【Daily eSports News】
– The Returned Traveler Issues a Challenge
– Unconquerable Nightmare: ACL’s 2:0 Defeat
– The Paladin’s Dream! Review of Match Between Group D’s Sigma and TLT
…
– Predicted Victory, Unpredictable Player: Interview with AT’s Cerberus
– [Prelude Group Stage] Day 1 Summary
– Phantom: “South Korea Still Lacks Competitiveness.”
[Author: Peroper]
[Title: Veiled Nightmare MVP Phantom Full Interview]
Q. You secured a 2:0 victory against ACL. How do you feel?
A. It was the expected result. Given the power gap, it was a game we absolutely had to win.
Q. I understand this is the team that was your debut opponent.
A. (Laughs). That’s right. That’s why this victory is even sweeter. Given I didn’t part on good terms, I approached this with full determination. After all, they say revenge is a powerful motivator.
Q. Previously, you mentioned that South Korea lacks competitiveness. Do you still believe that?
A. Absolutely. Even today, ACL showed no signs of overcoming their chronic issues. I’m not merely talking about their weak assassin lineup—there are deeper, more complex problems.
Q. The Sigma eSports team seems to be getting better reviews compared to before.
A. I agree. However, it’s all relative. They still aren’t at a level we should be overly cautious about.
Q. Is there any particular player you are wary of?
A. Not much has changed from last year, but if I have to add someone, it would be the Insane player.
…
Q. What do you think about a potential rematch with Cerberus?
A. Hmm. I heard that guy took quite a beating from an amateur in the arena recently. (Laughs). Just kidding.
Q. Are you saying his capabilities have weakened?
A. Absolutely not. If anything, it’s quite the opposite. This isn’t about diminishing Cerberus; I simply see this as the emergence of a talented junior who deserves respect after a long time.
Q. Speaking of which, how do you evaluate Gawol? Given that you, Phantom, are referred to as one of the world’s top three assassins, I’ve heard you highly evaluate the Reaper player.
A. The nickname makes me blush. Nonetheless, I agree that his skill set is already refined. Beyond that, I’d like to see him prove himself in a pro debut. If he contacts me, I’d be willing to help him out.
*
At this moment, three assassin players top the list of the world’s most renowned assassin specialists.
They are commonly referred to as Reaper from the UK, Phantom from North America, and Hashashin from Southwest Asia.
Each of them shows no glaring weaknesses, but they do have their own characteristics.
Reaper is a “team-oriented assassin.”
The psychological warfare that he often employs, both in strategy and tactics, sets him apart.
He serves as the eyes of his allies, disrupts the rear, and balances the battlefield—a style well-suited for an assassin.
On the other hand, Phantom is known for delivering powerful decisive blows.
No matter how prepared you are, you often can’t counter his timing. He strikes with precision and accuracy, delving deep into the heart of the enemy’s forces.
In terms of generating kills, he is the epitome of what an assassin should be.
Finally, Hashashin…
[Champion’s Prelude Group D – Match 4]
[Dune Sentinels vs Sigma eSports]
[Battlefield: Pilgrim’s Desert]
[Rules: 5-man Annihilation Match]
Individual combat power.
Especially among the assassin class, he’s known as one of the most technically proficient players.
The reason Southwest Asia, traditionally a barren land in eSports, has been classified among the tier of “strong teams” solely depends on the personal capabilities of Hashashin.
“The preliminary group stage, D group: The match between Dune Sentinels and Sigma eSports.”
“The first encounter is expected to be a clash between Hashashin and Camellia.”
“Expecting a blade-to-blade duel, the two players have moved into range! It begins with the activation of Silent Oath!”
[‘Silent Oath’ activated.]
[Both the caster and target cannot use skills for 5 seconds.]
[Caster: DS Hashashin (Hashashin)]
The start was inauspicious.
Camellia’s plan to cast ‘Warrior’s Valor’ was thwarted from the beginning.
Her skill was canceled halfway through, and unfortunately, both her cooldown and resources were wasted.
No problem.
It’s not the worst scenario yet.
If the situation has come to this, both sides will exchange blows without buffs.
Just before the crescent moon swords clashed, Hashashin’s curved blade danced, weaving around the halberd with snake-like precision.
