A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 162

Taang!!

The Hunter’s shotgun roared to life.

As it soared forward to crush everything in its path, it felt as if a torrid rain was falling upon the opponents.

Countless pellets slammed into the bodies of the Paladin, Necromancer, and Berserker.

Normally, it would have been a hit they needed to dodge, but their jumbled minds dulled their reactions significantly.

The word “defeat” flickered through their minds.

Realization hit them: the endless final battle had come to such a futile end.

“Everyone, stay focused!!!”

The Priest, standing at the back, shouted as he unleashed his skill.

Brilliant light engulfed the disoriented trio.

And it shimmered down upon the uniquely evasive Sniper who narrowly avoided the shotgun blast.

In that instant, the mage’s shockwave, trailing behind the pellets, was intercepted, and the trio’s piercing wounds healed in an instant.

It was the Priest’s Ultimate Skill, ‘Divine Grace,’ affiliated with the Elun Cult, consuming 80% of his remaining HP to grant a powerful buff to all allies within range.

“Make sure to take down the Battle Mage first!”

Yet, the situation had not turned in their favor.

All they had was a fleeting opportunity to fight once more, and it was up to them to seize it.

“Wooooo…!!!”

The Paladin’s two-handed sword sparkled with a brilliant golden light that could outshine the sun, as the light, condensed to its limits, burst forth explosively toward the enemies.

To support the Paladin, the Berserker hurled himself into enemy lines, showering the battlefield with a curtain of blood, while the Necromancer unleashed his summoned entities.

Kwah-aaaang!!!

An overwhelming torrent of light erupted in front of their foes.

The one taking the most damage was the Battle Mage, who leaned forward to assist the Hunter and the Sorcerer.

And the Sniper aimed his weapon at that very Battle Mage.

Struck directly by the torrent of light, he had less than 30% HP remaining.

If the Sniper’s shot landed as intended, the Battle Mage would certainly collapse right there.

But just as the Priest had rescued them from the brink of annihilation, an ally who could assist the dangerous Battle Mage also emerged.

[Little children….]

From the backline emerged a massive spirit.

Bearing the pure color of water, its name was Tethys.

It was one of the finest spirits that a Spirit Caller could summon.

Taang!

The Sniper’s bullet was shot forth to pierce the enemy’s throat, but a colossal wall of ice rose before the Battle Mage, leaving little more than a scratch on the icy barrier.

“Don’t stop! Keep attacking! Missing here means the end!”

Yet, responding to the Priest’s orders, the Sniper didn’t stop after one shot.

Taang! Taang! Taang! Taang!

The thunderous explosions from the barrel continued, and the giant ice wall began to crack gradually.

When the fissures grew larger, the Berserker thrust his hand into one.

The reddened ice wall was absorbed instantly by the Berserker, leaving only the enemies trying to retreat and regroup in the aftermath.

“Charge!!!”

With the Priest’s loud shout, the five dashed forward simultaneously.

Perhaps thinking fleeing was impossible, the enemies were also preparing to fight again.

The ultimate battle began anew.

Standing at the end of it was….

★

[Ga-eun, final showdown. A7 has won. As expected, it’s those guys again.]

“Oh, really? I wasn’t surprised; I expected it. But didn’t Yeongwon say something? With his personality, I was sure he’d say something weird.”

[Our team really is coming to catch you?]

“Oh goodness, that’s terrifying…”

Ga-eun replied with a hollow laugh to Jaehun’s words.

She wasn’t actually being sarcastic.

The A7 mid-laner, Toshi… Yeongwon was one of the opponents Ga-eun firmly acknowledged.

A mid-laner who could withstand Ga-eun’s overwhelming dominance in lane.

At times, he even pressured Ga-eun, showing impressive skill as A7’s Toshi.

[Definitely, this time he played really well. This time, that guy got POG as a mid Priest. Saving all allies with Divine Grace in the last fight was incredible, wasn’t it?]

“…That’s truly impressive?”

The Priest was a foundational role in AOS for a supporter, but those who could master it to that extent were few and far between.

Divine Grace.

An Ultimate Skill of the Priest, giving a powerful buff to allies at the cost of 80% HP.

If used at the right moment, it could be an absurd skill, but utilizing it even slightly early would leave the Priest out of the fight, and being tardy would mean the allies would perish.

It was one of the most difficult skills to use even in AOS mode.

