We were teleported to a forest map. The terrain is chosen at random but the map size and positions of the orbs are always the same. This kind of terrain gives an advantage to ambushes because of the thick bushes and high trees. How nostalgic I thought to myself. This is the terrain we had in the last match of the finals of the Andartha Cup. I was brought out of my thoughts when Elizabeth suddenly issued the play.

 

"Romel and Beny go to the top orb, if you see Chu, play defensively and stall for time. Don't let them take the orb. We will back you up after we get the middle orb. If the area is free, get the orb immediately and head over to the mid orb and back us up." Elizabeth's demeanor instantly changed as she ordered her battle plan.

 

"S-should I cast haste on everyone?" Beny asked

 

"No need, conserve your MP. This might turn into a battle of attrition."

 

That's the right call I suppose. Casting haste takes a lot of mp even for an mp built mage. And getting to the orbs earlier than your enemies won't be beneficial that much either since you can't capture the orbs until after a certain point of time elapsed due to an electric field in the arena terrain. This prevents players from cheesing(a game slang used for tactics that borderline cheating) by using movement skills to capture the orb before the enemy gets there.

 

"And be very mindful of Chu, don't fight him solo."

 

"O-okay!"

 

"I'll dumpster that guy if I see him."

 

They both took off. I can see why Elizabeth grouped those two. Benny is a time mage, good support for buffing Romel, who uses a giant claymore. Speed buffs of Benny counteract the slowness of Heavy weapon users. Claymore's heavy damage also more than makes up for a time mage's lack of proper DPS. Her battle plan is well crafted given the time she had preparing it. She instantly spots the greatest threat of the enemy team (which is Chu) and creates a game plan that will best neutralize that threat. She isn't too greedy either. She didn't split us up into 3 groups and only focused on acquiring 2 orbs. Also, judging by her demeanor, even if we were the ones to encounter Chu in mid-lane, she seems confident we can take him on. And if Chu is on Bot Lane, then this match will go smoothly for us. Her experience in team matches shows with just those seemingly simple commands.

 

Then as if remembering something, she turned to me. "Are you fine with supporting me, Katherine?"

 

I nodded appreciatively.

 

She smiled back then we set off into the forest for the mid-Orb.

-------------------------------

We arrived at the Middle Orb just as the shielding field protecting the entire arena dissipated. In the middle was an orb the size of a bowling ball guarded by a small pyramid-shaped barrier in the middle of an open space surrounded by the forest where we came from.

 

As we stepped into the arena, we were greeted by two players who had also just arrived. It was the same two flirting heedless of their surroundings back in the lobby, Dan<3Kay and Kay<3Dan. The boy, Dan<3Kay seems to be a knight focused on using a heavy shield, a textbook defensive support, while the girl, Kay<3Dan was a DPS mage, an ice-oriented mage if I were to take a guess based on her staff.

 

 

"Honey, it looks like we have a tough opponent ahead of us." The mage said, worry seeping out of her voice when she saw Elizabeth.

 

"Don't worry Sugar, individually they might be stronger but together, they won't win against the power of our love!" The shield knight declared.

 

That's it, I'm gonna massacre these guys.

 

As I was getting near them Elizabeth suddenly called out to me.

 

"Katherine, let me go in front, stay at the back, and support me from afar, I got this."

 

Oh yeah, I forgot that I was a support now. She has a point.

 

"Fine, but promise me you will give them the beating of their life!" I conceded begrudgingly.

 

"S-sure I'll do my best!" she replied, taken aback by my sudden enthusiasm.

 

Elizabeth then rushed to their mage and opted to ignore the knight. This is a common tactic since DPS characters tend to forgo survivability in exchange for more damage. She’s fast. She wears a set akin to a decorative royal knight without the helmet so her set didn't weigh her down too much. Her weapon of choice is a rapier. A good weapon for dishing out damage with fast thrusts. It also doesn't require you to overextend your attacks since it has a long reach, meaning you can just thrust and back away if it gets too dangerous. A good weapon both defensively and offensively.

 

"I won't let you harm her! I'll protect Kay even if it costs my life!" the knight in shining armor proclaimed.

