The Suicide Mage

The brief window of time right before the match begins.

Although class selection was complete, the maps in Infinity Realm required a massive amount of data to load.

Even with the advanced technology of this era, it was impossible to transition without any loading time.

The loading times for professional matches were especially long compared to regular games.

This was because additional features, such as rewinding in-game time or pausing the match, were required to ensure fairness.

Yet, even this inevitable waiting period had become a form of entertainment in esports.

A brief silence settled over the arena.

Through the quiet, a strangely familiar voice rang out.

"Blue Serpent!"

Whether they were a broadcast staff member or a team representative, they were clearly trying to rally the crowd.

Naturally, my gaze drifted toward the front of the spectator stands.

When listening to the broadcast, it had sounded so quiet that I hadn't noticed, but thinking about it now, that person wasn't even wearing a microphone.

The fact that their voice was picked up by the broadcast anyway... meant their raw lung capacity was nothing short of extraordinary.

That booming voice began the countdown.

Naturally, I knew exactly what this meant.

"One! Two! Three!"

"B-Blue Serpent... fighting!"

They say shouting is a skill that takes practice.

My cheer was a mess of broken rhythm and off-key pitch.

But somehow, it instantly lifted my spirits.

I've always wanted to try this at least once!

I was so glad I came to the arena.

Professional matches differed from regular ranked games starting with their tempo.

Not even a single second, not even a tenth of a second, was ever wasted.

The moment the match began, five players from each team—ten players in total—quickly scattered and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mobilized.

While the Altar of the War God featured complex gimmicks, its terrain layout was relatively simple.

It was a wide-open field centered around the main altar.

Low structures, about one to two stories high, served as cover, creating an environment ripe for urban warfare.

It was a battlefield with wide lines of sight.

And in this kind of environment, there was one class whose power multiplied.

A single gunshot shattered the heavy silence.

"Blue Serpent! Mikhail's opening shot lands cleanly!"

"That looked like a direct hit to the head, didn't it?"

"It was indeed a headshot! The Archmage's health has dropped by over forty percent!"

"This is a very uncomfortable start for Team Aegis. Their assassin is currently taking a wide flank, isn't he?"

"It's dangerous. With that much health gone, he could be burst down in an instant."

In a matchup against a Sniper, the most terrifying threat is the very first bullet.

A super-long-range shot coming from an unpredictable location.

Of course, the opponents would have planned their pathing with the Sniper in mind, but as always, perfection was an illusion.

Thanks to that, Lee Seul-bi's team scored an early advantage right from the start.

It wasn't enough to decide the match, of course.

If a versatile, ultra-long-range damage dealer like the Sniper possessed overwhelming burst power, the game's balance would crumble.

Besides, the enemy team had a supporter of their own, so the Archmage's health could be restored given a bit of time.

However, the crucial factor was that this battlefield was the Altar of the War God.

That "bit of time" implied the consumption of resources from the entire party.

Furthermore, the altar—the capture point—was the highest ground on this map.

Climbing it imposed a penalty that drained health and mana faster, but that was a problem for later.

When a battle was about to break out in a near-pristine state, only the advantage of the "high ground" stood out.

In other words, the side that captured the altar first right after the start held the upper hand.

Soon, several players arrived at the altar.

While the Assassin was the most mobile class in the game, they were currently taking a detour around the map to target the enemy's rear.

Consequently, the clash at the altar inevitably devolved into a sudden melee brawl between the close-quarters classes.

"Both teams collide!"

"Team Aegis's Lancer and Blue Serpent's Valkyrie clash south of the altar! We expect an engagement in the north shortly as well!"

"No words needed here! The battle erupts instantly without a second thought!"

"Right now, Aegis has to stay wary of the Sniper. On the flip side, Blue Serpent's Sniper is currently repositioning, making it difficult for either side's ranged dealers to intervene."

"This means we have a brief one-on-one situation... and the outcome of this duel will likely dictate the flow of the battlefield."

The augmented reality on the stage projected the figures of Lee Seul-bi and the enemy Lancer.

Thanks to that, I could watch the duel between the two pro gamers as if it were unfolding right before my eyes.

Overwhelmed by the sheer realism, I covered my gaping mouth with my cheering banner.

Whoa. What is that?

