The next minion wave arrived. This was the perfect opportunity for Raymond to test his offense on Beat.

Sorcerer's range was great, but Beat still had to step out of her tower to clear the minions. That moment will be Raymond’s best opportunity to strike.

Aeromancer was best suited for defense, but that didn't mean it couldn't go on the offensive. If anything, many of its defensive tools were also great for offense.

Raymond placed a Whirlwind on the incoming enemy wave. So far, it was nothing new. That alone shouldn't arise the enemy's suspicion.

After Whirlwind, Raymond would normally retreat to his side of the lane. But, not this time. Instead, he fired a Squall toward Beat.

Huh? He's shooting? Kai blinked in confusion and instinctively backed away. But, that wasn’t even necessary.

There was no way Squall would reach her from that distance. Kai was convinced because she knew how to Aeromancer. She developed a good grasp of Squall’s range- WHAM! The gust of wind slammed her!

"Huh!?" Kai, staggered backward, unable to process the situation. What? How!? Squall couldn't reach across such a big range, no way.

Did they stealth-buffed the range or something? Kai frowned. No, there weren't any recent balance changes as far as I know.

And yet, the Squall undeniably reached her. In other words, it flew farther than it normally could. There was only one way an Aeromancer could make that happen: with Jet Stream.

When did he place it? Kai spotted the culprit. As expected, there was a trail of wind blowing between her and her opponent. She didn't even see it being placed, so that’s why it took her a couple of seconds to figure what was going on. When did he...?

The Jet Stream wasn't there before Nirvana fired Squall, Kai could swear on that. So, did Nirvana place the Jet Stream after firing Squall?

I know it’s just barely possible in terms of timing, but... Even Kai, who enjoyed the challenge of execution, wouldn't risk trying this advanced tech in a critical match like this. Even the slightest miscalculation could ruin that entire setup and waste precious MP. In particular, it was too risky to try it online, especially in laggy matches.

But, this match is more like offline. Kai reasoned. On this stage, there won't be any lag spikes or unexpected delays, so difficult setups like this were far more viable.

Damn, so he gonna zone me with that? Kai clicked her tongue. What a pain.

The Squall, boosted by Jet Stream, ate 20% of Kai’s HP in one hit. It was no joke.

While I farm the lane, he’ll be farming my HP. Kai frowned.

To clear minions efficiently as a Sorcerer, Kai had to step out of her tower range and place a Magia Orb in the center of the enemy wave. However, doing so placed her in the range of the Squall + Jet Stream combo. She'll have to pay with her HP for the ability to farm optimally.

In that case, I'll just have to dodge it. Kai thought. If the enemy was planning to Squall + Jet Stream her every time she approached, then Kai will simply have to avoid the attack. Next time, she'll be ready.

The next wave arrived.

Kai advanced to the front in order to place her Magia Orb, but she also kept a watchful eye on the opponent’s movements. The moment Nirvana fires, she'll move out of the way.

WHISH! A gust of wind charged at her! That sound was the cue. Now, Kai just had to step to the right and- WHAM! The wind struck her!

"Wha-!?" Kai exclaimed. How in the-!? I was ready this time!

Even though Kai reacted on time, the Squall still hit her. Was she too slow? Even with her refined auditory senses?

Oh, I see what's up. The speed is deceptive. Kai figured. 

If she were dealing with a normal Squall, she'd be able to dodge it based on the sound cue. However, what Nirvana fired at her was no simple Squall. The moment Squall passed through Jet Stream, it gained a sudden boost of speed and rammed into Kai right after.

Alright, then Dodge Roll it is. Kai concluded.

Another wave arrived.

Like before, Nirvana unleashed his Squall + Slipstream combo. But, this time, Kai didn’t sidestep. Instead, she rolled aside as soon as she heard the sound of the wind blast.

Alright. Good. Kai nodded to herself. This time, there was no incident. She successfully evaded the damage.

