Chapter 7 - Speed Swordswoman (3)
Speed Swordswoman (3)
Translator : Elizabeth
‘We’re screwed.’
Han Sle-gi, the Priest who had headed to the Beach with the Musketeer, felt the momentum of the game tilting toward the enemy.
Less than ten minutes had passed since the start, but the growth gap between the allied Musketeer and the enemy Archer had already widened beyond control. While the allied Musketeer was relatively less skilled than the enemy Archer, the biggest reason for the disparity was the class of the enemy supporter: a Thief.
The Thief.
To classes like the Musketeer, who rely on steady early-game growth to carry the late-game, the Thief was a natural enemy. Specifically, the problem was a common skill all Thieves brought: ‘Pickpocket.’ That skill, which stole a portion of a designated target's gold, acted as a hard counter to growth-oriented classes. By utilizing Pickpocket effectively to delay the enemy dealer’s growth, a Thief could be considered to have done their job.
Of course, it wasn't a perfect skill. Pickpocket carried a fatal penalty: if the Thief was slain, they had to return a staggering twice the amount of stolen gold to the victim.
If they could just kill the Thief once, they could not only close the gap but instantly seize the upper hand. Because this risk was so high, the Thief’s pick rate remained at the bottom of the rankings despite having such a unique and powerful skill. If an unskilled person played it, they were guaranteed to become nothing more than a "Giving Tree" for the enemy.
...Of course, if the Thief was in a situation where they couldn't be caught—if they weren't slain even once—the story changed significantly.
‘Ugh, this is infuriating...’
Sle-gi’s face flushed with a mixture of rage and helplessness as she glared at the enemy Thief. Every time the skill's cooldown reset, the Thief would leisurely stroll in and snatch her ally’s blood-like gold. Sle-gi could hardly contain her anger.
But the most frustrating part was their current state of powerlessness.
‘Infuriating, infuriating, infuriating.’
Even if she wanted to kill that Thief, the frontline had already been pushed back and their growth was ruined; the Musketeer, who was supposed to provide the damage, was completely out of commission. What was the use of Sle-gi doing her best to heal him? The dealer couldn't inflict any damage.
If they tried to force an entry into the enemy territory to kill the Thief, Sle-gi and the Musketeer would simply melt under the well-fed enemy Archer. If they handed a Double Kill to the Archer now, the game would be irredeemably broken.
For now, Sle-gi and the Musketeer had no choice but to hide near their tower, taking whatever Clay Soldiers the Archer and Thief missed, and quietly letting their gold be stolen.
But they couldn't live like this for the whole game. They had to kill the Thief at least once to jumpstart the Musketeer’s growth. However, with the Musketeer ruined and herself as a Priest lacking any attack power, killing the Thief now rested solely in the hands of the allied Jungler.
‘The Jungler? That Speed Swordswoman?’
When her thoughts reached that point, Sle-gi grew even more despondent. The image of that grotesque allied Jungler—who looked like they had finished their customization in thirty seconds using their toes—flickered in her mind.
‘Seriously, haaa...’
She let out a sigh so deep it felt like the world might collapse. What expectations could she have for a Speed Swordswoman she met in Diamond tier? She should just be grateful the player hadn't died to a Jungle monster yet. Even if she came to support the Beach, she would likely lose her mind and end up as another kill for the Archer.
‘Why would anyone even play Speed Swordswoman...’
Sle-gi hadn't liked the player from the moment they met in the meeting room. Did they think they were Gale or something? They should have just brought a normal Swordsman build. If they lost, a significant portion of the blame would lie with the Speed Swordswoman. It was a classic 'Troll Pick.'
‘The Berserker.’
With the Jungle Speed Swordswoman being a rotten rope to hold onto, the only thing left was the Berserker White Tiger Beastman on the Plain. If he could tear through the Plain with overwhelming skill and join the Beach as quickly as possible, the tide could turn in an instant, allowing them to push through the enemy towers like a highway.
<Uh, Berserker-nim, can you hear me?>
Sle-gi immediately called the Berserker on the Plain via voice chat to ask about the situation there.
<Yes, what is it?>
<How is the situation on the Plain? The growth gap on the Beach has widened too much because of the Thief. The enemy Archer is good, too.>
In response to the Beastman's question, Sle-gi reported the desperate situation at the Beach, fighting back tears. She desperately hoped the Plain was doing well. This was a win streak she hadn't tasted in a long time—a streak that served as a springboard for a fast promotion. She didn't want to see it broken so pointlessly.
<Hmm, things aren't great here either.>
<Ah...>
<Aaaah...>
Sle-gi felt despair at the Beastman's grim report. If a Ninja—a ranged dealer and assassin hybrid—was on the enemy Plain, the Berserker was bound to be having a difficult fight. A Berserker needed to close the distance to do anything with his axe, but Ninjas were famous for being nimble, having many mobility skills, and refusing to give ground.
Furthermore, if a target was hit five times in a row by a Ninja's shuriken, they were afflicted with a 'Blindness' effect that prevented any attacks except skills for a short duration. In many ways, it was the worst possible match-up for a Berserker.
