Virtually Zero Risk

The biting chill filling the field seeped deep into my lungs.

All around was a glacial prison, shimmering with an eerie blue light.

Wind whistled through rusted iron bars, and the white bones scattered across the floor cast a desolate atmosphere.

The battlefield, 'Prison of Extinction', was set in a vertical shaft carved deep into a glacier.

In terms of its overall shape, it resembled a massive cylinder.

True to its name, the walls were lined with empty prison cells, but moving between them required crossing the massive central void.

Ultimately, the Prison of Extinction was a vertical battlefield spanning dozens of floors.

The core of this map lay in navigating the combat between these two connected spaces: the cramped, indoor cells and the central void with its constant threat of falling to one's death.

Right in the middle of this battlefield, I swung my Death Scythe.

The enemy before my eyes was a massive grizzly bear.

More precisely, it was Havoc's Druid, transformed into a grizzly.

Red-hot flames gathered on the bear's left arm, while a chilling frost clung to his right as he unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Since he was a bear right now, I suppose calling them forepaws would be more accurate?

Regardless, his strikes, infused with superhuman strength and the elements of nature, clashed continuously with mine.

While physical force could be blocked through normal means, the searing heat and biting cold could not.

Naturally, various burns and frost scars began to mark my body.

However, I wasn't the one feeling the pressure.

Havoc was the one desperately pressing the offensive, while I focused entirely on defense, only throwing out occasional counterattacks.

Even now, as his right paw flared with flames, it was no different.

Exactly twelve seconds after our clash began.

I slammed my scythe into the wall and used it as a vaulting pole to leap into the air.

While airborne, a dark energy gathered along the blade of my scythe before exploding.

An ominous black wave swept across the surrounding area.

Havoc's health bar chipped down slightly, and my lost health was restored.

Since I had temporarily disengaged from the fight, I decided to scan my surroundings.

An arrow had definitely flown in from that direction earlier, but the enemy ranged dealer was nowhere to be seen.

Well, if they had any sense, they would have repositioned long ago.

Still, chasing the enemy's main force with Havoc breathing down my neck wasn't the best idea.

Sliding down the wall, I re-entered the fray.

I swung my scythe at the enraged grizzly.

My combat pattern had been like this for a while now.

Whenever Havoc initiated a fight, I would humor him just enough before clipping him with Bountiful Harvest and backing off.

In the meantime, I kept scanning for the enemy's ranged dealer or support, looking for an opportunity to slip away.

Ah, another twelve seconds had passed.

This time, I successfully restored my health without taking any significant damage in return.

Fuming with frustration, Havoc charged at me once more.

A devastating flurry of attacks rained down, but... there was absolutely no reason for me to take this fight head-on.

I wasn't a Berserker right now.

I didn't need to force an offensive, and as long as we remained in this stalemate, the advantage lay with our main team.

Unlike the previous match, there was no need for me to fight Havoc to the death.

The enemy team's strategy was fundamentally flawed from the very beginning.

Even if Berserker hadn't been banned, I wouldn't have picked it.

I mean, obviously.

I had resorted to a trick in the first match because I thought I'd lose in a prolonged fight, and even then, I hadn't won cleanly.

If we fought the same way again, wouldn't I lose for sure?

That was why I chose the Grim Reaper.

A class exceptionally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strong in prolonged battles, sustaining itself by constantly triggering Bountiful Harvest.

It was a shameless class that rapidly restored its own health while imposing a wide-area healing reduction debuff on its opponents.

Its only weakness was that, for a bruiser, its close-quarters combat was relatively weak.

The Grim Reaper's signature weapon, the 'Death Scythe', was ultimately just a giant scythe.

It might sound cool, but in actual combat, it wasn't a very practical weapon.

But... if I just avoided fighting head-on, wasn't it virtually zero risk?

Besides, the notion that the Grim Reaper was weak in close combat only applied when compared to other bruisers.

If I could close the distance, taking down a squishy ranged dealer was child's play.

Because of this, Havoc was trapped in a terrible dilemma.

He couldn't just leave me alone.

If he did, I would slip into the enemy's main force and end the game right then and there.

The effectiveness of the Grim Reaper's Bountiful Harvest maximized when there were more targets to hit.

