After a somewhat rocky start, AbsoluteWinner finally started showing off his sick spacing skills! But…

Two can play this game. Lars took a step back and reevaluated his surroundings. Maybe you didn’t know, but I’m an FPS pro, yo!

Playing competitive shooters taught Lars all about judging distances and optimizing his reach. So, even against Winner’s impressive spacing, Lars was confident he could keep up…!

Let’s see how you deal with me now, dude! Lars stepped in but only slightly. He didn’t hurry to chase down his backpedaling opponent.

He’s waiting for me to overextend, I feel it. But, I ain’t gonna fall for that again!

And so, instead of charging in like a bull, Lars advanced cautiously this time.

Likewise, Winner proceeded with similar caution, not hurrying to close the gap between them. As a result, the two of them walked back and forth around the lane, maintaining ideal spacing the entire time.

He adjusted well. William thought. This is good. I wouldn't have it any other way. A player who is seriously competing for the No. 2 spot should at least be this good. With that said, the way he plays Pirate is a little odd.

Pirate was an unconventional marksman in most situations. It was a ranged class like all marksmen, but it also had the option to switch to a melee weapon.

Switching to the cutlass meant trading Attack Range in exchange for more Attack Speed. It wasn’t always an easy trade to justify, but there were times when it worked extremely well.

In particular, it was the Pirate’s preferred weapon when pushing an undefended tower. Attack Range didn’t matter so long as there weren’t any obstacles, so using the cutlass was the optimal play.

As for duels, it was a little more complicated than that. For example, against melee opponents, it was usually smarter to stick to using the pistol in order to maintain space control.

However, against a fellow marksman, there were times when it was better to force the battle into close quarters and use the cutlass. In particular, Droid was a rather anemic marksman, so Gunz should’ve been trying his best to get closer.

But, he doesn't even try. William frowned. Is he underestimating me? Maybe he’s implying he can beat me even without that advantage?

Of course, there were many other possible explanations as well. For example, maybe Gunz wasn't too proficient with the melee stance. After all, his name was “Gunz”, which likely referred to "guns". Perhaps he was only skilled at shooting, but not so much at sword swinging.

Hmph. I really hope that's not the case. William scoffed. A player who picks Pirate but can't properly swing his sword has no right to contend for the No. 2 spot. So, I'll just assume he's wary of my drones.

And so, their tango went on. They continued keeping each other at bay, barely getting any good opportunities to shoot.

The few times one of them went for a shot, it almost always ended with the target dodging the attack. After all, it was that much easier to sidestep incoming bullets from maximum range.

Not to mention, every now and then, it was possible to easily backstep the incoming shot. Gunz hasn’t tried that yet, but William abused that fact 24/7.

This fight is sure dragging on. William frowned. I thought I'd turn the tables on him by now, but he's not giving me any good opportunities.

Gunz's spacing was good, very good. Ever since the guy stopped charging in like a bull, it became almost impossible to crack him.

Of course, Gunz’s spacing was still nowhere near William's level, but it was good enough to make it difficult to capitalize on it. The margin of error in Gunz's performance was too small to properly exploit.

I see he can be more than just a power player when he wants to be. William concluded. This might turn out to be harder than I expected.

In tennis, there were some kids who were blessed with natural gifts such as strength, height, flexibility, and speed. They were the lucky ones who had the chance to make it big in the competitive scene.

However, sometimes, these kids’ innate talents actually hampered their growth. Instead of polishing their fundamentals, these brats relied on their innate talents to carry them.

For example, a strong and tall player would often focus on delivering powerful serves and smashes in order to dominate the match. And, if they were gifted enough, then a basic playstyle like this would actually work just fine against the majority of their opponents, at least at first.

But eventually, they’d run into a wall. They’ll reach a level of competition where opponents can deal with their smashes or serves, making these weapons not nearly as threatening as before.

At that point, the player in question would have to be able to do more than just serve and smash hard. They’d have to actually hit good groundstrokes, be able to return the enemy strokes, and so forth. In other words, they’d have to make solid fundamental plays in order to score more points than their opponent.

