Limousine checked the enemy nicknames and item statuses during the 15-second countdown before the match began. At this point, he didn’t have any expectations—more of a habit than anything.
He had already encountered PrimeTimeParkBongpal a couple of times today, who had picked a fight in all chat the moment the match started. Limousine had a rough grasp of what kind of person he was: flashy, but no better than Gold tier. As for the rest…… nothing noteworthy except for one. Among them, he noted down the name and class of a particularly high-spec player before closing the window.
“Anything interesting?”
“The necromancer, at least…… nothing else. What about you?”
“Better than earlier.”
While Limousine was scanning the enemy team, Jaheun looked over their allies and quietly exchanged information with him. There had been a time when they would share enemy intel with the whole team through party chat, but after three days of floating around in Gold, they’d stopped bothering. If there were any sane people around, they’d check themselves. It was a twisted resolve born from the belief that if you can’t trust anyone, you might as well stop expecting anything.
[Party] Jaheun: I’ll grab the first ball
[Party] Jaheun: Back me up
Jaheun volunteered to go for the first ball. Since everyone had to rush out from base to grab it, classes with some burst mobility and utility had the upper hand. Assassins, for example, were a classic first ball class.
By that standard, swordsman wasn’t exactly the most favorable pick……
< The battlefield has begun. >
< A Milky Way Sphere has appeared! >
But Jaheun had something else in mind.
< ‘PiedPiperGirl’-nim has obtained the ball. >
Jaheun was the first to reach the ball, but he deliberately didn’t grab it. The opposing team’s staff wielder, who arrived just a split-second later, picked it up while using an invulnerability skill.
There were many types of invulnerability, but the ones that could be activated instantly from standby usually broke after three hits or less.
Before the staff wielder could even use the ball-specific invulnerability skill <Unrivaled Under Heaven>, Jaheun used a multi-hit skill to strip away the invulnerability. As soon as it dropped, he stunned the opponent. Limousine, seeing the stun land, laid down a field that dealt continuous damage and slowed movement, then launched the staff wielder into the air.
If the ball holder was stunned, knocked airborne, or hit with another form of crowd control, the ball would automatically drop. Jaheun calmly picked it up and activated <Unrivaled Under Heaven>. Limousine left the airborne staff wielder to the incoming ranged DPS arriving at the center and dashed off to support Jaheun.
Soon, the two teams clashed at the center—one trying to chase down the ball, the other to stop them. It all happened within five seconds of the match starting.
< ‘DobongsanPizza’-nim has defeated ‘PiedPiperGirl’-nim. >
< 30 points awarded to the White Team! >
“Serene Reflection.”
< You and your party members are immune to status effects for 3 seconds. >
Limousine cast a status resistance skill on Jaheun, whose invulnerability had just expired. Then he stood his ground at the path, blocking the incoming enemies to create distance for Jaheun.
[Party] Limousine: I’m blocking the path, one person back Jaheun
[Party] DobongsanPizza: I’m on it
The summoner who had secured the first kill ran past Limousine. The central clash must have gone well, since only one enemy was making their way up the path.
Not a bad start. Limousine casually rolled the wrist that gripped his staff.
PvP is a battle of momentum. If you flinch in front of your opponent, even combos you’ve executed dozens or hundreds of times can fall apart. That’s how terrifying mind control can be. Having given up the first ball completely to the White Team and even lost the central skirmish, the Black Team’s morale had visibly deflated after racking up a string of deaths.
While waiting for the next ball to spawn 15 seconds after the touchdown, Limousine and Jaheun deliberately stood slightly away from the map’s center, where the ball would appear. They positioned themselves along the shortest path the Black Team would have to take to score if they got the ball. It was a silent form of pressure—You won’t be getting through this path easily.
The Black Team hesitated, clearly unsure of what to do. In times like this, they should force a fight in the center before the ball spawns to bait us in, Limousine thought with a click of his tongue. Lucky for them, the enemy was stupid.
“We’re gonna win this one.”
“About damn time.”
They had just suffered three consecutive losses right before hitting Platinum. Jaheun shook his head at the awful memory.
