Why I Hate Losing Even More Now
The mid lane didn't look empty at all.
There was still a canopy of bushes, and compared to the short lane I'd always played top, it was plenty long.
If a fight broke out, one side would be forced to give up the battlefield and head back.
Both sides had already reached the lane before the jungle monsters spawned.
Unfortunately, I couldn't do what I'd usually do on top lane.
First I'd secure the bush, then block the enemy's retreat when they came out to attack the monsters.
Well, most opponents didn't fall for it, but occasionally there were players so overconfident in their champion that they would still take the bait.
Here, though, that wasn't going to happen.
Even if HLG Truerock was confident enough to pick an event match at the department store, they might still get caught.
Too bad.
It might have been obvious, but...
Even if I picked with that kind of swagger, the opponent didn't immediately challenge me the moment they saw me.
At level 1, they'd just stand there quietly to trade hits, knowing they'd lose anyway, then slip into the bushes.
Since there was no interference from the other lanes, they could have followed me in to take the first swing.
But if they did, I'd have taken that first basic attack and handed them the lane lead.
I already had a sustain skill, so starting a fight with even the slightest disadvantage would only make things harder later.
The snowball effect was obvious—any early loss would grow into something bigger.
Jaxson had a bit more control over when to trade and when to disengage, so most people thought it was favorable.
But because of the sustain, from Erel's perspective, Jaxson could never afford to make a mistake.
Even disengaging would be impossible if Erel kept chomping through the monsters and resetting the cooldown on Flash.
So we both came back to the center of the battlefield where the monsters were still fighting each other.
I buried the urge to start swinging right away and stared at the bushes Erel was hiding in.
The bushes didn't move, even though the monsters were clashing around them.
Even while the monsters were tearing each other apart, the bushes stayed perfectly still.
Choosing to give up three melee minions was a bold play.
But if I charged in and tried to take them, Jaxson had a skill that dodged basic attacks perfectly, so I'd take a one-sided beating.
So I stayed back.
The three monsters I'd already taken were probably planning to get a kill back later.
In that case, I just had to use this window to my advantage.
Force them to burn their Erel with a gambit, without taking any damage myself.
With the CS limit at 100, I could slowly take the monsters and eventually corner Erel.
Not worrying about the bushes was a first—I didn't have the constant pressure of knowing the enemy team was growing while I played safe.
In solo queue I'd always been obsessed with killing the enemy top laner before they got too strong, because if I waited too long, I'd fall behind.
But I couldn't be that careless here.
While the two magic minions were still clashing in the distance, the second monster wave arrived.
The moment the shield-bearer monster's health dropped, Erel appeared from the bushes.
Naturally, they were coming to kill the dying minions with Blade Dash.
The Hunter with a floating sword controlling their blades—Erel.
By throwing themselves into the four blades and dashing at the enemy, the cooldown would reset.
They were planning to kill the low-health ranged minions and the one already under full focus, then hit level 2.
That way, even though I'd only have basic attack and counter available at level 1, the fight would still begin.
My instincts told me to retreat a little, but my instincts screamed to run straight into their team instead.
I was already moving my mouse that way.
What I did was simple: right-click Jaxson and tell them to advance.
At the same moment, Erel's four blades shot toward the dying friendly minions.
Thock thock thock—the sharp metal sounds overlapped with one scratch from Jaxson.
While Erel was dashing, Jaxson swung their fishing rod and smacked Erel anyway.
The instant our basic attacks crossed, the monsters' target switched.
Both sides began focusing on the enemy champion to protect their own.
I immediately pressed my counter and dodged all the monster damage.
Erel had clearly seen it coming, used the level 2 moment right after killing a monster, learned a new skill, and used it instantly.
Two blades on the ground, enemies between them stunned.
The skill that would make me unable to counter because I was already dodging with basic attacks, and instead stun me.
Jaxson, standing among the monsters, couldn't avoid it with movement alone.
But even if they blinked to dodge, at level 1 versus Erel at level 2, the stat difference was too big.
Erel would easily make up the damage.
So I just let it hit.
Then, the second my stun wore off, Jaxson snarled at the damage they took and scattered their fishing rods everywhere.
Naturally the stunned enemy monsters died, and I hit level 2 too.
And right then, exactly like I knew they would, Erel came dashing at Jaxson.
With passive stacks from the monsters, they figured they could win the fight right here.