But, if all this player ever practiced was serves and smashes, then how would they be able to execute the required fundamental plays? Most likely, they wouldn’t. And then, they’ll lose the match and feel salty about it.

William has seen many rising stars like this who hit a wall and ultimately quit the sport. Such players were carried hard by their talents early on, so they felt like the kings of the world. But then, somebody came around to kick them off the high horse.

At that point, the talented player stopped feeling like a king. They were reduced to the level of a commoner and had to work on the same fundamentals that everybody else had to polish.

Unfortunately, at that point, these brats were already too spoiled by their earlier success. At first, they put in minimal effort in order to reap huge gains, but now they actually had to work hard to improve just a little bit more; it was disheartening.

For the talentless commoner, slow and steady improvement was the norm. However, for these former kings that were dethroned, such a slow path didn’t seem appealing in the slightest. Thus, most of them failed to adjust, continued to lose matches, and eventually quit.

It’s not their fault, at least not entirely. Willaim thought. Those who are born talented are bound to rely on their talent.

It was human nature to play to one's strengths. This idea held true in both tennis and Classmancers. 

For example, similar to Gunz, Ronald was also blessed with fast reaction speed. Therefore, the brat often relied on it in fights, to the point it became one of his faults.

That whippersnapper tried to temple all his opponents via sheer mechanical strength while paying minimal attention to fundamentals like spacing. As a result, against strong opponents like yours truly, that brat flopped hard in duels.

I imagined Gunz would be the same way, but it seems I was wrong.

Gunz definitely relied a lot on his mechanical skill, but he carried himself as a veteran player compared to Ronald. The guy knew that his impressive talent will carry him far, but he also knew that sheer talent would eventually hit a wall.

Perhaps, Gunz already hit such a wall before, so that’s why he focused on fundamentals as well. He was one of these irregular cases, a talented player who hit a wall but was willing to work hard to overcome it.

I suppose this is somebody who is worth being called a true genius. William admitted. The ability to keep working hard on fundamentals is a talent in its own right, one that Gunz was blessed with on top of his already impressive skill. Really, it feels like this guy got it all.

The adaptation was real. The moment Gunz realized that William was spacing him out, the guy tightened his spacing in response. He stopped relying on sheer mechanical skill and used fundamentals to combat fundamentals, while at the same time using his innate talent to make his fundamentals sharp enough to compete with Willaim’s.

Is this the kind of player Ron will become in a year or two? William wondered. If so, then all the more reason I have to win this fight, no matter what.

But, just as he decided that, Gunz suddenly disengaged from combat. Time was up.

Hmph. Yes, this is a good time for him to pull back. William glanced at the mini-map, searching for Ronald's location.

As expected, the younger brother was already halfway back to the lane. However, he was traversing through the jungle instead of heading straight to the lane, per William’s request.

“You can take your time returning to the lane,” William said back then. “Their Support is likely heading to Mid, so maybe they’ll want your help over there.”

It was a sensible argument, but in truth, all Willaim wanted was to postpone the arrival of the third wheel. He wanted to continue this duel for as long as it was necessary in order for it to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Convincing Ronald took no effort at all, as the kid probably understood the intentions of his older brother. However, Cato normally wouldn't approve of such a suboptimal play, so William had to prepare an excuse.

Traveling to Bot through the jungle cost just a little bit of extra time, but it placed Ronald in a far more flexible position. He was right between Mid and Bot, so he could rotate to either lane at a moment's notice.

Given that Chessmaster was likely rotating to Mid right now, it was a solid idea to have Ronald on standby over there. Cato made no argument against this, so that's why Ronald casually strolled around Bot Jungle.

Good, take your time. William thought. I'm not done here yet.

He was down to 60% HP, but it was just a flesh wound. Meanwhile, his opponent was at 80% HP.

I lost the first set, I admit. But, that fight was too close to be called "decisive"; it was anybody’s game. William asserted. It just took me some time to adjust, that's all. If we continue fighting for a little longer, I'm sure I can win.

Hanging around 60% HP was a little dangerous but it wasn't a risk William couldn't manage. Even from this disadvantageous position, he was sure he could make a comeback against Gunz.

"Ron, no need to come here," William said. "Rotate to Mid or whatever." 

