Chapter 19: Don’t Be Cocky. Always Stay Humble (3)

The sniper was on the other side of Raidel.

At first glance, it looked like they were just firing wildly out of agitation.

‘No, that was recon fire.’

The opponent had realized from the very first shot that Raidel could measure distances with perfect precision.

The seemingly random shots that followed—

Were actually well-aimed at her arms, legs, and abdomen.

To test her reaction speed in various areas.

It was a method of probing for weaknesses.

Seemingly wasteful, but not a single shot had been wasted.

And then—

‘She hesitated slightly when her left knee was targeted.’

When the sniper shot at Raidel’s left leg,

She stepped back—but just a moment too late.

Of course, it was a minute difference.

Like a master conductor detecting dissonance too subtle for ordinary ears.

Most wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

But Yoo Seo-yeon’s senses—

Picked up that minute delay with perfect clarity.

[SilverSilver: Her left knee…]

“Huh? Her left knee?”

Raidel tilted her head at the message.

[SilverSilver: Never mind. I typed the wrong thing;;]

“Hehe, Silver-hair. If your knees hurt, I hear collagen’s good for them.”

Raidel chuckled lightly.

「Folk remedy activated」

「They say it’s not even effective tho」

「Now I want some bone broth soup」

「She always eats the cartilage when having chicken lol」

As expected, the chat moved on like it was nothing.

‘Maybe it really was just my imagination.’

Seo-yeon was a VR newbie.

She’d only skimmed NamuWiki a few times before jumping into Raid & Master.

So she didn’t dare backseat.

It would be weird for someone who hadn’t even played a game to advise a veteran.

[Monsters have spawned.]

Monsters began walking up from behind the towers.

Swords-and-shields in front, archers in back.

The minions of both Raidel and the sniper clashed in the center.

“No need to worry about arrows from allied minions. Friendly fire doesn’t exist here.”

Raidel stuck her arm out in front of an allied archer’s shot for demonstration.

The arrow bounced off her arm without leaving a scratch.

Damage: 0.

By design, friendly fire is disabled.

Otherwise, trolling would be limitless.

“Okay, let’s get started.”

Raidel twirled her dagger and moved forward.

The sniper targeted her—

Bang!

But the bullet hit a monster instead.

Using monsters as shields was a core part of laning.

Even if they were weak and dumb,

Their bodies were plenty sturdy.

By hiding behind them, you could block a decent amount of ranged damage.

“Watch this trade. Now!”

Raidel’s Rogue Master advanced while staying behind the monster.

Her mana dropped as she surged forward.

She had used a dash skill.

Instantly, she closed the gap to the sniper.

Her dagger flashed.

She slashed the sniper in rapid succession.

Neck, heart, all vital points—perfectly textbook attacks.

Ching! Clang!

“Huh?”

But the sniper blocked them all as if expecting them.

She used her massive rifle like a shield, defending every vital spot.

“Tch.”

Raidel pressed the attack, but the sniper continued to block and retreat.

Thwip—!

“Crap.”

An arrow flew at Raidel.

A monster from the sniper’s side had landed a shot.

Raidel quickly retreated.

Any further and she’d enter tower range.

When that happens, best practice is to run—no second thoughts.

Click!

Just then, the defensive sniper reloaded and fired at the fleeing Raidel.

BOOM!

A louder-than-usual shot.

The sniper had used a skill.

“Ahh!”

The bullet flew straight toward Raidel.

She twisted her body in a split second—

Thud!

—but it still hit her shoulder.

Her health began to drop steadily.

The sniper’s skill: Cursed Bullet.

Once hit, it causes damage over time—like a poison effect.

Not much burst, but the sustained damage really added up.

「LOL Delbung totally lost that trade」

「You really losing with Rogue Master to a sniper? lmao」

「Bruh;;」

《’BigheadSundae’ donated 3,000 won!》

– But isn’t the sniper just good? They blocked every one of Raidel’s attacks.

「Yeah, they’ve got skills.」

「Their mechanics seem solid.」

「Still, how do you lose the trade after getting in range?」

“No, I’m just not warmed up yet. Don’t get the wrong idea, Silver-hair.”

Raidel raised her voice in embarrassment.

“Is this person a sniper main? They’re insanely good.”

A main—someone who only plays one champ.

Sometimes, you meet those players.

People who don’t play Raid & Master to use snipers—they use snipers, so they play Raid & Master.

These folks don’t just study their champ.

They obsessively analyze its counters too.

The typical counter to sniper: Rogue Master.

So they’d know the Rogue Master inside and out.

「Their movement screams veteran.」

「This sniper even counters their own counter, damn.」

「But once Raidel hits level 6, it’s winnable. Matchups are matchups.」

“Exactly. No need to panic. If I scale, I win for sure.”

