Chapter 28

EP.28 The Story of the Final Match

This is,

the story right after the final match ended.

I was almost slumped in my chair.

This was because I had to rack my brains to lead the game with a greatsword build that was not in my destiny.

My brain, which had been intensely focused and tense, was now complaining of a headache.

I was so exhausted, both physically and mentally, that I couldn't even think of joining in the cheers of my teammates in the voice chat coming through the speakers.

As I took a brief rest,

the broadcast screen of the tournament, which had a ten-minute delay to prevent the players from seeing the map, caught my eye.

The broadcast camera was focused on the Paladin.

Her trademark benevolent smile was nowhere to be seen, and with her lips tightly pressed, she was leaping over the Blue Team's second line of defense to carry out her mission.

What I heard next was,

the caster's voice, filled with doubt.

"Oh, what is she thinking! The core hasn't even appeared yet! She should be taking the second line of defense first!"

"I can guess. The Red Team is bunched up. Judging from her choice to break through the defense rather than secure an objective, it seems she thinks this is their last chance."

"But how does that relate to the Paladin's actions? She's charging towards the core's location, which hasn't even been revealed yet! Is she leaving the second line of defense to her teammates? Does she trust them?"

"That's the only explanation. Whether it will be a blessing or a curse, we don't know... but to risk losing a hard-earned opportunity, this player is bold."

"But can they do it without the Paladin?"

"In my opinion, it will be tough. The Blue Team immediately recognized what the Paladin's movements meant. Three warriors and the troops are chasing her."

"Now there's no turning back! She has to keep running!"

"The Blue Team, the strongest in this tournament at grasping the situation and eliminating variables, seems to have decided that if they can drive away the Red Team's main force, the Paladin, even at the cost of giving up the second line of defense, they can secure a complete advantage."

"Given that there are strategies to break through with powerful NPCs after intentionally giving up the second line of defense, it makes sense to eliminate variables rather than defend the line!"

"There is definitely a skill gap between the two teams. The Red Team was originally considered the weaker side, but due to a strategy or a mistake, the Paladin and the Warrior have switched picks, which is why the Red Team has been at a disadvantage."

"Really surprising! Was it a hidden card they kept until the end?"

"Maybe. Anyway, now that she's been forced through by Yan's power, the Blue Team only needs to drive her away once. The advantage is with the Blue Team. If they ignore the Paladin and lose a 6v5 team fight, the game could be over in one go, so even if it means a longer game, they've chosen a surefire method."

"That insight is scary."

And the chat room of the tournament broadcast,

was almost at capacity with the comments of many viewers, fitting for a final match.

[ Sister, run!!!!!! ]

[ Catch that bitch!!!!!!! ]

[ Paladin's thighs ㅗㅜㅑ]

[ She's really good ]

[ She's a pro ㅇㅈ ]

[ Greatsword Paladin backdoor ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ What is she thinking? ]

[ Backdoor is like robbing an empty house ㅋㅋㅋ This isn't a backdoor, it's just a bold move ]

[ Her mindset is completely different ㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ Is the Blue Team's judgment correct? If the second line of defense isn't broken, the Paladin will be useless, so is there a reason to chase her? ]

[ It will be harder to lose a 6v5 with the defense line ]

[ No, the Blue Team used a lot of ultimates to catch Yan, so they might lose ]

[ She used Hellfire well ]

[ Song Show! Song Show! Song Show! Song Show! Song Show! Song Show! Song Show! ]

[ If a Berserker skill combo hits properly, who knows? ㅋㅋ ]

[ It's right to eliminate variables even if it means taking a hit ㅇㅇ ]

[ Does anyone know who the NPC is that appears when the Blue Team's second line of defense breaks? ]

[ Adriana ㅇㅇ ]

[ Oh, it's a mage; ]

[ It's a disaster for the Red Team, which lacks a mage ]

[ Now that they've caught Yan, the Blue Team will benefit more if the second line of defense breaks ]

[ But if the core breaks with it, the game is over ]

[ That's why they're chasing the Paladin now ㅋㅋ ]

[ The Paladin is running well with the greatsword ]

[ But isn't it a bit... a bit too much? ]

[ What do you mean? ]

[ Well, it's... um... she's beautiful when she runs ]

[ Just say she's sexy ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ Her body is too vulgar ]

[ Every move is sexy ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ She's a genius at annoying Juzi ㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ I think I've seen this in an AV before ]

[ If she gets caught, will she be raped on the spot? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ ㅗㅜㅑ ]

…

"Wow. What was that? Taejun, please explain."

"Ah, no, I'm sorry. ...I'm sorry. Ah. Ah. I'm sorry!"

"Phew, we all saw Sebi swear. Please bear with us, viewers. You all know he's not like this, right? He's just that surprised."

"Ah, I'm really sorry... I've never seen anything like this before. I'm starting to doubt my eyes."

"It's just parrying, right?"

"Parrying with a greatsword is a difficult technique. The weapon's attack speed is as slow as a two-handed axe, making it hard to time correctly. Even if you do, you usually gain an advantage by just overpowering with weight and strength, so most greatsword users don't bother practicing parrying... it's a rare skill. But she did it several times in a row…."