"Oh, you gonna keep fighting this dude!?" Ronald grinned in excitement. "Okay, gotcha! Go get him, bro!"

"Hold on a minute," Cato interjected. "What is this talk about continuing the fight? I thought it was already decided."

"Not even close," William asserted. "We're just getting started."

"My, I had no idea a duel only begins after you’ve lost nearly half your HP." 

"It took me a little bit of time to adapt to him, that's all."

"A little bit of time and 40% of your HP. And, he still got his Kraken and everything."

“We both avoided using our skills this time,” William said. “It was a raw contest of skill.”

“And, you lost~”

“Hmph. I don’t see it that way.”

“Oh my, is that so?” Cato tilted his head. “Then, how do you explain that 20% HP difference?”

“He has a better ‘early-game’ than me, that’s all. It’s hardly uncommon. I’m the type who takes his time to adapt. But once I do, I can win. Or at least, I can fight him on equal footing.”

“My, are you not going to claim you’ll win for sure? That’s rare.”

“I have to give credit where credit is due,” William admitted. “If we keep competing with just raw mechanical skill, then Gunz might win.”

“Might win”, huh. Cato smiled impishly. Don’t you realize it? The fact a prideful player like you admits there’s a chance, it’s as good as already admitting defeat~

It was amusing to watch William hold onto his pride so dearly despite the obvious outcome of the duel. This guy was as stubborn as a bull~

“So,” Cato said. “If I understand you correctly, then you’re saying your next fight won’t be a raw contest of strength?”

“Yes. If this were a Duel match, then I would’ve given it a few more shots. But, I don’t have that kind of luxury here.”

“Indeed, you don’t. You’re the team’s Carry, after all. Any misfortune that befalls you will impact the entire team~”

“Yes, I know the basics of how this game mode works, thank you for your concern.”

“If you know that much, then you should also know that what you’re doing is quite dangerous and inefficient.”

“Why, exactly?” William demanded. “It’s just a 1v1 between fellow marksmen. It’s as dangerous for me as it is for him.”

“Except, right now, you’re the one with the HP disadvantage.”

“It’s just a flesh wound,” William snarked. "Look, if you're implying this fight is already decided, then you're straight-up wrong. So, just sit back and keep collecting your precious data.”

“My, how forceful.”

“I need to concentrate here, so I got no time for your roundabout nonsense. Besides, you also want to know how I measure up to Gunz, right? This duel will give all of us important information, so just let me do my thing in peace."

"I’m just pointing out that you're not exactly in a good shape."

"Yes, I do happen to know how to read a health bar, thank you very much." 

Somebody is salty here~ Cato smiled impishly. He must be getting a little frustrated with this fight. Good, good~ The faster he acknowledges that his demotion was well-deserved and that he’s now the region’s No.3, the faster we can move away from these useless duels and focus on actual strategy.

“So, you want to keep going?” Cato asked again. “No matter what?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying.”

“Interesting. Before you jump in, I would’ve expected you to at least ask me where their Jungler is.”

“Why do I have to ask you?”

“Oh, then are you saying you know where she is right now?”

“That’s….” William was caught off-guard for a moment there. At first, he was convinced he had no reason to worry about the enemy Jungler, but now he wasn’t so sure anymore.

Did I see her anywhere recently? William wondered. I have a feeling I did, but I can’t remember the specifics for some reason. Hmm.

“If I recall,” William spoke carefully. “A ward revealed her in Top Jungle not too long ago.”

“It was about 20 seconds ago, but yes, it did happen,” Cato said. “One of my many wards caught a glimpse of her, just as planned.”

“Hmph. I’d be more surprised if your wards couldn’t track her down, considering how many of them you’ve placed around. You pretty much lit up their entire jungle.”

“It’s just a little bit of precaution, that’s all.” Cato smiled meaningfully. “She’s a pretty elusive player, so I’m making sure I can keep an eye on her.”

“Seems a bit excessive, if you ask me.”

“Oh, don’t you remember? We agreed that I’ll be supervising Vanishing when we play in this formation.”

“Yes, we did say that, but I didn’t expect you to do this much.”

