In the Champion’s Relay, the vanguard role is predominantly taken by hexagonal Classes. This is because it’s the hardest position to predict the type of opponent you might face.
Classes with little fluctuation in power, which have both strong engagement ability and sustainability, are usually favored.
From this perspective, the Assassin is a Class that is rather challenging to utilize as a vanguard.
With no inherent health regeneration abilities, and being significantly disadvantaged against Knight-type Classes, the Assassin typically holds a position akin to a one-use card designed to counteract ranged Classes.
Well, that’s the case for most Assassins.
But I am not your average Assassin.
There are no absolute counters when it comes to invulnerability.
If you’re going to talk about counter advantages, then you must first discuss equal skill levels. If there is a significant disparity in strength, any counter advantage can be overcome.
All preparations were completed, and the system message sounded.
[……20 seconds until deployment to the battlefield.]
[IKL Summer Round 1 – Match 39]
[Battlefield: The Cradle of the Warden]
[Rules: 4-person Champion’s Relay]
[Sigma eSports vs ACL]
The Cradle of the Warden is a new battlefield that has been included beginning with this summer league. Contrary to the original high-difficulty dungeon, the field has been remodeled for PVP.
Naturally, the boss monster ‘Father’ no longer appears, but the wide-area skills that once tormented players have been incorporated as battlefield mechanics. They are extremely powerful, differing in scale compared to previous battlefields, and in upper-tier matches, they can pose a significant threat. This has even led to teams like Galaxy Gaming fielding combinations of Ice Sorceress and grappler Classes.
As I walked down the corridor, a familiar voice echoed.
“Warning. This construct is responsible for guarding the Cradle.”
“Please retreat. Further approach will necessitate forceful ejection.”
What an unpleasant dungeon that was.
The dungeon’s narrative was bad enough, as was the gimmick of the boss monster.
It felt as though it was forcibly dredging up my past—it was terrifying.
Now… it definitely feels like things have improved compared to before. The fears I couldn’t overcome at that time, I have now conquered.
And those professional invitations that I kept piling up? They felt like proof of my lingering attachments.
But now, I am truly a professional player competing in these matches.
Today, I must not show a place of ruin but rather give proof of myself.
“The hour has finally come. The guardian, ‘Father,’ shall execute his mission.”
When the battle starts, powerful wide-area skills are unleashed across the entirety of the battlefield. Everything from great swords and axes to intensely heated lasers and magic bombardments. The typical defense is to hide in safe zones scattered throughout the battlefield.
However, I started running through the hazardous areas being hit by these wide-area skills.
With Father absent from the Cradle, the battlefield is completely open. Except for the structures of the ceiling and walls, the entire field can be seen at a glance. By employing orthodox strategies, other than concealment, there would be no other way for me to hide my position.
At this moment while the whole battlefield is swept by wide-area skills, this is the exception – apart from the time when Dong-hae, the Swordsman, stays quietly in the safe zone.
“Certainly, I can manage this. I’ve practiced this countless times.”
There are a total of seven wide-area skill patterns in the Cradle.
Among them, there are four survivable patterns.
The way to distinguish them is to identify the type of weapon that is initially unleashed across the field. This time, it was spears, so the difficulty is somewhat manageable.
Do not be deceived by the sight up ahead.
The downpour of magic like rain, and weapons flying without cease. At first glance, it seems as if they’re falling randomly, but there’s always a way to counter them.
I stepped on predetermined footholds in sequence as I moved closer to the enemy’s camp.
The moment ice magic was unleashed, I deflected three consecutive flying swords. Avoided two spears, and after the laser had passed, I retrieved a spear from the ground. My target was the structure on the ceiling that was locking onto me.
I threw the spear just before the arrows shot out. There was no time to confirm the result. I had no choice but to believe I hit it and move forward.
Continuing to close the gap using minimal parries.
“Intruder interception, overheating detected.”
“Entering defensive standby mode until cooldown is complete.”
There is no way to avoid the next explosion on the ground.
It’s fine. I’m almost there.
I leapt while attaching a chain to the ceiling. Although my timing was slightly off, costing me a bit of health, this was still my last move. Since exactly beneath me is Dong-hae’s spawn point, all that was left was waiting silently.
He could never have imagined something like this.
As Dong-hae emerged from the corridor, he looked around. He checked forwards, then left and right, and even the ceiling where I might have ascended from. This was all in vain, as I was already behind him.
“Stealth? The range doesn’t reach though.”
“Wrong answer.”
“Wha…?!”