How do you like that, huh? Kai lifted her chin. She recovered from the roll, then unleashed Dimensional Collapse on the enemy wave as usual. You’re welcome to try hitting me again. Keep wasting your MP as much as you want, I'm down for it.

Unfortunately, her opponent wasn’t greedy.

I see she adapted. Raymond nodded. He knew this setup won't work forever, but it did rob Beat of 40% HP. It was MP well spent. Next, let's try this.

During the next minion wave, Raymond assumed the usual position. He made it look as he was going to unleash Squall + Jet Stream again.

Judging by the enemy’s movements, the bluff was convincing enough.

Not giving up, huh. Kai sneered. Fine by me. Try me!

Kai was ready. Her eyes were peeled. As long as she doesn't miss the sound cue, she'll Dodge Roll that Squall no problem.

Yeah, she'll dodge it. Whenever it comes. Any moment now. No matter when it happens. Anytime. No problem...

Is he messing with me? Kai clicked her tongue. Alright, I'll just ignore your bullshit. She activated Dimensional Collapse. At that moment - WHAM! A wind burst!

"You little...!" Kai cursed. She spammed the spacebar to roll as quickly as humanly possible, but she was still stuck in the casting animation of Dimensional Collapse. That Squall was charging at her with the worst timing possible!

Eventually, Kai recovered from the casting animation and started rolling away. But, it was too late. WHAM! Wind crashed into her. Another 20% HP gone.

Damn, this bastard is good. Kai clenched her mouse. She had no choice but to admit her defeat this round.

With 40% HP left, it was risky to remain in the lane. It was best to recall to base and heal up, even though it meant surrendering lane control for one wave. Tch.

Maybe I should risk it and stay here anyway? Kai wondered. She didn't want to admit defeat so quickly here, not like this. It was too lame.

Alas, she had to suck it up. The last two games taught her a harsh lesson. She didn’t want to become the trigger for the team’s defeat again.

Not to mention, she has already caught a glimpse of the enemy Jungler roaming around Mid. Against a potential gank, especially one coming from StormMonster, staying in lane with 40% HP was practically suicide.

There was no other way around it. Kai lost against Nirvana and had to bail out.

Was Lars holding down such a strong opponent this entire time? A shudder ran through Kai.

Throughout the entire day, Kai barely got to see Nirvana in action or even hear much about him. There weren’t any noteworthy developments in Mid as long as the situation remained as Lars contesting Nirvana.

Therefore, as a player, Nirvana didn't stand out much. Kai assumed the guy was just another scrub, like the majority of Taurus players from earlier today.

Of course, Lars mentioned a few times that things weren’t going easy for him in Mid. And, given Lars’s skill, it was logical to assume that Nirvana had some fighting in him.

However, Kai was always detached from the events in Mid, and Lars never showed signs of experiencing real trouble. Therefore, it was easy to assume that Nirvana was no big deal.

I was completely wrong. Kai realized only now, after fighting Nirvana face-to-face.

Nirvana was a strong player. He figured that Kai was planning to play defensively and immediately applied pressure. And, once Kai adapted to the pressure, Nirvana immediately mixed things up. After just a handful of waves, Nirvana forced Kai to run with her tail between her legs.

It was humiliating. Lars has been holding the fort in Mid the entire day, yet Kai lost the lane in just a couple of minutes. It was bullshit, there was no other way to describe it.

So, I'm basically trash, huh. Kai bit her lip. At this point, she had no strength to deny it any longer. The enemy outclassed her no matter which lane she played. She was complete and utter trash.

"Kai, you should've said you're recalling," Yuel criticized.

"Ah, yeah, sure." Kai hung her head. Another misplay. She has been making mistakes left and right today. Fuck it all. Let this horrible day just end already...

"Luke, can you defend Mid until Kai returns?" Yuel requested.

"Welp, I can give it a try, but..." Luke smiled wryly.

