After the failed attempt at Gunz’s life, Jaiden and Rio found themselves in a tight spot. They both lost over half their HP, which indicated they should recall to base to heal up.

However, they couldn’t leave the lane unattended. Somebody had to stay behind.

“I’ll heal you until the minions arrive,” Rio said. “Then, I’ll recall.”

“Sounds good.” Jaiden nodded.

“Only thing is,” Rio added. “I’m a little worried about leaving you here alone.”

“Heh, are you my mom?” Jaiden laughed.

“You saw how dangerous those two are.”

“Yeah, they’re definitely not messing around this game.”

The one exchange Jaiden had with Gunz was more than enough to teach him a lesson. He had to be extremely careful around the ex-StormBlitz duo. A simple misstep could easily result in his death.

But, it was alright. Jaiden wasn’t playing alone here. Even if Rio leaves the lane for a while, there was still one more pal who could help out.

“Hey Nash,” Jaiden called out. “Mind coming over here to farm with me?”

“Meh, do I have to?” Nash wasn’t fond of babysitting laners. He liked rotating to get juicy kills, not some boring minion exp.

“No, you don’t have to help if you don’t want to,” Rio said. “But, if Jaiden dies, the blood will be on your hands.”

“Heh, dramatic much?” Nash smiled. “Alright, alright. I’mma head over there.”

“Thanks, man,” Jaiden said.

“Anything for ya, bro.”

And so, their defense plan has been decided.

There was no telling how Gunz and Chessmaster will utilize their lane advantage, so Jaiden and Co. will have to handle this one carefully. They couldn’t allow the enemy to run rampant on the lane, but neither was it safe for them to confront the enemy head-on. So, for now, they’ll fortify their defenses and brace for impact.

As such, before anything else, it was important to pull Jaiden out of the critical HP range. That was Rio’s last job before recalling.

Rio remained stationary for a while, which triggered Prayer, Cleric’s passive. The Cleric joined hands and prayed, slowly restoring HP to nearby allies.

In this case, it restored only Jaiden’s HP, as the effect of Prayer didn’t extend to the Cleric himself. Rio was stuck with low HP and will have to recall after he finishes this mass.

This healing didn’t cost any MP and didn’t have a cooldown, so it was a very convenient tool. However, to keep it fair, the HP recovery rate wasn’t great. Jaiden only healed up to 50% HP by the time the next minion wave arrived.

Rio further brought it up to 60% by casting God’s Blessing, then he recalled to base. As they agreed, soon after Nash rotated to Bot to help with the defense efforts.

“Hey, I got a brilliant idea.” Nash grinned. “How about we pretend we’re defending, then we jump these guys!? They won’t see it coming!”

“Let’s not,” Jaiden dismissed the idea. “They’re not enemies we can beat in a 2v2 without some advantage.”

“Oh, c’mon. Why are ya scared? These guys are nothing.”

“I agree with Jaiden,” Rio said. “We shouldn’t challenge them carelessly.”

“Tch, fine.” Nash pouted.

To be honest, deep down, Nash knew these guys were the shit. Especially, Gunz was a beast. Nash still had a score to settle with that dude.

Out of all the enemies Nash has preyed on today, Gunz was the only one who almost slipped through Nash’s fingers. That was a disgrace for StormMonster, the ultimate horror who never permitted any escape for his victims.

And so, all this time, Nash has been waiting for a chance to settle things with Gunz. The next time he chases that beast, Nash will seal the deal on his own, without any help from Rio. He’ll live up to his name as a horror monster and will brutally murder Gunz!

But, now wasn’t his time yet. Nash had to lay low and wait for his golden opportunity. But, it’s a promise. Before this game ends, I’mma get at least one kill on Gunz. Just wait for it.

Meanwhile, the enemy was holding their own strategy meeting regarding the situation at hand.

“Are we gonna go all out on these dudes!?” Lars readied his revolver.

“No, it’s too risky,” Yuel said. “Let’s just farm, safe and steady.”

“Geh, really? And after we went through all the trouble to win the lane...” Lars made a face.

“It’s unfortunate but better safe than sorry,” Yuel said. I also had high hopes for what’s to come, but these guys know how to set up an efficient defense.

He was sure they’ll get to push hard after the Cleric retreats, but the Lancer’s defensive rotation was a brilliant counter move. It tied Yuel and Lars’s hands. They couldn’t press their lane advantage as aggressively as they would’ve liked.

