Caster Lee Hyuk Jin was obviously most looking forward to the match of Team Kayak.
As the analyst, one could say it’s not ideal, but isn’t it just fine as long as I don’t show bias in the broadcast?
It was simply unavoidable.
On the first day signaling the start of the tournament, Hyuk Jin had watched Kayak’s highlights and instantly became her fan.
Thanks to that, he ended up grinding ranks until dawn after his schedule that day. Nostalgia hit him as he watched old videos for the first time in a while.
Well, the results were disastrous, but he didn’t feel bad about it. It just reminded him that memories and reality need to be clearly distinguished.
That’s just how it is. Memories wouldn’t be precious for no reason.
Even if he played games immersed in his nostalgia from the past, there was no way to return to those days.
Years had already passed since Hyuk Jin had been an active heavy gamer.
However, right here was someone who could bring memories to life.
A gamer who lived in the same era as Hyuk Jin. After a hiatus, they returned and, unlike him, hadn’t let their skills fade away—even a true hardcore user.
“All teams have completed their bans and picks. So far, neither team’s picks seem to deviate much from expectations, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. However, unlike the Dekal team that brought the typical traits most users utilize, the traits of Team Kayak seem rather unusual.”
“Wow, this is….”
They surely didn’t disappoint the expectations.
Hyuk Jin mused as he let out a gasp of admiration.
“In fact, when viewed individually, these traits aren’t that strange. Shield of Dawn, Resurrection, Tenacious Sniper, Blessing of the Forest….”
“The issue is that, for each hero, there seems to be an imbalance, like one big knot on the surface, right?”
“Yes, but as you can see from Hakchu’s stream, one of the team members of Team Kayak, she looks tense yet determined. This indicates that there’s nothing unusual happening. It means that selecting these traits was part of a prior plan.”
“They say Camilla’s goddess is different in the chatroom. From what I’ve heard, not only did Kayak take total command of the team members, but she also fine-tuned the traits and builds that they are using.”
“I don’t know what the connection between Camilla and the diverse traits is, but it’s clear that Kayak worked hard to lead the team as their leader.”
“It’s an unusual build, so I’m really looking forward to it and also quite curious. We’ll have to see the match to find out about the traits.”
And not long after the match began…
“What is this…? What is Team Kayak trying to do right now?”
“It’s hard to respond. I bet no one could’ve imagined they would bring this kind of strategy. If you don’t know, you’ll just fall prey to it!”
“There’s no choice but to proceed!”
“Oh no! It exploded! Kayak just blew up the game!”
A gasp of amazement erupted among the commentators.
*
“Right in front, there’s Cassia and Big Dean, and Nixon!”
“I can see Calliope in the backline too. Huh, what’s that? A hammer…? Holding something weird!”
“It’s a mace, Calliope’s. Is there anyone else we can’t see?”
“Hmm, just a second…”
Hearing the tense voice of the team member, Dekal and Choi Jong-bin cooled their heads.
Think, think deeply.
The opponent is definitely not to be underestimated. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be beaten at all.
Who holds the key to victory? It was all up to the team leader, Dekal.
The team members have faithfully followed Dekal’s instructions from practice until now. Especially for the low-tier members, it must have been a tough practice, so it was nothing short of grateful that they followed without complaint.
Those were times that were impossible without faith and trust in the team leader, Dekal, and now it was time to repay that trust.
“Uh, I don’t see anyone else.”
“Two people are still missing…”
Following the words of our archer who had used his far-sight to scan the central area, Dekal’s mind began to race.
At the beginning, everyone should gather in the center for a show of strength, but they were already deviating from that trajectory.
An unpredictable team. That was the assessment viewers had given to the Kayak team after their reconnaissance. Their intentions were completely unclear, which seemed to be a common opinion.
It was certainly not going to be easy.
Many said their overall power was lacking compared to Yu Hye’s team, but Dekal thought they were much more troublesome than that team at least.
“I should’ve rather faced Yu Hye’s team.”
Look, even now they’re making us think hard right from the start of the game.
That was why Dekal’s eyebrows involuntarily furrowed.
He had always preferred straightforward team fighting over these strategies and tactics.
As of now, the unseen heroes are Camilla and Shan.
The fact that both were unseen was very concerning, but naturally, the one that worried him more was Camilla.
What to do? Should I just ignore them and jump to the center? Or should I check where they are?
The concern didn’t last long.
“Lin, could you please do a side search just once?”
There was no need to leave an uncertain factor. Given that it’s a tournament, caution was necessary, especially against the Kayak team, who mastered various strategies including risky plays.
“They split into two, up and down, and… one is by the creek?”
“By the creek?”
