NoveLight ™
[Rank Match – Diamond I]
[Map: Mountain of Proof]
[Mode: 5-player elimination]
As the wind blew, tiny snowflakes fell onto my head. From the top of my head down to my neck, sometimes even to the exposed skin around my chest, the snow melted away as it touched my skin, leaving a cool sensation.
Cautiously, I covered my mouth with my cloak and took a deep breath.
“Haa...”
The warm breath escaped my mouth and turned into white mist, dissipating as it hit my clothes. Afterward, I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with cold air, and then held my breath once again.
This battlefield was the ‘Mountain of Proof,’ covered in perpetual snow. Its primary hazards were avalanches, which occurred infrequently, and crevasses, hidden traps scattered throughout the map.
According to the in-game lore, this mountain was where the northern barbarians came to prove themselves. If someone wasn’t chosen by the gods, they wouldn’t be able to find the crevasses and would fall to their deaths.
In other words, this map was all about being careful to avoid the hidden cliffs. In lower-ranked games, it wasn’t uncommon to see teammates die before they even encountered the enemy, simply by falling into the crevasses. It was also a great place to hide, but the opposing team had a Monk.
[Passive: Stealth]
[If you remain motionless for 6 seconds, you will not appear on most detection skills while maintaining your stance. This effect does not stack with invisibility.]
In tournaments, Monks were often picked to counter Assassins. They had a detection skill that could sense movement, making it easier to reveal stealth-based characters like Assassins. While there were many ways to deal with an Assassin’s stealth, the Monk’s skill had a particularly short cooldown.
The downside, though, was when Assassins, like me, didn’t move. If the Assassin was simply lying in wait, hidden in a good spot, rather than sneaking around with stealth, the Monk’s detection skill wouldn’t find them. It was still an annoying psychological battle to deal with, though.
[‘Stealth’ effect ignores the ‘Revealing Wave’ effect.]
But, as expected, the Monk’s detection skill wasn’t used carefully. Since the cooldown was short, it had become standard practice to use it periodically.
The cooldown for Revealing Wave, at its maximum reduction, was around 12 seconds. On average, it would take around 15 seconds. As soon as the first wave hit, I started counting the seconds in my head.
[‘Stealth’ effect ignores the ‘Revealing Wave’ effect…]
Good. The cooldown was approximately 13.5 seconds. From now on, I could time my actions based on that.
Shortly after I started stealthing, just as I had predicted, I heard footsteps nearby. The vibrations traveled up my legs and back, indicating that someone was moving close by.
The movements were heavy, suggesting that a knight-class character was near. Given the enemy’s composition, it was likely an Inquisitor.
I was currently hiding inside a crevasse. With no allies nearby, any presence I felt was an enemy. The game had now reached a level where opponents would search each crevasse one by one.
The moment I felt someone approaching my hiding spot, I gathered my energy before the snow covering me could be brushed away. Luckily, I timed it perfectly.
[Active: Hermit]
[Become invisible for 12 seconds. Moving will break the invisibility.]
[Stealth effect has been removed.]
"Check inside the crevasses, just in case. There’s an Assassin on their team, so they might be hiding."
Oh, correct guess. I stifled a laugh. It’s always the worst feeling to know something and still fall for it.
Next time, they should consider shoveling the snow into the crevasses to check more thoroughly. Even if I’m invisible, physical collisions don’t disappear. Just like how a transparent object can still be blocked by snow.
In any case, the Inquisitor couldn’t find me and moved on.
Lucky for me. That one was a real nuisance. Inquisitors are particularly tricky opponents for Assassins. Slowly, I crept out of the crevasse and caught up behind the enemy.
With only 4 seconds left until the next wave of Revealing Wave, I had no time to let my stealth reset. I had to act quickly. I prepped a wide-area skill aimed at the enemy’s main group and threw a noose toward the Inquisitor.
"…!"
I had to finish this before they could scream. As the rope snaked around the man’s neck like a serpent, I yanked hard, pulling him toward the crevasse.
Even the strength of a knight-class couldn’t overcome the force I exerted with the rope around his throat. In this map, where falling meant death, even a moment of imbalance was fatal. His body lost balance and fell into the endless abyss, never to return.
