Chapter 48: Chapter 48

In the video, a black axe struck Traveler’s shield. The axe blade angled just right, pulling the shield closer, while Cerberus took hold of it. They were locked in a battle of strength, with Cerberus’s relentless axe clashing repeatedly against Traveler’s spear.

His health bar wasn’t depleting, but the precious guard gauge was visibly cracking.

‘This is where things start to fall apart…’

I increased the playback speed. The back-and-forth seemed sluggish, but only because they were exchanging blows in careful intervals.

Between the heavy attacks, Cerberus slipped in a few minor skills here and there—some crucial to block, others small enough to ignore. The important thing was that these quick attacks were exploiting the game’s mechanics to the fullest.

Cerberus’s main class was Dark Knight. Unlike Paladins, who focused on defense, Dark Knights excelled in debuffs and magic damage.

It wasn’t a class known for agility, so his attacks appeared slower. Compared to an Assassin or Swordsman, his moves were indeed slower, but Traveler didn’t seem to have a moment to breathe.

That was due to the precise timing Cerberus maintained between each move.

“There’s no time for Traveler to reset his stance.”

“If only he could create some distance, but it doesn’t look like Cerberus will allow that.”

“What’s terrifying about Cerberus is that he can manipulate the battle to his advantage at will. Can you believe a knight that bulky can move with such finesse?”

“This is tough. No matter how much time Traveler tries to buy, his guard gauge just can’t recover. The damage keeps piling up!”

The fight wasn’t ending anytime soon. Guard, mana, and health that were depleted wouldn’t be recovered. Traveler wasn’t able to fully restore his guard once it had been worn down.

Cerberus’s relentless assaults demanded constant use of the guard gauge. Either that or be slowly whittled away by the Dark Knight’s debuffs. It was a meticulously calculated hell of forced choices.

When Luce reaches her peak, will she play like this?

“Impressive interview you gave. I enjoyed it. A dream, huh… You’re more of a romantic than I thought.”

“Ah, it’s an honor!”

“My apologies. That wasn’t meant to be sarcastic.”

Not that Cerberus lacked raw combat power, either.

He had an exacting sense of distance, always keeping himself within the optimal range. It was as if he knew exactly how he looked to his opponent, choosing the most troublesome attack paths. The way he wielded his skills made it feel like fighting two opponents at once.

Traveler seemed prepared, landing a few good counterattacks. But there was a clear difference in their levels. At times, he managed to bring Cerberus’s health down significantly, yet it never felt like the tide was turning.

“I thought it was a beautiful story. Saying you’d surpass me someday—that ambition is the mark of a true professional.”

“Hah! So, are you gonna let me win?”

“Not a chance. Beautiful things and realistic things are very different.”

Eventually, the spear knight couldn’t withstand the war of attrition and fell. His shattered shield rolled across the ground, his arm was struck, and he couldn’t even grip his spear. He tried to reach for his secondary weapon, but Cerberus blocked him.@@novelbin@@

“Do all dreams come true just because you have them?”

“Not at all.”

“You know it well.”

And so, Traveler’s journey came to an end.

Outside, the sky was a dull gray, as if rain might fall at any moment, but only a hollow wind blew. I sat by the window, staring outside with a vacant expression. The rising humidity and sticky air weighed down my mood, but there was something oddly addicting about watching the scene. I zoned out, lost in thought.

Looking back, things had been going pretty well recently. I was participating in the tournament I’d longed for, and I’d even gotten some indirect exposure on streams.

‘I even had dinner with Luce and got a gift.’

After Traveler’s 2-0 loss, anxiety spiked in the local community.

While Luce’s match was being set up, the reactions were all over the place. Some were relieved, thinking Traveler did as well as he could; others were despairing, believing everything was over. A small faction held onto hope, convinced Luce could beat Cerberus and win it all.

Sadly, the doomsayers were the most vocal. Korea’s record in international competitions wasn’t exactly encouraging. Luce, in particular, was known more for her teamwork than for outstanding individual performances.

