Chapter 8 - Timing (1)
Timing (1)
Translator : Elizabeth
[ArrowSpammer has been slain by BOXY!][BOXY is slaughtering the battlefield!] “Wow……”
How many times had that kill notification popped up now? Sle-gi could only stare with her mouth agape in admiration.
The gold gap with the enemy was already 8,000, and the allied team’s total kill count was fast approaching 40. Half of those kills had come from the tip of the Speed Swordswoman’s blade. Based on her overwhelming skill, she had achieved a level of growth that stood in a league of its own, roaming every corner of the map at high speed and essentially carrying the game single-handedly.
She focused specifically and relentlessly on the enemy Archer—the one responsible for the opponent’s late-game power—ensuring they were dead at every turn. As time passed, there was simply nothing the enemy team could do.
【All】[ArrowSpammer (Archer): Seriously, fing hell.]* 【All】[ArrowSpammer (Archer): This Speed Swordswoman plays like a total piece of sh*t @$!#.] Having met their tenth death at the hands of the Speed Swordswoman, the enemy Archer finally hit their breaking point and vented their frustration in the 'All' chat. Seeing the messages pop up in the corner of her vision, Han Sle-gi let out an awkward laugh.
“Ha, ha……”
The Archer’s shout was filled with profanity and rage, but Sle-gi couldn't bring herself to say anything. If she had been killed ten times by the same opponent in a single game—and killed instantly upon respawning without even getting to do anything—she would have been spitting out every curse word in the book, too.
...I wonder what kind of expression the Speed Swordswoman is making right now? In the gaming world, being told you "play like a piece of sh*t" was the highest form of praise. Was she grinning from ear to ear?
<Understood!><Got it.><Yes!> But the player herself seemed entirely uninterested, merely issuing her orders with a blunt indifference. At her call to prepare for the final assault, the spirited replies of all the teammates echoed through the voice chat.
At some point, every single one of them had been completely won over by her expert shot-calling and awe-inspiring skill.
[Victory!][The enemy has surrendered!]‘Nice!!’ Realizing their defeat was certain even before the final supply boxes could drop—their last shred of hope—the enemies finally surrendered. Contrary to her worries at the start of the match, Sle-gi had secured an incredibly easy victory.
【All】[ArrowSpammer (Archer): Jungle gap, GG, f*.]** The final message in the 'All' chat was the Archer’s lament, blaming their own Spearman Jungler who had done nothing compared to the Speed Swordswoman.
Sle-gi understood his grievance, but what could be done? Meeting the right teammates was part of the charm of AOS games. The enemy Archer was simply unlucky.
‘Time to check the stats……’ As the game concluded in victory, Sle-gi was teleported back to the Legend Frontier lobby. She tapped the hologram screen a few times to check the detailed performance indicators of the match they had just dominated.
‘It really was a total slaughter.’ The final kill score was 40 to 7.
When was the last time she had played such a one-sided game? Even during her Bronze days, when the matches were full of newbies, she had never seen anything like this.
‘The Speed Swordswoman……’ Sle-gi’s gaze was drawn as if possessed to the Speed Swordswoman’s statistics.
‘Holy crap, 25 kills……?’ The Speed Swordswoman, who had carried the game, ended with a score of 25 Kills / 1 Death / 9 Assists. She had quite literally pulverized the enemy single-handedly. Utilizing her extreme speed to its limit, she had exerted influence across the entire map. Like a phantom, she appeared in the east and then in the west, slaying enemies and arriving just in time to support her allies at the perfect moment.
The enemy Jungler had been deleted from the game, and her team had complete control over the vision map. The enemies had attempted desperate, risky plays to save the game, but each time, they had only handed more kills to the Speed Swordswoman.
Even that single 'blemish' of one death probably wouldn't have happened if the allies had just listened to her orders and grouped up in time; for all intents and purposes, she was deathless.
……Without that Speed Swordswoman, a victory of this scale would have been impossible. It was rare to find a Jungler who would dive into a tower just to relentlessly kill the enemy dealer and flip the entire board on its head.
“Is she a pro?”
Whatever the case, the Speed Swordswoman from that match was not a player meant for Diamond tier. Her skill was so high that no one would have doubted it even if she claimed to be a pro.
“Gale……”
Sle-gi suspected that this player might be the alt account of the high-tier ranker and creator of the Speed Swordswoman build, SION—otherwise known as ‘Gale.’
She couldn't think of anyone else besides Rank 7 Gale who could utilize the Speed Swordswoman build to such an extreme degree. It made no sense for a mere Diamond user to handle a build that even pros had abandoned with that much proficiency.
“Should I... try adding her?”
Sle-gi hesitated for a moment. With a personality that couldn't ignore a burning curiosity, she wanted to hear the answer directly from the person involved. If she sent a friend request and asked via private chat, would the player reveal her identity?