"Yeah, I know." Yuel nodded. "Knight isn't exactly fast at clearing but it’s all you have right now."

"Gotcha." Luke rotated to Mid as requested. Let's see if I can troll this guy, huehue.

He cautiously advanced toward the frontline. The moment his opponent uses Whirlwind, Luke will activate his trap card!

I got the 200 IQ strats. Luke smiled mischievously.

The plan was to push enemy minions away with Shield Bash. That’d create a distance between the two armies, forcing allied minions to chase the enemy. In the process, they’ll leave Whirlwind’s range with minimal damage. It was the ultimate Aeromancer counter!

C’mon, go for it. Luke urged. Do it, bruh.

Any moment now. Once this Aeromancer unleashes Whirlwind, it'll be time for that sweet counter! Heck yeah, let's gooooooooo! 

Um... let's go? Whenever you're ready. Luke's smile twitched. Something was off. The Aeromancer was sure taking his sweet time.

Unbeknown to Luke, his opponent was also waiting for something to happen.

He’s not using Shield Bash? Raymond wondered.

The staple wave clearing routine for Knight was to lump enemies together with Shield Bash, then slice through them with Blade Swing. However, LegendaryMemer wasn't hurrying to do anything.

Is it on cooldown? That was definitely possible. The Knight probably rushed over here at short notice, so maybe his Shield Bash wasn't online yet. It was definitely possible, but somehow hard to believe.

He must be really experienced with Knight to pick it for jungling. Raymond reasoned.

Jungler Knight wasn't a standard pick, but neither was Jungler Pyromancer for that matter. And yet, LegendaryMemer performed well with Pyromancer last game. The way he carried himself showed he had plenty of experience playing that niche pick. As such, it was fair to assume that the same applied to his Knight.

Perhaps, as the name implied, LegenadryMemer specialized with niche classes. He accumulated enough tech and experience to compete against meta classes with mere memes. At least, that was Raymond’s impression.

Am I overthinking this? After all, his nickname is LegendaryMemer... Raymond couldn't tell for sure. Maybe this player was picking unconventional Junglers just to meme around. If so, the guy was a disgrace to this competitive stage.

I'd like to believe Stratus is above pulling such pranks. Raymond thought. They come across as a solid team this year, so I better take this Knight seriously.

Due to these worries, Raymond was reluctant to summon his Whirlwind. Doing so would give the enemy an advantage.

Shield Bash had a displacement CC, so the Knight will be able to manipulate the positions of minions on the lane. For example, he could push Raymond’s minions away. That’ll make his minions give chase, leaving Whirlwind's area of effect in the process. It was a risk Raymond didn’t want to take

Therefore, he just stood far away and fired basics at the enemy swordsmen. There was no hurry. The enemy didn't dare to come closer, so Raymond effortlessly maintained lane advantage without spending any MP. It was a good arrangement.

Sooner or later, this situation should force the Knight to commit to a move. Or, perhaps, LegendaryMemer was fine with just stalling Raymond a little, without outright contesting the lane. That'll be fine too.

But, should I really be satisfied with just that? Raymond had a weird thought.

Normally, he'd combat such situations with his patience. He’d wait for the enemy to commit, then counter them. And, if the enemy refuses to commit, Raymond will simply maintain the status quo as long as it didn’t play in his enemy’s favor. But, should he really be satisfied with just that?

Raymond gained a tremendous lane advantage after chasing Beat out of the lane. But now, LegendaryMemer was trying to negate that advantage by simply standing there, staring Raymond down. The guy wasn't even willing to come forth and commit to any plays.

If I do nothing here, the advantage I worked for will be gone. Raymond reasoned. The Sorcerer will return to lane with the next wave, so the lane situation will be back to square one.

Maybe I should be greedier? For a moment, Raymond couldn't believe that thought crossed his mind.

