Timing (3)

Translator : Elizabeth

Mythic.

The current pinnacle tier of Legend Frontier, surpassing even Master and Grand Master. A position at the very top that only 500 players can achieve.

Countless players strive tirelessly and join the fray specifically to reach this Mythic tier. Achieving Mythic carries far more weight than simply reaching Master or Grand Master. Merely being included in the list of Mythic players becomes a hot topic; if one were to start a personal broadcast, they would receive massive attention from the start simply for being a Mythic-ranker.

In some cases, it wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠uncommon for players to receive recruitment offers from professional teams and disappear into the world of pro-gaming.

Every month, when the rankings are updated, people pay close attention to the birth of new Mythic players and cheer for them. If a player’s individual skill is exceptional enough to land them within the top 20 of the individual rankings, they begin to receive a level of interest that is incomparable to anything before.

...Legend Frontier is a virtual reality game.

Using a character that is essentially one's alter ego, players constantly roam battlefields, occupy fortresses, and build friendships with their comrades. In a way, it is a world that can be called another reality. In such a world, it was only natural for people to pursue their own unique concepts and wander in search of "romance"—the ideal aesthetic of a build.

Rankers who had made a name for themselves were called by distinctive nicknames by those seeking that same romance, boasting a presence that made them objects of longing and role models for players of the same class.

The top 20 rankers.

Just being matched on the same team as them made one feel a step closer to victory, and if they were encountered as enemies, one couldn't help but sigh. On the rare day someone managed to win against such a ranker or receive the MVP title, they would post boastful messages on community forums with a wide grin.

As is the case with any game, the rankers in Legend Frontier were the idols and celebrities—the subjects of hot topics who moved the needle of public interest.

...Everyone in the game was watching their every move.

"No way, SION-nim?! Incredible! This is my first time meeting a ranker!"

"Ah... hello..."

Thus, the fact that I am receiving excessive interest, and that I am being called by a nickname regardless of my will... is perhaps an unavoidable fate.

02.

"You're the Gale, right? This is so cool! Are you going Jungle? And is the build Speed Swordswoman?"

"Ah, yes..."

The round-table meeting room for discussing frontlines with teammates after a match is found. A female teammate, presumably a Mage, bombarded me with a barrage of questions with sparkling eyes. While it wasn't common to explicitly mention someone's rank or status in-game, I occasionally encountered players who expressed such excessive interest.

"Your customization is so good... But how did you end up doing the Speed Swordswoman? Is it really difficult? What's the highest rank you want to reach this season? May I ask what your current win rate is?"

"Ah, uh, er, that, that is..."

The Mage woman drew closer and closer as if she had discovered a natural monument. Faced with someone firing questions at the level of a political hearing, I broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly turned my head away. I was grateful that she knew about me and the Speed Swordswoman build, but this level of excessive attention was inevitably burdensome.

"Hey, Mage lady. Can't you see SION-yang is uncomfortable? Back off already."

Another male player matched on the same team urgently restrained her, likely seeing that it looked excessive to others. Dressed in ancient Eastern-style warrior attire, he glared at the Mage woman with golden eyes flashing from beneath his light-brown bamboo hat.

"Do you not know that such questions are impolite in-game? Hurry up and go sit in your seat."

"Tch, how annoying."

As if she had missed a great opportunity, the Mage girl scowled and slowly began to sit back in her place. Her eyes, glaring at the warrior man, were filled with hatred and revulsion.

"Ahem, we don't have much time for the meeting. Let's move on to selecting frontlines after a brief introduction."

However, the warrior man didn't seem to care about the Mage's gaze at all; he cleared his throat and naturally began to lead the meeting.

"I am Katekage. My class is Swordsman, and my build is the Quick-Attack Samurai build. I desire the Plain for my frontline."

With those words, the man named 'Katekage' slightly showed everyone the katana hanging at his waist. Seeing it, I raised an eyebrow in interest.

...That's quite romantic.

His build was none other than the Quick-Attack Samurai. It utilized Batōjutsu (Quick-draw) to suppress enemies in an instant, Issen (Single Flash) to inflict extreme damage with a single swing, and Final Blade (Zetsumei-itto), which dealt more damage the lower his HP was. It referred to a build that employed skills usable only when equipped with a katana, and it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a build that enjoyed great popularity for its unique, romantic concept.

However, it was also a build with clear limits; it was excessively fragile, and in the late-game, the "Quick-draw into Single Flash" one-shot combo often failed to work. Its potential varied wildly depending on the user's capability and how many kills they secured in the early game.

"I look forward to working with you."

...Katekage finished his introduction with a bow.

"Hello!"

The next to speak was the Ice Mage who had shown me that overwhelming interest. She introduced herself to everyone with a characteristically cheerful voice.

"I'm an Ice Mage! I hope for the Beach as my frontline... Oh! My nickname is Cloud! I look forward to it!"

"L-look forward to working with you, too."

Because she winked at me along with her greeting, I also bowed my head and greeted her back instinctively.

"Well, with you here, teamfights should be a bit easier."

"Of course! Leave it to me!"

