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(Attached video: Protector being pushed toward the undead)
(Attached video: Protector getting kicked in the back of the head)
I queued for an arena match and got paired with some crazy woman, and this was the entire match.
Push me up, push me down, push me up, push me down.
When I tried to clear the undead, she’d just hit me in the back of the head and run away.
I felt like I was losing my mind, so I rage quit, but I guess my insults didn’t translate properly.
I’m done with this game for a while.
Seriously, buff the Protector class if you don’t want us to quit.
[Comments]
[Author: Winston L. Potter]
[Title: I Got Tea-Bagged in the Arena]
[Upvotes: 127 (101)]
What am I talking about?
(Attached image: Archer caught in chains)
(Attached image: Archer being dunked in seawater)
(Attached image: Archer pulled back up)
(Attached video)
Some crazy woman wrapped me in chains and dunked me in the ocean over and over until I died.
At first, I thought about quitting, but I got curious about how far she’d go, so I stayed.
In the end, I died from suffocation.
She was an assassin, probably American. Who else would steep me in the ocean like tea?
How do you even read her username? It doesn’t look like English.
[Comments]
[Author: Nikolai Zyuganov]
[Title: Thinking of Switching Classes, Looking for Recommendations]
(Attached video)
Met an assassin in the Shadow Hall while playing as a berserker.
I didn’t land a single hit.
It was the most humiliating experience of my life.
Aren’t I supposed to have the advantage in this match-up?
I’m starting to think I’ve reached my limit.
It’s probably time to switch classes.
Is the Inquisitor any good?
Please only recommend melee classes—no cowardly characters. I’m done with assassins.
[Comments]
[Timer 3 – 04:32:11 until next reminder]
I queued up for as many arena matches as I could, as long as time allowed. It seemed like the preliminaries were nearing the end because the skill level had noticeably increased. Maybe all the casual players had already been eliminated?
At this point, only those serious about the game remained.
This phase had about a day left, and after that would be the final part of the second preliminary. The number of eliminations was staggering, as if they were determined to leave only the cream of the crop.
After that, spectator mode would be unlocked, but that probably didn’t concern me.
The final phase would likely feature some truly high-level gameplay.
In other words, we weren’t quite there yet.
The opponents I’d faced today weren’t bad.
They had the basics down and clearly showed some strengths. But compared to pro-level players, they were still far from the mark.
At least I had fun with it.
[Do you wish to craft 100 Blessed Healing Potions? Y/N]
[Crafting in progress… 16 minutes and 39 seconds remaining]
Their skill level was just high enough that I didn’t feel guilty about stomping them.
At the same time, the skill gap was wide enough that I could indulge in a little trolling without any remorse.
My turbulent mood met these ideal conditions… leading to a bit more toxicity than usual.
“Pfft…”
Honestly, how could I not laugh?
Personally, the most entertaining moment was when I hung the archer off the side of the ship.
I wondered if they’d just quit, but it seemed they were curious to see how far I’d take it. I dunked them in the ocean dozens of times before they finally died.
The good thing was that most of my victims today were foreigners.
With no overlapping nationalities, they’d probably just think they encountered a random crazy person.
And really, you grow as a player by getting beaten down, right? It was probably a valuable experience for them.
That said, I wasn’t in the best shape for PVP today.
My head was hot and dizzy—I might’ve been running a slight fever.
If I ran into someone at the pro level, I couldn’t guarantee a win in this condition.
My rank was already comfortably high, anyway.
Given the circumstances, I decided to switch gears and focus on some lifestyle content. When you’re sick, you’ve got to take it easy sometimes.
[Sigma e-Sports Luce has started streaming!]
Right on cue, some good news appeared.
I immediately opened the stream, a grin creeping onto my face. Luce was always consistent with her streams, which I appreciated.
I may target streamers often, but that doesn’t mean I don’t watch them.
In fact, I watch a lot of streams.
It turns out that solo grinding in Infinity Black can be a bit lonely.
Even though the game is an RPG, leveling up and collecting resources is still necessary. I usually prefer solo hunting, but it can get repetitive. Sometimes, when I crave some human interaction, I turn on a stream to keep me company.
“Who do I think will win in the arena? Hmm, that’s tough.
Of course, I’d love to win. That’s my goal, so please cheer me on.
Is it realistic? Well, it’s a difficult challenge, which makes it all the more rewarding.
With the buff to Paladins, I’m feeling pretty hopeful.”
Luce had been breezing through her opponents ever since the arena started.
Early on, her matchups had been unlucky, and back then, the Paladin class was too weak. But now, with the buffs, she was on a winning streak.
Each opponent she faced was clearly outmatched.
Before, she’d had to rely on overcoming unfavorable matchups, but now the games were one-sided. Even Luce seemed a little surprised by how easy things had gotten.
“The guard gauge definitely feels stronger. Maybe I can drop a few defense traits?”
“Nerfs? No way! Yesterday, we were in a dark age.”
“If I make it to the finals, I’d like to avoid facing my own team.”
“Oh… a revenge match, huh? Yeah, that’s definitely something I want.”
Her voice grew softer.
Last year, Luce and Sigma e-Sports had been knocked out of the international tournament by a European team.
It had been a complete defeat—they hadn’t put up any real resistance and ended the season with a 16th-place finish.
What stung even more for the domestic fans was that Luce’s performance had been the best in Korea’s league that year.
Korea’s Infinity Black league had always struggled in international competitions.
Many attempts had been made to analyze the reasons behind this.
Some said the professional teams were focusing on the wrong things, that the siege scene was too competitive, that the assassin lineups were weak, or that the player base was simply too small.
I wasn’t sure what the real reason was, but one thing was certain—it hadn’t been fixed.
“Apparently, the latest list of arena survivors just came out? Well, I suppose that makes sense, given how many of the top ranks are already locked in.
Shall we take a quick look? I’m curious to see who I’ll be up against.”
Luce paused her game.
It was clear the current matches weren’t challenging anymore.
In the final phase, ranking points wouldn’t matter much, and her score was more than secure. Continuing to play now would be like watching a giant crush a bug.
The stream transitioned to a new screen.
The banner on the website was from the most popular strategy site in Korea.
The post listed the top-ranked players and famous streamers in the arena, focusing on professionals and well-known Korean players. Luce began slowly commenting on each one.
“There are a lot of familiar names here.
I do think a pro will likely win the arena… I’m inclined to agree.
The amount of practice they put in is just on another level. The quality of coaching and analysis is different, too.
But I wouldn’t say a pro is guaranteed to win. You never know when a dark horse will appear.
That’s the charm of esports, right?”
Luce would, of course, keep things polite.
She was always careful in how she spoke about others.
This wasn’t the time for trash talk, and criticizing other players would only stir up controversy.
So, I wasn’t really interested in her pro gamer evaluations.
For me, pro players were just fun opponents—nothing more, nothing less.
But the reason I was still listening to the stream… was that I knew my name would eventually come up as she scrolled through the list.
The thrill of having your favorite streamer mention your username!
And sure enough, as the list continued, “Gawol” appeared on screen.
I turned up the volume.
“Oh, Gawol is here too. And they’re ranked pretty high.
Impressive. There are only a few amateurs left at this point.
I can see why Traveler speaks so highly of them. They must be really strong in one-on-one matches.
By the way, has Traveler ever sent them a friend request?
No? Oh, I wonder if Gawol rejected it.
Do you think they might dislike him?”
I tilted my head.
Traveler sent me a friend request?
What was that about?