The Traveler had been fanatically obsessed with victory ever since childhood.
It was a part of his past he had even disclosed to Gawol; as a child, he had outright cheated in bets where money was on the line.
There was no other reason — he simply wanted to win and despised losing.
– Whoa, man, you really went hard on it, huh? Did you bet money too?
– I did. But if I won, I’d give the money back, and if I lost, I’d hand it over without complaint.
– Dude, you’re crazy. Why would you do that?
– When something’s on the line, the bet becomes infinitely more significant. Returning the money ensures they’d challenge me again later. Besides, I had plenty of pocket money growing up, so winning mattered more than the cash.
At first listen, it sounded like a funny story. Some people burst into giggles, thinking it was a joke, while others occasionally looked down on him with disdain. Most seemed to think he’d just shared a dark bit of his history.
But the Traveler didn’t find this past particularly embarrassing.
To be frank, he admitted that he was a mental patient. It was just that he had since learned to control himself through socialization.
The fact remained unchanged: he was someone who absolutely hated losing and loved winning more than anything, endlessly fixated on victory.
[The blessing of valor enshrouds you.]
[Attack power increases by 8%, and attack speed increases by 12%.]
[Caster: Q Prime Morning]
Therefore, the Traveler also wanted to win today.
He lost yesterday, which made him want to win even more. And since today’s match seemed particularly tough, he wanted victory even more intensely. Even knowing the odds were slim, there was no way he could stop.
The moment he instinctively sensed the game was swinging unfavorably, he hurled himself forward to seize the upper hand.
His finely honed sixth sense had been trained for nothing but victory.
He held his shield in front, blocking the arrows. Thanks to the stacked buffs, his guard gauge barely diminished compared to what it visually suggested.
Blocking one shot didn’t mean the end.
He fired a spear towards the Priestess, unsure whether it would hit, but knew it would still be a better option than simply standing there.
A powerful vibration that made his whole body tremble accompanied the intense heat rising through his hands.
Using the smoke as a veil, he ducked, narrowly avoiding an axe that swung by inches from his head.
‘This one, I owe to Gawol.’
He had learned this technique by watching her matches. When someone’s senses are suddenly cut off, they tend to depend on whichever sensation remained most recently.
Just like now — the opponent assumes he would have dodged, so they swing their weapon towards where his head had been.
With that insight, he could gauge the most efficient escape route.
Moreover, minimizing avoidance meant maximizing retaliation. Using his hefty weight as a weapon, he slammed into the Warrior’s body with full force.
It connected. And thus, there was no stopping.
With the Warrior draped across his shoulders, he continued his charge.
Using the Priest’s barrier as a wall, he slammed into it with a significant crash.
“Alright! Now if the Fighter comes in…”
– Excuse me? I’m currently marking Luche.
“…What? What’s our Wizard doing?”
– Marking alongside me. Should I switch roles now?
Just shut up and get it done, moron.
The Traveler barely managed to suppress the words that had risen to the tip of his throat. The game was still ongoing. There was no telling when the in-game voice communication might be broadcast to the audience, so language and tone had to be chosen carefully.
That was the nature of professionalism — one of the conditions to handle competition.
But… his emotions were heating up beyond control.
“Alright, I’ll do it. Just make sure to secure Luche at the very least.”
He could understand why their Priest had killed off all individuality. A lance knight with superb solo power combined with a support-specialized Priest was a classic and legendary duo. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the only objective for the latter in this game was staying alive.
But how about the other teammates?
The assassin backed off without even engaging in combat. Meanwhile, the Fighter and the Wizard were pressuring Luche.
As a result, Luche’s movements were effectively restrained, but upon deeper consideration, it was a meaningless effort. In this situation, where sufficient distance was maintained, the Wizard held an advantage over the Paladin by nature of the matchup. With the surroundings cleared, this was a signal that they could handle it alone.
If the Wizard had restrained Luche and the Fighter had backed him up…
It likely would have resulted in a much more effective battle.
[Active: Knight’s Determination]
[For 30 seconds, all defense increases by 16%, crowd control effects are resisted…]
Of course, they couldn’t have been unaware of this fact. Such incompetence wouldn’t have gotten them into the top tier of the Pro League, let alone onto a strong team like Q Prime.
So, there had to be another reason.
Sparrow probably didn’t want to lose to Camellia again. More specifically, he likely dreaded being labeled as the cause of their defeat.
