Chapter 23

“Damn it, if we lose this team fight, the game will be over.”

In a tense situation with Elder Dragon at stake, after a fierce battle, the ultimate winner seemed to be the opposing team.

In the second game of the promotion matches, the duo of Arsteria and Ruru faced a solid counter during the ban-pick phase, and the game lasted tightly for 40 minutes.

However, a somewhat reckless initiation from the ally top laner triggered the team fight at the dragon’s nest, and Sia couldn’t help but join in.

But with positioning, positioning, and the difference in levels, all elements favored the enemy, and the battle, which was impossible to win from the start, flowed as expected.

The enemy was in a situation where their well-fed ranged dealer and top jungler were still alive.

In particular, the AD carry was a monster, capable of dismantling the ally fortress with just a few hits.

“Ah… I knew we would eventually lose, but of all times…”

– “I really want to kill the top laner.”

– “Is it fair to lose this game because of that idiot in the top lane?”

Of course, the opportunity for master promotion was still there.

It was just 500,000 won in sponsorship flying away.

To be honest, it would be a lie to say I didn’t have expectations. Up until now, winning was not out of reach with Name.

But just barely surviving, Name’s Arsteria charged straight into the enemy territory, crossing through the enemy jungle.

In the mid lane, there was concern that Arsteria might interfere with the soldiers’ advance, and the quick-witted enemy jungler was on alert.

However, her decision was to head to the bottom lane.

“Are we going for a backdoor?”

While it would be advantageous to destroy the enemy’s inhibitor, this side only had one while the enemy had three.

A gamble commenced.

“Hey! We’re being backdoored! What do we do? Ignore it and keep hitting?”

“We’re faster. Just focus on the fortress.”

“Arsteria now has attack speed of 3! We have to stop the home!”

“If we can’t finish it now, we can’t win the game. Then just send one person to stall them.”

“I’ll stop the home.”

The top Baokai, who had a guaranteed binding ability, returned to base to stop the Arsteria that didn’t know the terror of the skies.

It was definitely the right decision to recall.

The possession rate of Arsteria, which remained close to 90%, along with her incredible demolition power, was astonishing.

As the jungle said, a game that could be easily won might end up being lost to a backdoor.

However, no matter how exceptional Arsteria was with mobility, she was utterly helpless against Baokai, who could bind her with certainty.

Just once, with a W-Q combo, she could buy at least one second of time.

One second was more than enough.

The mid and support, who fell valiantly during the team fight, seemed to finally take a breath and stopped giving orders.

Arsteria spun around the castle, trying her best to stay out of his range.

But Baokai anticipated this and, in the instant of the recall, sold an item and purchased three movement speed items to catch up with her.

At the moment he stepped into range of 525.

Baokai charged at Arsteria fiercely.

But curiously, while Arsteria maintained a 99% possession rate to keep her high attack speed, she

[La Arsteria Shalein Ksetan]

In the final moment, she struck Baokai with a normal attack and used her ultimate.

The ultimate’s damage was not classified as unpreventable or target-locked. Additionally, the ultimate’s damage did not apply to the castle.

Baokai thought she was sensing defeat and preparing to make her last stand.

At that moment, a wave of minions poured out from the castle.

“Huh?”

Arsteria swung her blades at super speed within the range of her ultimate.

Since her movement was faster, she continuously teleported in a trajectory that avoided Baokai’s unpreventable charge.

This allowed the minions in her path to take full damage from the ultimate, triggering the effect that dealt area damage to targets around them upon hitting the minions, causing the castle to start collapsing.

“This can’t be happening? Isn’t this a bug?”

Arsteria delayed Baokai’s charge with her ultimate.

Arsteria’s kill score was 18/0/3. She was already level 18, and her item slots were completely full.

Witnessing the castle break down so easily from just the surrounding area damage left Baokai in despair.

“Okay, we won…?”

As the enemy jungler and AD carry were about to roar in victory after turning the unfavorable game around.

“Fucking bug level game.”

[Defeat]

They could only look helplessly at the last remaining hit on the castle.

* * *

[Victory]

-No Name is god, No Name is god, No Name is god, No Name is god, No Name is god, No Name is god, No Name is god, No Name is god.

-No way that was the judgment, hahahaha.

-Arsteria mdc confirmed, hahahaha.

-Isn’t it a bug that the ultimate’s splash damage goes to the castle?

-It’s a bug, ㅇㅇ. Must be because she’s a new champion.

-There are no other gods besides No Name, and Arsteria is No Name’s apostle.

“500,000 won… might not be a dream.”

Sia, as if enchanted, changed her room title once again.

[Unique God NoName: Master Promotion Match V V _ _ _]

It was truly a difficult game. If I hadn’t known that the ultimate could deal damage to the castle during the game, we could have lost without a chance.

The opponents, true to their previous season’s Grandmaster-Challenger status, made no mistakes and only made the best choices after the team fight.

For example, the enemy jungler deliberately did not show himself to support the soldiers’ advance immediately toward the fortress.

Sending Baokai, who had the least damage expectation and a guaranteed binding ability, straight back home.

Even while rotating the screen, it was noted how the enemy AD carry used all item passive effects effectively to deal the best damage to the fortress and castle.

If Baokai had gone home from the beginning, the story might have changed, but then I also wouldn’t have had a reason to backdoor, so it would have been a wash.

In short, I was just lucky.

While I made the best choice, the enemy also made the best choices and fate smiled upon me.