Only those who could handle Divine Grace accurately could be said to have reached the peak of the Priest role, and there had been very few pro gamers who had earned such a reputation.

Most opted for the more stable ‘Path of Beginnings’ in their Ultimates.

It was hard to accept, but it was undeniable that recognizing a mid-laner using such a skill for POG was a remarkable feat.

“It won’t be easy, that’s for sure…”

[Right. I’ve said from the start of the season: never let your guard down.]

“That’s true. …Well, I’ll start heading out, so I’ll hang up.”

[Okay. Good luck.]

With that last statement, Ga-eun ended her call with Jaehun and looked ahead.

Before her stood Rene, donned in a Jet-black Helmet and Full Body Armor.

“Shall we begin…?”

“Ah, yes. It seems as expected that A7 has come up.”

“A7…?”

At Ga-eun’s words, Rene tilted her head.

It was as if asking who that was.

Just that gesture made it clear how little Rene cared about NAK.

“…Ah. That team, one of the candidates for victory, right…?”

“Exactly.”

However, as Rene succeeded in recalling the past memory, Ga-eun smiled and nodded slowly.

“I won against them in the playoff finals… But hearing just now makes me feel like my opponent’s mid-laner is really on the rise. He’s always been strong, but to get POG as a mid Priest is indeed amazing.”

“…Huh? Mid Priest…?”

‘Ah.’

And Ga-eun immediately regretted what she just said.

How could she talk about that in front of Rene of all people?

“Well, I definitely can’t lose to an opponent who might be a heretic…”

Rene’s Warhammer clinked ominously as it began to move.

It seemed as if she might strike Ga-eun down right then.

“Sigh…”

The sight of Rene like that made Ga-eun and the other members of the Sirius Team think it was all just part of some concept.

They knew from before starting the broadcast that they would be PKing players from the Elun Cult, but they thought it was all part of the concept.

‘Just like getting immersed in a book, I thought she enjoyed New Dimension in that way….’

But it wouldn’t take long for them to realize that it was a complete misunderstanding.

‘Today’s really going to be tough.’

Ga-eun’s thought was completely on point.

“Shouldn’t you have backed off a bit?”

“True, but I doubt anyone plays like Rene in a tournament…”

Rene, sharper than usual, brought her hammer down towards Ga-eun’s head.

And the impact, of course, resonated through the other members of the Sirius Team, who were her younger siblings.

“No way, Ga-eun! What on earth did you say to the Master today?!”

“What do you think? I probably mentioned how Yeongwon got POG as a Priest in A7…”

“I thought I was actually going to die…”

“Me too… It was no joke, big sis…”

“Sorry…”

With their complaints pouring out, Ga-eun had no choice but to lower her head.

★

[Rene]

[I’ll be watching the NAK finals]

[New Dimension | 8159 viewers currently | 01:01:52]

[What the heck is going on?! What kind of pick is this!!!]

[I have no idea. Ga-eun’s solo rank shows no record at all.]

[It must be a Joker pick, right?!]

[Yes. It logically should be a Joker pick, but… who could have anticipated this as a Joker pick! Not us, of course! I bet none of the fans here, or viewers at home, expected this!]

[That’s right. I think outside the Sirius team, no one else knew. I suspect they didn’t use it in scrims either.]

[So it’s an untested pick, meaning it hasn’t been verified?!]

[Exactly. I’m really curious to see how much Ga-eun can prove with this pick.]

─Is Ga-eun really a crazy idiot???????

─Rene, what the heck did you do to her?!

─Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun! Ga-eun!

─Ga-eun <<< This guy is just a superstar ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ



─What happens if they get completely wrecked by A7 here?!



─That’d be disastrous…



─For real, the community is gonna explode ㅋㅋㅋㅋ



─Even if it’s Ga-eun, that’s just too much;



─How much does she look down on her opponent?



─The fact is that Sirius is meant to win anyway…



─Rene put a curse on Sirius!!!



“…No, everyone. I can’t answer any questions you have about this….”



Even I don’t understand why I picked that.



I haven’t been told anything specific either….



[For the fans who just tuned in, I’d like to clarify: the screen you’re witnessing isn’t an error of any kind!]



[That’s right. Ga-eun has selected for the first time in NAK history! No, for the first time ever in the global New Dimension AOS tournament!!! The ‘Traveler’!!!]



…Well, I don’t think it’s a bad pick.