Amid the despair, Luce held true to her nickname. Luce, meaning “light” in Italian, or hope and a bright future in biblical terms. She wielded her holy sword and cut through the fog, deciding the match.

Luce triumphs over Reaper in a 2-1 battle!

Sigma eSports: “We spared no effort in supporting Luce for today.”

Mixed emotions: Recapping the Arena Quarterfinals.

The Arena Finals lineup was complete. Cerberus and Luce, me and Crow. After the semifinals, we’d have only a single day to prepare for the finals.

Fortunately, I knew Luce’s playstyle inside out. But there was an unexpected twist.

“Wait, did anyone expect Drake to be beaten this decisively?”

“Shockwaves across the tournament as Crow crushes Drake! There’s nothing to fault in either the result or the gameplay.”

“Most people didn’t see this coming. Crow was a second-league player until recently!”

“He was notorious for being an anomaly in the second league, but many assumed he’d struggle in the first. And today, that expectation has been thoroughly shattered!”

Crow, a necromancer from Europe’s second league, completely dismantled a seasoned South American player in the match that followed mine. Until now, he hadn’t been on anyone’s radar.

But after yesterday’s match, his stock had risen considerably. People online were already speculating about us.

The issue now was Crow himself. The necromancer class was obscure, and Crow had debuted only last year in the second league, meaning there wasn’t much data on him.

Preparing for Cerberus after the semifinals would be too late. I couldn’t neglect preparations for Crow either. Focusing solely on a final match I hadn’t reached yet could lead to an embarrassing semifinals performance.

I needed help, especially with limited time and only one of me. Just then, I heard the familiar beeps of the door lock. A man I recognized walked in after five beeps.

“You’re here?”

“Yeah. How’ve you been?”

“Same as always.”

It was, of course, my teacher. I had no other choice. My social circle had shrunk to the point where I didn’t have many options.

I couldn’t even turn to my online friends. Elderin was on vacation, and Sulbbang was tied up with a sudden siege event. Reaching out to Traveler… that would have felt wrong. Even I had a sense of shame.

Besides, if Traveler could help, he’d probably side with Luce. It would be more efficient for him too. He wouldn’t be facing Cerberus next.

“I’m here to help, but what exactly do you need me to do?”

“Just like I mentioned over the phone. I’m prepping for the tournament, but there’s a lot to handle on my own.”

“Alright, I’ll help with whatever I can. I don’t know anything about games, though. Is that okay?”

“As long as you can help with weapons and physical techniques, I’ll handle the game stuff.”

“Alright, let’s give it a go.”

My teacher was sharper than he looked. Becoming a national coach required more than just physical prowess. I’d learned all my analytical skills from him.

“Da-eun, what’s that dark stuff you keep summoning? Can you use it repeatedly?”

“That’s a skill. See here, it says ‘17’? I have to wait that long to use it again. I blocked just now, but over here, this…”

“Complicated. I need to understand this first before I can see anything.”

“Just a sec. I have something organized for that.”

As expected, he adapted quickly, asking questions now and then. Meanwhile, I was breaking down Crow’s footage, frame by frame.

I paid special attention to his eye movements. Where he looked before casting spells, and the mental process leading to each decision. This is why I disliked mages—advantageous as they are, they’re such a hassle to deal with.

After a while of organizing data, he looked over at me and chuckled.

“You look much happier now.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yeah. Out of all the expressions I’ve seen on you lately, this is the best one.”

A mirror would’ve been nice, but all I had was the one in the bathroom, so I couldn’t check my face just then.

“By the way, have you eaten? If not, let’s order something.”

“Oh… what are you in the mood for? Soup? Spicy pork? Or maybe some tonkatsu?”

“Pizza. With extra cheese.”

“Your tastes are still unique…”

“It’s you kids who always want to eat the same things. Why not try something different for takeout?”

Pizza felt a bit too rich for my taste. I’d never liked cheese.

But as it turned out, I ended up devouring the pizza, savoring every bite.