The hammer of the Mist Giant sliced through the air. With a dull thud, it struck a tree, splintering wood that scattered and grazed my collar before falling away. The giant immediately readied its second attack on me.

Dodging it wasn’t difficult. Even Reaper wouldn’t have expected me to just stand there and take it. The fact that he used such a big, brute skill meant he wanted to hold my attention, if only for a moment.

‘I’ve lost his position. My field of vision’s been blocked.’

Unfortunately, this time, Reaper succeeded. He was certainly a formidable opponent when it came to controlling sightlines. While I dodged the hammer, I’d tried to keep an eye on him, but the giant’s body ended up blocking my view, forcing me to give up the initiative.

Thankfully, I didn’t need to spend time searching for Reaper. No matter how thick the mist was, he couldn’t hide his shadow. By watching the shadow on the ground, I could estimate his position.

He’s quicker than expected. If I move to get a clear line of sight, it’ll be too late. I reflexively swung my dagger, parrying his blade. Though it wasn’t a perfect block, it left a scratch on my hand. Still, the situation didn’t seem too bad.

No matter how skilled he was, it was difficult to recover in mid-air. I managed to regain my stance first, my body moving almost mechanically.

Switching my grip on the dagger, I swung downward, aiming at his thigh. A spray of crimson splashed as I cut him, and I went for a second strike, but Reaper didn’t give me that chance.

In an instant, his body disappeared like mist—a survival technique that was the most troublesome to deal with. He’d activated his Mist Form.

[As blood collects within the mist, the 'Blood Mist' effect is activated.] [All senses are slightly dulled, and you take damage equal to 1% of your maximum health every 3 seconds.]

The mist around me started turning red. My health bar kept flashing with hit notifications, as though I was under attack from all sides.

So this is it. This is why Reaper’s opponents can never seem to keep their cool. A heightened sense of tension, a primal sense of danger. The red hue and the relentless hit sound made it hard to maintain composure.

It’s probably because of the dulled senses, too. Without a clear view of Reaper, I was forced to battle against phantoms in my mind.

“Phew... Huff.”

First, I needed to control my breathing. There was no time for deep breaths—I couldn’t afford that kind of luxury. But keeping a steady rhythm could be psychologically calming.

The important thing was not to get too hasty. Defeat was confirmed the moment you lost composure. I knew that better than anyone.

Thankfully, I caught sight of his next attack. His dual claws aimed at different spots, as if daring me to choose which one to block. His approach angle was threatening, but that’s the thrill of combat: answering your opponent’s challenge with something unexpected.

I blocked one claw with my dagger, accepting the damage from the other. The blade slashed across my side; even though I managed to pull back, it cut pretty deep. It’s fine. It was an acceptable level of damage.

Now it was time to pay him back. I grabbed his arm with my underarm, refusing to let it slip away.

I’d practiced this move countless times. Loosening the chain, I wrapped it around Reaper’s arm. Once wasn’t enough, so I went for a second and even a third. With Mist Form still on cooldown, he couldn’t escape this tight bind. I clenched the blood-slicked chain with all my strength.

Reaper let out a breath of admiration.

“Your weapon handling isn’t exactly average.” “I’m good at pretty much everything.”

A Mistweaver shares some characteristics with a mage. In other words, my physical abilities were superior. I yanked the chain, pulling Reaper’s body towards me, then swung him into a tree with full force, not holding back any of my active skills now that the cooldown was over. Just as I’d thought when first encountering the mist, I had more cards to play once I gained control of the situation.

[The 'Ancient Demon’s Curse' effect has been applied to the enemy.] [All enemy stats are…]

Reaper made a decision before I could unleash my full power. He directed a claw towards his own arm that was tangled in the chain. By cutting it, he’d trigger a severance effect, freeing himself from the bind. He’d realized that there was no way to win as things stood.

I had the same thought. I respected his ability to reach an optimal decision so quickly under pressure. But that made me even more determined not to let him go.

