[Author: ㅇㅇ(461.118)]
[Title: Isn’t it a fact that Q Prime has hit rock bottom these days?]
[Recommendations: 1,058]
[Disapprovals: 410]
(Attached video: Commentated by Gawol)
They just keep beating up on the weaker teams lately,
And get absolutely demolished by the strong teams. Haha.
Until last year, at least there was some semblance of a game,
But this year, they’ve just been getting pummeled nonstop.
What kind of game is this aside from doing the same old stuff?
[Comments]
– Does 2nd place in the regular season look like trash to you?
– Gawol’s not a pro, so what does she know?
– If you can’t counter the message, attack the messenger.
– Just wait for Cue Bung, haha.
“Alright, we’ll be back after a short advertisement and get ready for the second match!”
After spurting out words left and right, the moment rational thought returned, I instinctively realized:
Ah, I’ve caused some trouble.
We were explicitly told not to disparage any teams directly, yet my words clearly criticized Q Prime harshly.
Sure enough, the official broadcast’s chat began flooding as if out of control.
Even with measures in place where a few minutes of cooldown after each chat entry are mandatory, the chat section was rapidly filling up.
It was obvious that the community would be on fire with this kind of response.
“Umm… well… uh… I’m sorry.”
I couldn’t even face the other commentators next to me.
As soon as the camera turned off, I naturally bowed my head, covering my face with both hands.
I feel like apologizing until I die.
The people here trusted me by inviting me into this position. Under that trust, there would’ve been a basic expectation that I’d at least adhere to the rules.
They probably didn’t anticipate such unruly behavior from me, which ended up causing problems.
At that moment, Ho-eun patted my shoulders.
I couldn’t ignore her, so after lowering my hands which were covering my face, I eventually had to look straight at her.
“Come on, cheer up. I’m sure a lot of people feel the same way.”
“I truly apologize… I should’ve held back.”
“It’s okay, don’t worry too much about it. The game’s not over yet. You should gather your energy and focus on the next commentary.”
Her patting my back in such a consoling way made my heart calm down somehow.
The tears that were about to come out went back in.
Ho-eun then stared directly at me and smiled teasingly.
“At least, you don’t have to feel too guilty towards us. We’re not the ones taking the flak after all.”
“Huh? Is that… really true?”
“Yeah, we’re not really affected by this either.”
What?
I thought she was being nice and supportive, but I’ve only been reminded how brutally honest the professional world can be.
But maybe this is better.
Even though her comforting words helped, they would’ve only made me feel more apologetic.
With the sense of guilt lessened, my mind feels a little lighter.
How long have I been looking this dumbfounded?
Ho-eun started laughing, clutching her stomach.
“Haha! Just kidding, it’s a joke. Don’t worry too much!”
“But…”
“I’ve been in the industry for over 10 years now. While your commentary, Gawol, might have been a bit strong, it’s not going to cause a major problem.”
“Is that… true?”
“One might even say you caught this moment perfectly.”
Her words carry a certain meaning, but before I can ask for clarification, Ho-eun simply smiled kindly.
After a while, as time passed, we moved on to the second match.
[IKL Semi Final – Match 2]
[Simga eSports vs Q Prime]
[Score – 1:0]
[Battlefield: Shadow Arena]
[Rules: Four-man victory streak]
We’ll be continuing with Sigma versus Q Prime. Let’s watch the second game between Q Prime and Sigma.
The battlefield is the Shadow Arena. Classes that can utilize darkness have an advantage here, especially assassins with stealth or shadow skills.
Curiously enough, Sigma’s roster currently lacks an assassin player, excluding their B-team and trainees.
They’ve attempted to recruit, but it seems lady luck hasn’t been on their side.
That’s exactly why Luche mentioned that they wanted to recruit me even more so.
Frankly, I was happy.
Sharing the stage with Luche has always been a dream of mine.
If the role model I’ve always admired wanted me, could there be any greater reward?
《Since we’re talking about assassins, and our guest commentator Gawol specializes in that class, what’s your take, Gawol?》
《Ah, generally it’s true that assassins have an advantage here. However, complacency is something one should avoid. An assassin’s strength lies in their ability to overcome unfavorable matchups with skill. By the same token…》
《…an advantageous matchup can just as easily be overturned. That seems to be what you’re saying.》
I glanced sideways.
