The vines parted, and Choco soared into the air.
Even with just one flag in hand, their technique showed no lack of power.
The only thing lacking was speed.
Due to some serious balance adjustments, Choco was much slower than usual, but that didn’t matter.
Click. Click.
Purple cubes formed at the tips of Choco’s feet.
The cubes transformed into round shapes, like acceleration devices.
Professional matches are team games.
Choco was definitely not fighting alone.
Kwaaaah─!
As the acceleration device of the cubes activated, Choco regained their original speed and quickly reached the front of the field, swinging their dual spears rapidly.
“Where are you going!”
Kagagagak!!
Choco’s spear technique shredded through the shields fiercely, but the wizards of WoW poured mana into their defenses and thwarted the attack.
“Haap!”
Rather, some of the remaining mages seized the opportunity to cast offensive spells.
Attacks mixing fire, lightning, and water.
Pretty fierce attacks, but the opponent was the fourth-ranked Choco.
There was no way that a poorly cast spell, not even by Baekseol, would work.
With the protection of the cubes and Choco’s own defense abilities, all the damage flowed right off, and Choco readied another powerful technique.
This time, a bit stronger.
“…!”
“Crazy!”
A storm rages.
The sturdy shield that seemed to nullify any attack was torn apart by the storm.
Kwahjang!!
The shield broke once more.
Just as the mages were attempting to rebuild, Choco shouted loudly towards the sky.
“Ah~sa!!”
In an instant, the sky above the field darkened.
It was an illusion. The sky hadn’t darkened at all.
“Are you calling me!”
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1WE83WnhqbmRkVmFBelZMWWxOUi9nR2EzMG1LV05Kek03dlFIT3pwdzFjMw
Kuh─woom!
It was just that a gigantic someone dropped down right above the mages and Choco.
As the tank of Team CO, Asa arrived before Choco in an instant using their unique trait, “Call Me!”
No matter where the designated team member is, if called, they will reach right in front.
Asa enlarged the size of the two shields on their arms and charged forward in a flash.
The two wizards were knocked away, rolling far like a chariot.
Meanwhile, Choco killed one wizard and swiftly seized the opposing team’s flag held by Cheolbyeok.
Cheolbyeok turned around in shock at the fact that the flag on their back was taken but it was already too late.
With two flags mounted, Choco was already riding behind Asa.
“You’re so slow, earthworm.”
“Oh no! Block it!”
“Let’s go, Choco!”
“Step on it, Choco!”
“Nine-Tailed Fox! Let’s go!”
As Asa tried to dash off to the distant place while carrying the extremely sluggish Choco, she suddenly halted her steps.
“Kiwi…”
The fiery Nine-Tailed Fox blocking Asa’s way exhaled heat.
It was one of the Mages that had tumbled earlier, summoned by the Tamer Mage, Ark.
KWA-HA-HA-HA!!!
In the intense heat erupting like a breath, Asa crossed her arms, shielding herself with the shields strapped to them, her eyes widening.
While Asa could break through the Nine-Tailed Fox’s abilities alone, she could not move recklessly due to the magic enhancement in the field and the fact that she was carrying Choco on her back.
Moreover, if she pushed further, she could melt in the heat and retire for five minutes straight.
Choco’s stats were also significantly lowered, and stamina was exhausted, making it hard to expect any support.
Bang—bang!
The Gunner was holding back Cheolbyeok’s advance, but it wasn’t a good matchup against the spiritual Nine-Tailed Fox.
The sky was also too far away to approach.
Crackle… The shield slowly melted away.
“What should we do? If we keep this up, Baekseol will come.”
“……Wait for a moment.”
“We don’t have time. Just give me the flag. I’ll try to escape on my own.”
“You’ll be instantly roasted if you get the flag, you idiot.”
“…So what do you suggest we do?”
“……”
Choco quickly racked his brain.
If things were normal, or if they hadn’t been carrying two flags in the first place, they could tear that fox apart.
But it wasn’t the case now.
According to the plan, Asa should have used ‘Charge Strike’ to stun the Nine-Tailed Fox and escaped before it or any other magic could be cast.
In reality, one of the Mages had gone into a stunned state, but the Tamer resisted the stun due to his unique resilience.
Because of that, they tried to kill the Tamer instead of another Mage, but…
“Tch. Of course, the Tamer is far away.”
Whatever happened, the situation was indeed tangled.
And what needs to be done in this situation isn’t regret but a choice.
What techniques do I have available right now?
Mythical Item?
I have a shield, but it should be used to block Baekseol’s attacks while I escape for ten minutes.
Using it now would guarantee defeat.
Holding off using techniques that strain the body as well, the other techniques can’t kill the Nine-Tailed Fox.
The method is…
KWA-HA-HA!!
“Choco!”
