Although two of Ga Yurim's team members were killed by Baek Yuseol at the start, she didn't lose her composure.

'Idiots.'

Her Emerald Stella teammates were also skilled players, but in Ga Yurim's eyes, they didn't measure up—they seemed hopelessly inadequate compared to her.

'They came at me with a slightly unusual strategy, but to fall for such an attack?'

Dying to nothing more than a *sticky grenade*, a mere sub-item, was something they'd be mocked for long after this match.

'I need to win even more now.'

Ga Yurim continued her line battle calmly. Her line structure forced her to face off against Mayuseong in the center.

'I'm different from those idiots.'

She wouldn't let her guard down.

The reputation of Mayuseong as a genius mage with exceptional one-on-one combat skills was something she'd heard endlessly. 

Within the confines of the *Leos* stadium, Ga Yurim had more experience and skill, but she couldn’t underestimate Mayuseong’s innate instincts.

'I won’t engage him alone.'

But.

This was a team game.

Yet, no matter how many matches he played, Mayuseong never relied on his allies for proper backup, indicating a serious lack of teamwork.

If she carefully prepared and pressured him, creating a 1-on-2 situation, breaking down Mayuseong step by step would be easy.

'I don't like relying on teammates who fell to Baek Yuseol’s trick, but…'

She believed that with her skills, she could still secure a victory even with such lacking players.

'I’ll play it safe.'

While she could acknowledge Mayuseong’s talent in one-on-one combat, *Leos* was a team game at its core. Trying to handle everything alone was fundamentally wrong. On the contrary, her strategic use of allies to efficiently control the opponent showed a better grasp of the game’s essence.

'This is my chance!'

At that moment, Mayuseong shifted to the right, and from the side path, her teammate was stealthily approaching.

If Ga Yurim attacked from the front, Mayuseong would have only one escape route. And if her ally appeared to ambush him just as he retreated, he would be defenseless.

*Boom!*

Her decisions were swift, and her actions were faster. Ga Yurim, who had been keeping her distance, suddenly unleashed a large spell. Mayuseong quickly backed off, sustaining some damage and finding himself at a disadvantageous spot on the terrain.

'Just as I planned!'

Mayuseong fled to the exact side path that Ga Yurim anticipated, where her teammate was waiting, ready with a charged mana attack.

'If this goes as planned…!'

Thinking she could end it now, Ga Yurim paused her barrage of spells for just one second to cast a final spell.

It was only one second.

However, the moment Ga Yurim paused her attack, Mayuseong, as if waiting for this, cast his own spell.

"...Huh?"

Mayuseong's spell, *Power Smasher*, took about 0.8 seconds to cast.

It was a rare spell due to its long casting time, which made it difficult to hit, but it dealt a powerful blow when successful.

'Wait, hold on.'

Ga Yurim’s spell required one full second to cast, which would have hit Mayuseong. But he seemed to perfectly time his spell, as if he’d anticipated her every move, and managed to cast his 0.8-second spell in tandem with her casting.

*Boom! Boom!*

"Aaahh!"

[An ally has been defeated!]

Mayuseong emerged from the path and charged straight toward the ambushing teammate, scoring a kill instantly.

'This insane...!'

There were no radars in that area, meaning Mayuseong had no way of knowing that her teammate was waiting there.

Yet, he cast a spell in that direction, delivering a flawless fatal blow.

It was as if he’d seen everything.

'Could he really have known?'

With a shocked expression, Ga Yurim jumped back, retreating.

'Did he see the timing of my attack, notice someone waiting in that side path, and purposely launch his spell there when I paused...?

The whole event had taken less than three seconds, yet Mayuseong's judgment and actions were flawlessly superior to hers.

After taking down Ga Yurim’s teammate in the alley, Mayuseong initially looked like he wanted to engage her as well but returned to his base when he saw her pull back.

If she’d fought him one-on-one, would she have won...?

‘...No. It’s not over yet.’

Though three of her allies had already fallen, the difference could still be bridged early in the match.

'I can't lose here.'

Ga Yurim acknowledged her opponent’s strength.

As an elite mage warrior, Mayuseong’s natural one-on-one combat skill was undoubtedly superior.

At the same time, Ga Yurim saw a clear weakness in him.

"From now on, avoid direct one-on-ones during the lane phase. Just trade hits and pull back if necessary," she instructed her team remotely.

Her teammates voiced their concerns cautiously.

"But we’ll be at a resource disadvantage if we keep backing off."

"It’ll make it hard to rally in the later stages..."

“It’s fine. It’s better to lose some ground now than to keep giving away kills by forcing battles.”

They could resolve the missing strategy with alley control in the midgame.

“…Understood.”

Following Ga Yurim’s instructions, her teammates avoided one-on-one situations as much as possible.

If Baek Yuseol or Mayuseong tried to engage with a sudden *Blink* or *Power Jump*, they immediately retreated. Even in a 2-on-3 situation, they simply focused on a strength contest, never forcing combat.

Observing this, the veteran players watching nodded at Ga Yurim’s swift decision, though some clicked their tongues.

"Her pride must be hurt."

The idea of trying operational play against novice mage warriors like them, who’d been playing *Leos* for less than two weeks, stung her pride.

