“RELEASE THE-” the Pirate shouted at the top of his lungs. He was about to unleash this devastating attack on a prey who couldn’t budge from his spot!

It was over. Jaiden was about to topple the unbeatable beast!

WHOOSH! Water erupted from the ground.

“Whoa-!?” Jaiden found himself floating in mid-air all of a sudden. His casting was interrupted. “Dang, he made it!?”

It was Aquamancer’s Geyser Eruption. A wild Chessmaster appeared!

“Yooooooo, dude!” Lars jumped in his seat. He’d totally hug Yuel right now if he had the luxury to do so. “That was one heck of a save!”

“Focus on the Aeromancer,” Yuel said sharply. They had no time to waste. This was a critical situation and every millisecond counted. They had to diffuse this terrible situation as neatly as possible and keep the Mid Turret alive.

“I’m on it!” Lars whiffed his fourth headshot. The dread of the incoming Kraken distracted him for just a moment, making him lose the delicate concentration necessary for landing consecutive headshots.

But, the storm has passed. Now, the 200% accuracy sniper was back in business! And, his target was still stunned, so this gonna be was ezpz. BAM! Another headshot!

Nirvana was already down to 30% HP. Lars needed like three more headshots to seal the deal. With Yuel here, there was nothing to worry about! Lars could keep pressing this offense all the way through and kill Nirvana!

Or, so he thought. In a blink of an eye, Nirvana’s HP went up from 30% to 40%.

“Eh?” Lars blinked. What kinda wizardry was that? Potions couldn’t restore that much HP all at once. These little bottles always took their sweet time, filling up the health bar one pixel at a time.

Aeromancer didn’t have any healing abilities either and dude was stunned in the first place. So, what gives?

As Lars strained his eyes, he noticed a figure standing behind Nirvana. It was the Cleric, Laplace. When did that guy even get there!?

“Retreat,” Yuel ordered.

“Yeah...” Lars grumped but nonetheless followed the instructions. With the Cleric here, the tides shifted back in the enemy’s favor. Lars and Yuel had no choice but to fall back to the tower.

The unexpected rotation from the Cleric halted the entire momentum of the fight.

“Thanks, Rio,” Raymond said. “You saved me.”

“I just healed you a little,” Rio said.

“It’s not just that. Your presence here made them give up their offense.” Raymond deduced as much from the enemy’s movements. The enemy figured they’ll struggle in a 2v3 situation, so they fell back.

In fact, Rio’s presence here has shifted the tides in our favor. Raymond reasoned. Lane control returned to Taurus, so they could keep raiding the Mid Turret.

But, should we? Raymond pondered.

Normally, he wanted nothing more than to disengage once the situation became risky. But, was that really the right thing to do here?

The Gunslinger no longer had his Fan the Hammer and the Aquamancer’s Overflow wasn’t ready yet. On top of that, Geyser Eruption was on cooldown. In other words, the enemy didn’t have access to their most threatening tools.

Meanwhile, Jaiden still had his Kraken that was interrupted earlier, and Rio had his Arise. As such, Taurus was winning here not only in terms of sheer numbers but also in terms of utility and threat levels.

No matter how strong Gunz and Chessmaster were, their skill alone won’t be able to make up for this objective advantage. Therefore...

“We’ll keep pushing,” Raymond declared.

“We will?” Jaiden blinked. Where did that come from? I was SO ready to retreat. Taking on Gunz and Chessmaster together is suicide. We can’t beat these pros.

“I’m aware this is a risky move,” Raymond explained. “But, you still have your Kraken, Rio has Arise, and our opponents have just spent their best tools.”

“But, they’re hella strong,” Jaiden argued. “Right, Rio?”

“I think I agree with Raymond, here,” Rio said.

“You do?”

“The odds are in our favor. Their tower got less than 20% left. If you focus on attacking it, you’ll take it down in a couple of seconds.”

“That’s true, but...” Jaiden knotted his brows. This was dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Gunz was a beast and Chessmaster was like a professional bodyguard. Challenging those two together meant preparing for trouble and making it double.

Rio talked so much about how dangerous it was to fight those two, but now he’s agreeing? What kind of madness is this? Jaiden couldn’t compute at first, but then it finally hit him. Wait, he got a point Sure, it’s risky to challenge them... unless we got a huge advantage!

This was it, the perfect opportunity for Jaiden to challenge Gunz and Chessmaster!

This 3v2 situation, in which Jaiden’s camp had better tools, offered exactly the kind of overwhelming advantage they needed against the ex-StormBlitz monsters. With this much advantage, Jaiden’s gang will easily crush Gunz and Chessmaster!

“Okay, let’s do it!” Jaiden grinned. “Keep them busy. I’ll take the tower.”

“You got it.” Raymond nodded.

“That’s the Jaiden I know.” Rio smiled warmly.