“…Use that.”
“What?”
“Use ‘Mirror Cube’!”
“What? I was saving that for the team brawl…”
“Better than giving up the first round! Hurry!”
Already, Baekseol was flying in from afar, ice swirling around her.
From afar, Baekseol flies, scattering ice around her.
Even if I were to kill the Nine-Tailed Fox like this, I would be caught by Baekseol.
“Quick!”
“Where are you going, Hana!”
“Damn…”
Asa deflected the incoming ice spears with her shield, shattering the 12-sided cube she held in her arms.
Zzzzzzt!
And then they vanished.
Leaving behind ice spears striking only the empty spot.
■
[?]
[Oh crazy]
[?????]
[Where are they going?]
[Cube?]
[Wow, so scared]
[ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ]
[What was that? What was that?]
[Is this real? Can’t catch them?]
[Why so overwhelming, LOL]
[Crazy, LOL]
Waaaaaaah!!
“Wow… amazing.”
“…Oh.”
Yena and I gasped in awe.
No, the entire stadium gasped in awe.
Choco and Asa, the tankers, barely managed to escape.
It was a situation that elicited gasps, as if from a movie scene.
─ By a narrow margin, they succeed in escaping, CO!
─ What was that?! The CO team on the brink of disaster disappeared! I saw the cube, though?
─ It seems to be the technique of the leiter player. Should we showcase a hidden finishing move? Teleporting players to a designated area…
On the screen, the CO team, emerging from the cube set somewhere on the map, comes into view.
They quickly assumed a defensive stance and began regrouping.
“This is fun.”
Way more fun than I expected.
I had no idea it would be like this.
I thought it would just be a mock siege war or something similar…
Not at all.
Choco and Baekseol’s skills were impressive, and the professionals didn’t fall too far behind either.
The players’ offense and defense were fierce, and no one stood out as overwhelmingly strong.
Even if someone was particularly strong, they eventually showed their limits and felt the lack of stamina.
They repeatedly danced on the edge of victory and defeat, escaping by a slim margin in the last desperate moments and edging closer to victory.
“Right? That’s why professional matches are so popular. Both teams are really even, so you never know who will win.”
─ Baekseol is rapidly searching the map, scattering seeds of ice. It looks hard to find them, doesn’t it?
─ Even with their positions marked every three minutes, the map is pretty vast. Unless there’s a player with clairvoyance, it won’t be easy to catch the moving CO team.
─ And coincidentally, the player with clairvoyance is… the gunner on the CO team.
─ That’s unfortunate.
─ Such a pity.
The mages from the WoW team searched the map haphazardly, but it was of no use.
The map was designed specifically for professionals and rankers; it was incredibly vast, and with a determined escape plan, there was no way to catch them.
There was no way to catch it.
Just a minute before the end, I barely found Choco, but I summoned the mythical shield I had been saving to hold on, and the match ended.
─The match… is over! The winning team of the first round is C.O!!
Waaaahhh!!
Cheers erupted, and the players of the CO team waved their hands joyfully on the screen.
In contrast, the WoW team looked a bit gloomy.
The flag-stealing game was supposed to favor the WoW team, and they had a much better chance of winning.
Despite CO having prepared a solid strategy, they almost lost.
If Leiter hadn’t pulled out a secret move, the winning team would have been WoW.
The captain, Baekseol, calmly comforted her teammates as they stepped out of the map to prepare for the next match.
─This match was really unexpected, wasn’t it?
─That’s right! I think it effectively debunked the assumption that WoW would definitely dominate in flag stealing!
─Indeed, Chuka Chip utilized the synergy with his team members to achieve a splendid victory. It’s a bit unfortunate that Sky couldn’t shine this time… but aren’t there plenty of opportunities left?
─That’s true. Due to the nature of the flag-stealing game, the map had to be large, but other venues will be much smaller.
As the commentators’ banter continued, the screen zoomed out with a familiar song.
Is it time for a break?
─The choice for the next round of matches is WoW. Will they follow everyone’s expectations and choose a group brawl, or will they create an upset like the CO team did? We’ll see you shortly!
─Then see you in 15 minutes for Round 2!
The screen completely transitioned, and the giant screen showed the highlight scenes from the first round.
I felt a sense of satisfaction as I watched the key moments and glanced back at Yena.
Yena stretched like she was a bit sluggish and made a little sound…
“It’s break time, so you can go to the bathroom.”
“I’m fine.”
“Then… Uh, I’ll go grab something. There’s a lot of food in the VIP room. Should I bring you some?”
“Um… just some snacks? Nothing too much.”
“Okay!”
Yena left her seat in a hurry.
Just then, the highlights ended, and they were showing interviews with the audience seated in the stands.
From the bright day, it seemed like a pre-interview.
“The audience is appearing too…”
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