The hook-like curve at the edge of his blade snagged the shaft.
With a simple shifting of weight, the curved blade caused a brief disturbance in her weapon.
An attempted slash aimed to decisively sever the arm—Camellia narrowly evaded in a desperate maneuver.
‘I almost couldn’t react…’
Clearly slower than Gawol.
Unlike Gawol, whose tempo demanded every ounce of vigilance to keep up, Hashashin’s timing was manageable.
Neither was there any psychological warfare where his blade and gaze moved independently, nor did he manipulate her with sheer confidence.
However, the skillful blade technique alone was devastatingly lethal.
Despite the conviction that she had blocked,
When she came back to her senses, the edge of death already hovered under her chin.
A curved sword is an extremely difficult weapon to handle.
It can be used like a hook, its bent edge catching and grappling, and with a gentle twist, the point of impact shifts effortlessly.
Ancient desert nomads utilized curved blades for very good reasons.
[‘Frost Flame’ effect activated.]
[Drops the ‘Frozen Flame’ effect, reducing all attack speeds within 2.5 meters of the halberd…]
After exchanging blows a few times, Camellia reached a clear conclusion.
Hashashin was not someone she could overcome alone.
Despite extensive training in dealing with assassins, when the skill gap was this wide, it was unsurmountable.
Her spear still couldn’t reach the level of those top-tier players.
‘There’s really nothing novel about this.’
Even now, Camellia had never beaten Gawol.
The issue wasn’t merely that she couldn’t leap over the wall, but that the height of the wall called Gawol was still unknown to her.
Was the Gawol she fought a few days ago at full strength?
Assuming she faced the full-strength Gawol, how long would it take to catch up?
And after defeating the assassin Gawol, would she one day face the ‘sword-wielding’ Gawol?
It felt insurmountable.
High and far beyond, suffocating in its enormity.
The frog, having been drunk on talent in the second-tier well, had come out to the vast world.
Though the well might have been a small, warm cradle, the boundless outside world offered her no such comfort.
But the frog thought:
What a beautiful place this world is.
Leaving the well was the best decision it could have made.
Camellia forcefully swung her spear.
At first, she intended to play for time, but changed her mind.
She realized the opponent was beyond any such tactics.
‘If I’m doomed to lose, let me lose the most disgraceful way possible!’
Not all failures are the same.
Unrestrained attacks, not giving a thought to the aftermath.
Her spear swung recklessly on the assumption of inevitable defeat.
Every exchange brought more wounds.
With each clash, Hashashin’s blade calmly diminished her vitality.
The sands of the desert turned red with the blood spilled by the warrior.
As Camellia became accustomed to Hashashin’s blade, he also grew familiar with her spear.
Naturally, the one standing higher had better insight into the opponent.
And then, at some point,
The piercing cold that seemed to freeze the entire desert stopped.
Hashashin’s blade pierced through Camellia’s neck, slicing cleanly through her chest and abdomen.
A vivid red line—blood surged forth as the proud warrior fell.
[‘DS Hashashin’ has defeated ‘Sigma Camellia’.]
With the victory in hand, Hashashin’s expression was not particularly joyful.
“…Perhaps I misplayed.”
The planning went awry.
Hashashin’s target wasn’t just Camellia.
He needed to save his skills for the next opponent, and while he managed some balance, it took too long.
It’s basic to analyze and predict the next moves before the match.
Thus, Hashashin understood perfectly.
Though Camellia was Sigma’s sharpest blade, their real ace was Luche.
Even with the unconventional power of Hashashin,
Without their strongest weapon, Dune Sentinels were at least two steps below Korea.
His team still lacked the ability to take down a player like Luche.
[‘Sigma Luche’ defeated ‘DS Desert’…]
[‘Sigma Luche’ defeated…]
A paladin, her snowy armor now dyed red with blood, approached.
Numerically, he was at a disadvantage. A knight versus an assassin was already an unfavorable matchup.
Luche’s condition seemed to be quite good at a glance.
“I guess I’ll need to hurry in the next ones.”
It seemed that one game would have to be conceded.
Even while thinking this, his sword never wavered.
The last clash began, and the paladin of the peninsula held out to the end.
However, Sigma eSports couldn’t hold on through the next set.
That day, Sigma suffered a 2:1 defeat.