No, that wasn't quite right. Such thoughts crossed his mind countless times before during similar situations. However, this was the first time he seriously considered acting upon them.

Raymond had the lane advantage right now. The Knight only came here to put out the fire, not to regain lane advantage. And, in the first place, a Knight couldn't possibly contest Aeromancer's clearing speed. The entire lane was at Raymond's mercy right now.

He knew all that because he researched the game more than anybody else in the club. Given enough time, anybody could learn to recognize advantageous situations like this.

What would guides advise him to do in this situation? Naturally, they’ll tell him to pressure the Knight. “Go all out and scare him out of the lane.” That’ll probably be the gist of the advice.

So, let’s do exactly that! Raymond unleashed Squall.

"Wha-!?" Luke jumped. That stuff came outta nowhere! He didn't even get a chance to react as the blast ate away 15% of his HP.

Heh, you’re coming after me? Luke grinned. That's ballsy of you.

By injuring Luke, Nirvana became a bona fide criminal. The minions didn’t let it pass. They charged straight at the Aeromancer, like apprentices seeing revenge for their master.

However, the enemy anticipated that. Rather, he must've been aiming for it all along...!

Good. Now, everybody is packed in one place. Raymond cast Whirlwind ahead of himself.

The enemy squad was focused on hunting him down, so they didn’t pay any attention to his minions. In other words, displacing Raymond’s minions will no longer distract the enemy army. The threat of Shield Bash was off the table.

“Dang, bruh hit me with a 5-dimensional chess move!” Luke facepalmed. It was a sad story, but firing Shield Bash no longer made any sense now. Derp.

While he was giving up on the situation, his opponent considered taking things a step further.

Do I ult him? Raymond wondered.

More than likely, he won't be able to get a kill here. The Knight was at 70% HP, so Hurricane won't be enough to finish him off. Nevertheless, it will eat a lot of his HP and will likely force the guy to recall to base. That, in turn, will slow down his framing and will make LegendaryMemer lag behind the rest.

I've already come this far, so I'll go all the way! Raymond created a Jet Stream in the distance.

"Whoa, for real!?" Luke grimaced as he passed through a gust of wind.

It only slowed him down, that's all it did. But, who in their right mind would slow down an opponent they had no intention of fighting? Nobody. In other words, something was coming!

"Holy moly!" Luke turned around and caught a glimpse of the last thing he wanted to see right now.

The Aeromancer was moving his hands in rapid circular motions. Bruh was cooking up a storm with his bare hands!

Dang, this slowdown is the real shit! Luke felt sweat forming on his forehead. He couldn't get away by just running.

WHAM! He charged forth with Shield Bash. That was his last-ditch effort to escape the approaching hurricane.

It was almost a success too, if not for his turtle tier movement speed. He was slow, painfully so. The hurricane was slowly but surely catching up to him, pulling him in stronger and stronger.

"The Aero’s ult is down!" Luke announced and he booted his Noble Steed. "I'm outta here!" 

Even as the wind was dragging him away, he still somehow mounted the skeletal horse. Yeah, that's right. His horse wasn’t just a white steed, it was a skeleton horse! This skin cost like 3 euro, but it was worth every penny.

Unfortunately, this cool skin didn't offer any actual advantages. The hurricane pulled the horse as strongly as ever, even though bruh was just bones.

C'mon, you can do it! Ride like the wind, my boy! Luke cheered on his dead steed.

Even with the horse’s speed, it was hard to flee from Hurricane’s pull at this range. But, at the very least, the wind failed to suck him in. Slowly, but surely, Luke was making his escape. Like, reaaaaaally slowly...

It was an inelegant escape, but it was an escape all the same. Against Hurricane from this range, any kind of escape counted as an achievement.

That’s a good answer. Raymond nodded. I didn’t expect him to counter with his ult. Well played.

It seemed like Raymond won't be getting any damage on the Knight after all. But, at least, they just traded an ult for an ult. Nobody lost more than the other here.

