[IKL Summer Playoffs Round 2 - Match 1]
[Map: The Forest of Recluse]
[Rules: 4-player Deathmatch]
[Sigma eSports vs Q Prime]

"Now, let’s get into the match. This is the first set of the playoffs between Sigma eSports and Q Prime."

"Sigma is the team with the most overwhelming power... so we’ll see what kind of strategy Q Prime has come up with. That’s where the story begins."

"Of course, we can’t overlook the map and team composition in this case."

The Forest of Recluse is a map with smooth terrain and no special gimmicks. There’s no need for additional elements. It’s a battlefield that’s always shrouded in thick fog, drastically limiting the field of vision.

It’s a good place to hide, but difficult to find the enemy. Due to the restricted visibility, it’s common to have enemies appear much closer than expected.

A low hill with deciduous trees. A cavalry rider quickly cut through the dense fog. At the front, a large military flag fluttered.

[Active: Unity is Pride]
[The caster's movement speed is reduced, but the movement speed of all allies within range is synchronized with the caster. The skill effect is deactivated during combat.]
[Caster: Q Prime Cornet (Cavalry)]

All members of Q Prime followed the cavalry. This kind of mobility is rare unless it’s an assassin class. Even the heavy-armored Inquisitor didn’t fall behind.

The situation wasn’t much different for Sigma.

"Both teams are moving in formation now."

"Ga-wol, who always takes the side lane, seems to be moving with the team today. This is a change from his usual style."

"Assassins rely a lot on visual detection, so I think he realized it’s difficult to get results if he moves separately."

"Q Prime’s composition is quite extreme, starting with the cavalry. That’s... definitely a choice to keep an eye on."

Today, Q Prime drew their swords from the very first match.

Cavalry. In-fighter. Beast Hunter. Inquisitor.
A full-on rush composition that excludes ranged damage dealers or assassins. There’s even a lack of a true support role, making it a highly aggressive melee setup.

The Beast Hunter is a close-range fighter masquerading as a ranged damage dealer. His modified shotgun has a slightly longer effective range than a spear.

The cavalry’s buffs focus on defense and mobility, so it’s not comparable to a support character.

It’s a battle of strength. The intention seems to be to engage in sweaty combat without giving assassins a chance to act. The ranger isn’t particularly strong in terms of firepower, so it won’t be easy to shake off the cavalry.

"Both teams are getting closer now."
"From the visibility standpoint, we still can't confirm anything. They tried using detection skills, but the range isn’t enough."
"At this rate, they’ll be much closer than expected. As they enter visibility range... both teams spot each other."
"Q Prime seems to be off to a good start. Wow, the cavalry charges in with excitement!"

The cavalry’s lance struck against Luche’s shield. The Paladin’s mobility couldn’t match that of the cavalry. Rather than hesitate, Luche’s gaze focused on the in-fighter in the rear.

The in-fighter is the key player of the enemy team. The Beast Hunter can be kept in check by Ga-wol or Rika’s ranger, but as long as the in-fighter’s advance is properly stopped, the victory will be ours.

When Luche finished his calculation, something unexpected happened.

["Mark of the Sinner" effect applied.]
[The Inquisitor's attacks deal additional damage and may target certain skills.]

["Sanctuary of Judgment" target selected.]
[Transported to the Sanctuary with the Inquisitor. You cannot escape during the duration. The skill is deactivated if the caster dies.]
[Target: Sigma Luche]

The Sanctuary of Judgment activated, and the two knights disappeared from the battlefield.

In an instant, Sigma’s shield was removed. The rest of the team continued charging forward without slowing down. Their targets were the ranger and the priestess. They paid no attention to the unseen assassin's threat.

The commentators, realizing the intention, raised their voices in excitement.

"This forces Ga-wol to make a decision, doesn’t it?"
"Our dealer? If you want to kill me, come on! I’ll give you credit. We knew we couldn’t stop you, so we gave up!"
"But we’re going after your priestess and ranger, so try stopping us!"
"Yeah, but you’re an assassin! We’re all bruisers, do you think you can win in a strength fight?"
"This is the Forest of Recluse! How are you going to find us once we’re gone?"

IKL’s cameraman has a good eye. The focus zoomed in on Ga-wol’s face. A smirk appeared, and a quiet word slipped from his mouth.