I'm so happy right now.

In any case, the one who took the initiative was Team Aegis's Lancer, Solis.

Compared to Lee Seul-bi, who wielded dual swords, Solis's short spear had a much longer reach.

Naturally, he seized control of the tempo, focusing his offense and defense primarily on low-aimed strikes.

Every attack carries an intention.

Due to human anatomy, truly fatal vitals are located in the mid-to-upper sections of the body.

What did it mean, then, to deliberately target the lower body?

When a long-reaching spear repeatedly swept low, closing the distance became incredibly difficult.

In other words, it dragged the engagement out.

At the same time, landing a clean hit would restrict the opponent's mobility.

The enemy was buying time.

The broadcast observer seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

The massive screen split in two, showing both Lee Seul-bi and the Sniper.

The in-game voice chat between the two was broadcast to the arena.

"I think there's an ambush near me. Can you check?"

"Our Assassin isn't far from the altar. I'll call them over for now."

"Don't come straight here. Take the long way around and flank them."

"Got it. I've set up my position too. I'll load a heavy shot."

Lee Seul-bi had reached a conclusion that went one step further than my own.

An enemy ambush was waiting.

Is that... even possible?

Under normal circumstances, it was difficult to secure higher mobility than a bruiser.

With the Valkyrie and Lancer just clashing, those two should be the frontline of both teams.

If there was a variable... perhaps the Archmage's Teleport?

But Teleport was a skill that consumed a massive amount of mana.

If the Archmage, who was supposed to carry Aegis's damage output, wasted mana like that, they would run out of steam when it mattered most.

Above all, the Archmage's health was currently low due to the Sniper's opening shot.

Honestly, it was hard to understand.

But seeing how confident Lee Seul-bi was, there might be a clue I had missed.

The answer sheet was already laid out.

Reaching the answer from a blank slate was difficult.

But tracing the steps backward with the answer in hand was slightly easier.

Soon, a soft gasp escaped my lips.

"Ah...!"

"The Archmage uses Teleport!"

"Once! Twice! Three times in a row! At this rate, he's going to reach Drizzle in the blink of an eye!"

"We need to pay close attention to the movements of Solis's Lancer here."

"He's been focusing on low attacks from the start. Specifically, horizontal sweeps, as if he's zoning the area."

"Doesn't it look like he's saying, 'Don't come over here! Stay right there!'?"

"And now we see why! The Archmage is diving in!"

The premise had been wrong from the very beginning.

Team Aegis's strategy was no ordinary, standard composition.

Even the first successful sniper shot, which seemed like a point for Blue Serpent, might have been part of their plan.

The Archmage, having closed the distance instantly with Teleport, finally revealed himself.

Repositioning once more, the Sniper fired.

A steel bullet lodged itself into the Archmage's defenseless chest, but it wasn't enough to kill him instantly.

Then, a massive magic circle drew itself around ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Archmage's body.

Infinity Realm was a game where high returns always came with high risks.

Skills with wide areas of effect and devastating power inevitably had slow casting speeds.

However, if the caster shouldered the bizarre risk of diving directly into melee range as a fragile mage...

the casting speed didn't need to be slow at all.

Crimson flames swept across the front of the altar.

Although Lee Seul-bi retreated as if she had been expecting it, she couldn't completely escape the absurd area-of-effect damage.

A significant portion of her health was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shaved off, and embers clung to her body.

Even so, Blue Serpent's response was... clean.

The Assassin quickly altered their course to target the Archmage, and Lee Seul-bi, having stabilized her stance, dove back in.

As if content to die right here, the Archmage immediately began casting a second spell.

It was a spell with a short cast time, sacrificing power for speed.

They couldn't stop him from casting it.

But the Archmage would undoubtedly die here.

A portion of the Assassin's health and about half of Lee Seul-bi's health.

In exchange for the Archmage's life.

To Blue Serpent, it didn't seem like a bad trade.

At least, not until the weapon that delivered the killing blow to the Archmage turned out to be neither a dagger nor dual swords.

A deeply thrust spear was pulled from the Archmage's throat.

Since the rules of Domination guaranteed respawns anyway,

Aegis had brought a strategy centered around an Archmage consumed like a bomb, and a Lancer who fed on his own allies.