Season 2: Chapter 197: The Return of Silster (2)
The supporter chose Iron Ball and declared that he would troll.
"Ah. Iron Ball isn't moving at the sanctuary," the host lamented.
OrangeKing chimed in, "This is exactly that psychology. Rather than trying and failing, they want it to seem like they intentionally failed and lost the game."
"Ah~ I know that one."
"It's an avoidance tendency to not expose their incompetence."
"But avoiding it doesn't make the incompetence disappear, does it? It actually makes it worse!"
"Yes, that's correct. That mindset doesn't help at all when ranking up in the game. It's the same with life."
— True, lol.
— Agreed!!
— Hahaha, "LIL is life" by OrangeKing.
— Agreed.
Then, the host's eyes widened.
"Ah. The moment you said it! Iron Ball is rolling!? Wasn't he just standing still earlier?"
Iron Ball started to move. He wasn’t just standing still anymore, but intended to die against the enemies.
"He’s taking it even further!?"
"Is this why he chose Iron Ball!?"
Iron Ball’s Rolling Crash skill was the fastest among all the champions in LIL. He chose Iron Ball to lose the game faster than anyone else.
"This is a super fastball!!"
"Almond has noticed now!?"
Ziiiiiiing!
Almond turned to look at Iron Ball, who was rushing loudly.
'Um...'
It was already too late to stop Iron Ball, not that he could have been stopped in the first place.
Squeak!
Iron Ball swiftly passed behind Almond's shoulder and charged toward the enemy.
The enemy bottom duo was initially startled.
"Uh?! What?!"
"Why is he coming?"
Charging like that seemed to imply a hidden strategy, but it was only for a moment. This was master rank. Everyone was quite perceptive.
The enemy supporter was Iron Ball? But he was rushing in at the start? The reason was obvious.
'They're inting the game!?'
'A free win...?'
Their expressions quickly changed into sneers. People paid to raise their LIL ranks. Now, someone was trying to fail at the game for free.
"Ah! The enemy bottom duo are grinning from ear to ear. They’ve noticed that Iron Ball is giving up the game!"
The rifleman ADC aimed his gun and the shield warrior supporter prepared to bash with his shield. They didn't plan to use any skills and thought basic attacks could beat him.
After all, they didn’t need to waste any mana and cooldowns on skills for an enemy who intended to die. In other words, they aimed for maximum efficiency even in this situation.
However, they didn't realize that this greed would be their downfall.
***
Kiiiiiiing!
Iron Ball kept rolling at tremendous speed.
'He’s gonna hit.'
Iron Ball collided with the shield warrior at an unbelievable speed.
Crash!
Being hit by Iron Ball's Rolling Crashskill resulted in being briefly airborne. This cc, known as airborne in LIL, caused one of the most potent status effects. No skills or actions could be taken in an airborne state, and there was no way to cancel this airborne effect. One simply had to float no matter what. In short, it was a highly fatal cc when hit.
[Airborne]
The opponent’s supporter was grinning while being hit by Iron Ball.
"Oh well~ I don't know what sad story you’ve got there~ but I'll gladly take it..."
He even taunted to this extent.
Almond didn’t miss this opportunity to attack this relaxed opponent. As a relatively new player in LIL, he often used this tactic.
"... Huh?"
The supporter’s expression strangely changed.
'What's with that guy?'
Behind Iron Ball, Almond was precisely aiming his way with a bow.
Kilik...!
'Is that the newly released champion? What, what skill is he trying to use?'
One of the advantages of playing a newly released champion was that the enemy didn’t know their skills well.
Almond released the arrow.
Swish!
'Huh!?'
An arrow flew at high speed.
Boom!
It hit the enemy right in the middle of his face.
'A headshot? But will this kill me?'
However, the arrows didn’t just end with one.
Swish!
Three more arrows flew and struck him.
"Ahahaha! All four hit!" OrangeKing screamed instead of the shield warrior. "And they all hit the face!! The enemy’s health will be completely wiped!"
Being hit in the face or at well-known vital points increased the critical hit chance.
Did Almond get lucky? Out of three hits, two had been critical hits.
The shield warrior's health quickly dropped. Plus, Iron Ball already dealt significant damage.
[HP: 17%]
Thud.
The opposing ADC exclaimed in disbelief after the shield warrior fell to the ground, "Hey, WTF! Why did it wear off his health so much!”
The enemy’s remaining health was at 17%. Why was each hit so strong?
The shield warrior muttered in confusion too, "Ah, damn... What's with the damage?!"
He didn't know this was the damage obtained by sacrificing a lifetime of attack speed. More was yet to come.
Whooosh...
The last arrow that struck him turned red.
"...?"
The crimson arrowhead reflected in the surprised shield warrior’s eyes. It grew redder and hotter until…
Boom!!!
It exploded.
"Ahahahaha! Almond used the fire element! Isn't that the arrow that causes a delayed explosion!?"
The nearby ADC also took damage.
[HP: 2%]
The shield warrior’s remaining health was only at 2%. Startled, he hurriedly lifted his shield and attempted to cast a skill, but…
Thump!
Iron Ball threw a punch that twisted his jaw.
"!?"
The shield warrior's eyes bulged.
'This guy. Wasn't he giving up?!'
The shield warrior wore a resentful expression, but he could do nothing. He was already dead.
[First Blood!]
Clink.
He was simply converted into three hundred gold in the game.
"And Ironball takes that kill!?" OrangeKing cried out.
The host shouted in disbelief too, "Wasn't Iron Ball actually trying to give up?! Suddenly, he gets a kill?"
"No! This was because he was going to die anyway, so he decided to take it for himself instead of letting Almond get it!"
"Ah...!"
— WTF.
— What a POS.
— I'm swearing…
— Open the notepad right now...
