Ch.156151 – Kill/Zero/Assist

“Where did that priest run off to? If we can catch them here, the game will definitely swing in our favor!”

“Should I use a tracking spell?”

“No, we don’t have time for that. This area has lots of dead ends anyway, so they couldn’t have gone far.”

“Ah… huh? Behind! Behind us! BEHIND!”

The reflexive scream served as a warning, but the priest’s sword came down faster.

The blue-tinted blade rushed toward the waist of the knight who was covering the rear.

Despite another shield-bearing knight’s immediate attempt to protect them, NoName’s sword had already cut off their lifeline.

Blood dripped from her blade, which gleamed under the full moon’s energy, splattering across the academy’s corridor.

Those who witnessed their comrade’s death before their eyes wouldn’t let this stand.

The shield knight’s straight sword shot toward NoName’s waist.

CLANG-!

Instead of the dull sound of armor being struck, the vibrant sound of blade meeting blade resonated through their bodies.

Though the attack was blocked too easily, the knight paid no mind and retrieved his sword to raise his shield. Buying time was the priority now.

Without any signal, the mage turned behind him again, regrouping and preparing to cast. He silently thanked the shield knight who had successfully bought them time.

“The enemy’s mana is at zero! I’ll keep pushing, just watch our backs!”

The knight shouted loudly after catching his breath.

He drew his straight sword at close quarters where their feet might tangle.

The opponent showed no intention of fleeing. Did they really intend to face both of them?

Their shadows overlapped.

The knight advanced, pushing his opponent with speed enhanced to the extreme by his aura, but NoName’s precise counterattacks cut through each opening.

When feints came to create openings, she closed the distance; when thrusts aimed for vital points, her Schiavona curved like a snake to block them.

“Kugh…!”

Their bodies pressed close together. If either stopped attacking or retreated now, they would surely lose their life.

With stamina gradually depleting, it was up to fate to decide who would fall first.

Despite this determination, what seemed like an afterimage of a blade struck the knight’s side, making him falter.

The knight unconsciously stepped back, frowning.

Seeing this, NoName immediately pushed against his shoulder to throw off his center of gravity.

Unable to fall in this one-on-one melee, the knight gripped his shield tightly to withstand the forward impact.

NoName cleverly turned to the opposite side and continued to leave irreversible wounds on the knight’s legs.

The shield knight swung his sword blindly, but NoName dodged by a paper-thin margin and stabbed at another vital point.

KINGING-

The shield, barely recovered from the ground, extended the knight’s lifeline, creating an unpleasant noise as metal met metal.

Missing just one beat made it impossible to catch up.

As the knight barely swallowed a groan from accumulated damage, the mage sent a voice of salvation.

“I’m about to cast a spell!”

“I don’t care if I die, just fire it together!”

This was actually an opportunity.

The knight’s long straight sword crossed with the priest’s, but this was intentional.

In this standoff where neither could overpower the other, a massive flow of mana was detected.

Although the priest’s Blink was still on cooldown, the knight was blocking their other hand, preventing them from taking out a scroll.

The knight smiled at this checkmate created by brilliant strategy and a fortuitous standoff.

Swish-

“Huh?”

If the priest pulled away now, it would actually benefit the knight.

There was still time before the spell would activate.

Judging that the opponent had made a miscalculation, the knight rose from the cold corridor floor and immediately pursued the priest.

Even if one more person died here, as long as the mage survived, it wouldn’t greatly affect the battle situation.

The knight boldly dashed forward to close the distance and swung his sword with all his might.

SWOOSH-

The powerful strike that should have crushed all the air before him ended up slicing through empty space.

[Twilight Clone: Creates a clone for 10 seconds when health falls below 15%.]

“Damn, it was a clone…!”

“KYAAAAAAAH!”

He turned around with wavering vision.

The priest, who had instantly attached herself to the mage through Blink, took her heart with a short sword.

Red blood splattered in all directions on the white wall.

Simultaneously, NoName pulled out her blood-soaked sword and, gripping the middle of the blade, threw it like a spear toward the knight.

TING-

The startled knight raised his shield first to deflect the sword. His confusion at her inexplicable action was short-lived.

“Good, you deflected it well.”