 

Just as Elizabeth was getting close to the mage, the knight situated himself in front of her in an attempt to block her. The ice mage had been channeling as soon as Elizabeth rushed them, and I was too far away to help her since she rushed with such speed.

 

"Shield bash!"

 

A blue aura manifested through his shield.

The knight tried to bash her with his heavy shield's weapon skill. Elizabeth immediately halted her charge and took a huge step back to dodge it.

 

However, it seems the knight was aiming for that by stalling her since it cut off her momentum giving time for his DPS to finish channeling. This is bad.

 

"Crystal Nova!"

 

A giant block of Ice suddenly materialized on top of Elizabeth. The spellcasting was perfect. It was aimed precisely where Elizabeth would be after dodging the knight's attack. I have to give praise where praise is due, they both synergize well with each other. This makes it impossible for Elizabeth to dodge it under normal circumstances. I say normal circumstance because Elizabeth suddenly vanished.

 

*krasshh*

 

The block of ice crashed into the ground leaving a cold air breeze obstructing the view of the spell's epicenter.

 

"Did.... did I get her?" the mage nervously asked her knight.

 

Famous last words I would say. A very nice jinx indeed.

 

"I.... think she vanishes...!!? Behind you!" The knight yelled.

 

Too late, Elizabeth suddenly delivered a strong thrust to the head of the mage, the part that gives the maximum damage multiplier if hit. Mages and other casters usually forgo adding HP in favor of int to increase their damage and MP. Coupled with the mage's incredibly low defense and Elizabeth's red weapon, she died instantly.

 

"H-honey.......!" Her body suddenly transformed into motes of blue light then dispersed.

 

Kay<3Dan

Hp: 0%

 

"Wha-... H-how did you dodge that!" Elizabeth remained silent.

 

What did he expect? That she will suddenly reveal all her cards just because he asked? I got an idea of what happened though but I'll confirm it from her later. Right now, we have a match to win.

 

"Tskk!" the knight, out of options rushed towards me in an attempt to even the scales.

 

I'm unguarded so that is actually a good move. But unfortunately for him, I'm not as helpless as he thinks.

 

"Thorn burst." Little thorns suddenly contracted his feet to impede his movements, it slowed him down a bit but he eventually broke free with brute strength due to his presumably high strength stat. So, this is the best this purple weapon skill can do... how depressing.

 

I have only defensive and healing skills though and my only cc is my weapon. At least it bought a bit of time because before he could get near me, Elizabeth thrusts at him from behind, halting his charge.

 

"Grahhh!" he shouted.

 

Dan<3Kay

Hp: 76%

 

He is pretty tanky but he has little to no damage skills and no way for him to kill us. It's only a matter of time before we deplete his hp.

 

---------------------------

-Romel's PoV-

 

"Shit, shit fuck! This should not be happening!" I yelled irritably.

 

I was so frustrated, there was only one enemy and we couldn't even kill him! The only thing this piece of shit does is shoots arrows from afar and then hide in the forest. What a cowardly tactic.

 

"C-calm down!" My teammate Benny said.

 

"Calm down? Aren't you frustrated by his cheap shots?" I said to him

 

"There is nothing we can do about it, let's just play defensively like Liz said. If we go after him and leave the top orb, we might get caught in an ambush in the forest or someone might steal the orb while we're gone!" Benny reasoned.

 

"Then just block his arrows while I capture the orb!" I suggested.

 

For us to capture the orb, the barrier must first be dispelled by channeling. Getting hit while channeling will immediately cancel it, leaving us no choice but to reset and start all over. And my useless excuse of a teammate can't even protect me while I'm dispelling the barrier!

 

"I can't even predict where his arrows would come from! He moves instantly to a different angle every time he fires an arrow from the forest!" Benny argued

 

"Then think of something!" I exclaimed.

 

"Let's ask Liz for backup?"

 

"What do you mean to ask for backup!? It's 2v1 and you're a man. Have some fucking pride and don't just cry for help from girls!"

 

Just then, I felt a very minuscule pain in my back. I got hit by an arrow again shit! Good thing the VR nerve pain receptors only go so far or that would've hurt pretty bad in real life.

