A Brutal Debut

On the screen, Yu Nabi lightly licked her lips.

Even as she moved to prepare for the next clash, she seemed deeply disappointed.

Seeing how she couldn't take her eyes off the spot until the very end, it looked as if she was dripping with regret.

Of course, it wasn't because Yu Nabi had some sort of sadistic hobby.

Naturally, she had intended to let her cooldowns recover.

After all, there were resources like health and mana that regenerated over time.

Although it wouldn't be as much as in the Great Forest of the Elven Tree, she wanted to fight after recovering to some extent.

In the end, she was simply trying to squeeze out the maximum advantage under limited circumstances.

The problem was the brutal impact of that action itself.

Usually, winner-stays-on matches didn't end so one-sidedly.

Especially in the vanguard match, a scene like this only happened when there was a difference of several tiers in skill.

Even then, cleanly killing the opponent was several times easier and more convenient than trying to completely neutralize them.

Doing such a thing on purpose could only be seen as a showy performance.

She hadn't struck a pose, but it was no different from executing a humiliating teabagging.

This match. If it ended like this, there was no telling how long they would be ridiculed.

It was a situation that might take a permanent spot among the most legendary moments of humiliation.

A shiver ran down the spine of the ACL team, and they vowed to avenge this disgrace.

"Next up, ACL has sent in Weiss's Grappler."

"It's a build that squeezes physical resistance and strength to the absolute limit. You can feel their intense determination to shut down Nabi, right?"

"Because of Player Yu Nabi's small stature, she's bound to be somewhat vulnerable to things like grappling. This probably isn't a build they threw together on the fly."

"ACL's pride has taken a massive beating today. Even if they leave the ultimate victory to the next runners, their mindset is: 'Let's take down Yu Nabi first.'"

"That seems to be their intention... and it definitely looks like a plausible attempt."

Yu Nabi's pro debut was not a sudden decision.

She had already garnered significant attention, and her unrivaled growth rate had been indirectly observed through solo queue.

Information traveled fast among industry insiders, so it would be more accurate to call anyone who didn't know incompetent.

Therefore, it was only natural that counter-strategies were being prepared.

In fact, this was exactly why a rookie's debut match was so crucial.

It was difficult to hide information about one's main class or playstyle, so they were bound to go through an ordeal.

If they overcame this 'rookie hazing' and won, they would be recognized as a top prospect.

However... occasionally, there were players like Lee Seul-bi who completely shattered the rookie hazing.

They were treated as a sort of irregular.

"Huh? Uh oh. The atmosphere is getting a bit strange."

"Player Nabi's response right now is too good! Is this really the same player who was so aggressive just a moment ago?"

"The height difference between Weiss and Nabi is over thirty centimeters. Naturally, there's a difference in reach with their limbs."

"Even with an axe, that's a highly threatening difference, but she's choking up on the shaft to maintain an incredibly solid offense and defense."

"She deflects short when they close in, and punishes thoroughly if they overextend. As you can see, she's chipping away at their health bit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by bit."

Infinity Realm was not a game that had been around for just a day or two.

A virtual reality-based PvP game. In a one-on-one situation, the practicality of grappling-based martial arts went without saying.

Due to the game's nature where stats were adjusted, it was highly threatening even when used by female players.

Because a former world champion had frequently used grappling, it had been heavily researched.

One of the accumulated data points and research findings was regarding strength and physical size during grappling.

In reality, the larger person was usually stronger.

Thus, there was no need to distinguish between size and strength.

In the first place, matches between different weight classes were extremely rare.

But in Infinity Realm, even someone with a small body like Yu Nabi could exert monstrous strength.

It was common for players of different physical builds to clash, and height and strength did not necessarily correlate.

Ultimately, it became a test case to see which stat was more advantageous when two players clashed in grappling.

"Usually, in a one-on-one involving a Grappler, the taller side is considered to have a massive advantage."

"I'm not saying the difference in strength is meaningless. There are definitely situations where raw strength helps more."

"But that's before getting properly grabbed. In other words, during the early skirmishes, like breaking the opponent's grip."

"Grappling is fundamentally about applying techniques while targeting points where the opponent cannot properly exert their strength, right?"

"So the requirements for a technique to land properly—the ability to secure the enemy's joints or position—are much more advantageous for the larger player."

"The problem is, that's only if they get grabbed. If Player Nabi doesn't let herself get caught, they're just going to get chewed to pieces by her axe!"

Yu Nabi's clothes were drenched in blood.

It was thanks to her driving her axe into the opponent's body every single time she deflected their attempts.

By gripping just below the axe blade with her right hand, her attacks landed short and fast.

ACL's attempt was certainly good.

For a type like Yu Nabi, there were few counters as effective as grappling.

It was a brilliant strategy that would make anyone applaud.

The problem was that the idea was too brilliant.

Paradoxically, the most rational decision was ultimately the easiest one to predict.

Any martial art has endless depth if you delve into it, but grab-based martial arts tend to have a high barrier to entry.

It wasn't something that could be learned in a short period. Especially in a unique environment like Infinity Realm.

No matter how outstanding a martial artist was, they wouldn't have had experience establishing a system based on a 'sixteen-year-old girl with the strength to shatter boulders with her bare hands.'

However, the world was vast and profound.

If one actually looked, it wasn't as if no one had ever tried such a thing.

The screen briefly cut to the SnowWitch team booth.

A slightly childish-looking Hero was cheering for Yu Nabi with clenched fists.

"Haha... Come to think of it, was it back when Coach Hero was still playing?"

"He struggled a lot with grappling in the early days."

"Since Player Nabi is a rookie who just debuted, we thought her preparation might be lacking."

"But it seems some experiences can indeed be passed down to others."

"Ah, Weiss. He seems to be getting too impatient."

It wasn't as if Yu Nabi had infinite training time either.

She was blocking it perfectly so far, but was that because she deeply understood grappling?

It was likely the result of training specifically to block only the truly fatal situations.

Thus, from a Grappler's perspective, a few strangely crude mistakes slipped through.

Those mistakes only provoked the Grappler further.

He had come out determined to grab her, but he couldn't.

Just a little more and I'll have her. If I can just grab her once, I can win.

She seemed sloppy, yet at the critical moments, she deflected him with razor-sharp reactions.

Impatience eventually led to overstepping the line.

Just as Yu Nabi was not yet perfect, the opposing Grappler was not perfect either, which was why he was still in the second tier.

The Grappler aggressively pushed in and went for her leg.

He succeeded in bypassing Yu Nabi's guard. He completely secured her pale thigh... but he had forgotten something truly important.

If the opponent gave up so much just to grab her leg, Yu Nabi could simply give up her leg.

A merciless axe severed her own leg.

With a sudden dismemberment penalty, the Grappler's body collapsed to the floor.

What she severed next was the enemy's waist.

And then, their neck.

The axe slamming down from above looked less like the end of a battle and more like an execution.