— Wow, what a villain.
"Iron Ball! He’s charging in again after getting a kill!?"
Iron Ball rushed toward the rifleman, begging to be killed by him.
"Hey, hit properly, idiot!"
Bang!
The rifleman shot at Iron Ball, but missed.
"Uh... Ugh."
The rifleman's aim severely shook. His supporter had unexpectedly exploded in the air, so he was genuinely flustered.
Iron Ball shouted, "Ugh! Hit properly! Can't you take the kill when I'm giving it away?"
He ran even closer to the rifleman.
'What's with this guy? Is he really giving up?'
The rifleman felt confused. Could this be a strategy of pretending to throw the game and getting the kill instead? He suspected that could be the case.
Meanwhile, Iron Ball kept running with very low health. If the rifleman could just hit him properly, he would die. However, they would win the lane if they killed this rifleman and survived. Such complex thoughts muddled his mind.
"Die!!!"
Eventually, the enemy pulled his trigger in haste.
Bang! Bang!
Some hit and some missed. The accuracy was terrible.
"You idiot! Hit properly!" Iron Ball screamed right in front of the rifleman.
— This guy is really severe
— So desperate to lose, lol.
— Look at me! Lol.
Then, the rifleman's expression turned into one of horror. He saw Almond running from behind so fast that he was already quite close.
"After shooting four arrows, there's a movement speed increase! With that, Almond has already caught up!"
Clink.
His quiver was refilled with arrows and he immediately notched those arrows on his bowstring.
"Crazy."
Sensing something amiss, the rifleman started to turn and run away.
"Almond! You've got arrows now!? Given that the distance is already so close, what will happen to the rifleman!?"
Swish!
Almond fired four arrows in rapid succession.
In a short span of one second, the accuracy would drop compared to carefully aimed arrows. That was what the rifleman thought, at least.
However─
"!?"
Boom!
The arrows neatly aligned in the back of his head as he ran away.
[HP: 30%]
The opponent’s health was almost instantly depleted. It had been nearly one hundred percent before. Seventy percent had disappeared in one second.
'What kind of damage is that…?'
Given the limit on attack speed, the damage from taking Sori’s four basic attacks was tremendous.
'But I can still run away. Sori has a reload time.'
The rifleman still didn't think he would die. He had already figured out Sori's pattern. After firing four shots, there was a two second reload time. If he kept running during this time, he would survive.
Although his allied supporter died, the enemy supporter Iron Ball had taken that kill. There wouldn't be a big difference in the lane phase afterward as long as he survived here!
'Huh?'
However, he couldn't move.
[Frozen]
Crackle...
His body was frozen solid.
'What the heck is this!?'
The fourth arrow Almond shot was the ice element this time.
'Just a little more to the tower!'
The opponent was just a few steps away from the tower.
Almond rushed forward at a terrifying speed.
"Almond! Choosing the frozen arrow was a great decision! Since it seemed like the enemy wouldn't die from one combo, he froze him instead!"
"Wow! That was really smart! Almond gets the movement speed increase again and charges in incredibly fast!"
"Yes! Sori gets a movement speed increase when there are no arrows in her quiver and when reloading! He's utilizing it very well!"
— Wow, this champ looks so fun!
— So fast, lol.
— The chase is crazy here.
Rush!
Almond quickly closed the distance. The frozen status lasted for one second and his reload time was two seconds.
The rifleman had about one second to run away, but Almond was already too close. He was close enough to hit with a fist.
"What kind of horror movie is this!?"
OrangeKing's description was spot on.
Almond did nothing but stare from up close. He was waiting for the arrows to refill.
— Eek, lol.
— Is he a ghost, lol!
— Really, there's nothing to do, hahaha.
Bang!
The rifleman, freed from the frozen effect, attempted to flee. However, Almond was already blocking his retreat.
"... Damn. Shit."
Those were his last words.
Clatter!
Almond's quiver was refilled with arrows and he drew his bow again.
Swish!
All the arrows instantly pierced the enemy’s head.
"Ah, no! I should have taken it!"
Iron Ball rushed over, hoping to take this kill too. However, the target had already died.
Boom!
"Wow! Almond! Even the rifleman goes down!!!"
[You have slain an enemy!]
Iron Ball stood still with a dumbfounded expression.
— Lol lol lol That expression, lol.
— He can't even troll properly, lol.
— Ultimate satisfaction, lol!
"Ah! He carries even in such a game!?"
"Yes! Almond says, ‘You can't lose even if you want to!’"
— Wow~
— ??? You think losing is up to you?
— A legendary quote, lol
— Hahaha, so true~
— FYI: Almond never said that.
Iron Ball eventually walked up to the enemy turret and died.
[An ally has been executed.]
It was only an execution and too late to be credited as a kill for the enemy.
“Hahahaha!” OrangeKing burst into laughter.
"Isn't this also an execution? An execution is just dying alone, so the enemy doesn't get any gold or experience."
"Truly vile in various ways."
"Trying to give up, but he can't even do that properly in LIL."
***
The employees from LIL's developer, Police, had stiff faces while the atmosphere on the set was lively and cheerful.
"Sigh. This is why it gets called a troll game."
"What do we do with that guy? It's a real troll, right? Should we suspend the account right now?"
In such cases, Police had the power to issue an emergency suspension. However, a senior employee shook her head.
"No. Do that after the game ends. If we do it now, it'll just seem like favoritism."
She turned on her phone to check something. It was the real-time sales graph for the new character Sori. It was leveling off now after a dip following the initial release, but there were signs that it was beginning to rebound slightly.
"Above all, it's fun, isn't it? I'm curious to see how it turns out. If you can win with Sori while carrying someone trolling like that..."
Her lips curled into a smile.
"The response will be great."
She was probably referring to the sales.