“-What is this! Taker player!”
The commentary team gasped a beat late.
In the game, as Kainik became aware of the anomaly, the commentary crew began to focus on Taker’s peculiarities as they watched the standoff between the two.
“Was there a secret move hidden? This is definitely something that would catch Kainik off guard!”
“That’s an extremely defensive setup. The item build is also… Can we take a look at Taker’s traits?”
Following the commentator’s words, the observer started to reveal Taker’s traits.
Taker’s chosen traits were not the typical ones seen in ranked games by Camillas, but rather specialized for durability, skewed towards defense.
“Taker is really going all out.”
[What’s up with this poop build?]
[Research God Taker ㄷㄷㄷ]
[Doesn’t that mean no damage?]
[Just straight up tanking with tank traits and items, tsk tsk.]
[Simply joat.]
[It’s better to admit you can’t even poop in-game than go tank.]
[But how does Taker win this game?]
[This poop build as the ace’s team… This poop build as the hope of the team… What kind of team did Kayak create?]
“What should we interpret this as? Is it a high shield against Kainik?”
“It seems like they’re planning to hold on stubbornly against Kainik. With this build, it becomes quite tricky for Lennok to get a grab.”
“It’s quite a clever build. A surprising tactic indeed, but—”
The commentary team brought up the problem raised in the chat.
“How is Taker going to win this game?”
A team with a dulled aggressive ace, how will they secure victory?
*
-No matter how you look at it, some things just can’t be done…
Taker was reflecting on the past days.
During the intense practice over the last week, even after the broadcast ended, Taker still couldn’t fully grasp the physical aspects Kayak required.
Kayak, though disheartened, had no choice but to accept it. There are things in this world that cannot be achieved through effort alone.
-I told you I couldn’t do it.
-Hmm… Still, boosting your real-game sense this much isn’t a bad attempt. But now we need to go with Plan B—
Plan B, as mentioned by Kayak, was something that would put a certain burden on Taker.
It was a burden, too.
– Taker, are you thinking of becoming a flounder?
– Flounder?
A flounder is a mud-covered fish. Unlike the flashy and beautiful fish, it hides in the crevices of rocks, out of sight from people.
In simple terms, Kayak was subtly asking if Taker could take on a sacrificial role for the team.
– Yes.
As a Taker, there was no reason to refuse. Being the protagonist would be fantastic, but even if he couldn’t, winning was what mattered more.
Every job has its priorities. The same goes for this tournament.
As long as they could win, it didn’t matter. Supporting the team quietly from behind was something he could definitely do.
– But what happens to the victory plan if I become a tank?
– I have a one-time-use strategy.
Having heard this explanation, Taker willingly decided to take on the tank role. He realized that listening to Kayak was the only way to increase their chances of winning.
And now, as he returned, Taker faced chat messages that seemed to doubt and mock him.
[Taker, King of Gays ㄷㄷㄷ]
[Showing his true nature in the tournament]
[In ranked matches, it actually boosts your score if you play like this]
[Taker is a famous coward ㅇㅇ]
[You should think about carrying instead of just standing there]
[If you’re going to tank, why not use another character? Why Camilla?]
[High school dropout]
This was exactly what Kayak had questioned. Taking on a sacrificial role could be seen as evading a direct confrontation. In reality, most viewers were mocking and looking down on Taker.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
He didn’t care. Really.
In his younger, more naive days, he might have reacted differently, but Taker now understood what was more important.
You could argue he had lost his edge, but this was who he was now—who would dare say otherwise?
Like a flounder burrowing and swimming hard through the mud, Taker was taking the best action he could.
A signal indicating that the plan was progressing successfully resonated.
– The seal on the eastern altar has been released! – Nanning (Nox)
Feeling the urgency in Kainik’s sword as it made contact, Taker clung to him even more.
With all his heart, as if he would never let go.
“Nanning is unleashing the seals at the eastern altar right after the southern altar!”
“Two seals released in the 7-minute mark is quite fast!”
“So that’s the plan! Did you prepare such a strategy, Director Kayak!”
[Great Emperor Kayak]
[Seriously, why isn’t anyone going to stop Nanning?]
