Bab 480: Nervous Warding
The fourth game between Stratus and the Leopards began. It was Stratus' last chance to even the odds, so the pressure was on.
Most of the team tried to pretend as if they weren't bothered by this at all, but it was impossible to not feel any pressure under these circumstances. In particular, Ben was the most nervous of them all.
But, even he somewhat conquered his fears for now. The presence of Mike and Co. did wonders for helping him to take his mind off things. By the time the game loaded, Ben's mind was already fully occupied with how he was going to play this important game.
[They invaded us last game.] Ben recalled the start of Game 3, where the Absolute Duo appeared out of the blue in Stratus' territory right at the start of the game. That one small but critical play had hefty consequences for the rest of the game.
In fact, maybe it wasn't a stretch to claim that this play determined the entire momentum of Game 3. For an aggressive comp like the one Stratus used, suffering an early death bore greater implications. It completely killed their chances of building an early lead.
Not to mention, the situation also put Luke on the spot. He had to fill up for Vincent in Top instead of jungling, which threw his entire game plan further into disarray. Truly, that one invade was very critical.
Even though Stratus wasn't sporting the same kind of aggressive lineup this time around, an early death should still be avoided at all costs. Perhaps dying in the early-game wasn't as bad as dying in the mid-game, but it'll definitely hit the team's morale very hard if the same scenario repeats itself again. At the very least, Ben knew for sure that it'll hit [his] morale super hard.
[Especially, if I know I could've prevented it.] Ben nodded to himself. "Um, if it's not a problem, I'd like to place three wards near Top right at the start."
"Sure," Yuel said. "Place as many as you deem necessary. The enemy might invade again, so it's best to exercise caution. In fact, I'm glad you've brought that up yourself. It shows you understand what we're dealing with here."
"Yes, the enemy's Top and Jungler are very aggressive, right? I'll do my best to not give them any opportunities."
"Good. With your defensive playstyle, you should be able to discourage them from trying anything funny."
"Y-Yes!" Ben tensed up a little. [I-Is he really placing so much faith in me!?]
That was rare considering Yuel wasn't the optimistic type. He wouldn't say "you can do it" unless he truly believed it.
[I-I totally can't mess up here!] Ben gulped. [I can't betray that trust!]
"Duuude, look what you've done." Lars chuckled. "Ben looks stiff like a statue all over again. No need to place so much pressure on him."
"That wasn't my intention," Yuel said. "I just shared my predictions."
"Well, in your case, if you tell somebody you're 'expecting' them to perform, then you're like SERIOUSLY expecting them to perform."
"Yes, of course. Why would I say it if I didn't mean it?"
"Well, ya know, usually teammates say things like that to each other to encourage and stuff," Lars explained. "Like, 'you can totally do it, yooooo!' That kinda stuff just means you believe the dude got the powah, it's not the same as saying 'you gotta pull this off or else I'mma be disappointed in you for life!'. That's some Asian parent moment."
"Is that so." Yuel shrugged. "I'm not the type to say things like this unless I really expect it to be true."
"Yep, exactly! That's the whole problem, dude," Lars said. "When you say something like that, you mean it in a super serious way. Dude gonna feel like he disappointed you if he screws up even a little."
"Well, it'll definitely disappoint me if Ben's defense can't fend off the Absolute Duo," Yuel admitted. "But, that's the extent of it. In the end, this is Ben's debut game, so chances are that things won't go that smoothly. I'm aware of that."
"Welp, that's something ya should've told him first before placing these giant expectations on him."
"Is that so?" Yuel glanced at Ben.
"W-Well…" Ben clammed up. "I guess it's more reassuring to know that the expectations aren't too big. Otherwise, the pressure is too much…"
"I see." Yuel sighed. [Looks like I still have a lot to learn. Communication is such a complicated topic.]
With that sorted out, Ben proceeded to purchase 3 normal wards, the maximum amount a player could carry at one time. Spending so much money on wards prevented him from buying any HP Potions for the early-game but he considered it a good investment and even Yuel agreed.
[I won't need to recover any HP if I just stay out of harm's way.] Ben reasoned. [The wards should help me with that.]
After making the purchase, Ben hurried to the jungle. He had three important wards to place and he had to do it before the enemy enter the jungle. So, time was of the essence.
The first two wards were a no-brainer. Ben placed one near the enemy's Wolf Camp and the other near the central entrance into Top Lane. These two were the standard meta spots to cover.
However, this time, Ben had one more ward at his disposal. So, where should he place this one? There were multiple options.
[I think the most important is to prevent surprise invades.] Ben reasoned. [Last game, I think they rotated from around here. So...]
The upper half of the jungle was properly warded in the last game too, yet the enemy managed to sneak by regardless. This implied they passed through the middle of the jungle.
[Kai placed wards in the lower half of the jungle in both games, so the middle is the only option left.]
Therefore, Ben decided to seal that exploit. The enemy won't get a chance to unleash another devastating invade, not under Ben's watch.
But, as he approached the area, his blood turned cold. There was another figure ahead of him!
"A-Ah, i-it's their J-Jungler..." Ben stuttered as he delivered the news. He thought that he managed to calm down by now, but the mere sight of AbsoluteWinner sent a chill down his spine!
[H-He's the one who killed Vincent last game. Gulp.]
AbsoluteWinner was arguably the strongest player of the strongest team in the region. Furthermore, while the majority of the Leopards prioritized defense, Challenger was an entirely different beast.
But, was it right to call him an "aggressive" player? Not quite. That description better described AbsoluteChallenger, the other half of the Absolute Duo. That guy was a classic and straightforward attacker, the type who submitted opponents through sheer force.