 

KingRomel

Hp: 72%

 

"This can't go on. We got to do something. He will just keep shooting at us and we don't have any healer. He'll chip our hp to zero if this keeps up!" I reasoned.

 

"What do you suggest?"

 

"Speed buff me so I can go after him while you protect the orb, he's probably shit in melee combat so he plays like a pussy!" I ordered.

 

"......But Liz said!"

 

"Hurry!" I shouted

 

"A-alright already! Just get back if you think you cannot handle him. " Beny conceded.

 

"You're joking, right? I won't lose to him." I declared.

 

Beny finished his spell and cast it on me. I instantly rushed to the last place Chu's arrow came from into the forest.

I searched for him for a while but I couldn't find any trace of where he had gone to.

Suddenly the team voice chat pinged.

 

("Help! Chu is here need backup!") it was Benny.

 

I immediately turned tail and ran back to the orb. What I saw when I came back was Benny dissolving into motes of blue light. Next to him is Chu holding a pair of butterfly swords in his hands and his bow at his back looking at where my teammate's corpse was earlier.

 

Honestly what a useless teammate, he can't even last for more than a minute by himself!

 

He slowly turned towards me, acknowledging my presense for the very first time since the match started. He then very deliberately gave me a condescending look.

 

"Pretty dumb move leaving your support by himself." Chu tauntingly said.

 

"Seems like a good one to me. Now that you showed yourself, I won't let you escape." I say as I brandished my giant claymore.

 

"Don't need to, I can take you on easily," he said in an arrogant voice that made me want to smack his head a thousand times over.

 

He then dashed towards me.

---------------------------

 

Blue motes of light filled the air and eventually dissipated. That took longer than expected. He was a good shield user, and quite the team player too. After he realized he couldn't win against us, he turtled and played very defensively to buy time for his teammates by stalling us from getting the orb. A pretty good tactic if I might add. But the skill gap shows and eventually, Elizabeth beats him.

 

What I'm doing during all that? Elizabeth didn't need my healing cause the guy never went on the offensive.

 

That doesn't mean I'm useless, ok? I threw in some thorn bursts here and there. Every crowd control helps........ even if he just easily shrugs it off. My God, so this is what it feels like to be uselessly carried by a teammate like a piece of luggage..... How uncouth.

 

"They were quite good." Elizabeth mused.

 

"Yeah, the fight would've taken us a whole lot longer if it weren't for your well-timed 'Shadow Step'."

 

Shadow step is a skill of some legendary tier weapons. I fought a few users of those weapons in the past. It is the skill she used earlier when the 'Crystal Nova' almost hit her. It allows its user to instantly blink to a short distance below the 20-foot range. It is not a popular skill mainly because of its high cooldown(30sec) and its simplicity. Players like more flashy weapon skills but one cannot argue that a well-placed shadow step can change the tide of the match, a perfect example of what transpired earlier.

 

"You know of it? I recently got it and wanted to test it in this match. I thought it was not a well-known weapon skill." Elizabeth inquired.

 

"I do my research." I lied smoothly.

 

Suddenly a message resounded through the team voice chat.

 

("Help! Chu is here need backup!") Beny cried.

 

("Beny, are you guys alright there!") Elizabeth sent a message to the team chat for all of us to hear.

 

No response. They are probably busy engaging the opponent.

 

"We better hurry!" Elizabeth said worriedly.

 

Just then I spotted a figure heading toward us from a distance. It seems he came from the bottom orb. That means they did a 1 - 2 - 1 play. Chu came for the top orb and is fighting Benny and Romel for it. The two lovebirds who we just beat went for the Middle orb. And lastly, June who is currently approaching us and more than likely has the Bottom orb.

 

He probably came here to back his teammate up and stall us from taking the mid-orb. That serves us better though, if we can defeat him now, we can take 2 orbs giving us the advantage of playing defensively. It seems Elizabeth noticed him too since she is looking in his general direction.

 

"Take the orb, I'll stall for time." I declared.

 

"A-are you sure?" she doubted.

 

I'm not that useless you know!

