Sigma allowed the Dune Sentinels a decisive strike during the group stage match, leading to a defeat. However, this single loss did not signify the end of the road in the Prelude’s final matches.
It’s not mandatory to secure the first place in the group stage in order to survive.
Sigma managed to defeat the remaining two teams in Group D and secured second place overall, guaranteeing survival.
Sigma thus secured a spot among the top 16 in the Prelude.
Although Sigma failed to defeat Hashashin in the second round of the group league, it was evident that Sigma’s skills and assassin counter abilities had improved.
However, Sigma’s abilities were proven not yet at the level needed to overpower top-tier players.
Despite the bittersweet outcome, it was an unavoidable result.
For now, Sigma needed to be satisfied simply with the meaningful resistance put up.
‘That said, I found their swordplay rather fascinating.’
The weapons I’ve used so far have all been of the straight blade family.
Attempting to replicate Hashashin’s techniques would be challenging, but a few movements could potentially see some use with slight adjustments.
Ultimately, martial arts tend to share common ground, no matter how they’re practiced.
Even simply observing and experiencing them can be beneficial.
Identifying the principles can lead to valuable insights.
Meanwhile, South Korea has had its share of international tournaments where the national team was eliminated before even passing the group stages.
Sigma’s entry into the top 16 meant they had avoided the worst-case scenario—progressing amidst a storm nonetheless.
Whether out of obligation or fandom, I’ve watched the required matches. Now, it’s time for me to do my thing.
And naturally, my thing is only gaming.
Alright.
Let’s log in and start the broadcast.
[Title: Another Day Towards the First Rank]
[‘Gawol’ is broadcasting.]
[ON AIR | 00:00:02 | Zephyrion Continent]
Infinity Black is a world-renowned game receiving significant attention globally.
In a player-heavy game, being termed a “skilled player” inherently draws interest.
The public’s attention creates engagement, which in turn fosters monetization, shaping a market.
Naturally, achieving the highest tier in ranked games—‘Infinity’—is a gateway for becoming a professional training player or a skilled streamer.
Most players who’ve attained ‘Infinity’ tend to either join professional training programs or try streaming.
So, at this level, seeing a ranked game against a streamer shouldn’t be surprising.
[Ranked Match – Infinity 1938 RP]
[Battlefield: Great Fairy Forest]
[Rule: Duel]
[vs Hongeojit(Card Wizard)]
To clarify, my surprise wasn’t simply because the opponent was a streamer.
My brow furrowed as I confirmed the opponent’s class.
“Card wizard? Can you even climb this high in ranked games with a class like that?”
– It can be done. What are you saying there, Tenryen?
– Are you calling all card players gamblers doomed to failure?
– I didn’t say that.
– Most people who pick card characters in this game do end up failing.
– Not necessarily, card wizards are great. It’s just bad luck for you.
– Not true, except for Hongeojit, there are no surviving card players.
– Prove it with a duel.
– He’s going down.
“No… I didn’t mean it in a negative way. I’m just surprised that someone managed to climb this high with a card wizard. Isn’t Hongeojit more known for Abyss?”
– Recently ascended.
– Anyone can reach top level sometimes.
– Gawol doesn’t understand people’s hearts.
– Card wizards got a bit of a buff recently.
The classes in Invul are highly diverse.
There are root classes such as assassins, mages, archers, warriors—the basis for all classes.
Then, there are classes that specialize in these root classes’ skills or hybrid derivatives. With even niche classes included, the number of classes is by no means small.
Among these, card wizards rank as one of the most bizarre subclasses. Few “master” users remain besides Hongeojit.
Put bluntly, it’s known as a terrible class.
Recalling older online games, they had a class that would sacrifice HP instead of evading—an infamous bottom tier.
The card wizard, despite being a mage derivative, is forced into melee combat, without shield or damage reduction mechanics.
Though labeled as a ranged derivative of the mage class, their survivability and stats are notably weak.
Surely, the class does have its advantages.
As a mage derivative, it packs significant firepower against singular opponents.
Additionally, it compensates for its weaknesses with luck-driven elements like ‘cards’.
[You will be placed in the battlefield in 3 seconds.]
“Might be interesting indeed.”
Hopefully,
Lady Luck will be on the opponent’s side.