“I thought she was just a prideful amateur... but she’s cold-headed.”

“So, who do you think will win?”

“Honestly… my head says Ga Yurim’s team will take it, but my heart says otherwise.”

“Right? Who knows what the *Pulleim* team will pull off next.”

Until now, the *Pulleim* team had never won with a standard strategy. They’d always shocked opponents with unconventional tactics that would never appear in a regular *Leos* match.

But Ga Yurim's *Emerald Stella* team was a professionally trained, top-tier academy team.

Could *Pulleim*’s tricks work on them too?

---

The game reached its mid to late stages, and Ga Yurim's team, with its steady, operational playstyle, gradually began to put pressure on *Pulleim*.

They gathered four players in an alley, quickly capturing Haewonryang and Aizel on the descending line and surrounding Mayuseong with three players to kill him. They accumulated several kills through well-coordinated attacks.

Though they occasionally lost a teammate during ambushes, they still managed to accumulate resources and stifle the enemy’s growth through consistent, strategic plays.

By late game, Ga Yurim’s team had amassed more resources, slowing down *Pulleim*’s progress.

'If we can engage in just one major 5-on-5 team fight, we can win!'

A 5-on-5 would surely end in their favor. And by late game, *Pulleim* wouldn't be able to avoid such a scenario.

At this point, the "Final Guardian" monster would appear in the center of the map, granting an overwhelming buff to whichever team defeated it.

"Attack now!"

As Ga Yurim gave the command, the Final Guardian appeared, and they began the assault with perfectly timed, pre-charged spells.

With magic attacks raining down, the Final Guardian began to falter. But suddenly, Mayuseong appeared from the opposite side, his expression fierce.

*Thud!*

Mayuseong landed with a powerful *Power Jump* and aimed his staff at Ga Yurim’s teammates, who instinctively flinched and backed off.

An icy chill swept over them.

Even knowing it was due to Mayuseong’s *Frost Robe*, the tension made their hands tremble.

"Prepare yourselves!"

Ga Yurim clenched her teeth and surveyed the field. Sure enough, from far off, *Pulleim*’s emblem lit up with a dazzling magic circle.

Seeing Mayuseong’s attempt to attack while they focused on the Guardian, Ga Yurim issued a command.

“Take down *Pulleim*!”

The central lane player charged toward *Pulleim* as spells fired at them.

[Blue Giant’s Footstep]

*Thud!*

Out of nowhere, a giant blue foot appeared in the air, stomping down and interrupting their charge and spells.

“What the...?”

That spell, designed to collapse enemy formations, had fallen out of use due to its outdated mechanics. But who would still use such a “trash” spell?

‘Could it be... Aizel?’

Just as expected, Aizel was chanting from *Pulleim*'s side.

‘I anticipated this much!’

Ga Yurim wasn’t rattled and ordered her team to target *Pulleim*, and soon enough, they went down.

Defeating Mayuseong, who had been persistently disrupting their allies, was the toughest part, but they finally managed to bring him down. Even Aizel, who’d been pestering them with frost storms and freezing spells, was taken out

.

Yet, something felt off.

'Where’s Baek Yuseol and Haewonryang?'

Why hadn’t they shown up for the final fight?

With a sinking feeling, she opened the map.

[Our tower is under attack!]

“...This is insane!”

Baek Yuseol and Haewonryang were enthusiastically demolishing their tower.

Since Ga Yurim’s team had been forced to retreat earlier, their tower was pushed close to the command center. With no battles breaking out, Baek Yuseol had sold all his combat items and bought "demolition-exclusive items," tearing down the tower at an incredible pace.

“Return! Get back now!”

Baek Yuseol held a hammer in each hand, wearing a yellow hard hat and work clothes, singing a little tune as he cheerfully smashed the tower.

“Happy, happy G-Mart〜”

“…Can’t you demolish quietly?”

“You want a hammer?”

“My magic’s faster.”

Haewonryang ignored Baek Yuseol’s offer, flipping the ground with a powerful spell. Fangs erupted from the earth, delivering critical damage to the tower, causing it to explode and collapse.

Using his earth magic, he maximized damage on the structure!

“Oh, they’re coming back.”

Despite having four players remaining, Ga Yurim’s team struggled to subdue the two opponents. When the durability of Baek Yuseol's [Legendary Demolition Hammer] showed a red warning, he shrugged and asked Haewonryang.

“I’ll go stall them; how much time do you need?”

“Thirty seconds.”

“More than enough.”

With a grin, Baek Yuseol spun his hammer and dashed toward them.

*Blink*

He appeared at a narrow passage to block Ga Yurim's team. Upon arrival, he abandoned strategy and charged forward with his hammer, using *Blink* recklessly.

[You’ve taken heavy damage!]

[You dealt massive damage!]

Though *Blink* caused significant damage when colliding with objects, making it a risky move, Baek Yuseol was the only one skilled enough to control it precisely.

He aimed his *Body Slam* at Ga Yurim, instantly killing her.

“No! This can’t be happening!”

[The Emerald Stella team’s Command Center has been destroyed.]

[*Pulleim Team Victory!*]

Thus, the highly anticipated battle of the students concluded with the ridiculous “shut-up-and-tower-terror” strategy.