[You have killed ‘GarlicSauce.’ (Cause of death: falling)]
The kill itself was silent, but the kill log was visible to everyone.
The enemies immediately turned to look in my direction. The first to react was the Gunslinger. His long rifle barrel was pointed directly at me.
At that distance, he was likely aiming for my forehead. His skills weren’t bad for this rank. I’d have to take him out quickly.
The moment his gun fired, a deflated sound escaped from the Gunslinger’s mouth.
“Ga-wol? Why are you in this rank…”
The bullet cut through the air toward me, but there was no need to dodge. My reserved skill was about to activate.
"Just passing through."
"This is insane."
[Effect of ‘Melody of the Black Moon’ applied.]
[For 30 seconds, all actions using the chain scythe will gain positive effects.]
[Damage dealt with the chain scythe increased by 17.6%…]
Several chains fell from the sky, crashing into the snowy mountain, stirring up a thick white fog. The incoming bullet was crushed under the weight of the chains.
With my vision momentarily blocked, I swung the chain scythe. It was as if several large pillars had been erected between me and the enemies. The fog completely obscured our line of sight, but I didn’t need to see—I had already memorized their positions.
[Active: Assassin’s Senses]
[All your senses are heightened…]
While direct-fire weapons like guns couldn’t shoot through the chains, the chain scythe could bend its trajectory. I mentally traced the last positions of the enemies, adjusting my aim accordingly. Relying on the sensation of the blade hitting its target, I followed up with another attack.
[The ‘Curse of Nianbach’ effect has been applied to the enemy.]
[All of the enemy’s stats will decrease for 8 seconds…]
Got them. It wasn’t a deep hit, but the debuff confirmed that my attack landed. Now I could trust my instincts and finish them off.
I had already mapped out the terrain. The vibrations from their panicked footsteps, combined with the faint voices, gave me all the clues I needed.
I couldn’t see clearly, but I had laid down plenty of skills that could adjust the trajectory of my chain scythe. That’s the beauty of wide-area weapons. If you know the general location of your opponent, you can just hit them without precision.
The sound of metal grinding echoed continuously.
[Author: ㅇㅇ (321.212)]
[Title: Why the hell is this woman here?]
(Attached images: Ga-wol wielding a chain scythe)
(Attached image: Game record after defeat)
(Attached image: Ga-wol's ranked match history)
This is insane. Do these records even make sense?
[Comments]
[Author: ㅇㅇ (321.212)]
[Title: Fix the matching system.]
(Attached images: Ga-wol using chain scythe)
(Attached image: Ga-wol’s martial arts build)
Why did I get matched with them twice?
And why were they on the enemy team both times?
Please fix this.
[Comments]
[Author: Nutwood]
[Title: Ever had your entire team wiped by an Assassin?]
(Attached video: Ranked game in Snow Mountain, vs. Ga-wol)
Not just a sneak attack.
Has your whole team ever lost 5 vs. 1 to an Assassin?
Because that just happened to me.
[Comments]
I continued my streak of easy victories in the ranked games.
[Victory!]
[MVP: Ga-wol (Anonymous Adventurer B)]
[Promotion match: ∨∨∨ ‧ ‧ ]
[Promotion successful.]
[Diamond I 150 RP → Black 0 RP]
[Region: Korea]
Honestly, I felt a little guilty. With an absurd win rate and an unbeatable performance, I’d pulled off what was essentially a smurf game.
But it’s not like I had much choice. The soft reset at the start of the season was inevitable. Even though it wasn’t a full reset, I had been placed much lower than my original tier.
The problem was that I hadn’t played a single ranked match since the new season began. Normally, I would’ve ranked up early for the rewards, but being banned from the game for a while had prevented that. Now, the only option was to win as quickly as possible and climb back up.
I had intended to keep playing more games, but something came up.
“You should’ve called if something good happened.”
“Right? I’m a little hurt you didn’t.”
“Well, I got excited since my game ban was lifted.”
“It sure looked that way. You were showing up in almost every stream I watched.”
“Oh… You watched a lot of streams, didn’t you?”
I had been called to meet at a café, and the two women who arrived before me giggled as they looked at me. And here I was, wondering why I had ended up in this situation…