 

"Yeah, please trust me," I answered solemnly

 

"......Okay, be careful. I'll back you up as soon as I can. Just play safe and stall for time." she conceded.

 

I dashed towards the figure. Every second counts in fast-paced PVP, the sooner we get the middle orb, the faster we can help the other two. We can't let June distract us from getting the middle orb. I'll be the bait so it doesn't happen. There is no better bait than a support without anyone protecting them.

 

As I got closer, I saw June wearing a set akin to a street brawler. He's wearing only a black vest and pants insinuating his bulging muscles and perfect figure. His weapon of choice is a pair of caestus equipped in his left and right hands.

 

June stopped running to conserve stamina and walked towards me when he was at a semi-ranged distance.

 

I did the same.

 

"Oh? You're approaching me? Instead of running away, you're coming right to me?" he taunted.

 

He must be wondering as to why a support like me is opting for a 1v1 melee combat. It is all part of my plan to bait him though so he would not run away with the orb currently he has.

 

"I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer," I replied nonchalantly.

 

"Oh ho! Then come as you like!"

 

When we were near enough to each other at melee distance, I focused intently on the enemy in front of me. Time seemed to slow down as I took in every bit of information I could to predict his movements. I flawlessly entered what most people call the 'zone', a state of extreme focus, but to me, it's as natural as breathing.

 

He made his move.

 

His right foot left the ground while his left arm's muscles twitched ever so slightly. I saw his eyes lock on my head without hesitation. Based on his small movements, I predicted that he was going for a dash and launching a quick yet powerful straight punch at my head with a minuscule chance of it being a fake. I instinctually analyzed his motions based on my thousands of hours of experience in playing against players of far higher caliber than him.

 

He is underestimating me, opting for full forced aggressive strikes without any prompting jabs which leaves many openings to exploit. He probably thought that I had no means to inflict damage onto him this close because I'm a spellcaster.

 

I took advantage of his aggressiveness.

I calmly took a step forward.

 

He stomped his right foot on the ground in front of me and threw his long-reaching straight corkscrew punch at my head. As his attack was about to connect, I tilted my head ever so slightly while at the same time twisting my body in preparation for my counterattack. His punch barely flew past my face. My cheeks felt the air pressure of his punch, a testament to how strong and close it was to hit but it didn't quite connect just as he had hoped.

 

I launched the counterattack I prepared at almost the same time I dodged his attack. I saw his eyes widen in shock at the realization as I twirled my staff for the added momentum then whacked his unguarded head.

 

*Whack*

 

"Guhh!"

 

GigaChad

Hp: 81%

 

I expected more damage than that since I have plenty of dex stats even as a support. It was a critical strike to the head with my full force. The fact that I am not a DPS-oriented character shows. If I just had one of my old red weapons, a hit like that would've been fatal.

 

"Wha- you!" he became agitated.

 

I saw his facial expression shift into irritation as he prepared for another attack. He is at point-blank range now since he had just taken a step closer to me in his last attack. He sent a quick 1-2 punch combo at my head. I tilted my head slightly to my right to dodge his 1st jab then quickly bobbed down my head to dodge his second full-swing punch while simultaneously delivering an elbow blow to his stomach. That made him flinch and take a step back giving me the perfect distance to swing my staff at his head for another critical hit.

 

*Whack*

 

"Ghaa!"

 

GigaChad

Hp: 57%

 

He took a distance from me and eyed me warily. It seems he's being cautious now. He's starting to see me as a threat that can kill him in melee combat and not just a healer that can be dealt with easily. I can't let that happen though.

 

"Are you sure you should be wasting time? Elizabeth is almost finished taking the orb."

 

His initial plan was probably to eliminate me fast enough before Elizabeth backed me up and then have a 1v1 match with her.

 

"Tsskk!"

 

He panicked since he realized he would not stand a chance in a 2v1 fight given my skills. Desperate and unfocused minds make unwise decisions. In his case, he used his trump card, his weapon skill.

 

His fists started to glow, I knew instantly what his weapon skill did. Experiencing thousands of PVP matches back then makes it so that nothing can ever surprise you. He lunged at me as his caestus glowed bright yellow and then threw a barrage of strong punches.

