NoveLight ™
In the pro league, there’s always debate about how useful rank games are.
Some players leave behind thousands of ranked matches each season, while others win championships with barely any ranked record at all.
That’s why it’s not uncommon to see cases where a player’s skill doesn’t directly correlate with their ranking.
As you climb higher, it’s only natural to face stronger opponents.
I was bound to run into pro gamers who’d parked their accounts in the lower ranks.
In fact, I’d already faced one or two before.
As long as they weren’t actively sabotaging the game, I didn’t mind at all.
Even the viewers seemed to enjoy it.
When a pro gamer joins a match, the level of play goes up.
I thought I was used to it by now, but even I didn’t expect this matchup.
[Team White]
[Team Black]
The Kunoichi from Japan, who I had clashed with before, was back.
Normally, the queues are separated by server, so this meant she had intentionally sought out the Korean server.
And somehow, we ended up in the same match… Can this really be called a coincidence?
I had heard that after the Arena, she’d joined a professional team.
Falcon is a highly regarded team in Japan.
Shouldn’t they also be leaving for Prelude soon?
I don’t know.
She must have her reasons.
If we met in the game, we’d just have to fight.
When we entered the battlefield, my teammate had a slightly dissatisfied look on his face.
I knew why and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Were you hoping to face me as an enemy?”
“No, it’s not that… Ahem. Yeah, I was hoping for a good match.”
“Well, nothing we can do this time. Let’s just do our best together. The opponents won’t be easy either.”
ACL had been the runner-up in this league.
It was clear they benefited from the collapse of Q Prime, the former powerhouse.
Still, ACL had earned praise for significantly leveling up their performance.
Their semifinal against Galaxy Gaming had been a far better match than anyone expected.
Now that Traveler had moved to the UK, ACL was the top contender to fill the power vacuum.
Donghae was one of the two pillars of ACL.
As a Swordmaster player, he naturally caught my eye.
It would’ve been nice to fight him, but...
Well, there will be better opportunities down the line.
“Should I go left?”
“Then I’ll take the right.”
There was no need for complicated communication to plan our strategy.
Having a pro on your team had its advantages.
Players who are good at the game tend to evolve in similar ways, but bad players? Their mistakes are so bizarre, they’re beyond prediction.
They defy all logic.
[Rank Match – Black 541 RP]
[Battlefield: Roiling Lava Zone]
[Rule: Duo]
The Roiling Lava Zone battlefield had a growth mechanic based on monster hunting.
Normally, this allowed for diverse strategies, but in a 2v2 situation like this, things were more straightforward.
Our plan was simple: split up and take one side each.
With the strategy set, all that was left was to act.
Donghae and I immediately headed toward our designated sides.
After running across the dark ground for a while, I reached the midpoint where the monsters appeared.
I could start hunting to widen the score gap, but I chose not to.
The growth difference wouldn’t be significant enough to justify it.
In contrast, the information I could gather by positioning myself was far more valuable.
There was no way the enemy could’ve reached this point before me, so I decided to push forward and intercept them.
Luck was on my side.
After hiding behind a rock for just a few seconds, I heard the faint sound of footsteps.
It was quiet, barely louder than my own heartbeat, but enough for an assassin like me to detect.
“They’re here.”
That one sound was all I needed to gauge their location and identity.
As the enemy approached my position, I prepared to strike from the side.
Setting my voice to be audible to them as well, I sprinted out from my hiding spot at full speed.
[You have received the effect of ‘Whispers of the Black Moon.’]
[All attack power, movement speed, and counter-attack timing are enhanced.]
[Some skills have been strengthened...]
"Been a while, huh?"
I lunged at her side, ready to strike.
Haruka had sharpened her skills for this match, and her reaction was swift.
Before I could even make contact, her body transformed into a log, reappearing several meters away.
One survival skill down.
That was already a win for my first ambush.
With one hand forming a seal near her lips, the Kunoichi took a deep breath.
As she exhaled, a wave of blue flames shot through the air.
[‘Goblin Fire: Breath’ leaves the mark of ‘Liang (蜽).’]