"So this is how you want to play, huh?"

Furek, who had been in the fighting class for a long time in IKL, wasn’t unfamiliar with international matches, but he was well-recognized in domestic leagues. Today, he was excited as he took charge of the strategy.

And it started off well. Ga-wol chose to cover for Heckate instead of killing the Beast Hunter. He drew the cavalry’s attention and escaped while avoiding the shots.

It seemed like he was playing along with the plan... or so he thought.

"This is strange. This isn’t the game I expected."

Furek frowned.

The situation wasn’t immediately bad. The cavalry and in-fighter are top-tier bruisers with great entry ability. The priestess's speed buffs are top-notch, but against these two, you can't run forever.

So, if they kept chasing, they would eventually catch up.

Furek believed that and decided to be patient.

"No. I still can’t hold back."

Thwack. Ga-wol’s kick hit the back of his head again.

Furek turned around immediately, swinging his arm, but he didn’t even manage to grab a hold of his clothes. The little assassin had already climbed the tree using a rope. Taunting him, he spun his dagger tied to a leather strap and smiled brightly.

Well, there was nothing else to be done. Furek ran again.

"Who taught you to keep spinning things around?!"
"You learned something weird and it’s pissing me off."

The angry in-fighter let out a primal scream.

"Graaahhh!"
"Wow, your voice really sucks."

Furek’s pride took a hit. "Veteran" was just a synonym for "old," and now his side ached more than ever. If it was a beauty in her prime, her words would really hurt his heart.

Again, the beginning was good, but the problem was that the game started going in a strange direction because of Ga-wol.

The in-fighter chased the priestess, and the cavalry went after the ranger. The Beast Hunter’s support was still behind them. As an assassin class, there was no way to stop both of these at the same time.

The only feasible choice seemed to be killing the Beast Hunter.

But after Ga-wol chose to "poke around" against both of them, the game turned into a bizarre game of tag.

Once again, a flying kick hit the in-fighter’s head.

"Come on, please, not the head!"
"Sorry, your head’s so big, it’s the only thing I can see."
"..."

Another wound to his fragile heart. Furek had no choice but to swallow his anger and keep running.

In this fog, missing the target was just as problematic for them as it was for him. The opportunity only comes once. If he couldn’t catch Ga-wol, he needed to catch someone else.

Obviously, the worst-case scenario was missing both.

The cavalry chasing the ranger faced the same situation.

Before long, Ga-wol arrived, delivering a kick to the cavalry’s body and throwing off his balance. Fortunately, the cavalry didn’t fall, but he couldn’t change direction in time, and the distance to the ranger increased slightly.

The cavalry’s face was filled with anger.

Ga-wol’s laughter kept echoing in his ears.

"Ahh..."

It would have been easier if they had just attacked to kill. Even now, the Beast Hunter was sweating as he chased behind.

If they teamed up, Ga-wol might not make it out unscathed.

But if they just kept causing trouble and ran away, the ones who’d lose their temper would be the ones in trouble. The moment they stopped to catch Ga-wol, they wouldn’t catch him at all. The ranger could set traps or shoot arrows as soon as they had a bit of time.

It was truly a vicious game of tag!

This state would continue until someone died. Of course, it wasn’t just Furek who was in danger.

"Hey, Hadaaaun! Help meee!"

Heckate ran, looking like she was about to cry.

If she got caught, she’d die. She’d definitely die. She’d take the blame for Ga-wol. She wouldn’t die easily.

The strange game of tag between the three players ended with the cavalry’s decision.

Catching up to the ranger was impossible. Instead, the cavalry decided to make sure to kill Heckate, securing an advantage.

After making up his mind, the cavalry turned and charged at Heckate.

Fortunately, Ga-wol also quickly changed direction. With that overwhelming mobility, he would surely arrive just in time!

Heckate’s face brightened, and a voice chat message came through.

"Daeun, you really came to save me!"
"Nope, you just keep stalling and die."
"?"

Ga-wol’s target was the Beast Hunter, who had been left behind. The dark assassin had disappeared, and angry men were approaching.

Heckate grabbed her staff with a face that was on the verge of tears.

[‘Rite: Guardian Spirit’ effect applied.]
[Absorbs damage during the duration...]