Raidel tried to sound confident.

‘Doesn’t feel like a main to me, though.’

Yoo Seo-yeon saw things differently.

Mains typically react before the attack.

They predict the sword to the throat, and block ahead of time.

That’s familiarity. Even if their mechanics are weaker, they make up for it with knowledge.

But this sniper?

They didn’t anticipate attacks—they reacted with raw reflexes.

Pre-emptive vs. responsive.

It’s a subtle difference.

But it requires full-body awareness to spot.

The urgency, the ease—it’s all in the details.

To anyone else, it would’ve looked the same.

‘Maybe I’m just imagining things.’

She hoped it was just imagination.

Because if it wasn’t,

That sniper had raw mechanical skill several levels above Raidel.

And that kind of difference made things very tough.

Raidel seemed to sense it too—she switched to a defensive playstyle.

A few minutes later—

“Huff… huff… Why… why are they so good?”

It hadn’t been long since the laning phase began,

But Raidel was drenched in sweat.

She looked completely tense.

Like a stock trader drenched in sweat after silently moving a mouse for hours.

「Sniper kinda cracked?」

「Is this really diamond tier? Did she get matched with a pro by accident?」

「Doesn’t look like a pro’s username tho.」

「That reaction time is unreal.」

Even the viewers who were teasing Raidel earlier had gone quiet.

They knew her skill.

If it were just a regular diamond player with a counter-pick, Raidel would win easily.

But she was getting pushed back again and again.

She was in full serious mode now—no joking around.

But there was no opening.

The viewers could sense it too.

‘Raidel’s not bad—the sniper’s just insane.’

《’DelbungDelbung’ donated 3,000 won!》

– Did the matchmaker break or something?

Auto-matching should pair you with someone around your tier.

But this opponent didn’t seem like a diamond 1 at all.

Raidel panted, thinking.

Currently level 3.

‘Gotta time this right.’

Her plan was to hit level 6 and then go for a one-shot combo.

But the enemy must’ve noticed—

As Raidel played passively to level up, the sniper switched to offense.

Even when Raidel tried counterattacking, she lost every trade.

Chunks of health gone each time.

She was lucky not to be dead already.

‘And I already used my recall.’

In 1v1 Showdown mode, you get one recall.

Since you can buy items at your tower, the recall is effectively for healing.

Raidel had already used hers.

Her trump card, spent. But without it, she would’ve fallen earlier.

Meanwhile, the sniper hadn’t recalled yet.

Still had more HP than her.

‘Now’s my one-shot window.’

It was bad. Dragging the game out would only lead to defeat.

Thankfully, the sniper seemed to think Raidel was still waiting for level 6.

She had to turn that assumption into a mistake.

“Hup.”

Pretending to farm, Raidel quickly leveled up a new skill.

From the available options, she picked Paralyzing Arrow.

A skill that stuns the enemy for a short duration.

That would complete her Rogue Master combo.

Fire the Paralyzing Arrow, dash in, then finish with the Assassinate skill.

Assassinate—an ability that teleports you behind the enemy for a critical strike.

The plan:

1. Stun with Paralyzing Arrow.
2. Close the distance with the dash.
3. Use Assassinate to blink behind and strike the exposed back.

It was a perfect laning-phase combo.

That combo was why Rogue Master was nicknamed the assassin.

Why it was the perfect counter to sniper.

‘Now!’

Raidel darted out from behind a monster and fired the Paralyzing Arrow—

Click!

From the tiny crossbow hidden on her wrist, the arrow was nocked—

“—Just kidding!”

Suddenly, she canceled the arrow and dashed forward.

A fakeout attack.

Raidel was a former master-tier player—

She knew obvious combos wouldn’t land.

If she had fired the arrow, the sniper would’ve blocked it with her rifle.

So she faked the arrow and dashed in instead.

A psychological play.

As expected, the sniper flinched, raising her rifle to block a nonexistent arrow—

And staggered.

「Whoa! Mix-up!」

「That mind game was insane!」

「Delbung’s back, baby!」

「This is a kill angle!」

「Now!? Go now!」

The chat exploded in excitement.

Raidel didn’t hesitate—she used Assassinate.

The most terrifying part of the skill? Instant teleport to the enemy’s back.

In a blink, she was behind the sniper—completely exposed.

“You’ve waited long enough! Now—”

Click!

A sharp jolt around her ankle.

No time to look down—just her eyes flicked to her foot.

A trap.

Already set in place, snapping her in place.

The sniper’s skill: Hunter’s Trap.

A short stun and a root effect.

Raidel looked up.

The sniper had already turned.

She was smiling.