Chapter 215. The Skill To Give Up Vision (3)
"Ah, this is disadvantageous for Almond! After all, he's still an ADC no matter how strong he is!"
"He’ll die in one combo if he gets caught by the monk, right!?"
The casters commentated as the 1 vs. 1 battle began. An ADC against a bruiser was a favorable matchup for ForeverAlone.
"But player Almond chooses not to run away!"
"Is he going to show us something!?"
The right decision for Almond would have been to retreat, but the casters already knew he wasn't the type of player to flee.
"Almond! He's standing still to thin out the minion waves around him!?"
"Ah, what keen senses!"
"Nevertheless, the situation still doesn't look favorable for him!"
Some time passed.
"Wow! What was that fight!?!"
"I'm going crazy!"
"Aaaaaaaaah!! Almond!!"
The casters shouted at the top of their lungs. One could only imagine the crowd’s frenzy if the casters were this thrilled.
— Wow!!
— That's crazy!
— They're so evenly matched!!
Despite no kills having occurred and neither side managing to defeat an epic monster, their intense back-and-forth battle had the audience on the edge of their seats. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a long rally in badminton or tennis.
"Almond used a feint to create some distance from ForeverAlone! However, ForeverAlone successfully knocked him up at just the edge of the hitbox!"
"But Almond executed a skillful counter-kick from the uppercut, didn't he!?"
“Yes! Exactly! He performed a mid-air spin because the initial kick didn’t connect as effectively!”
"Ah! Almond was propelled quite a distance!"
"This leaves ForeverAlone at a disadvantage! Almond is preparing to target ForeverAlone from a distance!"
"ForeverAlone is just one hit away from dying!"
***
“Woah…”
ForeverAlone cursed while the crowd remained in awe.
'Dammit!'
He could only flee at this distance.
'I can't believe he managed to counter the uppercut from that range.'
Where did Almond’s intuition come from? The enemy's talent baffled him. ForeverAlone had received his fair share of compliments, but he couldn't fathom how a thirty-year-old player who recently took up the game could perform at such a level.
Bzzzt…!
He sensed the enemy aiming at him. Ran could definitely shoot from that distance.
'Gotta get away.'
He had to at least run.
ForeverAlone spun around and bolted for his life. He could use his resonance skill if he managed to find an allied minion. This movement skill allowed the monk to dodge most attack skills.
'I just need to move toward my ally when he shoots.'
The challenge lay in the timing. The opponent would anticipate his trajectory if he activated it too early out of fear of being hit. Then, he'd be left with no option but to tank the blow.
'I can't even slip through between the frames.'
Dodging Ran's huge attack between the frames was nearly impossible. It required a very delicate maneuver that was unlikely to succeed.
'I need to time my movement to sidestep it just as he fires.'
He sprinted toward the ally minion while focusing on the attacker's wavelength. It would be game over if he died here.
Swiff.
Just then, a wave surged from Almond's direction. Almond’s hand recoiled, which meant he fired the shot.
'Damn.'
However, ForeverAlone couldn't spot any allied minions to use his resonance kill. Instead, his gaze fell on an enemy minion. The monk had two movement skills. One was the resonance skill for allies, while the other involved a shockwave that allowed him to latch onto foes.
[Shockwave]
He shot his shockwave at an enemy minion. If it successfully landed, he would be able to rapidly move toward the designated target. He executed the skill once more.
[Shockwave Target]
Kwooong!
His body quickly flew toward the target. At this speed, Ran couldn't hit him, and the attack would've missed by now. It should've exploded behind him...
'Damn. Another feint...'
However, Ran hadn’t fired yet. The shot only came after the monk moved.
Pung!
The shot flew perfectly toward where the monk was heading.
"!"
Getting struck would spell the end. ForeverAlone focused with all his might to find an allied minion nearby. He could no longer differentiate between the varying wavelengths while moving so fast.
In that critical moment…
"ForeverAlone! Over here!"
An allied summoner rushed toward him and emitted strong wavelengths.
"Nice!"
[Resonance]
He activated his resonance skill on his ally, and his trajectory abruptly altered, forming a sharp 90 degree turn like an L. It was physically impossible and resembled a swift UFO, but this was LIL.
Pung...!
Almond's attack missed and exploded. ForeverAlone safely made it to his teammate.
"Phew, I barely made it alive."
"Hey, why can't you even kill an ADC in a 1 vs. 1 situation."
"Damn, why don't you try? That guy is abnormal."
***
ForeverAlone had managed to survive the most extreme situation. Almond let out a deep sigh of disappointment, but the casters were ecstatic.
"ForeverAlone! His movement is insane!?"
"He's demonstrating what it truly means to be a Challenger! Right at this moment!"
"Wow! Zigzagging away using the shockwave and resonance! His reaction speed is incredible!"
"Almond is crazy as well! I can't believe he used a feint to bait out the movement skill!"
"How did ForeverAlone figure out Almond’s feint again?!"
"I don't think he was aware of it. He simply reacted instantaneously! A reaction time befitting a 19-year-old!"
"His teammate’s timely appearance was crucial, allowing him to escape using resonance."
"What an extraordinary battle between Almond and ForeverAlone! They traded blows like in a kung-fu movie!"
"I think this highlight will be replayed countless times! The viewers are absolutely thrilled!"
The chat erupted just as the casters predicted.
— THIS. IS. LIL.
— Wow. How can he go toe-to-toe with a challenger player like that?
— How's he beating up the monk as Ran?
— His confidence is impressive.
— Look at him standing still and charging up instead of running away! So sexy!
