[Rank Match – Diamond I]
[Battlefield: Mountain of Proof]
[Rules: 5-Person Elimination Match]
As the wind blew, white flakes of snow fell onto my head.
From the crown to my neck. Sometimes onto the bare skin around my chest.
The snow that touched my skin melted away with a chill.
Carefully.
Covering my mouth with the hem of my clothes, I take a deep breath.
“Haa…”
The mist from my breath rose white, then diminished as it was caught in my clothes.
Next, I took a big gulp of air: hhuuuuhhh.
After filling my lungs, I held my breath once again.
This battlefield was the ‘Mountain of Proof’ covered in eternal snow.
A place where avalanches, which occur very rarely, and crevasses lie in wait as the main gimmicks.
According to the game’s lore, it’s said to be a place where the northern barbarian tribes prove themselves.
There’s a legend that if you’re not chosen by the gods, you’ll fail to find a crevasse and fall to your death.
In short, it was a battlefield where you had to be careful of hidden cliffs beneath the snow.
In lower-ranked games, it’s common to witness allies dying before even encountering the enemy.
It’s good for hiding under the cliffs, but… this time, the opposing team had a monk.
[Passive: Ambush]
[If you remain still for 6 seconds, you won’t be detected by most detection skills while maintaining your posture. However, it doesn’t stack with invisibility effects.]
In tournaments, this class is often selected to counter assassins.
Monks have detection skills that sense movements.
There are several means to uncover an assassin’s invisibility, but this one has a notably short cooldown.
The downside is that if, like me, the assassin doesn’t move…
In situations where you’re not approaching while using invisibility but rather hiding in an appropriate spot, it can’t be discovered.
Forcing a psychologically taxing game doesn’t change.
[The effect of ‘Ambush’ ignores the effect of ‘Revealing Wave’.]
But hey, that skill was used carelessly a lot.
Given its short cooldown, it became standard to use it periodically.
The cooldown for Revealing Wave can be reduced to a maximum of 12 seconds.
On average, it’s estimated to be within 15 seconds.
The moment the first wave hit, I started counting the time in my head.
[The effect of ‘Ambush’ is ignored by the effect of ‘Revealing Wave’…]
Alright. The cooldown is roughly 13.5 seconds.
From now on, I’ll use this time as a reference.
Not long after initiating Ambush.
I heard footsteps nearby, as if it were following the predicted path.
Every time someone moved nearby, I felt a slight vibration running up from my back and legs.
The sensation was quite heavy, so it seemed a tank class was nearby.
Given their combination, it was highly likely it was an Inquisitor.
Right now, I was hidden inside a crevasse.
Without allies nearby, every presence around me was an enemy.
It had come to a point where it couldn’t be classified as a low-tier game – the enemies were checking the crevasses one by one.
And the moment a presence reached right in front of me.
I spun my mana before the snow covering me was brushed off.
Fortunately, the timing aligned perfectly.
[Active: The Hermit]
[You enter a state of invisibility for 12 seconds. Moving will break the invisibility.]
[Ambush state has been released.]
“Just in case, check the crevasses too. There might be an enemy assassin hiding.”
Oh, correct.
I barely suppressed a grin that wanted to break free.
It’s always the most frustrating when you’re aware of something but still fall for it.
From now on, it would be better to constantly check with snow nearby too.
Even if I used invisibility, the physical judgments don’t vanish.
It almost looked like the transparent thing was being blocked by the snow.
Anyway, the opposing Inquisitor couldn’t find me and passed by.
That was fortunate for me. I was already bothered by them.
The Inquisitor can be quite a challenging opponent for an assassin.
Slowly, I stepped out from the crevasse and targeted the back of the enemy.
There were only 4 seconds left before the wave’s cooldown would reset.
There would be no return for my Ambush effect in that time, so I had to act immediately.
I reserved one wide-area skill between the enemy main unit and me, throwing a snare toward the Inquisitor.
“…!”
I had to finish before the scream could escape.
The sturdy rope coiled around the man’s neck like a snake.
Immediately, I applied force, pulling him toward the edge.
No matter how strong a tank class was, they couldn’t overpower my arms around their neck.
In a battlefield where falling was fatal, a moment of carelessness leads to death.
Once balance was lost, the body fell endlessly into the abyss and never returned.
[You have eliminated ‘Galixoth’. (Sign: Fell to Death)]
The ambush itself made no noise, but the kill log was visible to everyone.
Immediately, the enemies turned to look back. The fastest to react was the Gunslinger.