It seemed like Jaiden finally grew accustomed to the presence of Chessmaster and Gunz. They were formidable foes who shouldn’t be challenged carelessly, but they weren’t unbeatable. With the right amount of advantage, Jaiden could and should tackle them.

At their essence, Chessmaster and Gunz were just regular players in this game. Yes, they were skilled. Yes, they were monsters wearing human skin. Nevertheless, they were playing Classmancers like everybody else here, therefore they were bound by the same rules.

When the situation was objectively disadvantageous, even geniuses like Chessmaster and Gunz were bound to struggle. In that sense, they were no different than any other player.

Objectively, no matter how skilled they were, they had no method for coming on top in this situation. Therefore, this push will surely go through!

“So, they decided to push.” Yuel frowned.

The enemy advanced without fear. They were confident in their ability to contest the tower here and that confidence was well-founded.

Yuel and Lars exhausted their most threatening tools, so they weren’t particularly scary defenders. On the other hand, the enemy still had Kraken in store. That alone was enough to put tremendous pressure on the defenders.

“I think we lost the tower,” Yuel reasoned. “Let’s just play this safe and defend as long as we can, then retreat.”

“Gotcha,” Lars didn’t object. He could already tell it gonna be a futile struggle, but what else could they do? Attack? Haha, let’s not.

Lars went through enough near-death experiences in the last couple of seconds. He came here to defend the lane, so he’ll defend. This wasn’t the time to launch any risky attacks.

『An allied Turret has been destroyed!』

In the end, Mid Turret fell. Yuel and Lars couldn’t protect it from imminent destruction. They did their best to stall and injure the attacker. But, eventually, they had no choice but to retreat to their Mid Golem.

At least we stalled them enough. Yuel sighed in relief.

Luke has finished restoring himself to full health and joined them at the Golem. In addition, Vincent was about to revive and join the defense efforts as well. The enemy’s push will not go any further.

“Good job.” Raymond nodded in satisfaction. “Let’s take our leave here.”

“Hey, we can take the Griffins on the way,” Jaiden suggested.

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Raymond agreed. The trio headed toward the Griffin Camp in Top Jungle and wiped it out.

“Hey, Rio,” Jaiden whispered. “Is it just me, or is Ray acting like an awesome captain all of a sudden?”

“I think so too,” Rio agreed.

“Looks like he finally started taking things seriously.” Jaiden grinned. “But, we can’t lose to him. Let’s regroup and pull some crazy stuff too!”

“Yeah, totally!” Nash tuned in. “Ray is a beast and all, but we can’t let these guys forget about us, the Invincible Triangle! We gonna end their whole careers!”

“Since when this became a competition?” Rio narrowed his eyes. Then again, this was business as usual with those two. It was a silly form of competition, but it was fun in its own ways. Even Rio was burning with a strong desire.

Their opponents in this game were more than worthy of respect. They were strong and fierce, borderline unstoppable. Just like everybody else, Rio also wanted to go all out against Stratus and emerge victorious. And, more than anything, he wanted Jaiden to take this game.

I hope it’ll finally free him from his past. Rio could only pray. Even now, after so many exchanges, Jaiden was still giving Chessmaster and Gunz the special treatment. I don’t like that.

It was painful watching Jaiden being haunted by the wraiths of the past. So, Rio will exorcise them all. These phantoms won’t have power over Jaiden anymore.

Winning as the “Invincible Triangle” should do the trick. Rio reasoned.

The so-called “Invincible Triangle” was the fruit of Jaiden, Rio, and Nash’s hard labor. It was the ultimate proof of their friendship and teamwork. It shall become the blade to cut the chains tying Jaiden to the past!

Meanwhile, in the opposite camp, an air of uncertainty was hanging in the air.

“Say, was that defense really worth it?” Lars referred to the feeble resistance they put on in Mid. “Maybe I’m missing something here, but it feels wack. We didn’t achieve much of anything there. You think it was worth it?”

“It was an attempt...” Yuel pursed his lips. He was the one who suggested that plan, so he had a natural urge to defend it. But, this was no time to worry about his own ego. “Yeah, it wasn’t my brightest idea. I’d even say it was a misplay.”

“Yep, had a feeling.” Lars nodded. “I’m not gonna pretend like I know much about them tactics and whatnot, but that rotation felt way too defensive. I was expecting you to tell me to push Bot instead so we can trade towers.”

“Yes, you’re right. That might’ve been the smarter course of action.” Yuel lowered his head. This was beyond embarrassing. Even the goof figured a better line of play than Yuel. Seriously, what was I thinking back then?

Of course, he knew exactly what he was thinking at the time. To put it simply, he was scared.

The possibility of the enemy gaining momentum in Mid terrified Yuel to the core. It made him recall the past two games and how they were single-handedly decided by such developments. As a result, he had a strong urge to prevent that from happening, no matter what.

In the end, the plan backfired. They failed to defend Mid and they didn’t gain anything in return for their efforts.

Too defensive. Too cautious. Too slow. How many times has Yuel heard such criticism toward his shot-calling by now? Ever since joining Stratus, everybody was on his case.