— Feinting til the very end. Terrifying.
— I... I want to be on the same team as you, Almond!
Compliments poured in for Almond.
— ForeverAlone! ForeverAlone! ForeverAlone!
— Wow! I can't believe he survived that.
— As expected from a challenger!
— Solo is strong!!! Solo is strong!!! Solo is strong!!!
A handful of fans also cheered on ForeverAlone, a testament to how closely contested their duel had been.
Almond's team displayed an impressive fight, but they ultimately ended up at a disadvantage because they couldn't kill ForeverAlone. As time passed, the game increasingly swayed in favor of Solo Is Back. ForeverAlone's lead continued to snowball after they failed to stop him.
"ForeverAlone! He gets another kill! Wow! How many meters did he travel for that kill!?"
"No champion can withstand his combo!"
This match showed the stark contrast between a proficient mid-laner and a successful ADC. Just as its name implied, the mid-laner held a central position on the map and effectively influenced other lanes. Furthermore, the monk champion was the perfect pick to assist other lanes. He could detect enemies in bushes, use two movement skills, and his combos rendered champions useless as he pummeled them.
Bubblegum had survived in the top lane for a long time, but eventually fell due to ForeverAlone.
"Will Bubblegum's Iron Ball die like this!?"
"The jungle, top, and middle lane are all being dominated by Solo Is Back!"
"ForeverAlone is backing up every lane!"
The middle lane crumbled first, followed shortly by the top lane. ForeverAlone rallied his entire team and headed toward the bottom lane.
"ForeverAlone is terrifying even without his vision!"
Despite Almond and Tako's performance, a 2 vs. 5 situation was impossible. Even the last glimmer of hope, the bottom lane, eventually gave way. Not long after, Balloon Stars’ nexus blew up.
Boom!
"GG~"
"Balloon Stars! It's their first loss!"
The series was a best of three, and Balloon Stars had just lost the first game.
"That's right! They must feel like they’ve finally faced a challenging opponent!"
"And let's not forget, the opponent is Solo Is Back, a team they've already beaten twice in scrims!"
"The loser from scrims is now a candidate to win?!"
"Ah, Solo Is Back is making an underdog comeback! This is exciting!"
ForeverAlone's growth and ability to dominate the battlefield without being distracted by Miho was impressive. He bent the battlefield to his will and asserted himself as a Challenger.
"Argh... I'm sorry. This is all because of how badly I performed..."
Miho’s head hung low as she entered This World's waiting lobby. She felt bad since she had died the most to ForeverAlone.
Bubblegum comforted her. "No need to apologize. What can a Platinum player do against a Challenger?"
"But it's not as if his MMR gives him any special advantages! I was... utterly crushed..." Miho muttered to herself in frustration.
"By a middle school kid..."
"What do you mean middle school? He's 19..." StrawberryShooter butted in and corrected them.
"No, he's 20. He just turned 20."
"Huh? Really?"
Amid the chatter about ForeverAlone's age, Tako joined in to share his thoughts.
"Alright, Miho is right. Being a Challenger doesn't grant him any more damage or innate advantages. On the surface, he's the same as us. Feeling frustrated about a loss is natural. Saying that it's a given a Platinum player would lose isn't reassuring because she's upset that she's only Platinum!"
"... Urk."
Bubblegum clutched his chest as if he was the one being insulted.
Tako projected a chess board-shaped screen and commenced his feedback.
"Alright, let’s not take one loss too harshly. We didn't anticipate the monk pick at all, which hindered our ability to address it adequately during the champion selection."
As expected of a pro, Takoyaki quickly composed himself and gave them constructive feedback.
However...
"Sigh..."
Almond seemed to be undergoing a change of heart. He wasn't depressed because of the loss or mentally unstable from it.
'Is the ADC position not all it's cracked up to be?'
He was starting to feel the limitations of the ADC role. It was a baffling thought since he had just reached Diamond. Still, he had witnessed firsthand how ForeverAlone could dominate the game. There was too much of a difference between the two roles.
'Even when comparing the ninja and Ran... the growth discrepancy is immense unless we're talking about the very late game.'
Recalling his experience in the middle lane, Almond realized that mid-lane champions were much stronger than ADCs.
OrangeKing had said something similar in the past.
“I'll give Almond an S, but not as an ADC. Mid-lane Almond is an S.”
OrangeKing ranked him as an S despite Almond having never played that position.
'I wonder if it's true.'
Almond stared at Tako, who was still giving them feedback, and pondered about it before shaking his head.
'It's up to Tako for the champion pick phase.'
They had won several matches thanks to Tako's champion-pick decisions. Almond's knowledge was only the tip of the iceberg compared to what Tako knew. He chose to remain silent while Tako concluded the feedback session.
"Regardless, ForeverAlone's main champion is Solia because he likes roaming. That’s his specialty."
Tako proceeded to discuss counter-strategies against mid-lane roamers.
"Just keep that in mind. And..."
Tako took a deep breath and sternly said, "If we lose this match, we’ll lose the set. Then it’ll be our first defeat."
"..."
Silence enveloped the room at Tako's proclamation.
"But that doesn't matter. If we're going to lose, then let’s lose after giving it our all. Also, Miho…"
"Yes?"
"Don't get cocky just because the enemy can see you again. They'll prioritize you because we won't ban their jungler."
"Isn't it usually the other way around? When they can't see? Haha..."
Beeeeep—
A loud alarm alerted the lobby.
[Enter the portal for the next round.]
The second set's champion selection phase was about to begin.
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