My gaze turned toward the player waiting room.
Naturally, Q Prime selected Sparrow, their assassin.
Sigma, perhaps cautious of Traveler, sent out Luche as their first pick.
The warrior versus lance knight matchup is typically unfavorable, but even aside from that, Luche was certain to come out first in the opening set.
《All candidates have been selected.》
《Paladin versus assassin. Even with these two classes in a one-on-one situation, there’s more to consider.》
《Hm… this might… well, be a fight worth attempting. No matter how strong the paladin is, the Shadow Arena could make things pretty tough.》
《So, there’s a lack of confidence in your comment, isn’t there?》
《No, not really…》
Yes. That was a lie.
It’s going to be tough for Sparrow to win.
He seems to be encountering plenty of difficulties these days, though I don’t have any personal regrets about it…
The reason I’m confident in Luche’s victory is, of course, because of me.
How much have I yearned for this day, to finally face her?
This is my day of fulfilling a dream, and for Luche, it’s a day of new challenges.
Her persistence is top-tier, even among all the pros.
In Sigma, the person I’ve battled with for the longest duration isn’t Camellia, but Luche.
Her methods for handling assassins are already refined.
Hwang-yul glanced at me.
It seemed like she wanted me to continue talking.
《In this match, the return value is higher if Luche wins. Given the nature of the victory-streak format where the winner advances to the next match, having the ability to sustain and heal yourself makes a huge difference. In other words…》
《Combat endurance. That’s correct. Compared to an assassin who finds it hard to recover alone, a paladin has their own healing capabilities.》
《If Luche defeats Sparrow and faces the next opponent, the chances are high that she would enter the next fight in relatively better condition.》
Fortunately, the commentators didn’t leave me to talk alone.
Whenever I stumbled, clean assistance would immediately come in.
And yet, at the same time, they subtly nudged my back, as if encouraging me to give it another try.
The camera captured the clash between the two players.
Sparrow’s choice was to use the pillars and ceiling strategically, capturing a positional advantage from the darkness that hung thickly in the early game.
Luche didn’t take any rash movements; instead she waited patiently, timing her actions.
《Even though the match has started, Luche isn’t moving. Is there a purpose behind this?》
《In truth, even if a paladin moves first, finding an assassin isn’t easy. Sometimes, it’s better to calmly focus on their senses.》
《Hmm, I think she’s timing their arrival.》
Judging by the Shadow Arena standards,
If neither party moves at a random starting point,
It takes me roughly between 1 minute 40 seconds to 2 minutes 20 seconds to find Luche.
Added to that is the extra time I take compared to other assassins, the difficulty of attacking immediately after discovery in extreme cases, and factoring in the skill durations…
‘Right now.’
The moment Luche unsheathed her sword, a luminous glow enveloped her surroundings.
Close range. Unfortunately, the attack falls within the range of the paladin’s charge.
Moving decisively, Luche’s leg steps forth, her shield meeting Sparrow’s assassin frame.
One skill is enough to nullify the assassin’s greatest advantage.
Simultaneously, initiating combat, the paladin now holds the initiative.
That’s probably the worst possible start for an assassin.
《Sigma’s handling of assassins is pretty good. By timing things well, they managed to secure the best possible moment and achieved maximum output with minimal effort.》
《Is that possible with the random point generation system?》
《Yes, it’s possible. Given that it’s still Level 1 Pro territory, it varies depending on the size of the battlefield, but within 3 minutes of the Shadow Arena, it’s generally possible to locate an enemy.》
Even before Luche moved, I could already see her path.
Blocking the assassin’s path with maximum efficiency, her holy sword’s light disrupted the shadow skills.
Naturally, where there’s strong light, there cannot be shadows.
I smirked.
《Ah, that was unfortunate. The timing for Shadow Step was too predictable. If he had feinted with the daggers instead, he likely would’ve gotten behind Luche cleanly.》
Sigh.
That’s not how an assassin operates.
*