Cato decorated the entire enemy jungle as if it was time for Christmas. There were circles of lights across the entire map, making sure that not even a fly will be able to slip by unnoticed.

This excessive warding surely hurt Cato’s build a lot, but he didn’t seem to mind. The precaution of this guy was something else. This couldn’t possibly be a healthy solution to dealing with Vanishing.

“Whatever.” William shrugged. “So, where is she now?”

“A little hard to say for sure, actually,” Cato admitted. “I caught a glimpse of her about 10 seconds ago in Top Jungle, but that’s the last time I saw her. None of my wards revealed her since then, which either means she returned to base or that she’s taking a really weird route through the jungle.”

“I doubt she rotated from Top to Bot in just 10 seconds. Besides, even if she tried to, then I’m sure your excessive wards would’ve revealed her.”

“Unless she rotated in stealth.”

“That sounds like paranoia level of overthinking. How would she even do that without knowing where exactly you placed your wards?”

“True, true. It’s very unlikely.” Cato had to admit defeat here. After all, he set up security cameras all across the enemy jungle to constantly monitor this phantom Jungler. So, even if Vanishing used stealth to sneak past some of the cameras, she’d eventually have to show up on other cameras once she leaves stealth mode.

Well, this is enough testing, I suppose. Cato concluded. Will is still paying at least some attention to their Jungler, which means he isn’t absorbed in the duel to the point of neglecting caution. That’s all I needed to know.

“Alright,” Cato gave permission. “You can keep fighting Gunz. Just try not to die, pretty please.”

“Hmph. I’d like to believe I know how this game works and that dying is bad.”

“Of course, of course.” Cato smiled impishly. With all that said, in the long run, maybe it’ll be better if he dies at least once against Gunz? His pride will shatter nicely~ It should make him much more obedient going forward.

But, that was too cruel and dangerous to wish for, especially in this match. A crushing defeat like this might throw William off his game for a couple of games, which won’t bode well for the team.

Besides, it’s not like it’s set in stone that Gunz is stronger than Will. Cato thought. He’s not playing Shooter or Slinger, so who knows how this fight will go? It’ll sure be interesting to watch~

Just as William said, Cato was very much interested in the outcome of this duel. This was more than just a clash between two players, it was a contest of power between the teams’ two strongest warriors!

It’s as if the two teams were comparing the strengths of their respective Queen pieces. The outcome of this duel will determine who owned the strongest piece in the game.

Unfortunately, for now, it looks like that piece belongs to the enemy, just as Sonya predicted. Cato smiled wryly. He was half-expecting this outcome but he still wanted to be surprised for the better.

Well, maybe this is a fitting handicap for me. My team has much stronger pieces overall, so Yuel, you can have the strongest piece. Besides, I'm sure Matt can handle that piece of yours just fine.

William was perhaps the strongest fighter of the team at large, but he was a prideful fighter who always sought to prove his dominance. That kind of mentality might become his downfall against a beast like Gunz.

On the other hand, Matthew didn't care about such a battle of egos, so he should be able to fend Gunz off quite well. He probably won't "win" any fights per se, but he also won't "lose" any either.

Then again, the "strongest player" hasn't even set foot on the stage yet. Cato smiled impishly. It'd sure be fun to watch the Emperor tear Gunz apart~ Ah, I can already imagine despair spreading through Stratus as they watch their strongest fighter get crushed to bits~

But, that won't happen, not today. Bringing Jin to the stage meant admitting defeat with their current lineup, which was inexcusable for the regional champions. They'll definitely crush Stratus today, Cato will personally make sure of it.

And, to achieve that, it was important to first learn as much as possible about the enemy pieces. Therefore, as much as Cato wanted to object to this duel, he had to concede that there was much worth in letting William face Gunz once more.

Besides, this means I can put the younger brother to some good use in Mid. Cato nodded. “Ronald, come over to Mid.”

“Oh, Matt needs my help? Okay, I’m on my way!”

And so, the stage was set. Ronald will help up in Mid against Yuel’s incoming rotation, which will give William one more chance to duel Gunz.

So, who’ll be the one to claim the title of the region’s No. 2!?