Chapter 1 - Gale
Gale
Translator : Elizabeth
“Alright!”
Kim Young-jun, the Fire Mage, let out a triumphant shout. In his hand, he gripped a magnificent magic staff that still radiated the lingering heat of his flames.
“Let’s keep this momentum going.”
A smug smile played on his lips as he gazed at the enemy’s first defensive tower. It had crumbled before the ten-minute mark—a start so smooth it practically invited arrogance. His entire body hummed with the intuition that victory in this game wasn't just possible; it was inevitable.
This was the world of Legend Frontier, a virtual reality AOS game.
Typically played in a four-on-four team format, Legend Frontier followed the classic AOS objective: destroy the opponent’s fortress located deep within their territory to claim victory. Unlike most games in the genre that featured five lanes, the map here was divided into three distinct ‘Frontlines.’
First was ‘The Plain’ in the north, the stage for frequent one-on-one duels. Then there was ‘The Jungle’ in the center, where players earned gold for items and buffs by slaying summoned monsters. Finally, there was ‘The Beach’ in the south, where two-on-two skirmishes usually played out with the aid of a supporter.
There was no ‘Mid’ lane like in other AOS games; instead, the Jungle sat in the middle, pulling double duty as its own frontline. Of these paths, only the Plain and the Beach led directly to the enemy’s base. A team had to shatter three defensive towers along those routes before they could even lay eyes on the enemy’s main fortress.
Young-jun had just successfully demolished the Beach’s defensive tower within ten minutes. Not only that, he had already secured four kills, while his supporter had claimed two. With six kills between them, they were sitting on a mountain of gold.
Since the duo on the Beach usually dictated the pace of the late-game, such explosive early growth meant the game was effectively ‘blown wide open.’ It certainly helped that the classes the enemies had brought to the Beach were notorious for being the weakest in the early game.
“They’re seriously pathetic...” Young-jun snorted, glancing at the respawn timers flickering in the corner of his vision.
If one chose a class that was weak early on, they were expected to survive through sheer mechanical skill until they could scale. Instead, these enemies had practically served themselves up as easy kills with their clumsy movements and disorganized attacks.
“Let’s just keep this up!”
The Plain was currently locked in a stalemate, with both sides trading evenly, and the allied Jungler was growing at a steady pace. Since Young-jun had already broken his lane, they could easily steamroll their way to the final fortress if they maintained this rhythm.
“Hmm...”
However, unlike the jubilant Young-jun, the Ironclad supporter at his side was visibly restless.
“What’s wrong?” Young-jun asked, tilting his head.
The Ironclad was the sturdiest tank class in Legend Frontier, and this particular player had scaled quite well himself. He couldn't understand why the man was acting so anxious. Behind that heavy shield, the supporter’s expression was that of a puppy that desperately needed to be let out.
The Ironclad lowered his head and muttered in a trembling voice, “It’s almost time for the Jungler to rotate...”
“Ah.”
Young-jun’s eyes rounded. In Legend Frontier, Junglers typically finished their initial growth phase around the ten-minute mark and began ganking other lanes. A sudden raid from an enemy Jungler could flip the board in an instant, so being wary wasn't entirely irrational.
But this wasn't a normal situation. Young-jun and the Ironclad were so far ahead that they could likely wipe out the enemy Jungler even if they were ambushed. Besides, Young-jun wasn't just any player—he was a dedicated Fire Mage specialist. He couldn't imagine himself losing a two-on-one fight given his current lead.
The enemy Beach players still had a significant amount of time before they respawned. For a Jungler to attempt a solo dive against two well-fed players now was essentially suicide.
“Tell them to come if they want. Why are you so spooked?”
“I just...”
Young-jun gave a dismissive smirk, but the Ironclad’s face remained grim. Even though the supporter knew they were in a position where it was harder to lose than to win, he couldn't stop fidgeting.
Seriously, Young-jun thought, swallowing his irritation.
Because Legend Frontier was a virtual reality game, you moved your actual body and felt as though you were truly standing on a battlefield. Having an ally cowering next to you was a massive drain on morale.
“I’m asking you, what are you so afraid of? We have six kills! I’m telling you, losing is the harder option right now!” Young-jun finally snapped. There was no one he hated more than a supporter who did nothing but grumble and hesitate.
“No, that’s not it!” the Ironclad shouted back, frustration finally boiling over as he pounded his chest. “Didn’t you see the enemy Jungler? It’s the Gale!”