Recently, my broadcast lacked exciting guests.
Great Fairy Forest generally favors mages over assassins.
The environment that continuously amplifies magic power allows for unrestricted skill spamming.
And the card wizard ‘Hongeojit’ was utilizing this very well.
An image card floated into the air, dissipating in a golden flame.
Then an eerie eye-like figure appeared.
It briefly illuminated the surrounding area.
[Skill: Eye of Fate]
[Damages the target point while illuminating nearby areas for 1.5 seconds. Upon hitting a target, there’s a 50% chance to draw a card.]
This was a method to check blind spots.
Anticipating an assassin’s surprise attacks was an essential aspect.
Clearly, the card wizard was maintaining a high level of vigilance.
However, if it were that easy, people wouldn’t choose assassin classes.
An assassin’s preemptive strike often succeeds even when noticed, provided the player’s skill is sufficient.
While card wizards might have their high points, assassins certainly have their own strengths.
Moreover, I don’t rely on luck.
[Passive: Silence]
[All sound resulting from actions is reduced by 65%.]
The location where people lower their guard most easily is where they’ve already checked.
Although the ‘Eye of Fate’ is a great skill to survey an area, it also reveals the user’s line of sight.
Repeatedly using this skill essentially provides me with a clear view of the opponent’s focus areas.
Mages need to be wary of assassin ambushes.
The opponent, however, was overly fixated on this premise, failing to consider the bigger picture.
Using invisibility isn’t necessary.
Just one dagger thrown into the area that the Eye of Fate had checked would suffice.
While gliding through shadows, I waited for the opponent’s ‘eyes’ to focus elsewhere.
A full reversal isn’t required.
The side that’s just been visually confirmed would feel safer than the uncharted rear.
Having adjusted the mic to keep my voice inaudible, I quietly spoke.
“Did you know? Human normal vision typically spans 180 degrees horizontally and about 120 degrees vertically. Just knowing this can make judging the strike easier.”
There was a brief murmur in the chatroom, but I didn’t have time to parse it all.
The moment the timing came, I acted.
Approaching the card wizard as quickly as possible, I succeeded in plunging the dagger toward the throat—only to find it fall short.
Just before it could reach a critical point, the card wizard used a survival skill, shifting several feet back.
[Card: ‘Ghost’ used.]
[For 0.6 seconds, the caster becomes invincible and adjusts position.]
“Wha, what… how?”
The opponent appeared momentarily stunned, their speech forming more exclamations than coherent phrases.
Well, fair enough.
I didn’t expect the game to end in one hit at this tier.
The more important point is that I saved my invisibility skill for later.
It would be useful when an opportunity arises to strike at the opponent’s weakness.
I just threw a few darts while preparing for the next shadow transfer before respectfully giving some distance.
Some unknown thing had slightly appeared.
With the right cards in the deck, card wizards can actually be versatile.
One notorious combination came to mind.
“Seems like the cards disappeared too promptly. I don’t know what they are, but they likely signal something dangerous.”
[Card: The Hermit]
[Meaning (Reversed): Shadow, Greed]
[Card: The Tower]
[Meaning (Upright): Failure, Destruction]
[Skill: Path of Greed]
[Inflicts damage to all enemies within a 12m radius and slows them down. The closer to the center, the greater the effect.]
Sure enough, a golden magical circle spread outward from the card wizard.
An elaborate skill with a long preparation but quick execution.
Relying solely on visual cues would have been too slow.
The surrounding space seemed to warp, several cracks appearing in the air as the magic circle shattered like glass.
Through the swirling vision, a few projectiles flew toward me.
While deflecting the mage’s attacks, I noticed a new card forming in the card wizard’s hand.
A card wizard’s hand holds limited yet valuable resources.
Given the additional draw, this indicated either the completion of a condition or good fortune.
That’s acceptable. The opponent needs to sustain the resource flow for the fight to continue.
However,
The card wizard’s face shifted strangely as the card count increased by one.
The card wizard’s grin widened further as another card appeared.
Eventually, they recovered all three cards used during the fight.
“Wait… Is that really how they’re supposed to draw cards?”
*
A subtle magical circle formed around the card wizard, a skill activating that I had anticipated.