Since the enemy's composition lacked the burst to kill me instantly, my survivability—especially with support from my team—was practically godlike.

In this match, Havoc had to risk his life to stop me.

Yet, he couldn't kill me either.

Because I refused to fight and kept running away.

What could a single bear do when I was scaling the walls of a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠vertical battlefield with a scythe?

Havoc could do nothing but glare at me like a dog staring at a chicken out of reach.

"The situation is looking incredibly suffocating for Havoc!"

"I mean... I understand the Druid pick itself. There was just too much riding on Havoc's shoulders."

"He has to keep DoNotTalkToMe in check while enduring the fire support from Siz."

"On top of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that, he was hit with two Prohibitions. In this situation, he had to choose a class that was both durable and capable of carrying."

"The Druid pick was definitely excellent."

On the screen, Yu Nabi was practically flying around.

Havoc was doing his best, but catching an opponent determined to run was no easy task.

Anywhere else might have been different, but this was the Prison of Extinction.

A vertical battlefield where a single misstep could lead to a meaningless death from falling.

Yu Nabi traversed the ground and walls as if walking a tightrope.

He couldn't catch her no matter how hard he tried.

Just when it seemed like he had landed a few hits, she would restore her health with Bountiful Harvest.

It was a sight that made Havoc's blood pressure rise just by watching!

Every time the signature black effect of Bountiful Harvest burst, the grizzly bear's expression visibly soured.

"The problem is that this flow was completely read."

"Who could have ever imagined this?"

"DoNotTalkToMe was the one who showed such fighting spirit in the previous match, even engaging in a fistfight."

"And now, that same player is hopping around like a rabbit, teasing Havoc!"

"Aaaargh! Please just fight me! Let's have a hot match like the last game! Please!"

Everyone could hear the unspoken scream.

Every single one of Havoc's movements was practically a cry of despair.

"But how is he supposed to catch her?"

"Just look at the size difference."

"On one side, you have a girl so small even I could pick her up, and on the other, a bear. A bear!"

"With that massive body, it's not easy to cling to things."

"They say bears are good at climbing trees, but... this looks a bit too difficult."

Yu Nabi was essentially dragging Havoc around as she fought.

On the other hand, having the freedom to run meant she also had the freedom to choose where the fight took place.

There was no way she would squander such a crucial initiative.

As the battle dragged on, Yu Nabi gradually moved toward the upper levels of the battlefield.

Very slowly. So Havoc wouldn't notice.

She positioned herself far above the main forces of both teams.

She had briefly considered going all the way to the very top of the map, but it didn't seem necessary.

It happened in an instant.

Just as Yu Nabi aimed to regroup with her team, the main force was also looking to pull her back in.

The moment their positions aligned, even briefly.

Several chains stretched across the battlefield, carving out a path.

Yu Nabi used her scythe like a grappling hook, swinging between the chains.

For Havoc... such mobility was impossible.

A heavy grizzly bear couldn't possibly traverse those thin chains.

Canceling his transformation was the only option, but doing so would strip him of his combat power.

"This is dangerous!"

"DoNotTalkToMe is entering the main battlefield!"

The way tanks or bruisers mitigate damage is generally similar.

High defense stats and guard gauges.

Though the mechanics vary, most choose to directly reduce the incoming damage itself.

However, the Grim Reaper was a special case.

It took the damage raw and simply healed it back.

A Grim Reaper's defense was comparable to that of a ranged dealer.

Its health pool was at the absolute bottom tier among bruisers. Even looking at its overall stats, its weight class was incredibly low.

Yet, it offset this glaring weakness with other strengths.

An overwhelming level of health regeneration and a high-performance ultimate.

In truth, rather than covering for a low weight class, its stats were intentionally tuned down for balance.

Any team composition lacking burst damage would find it nearly impossible to defeat a Grim Reaper.

"If they had a Freischütz, things might have been different."

"They could have applied a healing reduction debuff and focused burst damage to shut her down."

"But they can't. Even Havoc's transformation cooldown is still active."

"This is practically game over."

Amidst the swirling black tempest.

Yu Nabi's scythe sliced through the martial artist's neck.