“Alright.”
Sle-gi nodded with a look of determination. She sent a friend request to the user ‘BOXY’ and then began to carefully type out a message.
— I was the Priest from the last match, thanks for the carry!— I’ve never seen someone play Speed Swordswoman this well!— But by any chance, is this an alt account……?— Your playstyle and build are so similar to a high-tier ranker I know… 🥲 “Send……”
She had said everything she wanted to say. Now, all that was left was to wait for a response.
“Haaa, I hope she replies……”
Even if it wasn't Gale herself, Sle-gi hoped for some kind of response.
“My next match is my promotion series……”
If the friend request was accepted and she got a reply, Sle-gi intended to cast aside her pride and ask for a duo—even if BOXY wasn't Gale. The next match was a crucial promotion series to reach Master tier. She wanted to receive that Speed Swordswoman’s carry one more time to secure a guaranteed, stable victory.
“Hmm……”
Tick, tock. Time passed.
……How long had it been since she had waited for someone’s contact with this much anticipation? Not since her unrequited crush in school. Sle-gi waited for about five minutes in the lobby, staring blankly for BOXY’s reply, but the friend request wasn't accepted, and the message remained unread.
“Did she log out……?”
Regrettably, it seemed BOXY had either already logged out or had no intention of responding in the first place. She had seemed blunt when giving orders in-game, so perhaps she was just the type who disliked making friends or chatting.
“Forget it……”
Sle-gi finally let out a deep sigh and gave up on waiting. If there was no response after this long, giving up was the right choice. If fate intended for them to meet again, they would.
Perhaps it would be better for Sle-gi to just hurry up and reach Mythic tier herself to ask Gale in person.
“That sounds good, actually.”
Thinking about it, it felt like a romantic plan—like a shonen manga protagonist saying, ‘Wait for me! We’ll meet again at the top!’ ……It was simply that now wasn't the right timing to meet BOXY, or Gale, again.
“...Starting match.”
Besides, in an AOS game where everyone must do their best, it was a poor mindset to rely solely on someone else. Having been carried by BOXY for one match was enough.
“Let’s reach Master, please……”
Vowing to carry her own promotion match for once, Sle-gi began queuing for a new game.
02. “Whew……”
I let out a sigh as I removed the VR headgear.
25 Kills / 1 Death / 9 Assists. It was a fairly satisfying game. Having one death in the middle was a bit disappointing, but I could write that off as a "human touch." Everyone makes mistakes, after all.
“...So he was an alt, too.”
While reviewing the detailed match metrics, I checked the enemy Jungler’s record and quickly realized he was an alt account as well. His history was an endless string of ‘WIN’ results. He had even secured the MVP title in the majority of his games.
He was definitely a smurf. Climbing with a one-man carry and an abnormal win streak was impossible otherwise. Based on the metrics of his games, the Spearman named HJ was likely somewhere between high Grand Master and low Mythic. We might have even crossed paths in a ranked match on my main.
“That’s a relief.”
The slight feeling of lingering discomfort in my heart began to fade. Although winning felt good, "noob-stomping" on an alt wasn't exactly the most honorable thing to do. It was like an adult bullying a child.
But since there was a high-tier alt on the other side as well, I could justify it to myself: ‘The other side had a smurf too, didn't they?’ It was the mindset of a criminal dragging an accomplice to jail with them—the "I’m not going down alone" mentality. It was a rotten mindset, but what can you do? Sometimes I just wanted a refreshing, relaxing game on my alt……
Yeah, it should count as extenuating circumstances. Probably.
“Should I head out now?”
Having finished one match, I turned off the VR headgear without any lingering regrets. I had visited the VR Room on a whim to fulfill a childhood wish, and since I had even played a "healing" ranked match on my alt, I had accomplished all my goals.
It felt like it was about time to head home. I needed to eat, and I still had much to think about. Most of all, I didn't particularly enjoy being in crowded places.
“Let’s go home……”
I pulled my hoodie over my head and stood up from my seat. Once again, I felt immense gratitude for the fact that I could stand on my own two legs rather than in a wheelchair. To be able to use the stairs instead of hunting for an elevator—what a moving thought.
“...The bag.”
I didn't forget to grab the black plastic bag containing the Coke and potato chips I’d bought at the convenience store. Fortunately, the Coke was still cold. They would make for a great late-night snack.
“Hmm……”
What should I do while I eat? When I eat something delicious, I want to watch something fun.
“Was there a stream today……?”
……It might not be bad to watch a Legend Frontier broadcast for the first time in a while. There was a unique pleasure in watching the plays of other rankers besides myself.
And,
【Swordmaster Specialist (Prospective) Mythic Promotion Decisive Battle】[Scheduled for 20:00] “Oh……”
Coincidentally, a stream that piqued my interest was just about to start.