Diversifying Victory Patterns
Week 2 of the OCK had come to an end.
The mood at Kaiserst was electric.
It was their first back-to-back wins since forming their Overlant team.
Gaia Land Pro had done well in other games, sure, but Overlant was the dominant force—no contest. The atmosphere was bound to reflect that gap.
"This season's shaping up to be historic, right?"
"Tell me about it. We might even snag playoffs."
"Never seen the director look this happy..."
"Hope it stays this way."
The staff and executives were chuckling and chatting away. It was hard to believe this was the same Kaiserst HQ that had felt like a funeral home for so long.
They could afford to bask in the festive vibe. Kaiserst was on an upswing, and their schedule looked manageable through Week 5.
But Coach Shin Seung-hyun had different words.
"This is exactly when we need to stay sharp, kids."
During personal practice time, he gathered the players and laid it out straight.
"We've taken down mid-table EG and Red Force, and up to Week 5, our matchups are easier than now—WolfX, Fox Gaming, DX Gaming. But don't think for a second these games will be cakewalks."
The teams he named were generally rated weaker than Red Force or EG, perennial bottom-feeders season after season.
Did that mean easy wins? Coach Shin's answer: a firm NO.
"Starting today, let's mix up our win conditions. Experiment with different comps, figure out what plays click."
Siwoo nodded vigorously.
"Sounds good to me."
Win patterns were crucial.
Diversifying strategies was key.
Right now, Kaiserst leaned heavily on their sniper, Siwoo. It was unavoidable—the sniper was the role you funneled resources into.
Which meant...
"Starting today, Siwoo, practice other weapons besides sniper. Bring anything decent from personal time to scrims with."
Time to branch out.
"You sure that's okay? I've barely touched other guns."
Siwoo asked. He'd thought about practicing backups for the future, but he worried it'd mess up their hot streak.
Sidearms could wait for solo practice.
"That's why we're scrimming—to practice. Losses are fine if it's for the long game."
Coach Shin brushed it off.
"Rifle shares traits with sniper, so start there. If it feels good, try close-range or assassin next. Gun kata wouldn't hurt either."
"Got it."
Whether he'd excel like with sniper was anyone's guess.
Screw it, let's do this.
Siwoo wasn't scared.
He believed in his talent.
"Alright, scrims later. Rest up or grind more—your call."
With that, Coach Shin left.
"What weapon first?"
Hyung Kim Ho-jong asked.
"Rifle like coach said. Close-range and assassin later."
"Cool. Guess I gotta school you—you're clueless with off-weapons."
"Yup."
Siwoo nodded, and Ho-jong stroked his chin.
"Start in ranked to gauge your level."
"Ranked now? I was gonna grind anyway."
"Yeah. I'll watch and coach. Queue up."
"Sure."
Siwoo headed to his practice capsule.
He'd only used rifle back at launch besides sniper, but he'd picked up tricks watching Ho-jong and opponents. Shouldn't be a disaster.
"Wait."
Ho-jong called out.
"You know the basics for rifle attacker?"
"Course. Run and gun, right?"
Run and Gun.
Constant movement, shifting positions on the fly while firing.
Unlike snipers locked at zero mobility, rifle attackers could shoot accurately mid-stride—run-and-gun was table stakes.
"Good. Position sense is instinct?"
"Yup."
"Let's go."
"On it."
Siwoo logged into his capsule.
Teleporting to the Shooting Range!
He entered the shooting range.
Needed to warm up before ranked—no way he'd dive in cold, even for practice. Points were on the line.
What rifle to pick?
Siwoo narrowed his eyes.
Overlant had two rifle types.
Ban-dal: Massive damage and ammo capacity, but brutal recoil and slow fire rate.
Phantom: Weaker but balanced damage, quick fire rate, clean recoil.
Both solid—pure preference.
Mine’s this one.
Siwoo grabbed the Ban-dal.
Recoil was a beast, but one hit outdid Phantom.
Training bots first.
He hit practice start.
Targets popped up front, zipping around.
Steady, like sniper shots.
Hold breath. Minimize shake. Eyes locked on scope, senses razor-focused.
Sounds fade, world blurs. Just him and the rifle.
He'd barely fired rifle seriously—tutorial dabble at most.
Unfamiliar, but go by feel.
Bang!Bang!Bang!
Muzzle flipped wild, three shots spat in a blink.
Sizzle!
Targets crumpled, heads vaporized ghostly clean. Sniper habits kept aim crisp.
Now, tame the recoil.
Siwoo mashed the trigger.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Muzzle climbed, bucked every which way. Body shoved back, arms quivered. But focus held.
Splat-splat-splat!
Target scars clustered tight.
"How's that?"
Siwoo asked.
Ho-jong's voice crackled through Discord spectator chat.
"Not first. Tutorial counts."
Siwoo shrugged.
Defeat laced Ho-jong's tone.
Phantom was forgiving; Ban-dal demanded full-body control beyond mouse flicks.
"That bad?"
Ho-jong whistled.
Real deal now.
"Yep."
Siwoo hit lobby, queued instantly.
Challenger queue didn't pop fast. Plus, only 5 PM—pros weren't grinding.
Twenty minutes in, Siwoo canceled.
"No queue. Switch to Asia server?"
Overlant split servers by nation, but Asia unified existed for cross-play.
Asia was tougher—talent pool from everywhere.
"Loss is loss."
Winrate? Meh. Adults lose sometimes.
Siwoo switched: Korea to Asia-wide.
Ping lag? Minor.
Top tiers felt it, though.
"Popped."
Five-minute queue—magic.
"Roger."
Siwoo dove in.
Attacker role.
Lanes clean—lucky.
Sudden English. Siwoo's class rank 2 meant solid English—plus some Japanese.
"What combo?"
"Standard please. I'll carry."
Siwoo picked Ban-dal. Teammates would adjust.
Challenger queue respect—comped around him. Carry call paid off.
Lineup:
Solid frontline, attackers and supports synced for straightforward push.
Easiest known comp.
"Hinazugaya?"
Ho-jong knew him? Famous then. Siwoo probed.
"Good?"
Masters—Asia's elite tourney. 4th place? Way above anyone Siwoo faced.
"This'll be fun."
Excitement brewed.
How good were international pros?
Ho-jong sighed. What could he do? Hype was real.
"Anyway, GLHF. Muting Discord?"
Siwoo disabled headset mic.
And...
Teleporting to Mekatera City!
Game on.
Mode: Deathmatch.
Map: Mekatera City.
Hold central Force Pack—raw power rules. Attacker skill shines.
Team groans. Hinazugaya must be the real deal—ID'd instantly, morale tanked.
"Relax, guys. I'll carry. No sweat."
Siwoo declared confidently.
First rifle main, but he knew he could win.
Even against Japan's star pro.