With their increased attack speed and extra damage on every basic attack, and me already taking one skill, the position was hopeless.
So I used my own Flash to jump back.
Level 2 had also unlocked Flash for me.
But the damage wasn't completely avoided by just dodging Blade Dash.
The gains I made from the three monsters were simply replaced by the health I lost.
I might not have seen their face, but pros were still pros.
Challenger tier wasn't given out for nothing.
The person hiding in the bushes wasn't a coward—they were a hunter waiting for their prey.
"Ah, Gabi."
They'd taken their own angle too, but since I slipped away so smoothly, maybe they felt a little disappointed.
A sigh came from behind the monitor.
That just made my pride sting more.
They thought I was that easy to take down.
No matter how hard they pretended to be a real opponent, there was still that psychological weight of the rank difference.
But I didn't let it get to me.
In real life I was just curled up getting beaten, but online I could still beat the heroes of myth.
When health hits zero, both Jaxson and Erel die the same way.
Just like Erel hid in the bushes, it was my turn to hide and wait.
Erel was still hunting for opportunities.
They approached dying monsters with Blade Dash, landing basic attacks one after another to force me to use my counter.
I wasn't inexperienced enough to fall for such an obvious trick.
If I used my counter in response to Erel's attack, I'd escape with Blade Dash on the next monster.
And the moment Erel jumped toward me intending to land their counter, Jaxson would be dead.
Even in stun, Erel could make the blades dance around them to reduce damage.
When Erel came out of stun and tried to stun Jaxson instead, Jaxson would at least lose their Flash.
So I had to keep the counter ready.
It was my last safe shield.
The best thing I could do right now was meet Erel's basic attack head-on and reinforce my own weapon for one big hit.
Erel's basic attack range was a little longer than normal, but Jaxson only gained range on the next attack after reinforcing.
And on this side it was a reinforced strike, while on theirs it was just a normal basic.
If I could react fast enough, I could land one hit before Erel used Blade Dash to escape.
Then no matter how many monsters Erel killed and how much health they regained, the constant small losses would wear them down.
Erel had tried kiting using the range difference, but I'd read every inch of their spacing.
If Erel stepped forward, I stepped back.
If Erel stepped back, I stepped forward.
The back-and-forth was starting to drive me crazy.
The sigh came again.
"Whoa, now I get why everyone talked about the distance game before. You really read the spacing like a pro?"
I was staring in the direction Erel was looking, tracking every shoulder movement and blade path.
They were relaxed enough to make that comment.
I didn't answer and clenched my teeth instead.
That's exactly why I hated losing even more.
Thanks to the three monsters I'd saved at the start, the CS count was still safe for now.
It might have been the rule that whoever reached 100 CS first won that game.
Erel's movements grew a little sharper, and the gap between us shrank.
Both at level 5, heading toward level 6 for the ultimate.
I didn't even need to calculate XP.
We hadn't used our Recall yet, and we still had half our health left.
I could feel the fight was going to be decided in this wave.
The second Erel approached a monster with Blade Dash, I didn't hesitate.
I jumped in to snipe it, and before I knew it, Flash was gone.
[Clear everything!]
Seconds before, the spot where I was standing had been filled with dozens of blades.
Erel's ultimate—completely missing because the roar was too late—and the two blades meant for my stun.
If I hadn't predicted Erel would jump in the moment they hit level 6, I would have been hit without a chance to react.
The distance was too close to deal with normally.
The Blade Dash motion hid the ultimate cast anyway.
Meanwhile Jaxson had crossed with Erel, finished one more monster, and hit level 6 too.
[All of it—mine!]
Jaxson slammed their fishing rod down and spread a golden aura around the area.
Erel, having already accepted defeat, blinked back and tried to run.
But Jaxson still had Flash left, so they chased and kept attacking.
They chased all the way inside tower range and started beating Erel down.
Erel tried one last desperate thing and wrapped their body in blades to reduce incoming damage.
Jaxson's ultimate aura briefly raised both armor and magic resistance.
For a moment Erel couldn't bite Jaxson to death, and they could tank the tower's attacks.
At that moment, I could read Erel's heart.
I just hoped they could hold out until the tower killed them.
But I didn't pray for anything.
I trusted Jaxson.
Before they fell to the tower, Jaxson would finish Erel off.
[Noel has eliminated HLG Truerock and secured first blood!]
[HLG Truerock has eliminated Noel!]
And this game would be won by the side that killed the enemy first.