The sword that had been flying through the air was somehow back in NoName’s hand. How?

The Schiavona firmly gripped in her right hand.

Too shocked, the knight unconsciously stepped back to regain his posture, but the shield that had shifted too far to his left from his previous action slowed him down.

The moment between life and death was instantaneous.

SLASH-

A horizontal strike left a mark on the knight’s neck,

[Critical!]

[Rule the World: Each successive strike adds 3% additional damage.]

[Current: 12 stacks]

[20075(14080+5995)]

Damage too great to be considered a single attack from a priest pierced the large knight, signaling the end of the battle.

* * *

[2051 College League Season 2 Showcase Days 1-5 Results]

[NoName(Priest): 5 games, 3 wins, 2 losses]

[Total KDA: 48/0/86]

One-line review: ?

-Why did she lose two games though?

But while NoName had long surpassed her character’s limitations, she couldn’t lead her team to victory.

When everyone’s combat power was adjusted from 100,000 to 50,000, there was a variable that no tournament official had anticipated.

-This meta makes healers absolute garbage

In the current pro gaming meta, while balance patches were calculated based on 100,000 combat power, when all classes had half that ability, the healer class became overwhelmingly useless—something they hadn’t considered.

-If you spend auction points on a healer now, you’re basically certifying yourself as a sucker lol

* * *

The news that NoName would participate in the College League spread quickly like a snowball rolling downhill.

Voices of concern about tournament operations were already erupting from various communities.

But opinions were divided, intense, and sometimes chaotically opposed.

[Does it make sense to let the #1 ranked player compete in the College League?]

NoName was already physically complete.

Her outstanding swordsmanship demonstrated in Nightmare had already transcended human limits.

There were concerns that the dramatic story of lower-tier players winning through teamwork could be destroyed by just one person—NoName.

[Looking at her record, NoName has only played 5 games. She’s actually at a disadvantage because of overvaluation. She doesn’t know anything about operational strategy.]

But there was also the view that story mode and multiplayer were completely different games.

Just because someone is an excellent futsal player doesn’t guarantee they’ll be a great soccer player.

While skills honed in futsal could help achieve goals in soccer, the basic abilities required were on different dimensions.

Above all, the only effective magic NoName could use in multiplayer was “Blink,” and she was closer to a newbie who didn’t even know all of World of Arsheria’s systems.

The situation became increasingly confusing as people who had only watched her story mode broadcasts, those who had only seen her placement tests, and even those who had watched both expressed different opinions.

[Never watched NoName’s stream but if you think it’s good that a middle schooler is participating in the tournament, upvote lol]

Sometimes people prioritized non-game factors like age, age, and age.

It wasn’t very convincing, but the boy still pressed the “like” button since it was a post supporting NoName.

Beyond the screen was NoName, catching her breath.

The intense battle was like watching a scene from a movie.

She deserved greater praise if only her team had won, but unfortunately, instead of compliments for NoName, more criticism was directed at her teammate Kariri.

[‘HoYaMuYaHo’ donated 1,000 won!]

-So close but still amazing…! You rock!

“Thank you, HoYaMuYaHo. Been a while since you donated?”

The reason humans can be passionate about sports is because there are always constraints.

If hands were allowed in soccer, no one would be excited about it, and top star players wouldn’t be able to earn their huge salaries.

Despite much controversy, the reason games could be called esports was also due to the commonality of fierce competition between people under the same constraints.

While sports must always follow rules, paradoxically, how freely and creatively one could create opportunities within those rules determined skill and popularity.

The closer to the goal when shooting, the more stable the situation when shooting, the higher the probability of scoring—but players who have options like mid-range shots or acrobatic overhead kicks always receive the best treatment.

Where competition exists with scarcity value, capital and attention usually pour in.

At least on this battlefield, NoName seemed to shine so brightly by her mere existence that it was almost blinding.

[‘HoYaMuYaHo’ donated 1,000 won!]

-Any chance you’d consider doing a collab stream with Kariri…?

The boy casually asked her.

“Collab… hmm…”

It was understandable that she wasn’t thrilled about it.

They had just lost a game almost entirely because of Kariri.

“If we end up on the same team, I’ll think about it.”

The boy smiled brightly for the first time in a while.