[He's also a dangerous player, but nowhere near as dangerous as Winner.] Ben gulped again. [H-He is also aggressive but in a smart, methodical way.]
If Challenger was a hot-blooded gladiator, then Winner was a cold-blooded assassin. This boy was like a killing machine. Each of his strikes was swift, decisive, and deadly.
Against normal aggressors like Challenger, Ben usually knew how to handle himself. These guys were strong and scary, but it was possible to deflect their attacks with careful defense.
On the other hand, how was Ben supposed to defend himself against an assassin? And not the sneaky type of assassin, but an assassin who had no problem brawling with the target in order to thoroughly decimate them. Players like that were both smart and strong, they had it all!
"Don't worry," Yuel said. "Just place the ward as you intended."
"B-But, that means..." Ben gulped.
In order to place the ward as he originally intended to, Ben will have to step a little forward, as it was impossible to reach the important crossroad from his current position.
But, walking forward meant getting closer to the dangerous killing machine. W-What if Winner attacks all of a sudden!?
"You're close to the center of the jungle but you're still our territory," Yuel explained. "He won't dare to invade right in front of you, especially not alone."
"Alone? Oh, right." Upon further inspection, there was no sign of AbsoluteChallenger anywhere in the vicinity. It meant Winner was isolated at the moment.
"Also, keep in mind that they have no data on you whatsoever," Yuel said. "So, I'm sure Winner wouldn't risk attacking you so openly."
"R-Right, he's a smart attacker." Ben nodded. "I also don't think he'll take a risk like this."
Somehow, the fact that the enemy was "smart" actually played in Ben's favor this time. By logically thinking about the pros and cons of the current situation, it was sometimes possible to figure out what Winner will, or will not, do.
"B-But, he's still here, though..." Ben tensed up under the enemy's piercing gaze.
From the moment they acknowledged each other's presence, neither of them moved an inch. It almost felt like these tense staredowns in cowboy movies. It almost wouldn't be strange for one of them to pull out a gun and shoot the other. Any moment now.
"S-Seriously, why is he still here?" Ben felt sweat forming on his forehead. "If he doesn't plan to attack, then he should've left by now, right?"
"He's gathering information," Yuel explained. "I'm sure this meeting was unexpected for him as well, so he wants to see what you'll do next."
"Is that so..." Hard as he tired, Ben couldn't calm down his shaky nerves. He felt like a lab rat. Winner's intense gaze was dissecting him alive!
Seriously, the man watched Ben's every move. It's as if he was trying to find the tiniest hint of weakness in Ben's actions. It was thoroughly unsettling.
"W-Well, I can place the ward," Ben said. "But, he'll see it."
"Yes, that's probably the thing he's looking toward to. But, I say just do it."
"R-Really? But, then they'll know we got a ward here."
"Yes, they will," Yuel said. "But, knowing that the ward is there won't change the fact that this ward is tricky to play around. And, they surely won't buy a Sentry Ward to remove it."
"Oh. Yes, that's true." Ben nodded.
With newfound confidence, he stepped forward and placed the ward at the crossroad as intended. It was an important intersection that connected four jungle paths. In other words, this one innocent ward sealed off multiple roads that the Leopards could've used to invade Stratus' territory undetected.
[Even if they know the ward is there, they probably can't do anything about it.] Ben reasoned. [If anything, knowing about this ward might just discourage them from trying anything funny. This sounds good.]
On that note, Ben turned around and headed to the Wraith Camp, where Nia was already waiting.
As soon as Ben departed, so did Winner. What conclusions did the enemy draw about this whole exchange?
"They have a ward here." William placed a pin on the map for everybody to see.
"Dang, for real?" Ronald made a face. "How are we gonna invade them now? Like, we gotta circle around the entire jungle if we wanna keep a low profile."
"I don't remember when we agreed to invade."
"Wait, we not gonna do it? But bro, it worked out so well last time!"
"Yes, it did. And now they're cautious, as they should be."
"Dang, so we're not getting another opportunity any time soon, are we?"
"Not this round, that's for sure," William stated matter-of-factly. "But, the fact we made them place that extra ward out of paranoia is already good enough. After all, they had to spend extra gold on it."
"Bro, what 'extra gold'?" Ronald cocked his head. "It literally only costs 50."
"Yes, it's a 50 gold advantage for us right off the gate, isn't that nice? Besides, who knows how many other wards they bought to protect themselves against us."
"Yeah, I reckon they might've bought a bunch of extra wards." Ronald nodded. "But, that just gonna make it that much harder for us to gank early on."
"You're not looking at the whole picture," William said. "For one, buying an extra ward means that their Top had to give up on potions. Vanguard doesn't have any recovery, so without potions, it'll be much easier to harass him into recalling."
"Oh, you're right!" Ronald checked out EnduringPhoenix's build, which was now known to the entire team thanks to William spotting the lad. Indeed, the guy didn't buy any HP Potions.
"EnduringPhoenix, huh." Ronald smirked. "It looks like somebody isn't going to [endure] for that long in lane, hehe."
"Riiiight." William rolled his eyes. "Anyway, make sure you take advantage of this. If necessary, I can lend a hand."
"No problem, bro!" Ronald promised. "I'll bully the guy out of lane, easy."
With that decided, the duo grouped up at the Wraith Camp and took down the monsters. After that, they proceeded to clear the Wolf Camp near Top.
Once all of that was done with, the brothers went separate ways. Ronald continued onward to Top, whereas Willaim retreated deeper into the jungle.
The game was starting for real now. Will Ronald be able to put the enemy's lack of positions to good use? He sure had every intention of doing so!
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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