I tightened the chain and closed the gap. My body surged forward, too fast to stop now. Reaper, seemingly ready, redirected his claw toward me. It seemed he’d anticipated a counterattack in case things went south.

Fine. I hadn’t dreamed of taking him down risk-free anyway. As I charged, I swapped my weapons between hands. The hand gripping the chain tugged it sharply, while the other hand held the dagger ready.

“Guh…!”

As I closed in, Reaper’s claw dug into my abdomen. The pain was nearly paralyzing, but I still had room before death. I wrapped the chain around his remaining arm, binding both his hands.

Holding down both arms with only one of mine was tough, but I solved that by pressing my body against him. His arm was firmly wedged between my side and chest.

Even as his blade twisted inside me, I ignored it. Reaper’s claws were immobilized, but I still had a free dagger. As I tore into his unprotected body, Reaper relaxed.

It was practically a surrender. He grinned slyly.

“Even Mistweaving couldn’t save me from close combat, huh?” “Right? Bring your assassin next time.” “I will.”

Infinity Black’s official caster. Ho-eun had been commentating countless matches for years.

His voice had become familiar to esports fans, known for its calm, polished delivery. Yet, there were times when he would burst with emotion—like now.

“He’s got him! Gawol has bound Reaper’s arm with the chain!” “This stops Mistweaver’s 'Wave Pass'! She seems to be saying, 'No Mist Form—how will you escape now?'” “She’s pressing the advantage relentlessly!”

The other commentators, feeding off Ho-eun’s energy, began to raise their excitement levels too.

Acid Gaming. And Reaper. These names had dominated the Korean league as a nightmare.

In Korea, the two leading teams were Luce’s Sigma Esports and Traveler’s Q Prime. Last year, Luce fell to Cerberus, and Traveler to Reaper, leaving fans disappointed. And this issue wasn’t limited to just last year.

For a long time, Korea had been seen as weak in international tournaments. Even before Infinity Black launched, this was the case. Ho-eun had been fascinated by esports for as long as he could remember, and his passion had never waned.

“Gawol is rushing at Reaper! She’s a bit too aggressive here.” “Oh… and Reaper’s counterattack landed perfectly.” “No! What’s this? Gawol has fully subdued Reaper!” “His health bar has stopped decreasing. Total domination! She just needs to finish the match!”

Back when he first started, Korea was the undisputed esports powerhouse. That glory had become a thing of the past, yet he hadn’t let go of those memories.

The players exchanged a few words, and then the screen filled with a blue Victory.

It was a scene he’d witnessed countless times. Yet, for some reason, it felt like a signal flare to Ho-eun.

“As she delivers the final blow to his unguarded neck—the match is over!” “Gawol takes down London’s Nightmare, Europe’s Shadow! She defeats Reaper’s Mistweaver head-on for her first victory!”

He added more emotion to his commentary than usual. But it wasn’t enough.

His chest felt tight. He had so much more to say. Unable to contain his emotions any longer, Ho-eun grabbed the mic and shouted.

“For years, fans have been saying that Korea lacks strong assassins. How many criticisms have there been every time we lose to Reaper? That we don’t have top-tier assassins like Reaper or Phantom! That we’ll never have one, and we’ll keep being held back!”

Among pro gamers, assassins are the hardest to train.

Gaining superhuman speed is limited to the character, not the player. Maintaining an assassin’s mobility while executing precise control is no easy task. To master the combat itself requires immense talent and effort.

Other countries have youth systems that run on vast populations or funds. Korea lacks both resources.

“But look at this! Reaper, who’s been called London’s Nightmare and Europe’s Shadow! A nameless Korean amateur has just defeated him head-on!” “That’s right. No mountain is too high to climb, and the impossible doesn’t exist. Isn’t that what makes sports exciting—the unpredictable results?” “Nobody expected this outcome. The match itself was great, too. We’ll have to wait for the next game, but it’s clear that Gawol’s strength is beyond imagination.”

Ho-eun’s intuition whispered something to him. A sense honed from his days as a pro gamer and maybe one day as a coach. A storm was brewing.