The long rifle’s muzzle aimed directly at me.
From that position, I bet the aiming point was possibly my forehead.
Not bad at this range. I should deal with that guy quickly if possible.
The moment the muzzle blasted fire, the Gunslinger let out a hiss sound.
“Gawol? Why are you in this segment…”
Bullets flew through the air, but there was no need to evade.
It was time for the skill I had reserved to be unleashed.
“I was going up.”
“I’ll turn.”
[The effect of ‘Black Moon’s Melody’ has been applied.]
[For 30 seconds, positive effects occur for all actions utilizing the Chain Scythe.]
[Damage dealt using the Chain Scythe increases by 17.6% …]
Chains fell from the sky in heavy droves.
Upon impacting the snowfield, a dense mist of white rose, and the bullets that had been flying toward me were shattered under the chains.
In the momentary obstruction of sight – I swung the Chain Scythe.
Before me were several pillars looking as if they were interwoven.
Instantly, visibility between me and the enemies was completely blocked.
But that’s fine. I memorized it all.
[Active: Assassin’s Sense]
[All senses are amplified…]
Direct fire weapons like guns can’t penetrate the chains, but an area weapon like the Chain Scythe can change its attack direction.
While picturing the last known position in my mind, I adjusted my trajectory.
Based on the sensation caught at the blade’s tip, I continued the next attack.
[The effect of ‘Nianbah’s Curse’ has been applied to the enemy.]
[For 8 seconds, all enemy stats decrease…]
I hit.
A bit shallow, but the debuff that activated on impact assured me of the confirmation.
Then I could trust the remaining sensations in my hand.
I had already mapped out the terrain.
The sensation running through the chains and the vibrations from hurried footsteps provided clues.
Even if I couldn’t see exactly, the skill to alter the chains’ trajectory was laid out wide.
That’s why weapons with a wide attack range are great.
If I could know at least roughly where the enemy was – then I could just attack and hit by chance!
The sound of metal grinding echoed continually.
*
[Author: ㅇㅇ(321.212)]
[Title: Why the hell is this b*tch here?]
(Attached Picture: Gawol wielding the Chain Scythe)
(Attached Picture: Game Record after Defeat)
(Attached Picture: Gawol’s Rank Record)
This is a completely crazy game.
Does that record even make sense?
[Comments]
– I’m the Paladin from that match, thanks for the free win, lol.
└ What the hell?
[Author: ㅇㅇ(321.212)]
[Title: Improve the Matching System]
(Attached Picture: Gawol wielding the Chain Scythe)
(Attached Picture: Gawol’s Martial Arts Build)
Why did I meet her twice?
Why did both times have her as an enemy?
Anyway, improve it.
[Comments]
– Just play better.
└ How can a Diamond local beat that?
└ Scratching my head?
└ (Comment has been deleted by the moderator.)
[Author: 너도밤나무]
[Title: Have you guys ever been wiped out by an assassin?]
(Attached Video: Mountain Rank Game, vs Gawol)
Other than being ambushed by the assassin,
Has your main unit ever lost 5:1 to an assassin?
I just experienced that just now.
[Comments]
– Pathetic.
– If there are no witnesses, it’s called an assassination.
*
I had a smooth continuation of victories in rank games.
[You have won.]
[MVP: Gawol (Anonymous Adventurer B)]
[Promotion Match: ∨∨∨ ‧ ‧ ]
[Successfully promoted.]
[Diamond I 150 RP → Black 0 RP]
[Region: Korea]
Honestly, I felt a little guilty.
Such an abnormal win rate. The game was won with content that shouldn’t normally occur.
You could say it was a game that was utterly one-sided.
It wasn’t like I had any other method either.
It’s natural for the season to experience a soft reset in tier.
It’s not a complete reset, but you’re placed in significantly lower ranks than before.
The problem is that since the season ended, I haven’t played any rank matches.
Normally, I’d be leveling up early to receive quarterly rewards, but this time, I was blocked from logging in, so I couldn’t.
There was no other way but to win quickly and rise.
So I initially planned to play more, but somehow, I could not do that now.
“Hey. If something good happened, at least contact me once.”
“Right? I’m a little hurt, you know.”
“… The thing is, I got so excited that they lifted my access restriction.”
“You do seem happy about that. I’ve seen you in almost every broadcast.”
“Oh, right. You’ve watched a lot of broadcasts.”
Upon reaching the café called, the two girls who had arrived first giggled as they looked at me.
Why I am acting like this…
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