 

"Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora!" he shouted.

 

But it was still not fast enough, I've seen techniques that are harder to dodge far above his level of skill and utilization.

 

I dodged all of it.

 

"I-impossible!" He exclaimed.

 

I saw his expression change into a mix of fear and admiration as I prepared for my attack.

 

The weakness of his weapon skill is that there is a second after the barrage that he will be in a fatigued state, a condition where he is unable to move. It might sound short but a second in a deadly melee can be the difference between life and death. I didn't waste a single second. I did a 360 sweep with my staff at his feet. He instantly fell flat on his back due to his fatigued state and I jumped as high as I could. With all my strength, coupled with all my body weight plus the gravity aiding me, I thrust the pointed end of my staff to his undefended head lying on the ground.

 

*Boom*

 

GigaChad

Hp: 0%

 

"......What a monste-".

 

He didn't get to finish his last words as he was immediately replaced by blue particles signaling his defeat. At the spot where his body was supposed to be, a glowing blue orb the size of a bowling ball appeared floating in the grave of its original owner. It was the orb located at the bottom part of the map that June took without any obstacle or threat. As I was about to take it Elizabeth arrived with her expression in complete shock and disbelief.

 

"What happened........" she looked at the orb dumbfounded.

 

I remained silent as I didn't know how to reply.

 

"Don't, don't tell me you beat him?" she inquired

 

"I was lucky."

 

"Lucky!? You beat him in short of a minute without taking any damage USING A SUPPORT character!" she exclaimed.

 

Now that I think about it. If she put it that way, it does sound kind of suspicious. I completely forgot that my initial tactic was just to stall for time. I blame it on that guy. He showed too many openings that I just cannot just unconsciously ignore! What am I supposed to do with that!?

 

I just shrugged hiding my inner turmoil.

 

".........Fine I won't pry if you don't want to tell me. Let us just take the orb and then help Romel, I think he's in trouble."

 

"What about the other one?" Barry was it. I was never good with names.

 

"Beny? He's already taken out. Didn't you see the system notification?"

 

"Ohh must've missed it earlier." I was too engrossed in the fight with my full attention on the enemy.

 

I took the orb so that Elizabeth wouldn’t be too bothered by the stamina consumption increase of carrying 2 orbs and we prepared to leave the area. It will take a while to get to the top lane if we are to conserve stamina, which is undoubtedly the correct way to go if we were to fight against a ranker. I just hope that we make it in time.

 

---------------------------

-Raynold's PoV-

 

"Did you see it!? Did you see it, Raynold!? Katherine just defeated the enemy player! We are close to winning!" Lenna celebrated as she watched the match.

 

"Uh huh......" I replied dumbfounded.

 

"I didn't think Katherine would be able to beat June though."

 

"Beat June? She didn't just 'beat him' she demolished him! She mentally and mechanically outplayed him! She fucking destroyed him!" I exclaimed loudly.

 

"Sheesh calm down you're exaggerating."

 

"I don't think you know how good of a play that is. The dodge for example was done with no wasted movement and chained perfectly to a counterattack. A counter that was aimed at the head resulting in the highest damage she possibly could. She also baited him to play offensively and forgo defense by the nature of being a healer. Most supports are naturally weak at melee since they're always at the backline and have low HP in exchange for MP. She took advantage of that common notion to punish his aggressive plays. The way she dodges too. Most players when they dodge either leap away to distance themselves from the attack or dodge with exaggerated movements to reassure their dodge, which in turn, makes it hard to do a counterattack. But she dodges at the last second, with as minimal movements as possible, baiting June into believing his attacks would hit so that he becomes complacent and unprepared for her counterattacks. You’ve got to have numerous battle experiences to move like that. She either has insanely godly reflexes or she predicted all his moves or maybe even both! She moves as good as some amateur pro players I watch, or even better!" I ranted.

 

"Okay, okay stop I get it! Sheesh, You're such a nerd sometimes." Lenna admonished.

 

Hmphh! Casuals. They cannot appreciate a great play even when it is right in front of them. All that matters for them is the kills or the insanely flashy but unpractical moves like Meteor Strike or Thunderstorm. It is slightly disappointing that there's no one else with me here to appreciate that kind of outplay.

