[Timing is key here.] Jin thought. [Gunz probably thinks that he's firing his shots when I can't move, but that's not entirely true.]
Gunz fired the previous shot with impressive timing as he waited for the moment when Jin started swinging the hammer. At that point, Jin was locked in the attack animation and should've been unable to move. This was an effective approach, but not entirely bulletproof.
[I suppose his tactic works fine against most players in this region.][But, I know a counter.] Jin swung his sledgehammer once again. As expected, Gunz fired soon after with pitch-perfect timing. The guy had a truly impressive reaction speed, even Jin had to admit.
Nonetheless, Gunz's little scheme was going to fall apart. All it took was a little backstep.
As soon as Jin's sledgehammer slammed into the enemy swordsmen, he animation-canceled the recovery into a quick backstep. As a result, the laser beam hit him instead of the minions.
Needless to say, the enemy wasn't ready for this development.
"No way, yo!" Lars exclaimed. "But, I aimed it so well! That dang step-cancel thing, yo…!"
His plan was supposed to be bulletproof. No other player out there could do anything against Lars's careful timing and 200% accuracy.
And yet, this Apprentece dude just shut down the play on the spot. He made it look so effortless, too. Like, dude saw Lars shooting twice and figured everything out. What a pro!
[This ain't good.] Lars frowned as he watched the entire enemy army turn their gazes toward him. They now branded him a first-class criminal for his offense. [I was framed, yo! I'm innocent, I swear!]
Alas, no amount of pleading will change the bots' minds. They were dead set on avenging their commander, that dang dude who stepped into Lars's shot of his own volition!
[Okay, so what now?] Lars wondered. [I can retreat, or I can keep shooting these dudes until it's time to bail out.]
Fortunately, there was no danger of being ganked anytime soon because Winner had just finished clearing Top. So, Lars stood his ground and fired another laser beam! ZAP!
Apprentece probably didn't see this move coming because he didn't bother guarding his minions at all this time. And so, Lars delivered a clean hit on one of the bowmen.
So, what was the Korean pro going to do about this? Did he have any more cool tricks up his sleeve!?
[He keeps shooting?] Jin wondered. [Well, I suppose that's an acceptable approach. He has nothing to be afraid of until the minions actually get closer, but he's definitely taking a risk here. We'll get over there very soon.]
As Jin's minions advanced ahead and invaded enemy territory, the enemy swordsmen were obligated to give chase. To do so, they gradually moved from their frontline toward their backline. As a result, the entire enemy formation was now lumped together, and this was exactly what Jin wanted.
BAM! His hammer slammed into the entire enemy wave, demolishing their HP. The swordsmen who were already injured collapsed on the spot, while the rest sustained critical injuries.
BAM! A second strike sealed the deal. Jin obliterated the entire enemy army.
Now, Gunz was left all alone on the lane. Meanwhile, Jin and his army marched toward him.
Nonetheless, the guy exhibited no signs of being worried about any of this. He continued firing shots through his Elven Sight as if the approaching forces were just an illusion.
[Is he betting on his leap for a bailout?] Jin wondered. [That's some confidence he's showing here. Let's crush it.]
He extended into enemy territory along with his minions. However, to make things harder for the enemy, Jin maintained some distance between himself and his soldiers.
Since Eleven Sight used first-person mode, its field of view was narrower than the regular third-person view. So long as Gunz was focused on the minions, it was possible for Jin to slip into the guy's blind spot.
[Admittedly, I've never been good at gauging the correct position for this.] Jin thought. [It's not like I can actually see his field of view, so there's a lot of guesswork here. I firmly believe that only machines can accurately visualize something like this.]
Nonetheless, Jin gave it a shot. He was planning to trade his sledgehammer for a scourge soon enough anyway, so he might as well do it now with more purpose.
[Somewhere here, I suppose?] Jin stopped and waited for the enemy's next shot. The moment Gunz fired his next beam, Jin unleashed Scourge! WHISH! The bribed whip extended far, shooting straight at the unsuspecting prey!
Or, was that prey really unsuspecting?
[Oh, here it comes!] Lars grinned. [I knew that dude wouldn't let me do my thing in peace. But, git jebaited, yo!]
He activated Elven Leap, jumping high into the air while performing an elegant backflip! Or at least, that's what Elf would've done in the default costume. But, Lars's skin had cutting-edge technology! Instead of actually jumping, this sci-fi dude activated the jetpack on his back and took off toward the sky!
Of course, the actual animation speed remained the same as in the default skin, despite how different the actual motion looked. Instead of putting on an impressive display of gymnastics, the sci-fi dude just let the jetpack carry him across the sky in an arc.
Right before hitting the ground, dude turned around so he could properly land on his feet. Some people online complained that this animation was less satisfying than Elf's OG stunt, but Lars felt it matched the sci-fi theme to a T. Sci-fi dude be lazy and let the technology do the heavy lifting for him! An efficient dude, yo!