[The central firepower of the opponent is so strong that if one person drops, we’ll be pushed back LOL]
[The strategy wasn’t bad at all LOL Not having a supporter actually works in this game]
[The Taker is holding up better than expected]
[Taker isn’t going down ㄷㄷ]
[The Qubil Ray]
“Honestly, even with a clever plan, things don’t always go as you think in game management.”
“Firstly, the Taker player is holding onto the Kainik player annoyingly well, secondly, Nanning’s movement speed is extremely fast, and thirdly, despite being 4 against 5, Team Kayak is holding their ground in the central fight. If any one of these three factors breaks down, it’s completely impossible to manage.”
“It’s a difficult operation in many ways… but truly, there are no gaps in Team Kayak. You can feel the frustration of Valhalla players’ hurried movements all the way up to here.”
“Who would have thought the weakest team with the most failures would fight so fiercely!”
“If the deadlock continues like this, it looks like Team Kayak will win the first round smoothly.”
As the commentators were speaking, the observer quickly moved to the battlefield where the Kainik and Taker were engaged.
There lay Camilla, fallen and noble. It meant the Taker had been taken down.
[Noooooo]
[Just hold on a bit more]
[Team Kayak is getting wrecked LOL Team Kayak is getting wrecked LOL]
[They held on for a long time ㅇㅇ]
[Taker did all he could]
[Nanning, hurry and get to the altar and take another one down]
[Honestly, this is Kainik losing to Taker]
“Ah, has the Taker finally fallen!”
“Kainik is quickly moving downwards. It looks like they’re trying to block Nanning’s movement.”
“Can Kainik stop this? Can they keep up with Nox’s speed in the jungle?”
Kainik starts running frantically. However, there’s quite a distance to the altar area where Nanning is currently stationed.
[Yeah, at this speed, they won’t be able to stop him]
[Valhalla is getting wrecked LOL Valhalla is getting wrecked LOL]
“It might be better to run to the center and push the stronghold instead.”
“Ah, Nanning! So fast!”
“Is that the big failure Nanning? Why are they moving so quickly?!”
“Are they moving this fast?!”
“It’s almost like a coded machine. Did Director Kayak put them through merciless training? Their movements are so precise, and they’re effortlessly avoiding aggro from the creeps they encounter…”
It was an inevitable outcome. No matter how great a gamer Kainik was, he couldn’t defy the laws of physics.
Just before he arrived, Nanning managed to unlock the final seal of the ancient altar.
– The seal of the ancient altar is released! – Nanning (Nox)
– ???: I don’t particularly enjoy waking things up… but I’ll let this one slide.
– A beneficial buff is applied to the team! – Caster Nanning (Nox)
“Buff has been activated!”
“Now the center, the center is aaah-!”
“I can’t hold on! I can’t withstand this firepower! The No Supporter combo is pushing in!”
[What?! LOL]
[Great Emperor Kayak vs. This Guy Nanning ㄷㄷㄷㄷ]
[Yes LOL Sister, yes LOL Sister, yes LOL Sister]
[Ah… just a ^Water Rocket^ Kainik… just a ^Water Rocket^ Kainik… just a ^Water Rocket^ Kainik]
[Valhalla is being taken down by the Team Leader–!!]
And thus, the first set of the semifinals ended.
“I, I won!!!”
“We won!”
“We did it!”
“Yaaaay-!”
The Kayak team claimed victory.
An outcome nobody had anticipated, a true triumph of humanity. Takers were thrilled, players cheered, and viewers were left in shock.
*
*Final Score: Valhalla vs. Team Leader Step Aside – 2 : 1
However, there was no upset.
Unfortunately, the Kayak team couldn’t achieve complete victory over the Roji team. After winning the first set, the Roji team played without a hint of complacency. There was no way the already disadvantaged Kayak team could win.
But Kayak was reasonably satisfied with the result. After all, they had won at least one game, right? And as viewers said, they weren’t completely wiped out, so it was a fair enough result.
“You all worked hard, didn’t you? So let’s have a drink.”
Director Kayak’s debut ended regrettably in the semifinals, but her challenge would continue on.
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