"Knight’s ult is down," Raymond informed. That’s all he achieved with his aggressive play, for the better and the worse.

Eventually, the hurricane died out and the Knight was free from the pull.

Freedom! Luke sprinted full speed toward the allied Mid Turret. He unmounted inside the tower’s area and turned around to assess the situation of the lane.

Yep, about what I expected... Luke smiled wryly.

It was bad. Like, real bad. His entire minion wave was gone. And, who could blame them? These little guys ate damage from both Whirlwind and Hurricane. They never stood a chance.

So, the situation was basically like this: Luke lost his entire army, while the enemy army was almost in perfect health and was heading straight to the tower. Fun times.

Welp, this sucks. How am I supposed to clear anything? Luke shook his head in dejection. His Shield Bash was down and he couldn't access Blade Swing either. All he had were his basic attacks and his taunt. Awesome.

Welp, I got HP to spare, so I can at least soak some tower damage. Luke reasoned.

The Hurricane failed to do anything to him, so he was still at 70% HP. The minions will give him hell if he taunts them, but Knight was tanky enough to endure that pain. I planned to recall soon anyway, so I might as well spend my HP. It’s a resource, after all.

Once the enemy minions entered the tower’s range, Luke activated Honorable Duel.

Yeah, this looks real honorable to me. Luke snickered. A bunch of guys ganging up on one poor sob. Welp, I asked for it myself, so can’t really complain.

It was too risky to taunt the entire enemy wave, so Luke only targeted the enemy bowmen. These guys were the main source of DPS, so they had to go first.

But, to reach the backline with Honorable Duel, Luke had to advance toward the edge of the tower’s area. That put him within the Aeromancer’s attack range.

So, he’s drawing away the bowmen? I see. Raymond fired a basic attack at the Knight.

Dang! This guy doesn't feel like giving me a break, does he? Luke grumped as he ate the damage like a champ. Well, it was just a measly 2% of his HP anyway. He could endure that much for days. Them mages are hitting like little girls.

While the Aeromancer’s basic attacks were nothing to panic about, the bowmen’s arrows were a different story. They also dealt relatively low damage, only erased like 4% HP per shot However, there were three bowmen, so that turned the damage into 12% HP per attack. Yikes.

Unfortunately, Luke had no choice but to suck it up. He had to become their practice dummy to divert their attention from the tower. Therefore, he ate the first round of damage unconditionally.

Simultaneously, he also used that time to lure the minions deeper into the tower’s area. Once they’ve ventured deep enough, it was time to smack these dudes!

Eat this! Luke swung his blade and cut the bowmen down, one by one.

During all that time, the little guys never ceased their relentless shooting. By the time the fight concluded, Luke was at 40% HP. It was a rough exchange, but it was worth it. Thanks to Luke’s sacrifice, the tower only lost about 15% HP instead of losing like 50%.

It sounded extreme, but the bowmen were that formidable of a force. When an entire wave was intact and bowmen were allowed to shoot the tower nonstop, the damage accumulated rapidly. Minion pushes were hella dangerous when the game was approaching mid-game, so Luke’s sacrifice literally saved the future of the lane.

"Well, I'm outta here," Luke announced. "I’ve done what I could. Gotta recall."

"Good work," Yuel said. He was hoping for a more peaceful resolution for that situation, but Nirvana has been aggressing harshly this game. First on Kai, and now on Luke.

It was as if some sort of switch flipped in Nirvana’s brain. Did he reach some sort of enlightenment? The guy was undeniably strong before, but in this game, he transformed into a real threat.

Just great. Yuel sighed. Another difficult problem to deal with...

As the game went on, the situation in Mid remained far from ideal. Even after Kai returned to lane, Nirvana has been giving her a hard time. The enemy conquered Mid in all but name. Kai was only there to delay the inevitable.

To make things worse, the situation in Top wasn't exactly favorable either...