“Huh?”
The Gale? Was that a nickname? Or a username?
Whatever it was, the word sounded incredibly cringeworthy. Young-jun narrowed his eyes, looking entirely unimpressed. “What the hell is that?”
“What...?” The Ironclad looked genuinely dumbfounded, his expression screaming How can you not know this? “You’ve never run into the Gale?”
“No.”
“You don't even know who they are?”
“Nope.”
“Do you not watch highlights? Do you not check the community forums?”
“Do I have to?”
Young-jun had watched guides and highlights back when he was a newbie, but he didn't bother much these days. Real life was busy enough, and since he had never been matched against this person before, he had no idea who this ‘Gale’ was supposed to be.
“Hah.” The Ironclad let out a hollow laugh. Without another word, he grabbed the hem of Young-jun’s mage cloak and began dragging him back toward their defensive tower. “Let’s just fall back. We need to breathe.”
“What? What kind of nonsense is this?” Young-jun scowled and shook the man’s hand off. Retreating when they had the momentum to push all the way to the base was unthinkable.
“Just listen! Let’s play it safe!”
“But why?!”
Their voices rose in the empty air. The Ironclad’s expression had shifted from frustration to genuine, cold fear. Young-jun couldn't wrap his head around it—why was the man who had been happily smashing skulls with his shield just a minute ago now acting like a condemned prisoner?
[System: It is now Low Tide at the Beach.]
“Huh?”
As the two bickered, a blue holographic screen materialized before them.
“Low tide...”
The Beach’s ‘Low Tide’ was a mechanic that occurred for thirty seconds every ten minutes. It meant the seawater between the middle Jungle and the Beach receded entirely. In other words, the enemy Jungler could now sprint across the dry seabed to reach the Beach in seconds.
“It’s low tide! Let’s fall back, regroup, and then call our Jungler to help us push the second tower. Please!”
“Fine, fine. I get it.” Young-jun finally threw up his hands. There was no arguing with someone this desperate. They were so far ahead that taking one turn to rest wouldn't ruin their lead.
“Ye-yeah! Let’s get back to the fortress and heal up.” The Ironclad’s face brightened instantly. They both began preparing to teleport back to the main base.
“Wait...”
It was then that Young-jun noticed a figure walking toward them through the thick, swirling mist of the beach.
“What is that?” Young-jun narrowed his eyes.
The figure stepped lightly across the damp sand. They were clad in light armor so thin and delicate it looked more like a costume than protection. Behind that armor, long, beautiful silver hair fluttered softly in the sea breeze.
The person’s eyes were a striking emerald, sparkling brilliantly even in the dense fog. It was a character customization so stunningly beautiful that she could easily be called the most attractive player in all of Legend Frontier.
Floating above her head was a blue holographic nickname: SION.
“A rapier...?”
She held a sharp, elegant rapier in her hand, looking as though she could pierce a throat with surgical precision at a moment's notice.
“...It’s the Jungler,” Young-jun muttered.
The enemy Beach players were still dead, and they didn't use rapiers anyway. This girl was undoubtedly the opponent from the Jungle.
Good. Young-jun felt a slow, dark smile spread across his face as he watched the expressionless girl approach.
The supporter had begged for a retreat, but a direct confrontation with the Jungler was the exact scenario Young-jun had been hoping for. If he could crush her here, the game was over. He didn't believe for a second that he and his fed tank could lose to a single person.
The urge to kill this fearless girl and secure the game’s MVP title began to pulse in his veins.
“Bring it on...” Young-jun gripped his staff. Sparks of fire began to crackle at its tip.
“T-The Gale...!!”
Unlike the confident Young-jun, the Ironclad was practically vibrating with tension, his eyes locked onto the girl.
Geez. Young-jun sighed internally. Had this guy been traumatized by her in a previous match? His overreaction was beyond logic.
I’ll end this with one combo.
Young-jun’s HP was slightly low from the previous tower dive, so he didn't want a long fight. He planned to incinerate her instantly using the Fire Mage’s raw burst power. In Legend Frontier, players didn't have fixed skills; they bought them from a shop to create their own custom loadouts. For this match, Young-jun had equipped high-cooldown, high-damage spells. One clean hit would leave that lightly armored girl in a critical state.
The enemy finally moved.
No—she vanished.
“W-What?!”
