Chapter 176: Practice Match (3)
"What's going on?"
ForeverAlone looked at the minimap with a defeated expression. He couldn't believe what just happened.
"We have a Platinum ADC and Bronze support..."
Regarding rank alone, they shouldn't be overshadowed by the combination of Almond and Tako. They didn’t have just any Platinum, but a Platinum I player. Moreover, they invested three bans on Almond and gave the preferred picks to Miho and the other players. They went through all this trouble.
What were they supposed to do if they fell behind in the bottom lane, which was supposed to benefit from all these efforts? On top of that, Almond was playing a newly purchased champion from the store.
— ???
— Didn't he just buy that champ?
— Double kill? LOL
— Is it because of Tako?
Was it thanks to Tako?
Now that he thought about it, Tako brought out his best champion, Hammer Warrior - Ulte. It had great synergy with Frost Archer.
'But Rifleman and Sorcerer is a better combination...'
However, their bottom synergy should've been better because, during the champ selection, they pooled all of their resources into it.
“What happened?” ForeverAlone couldn't hold it in and asked in his team's voice chat.
“Ah... I'm sorry.”
“We get frozen every time the Frozen Archer shoots... this is kind of weird.”
“It feels like their arrows are curving... Is it normally like that?”
The arrows were curving? If ForeverAlone didn't know anything about Almond, he would’ve blown it off. Since it was Almond they were talking about, he couldn't.
'Frost Archer shoots physical arrows as well... so it might be possible.'
It seemed like Almond's skills carried over to any champions that used a bow.
'He should feel a little awkward.'
ForeverAlone had doubts. He knew very well that wasn’t the case despite that champion also shooting arrows. Depending on the chosen champion, there would be slight changes in their physique.
ForeverAlone had chosen a shield warrior. As a champion with a naturally small stature, having a small shield was inconvenient, which made it difficult to adapt. From the field of vision to height to stride length and even sensory sensitivity... It was no small annoyance for an ADC that required accuracy to survive.
From ForeverAlone's perspective, it was an adaptability that he simply couldn't comprehend. Well, he didn't know. Height, weight, physique... Compared to the barriers Almond had to overcome when shooting arrows, those things were nothing.
The pent-up frustration from having to resort to only shooting arrows in his mind. How much effort did Almond go through, shooting arrows with his trembling right arm and trying to make a comeback? There was no way ForeverAlone would know.
[LazySoldier is unstoppable!]
[Double kill!]
ForeverAlone kept hearing the defeat messages.
[LazySoldier 4/0/0]
That meant Almond had 4 kills, 0 death, and 0 assists. The score put his EXP ahead of others by 1.5 times.
[Lv. 6]
He already reached Level 6 and probably learned his ultimate.
'He's the same level as me?'
The mid-lane, who earned EXP alone, was at the same level as the ADC, who shared their EXP with their support. Anyone who saw this game would deem that it was over.
"Sigh..."
"Kya~! Almond! Almond!"
A sigh and cheer could be heard in the mid-lane. Miho could win the game just by blocking ForeverAlone and doing nothing else. She stuck out her tongue provocatively to show off. It was utterly despicable, but that was how the game went. It was originally a damned game.
ForeverAlone ignored the provocation as much as possible and continued with the team communication.
“Okay, we have no choice. I'm going to play aggressively. I'm one lever higher than Miho.”
“Okie.”
“Roger.”
The top and jungle gave their okays. The bottom lane was quiet because they were busy fending off Almond and Tako. They weren't in the state to help others.
'Three is enough.'
ForeverAlone ignited his anger toward Miho, who was showing a delighted expression in front of him.
“Hey... uh... ForeverAlone? I can't see Almond and Tako. I don't feel good about this.”
'What?'
Damn, that was dangerous. It was obvious where they would come out from.
'It's me?!'
ForeverAlone turned around. It was dangerous. Just then, in front of his wide eyes, a silver arrow passed him. He could feel an eerie coldness.
Kugugugu...!
A large iceberg followed the trajectory of the arrow.
Slam!
The ice slammed into ForeverAlone's forehead. He couldn't dodge it.
'... Leon's ultimate!'
It was the Frost Archer Leon's ultimate. A large iceberg formed on the arrow's trajectory and split its path. Only twice during the thirty seconds did the iceberg form in the arrow's path. The path being blocked was one problem, but being hit with it...
'Another one!'
Kwang!
This time, the iceberg was aimed beneath his feet.
"Kugh!"
ForeverAlone was lifted into the air and his world turned upside down. His eyes trembled, looking for the source. He saw a man aiming for him in the left bushes. It was Almond.
As expected, Almond came up to the mid-lane. Almond pulled on his bowstring again.
Pang!!
The released arrow flew toward him.
'Damn it!'
ForeverAlone quickly cast a skill while in mid-air.
Bzzzt!
The shock deflected the arrow, but Almond fired three shots in total even though it only looked like one.
'There's two more?!'
Thwack! Thwack!
The rest of the arrows landed perfectly on ForeverAlone’s head. The Frost Archer froze the opponent if the arrows landed. If it struck their legs, they tripped. If it struck their arms, they became unarmed. If it struck the head, they would faint.
[Faint: 2 seconds]
Slam!
ForeverAlone fell on the ground, unable to do anything. Thankfully, he wasn't dead, but the succubus crushed all hope.