After all, avoiding direct conflict could pass as a rational choice. A way to minimize risk while securing small gains.
And if someone were to criticize them later, they’d have plausible deniability: It might be regrettable, but it’s not the worst-case scenario, right?
The Wizard and the Fighter were likely no different.
The Wizard probably wanted to avoid the criticism that would result from his solo attempt to stop Luche failing, while the Fighter didn’t want to risk being blamed for abandoning the main dealer and running wild.
Therefore, the rest of his teammates weren’t really focused on the game anymore.
They were already looking beyond this match, towards what awaited them after victory or defeat.
It was understandable in a way.
“Because this is enough. Whether it’s money or reputation.”
Among the team, the Traveler alone was bearing the disgrace and responsibility. Some were preparing for marriage, while others needed money due to family obligations.
Q Prime cared more about the numbers in the books than their achievements on the league battlefield.
Sure, they prepared diligently for the matches, but that’s all. If they made a risky play and somehow ‘decisively’ ruined the game, it would harm their professional careers. Now that they had so much to lose, they simply couldn’t afford such actions.
So, what they were doing now was already commendable.
Even losing wouldn’t bring significant shame. As long as they didn’t lose too disgracefully, it’d be acceptable.
And after all, Traveler would surely take care of dressing up the match.
But he didn’t want that!
The tip of his spear connected with the Priestess’s body even before the visual and auditory information had fully registered.
The hand closest to the spear reacted faster than his accident-preventing logic circuits.
[Active: Overheat]
[The next skill’s damage is increased by 30%, but the spear enters an ‘Overheated’ state for 180 seconds, rendering it unusable…]
[Active: Full Salvo]
[All remaining rounds in the chamber fire at once.]
The weapon emitted a fierce barrage, heating up to a crimson hue in an instant, disregarding all aftereffects. The force was enough to obliterate any shields or guards.
He didn’t care about the consequences. This one blow would surely dull his spear, but it was worth it for the Priestess’s life.
[‘Q Prime Traveler’ has eliminated ‘Sigma Hecate’.]
Before the recoil had fully subsided, the Warrior’s axe buried itself in his shoulder.
No worries. That was expected. If it were Gawol, she might have dodged, and if it were Cerberus, he might have blocked it with his shield. But this was the limit of the Traveler’s predictive abilities.
Alternatively, it meant he already had a contingent plan in place.
He discarded the shield and grabbed the axe’s haft embedded in his shoulder, not to take it, but to prevent it from pulling out.
Soon, his left arm received a severance judgment. A red dotted line appeared across his armor, disabling the use of his arm, though he’d bought himself enough time.
Enough time for his overheated spear to pierce the Warrior’s heart.
[‘Q Prime Traveler’…]
“AAAAAAAHHHHHH!”
A cry — somewhere between a roar and a scream — erupted from the Traveler’s throat. Without a shield, there was no way to block the arrows from the Archer. The mana-infused projectiles battered his body, rapidly reducing his health bar.
At this point, death was practically inevitable. However, he resolved to take down one more opponent.
Summoning all his strength, the Traveler hurled his spear.
The massive weapon flew swiftly…
—And hit the Archer in the leg.
“Hah, seriously. That thing missed?”
A black dot appeared in the center of his vision and gradually expanded.
The dot was the arrow’s head.
The Archer’s arrow struck his forehead, and the Traveler’s vision blacked out, yet he prepared to grip his spear again.
Each time the respawn timer ended in the deathmatch.
He fought like a rabid dog.
The match ended in defeat. Despite being involved in 53% of his team’s points, the Traveler couldn’t secure victory.
When he stepped out after the first game, an elegant and melodious female voice was echoing through the arena:
“Q Prime’s players seem to operate with extreme rationality. Too dangerous? We won’t do it. Can’t win? We’ll step back.”
“Uh…Gawol, perhaps you should calm down a bit…”
“Today’s match feels destined to be a complete loss. While Sigma had all five members on the battlefield, it seemed like only one person from Q Prime even showed up.”
Despite its sweetness, the voice exuded a piercing chill and anger. While the Traveler wondered to himself, “What is that crazy lady saying at the arena?”…
“HAHAHAHA!’
For the first time in a long while, he laughed freely, joyfully.
A light he hadn’t seen in a long time illuminated his once darkened face.
