Chapter 104: Chapter 104

Luce relentlessly pressured Sparrow.

With her wide shield, she blocked his vision, then aimed her sword downward to strike his foot.

He seemed aware of the attack but reacted a little too slowly.

A small trace of blood appeared.

That’s a point.

Sparrow circled around the side of the shield, throwing a dagger.

It wasn’t even infused with magic, clearly meant to obstruct her vision.

As expected, Sparrow’s figure blurred, vanishing into the shadows.

His target was right behind Luce.

The dagger aimed at her neck was easily intercepted.

And in this game, a perfect defense was always followed by a fierce counterattack.

Blood splattered across Sparrow’s face as he was struck.

The attack didn’t end there—another blow followed.

It wasn’t until he wasted several valuable skills that Sparrow managed to regain his stance.

“A sharp counterattack. Impressive. Luce couldn’t have seen that attack from her angle.”

“She probably caught it through his silhouette reflected in the shield or his shadow.”

“Hm... if I had to guess, it’s more likely she saw the shadow. Most shadow skills maintain the user's posture right before activation, though there’s a slight delay.”

If an assassin used shadow movement while swinging a dagger,

their ‘posture’ would remain mostly intact when they reappeared, but the ‘force’ behind the swing wouldn’t.

In other words, using a skill in an awkward stance weakens the next attack.

Assassins had long worked to overcome this issue.

One technique they developed was changing their grip on the weapon while in the shadow.

The basic stance was a saber grip, allowing precise control.

When emerging from the shadow, they could switch to a reverse grip for stronger attacks or a hammer grip for faster thrusts.

Daggers are weapons that can easily change their attack trajectory depending on how they’re held.

If you can switch grips out of sight, the number of possible attacks from a single stance multiplies.

It can even be used as a psychological tactic. This was the technique Sparrow had tried to use.

However, the assassin Luce had most recently faced was me.

“Sparrow missed something important. Even if an assassin uses a skill, their shadow lingers for a split second. You always need to hide your hands and weapons with your body. Or time it a bit better.”

By reading the assassin’s grip, you can discern their intentions.

And from the posture they reappear in, you can predict the possible attacks.

Once you understand both, it’s easy to know where they’ll strike.

The spikes Sparrow tried to raise were blocked effortlessly.

Not a single one of his daggers aimed at vital points managed to break through Luce’s defense.

And an assassin’s power wasn’t enough to break the holy knight’s guard gauge.

The knight’s class-specific weight continued to push Sparrow back.

The shield swung like a blunt weapon, and occasionally, Luce’s sword aimed for vital spots.

Sparrow managed to respond adequately, but... once the assassin is on the defensive, the match is practically over.

“Hm. It looks like Sparrow made a mistake there. You can just dodge that slice by watching it—there was no need to waste a survival skill.”

“You can dodge that slice by just watching? So, is there any skill you can’t avoid?”

“Is there? ‘Undodgeable’ skills are created by situations. All Infinity Black skills are designed to be dodged if you react properly.”

“Viewers, you heard it here first.”

“?”

[Title: ‘Traveler’ Teams Up with England’s ‘Ripper’]

[Author: Gravekeeper Reporter )]

A trade deal has been struck between Korea’s renowned Q Prime and England’s Acid Gaming.

According to the announcement, Q Prime’s ace, ‘Traveler’ Nam Hyun, will be transferring to Acid Gaming.

This will bolster Acid Gaming’s lineup with the combination of Ripper, their existing assassin, and Traveler’s lancer.

With Acid Gaming expected to compete in the upcoming international tournament, domestic teams will need to be wary of their newfound strength.

Traveler’s vacant position at Q Prime will be filled by ‘Holy,’ an inquisitor known for his longevity.

This marks the first instance of the newly relaxed foreign mercenary rules being applied.

The team has brought in an anti-carry tank with the opposite playstyle of their previous ace, sparking curiosity about how Q Prime’s gameplay will change.

Q Prime’s fans have expressed negative opinions about the trade.

Comments like “They sold off a perfectly fine ace and brought in someone about to retire?” and “They’ve gone broke, huh? This team’s finished,” are circulating.

Meanwhile, a Q Prime representative has denied rumors of financial trouble within their parent company, Q Financial, but provided no further explanation.

Details of the contract between the two teams remain undisclosed.

[Comments]

I think it’s time to give up on this team. They were the first I supported, but now...

└ Same here. Q Prime was my first team too.

└ Ah...

Should we move to Eunah?

└ There’s a rumor ACL’s been investing a lot of money lately.

In what had been called an early finals preview, the Sigma eSports vs. Q Prime semifinal ended with Sigma winning 3-1.

In my opinion, it was a disappointing match.

They showed some decent moments here and there.

They proved that not just anyone can hold the title of a prestigious pro team, but they couldn’t escape the fans' criticism.