[Party] DobongsanPizza: One enemy flanking, heads up
The summoner, who had taken a high position to keep an eye on the field, spotted an enemy sneaking down a side path and warned them. All paths on the map connected to both teams’ goal points. Even the roundabout ones weren’t blocked off, and some players often used them to try and sneak in a flank or land a surprise hit on the enemy’s side.
One guy trying to take on both of us? That’s bold…… Limousine and Jaheun exchanged a glance. They kept their posture, pretending not to notice anything, and kept facing the center.
“Wanna make a bet?”
“A bet on what?”
“Who gets the kill.”
“What do I get if I win?”
“You just feel good about it.”
What do you mean, what do you get? Limousine’s casual reply sounded completely thoughtless. Jaheun let out a groan, deliberating longer than necessary. Is this something that needs that much thought? Limousine looked at him, puzzled by the sudden seriousness.
“Make it a wish.”
“What are you, twelve?”
“Scared?”
This bastard’s provoking me now? Limousine gave a crooked grin.
“Hope you’re ready to grant mine.”
Just then, through a pre-angled camera view, they saw the enemy player step into range. A necromancer. So that’s what gave him the confidence to come alone—his gear. Unfortunately for him, there was one thing he didn’t know: Limousine and Jaheun’s gear was just a little bit better than his. Top-tier rankers don’t go down so easily.
See? Normal people check the enemy’s info before the match even starts.
The moment the bet was set, Limousine lunged at the necromancer and landed a stun. Taken aback by the sudden status effect, the necromancer panicked and started throwing out debuff cleanses and every kind of defensive skill he had. His control wasn’t even worth yawning at. Could probably sneeze on him and he’d die.
As Limousine got a read on the opponent’s skill level, he began to toy with him using light skills, baiting out and wasting the necromancer’s defensive abilities. That’s when a familiar circular field appeared on the ground. It was a lingering AoE that dealt damage over time. Not a class skill…… Must be a faction skill.
Factions were, in essence, like combat support specialties. If your main class focused on weapon-based skills like swordsman, staff wielder, or summoner, then your faction gave you access to buffs, debuffs, and various utility abilities. That’s why even two players with the same weapon could feel like totally different classes depending on their factions.
There were many factions and just as many ways to join them. You could follow a regular questline and pick one, or sometimes stumble upon a hidden quest that lets you join a rare faction. Joining and leaving were free, but each faction had a Reputation Stat, and certain exclusive skills were only unlocked at higher Reputation levels, so most players stuck with one faction once they committed.
From seeing his skills during countless battles together, Limousine had guessed that Jaheun was part of the <House of the Four Heavens>. House of the Four Heavens was a popular major faction—easy to join and rich in publicly available info thanks to its large player base. Its strength lay in a wide variety of debuff skills, which made it a favorite among many.
After playing together nonstop for several days, Limousine had gotten a decent grasp of Jaheun’s attack patterns. He almost always started a combo by laying down that AoE field.
No way I’m letting him have a clean setup.
The necromancer’s invulnerability had just ended. In that exact instant, Limousine went in for a burst combo. The necromancer’s HP plummeted instantly. Nice. Now, just a clean finishing—
< ‘Jaheun’-nim has defeated ‘Grandmaster’-nim. >
< 30 points awarded to the White Team! >
What?
“What?!”
Limousine blurted his reaction out loud, utterly dumbfounded, and scrambled to check the combat log. He didn’t even land a real hit yet—what the hell? The last thing that damaged the necromancer before he died was……
“This is why you drop the AoE first.”
“……”
Jaheun had strolled over without a care and muttered smugly. Are you kidding me? He got the last hit with the damn AoE tick? Limousine clenched his teeth in frustration.
“I’ll think about my wish.”
[Whisper] Limousine: Go ahead and do that
“When you’re mad but too embarrassed to show it, you always use chat, huh?”
[Whisper] Limousine: Shut up
Bet aside, the necromancer’s death crushed the Black Team’s morale completely. It was a rare, smooth win. If only every match went this well……
Almost as if that wish jinxed everything, the next round went straight to hell.
A tragic turn of events.