[The mark lasts for 30 seconds, reducing fire resistance by 18.]
[If four marks from Gwiinryanghon (鬼人魎魂) accumulate, critical damage will be dealt.]
I kicked the abandoned log hard.
The poor wood turned to ashes instantly, but that wasn’t the point.
Using the momentum, I propelled myself out of the danger zone of her Goblin Fire.
My fire resistance had dropped more than usual.
Normally, it should have been reduced by 12.
This meant one thing—Haruka had focused her build heavily on fire-based attacks.
Sure enough, this time, instead of kunai, she pulled out a katana.
A sinister flame licked along its long blade.
"Time to focus."
This wasn’t an opponent I could fight while paying attention to the chat.
Taking a light breath was my ritual to clear my mind.
With a clearer head, I deflected the incoming kunai.
As if I’d let myself be hit by something like that.
With my attention drawn upward, the real threat was likely coming from below.
The violet energy shimmered along the ground as Haruka dashed in, sweeping low with her blade.
Flames followed the path of her sword.
It was an excellent attack, but she had the wrong opponent.
Since taking a hit to my left leg would be disastrous, I was obsessive about guarding my lower half.
I leaped up and landed on her shoulder, using it as a springboard.
I’d originally aimed for her face, but she managed to block, so I couldn’t quite make it.
[‘Weakening Curse Spell’ leaves the mark of ‘Hon (魂).’]
[The mark lasts for 30 seconds, further reducing fire resistance by 8.]
The flames spread along the arc of her blade.
The smell of burning fabric filled the air as the fire caught the edge of my clothes.
I could counterattack right now… but I decided to hold off one more time.
Through the cover of the flames, she thrust her blade at me.
The sharp gust of wind from her strike aimed directly at my heart.
[‘Nightjar Thrust’ leaves the mark of ‘In (人).’]
[The mark lasts for 30 seconds, reducing fire resistance by an additional 6.]
"Hah, that actually hit."
I had intended to dodge it completely.
But the energy surrounding her blade extended outward, nicking me just under the chest.
Stack-based characters really are a pain.
Even with such a shallow hit, I’d already accumulated three stacks.
I was going to aim for her torso before she could retrieve her blade, but...
My arm was deflected, grazing her side instead of landing a solid hit.
A disappointing result for my first counter.
Her blocking had improved significantly compared to before.
Well, that’s to be expected.
After taking a hit once, pros obsessively come up with ways to deal with it.
"If this is the same pattern as before, I’m disappointed."
"I was just testing. If you fell for that, I would’ve been the one disappointed."
It’s not every day you get a sniper like this; I have to enjoy it too, right?
I adjusted my grip on the dagger, switching to a reverse hold.
I closed in on her again, but this time Haruka stepped back to avoid the strike.
A rational decision—she could’ve exchanged hits with me, but it would’ve cost her.
Still, it left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.
A rational decision is just another name for a textbook move.
It’s rarely wrong, but it’s also easy to read.
I feinted to the left, forcing her to retreat as I extended a shadow to block her from jumping away.
She backed into the spot where I’d deflected the kunai earlier.
"If I just use this, she’ll react. Let’s twist things a bit more."
I threw down a smoke bomb right in front of her.
Setting up a decoy in the smoke, I used the deflected kunai as my mark for a shadow step.
I moved behind her while her vision was obscured.
"...!"
"Quick on the uptake, huh? Is it because we’re both assassins?"
But it was too late.
I wouldn’t be able to finish her in one strike, but once I had her back, a critical hit was inevitable.
Besides, she’d already used her substitution technique earlier.
I slashed across her side, then pulled back, ready to strike again.
Just as I grabbed her neck and went for a fatal blow, a massive shadow loomed over us.
If I stay here, I’ll die.
I immediately pulled away, dust flying as the ground was smashed by a powerful impact.
Right. This was a 2v2 duo match from the start.
Naturally, the winged Dragonian would join faster than our Swordmaster.
Haruka looked frustrated, but what could she do?
"Good. If you’re weak, it makes sense to bring backup."
"...."
I chuckled, adjusting my grip on the dagger.