He heard it from Lars, from Vincent, from Kai, and even from Aron. Many different people criticized his shot-calling on various occasions.

Yuel always made excuses, claiming he was playing it safe and smart to not overextend. It wasn’t a lie, he truly believed that. In order to avoid repeating the mistakes he committed during the StormBlitz selection match, Yuel had to dial down the risks in his shot-calling. His team had to play safer to stand a chance against Howard’s StormBlitz, that’s what he believed.

But, where did that lead him? To the current situation.

Yuel tried to play it safe and avoided trading towers, but what was the result? Mid Turret was lost and nothing was gained. Yuel wasted the Carry’s precious time to reap zero benefits.

It was risky, but I should’ve told Lars to push Bot. Yuel admitted.

Playing safe was a misplay in that situation. It failed to stop the enemy and it didn’t gain the team anything in return. It was a waste of time and resources. There was nothing smart or intelligent about that call.

Unlike Yuel, the enemy team took a risk with that play and it rewarded them nicely. Renegade’s gank on Mid came with many risks, but Taurus accepted these risks and pushed ahead with the plan anyway.

By accepting the risk, Taurus created an opportunity to take Mid Turret. It was a huge play that swung the entire momentum of the game in their favor.

I wish I could play like that too. Somewhere deep down, Yuel was jealous. Risky plays with a  big payoff were his favorite. That feeling of venturing down the dangerous path to find riches was second to none. It used to be one of the core principles of Yuel’s shot-calling.

But, the selection match against Howard made Yuel realize the hard truth: risks were too dangerous on the competitive scene. Yuel’s shot-calls were great when they worked, but they led to devastating consequences when countered. As such, he couldn’t rely on such flawed tactics against high-level opponents.

Safety and stability were the most important. The team had to play “safe and steady”, that was Yuel’s new mantra.

The team would play it safe until the enemy commits a glaring mistake, then the team will mount one big counter-attack. This was the core principle behind Yuel’s new shot-calling approach. He thought that, by prioritizing safety and minimizing risk, he’ll be able to avoid the disasters he suffered during the selection match.

But, that’s not good enough either. Yuel realized that now. Or, rather, the enemy forced him to realize that with their recent play.

If the team plays it too safe and constantly avoids risks, the enemy will have too much freedom to do as they please. They won’t be scared of any counter-play that involved taking risks because Stratus constantly avoided those.

Renegade rotated to Mid with a lot of confidence, probably not even considering the possibility of Lars choosing to trade towers. After all, doing so required taking a big risk, so Stratus would definitely avoid a play like that, right?

And, precisely because this possibility slipped past the enemy’s radar, Yuel should’ve gone for it. Tower trading would’ve served as a solid counter to Renegade’s rotation.

Mid Turret was worth more than Bot Turret, so that trade would have still favored the enemy. Nevertheless, taking an enemy tower was a better trade than what they got from the defensive play, which was a whole lot of nothing.

We won’t win if we keep playing safe. Yuel concluded. A safe and steady approach didn’t cut it against fearless opponents who were willing to go for high-risk high-reward plays.

Of course, it could’ve worked if the enemy committed more punishable mistakes. But, this was the competitive stage. Their opponents were strong. The few mistakes they made often demanded the punisher to take risks of their own in order to deliver proper punishment.

Therefore, to take the initiative and swing the game back in their favor, Stratus had to commit to some big plays too. They couldn’t keep hiding inside their shells the entire day, they had to go on the offensive as well. Especially now, that they had Lars to carry the team, it was more doable than ever.

“We have to attack,” Yuel concluded. “We can’t keep defending all day.”

“Yep, that’s what I’m talking about!” Lars nodded repeatedly. “Ya know, I’ve also been playing it safe and all, thinking about how I can’t make any mistakes and whatnot. But, that ain’t gonna cut it, not against these dudes. We gotta give ‘em some heat too, yo! Just lemme at them. I’mma carry the team all the way to the win, believe it!”

“Yeah, I believe that.” Yuel felt the same way. They both have been holding back this game.

No, not just this game. They’ve been holding themselves back for a long time now, prioritizing caution over aggression. That was the important lesson they learned after losing the first-string to Howard.

But, they clearly took it too far. At this point, they were overcompensating for their past mistakes. It was time for them to come out of their shells.

They definitely learned an important lesson during the StormBlitz selection match. They understood they had to be more careful about how they conducted their offense, but that didn’t mean they had to give up on it entirely. Sometimes, taking a risk was necessary in order to win.

To turn this game around, Stratus had to strike at some point. If the enemy was refusing to show any openings, then Yuel shall create one himself. He’ll tear the enemy’s defenses wide open and help Lars deliver a fatal blow!

With that new determination, the clash between Stratus and Taurus was about to enter its final stages. It was already the mid-game and Straus was missing a Mid Turret. Could they still make a comeback from this disadvantageous position!?