Thanks to the power of technology, Lars got out of the dangerous scene and created some distance between himself and the enemy. What's more, he successfully dodged an enemy attack with that leap, which triggered the skill's secondary effect.
[Heck yeah, lessgo!] Lars grinned. He received two buffs from this maneuver: one to his Movement Speed and one to his Attack Speed, which he planned to put to good use right away!
ZAP! He fired straight at the Orc as soon as he landed! Dude didn't see it coming at all!
"Wha-!?" Jin grimaced. [I need to sidestep-] It was too late. The laser beam pierced his torso before he could even respond.
This counterattack wasn't even on Jin's list as far as "possible scenarios" were concerned, therefore he failed to respond in a timely fashion. It was an error on his end
[Just what is he thinking?] Jin frowned. [Instead of optimally jumping away toward his tower, he jumped diagonally to keep me within his attack range. And, he did all of that in the heat of the moment even though I was the one pressuring him.]
All the effort Jin spent on carefully slithering toward Gunz was wasted. If anything, it only made him look bad. He had spent all that time approaching the enemy only to be outplayed in the blink of an eye.
"Jen-jang!" Jin cursed through gritted teeth. He couldn't contain himself on this one. This wasn't how any of this was supposed to go!
His purpose here was to crush Stratus' strongest and salvage the team's reputation, but instead, the enemy was clowning on him right now. This only tarnished the team's reputation further! And even worse, it made Jin look inadequate.
[So, this is how you want to play it.] Jin thought. [Originally, I was considering letting the minions push on their own this time, but I see you're asking for some pain.]
It's not like this single hit Jin received was particularly damaging, at least in terms of HP. However, it did damage something else for sure: his reputation. Jin clearly lost some points because of this exchange. It just made him look bad. Terribly bad.
[Alright then, I'll go all in. That should put you in your place.] Hellbent on getting revenge for this insult, Jin pressed onward without thinking twice. With an entire army on his side, he should have no trouble delivering hefty damage on the enemy tower.
However, there was one tiny element he failed to take into account amidst his rage. And, that very element sensed Jin's lapse and prepared to launch an attack…
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Ever since Nia left Mid, she had been monitoring the events in Bot. And, to make sure that the enemy stayed in the dark about all of this, she purposely walked near a confirmed ward in Top Jungle. This surely made the enemy think she was rotating over there, but in truth, Nia stealthily returned to Bot Jungle almost right away.
So, while Lars was confronting Apprentece, Nia cautiously crept into a position for a gank. She made sure to sneak around any sus wards locations to reach the lane undetected.
[Ok, I made it.] Nia nodded to herself. [I don't think anybody noticed me. Probably.]
Nothing about Appretnece's actions indicated that he was aware of Nia's location. So, this meant her undercover operation was a success. Probably.
[But, that alone isn't enough. Not against this monster.] Nia had already snuck up to this pro twice in this game. The first time, the guy saw through it and countered it in a scary way. The second time, Nia managed to catch the guy off-guard, but her offense wasn't sharp enough to seal the deal.
Admittedly, Nia wasn't 100% confident about the play on both occasions. For the first one, rushing that gank seemed sus to her. She was fairly convinced that she hadn't fully erased her presence at the time, so Appretnece's bold overextension seemed unnatural. And, it really was a trap!
As for the second play, Yuel orchestrated that entire thing from the ground up. It was the kind of plan Nia wouldn't have thought of in a million years, so it was very sus. In the end, it ALMOST worked, but not quite.
[Ganking with so little HP is scary.] Nia shuddered from the mere memory of that event. [I probably could've done a better job if I wasn't so worried about staying alive the entire time.]
In the end, as good as the second gank attempt was, it didn't meet all the requirements necessary for performing optimally. What Nia needed was a classic gank. She had to be healthy and sneak up to Apprentece undetected, and without Apprentece expecting her arrival.
[This time, I have the HP.] Nia nodded at her 90% HP bar. [So, if I just get an opportunity, I can do it. I'm sure I can.]
Honestly, she had no idea where that confidence was even coming from. In fact, maybe it wasn't confidence at all. She just really wanted to smack that Apprentece guy hard, that's all.
Yes, she had to admit she was rather passionate about all of this, as unusual as it was for her. Ganking unsuspecting opponents had always been fun, but this was personal. Nia wanted to specifically gank THIS guy, and gank him hard.
[I-I can take him down, I'm sure I can! So, just show me an opening already.] Nia closely followed the movements in Bot from afar using the X-ray vision mode.
As always, Apprentece's conduct reeked of sheer cockiness. The guy advanced to the frontline without caring about Lars's attack range at all.
Next, Appretence got hit by one of Lars's beams, seemingly on purpose. As a result, both minion waves started moving around and the lane turned to chaos.
As Lars's swordsmen gave chase after Apprentece's swordsmen, they ended up stepping closer to their fellow bowmen. That was a fatal misplay on their part.