"Kyahahaha!"
Thwack! Thwack!
Her pink attacks continued to strike him.
[Charm]
[You slowly approach the target.]
.
ForeverAlone stared blankly at Miho with a dumb smile. Miho and Almond poured their attacks on him, and Tako's hammer crushed his head.
Smash!
"Challenger... out!"
With Tako's shout, ForeverAlone's sights turned dark.
[Dead]
It was an embarrassing death.
[Respawn Time: 20 seconds]
The best player on the other team, ForeverAlone, was killed in the early game. From this point on, the game leaned heavily in Almond's favor. Tako thought that if a caster had been watching this match, they would’ve deemed it over.
'It's over.'
In his head, the game was already over. If they continued playing by his plans, there wouldn’t be anything unexpected.
'He's even crazier in person,' Tako kept telling himself during his laning phase with Almond.
Playing as a support beside Almond, he experienced first-hand Almond's plays.
'He's this good with a first-time champion...'
Almond did show signs of playing the champion for the first time. Sometimes, he seemed to lack an understanding of the mechanics of the Frost Archer's skills. However, what was the essence of an ADC? It was hitting the enemy no matter what. When it came to that essence, few talents could match Almond. He could hit his targets in any situation, posture, or location. His aiming ability was truly remarkable.
"Tako, what should we do now?"
"Ah, mid. Let's push mid."
Of course, Almond’s understanding of how LIL worked wasn't there yet.
'That's why I'm playing as support for him.'
Almond was the epitome of a joker pick if there was someone to back him up.
***
Pung!
Team Solo is Back's nexus inevitably blew up.
'Wow... what a game.'
Almond finally relaxed and stretched out the hand holding the bow.
[Victory]
He felt relieved after seeing the victory screen.
'Team games are no joke.'
It was a new experience for Almond, who had only played individual sports and solo games. The exhilaration of coordinating their movements and executing flashy skills and attacks in perfect synchronization... It was a completely different level of excitement compared to simply surviving and progressing through a storyline alone. It felt like eating fast food for the first time after a lifetime of homemade food. The experience of this tournament had firmly etched itself in Almond's mind. This was what team games were all about.
“Hey kiddo, you're almost perfect, but you lack teamwork! Huh! So what if you're the best!? There are eleven players on the other side! You need to feel how satisfying it is when your passes connect.”
“Umm... I'm an archer.”
“Who cares!! We're playing soccer right now!”
Was this the teamwork his soccer player senior told him about in the past? It was hard to compare a game of eleven players to five players.
'Maybe now I can play some team games.'
His senior wasn't wrong.
"How was the first game?"
Tako approached him and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"It was fun," Sang-Hyeon replied, smiling.
Team games were fun.
"Let's do well on the next game too. You were great earlier."
In the second game, ForeverAlone gave up banning Almond.
'The enemy's picking first...'
Even if they used all three bans on Almond, he'd crush them with the Frost Archer anyways. They needed to take away the Frost Archer to have some hope, but since Almond had the first pick, it was pointless.
'Miho's succubus and Tako's Hammer Warrior were a pain as well.'
If all the bans were used on Almond, the other players could freely pick their strong champions. However, ForeverAlone's worries were meaningless.
[Defeat]
Regardless, Almond won.
'How can this be...'
[Takoyaki: Since it's a best of 3, we'll stop here. Thank you. Good work.]
They lost both rounds. ForeverAlone couldn't look his teammates in the eye.
***
Almond's team was back in This World and congratulated each other. There wasn't any particular feedback. Tako, the coach, was the same.
"Of course, there are things we lack, but since it's our first victory today, we'll just pass on it. I think among similar tiers, we did the best."
The first practice games were over. The initial excitement and nervousness that fueled Almond's heart gradually subsided as the game progressed. However, the enthusiasm from the viewers remained just as high.
— Almond's first time?!
— You're crazy
— Loner was humiliated!
There were many things to be said about today's game. Even after the stream was over, several community posts were talking about today.
[Did anyone else see the practice match today?]
[Balloon Stars’ practice match was crazy]
[Way more fun to watch than High Protein]
Normally, people weren't excited about practice matches, but today was unique.
[Almond bought a champion in the shop during today's practice game, LOL]
It was because of the shop pick. During the waiting lobby, Almond opened the shop and purchased the Frost Archer for his first match today. A video showcasing how the shop pick carried the practice game started circulating in the community.
[Almond carrying as the shop pick.gif]
— Five kills for the shop pick, LOL
— How can you not like Almond?!
— Almond! Almond! Almond!
— Everyone! Don't watch Almond! NO Almond!
└ Did Almond beat you up?
└ It's a joke
└ It's not a joke. He kissed Raina; why are you watching him?
— You stole Raina's lips!
└ Raina's thief!
└ Give her lips back!
The next day, there were two trending posts about Almond on Big Pro. Almond's viewers were about to increase once more.
— When's Almond stream starting?
— Is he practicing today?
— I have to watch him today.
— I think you can actually learn from watching his Raina gameplay.
Not only fans who were simply captivated by the excitement, but also aspiring players seeking to learn from his gameplay gathered in large numbers. Such was the intense attention generated for a practice game. Amid this heightened interest, an announcement was posted.
[Announcement. A break today due to a doctor's appointment and a video shoot.]
Today was the day Almond was going to shoot his almond advertisement.