In the end, the only thing they gained from winning the previous exchange was locking the enemy Lancer into defending Bot. It was far less than what Yuel hoped for, but it had some merit too. Defending Bot meant the Lancer was missing on jungle farm right now, as well as passively stealing some of Carry’s farm by splitting rewards.

It was a nice, albeit short-lived, lane advantage that came to an end after just one wave. Yuel and Lars got to push a little, but that’s all. The Lancer left the lane and the Cleric came in to replace him. The lane was back to square one.

They’re playing safer now. Yuel noticed.

Ever since the incident, Renegade and Laplace have been playing cautiously. They didn’t dare to aggress like before. Lars’s powerful counter taught them a harsh lesson.

And so, the situation in lane became stale once more. Neither side wanted to commit to any big attacks, in fear of being countered in a big way.

Considering Lars’s overwhelming strength, the enemy had more reasons to avoid confrontation. However, Yuel also gave them the respect they deserved and constantly stopped Lars from aggressing.

We can’t underestimate them just because we won one fight. Yuel reasoned. Those guys run all over Kai and Vincent two games in a row.

With both sides respecting each other’s skill, the situation in Bot remained even. However, the same couldn’t be said for the other lanes.

Mid was in big trouble. Nirvana was showing aggression like never before, pushing Kai to a corner.

She’s not playing like her usual self. Yuel criticized. Her defense is too turtly, she never goes on the offensive. I’m not sure what I should say to her.

Given Kai’s fragile state of mind at the moment, anything Yuel says might backfire terribly. In the first place, he was never good with words, and he apparently only had a talent for aggravating others.

Still, Yuel tried a few things. For starters, he got Luke involved with the situation in Mid. It became a routine for Luke to drop by in Mid and fend off Nirvana’s aggression. He practically became a babysitter for the lane, but he didn’t complain.

“No problem, dude.” Luke understood the gravity of the situation. He rotated through Mid whenever he had the chance, either to gank Nirvana or to defend the lane while Kai was away.

Unfortunately, this routine wasn’t very efficient. None of Luke’s gank attempts led to anything worthwhile. Nirvana was always on guard, even while he was deeply invested in his offense. Catching him by surprise was practically impossible.

On top of that, Luke’s Knight had no hope of competing with Aeromancer’s wave-clearing speed. As a result, Nirvana always got to push hard even while Luke was defending the lane. It was an awful arrangement through and through.

In conclusion, Mid was completely under the enemy’s thumb for now. Yuel couldn’t come up with a way to reclaim it.

Fortunately, things were a little different in Top. DragonMaster has been pushing Vincent around, but the situation wasn’t nearly as one-sided as in Mid. On top of that, Yuel has faced DragonMaster enough times today.

I can use some of his tendencies against him. By using all his experience from facing DragonMaster throughout the day, Yuel came up with the plan to strike DragonMaster’s ego.

Vincent executed Yuel’s instructions to a T and successfully triggered DragonMaster. The Berserker succumbed to madness and unleashed his Berserk mode on Vincent, just as Yuel planned. In the meantime, Luke rotated to Top and ganked the overextending foe.

While all that action was going down in Top, Yuel recalled to base in order to gear up. That gave him an opportunity to sit back and watch his scheme unfold in Top.

Everything was going according to plan. The only thing he miscalculated was the amount of damage the Berserker dished out against Vincent and Luke even after they banded together. However, that wasn’t a big issue, or so he believed...

“GAE BOLG!” The enemy Lancer joined the fray out of the blue. It was an unexpected counter-gank! Yuel was aware of this possible development the entire time, but he thought it was unlikely.

I made a miscalculation. Yuel bit his lip. He was too naive. Even though everything was going according to plan, this was the competitive stage. The trio that subbed into Taurus were all competent players, they constantly get in the way of Yuel’s plans. He couldn’t get away with simple tactics, not anymore.

『An ally has been killed!』

Vincent perished, and Luke’s fate was looking grim as well.

Based on the available data, and on Vincent’s bogus analysis, few could escape from StromMonster. So, it was almost certain Luke will perish as well.

Fortunately, Yuel found a small hole in that premise. StormMonster’s skill was overwhelming when he was chasing his prey, but he was a manageable foe in a straightforward fight. That much was proven by Lars, the only one to ever turn the tables on StormMonster after being chased.

