Reaper (2)

《Reaper》 - (2)

01.

"……."

I thought we'd snag an easy win before even glancing at the enemy roster. After all, our lineup included three players in the top 30 rankings, myself included.

"Ah, it's Gale."

First up, the skilled support roooobot.

Her go-to build was Mechanic-Hacking, a job that specialized in freezing enemy skills and item passives at key moments to disrupt their play.

In short, she was a support more focused on harassing the enemy than aiding allies.

Her hacks that iced skills right when you needed them were a total nightmare from the opponent's side.

Even when I'd faced her as an enemy alongside Hwarim last time, her skills were the only thing I'd truly feared.

"This'll be a breeze. Nice to see you."

"…Likewise. Looking forward to it."

Another thing: if I had to pick the player I'd met most often as both ally and foe, it'd be roooobot.

We knew each other's weaknesses inside out, and our synergy was spot-on. I could count on one hand the times we'd lost together.

In my friendless Legend Frontier life—never once accepting a friend request—if I had to name my closest player, it'd probably be her.

…Teaming up with her, especially with that striking black bob customization, was definitely a boon.

"Wahahaha! It's Sion! Sion!"

"…Good to see you."

Next, rank 21 berserker, nickname Bear Jelly.

True to his cute name, he'd customized himself as a petite dwarf with standout pink hair. His intense look made him unforgettable, whether you wanted to or not.

"I'll smash ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠'em all, so just watch! Wahahaha!"

Bear Jelly hefted an axe twice his size, brimming with confidence. His job was the straightforward Extreme DPS Berserker build.

But he wasn't just any run-of-the-mill berserker.

His initiating—diving in first to kick off fights—was top-tier, no contest.

—Fuck, die you bastards!!! Aaaaaaah!!!

—Haa……

If only his personality would die off…

…His fiery temper and ironclad ego made him ignore orders, which was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a huge flaw. Still, his skill was legit, so no real worries there.

"Fen Chok here. Nice to play with you."

"Yes, likewise."

Last, our ranged DPS archer… a standard Grandmaster-tier archer.

"…Not bad."

Scanning my teammates after intros, I flashed a satisfied smile.

The job comp was solid, and with ranks 7, 21, and 32 on one team—plus roooobot meshing perfectly with me—I figured we'd crush anyone.

……Until I saw the enemy roster.

02.

"Hoo…."

roooobot's flustered voice crackled through voice chat. Savoring her incredulous mutter, I let out a short sigh.

"Tough lineup…."

Our three top-30 players had me pumped, but this was no cause for celebration.

The Plains Queen, hailed as Legend Frontier's strongest ever—rank 1 Reaper 'Alicia in Wonderland'.

The grade-A sniper predicted unbeatable on the coast—rank 4 Galaxy Express 'Metia'.

…The enemy had two of the game's absolute best from their lanes.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Communication and chill game's off the table."

I gave a wry smile.

This was just a casual stream game for chatting with viewers, but we'd drawn monsters beyond expectation.

Numbers don't lie.

They'd reached the pinnacle for a reason—their skill was undeniable.

Acting casual against them? Pure folly.

Facing rank 1 and 4 meant I'd have to pour every ounce of focus into every moment.

roooobot asked the team in a panic. Makes sense—their star was the Plains Queen, Alice.

Legend Frontier's first OP job: Stealth Berserker.

And the one who'd forced its nerf: Alicia in Wonderland, aka Alice.

She popped out of nowhere with her massive scythe, one-shotting foes like the Grim Reaper.

With brutal stealth and berserker might, she dominated 1v1s and even 1v4s late-game.

No one beats her on Plains.

Maybe rank 2 Iron King Hwa Jin-gun… but even he trailed her head-to-head.

…Bear Jelly at 21 had near-zero shot at edging Alice.

Blink, and he'd be dead, first Plains turret smashed.

roooobot's fidgeting was understandable.

To stem a Plains highway push, pairing her with Bear Jelly to buff him made sense… but

"No. roooobot, stick to supporting the archer."

I reined her in.

Too risky.

Pulling her to Plains left coast against Galaxy Express, with their support being a Thief—archer's worst nightmare.

"Coast's no picnic either."

roooobot to Plains wouldn't guarantee edge on Alice; Stealth Berserker thrived 1vMany.

But coast collapsing without her? 100% certain.

Grandmaster archer can't beat Galaxy sniper + Thief. They'd strip him bare—no first item, second turret gone before ebb tide.

Only with skilled support roooobot could it be even.

Her hack sealing Thief's pickpocketing nullified him, turning it 2v1.

Good matchup.

With Alice holding Plains, victory wouldn't come from there.

Our key: Coast. roooobot there lets us seize initiative.

Of course, Galaxy Express meant no slacking.

Tales of him solo coasting, headshotting enemy ADC, support, even jungler assist for triple kill? Legendary.

"Yeah. I trust you."

…roooobot agreed, heading coast as planned. Next, I pinged Bear Jelly.

"Bear Jelly?"

That loose-screw voice. Not our first rodeo, but was it concept or real? Hard to tell.

His wild customization screamed unique tastes, though.

"What ult you bring?"

"Ah."

Berserker ult Out-of-Park Homerun? Perfect.

"Great. You'll be key, Bear Jelly."

Out-of-Park Homerun yeets any target—ally or foe—to their base.

Berserkers had better options, so rarely picked… but Bear Jelly always did, weirdly.

This game just got easier. Homerun Alice out in teamfights? Done.

Rank 1 or not, sidelined means zip.

"Play safe and poke, Bear Jelly. Feeding Alice a kill headaches us."

Diving dumb starts early teamfight, Plains blows before it even kicks off.

Plus, her powering up makes Homerun pointless. Fat Stealth Berserker solos 4.

Late join? She wipes our team. Disaster.

Plains goal: Survive, not dominate.

No 1v1 win hopes. Just don't feed, don't die to her—that's gold.

"Don't push it. Stay safe, avoid fights. I'll jungle fast and rotate—fight then…"

Safety first hit his reverse scale, apparently.

A roar blasted through voice chat. Hated the restraint advice, screaming at me.

Click.

"Ah."

Comm cut one-way. His 1v1 challenge to Alice left me sighing, head drooping.

"What a pain…."

Legend Frontier crawled with weird concepts, but letting it devour you into selfish play? Teammates groan.

One big flub, and intentional troll reports fly—yet he stuck to it stubbornly.

roooobot sighed too.

Not his first rodeo, but past foes were scrubs, so no fuss.

Now? Rank 1 Alice, no scrub.

Heard he'd solo-died to her 5 times last go—revenge fueling this?

…Admitting gaps is key to winning.

"Hoo… I'll rotate ASAP."

Doubt he'd listen, but my play: Jungle quick, make it 2v1 on Alice for control.

"Coast's priority. roooobot's got it."

Her reliable reply eased me. I hustled for Golden Monkey—Speed Swordsman's lifeline. No delays.

—Eekeeeek!!

"Hm…?"

Found and slayed it easy—then a feminine mechanical voice boomed across the battlefield.

"……."

Someone died.

Right at the game's ultra-early start.