If Sigma hadn’t experimented with their strategy, the result would have been a straightforward 3-0.

My commentary from the first match certainly didn’t help, either.

Because of that, I ended up gaining a few more enemies among the fans.

Not that it bothered me much—I’ve always had a fair share of enemies.

But, honestly, it has started to get under my skin lately.

In any case, the aftermath of the semifinals only burned hot online for a few hours before dying down surprisingly quickly.

The announcement of Traveler’s transfer absorbed all the heat.

Ho-eun’s remark about my timing had probably been referring to this.

And then, just a day later, Traveler personally reached out to me, asking to meet.

“Ah, have you been waiting long? Sorry about that. The traffic was bad because of the rain.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Traveler—Nam Hyun—came in, folding his umbrella as he entered.

He paused for a moment at the entrance, his expression blank, then quickly returned to normal.

“Does Elderen use a bad camera or something? This is weird.”

“What is?”

“Nothing, never mind. The food’s not out yet, right? This was the only place I could get a quick reservation. I’ll treat you to something nicer next time.”

“This place is more than enough.”

“Really? If you say so, then great.”

Did he take me seriously when I said he had to buy me an expensive meal to meet up?

The meeting spot was a fairly high-class Japanese restaurant.

Honestly, this was more than I’d expected.

I just wanted a place where the two of us could eat our fill and end up with a bill of around 100,000 won.

Something with the quality of a family restaurant would have been fine.

Judging by the way the server explained how the ingredients were prepared, this was clearly a more upscale place.

“Anyway, why did you want to meet?”

“I wanted to see you before I leave the country. Originally, I wanted to meet in-game, but you said that wasn’t possible.”

“That’s true.”

“Is Sigma preparing well?”

Wait, did Luce tell him?

I hadn’t heard anything about that.

Traveler was a seasoned veteran in the gaming world.

It’s possible he’d heard something through the grapevine.

Maybe Sigma’s internal silence wasn’t perfect, or maybe someone with loose lips had spilled something.

“So, you knew? Who told you?”

“No one told me anything. I just guessed, but your reaction confirmed it.”

“You...!”

“Relax. What do I gain by spreading this around?”

Turns out I was the one with loose lips.

Traveler chuckled, the chopsticks in his fingers clinking lightly as they touched.

“Feels pretty humiliating, right? Be careful. When I slipped up, I got a huge scolding for it.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“That reporter didn’t even tell me it was a leading question. I only realized when the first leaked article came out. That’s when I knew... I’d been played.”

The food arrived, and we started eating.

Traveler began to talk more openly.

His team hadn’t always been like this.

He understood that his teammates had their own circumstances.

Not everyone could throw themselves at things like a madman, the way he could.

In an ideal world, everyone could keep pushing forward purely with passion.

But eventually, boys grow up, and someone has to face reality.

“Well, that’s enough of that. I didn’t invite you here to talk about this.”

“It’s fine. I enjoyed listening.”

“So, when are you debuting as a pro?”

“I don’t know. If it’ll even happen.”

“...That sounded a little heavy.”

Traveler glanced down at my legs.

This guy is sharper than I thought.

Honestly, it’s not like I was lacking in skill to go pro.

If there was anything holding me back, it was the baggage I carried in-game... but at least Luce had chosen to take that on.

For me to say that my debut was “uncertain” despite joining Sigma meant there were other problems.

“Still, I hope you go pro. That’s part of why I asked to meet.”

“Out of the blue?”

“Out of the blue? That hurts. I’ve respected you since Arena.”

Now that I think about it, Traveler had said something like that back in Arena.

The way you approach battles is completely different from mine. Cerberus lives in a world I couldn’t even see.

I’m just starting to see it now, so it’s going to take me a while to catch up.

I usually wouldn’t say something like this to an amateur—it hurts my pride—but I felt the same way watching your match this time.

“This transfer—I wanted it. I threw a fit with the team, either reinforce the lineup or trade me, so this is what happened. I know a lot of the team’s secrets, so I guess they saw it as a chance to cut ties with me.”

“Really? With Ripper, you’ll have an S-tier teammate. Honestly, this might be a good thing. You’ll have a better shot at going further.”

“I think so too. I feel bad for the people I’ve been with for so long and the domestic fans, but... I still want to win. You’re okay with alcohol?”

“Yeah. I won’t drink too much, though.”

Traveler poured each of us a drink.

We clinked glasses and took a sip.

I didn’t want to get drunk, so I decided this would be my last drink for the night.

“You’re one of the people I really want to beat. So, let’s meet at the international stage.”

“Guess I’d better be ready.”

“Yeah. I’ll crush you, so wait for it.”

“For someone who’s bad at the game, you sure talk big.”@@novelbin@@

Traveler gritted his teeth but didn’t seem to mind.