By following that thread of logic, Yuel came up with the idea to make Luke fight back despite the sharp HP disadvantage. Contrary to common sense, doing so might actually prolong Luke’s life and give Yuel enough time to rotate to Top. At the very least, it was worth a shot.

“I’m heading to Top to rescue Luke,” Yuel informed.

“Go for it.” Lars nodded. “Save our dude, yo!”

“This means you’ll be alone in lane for a while.”

“No problem. I ain’t no little kid. I can handle myself, ya know.”

“Yes, I know. Just make sure you don’t get carried away,” Yuel warned. “It’ll be a 1v2 situation.”

“Yes, mom.” Lars cracked a laugh. “Don’t worry. You focus on saving our legendary memer dude. I’mma hold the fort.”

“Deal.” Yuel nodded. He still couldn’t entirely erase his worry, but at least it sounded like Lars understood the gravity situation. With how good the goof has gotten at playing defense lately, he should be able to keep himself alive even without Yuel’s help.

Maybe I’m just projecting my own restlessness. Yuel frowned. The last few games took a heavy toll on him mentally.

The team suffered one crushing defeat after another, so he felt pressured to turn the tables around. That’s what pushed him to come up with a plan that backfired so badly in Top. He was getting reckless in his pursuit of victory. I hope Lars is unaffected by this pressure...

Hehe. Now, it’s just you and me. Lars grinned at his lane opponents, a Pirate and a Cleric. These wild dudes have given the team a lot of trouble in the last two games. And, even this game, they just barely escaped early death. Dudes were skilled, no doubt.

Can I take on both of them at once? Lars couldn’t help but ask. He itched to wreck these dudes real bad.

This was the last game of the day, the decisive game. Stratus had to win here, no matter what. And, if Lars kills at least one of these big players over there, the game will instantly shift in Stratus’s favor.

I finally got all my favorite stuff back. His precious Carry role, as well as Gunslinger, one of his top two classes. I should be able to wreck them no problem even in a 1v2. Ez wins!

“Don’t get carried away.” Yuel left that warning behind. It poured cold water on Lars’s burning passion.

Yeah, Yuel is right. I shouldn’t force it. Lars took a deep breath. I can totally take them out in a 1v2, 200% confirmed. But, there’s always a chance something will go wrong. I can’t risk it, not in this important game.

If Lars foolishly charges in and dies, it’ll be a repeat of the last two games. That’s exactly how they got Kai every time. She made one hasty move and the enemy trampled all over here. These dudes were a dangerous pack, no doubt.

Okay, I’mma wait. Lars nodded to himself. If a good chance presents itself, I’ll totally strike. If not, I’ll just wait for Yuel to come back so he can initiate something.

Meanwhile, the other side was considering its own options too.

“Their Aquamncer is still missing,” Jaiden informed the team after Rio made the observation.

There was a good chance Chessmaster was heading toward Top or Mid, as both lanes were in dire need of assistance. If true, then Chessmaster won’t be in Bot for a while. It’ll be a 2v1 situation over here.

“Hey, isn’t this our big chance?” Jaiden grinned. “It’s 2v1. We can kill Gunz.”

“You want to challenge him again?” Rio shuddered. The terror of their previous fight was still fresh on his skin. The beast they were facing was a whole different level. It probably wasn’t a stretch to assume that Gunz’s mechanical skill was on par with that of pros.

“Last time, it was a 2v2,” Jaiden argued. “But, this time, we got a chance to 2v1 him. Let’s beat him together!”

“I don’t have any CC, though,” Rio pointed out.

Cleric was a weak fighter like most Support classes, so Rio won’t contribute much to the fight in terms of raw damage. While most Supports made up for that with strong crowd control effects, Cleric didn’t have that benefit. He was a pure Support, utilizing heals, cleanse, buffs, and even a revival, but not CC.

“It’s okay,” Jaiden insisted. “Just support me and I’mma beat Gunz in no time.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Huh? Y-Yeah, I...” Jaiden fell silent there. Did he? Really? Wasn’t it just wishful thinking on his end?

Jin has already experienced first-hand how powerful Gunz was. He tasted the despair of being unable to do anything against that monster. None of his attacks worked. Every move he made was read in advance. And, worst of all, the enemy heavily punished every little misplay he made.

Even with Chessmaster out of the picture and with Rio’s supporting, it was dubious whether Jaiden will be able to take down this monster. It was best to first assemble the Invincible Triangle, then launch a decisive attack.

Unfortunately, Nash was still busy in Top right now, so that won’t be happening any time soon.

