Chapter 171: Silver vs. Master (4)
StrawberryShooter's fists were shaking. Normally, a Master should've easily destroyed a Silver player.
"Phew."
He took a deep breath, but it was difficult to calm down.
— Hey you @$#%#$%
— !@#!#!$
— #@%@%^
Meanwhile, the chat was cursing at him. The influx of angry viewers came because of the betting. Ju-Hyeok's move resonated very well with them.
'Damn, who would’ve thought they would enable betting?'
StrawberryShooter ground his teeth. As a Master ranked player, this mental battle was incredibly challenging for him. From his perspective, winning was everything and the current round was a heavy burden with the added betting pressure.
[Choose your champion!]
Regardless, the game began. The world of gaming was, ‘Winner takes all.' If he won, everything would be solved.
“This time, StrawberryShooter gets to choose first! I'm excited to see what he'll pick!”
***
"Ah, it's Biker Gang Paul! He's an ADC, but is quite tanky and has good mobility."
Strawberry picked Biker Gang Paul. The champion used a shotgun, but unlike typical ADCs, he had high base HP and defense. It was a champion optimized for one-on-ones.
"A great pick, as expected from a Master player. Paul in one-on-ones is an excellent pick."
What would Almond do? It was time for him to pick.
"Now, it's time for Almond to choose. He picked... Ran? He picked Ran?"
Almond picked The Pure Sniper Ran.
'He's brought it out.'
Tako was glad to see it, but said the opposite.
"Ah... Ran has long range, but is very squishy. It won't be easy against Paul."
It was a difficult champion to use in a one-on-one match. From the caster's perspective, seeing it as a good pick was hard. However, Tako had a different perspective.
'If it's Almond's Ran... it's a different story.'
From his perspective, Ran fit Almond more than Raina. However, Almond didn't have much experience with him compared to Raina.
"I'm curious about what will happen."
Tako smiled as if he was having fun.
***
As soon as Ran was picked, he asked Almond.
[Why me?]
What he said next took Almond by surprise.
[Raina will be sad.]
Almond replied and tried not to hurt either of their feelings, "I thought it'd be good to play with you as well."
[... I see.]
As those words were spoken, a strong presence was felt.
Thump—
Ran appeared before Almond with his radiant blonde hair swept above his forehead. He turned around slightly, smiling at Almond.
[You're going to have to win.]
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Almond responded to his words, analyzing the formidable opponent’s pick and picturing how he should play in his mind.
'If I allow Paul to engage me, I'll lose. When the minions block the way, I should position myself at an angle. There's no need to expend all my mana on a single shot...'
Unlike Raina, who could handle any situation if her physical abilities matched, Ran was a deity who required extremely careful handling. In combat, there were many conditions to consider. If he allowed the enemy to attack even for a moment, he would be torn apart more easily than a sheet of paper.
[Welcome to the battlefield!]
[Mode: Abyss Battle]
Swoosh...!
They were summoned back onto the battlefield.
Almond bought basic items and headed out.
'I need to position myself before the minions get there...'
He was leaping to a slightly different location than the usual summoner’s path. Engaging Paul head-on would not be beneficial for Ran in any way. Ran wouldn't be able to handle it if Paul approached him using minions as shields and started shooting with a shotgun.
'Attacking from a diagonal position, far to the right, is the most advantageous.'
Ran was a champion with a long range. He could gather and accumulate pure mana to the point of overloading and sniping from a distance. Typically, a concentration of mana disappeared from the world according to the order, but Ran's attack style and his mana purity pushed to the limit could surpass that. It could reach the end of the caster's line of sight. He took advantage of that overwhelming range to unilaterally strike the opponent.
'I need to take advantage of that.'
This champion was a free kill if he couldn't take advantage of that. Almond headed toward the bushes on the right and found a spot.
— Why's he going there?
— Aren't you going to get the minions?
— Are you trying to surprise him?
— If you get caught by Paul here, you're done.
— As expected from Ran, you're doing something sketchy. I knew it!
In this position, he could ambush Paul from the left side. However, it wasn't a pouncing attack like a beast. It was a sniper shot from a very far distance. Almond raised his index finger toward the sky.
[Charge]
It was the cognitive motion of gathering mana at a single point, a technique called Charge.
Bzzzzt.
Initially, the mana gathered and flickered with a blue color until it gradually grew brighter.
[Crystal of Purity]
It transformed into a pure white mana. Almond cautiously extended his index finger, which held the crystal of purity. Now, he only needed to choose when to release it.
The method of releasing this crystal of purity could be customized differently for each player. Some players threw it like a projectile, while others chose a motion resembling shooting a gun. Naturally, Almond─
Twaaang.
He posed as if pulling back a bowstring. White wings spread around the crystal of purity, forming the curvature of a bow. It looked as if a bow had emerged from thin air. It was Ran's signature move.
— You're shooting already?
— Can you even see him?
— I can't see him.
— You're going to shoot before you even see him?
— Ah! I knew it! It's hard to hit when the minions get there, so he's shooting ahead of time!
Almond held his breath and waited for the opponent to show up.
'He's probably going to show up with the minions.'
The opponent probably had some expectations to a certain extent. In the beginning, wanting to land a skill shot was a common trait among all long-range champions. However, they couldn't anticipate where Almond had hidden.
'I've barely used Ran in solo queue. He won't know.'
Even if the opponent tried to analyze Almond's Ran, they couldn't predict this. It was a tactic devised at the end of the discussion with Ju-Hyeok. Something they were using for the first time today.
[Minions have spawned!]
There was a moment of silence on the battlefield. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of Ran's pure mana burning.
'He's going to be mixed in with the minions.'
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The ground trembled as countless minions rushed in. The summoners were depicted as much larger and stronger than the minions. They were designed to stand out and made for a good target.
'There he is.'
Spotting the spiked hairstyle of the biker gang wasn't difficult. Although Paul was hiding his body behind the minions, he assumed that Almond was positioned in front.
'There's an opening.'
Right now, StrawberryShooter was full of openings.
'Now.'
If Almond calculated the flying time as well, the moment was now.
“Huff.”
He had perfect breath control and unwavering aim. Almond staked everything on a single release and his right hand let go of the virtual arrow.
Paaang!-->
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