He hadn't even blinked. She was just gone. All that remained where she had stood was a single leaf, caught in a sudden gust of wind, drifting toward the sand.
“Where did she—!!”
Before he could even finish the thought, the Jungler reappeared directly in his personal space. The needle-thin tip of her rapier was aimed perfectly at his throat.
“Holy—!”
There was no time to react. In the time it took for a single gust of wind to pass, the girl named Sion had closed the distance and was ten centimeters away from ending him.
“G-Get out of the way!”
“Ugh!”
If the Ironclad hadn't shoved him aside and intercepted the blow as if he had been expecting it, Young-jun would have been dead instantly.
Clang!
The rapier bounced off the Ironclad’s heavy shield. He had managed to block it, but only just.
“Aaaaah!” The Ironclad roared, immediately swinging his shield to bash the girl. He put everything into the strike, knowing this was his only opening.
The shield swung through empty air.
She disappeared again?
The Jungler was gone, leaving nothing but a faint, whistling breeze behind.
“What was that? Blink?”
How was that possible? Did she use a teleportation skill? Multiple times? Was she hacking?
“Damn it! She’s just fast! Insanely fast!” the Ironclad screamed, readjusting his shield.
Young-jun’s mind raced. Fast? Could ‘fast’ even describe that? To move quicker than a Blink skill—was that even possible within the game’s engine?
“She’s the lunatic who dumped every single starting stat into Agility! The Rank 7 Speed Swordswoman, Gale!”
“She went all-in on Agility...?”
Legend Frontier let you build your character from scratch, but dumping every point into Agility instead of a balanced spread was madness. What about her defense? Her attack power? How did she expect to survive? Was she relying entirely on item buffs?
“Wait—aghh!”
“Mage!”
A sharp, searing pain erupted in Young-jun’s side. He looked down to see the silver-haired girl had already buried her rapier into his flank. She had struck from a blind spot that even the Ironclad hadn't been able to cover.
[Warning! HP has dropped into the Red Zone!][Item: Recovery Potion usage recommended]
“You bitch...!”
Young-jun’s HP bar had plummeted into the danger zone. Panicked, he swung his staff and unleashed a Fireball.
She dodged it. At point-blank range, the girl simply spun with the wind and the fireball sailed harmlessly past her. The draft from her movement tousled Young-jun’s hair.
Gale!
Young-jun finally understood why people called her that instead of her username. She wasn't just a player; she was the wind itself.
“Ugh...” He tightened his grip on his staff, trying to steady his breathing. If she had dumped everything into Agility, her defense and HP had to be abysmal. Even if he was in the Red Zone, one hit would flip the script.
Trit-trot!
“There!”
Hearing the faint sound of footsteps, Young-jun spotted a flicker of movement. He didn't hesitate, launching an Explosive Orb of Flame.
The Gale rolled to the side to avoid it, which was exactly what Young-jun wanted. He was an experienced mage; he knew how people reacted to his spells. He launched a second ‘predictive shot’ toward the exact spot she was rolling to. If this stunned her, his next combo would finish her.
Got you.
A smile touched his lips. No matter how fast she was, no one could outrun a perfect prediction.
“Huh...?”
But Young-jun had made one fatal mistake: he had treated the Gale like a normal player.
The moment she saw the predictive shot flying toward her landing spot, she didn't panic. With a display of acrobatics no ordinary player could hope to mimic, she launched into a second, mid-air roll, clearing the explosion entirely. Then, gripping her rapier, she vanished into the wind once more.
“Holy shit!” Even the Ironclad, who had been focused solely on her, lost her trail. He looked around frantically, but her speed was simply beyond the human eye's ability to track.
Whoosh—
A sharp gust of wind grazed Young-jun’s cheek.
— Die.
The cold voice was the last thing he heard before the sensation of cold steel pierced his throat. A fountain of crimson erupted.
“Damn it...”
As he watched his HP bar vanish, Young-jun felt a soul-crushing regret for ignoring the Ironclad’s warning. This one death might very well be the spark the enemy needed to turn the game around.
But there was no going back. If he had committed a sin, it was simply not knowing who the Gale was.
[You have died.]
His vision faded to black.
[Defeat! Your fortress has been destroyed!]
Exactly thirty minutes later, their final stronghold crumbled under the tip of the Gale’s rapier.
Final Score: 4 Kills / 18 Deaths / 2 Assists.
That was the report card Kim Young-jun received at the end of the match.