At Katekage's words, the Ice Mage—Cloud—thumped her chest and puffed out her pride.

An Ice Mage...

As Katekage said, there was nothing scarier than an Ice Mage during a 'Teamfight.' The ultimate skill an Ice Mage essentially employs, 'Rushing Blizzard,' inflicted damage on all enemies within range while simultaneously applying a 3-second Freeze effect. Three seconds of Freeze was sufficient time to pour out immense firepower to annihilate the enemy or plot a comeback.

The problem with an Ice Mage, however, was that she had no standout strengths other than Rushing Blizzard. The other skills she employed were mediocre, and she was quite weak in the battle for Clay Soldiers on the Beach frontline. Therefore, if the opponent intentionally avoided teamfights, or if an assassin killed her before the battle began, her value dropped to zero in an instant.

I could only hope that she, Cloud, would overcome those weaknesses with sensible play.

"...I'm Sion."

Since the seat next to Cloud was mine, I proceeded with my introduction next.

"Class is Swordsman. Build is Speed Swordswoman. I desire the Jungle for my frontline."

As always, I planned to head to the Jungle with the Speed Swordswoman build.

— If a Speed Swordswoman appears as the enemy Jungler, it’s a grinning free win!

Hah.

I had to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠show the true value of the build to Harim, who had utterly disregarded the Speed Swordswoman; going to a different frontline with a different build was out of the question. ...I had timed the match-queue specifically to catch him, so I only hoped his nickname would be on the enemy list.

"I'll be looking forward to the Speed Swordswoman. I will also do my best."

"It's the best thing ever to be on the same team as you, SION-nim! I'll work really hard to show you a carry too!"

"...I will work hard."

Katekage and Cloud each spoke their resolutions with high expectations. At their words, I also gave a slight smile and said I would do my best.

Always do my best in every game. It was my creed and my motto.

"Well then..."

“…….”

Once I finished my introduction and frontline selection, everyone's eyes naturally turned to the last remaining person.

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

Whether he had been daydreaming for a moment, the last person was startled when he realized everyone's gaze was on him and offered an apology.

"I-I'm a Ninja! I hope for the Beach. My nickname is Heobin..."

He, with a customization that made it difficult to tell if he were a young girl or a boy, revealed his class was a Ninja.

A Ninja...

The Ninja was a class with high utility. First, because their basic attack involved throwing shuriken, they were classified as a ranged dealer; however, if a target was hit five times in a row, they were afflicted with a Blindness effect that prevented basic attacks, so Ninjas often headed to the Plain because they had good match-ups against melee dealers.

Additionally, they possessed many versatile skills like 'Disguise,' which allowed them to change their appearance into another player, a Jungle monster, or a Clay Soldier, so they occasionally headed to the supporter position. They were truly a multi-purpose class.

"Hmm, then the Beach overlaps..."

Katekage contemplated after hearing the introduction of the player who called himself Heobin.

The frontlines overlapped...

As he said, the Ninja and the Ice Mage were both classes whose primary position was as a Beach dealer. Occasionally, classes of the same position were matched together, and this was exactly that situation. It was bound to be awkward in many ways. If one person didn't yield, a fight might break out over who would take the Beach.

"Ah! I'll take the supporter position...! My playstyle involves frequent roaming anyway..."

Fortunately, Heobin volunteered to be the supporter. Yes, if either the Ice Mage or the Ninja had to be the supporter, the Ninja—who was more versatile and had sufficient capability as a supporter—was the right choice. Everyone nodded in relief at his words.

"Hmm..."

...Once the introductions and frontline selections were all over, I looked around at everyone in the meeting room and bit my lip slightly.

It's not a great composition...

A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Samurai on the Plain, a Speed Swordswoman in the Jungle, and an Ice Mage and Ninja on the Beach. Honestly, it wasn't a good composition. There were no tanks like a Berserker or Ironclad to step forward and take damage, and even considering the late-game, I was the only one who could provide proper damage.

It was a composition that had to seize victory in the early game at all costs. The only variable was how much the Ninja could change the direction of the game with his versatile support.

[Meeting concluded. Moving to the battlefield.]

“…….”

...Finally, the holographic text announcing the end of the meeting appeared, and we were teleported to the familiar Frontier of Boundaries.

"I'll head out first. Let's make sure to win."

As soon as we were transferred to the front of the fortress, the Quick-Attack Samurai Katekage dashed toward his frontline, the Plain. Leaving him behind, I tapped the hologram screen a few times and hurriedly checked the enemy team's roster.

I truly hoped Harim would be there this time...

[Red Team]

"Ah."

Was the matching timing just perfect? In the enemy roster, the two characters I had been searching for—'Harim'—were etched there. Seeing that name, I couldn't hold back the smile that surfaced.

— Honestly, if you were to use a Jungle Speed Swordswoman, I’d rather just take a Priest and go Jungle. — The Speed Swordswoman is a build that just has its limits even if you practice it. — If a Speed Swordswoman appears as the enemy Jungler, it’s a grinning free win.

"...Good."

Now, it's time to pay the price for disregarding the Speed Swordswoman.

"Heading to the Jungle."

...I vigorously drew my rapier.