<Still, let’s do our best. If we hold out until the final phase when supplies drop, we might have a chance.>
<...Yes.>
Sle-gi nodded weakly at the Beastman's attempt to boost morale. As he said, in the very late game, a hot-air balloon would pass by and drop various Supply Boxes across the map. These boxes contained special items that could serve as a turning point, ranging from items that applied a 10-second area-of-effect stun to the entire enemy team, to items that could shatter a defensive tower in a single blow.
Winning a miraculous comeback through those supplies wasn't just a fantasy, but the problem was whether they could even hold out until then. Based on the current situation, once ten minutes passed and Low Tide arrived, allowing the enemy Jungler to join the Beach battle, their frontline would be blown wide open.
“Haaa...”
Her sighs wouldn't stop.
[First Blood!]
“…….”
Finally, the voice announcing the first kill of the match echoed throughout the Frontier of Boundaries. Normally, she would have hurriedly checked who killed whom with a pounding heart, but now she had no expectations.
Undoubtedly, the allied Speed Swordswoman had fumbled around and died to the enemy Jungler. If anything, surviving this long was impressive for a Diamond-tier Speed Swordswoman.
“Should we just... surrender?”
Sle-gi considered surrendering. Rather than continuing a hopeless game and tasting nothing but misery, it might be better to cleanly give up the win streak and start a new game quickly.
...And as she sat there with nothing but pessimistic thoughts, the announcement voice echoed throughout the battlefield once more.
[HJ has been slain by BOXY!]
“Huh...?”
Sle-gi’s eyes widened at the announcement.
Wait a minute, who just killed whom...?
“…….”
Stunned, Sle-gi hurriedly checked the KDA screen in the corner of her vision.
BOXY 1/0/0
“Oh...”
To her shock, a kill had been recorded for the allied Speed Swordswoman. Even after rubbing her eyes and looking again, it was the allied Jungler, not the enemy Jungler, who had secured the kill.
“What...?”
Did the enemy Jungler commit suicide out of pity? The Speed Swordswoman got a kill? Was that even possible...?
“The gold gap...”
Checking the details just in case, she saw that the Speed Swordswoman was actually overwhelming the enemy Spearman Jungler in both gold and level.
What on earth was happening in the Jungle?
“The Speed Swordswoman got a kill...?”
Glancing to her side, she saw the Musketeer had a similar reaction. He looked as if he couldn't believe it.
<Speed Swordswoman-san! I knew I could count on you!>
The Beastman’s boisterous laughter echoed through the voice chat. However, the Speed Swordswoman herself remained silent, as always.
“…….”
Han Sle-gi gripped her staff again. She didn't know how the kill was made or what was happening in the Jungle, but the fact that they had taken First Blood was encouraging. Bonus experience and gold were distributed evenly among the team. Above all, it felt good and gave her a sense of confidence that they might actually win.
<Let’s give it our all!>
Sle-gi composed herself and boosted the team's morale. Yes, it wasn't over until it was over. They had to try.
[system: It is low tide at the Beach.]
As ten minutes passed since the start of the game, the first Low Tide arrived. The seawater blocking the path between the Jungle and the Beach receded for thirty seconds, allowing the Jungler to support the Beach relatively easily during this time.
“…….”
And, as if waiting for this exact moment, a grotesque mannequin holding a rapier began walking from across the seabed.
“Ah!”
“The Speed Swordswoman...”
A black mask covering the entire face. It was the allied Speed Swordswoman who had taken First Blood. Her appearance seemed dignified and relaxed, entirely different from the pathetic Speed Swordswomen Sle-gi had seen before.
— The enemy Jungler!
— Okay, give me some cover!
As soon as they saw her, the enemy Beach duo immediately began their attack. Having achieved overwhelming growth, they seemed to think they could easily win even against a Jungler who had taken First Blood.
— Here I go!
The Thief drew a dagger and dashed toward the Speed Swordswoman. Being a Thief with light armor, his speed was quite fast. Behind him, the Archer was carefully aiming, looking for a headshot.
— Fire.
Having finished aiming, the Archer released an arrow. The arrow, crackling with sparks—a Paralysis Arrow that added a stun effect—sped past the charging Thief and headed straight for the Speed Swordswoman.
“D-Dodge it!”
Sle-gi screamed toward the Speed Swordswoman. A Speed Swordswoman’s durability was already disastrous; a headshot from that arrow would result in critical damage and instant death. Even if she luckily survived, she would be stiffened by the paralysis effect and killed by the subsequent attack from the Thief.
“…….”
If even the Jungler died here, it was truly game over. But there was no way Sle-gi or the Musketeer could reach her faster than the arrow. They watched with sweaty palms, waiting to see the Speed Swordswoman's move and the events to follow.
“Huh...?”
It was then that the Speed Swordswoman vanished from sight.
The moment she confirmed the arrow had left the bowstring, she raised her rapier and kicked off the ground, disappearing from the vision of both Sle-gi and the Musketeer.
— W-What?!
— Where did she...