"Well, the Warrior didn't do it either. I don't think we saw the Warrior parry in this tournament. But the Paladin did. Why?"

"Definitely, it's better to push through and finish the job rather than parry. One-on-one, that is. The Paladin doesn't have that luxury now. She's surrounded by both the opposing team's players and troops. I thought her ultimate would be used here... how many times now?"

"22, 23, 24 in a row. Does she have eyes in the back of her head? She handles attacks from behind without any trouble!"

"Using just-in-time guarding, she consumes less stamina. There is a greatsword combo that can be useful when surrounded, but... according to the database, a user who has never used a greatsword before... oh, she's doing it."

"Whirlwind! The flower of the greatsword! The troops are being cut down!"

"What a great scene."

[ Damn! I trusted her!! Damn! I trusted her!! Damn! I trusted her!! Damn! I trusted her!! Damn! I trusted her!! Damn! I trusted her!! ]

[ Wasn't the pick messed up? Was it really a strategy?? ]

[ She was a bit off at first, but she's getting better. Did a god possess her? ]

[ Where are the greatsword users who try to parry? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ Why can't you parry with a greatsword? I really don't know ]

[ It's too difficult and the return is low, so most people don't even think about it ]

[ If you don't know, listen to the commentary ]

[ Even the longsword users who parry a lot can lose their heads in a fight, over twenty times ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ Only 0.1% of all users can clear the achievement of 10 consecutive parries ㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ She's really a god at controlling ]

[ Damn, sister is so cool, the best ]

[ How do they do that? Consecutive parries are so cool ]

[ Don't even try ]

[ Damn, she's so good, crazy ]

[ The Paladin is annoying... the sound of parrying is reaching here... ]

[ Yeah, yeah, keep spinning ]

[ There's a 'spin' skill ]

[ Blender ON, minced meat ON ]

[ Would you like to grind the meat into powder? ]

[ ...Yes. ]

[ Whirlwind is insane ]

[ It's not Whirlwind, it's Hwirlwind... ]

[ Either way; ]

[ This is a greatsword skill that noobs can't do, did you see that? ]

[ Why do you have pride in it? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ She's too pretty for a tough guy ㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ She's really a god at customization, a god ]

…

"The third observer is showing another battlefield. Oh, the Red Team has finally taken the second line of defense!"

"There are no casualties on either side. The Blue Team, despite being 3v5, fought well and retreated. Once Adriana joins, even with more numbers, the Red Team, with their health down, will be easy to push back."

"Hey, the Warrior hasn't been seen for a while."

"The logs show no death records... the observer must have missed him. But that's not the important part. How is the Paladin doing?"

"She's still holding on!"

"The three remaining Blue Team members held their ground, but the core has been revealed. It's unbelievable. The opponent has three players and an Orange player. Her health and stamina are almost depleted, yet she's thinking this far... is this the play of a first-time greatsword user?"

"Taejun, you might drop your jaw."

"Using the handle... even a decent aspiring pro wouldn't be able to do this."

"Indeed, it was a surprise card prepared by the Red Team!"

"Maybe... the core appeared before the Paladin could be dealt with."

"Was the Blue Team's order to drive away the Paladin first a mistake?"

"No way. The Paladin is playing unbelievably. The Blue Team is lucky that there are no casualties and the three warriors are still in good shape... but..."

"On the other hand, the Paladin is dying. Her HP and stamina are almost gone. Is this the end?"

"...But, if I may, I don't think so."

"Suddenly, the Paladin changes her attitude! She sheaths her sword and runs! Towards the core! She pushes away the blocking warrior and runs towards the core! A sword pierces her back, but she doesn't die! She keeps running! Why isn't she dying with no health?"

"She can survive for 20 seconds even if the world ends. A few hits from a stun won't kill her."

"By the way, she still had her ultimate skill left!"

[ The Blue Team's response was clean, they fought well 3v5 ]

[ Where's our Warrior? Where's our Warrior? Where's our Warrior? Where's our Warrior? ]

[ Where did she go in the middle of the fight? ]

[ Adriana's eyes appear, huff ]

[ Adriana! Adriana! Adriana! Adriana! Adriana! Adriana! Adriana! ]

[ Why are you praising a 120-year-old grandma so much? ]

[ She's pretty ]

[ Being pretty isn't everything ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ Everything, then ]

[ These guys have a reason for praising the Paladin ]

[ Even if there's a four-player team inside, they praise her character customization until the end ㅋ ]

[ ? ]

[ ? ]

[ ? ]

[ ? ]

[ What? Are you hurt? ㅋㅋ ]

[ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Idiot ]

[ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ ]

[ Just type ㄹㅇㅋㅋ ㅋㅋ ]

[ ㄹㅇㅋㅋ ]

[ ㄹㅇ ㅋㅋ ]

[ This guy must have been hiding in the mountains and just got internet access after a month ㅋㅋ ]

[ Shh, don't tell him ]

[ What are you, idiots? ]

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

Thank you, RestingTime, for the 20 coin donation!

The next episode will be posted around 12 PM.

I'll write the afterword in the next episode!