“Whoa, Name Name Ya!!! What are we going to do if we win such a match!”

“Can’t breathe, Sia… I have no time, so let’s quickly find the next match.”

“Oh, right, right!”

Finding a celestial rank queue takes at least 10 minutes.

The clock was now pointing to 5 PM, so there was just barely enough time for one last match.

[Game Found!]

[Battlefield of Valhalla · Rank · 5 vs 5]

[Game Accepted]

“But how did you think of dealing damage with the ultimate in that last moment?”

“Last time, when the enemy Arsteria dove us, I saw that if I had a Tiamat, our fortress lost a bit of health.”

“Your observation is really good. I didn’t even think of that. Wow, it’s the last match. I’m nervous, I’m nervous.”

Sia was delighted, as if the 50-game winning streak and my master achievement were already secured.

“That kind of flag makes me anxious.”

Although I didn’t believe in destiny, there are phrases that can really take the wind out of someone.

For example, when soldiers propose to get married if they return before going to war, or when they urge that now is the best chance to defeat the Demon Lord because his power is diminishing.

The soldiers never returned from the fires of war, and the Demon Lord continued intact, laying waste to the empire.

Of course, if one is confident that they won’t lose to fate, it’s all the same.

“Take this, adventurer seeking the heritage. It’s expensive, so be careful not to lose it.”

Leaving the Minotaur gatekeeper behind, we stepped into the battlefield.

But Sia’s facial expression was unusual.

“Wait? The enemy team’s AD carry is Pathos?! And the support is Sauron?!”

“Why? Do you know them?”

“Know them? They’re last year’s World Championship winners! TK Pathos, TK Sauron, don’t know them?”

“So, like professional gamers… right?”

“Oh come on, why is there even a discussion about this? Why are you still here, teachers!”

– “I guess they closed Diamond after going to the World Championship, hahahaha.”

– “Right, that’s why they’re starting at Diamond 1.”

– “Their nicknames are no joke, intimidating.”

Sia said that if she had known they were Pathos and Sauron, she would never have picked the Arsteria and Ruru duo.

The enemy bottom combination was the traditional LunaMi, which showed no signs of nerfing for five years. It was an incredibly tough matchup to withstand with Arul.

“It’s over… it’s over. Everything is over.”

“Wow, can our bottom hold up?”

“Of course the top laner is a misfortune pick, and the ban-pick completely caught us off guard.”

“Then let’s swap.”

From the beginning of the game, the morale of the allies was low.

As they said, the top lane matchup was a completely unfavorable one for the low-carry Kalista against the traditional top range counter Mirosel.

The bottom lane would be a one-sided affair from level 3 to 11 due to Arul against LunaMi.

“Wanna swap?”

“I’ll go top. Please play AD carry with Ruru.”

“You want me to go top as Arsteria? Are you crazy?”

“We need to do that to win.”

“Name, are you serious?”

“With Kalista, it’s already tough against Mirosel, but against Arsteria, I’ll get ganked regardless of their 108 times.”

Time was hardly passing.

Finally, Kalista agreed to the contract with Ruru due to my insistence.

“Ah, am I not aware if the bottom lane breaks?”

“At low levels, Kali with Ruru is much better, so it should be worth a shot. Let’s do it well.”

The prince who had turned into a punk set out on a journey with Sia, while I walked alone down a lonely path.

To break through or to be broken.

In the lonely fight at top lane, Mirosel was hiding in the fortress, not showing himself.

“What? That’s not Kalista at top? You’re really bringing Arsteria to the top?”

However, as soon as he confirmed my appearance, Mirosel came out in the middle of the path to engage in a battle of wits.

“Did Pathos and Sauron come running scared? But what can I say, I won’t be easy either?”

“I can never defeat Arsteria, even if I came back from the dead.”

“Wow, that’s way too rude. I’m heading straight into etiquette lessons.”

Even if Arsteria’s range was short, she was still a ranged champion.

With Mirosel being a melee champion with only one mobility ability, he could maintain his upper hand until level 6.

The only variable was a level 2 gank.

To fundamentally prevent this, Sia secretly came to the top lane and placed wards to gain vision.

As expected, the enemy jungler, eager for the delicious fruit of “top Arsteria,” rushed in despite being a scaling jungler.

Our jungler got the blue buff while the enemy was on the reverse buff, so even with an advantage from the bottom perspective, they couldn’t easily engage.

I tried my best to delay the enemy jungler’s descent, but he was maintaining a distance that made it difficult for me to respond or leave, so I had to nonchalantly return to the jungle.

Although I’m regretting it, I managed to navigate the early crisis.

“How did you know? Was it the wards?”

“Who knows? Someone may have kindly placed wards for us.”

“Too bad. I thought they wouldn’t expect a level 2 gank.”

Mirosel again fell back to maintain a safe distance from Arsteria.

But under the increased possession rate, he still stepped into her auto attack range.

Considering the tier level, Mirosel might have missed that Arsteria’s range changes constantly and misjudged the distance.

Then,

Flash.

Flash.

I reacted to Mirosel’s only engagement tool, the E-Flare, with my Flash, and at the same time, Rek’Sai popped out from behind me.

“Mirosel can’t hit this? You only took a jungle camp and now I’m ruined!”

“No…!”

Mirosel’s eyes showed visible panic.

Rek’Sai couldn’t suppress his frustration and left angrily while I shot him a smirk.

“Didn’t you just ask if it was a ward?”