BAM! The Orc swung his deadly sledgehammer, annihilating all the injured swordsmen and almost killing the bowmen too. Scary.
[If one of these hits me...] Nia gulped. This display of strength reminded her once again just how scary a class Orc was. It was an absolute monster, pretty much on par with a Dark Knight.
Just a few months ago, Nia dreaded ganking such classes. She knew how important it was to harass such strong early-game opponents, but she couldn't bring herself to confront these monsters. After all, with how broken their damage was, eliminating Nia's entire HP bar was as easy as snapping a twig for them.
[But, that alien robot kept bugging me about this point.] Nia pouted. [Always forcing me to gank these classes even though it's so scary. What a bully.]
Every time the team played an online game against a Dark Knight or an Orc, Yuel insisted on having Nia gank Top repeatedly. It wasn't just scary, it was horrifying. She still had nightmares to this day, for real.
[But, now that I look back, it was good practice.] Nia nodded. [I went through that hell so many times by now that I'm not even scared anymore. At least, not too scared…]
Of course, ganking a dangerous opponent will always be scary, that's just a law of nature. There was always that lingering question: ["What if they turn the tables on me and kill me in like five seconds!?"]
But nowadays, it was a small concern that didn't stop Nia. It gave her a shiver when she stopped to think about it, but nothing more. Despite everything, she was determined to strike down this Orc.
[So, just give me an opportunity already.] Nia telepathically sent the message to her target. [C'mon, just overextend a little. You always do it, right?]
Alas, it didn't feel like Apprentece had any intention of extending too deeply into Lars's territory. The guy was acting cocky as usual and advanced along the lane with his minions, but there was a hint of caution in his actions.
[He's borderline overextending but I think he knows what he's doing.] Nia thought. [He's always kinda like that, isn't he? It always looks as if his defense is down, but it actually isn't.]
After ganking the guy twice by now, Nia could somewhat tell what he was thinking. For example, the first time she ganked him, the guy was 100% aware of what he was doing. His overextension was way too obvious and turned out to be fake as heck.
On the other hand, that time Nia ganked him at the tower? The guy wasn't expecting it at all. Even though Nia's gank didn't go as planned in the end, Apprentece definitely let his guard down there.
[But the thing is, I didn't feel like anything was "too obvious" there.] Nia recalled. [Like, he wasn't trying to convince anybody that his guard was down or anything like that. He just pushed normally, thinking that there was no way anybody would attack him there.]
And, it was sensible in that situation. Nia's assault was really absurd. Nobody would've expected it in a million years, so it made sense that even a Korean prodigy lowered his guard against that.
[But, I haven't seen him do that again since then, though.] Nia thought. [Even back when he was acting cocky in Mid, he still seemed super cautious and stuff.]
Apprentece extended boldly against Kai but that wasn't the opportunity Nia was looking for. Despite how cocky the guy's actions seemed, every step he took was flawlessly calculated. The guy was prepared at all times to handle joint attacks from Kai and Nia. There weren't any real openings.
[And it's the same situation here in Bot now.] Nia analyzed. [It feels like he's overextending but he isn't, not really. He's still cautious about his position and stuff. So, I need more. Please, overextend more!]
As Nia was praying for the unlikely, something interesting happened in the lane. Apprentece launched his pesky Scourge at Lars! It was a dangerous CC that would've crippled Lars for life!
But of course, Lars was no small fry. He backflipped in the nick of time like a pro!
It was real close, though. So close that it almost gave Nia a heart attack. If that thing hit Lars, then he would have been done for. Gulp.
Fortunately, Lars managed to jump away. What's more, as soon as he landed, he fired back! It was a clean and fast execution, the kind Nia could only dream of reaching one day.
In fact, that counterattack was so swift that even the almighty Apprentece wasn't prepared for it. ZAP! The laser beam pierced right through that cocky guy!
[Totally deserved.] Nia nodded in approval. [That's what you get for underestimating us.]
Apprentece was undoubtedly strong, but Lars had just proved that it was possible to confront that guy head-to-head. This bolstered Nia's confidence. Surely, she could also launch a successful attack on this prodigy. She just needed the right opportunity for it.
And surprisingly, that opportunity might just be around the corner.
[Oh, he's acting differently now.] Nia noticed. [I can't exactly put my finger on it, but it feels like he's a lot more absorbed in the lane situation right now. I don't think he's paying that much attention to his surroundings anymore...]
This was something of a sixth sense. Nia felt like a fog started gathering around her to conceal her presence. This could be the moment!
Or, was Nia reading too much into it? Maybe her desire for revenge was clouding her judgment?
[I dunno for sure.] Nia shrugged. [But, this feels like the chance I've been waiting for so I have to take it!]
And so, Nia took off toward Bot! She was going to use this opportunity to settle the score, once and for all!
If you're enjoying the story, please review it and vote for it. つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
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