A Good View

In a winner-stays-on format, the battle doesn't end until the entire match is over.

In the Corridor of Duel, the wide-open terrain made the spawn points easily visible.

Just as the Swordmaster had launched a preemptive strike when I first entered, I had no reason to pass up the initiative.

This opening attack was, in a way, the victor's privilege.

Unlike me, who had already sustained some damage, my opponent was in pristine condition.

If I didn't force them to expend resources now, I would be at a disadvantage.

First, I charged straight toward the enemy's spawn point.

Carrying all my built-up momentum, I swung my axe horizontally.

The blade grazed the enemy's abdomen, narrowly missing a clean hit.

As the enemy's figure was revealed,

my brow furrowed at the system message.

What? A Highlander?

Wasn't his main class supposed to be Duelist?

Before today's scrims,

Hero had given me a brief rundown of the players, saying it would be unfair to fight completely blind.

She shared details like their main classes and combat styles.

For instance, the player named Realist was originally a Duelist main who relied heavily on raw physical mechanics.

While his combat prowess rivaled that of the first-team players, he lacked decision-making skills in team fights.

I had been on guard because he was notoriously good at parrying, but he had shown up with a completely different class.

Once the battle started, changing classes was impossible.

Whatever his intentions, I had to focus on the fight.

Since I held the initiative, I needed to press my advantage as hard as possible.

The reason I hadn't attempted a heavy strike from the start was to transition into a combo.

My second and third attacks chained together, putting pressure on him.

It wasn't a bad attempt, but none of them landed as a clean, effective hit.

The enemy was nimble.

Seeing how he chose to dodge without hesitation, it seemed he was prioritizing speed over power this time as well.

Well, his intention was obvious from his choice of class.

‘He's trying to kite me. Winning that way makes for a better show.’

Highlanders generally had two main builds.

One was a pure melee Highlander using a two-handed sword.

The other was a mid-range Highlander wielding a gun in one hand and a sword in the other.

The enemy had clearly chosen the mid-range option.

Judging by the shape of the gun, he had sacrificed a bit of range to boost its firepower.

Normally, Berserkers were quite a nuisance for melee classes.

If there was a skill gap, winning wasn't the issue, but winning cleanly was difficult.

Due to the Berserker's innate stats and the Frenzy buff, the opponent was forced to take some damage.

But it was a different story against a class that mixed in ranged weapons.

Defending with a sword while maintaining a strict distance.

As long as they could execute those two things perfectly, it was possible to kill a Berserker without shedding a single drop of blood.

If I couldn't dodge the attack, I might as well take it head-on.

I let the bullet pierce my forearm to minimize the drain on my health bar.

Although I mitigated the damage as much as possible, the penalty for sacrificing my defense felt quite painful here.

The enemy chipped away at me, using his range to his advantage.

Any other Berserker would have had a few more chances, but I had to seize the absolute perfect opportunity.

With my low defense, a single failure would be fatal.

Did I have any ranged options left?

None. My main weapon was too heavy to throw effectively at this distance.

In that case, I either had to close the distance to throwing range or use my axe blade as a shield for now.

However, there was one method left.

Something that would be completely outside the opponent's calculations.

There was no time to hesitate.

Once a decision was made, I had to move immediately.

Time was definitely not on my side in this battle.

The Berserker began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠charging toward the Highlander.

A classic melee-versus-ranged matchup.

The Highlander continuously widened the gap, the report of his gun echoing through the arena.

The Corridor of Duel was a battlefield devoid of obstacles.

This meant there was no cover to block the bullets or assist in line-of-sight plays.

To make matters worse, Yu Nabi was playing a Berserker, a class notoriously vulnerable to ranged opponents.

Unlike Artillerymen or Snipers who lacked mobility, the Highlander was not a class that could be easily caught.

Without a major variable, this battle would end in the Berserker's defeat.

Astra, the first-team ranged DPS for SnowWitch, was certain of the outcome.

"It's over. If it were me, I'd never lose from that position."

"It does look pretty tough."

Onyx, the tank, agreed.

To the two of them, the battle was practically decided.

The fierce struggle they were watching was merely the process leading to the inevitable conclusion; they couldn't see the outcome changing.

"Huh?"

That was, until something caught their eye during the spectating.

Onyx glanced briefly toward the spectator seats.

Phantom, the head coach, looked deep in thought, while Hero was busy writing down feedback.

In the end, the only person he could talk to was Astra, his fellow benchwarmer.

As first-team players, the two of them had nothing to do here.

They had only joined because it "looked fun."

They had tagged along to watch the team shoot some content and lend their names to the event.

"Hey. Let's make a bet."

"What kind of bet?"

"Fifty thousand won on the Berserker winning."

"If you want to give me allowance, just give it to me. Fine, fifty thousand won on the Highlander."

A smirk played on Onyx's lips.

Now that money was on the line, the match felt much more thrilling.

Nabi's health, chipped away bit by bit, had already fallen to the 40% mark.

The Berserker, who seemed to be on the receiving end the entire time, finally threw her weapon.

It was a massive, heavy axe.

Combined with the physical boost from Frenzy, the destructive power was nothing short of lethal.

But if the opponent hadn't anticipated at least this much, he wouldn't deserve to call himself a pro gamer.

I will end this fight flawlessly.

As if embodying that determination, the Highlander boldly used a survival skill to retreat.

With a perfectly timed slide, he evaded the battleaxe.

At the same time, he pulled away from the Berserker to secure his distance.

His decision to aim his gun once more at the target was flawless.

However... the timing, angle, and positioning aligned with terrifying precision.

The Korean term for cooldown is "reuse waiting time."

In other words, it returns once time passes.

The active skill All-Out Strike, which she had used in the beginning, was ready again.

At the same time, Yu Nabi retrieved the throwing axe she had used in her first battle.

As if showing the fruits of her practice, she transitioned smoothly into the throw.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

A Berserker is a class that exerts greater power the more dangerous the situation.

Right now, Yu Nabi was in a state where she possessed the maximum attack power a Berserker could muster.

The force of the axe, buffed by the active skill, was not something to be taken lightly.

The Highlander, who had chosen a half-hearted ranged build,

could not easily withstand it with a body built for speed over defense.

The terrifyingly flying blade cleanly sliced his left arm.

An arm subjected to a severing judgment could no longer hold a gun.

The moment the weapon fell limply to the ground, the Berserker did not miss her chance.

Before the Highlander could reorganize his stance, she pounced on him like a beast.

"H-Haaah...!"

There was no time to retrieve her weapon.

Though Yu Nabi rushed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in bare-handed, the match was already decided.

Even though the Highlander held a sword in his remaining hand, it made no difference.

She grabbed his outstretched arm, pulled him in, and slammed him to the ground.

The tall man collapsed to the ground, easily overpowered by the small girl.

She didn't forget to stomp on his chest to pin him down.

She could worry about finding a weapon to finish him off now.

The Highlander's wrist twisted like a toy, and ownership of his longsword transferred to her.

Soon, the sword pierced the Highlander's heart.

The match was over.

Sensing his death, the Highlander's mind actually grew peaceful.

Thanks to that, he had the luxury to appreciate something else.

‘A low angle... is a pretty good view...’

Even though he lost the game, he felt strangely good!

It wasn't something he could brag about, but he had succeeded in getting a good view.

A fluttering white fabric seemed to linger before his eyes.

Onyx won fifty thousand won.