughts.”

“Hmm... It’s probably going to be a tough fight. Even for a holy knight, the Hall of Shadows makes things... tricky.”

“You sound a little unsure this time?”

“No, no.”

I was lying.

It would be hard for Sparrow to win.

He’d been having a rough time lately, but it wasn’t like I had anything personal against him...

The reason I was sure Luce would win was simple—it was because of me.

How long had I been looking forward to facing her in a match?

For me, that had been the day my dream finally came true, but for Luce, it had been the day she faced a new trial.

Luce’s tenacity is top-class among all pros.

In Sigma, the player I fought against the most wasn’t Camellia—it was Luce.

Her ability to counter assassins had already been perfected.

Hwang Yul, the commentator, glanced at me.

It seemed like he wanted me to continue speaking.

“The return on Luce winning this match is higher. Given the nature of a winner-stays-on format, where she has to face the next opponent, her ability to heal herself... well...”

“You’re talking about her ability to sustain herself in battle, right? That’s correct. Compared to an assassin who struggles to recover from injuries, a holy knight has their own healing abilities.”

“If Luce defeats Sparrow and faces her next opponent, she’ll likely be in better condition to continue the fight.”

Fortunately, they didn’t leave me to talk on my own for too long.

Whenever I faltered, they gave me a clean assist, subtly encouraging me to do better the next time.

On the camera, we could see the two players beginning their duel.

Sparrow’s choice was to use the pillars and ceiling for mobility.

Taking advantage of the darkness early on, he secured better vision.

Luce, rather than making a hasty move, stayed still and waited.

“Luce isn’t moving, even though the match has started. What could be her strategy?”

“Honestly, even if a holy knight moved first, finding an assassin wouldn’t be easy. It’s probably better for her to focus on her senses for now.”

“Hmm, I think she’s timing her approach.”

In the Hall of Shadows, from the random start point, if I didn’t move a step,

it would take about 1 minute and 40 seconds to 2 minutes and 20 seconds for me to locate Luce.

Considering I was faster than most assassins, you’d need to add some time.

Add to that the difficulty of launching an immediate attack after spotting her, plus the skill cooldowns...

‘Right now.’

As Luce drew her sword, a radiant light surrounded her.

Just nearby, Sparrow, who had been trying to sneak up behind her, was revealed.

[The Light of Truth unveils all shadows.]

[For 10 seconds, the location of all enemies exposed to the light is revealed, and illusionary abilities are negated.]

He was close.

Unfortunately for him, it was within the holy knight’s charge range.

Luce moved in without hesitation, and her shield slammed into the assassin’s body.

With a single skill, Sparrow’s biggest advantage was gone.

At the same time, Luce took control of the battle by initiating the skirmish.

It was the worst possible start for an assassin.

“Sigma’s counter to assassins is impressive. They timed it perfectly, identifying the most likely moment, and made the most out of it with minimal investment.”

“Is that possible with a random starting point?”

“It is. Both players are in the first-tier pro league, after all. Depending on the size of the map, it’s usually possible to find the enemy within three minutes in the Hall of Shadows.”

Before Luce even started moving, her route was already clear.

Efficiently cutting off the assassin’s paths, she released the light from her sacred sword, shutting down Sparrow’s shadow abilities.

It goes without saying that where there is light, shadows cannot exist.

I let out a small chuckle.

“That was unfortunate. The timing for using shadow movement was too predictable. If he had thrown in a dagger feint, he might have been able to slip behind her cleanly.”

Sigh.

That’s not how you play an assassin.