 

"But do you think they can win against that Chu guy?" Lenna asked

 

"Judging from how good they both are, I don't think they would lose to a single non-pro player 2v1."

 

"That's good to know!” Lenna said with a broad smile

 

"You seem happy." I inquired.

 

"Of course, if they win you know what that means, right?"

 

I smiled back as I thought about what would come next.

 

"Liz will treat us at the cafe!" She added

-------------------------------

-Chu's PoV-

"Hmph, you talk big but you don't have the skills to back it up." I taunted.

 

NambaWan

HP: 84%

 

"It’s......it’s not over yet so don't get too cocky!"

 

KingRomel

Hp: 8%

 

He's already low, one more hit would probably kill him. What a disappointment, I was hoping for more of a challenge. I’m not satisfied with an opponent as weak as this.

 

"It seems your teammates are not as weak as you thought since they managed to wipe out all of mine. They might back you up if you survive a bit longer."

 

The notifications of my teammate’s death happened about a while ago. The enemies are probably heading this way to help this guy. I’m sure that ranker girl will put up more of a challenge than this fool. The only reason I accepted June's offer is to have a bout with that famous ranker I keep hearing about who is said to be a regular here.

 

"I don't need their help! I’m going to kill you right before they arrive!" he exclaimed.

 

What a stubborn guy, he could've just retreated for now to regroup with his other teammates and push their advantage in numbers but his stubborn pride won’t let him. I have to give him respect for that though he is an honorable opponent.

 

"Last Stand!" he let out a battle cry.

 

His sword was then covered in a blood-red aura that let off a dreadful atmosphere.

 

"......." I silently watched him.

 

I was wondering what his Claymore weapon skill was. So it was a buff-type weapon huh? The last stand basically increases your damage as your health goes lower. Having only 8% of his HP remaining will dramatically increase his attacks to double or even triple his firepower. So, this is where his confidence comes from. Coupled with the innate damage potential of his claymore plus his weapon skill, one direct hit from him might instantly kill me. This is getting interesting.

 

He rushed at me; his buff only lasted for 30 seconds so he was on a timer. I can just kite him and stall for 30 seconds if I want a surefire way to win but I also don't have that much time, his backup might arrive any second. And besides, where is the fun in that?

 

As he was in melee distance, he did an overhead swing. His weapon is too large and his windup is too exaggeratedly long that it was pretty easy to dodge. Sadly, his battle spell only increases his power, not his speed. I took a step back and dodged his swing completely.

 

*Boom*

 

"Huh!?"

 

NambaWan

Hp: 79%

 

Shit! His swing was so strong due to his buff that it sent shockwaves around the impact of his strike. That was unexpected. Had he planned that attack from the start?

 

"Got you now!" He declared.

 

As my balance was off from the shockwave, he didn't miss the opportunity and did a side swing in an attempt to bisect me in half.

 

"Reversal!"

 

My weapon suddenly glowed white on the edges.

 

*Ting*

 

I positioned my twin butterfly sword to block his swing and used my weapon skill 'Reversal'. A normal parry would've surely sent me flying and probably fatally wound me but using my skill reversal sends the power of the attack right back at the enemy. It can only be activated if you can do a perfect parry. It takes a lot of skill to use but it is a skill of my red weapon that helped me climb the ranking leaderboard at 1v1. Sucks I have to use it though since its cooldown is pretty long. I was saving it for the later fight.

 

"Gah!" he cried.

 

He flew a few feet away from me as he was damaged greatly by the force of the impact of his own swing.

 

KingRomel

Hp: 0%

 

"Damn!" he exclaimed.

 

"Don’t feel too bad. It was a good last attempt."

 

As I was complimenting his last-ditch effort, he turned to blue motes of bright light and completely vanished from the playing field.

 

I've wasted enough time. I have to get the orb before his teammates arrive. I reminded myself.

 

I rushed to the barrier and channeled to remove the barrier of the orb while paying attention to my surroundings for any surprise attacks. About halfway through channeling, I heard a voice.

 

"Thorn burst!"