“Yes, they were moving little by little over there.”
Moving, huh. That means it’s catching neutral monsters by the creek. So they must be going after the creeps.
A neutral monster in the creek. So I guess it’s going to be about catching the creeps.
‘Is the plan to clear the minions and grow quickly?’
If they eat the creeps in the creek without any interference, they probably plan to target the creeps over here as well.
Another one will push the empty stronghold with the soldiers.
Through the search, I got a general sense of what the two who had been out of sight were trying to do.
However, the downside is that I have no idea where anyone went.
Unlike the clear vision of the enemy, the mage’s search only showed the enemy’s location like a radar.
Leaving those two alone felt a bit off.
I could just ignore them and push the center with six, but if the opponent decides to hole up in the stronghold and defend, that could be a problem too.
“I’ll go to the creek, and Dan-dan will head to the lower stronghold. If Camilla has gone down, try to avoid fighting and just defend. If Shan has come instead of Camilla, feel free to engage in combat.”
Once Dekal finished giving orders, the team members began to move in perfect unison.
This situation wasn’t 100% predictable, but moving according to his orders was already something they were used to.
Dekal felt uneasy moving separately while keeping the team in the center, but he threw himself into the creek.
He was the only one capable of adapting to this unusual strategy in real-time.
And so he arrived at the creek. Between the allied territory and the enemy territory.
In a place filled only with the sound of water trickling, Dekal quietly held his breath.
‘If I get cut down, the game is over.’
It’s the same if I retire without getting cut. Thus, the greatest concern should be surprise attacks.
I must be careful in this dark area without vision.
Let alone, the enemy likely reached the creek first and is keeping track of the area.
But I couldn’t just sit back and catch creeps.
At the very least, I needed to figure out what hero was here and what they were currently doing.
And then, a message came flying in from Dan-dan, heading to the lower stronghold.
“It’s Shan down here! I can probably aim for a solo kill since we’re in a similar tier.”
Upon receiving the news, Dekal swallowed hard.
That meant the one here was the enemy’s Camilla, their team leader and ace.
‘Even if I fight head-on, it’s doubtful I could win, let alone a surprise attack being completely out of the question.’
This made Dekal’s steps even more cautious.
Even if it’s a bit cumbersome, I must advance while illuminating each area without blind spots.
During the team’s briefing, Dekal alone explored the dark creek and finally reached a position safe enough to spot the enemy creeps.
Finally, they safely reached a location where enemies’ creeps could be found.
Thus, the first creep spawn point arrived: a camp filled with kobold mobs.
There wasn’t a single kobold missing; they were all there, intact.
‘Wasn’t the plan to rush the creek and devour all the creeps?’
It was somewhat unexpected. Camilla, the hero, wasn’t slow at catching creeps. If she had focused solely on creeps, she could’ve wiped out everything from wild dogs to the kobold mob.
Dekal cautiously approached the second creep location much quicker than before.
“Hmm?”
This time, a truly puzzled voice escaped him.
After all, it was really strange that nothing had been wiped out up to this point.
Kayak hadn’t cleaned out the second creep, the specter camp, either.
‘So what on earth have they been doing?’
Camilla had arrived at the creek long before Dekal.
From the beginning, it looked like she was heading toward the creek to sweep away all the creeps and either raid his camp or join his team based on her growth from defeating creeps.
But neither was true. For some reason, the creeps were still intact at this time.
There were no signs of her retreating towards Dekal’s creek, and there was no reason for it.
Dekal moved on, still puzzled, leaving the specters behind. He felt it was right to confirm Camilla’s position, even if it meant losing a bit.
After all, the opponent had left creeps behind. He calculated that they wouldn’t be lagging too far behind in growth.
However, the third camp that Dekal arrived at was also untouched, and while he was momentarily dazed, he suddenly realized something and screamed.
“Middle! Watch the middle! Camilla is there—”
Dekal’s words were cut off halfway.
“Ah! What is this!”
“Look behind, look behind!”
“The enemy’s front line is diving in with Kali’s ult…! We need to block this—!”
‘It’s already too late.’
Hearing his team members scream in despair, Dekal stared blankly at the screen.
He clicked the mouse cursor to check the middle.
There, the slaughtered teammates and the Camilla he had been searching for were all displayed vividly.
‘Was this her plan from the start?’
Did she anticipate that Dekal would come to the creek? Or did she lure someone to the creek and immediately hit the middle?
It was a reckless yet simple deception, but the one who fell for such a simple trick was none other than the team leader, Dekal.
‘I was completely in the palm of the Buddha’s hand…’
With one hand, Dekal wiped his dry face while catching the creeps.
The pitiful howl of a wolf echoed in the empty creek.
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