The Archer and Thief also failed to catch the sudden movement, and they too couldn't hide their confusion.
What happened next occurred in a flash.
Whoosh.
A gust of wind stirred up dust where the Speed Swordswoman had stood. Then, the vanished Speed Swordswoman reappeared right in front of the Thief and pierced his throat with her rapier like a bolt of lightning.
— Gah!
Red blood erupted from the Thief’s neck. Having taken a fatal wound to the throat, he died instantly. His body turned into particles of light and disappeared into the respawn room.
[ThiefBest has been slain by BOXY!]
“Huh...?”
The notification that the Speed Swordswoman had slain the Thief echoed loudly across the battlefield. Sle-gi could not believe the scenery unfolding before her eyes.
— Dammit...
Seeing the Thief die, the Archer scowled and immediately fired another arrow. This arrow split into twenty arrows as soon as it left the string, heading toward the Speed Swordswoman. To any eye, it looked impossible to dodge.
“…….”
However, the Speed Swordswoman dashed toward the Archer at an even greater speed.
“Crazy...”
Sle-gi could see it. The Speed Swordswoman, like an acrobat or a dancer, dodged all twenty arrows as if performing a beautiful dance.
“What on earth is that...”
The Musketeer was also left speechless by the Speed Swordswoman’s unbelievable evasive maneuvers.
— ...Here I come.
Whether she knew of their reaction or not, the Speed Swordswoman stirred up a fierce whirlwind—becoming a gust of wind herself—and charged directly into the enemy tower where the Archer was hiding.
‘A tower dive?!’
Sle-gi was horrified at the sight. If an enemy entered the tower’s range without using Clay Soldiers as decoys, the tower would immediately fire devastating cannons, inflicting fatal wounds. The cannon fire was powerful enough to kill a tanky Ironclad in two or three hits; a Speed Swordswoman with paper-thin defense would die in a single shot.
But there was no hesitation in the Speed Swordswoman’s steps. In fact, it was hard to tell if she was even stepping or flying. The speed was too fast. Only her afterimages were visible; her actual movements could not be tracked by the naked eye.
— Uh...? Huh? H-Huuuh? Aaaaaargh!!
The Speed Swordswoman, who had vanished from sight, suddenly appeared in front of the Archer after passing through the tower’s range. And just as she had done to the Thief, she pierced the Archer’s neck, killing him in one blow.
But what Sle-gi marveled at was what happened next. Before the bomb fired from the tower could even hit the ground, the Speed Swordswoman had already reappeared outside the tower’s range.
How many seconds had it taken? Three? Five?
In the blink of an eye, the Speed Swordswoman had killed the Thief who had plagued them, dived into a tower where she could have easily been blown to pieces to kill the Archer, and then leisurely made her escape.
[Double Kill!][ArrowSpammer has been slain by BOXY!][BOXY is on a rampage!]
“Unbelievable...”
The announcements echoed leisurely across the battlefield. The Speed Swordswoman’s kill count had already risen to three.
“Ah, I got the gold.”
Beside her, the Musketeer was delighted to receive twice the gold due to the Thief’s death. His gold count had instantly risen to a level comparable to the Archer’s.
“…….”
Sle-gi blankly watched the back of the Speed Swordswoman as she leisurely returned to the Jungle as if her job was done. She had been on the Beach for less than twenty seconds. The Low Tide hadn't even ended yet.
But in that short instant, she had single-handedly flipped the board of a difficult game.
Is that what a Speed Swordswoman is? Is that what a real, proper Speed Swordswoman looks like? Then what were the Speed Swordswomen Sle-gi had seen before—those who died to Jungle monsters and then quit the game?
“Wow...”
An exclamation escaped her involuntarily. It was a Speed Swordswoman with a level of skill she had never seen before—skill that was truly awe-inspiring. It felt like watching a highlight video of the famous Speed Swordswoman ‘Gale’ right before her eyes.
She had only seen the battle for twenty seconds, but the skill was not something that belonged in Diamond tier. With that level of skill, being able to enter a tower and delete two people within five seconds, it wouldn't be strange even if she were in the Mythic tier.
Was it someone's alt account?
“Huh...?”
When her thoughts reached this point, Sle-gi got goosebumps.
As far as she knew, the only person who could handle a Speed Swordswoman that properly was Gale. Could it actually be Gale herself...?
If that mannequin really was Gale’s alt account, then the comments she had made in the meeting room... a Diamond player giving advice to a Mythic player... it would be a legendary "Black History" moment of pure idiocy...
“...No, surely not.”
Sle-gi shook her head vigorously. The idea of it being Gale’s alt was just her speculation. Perhaps it was just a budding Speed Swordswoman aspirant, a nameless hidden master.
Now wasn't the time to worry about such trivial matters. The Speed Swordswoman had provided them with a springboard for a comeback; they couldn't let this timing pass without meaning. They had to kill the Clay Soldiers quickly to gain gold and widen the gap with the enemy Beach.
“Come on, let’s go too!”
Sle-gi headed back into the battlefield with the Musketeer.