 

A girl with a staff, presumably their healer tried to impede my movements with a spell. Are they here already?

 

I canceled my channeling to dodge the skill. Shit, how unlucky. I would've finished breaking the barrier if I only had a couple of seconds more of uncontested channeling.

 

Just then I felt a foreboding feeling. I ducked instinctively.

 

*Whoosh*

 

"Tsk!" she exclaimed.

 

Another girl with the same face as the healer appeared holding a rapier in her hand. She is probably the ranker based on the bits of info I heard about her. So, the first attack was just a distraction for the real carry to finish me off when I least expected it, they have a good synergy. Her suddenly appearing instantly at my blind spot means she has a displacement skill. A blink or shadow step is more likely. That's a surprise though, I thought my teammates would've at least eliminated 1 of the 2 considering they have the numbers advantage. Either these 2 are good or my teammates are just that useless.

 

I leaped a few times back to get some distance as I pondered my choices. Hiding in the forest while firing some arrows at them to chip their HP is not possible since they have a healer and I will definitely run out of arrows before their healer runs out of mana.

 

Melee it is then. I rushed to the healer.

 

"Katherine be careful, he's going after you!"

 

How astute. She immediately put herself in front of me and her healer in an attempt to block my charge.

 

She thrust her rapier at me, but I dodged it at the last second and I followed it up with a quick dual stab.

 

She dodged the 1st stab and parried the other with her rapier but I was expecting it.

 

I delivered a straight kick. She managed to guard it with her free hand, but my blow overpowered her. She had a very nimble body type but is also a lightweight so my kick sent her flying.

 

"Khh!"

 

Lizbeth

Hp: 94%

 

Having achieved my purpose of separating the two, I instantly rushed at the unguarded healer in an attempt to eliminate her.

 

I can't waste this opportunity. I had to eliminate her quickly so I could have a bout with the ranker. I did the fastest combo of slashes I possibly could close to depleting my stamina.

 

"Hyahh!" I exclaimed.

 

I did a quick 12-strike combo with my butterfly swords.

 

But what is this feeling... It feels like I’m trying to cut the air. Just as I thought that my slash was about to hit, she dodged it flawlessly. I have never fought anyone like this girl before.

 

None of my hits connected.

 

No, my last hit did connect but it only managed to scrape her chest making her distance herself a bit.

 

Beth

Hp: 92%

 

"Tsk! Useless bag of meat," she murmured.

 

In my shock, I failed to realize that her teammate was already right behind me. With a sudden quick stab, she hit me in the back.

 

*Chack*

 

"Guhh!"

 

NambaWan

Hp: 42%

 

She prioritized my body instead of my head to make sure I didn't dodge this time, how laudable. My HP is going down and I don't even have a healer to mend me back to full health. And to top it off, they're both extremely skilled players. This is bad. I need to do something.

 

Just as I was recovering from the damage the rapier user dealt, the healer suddenly rushed at me. That was a bad move by her but I won’t let this opportunity pass by. Now is my chance, my weapon skill just barely went on cooldown. If can create an opportunity to eliminate her with a well-timed skill, it will become a 1v1 match wherein I have a higher chance of winning.

 

She wound up her weapon preparing for an overhead swing. Perfect, I positioned my twin butterfly sword in the trajectory of her swing and activated my skill making my twin weapon's edges glow white.

 

Just as her staff was about to hit my weapon, she suddenly stopped it mid-swing and transitioned her attack into a sidekick. A feint!

 

It caught me off guard and hit me in the sides. Did she know of my weapon skill? Did she predict I would use it at this exact moment or is it just a fluke?

 

Whatever the reason is, my posture got destroyed by that kick making me flinch.

 

"Now!" She yelled.

 

Just then the rapier user appeared right beside me. Shit! Her 'Shadow Step' skill just went on cooldown, and the healer knows it too so she created an opening for her.

 

The stab went through the back of my neck and I felt a very slight pain in that area.

 

"Guhh!"

NambaWan

Hp: 0%

"It was a Good Game," the ranker said in courtesy.

It was all I heard from my opponent before my vision went entirely black and annoying red letters showed at the center of it all reminding me of my own death.