Still, I need to find a way to beat them soon. Jaiden continued racking his brain.

“It’s not like you have to directly beat them prove a point.”

“Whoa!? Man, did you just read my mind or something!?

“It’s obvious just by looking at you.” Rio sighed. “Look, you’ve already forced them to play their strongest roles after beating their team twice. Now, you just need to win one more game. That’ll be enough to prove you’re a better player than them.”

“Hmm.” Jaiden knotted his brows. Rio got a point, you know?

Even though this was a team vs. team match, Jaiden was still thinking about surpassing Gunz and Chessmaster. A part of him was still stuck in the entrance exam from last year.

As Rio said, killing Gunz and Chessmaster wasn’t the victory condition for the team. The goal was to destroy the enemy Colossus, just like in any other Classmancers game. There were countless ways to reach that end goal.

Was killing Gunz and Chessmaster necessary in order to get there? It would certainly help, but it wasn’t mandatory by any means. On the contrary, pushing too hard for these kills might backfire and cost them the game.

I’ve already achieved my first big objective. Jaiden thought. We DESTROYED Stratus in the first two games. We wrecked them so hard, that Gunz and Chessmaster had no choice but to drag their butts to Bot. It’s exactly what I was asking for.

With the two legends returning to their rightful positions in Bot, they were now fighting Jaiden and Co. with everything they had. This was their final form.

Well, Gunz isn’t using Shooter, but his Slinger is just as strong, if not stronger. Jaiden reassured himself. There was no doubt that Gunz and Chessmaster were putting their everything into this fight, into defeating the Invincible Triangle.

The stage was set. Right now, in this final game, Jaiden and Co. were facing Gunz and Chessmaster in their final forms. This was the fateful battle. The grand finale.

Now, Jaiden and Co. simply had to win, and it didn’t matter how that victory will be achieved. Even if Jaiden has to avoid confronting Gunz and Chessmaster for the rest of the game, it didn’t matter. Getting the W was the only thing that counted in the end.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jaiden concluded. “No need to push for a risky fight here. Let’s wait until we got an actual advantage, then we can go ham.”

“Exactly.” Rio nodded. “We should focus on striking the enemy’s weak spots, not their strong ones..”

“You mean, striking the weakest link, right? That’s your favorite thing, huh.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, it’s a good strat.” Jaiden nodded. 

Despite agreeing with Rio, it still royally sucked that Jaiden couldn’t go ham against Gunz right now. But, it was important to understand that this game wasn’t just about Jaiden. The entire team was fighting here together to get that sweet W Therefore, Jaiden will also focus on getting the W here.

As Rio suggested, one of the best ways to achieve it was by striking the enemy’s weakest link. So, who was the weakest link in Stratus right now?

The girl. No question about it. Jaiden didn’t even need to think twice.

Despite being the “captain”, Beat was the weakest player in Stratus. She had some minimal competence, but that’s all she had. Compared to everybody else here, she was basically trash. Pure garbage.

Thinking back on it, the last two games were so ez because she was our lane opponent. Turns out we were striking the weakest link without even planning to. We’re natural at this.

This game, Beat finally took her business elsewhere. However, she wasn’t faring any better there either. Raymond was running all over her in Mid.

Beat was apparently trying to play it safe, but she was still eating damage left and right.

Gotta say though, Ray is rocking it this game.

Raymond has always been a strong player, but now he was looking more unstoppable ever. His playstyle was usually slow and steady, but this game he confidently extended into enemy territory at every opportunity he got, while still paying careful attention to his defense. It was an amazing performance.

Though, it’s the girl’s own fault for allowing all of this.

Beat’s performance was so bad, that even a defensive player like Raymond had no qualms about going hard on the offensive against her. The girl was completely cornered.

More and more damage accumulated on Beat’s tower. At this point, it was just a question of time. The tower will surely crumble sometime around mid-game. Raymond just needed a little bit of help for the final push.

Wait, isn’t this a great chance? Jaiden realized.

Beat was the enemy’s weakest link, the target they should be focusing on. And, with just a little bit of help, the team will bust the girl’s defenses and take Mid Turret.

It just so happened that Jaiden and Rio had the numbers advantage in lane right now, which meant they had some leeway to work with. It was a 2v1 situation, but they had no intention of exploiting it for fighting Gunz. Instead, they could use this advantage for other things, such as rotating to Mid to strike Beat down!

And so, a sinister plan was about to hatch.