I lightly tapped his neck with two daggers.
The bewildered look on his face was evident, but it appears he decided to save his questions for later. One of Dong-hae’s hands reached out to grab my arm while the other elbow struck my side.
Not a bad reaction, I suppose.
The Swordsman Class falls under the Warrior category. His superior strength stats go without saying, and he also holds an advantage in physique. There’s a good chance I’d be finished if I got caught.
As I withdrew my daggers and constrained the opponent’s hand, I escaped by flying upward using the previously attached chain. Though a blade of energy chased after me, it was easily deflected.
“How in the world?”
“Indeed, as you suspect, precisely that way.”
“Huh. Should such tactics be used even here?”
“Since it’s something everyone will figure out sooner or later anyway.”
A special opportunity made possible only because this battlefield has been out for not long after its release.
What I can conceive, others can as well. It’s merely a matter of sooner or later in execution. Hiding a good move for the sake of using it at the “right moment” is just wasting it—ultimately working more to the advantage of your opponent.
Besides, it wasn’t meaningless. Didn’t I gain something worthwhile?
Crimson blood dripped from my daggers.
[‘Slit the artery: Enhanced Damage’ effect successfully triggered.]
[An upgraded bleeding poison effect has been applied to the enemy.]
I’m quite pleased with this first accomplishment. While the Swordsman can nullify attacks, the body’s durability is only slightly above that of an Assassin.
Though not as powerful as when I’ve enhanced it with the White Moon, it was still a critical hit. It was effective enough.
I threw a hidden weapon at his instep and moved back into the fray.
*
Dong-hae’s breathing became ragged. As the Assassin’s dagger pierced his thigh, his sword aimed for my abdomen.
The opposite dagger clashed with the blade. The sword trajectory twisted, and the stab narrowly missed due to the collision. However, it seemed as if this clumsy counterattack had been rewarded, as a throwing knife was embedded right on Dong-hae’s knee.
‘Am I going mad? Fighting an Assassin is supposed to be this exhausting?’
Typically, Swordsmen have a slight counter advantage over Assassins. They are not naturally difficult foes.
But against Gawol, it was challenging even to raise his sword properly.
Every single attack was blocked. No, more than that, it wasn’t even about just blocking.
The moment Dong-hae started an attack, it was already thwarted. As if predicting all his moves from just the readiness posture, Gawol prepared a counterattack. It felt as if Dong-hae was walking straight into the jaws of a predator.
Moreover, this person was incredibly infuriating!
“Your low kicks are a mess. It’s really not good, isn’t it?”
“Hey. I didn’t ask… didn’t…”
“Is this your first time using a real sword? It won’t cut unless it’s adjusted to your body.”
When watching through broadcasts or streams, he didn’t notice. There had been some players skilled in using trash talk, and while some were even more extreme in their statements than Gawol, the way they used provocation wasn’t particularly surprising.
Yet now, Dong-hae genuinely felt his pride getting scraped.
Trash talk isn’t something that can succeed simply by saying things well. It requires the ability to dig out the things the opponent doesn’t want to uncover, and then shaking their emotions. However, Gawol was playing as if she thoroughly saw through him… and every word drove his anger up.
“You shouldn’t use that stance, Swordsman.”
“Ugh…”
“You don’t seem to have a proper sense of gripping the sword.”
Stay calm. If you fall for her provocation, it’ll be the end!
He is, after all, an ace in the top tier professional circuit.
Dong-hae managed to steady his heart.
He wasn’t stupid. The strong opponents he’d faced internationally were of a different caliber, and Gawol was the monster who’d defeated those very strong players. He’d already dismissed the possibility of winning alone.
At moments like these, it’s important to play for the team. Maximize the wear and tear on the opponent before succumbing.
That was the plan from the start.
“But what if I can’t even land a hit?”
Even with a determination to take flesh even if he has to offer up bone, the reality is that it’s just offering up bones. It’s incredibly frustrating seeing a sword that only carves through air.
And even time wasn’t on his side.
“Intruder repulsion system cooldown complete.”
“Guardian Father. Resuming mission.”
The white lasers began to heat up the battlefield. Hearing Father’s voice means the wide-range skills will soon strike.
Gawol has survived within such wide-range skills before.
An ability he himself cannot emulate. In one way or another, this battlefield gimmick has now turned against him.
Carelessly handling this might even lead to Gawol not losing her buff and quickly encountering the next player. The next player assignment would by now be confirmed, so he had to achieve something at least.
Dong-hae threw everything he had.
