I Have Reasons to Hate Streamers

The second match was a 6-person annihilation in the Pilgrim’s Desert.

A vast battlefield with no separate side paths.

It was difficult to predict the assassin’s entry route, and as the battlefield was wide, many variables occurred.

Our team used ‘Rika’s’ Ranger. We focused on keeping the enemy mages in check along with the sniper.

As we had a bit more advantage, the result was more one-sided than the previous game.

With backup from two ranged dealers, I assassinated Azure.

The game ended by striking the heart of the enemy team.

Thus, the match against Eunha Gaming, which was our toughest opponent, ended with a 2:0 score.

The remaining matches were relatively smoother, and our team’s momentum maintained a well-honed state.

In the entire league, 10 teams played a total of 45 matches. After all teams fought each other once, the first round ended.

Sigma solidified its first place position without giving up a single match loss.

【Daily eSports News】

– [Special] First Round Wrap-up! The Result of Great Changes?

– Is Sigma eSports Dreaming of a Perfect Victory?

– Azure: “In the Second Round, We’ll Try to Stop Sigma’s Winning Streak.”

– Who Will Make It to This Year’s World Championship? We Looked at the Situation in Each League!

– Meta Changes Brought by One Assassin

– [Comprehensive] Revival of Non-mainstream Classes? Summary of Changes for the Second Round

At the halfway point of the regular league.

When one round ends, the league takes a week-long break in preparation for the second round.

For players, it was time to relieve fatigue from the grueling schedule and organize data from past games.

Most importantly, there’s the patch released by the game company.

They don’t introduce too big patches during league play.

They only move when there’s an urgent balance patch?

Such things happen at times like now, when one round’s settlement is over.

Or it tends to be done to coincide with the end of a tournament.

The current tournament schedule was structured considering the timing of major patches from the start.

So we couldn’t just rest idly.

The season isn’t over yet.

They say effort doesn’t always bear fruit, but laziness certainly takes away opportunities.

After morning practice ended, lunchtime came. Luche chewed on a salad across from me.

I put a small cherry tomato in my mouth.

The sour juice moistened my mouth.

“How does the Guardian seem?”

“Better than before. At least it’s beyond the level of being unusable?”

“Really? Your evaluation seems a bit ambiguous.”

“I don’t think it’ll fit well with our team. After all, we’re a team strong in close combat. Its use is too limited.”

In this patch, non-mainstream classes received large-scale buffs.

It wasn’t a drastic change that would suddenly shift the meta.

Classes that haven’t been chosen for a long time usually have structural problems beyond simple performance, and Inbl doesn’t easily solve such problems.

They won’t create a flawless, all-purpose class in this game.

Looking at the developers’ patches, it felt quite blatant as a principle.

Critical weaknesses were still maintained, but instead, patches were introduced to enhance strengths.

In other words, there were more cards that could be conditionally pulled out depending on the opponent’s composition, tendencies, battlefield, and rules.

As more classes appear in the future, there will be more variables.

If you ask whether players should understand all of this… of course not.

They won’t completely let go, but there’s no need to obsess too much either.

That’s why directors, coaches, and analysts exist to reduce the burden at moments like this.

For now, Luche and I were just approaching it by going through it occasionally in our spare time.

So we just need to focus on practicing as usual.

“Shall we take a look right after eating?”

“Let’s do that.”

As I burned with enthusiasm, Hecate flinched a little.

* * *

Who do you think I’ve killed the most in the game?

To be honest, it wasn’t a topic I remembered well.

From before, my play style was always PVP-oriented.

I didn’t count specifically, but I was sure I had killed other players more times than I had eaten meals.

The advantage of being a freelancer is that you can adjust your workload. In other words, if you could take on work, you could work endlessly.

So it was difficult to answer who I killed the most.

There are a few names that come to mind, but the numbers aren’t exact for those.

But if we add the condition “in the past few months” – I could say clearly.

The person I’ve killed the most recently is Hecate.

All of Sigma’s players constantly crossed weapons with me.

But the supporter who the director and coaches unanimously pointed out “survivability” as a weakness.

Hecate, in particular, had to suffer a lot.

So, something like this was bound to happen at some point.

“I can’t take it anymore!”

Hecate, who had respawned, shouted with a face that looked like she might cry at any moment.

“This is too much! When I fight you, two mages die, the battle priest dies, the inquisitor dies, how am I supposed to survive that?”

“Hmm…”

“You don’t have to answer! Actually, I know too! When I play games with you, I feel like my skills are improving. Honestly, lately other assassins feel easy to deal with. So I haven’t said anything until now, but…!”

Arms shaking up and down as if unable to contain her anger.

The priestess’s staff made jingling sounds as it tapped the ground repeatedly.

“You, you need to understand how miserable it is to just get beaten up like this! Couldn’t you be a little gentler?”

“Well… I can sympathize to some extent. As a pro, I’ve really received a lot of help, but still, human mentality doesn’t always flow rationally, right?”

“Of course, I don’t hurt as much as you. I’ve been holding it in because I didn’t want to seem whiny. But when I keep getting hit, I start to doubt myself as a person!”

Outlaw, who was listening from the side, chimed in.

That guy was the one who died the most after Hecate.

Hearing it, it does make sense.

I thought time would solve it because it seemed like she was enduring well enough.

It might have been a somewhat complacent thought.

Come to think of it, even during my player days, only my friend would practice with me.

That’s why I still don’t have anyone I can call a friend.

Was I too much?

Should I accept if she says she wants to do other training for a while?

The path to the goal will get longer. My head became complicated with various thoughts.

“…Then what would you like to do?”

“I’ll continue training. I have pride as a pro too. I won’t say such weak words. But there’s just one thing I need to address properly.”

“Okay. Tell me.”

“You should put yourself in my shoes! I used to play assassin in my amateur days, you know? I might not be as good as you, but I’m not that bad either. So let’s try switching roles for today!”

Fortunately, Hecate’s heart wasn’t that fragile.

If that’s what she’ll be satisfied with, I have no problem doing it.

A grin formed on my lips.

“Alright. But no complaining if the result is different from what you thought?”

“Of course. If I lose to a priestess while playing assassin, I won’t be able to say anything outf embarrassment.”

“Outlaw, you too. Let’s settle this while we’re at it.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

* * *

[Training Mode]

[Battlefield: Shadow Hall]

[Rule: Duel]

[vs Sigma Hecate (Assassin)]

It seems luck was on Hecate’s side today.

Of all places, the randomly chosen battlefield was Shadow Hall.

It was commonly called the home ground for assassins.

The only lighting in the battlefield is torches on the walls.

When all those torches go out, the battlefield becomes a complete dark room, and the ignition of torches occurs irregularly.

It becomes difficult to constantly track the assassin’s position.

Moreover, it’s the assassin’s privilege to find the enemy first and ambush them.

Before long, Hecate will probably find me and attack.

‘It does feel a bit awkward with a different weapon.’

It’s been a while since I held a weapon other than daggers.

The priestess outfit I’m wearing for practice gear, and the priestess’s unique staff.

To be precise, even the jingling sound at the end of the scepter felt unfamiliar.

For an assassin, such noisy decorations are just a hindrance.

Originally, I should have used detection once at this point, but I didn’t.

Because in a combat situation, Hecate would find it difficult to pinpoint the assassin’s location.

She said to put myself in her shoes.

I intend to be in a situation as similar to Hecate’s as possible.

Well, even so, I don’t plan to go down easily.

Using the Gray Moon buff for stealth was the right answer.

It’s not bad that she moved mainly on pillars and ceilings to hide her sound.

But she should have paid attention to the torch positions. I can see her shadow.

[Active: Spirit Barrier]

[Creates a shield that blocks a certain amount of damage.]

The assassin’s attack was blocked once by the barrier.

The shield shattered instantly, but it bought a very small amount of time.

It was enough time for my staff to deflect Hecate’s arm.

“Didn’t you agree not to complain?”

“Huh? Uh…?”