The End of Pure Skill

With a new wave of minions arriving in Bot, it was time for round two.

[Hm? Is he not gonna use his drones this time?] Lars wondered as stalked the Droid. [Welp, I can't say that for sure yet, so gotta keep stalking.]

Oddly enough, there were no signs of Winner popping up his drones any time soon. But, that could easily be a 200 IQ move meant to fool Lars, so he had to keep following the Droid's movements very closely.

[But, he's totally not doing it, tho.] Even after the swordsmen perished and only the bowmen remained, there was still no sign of Winner summoning any drones.

[Are they still on cooldown or something?] Lars wondered. [I know these little dudes sometimes take like a thousand years to come online, but I think he should have at least one of them ready by now? Is he saving them for later or something?]

One likely possibility was that Winner was saving the droids for the inevitable duel. After all, the situation in Mid made it clear that nobody had any free time to rotate to Bot anytime soon.

[They sure be partying hard over there.] Lars smiled wryly. [I almost wish I was there, too.]

Yuel's small rotation to Mid caused one heck of a domino effect. As a result of his arrival, a bunch of other players got drawn toward Mid. Then, chaos erupted all over the place!

First, Challenger showed up in Mid instead of returning to Bot. Then, Rook ganked the lane! And apparently, Yuel was asking Nia to counter-gank them, too! It was one heck of a messy party over there! Sick, yo!

[Yep, I really wish I could take a part in it, too.] Lars admitted. [But, this over here is even more fun.] He turned his gaze to the one and only opponent in front of him - AbsoluteWinner.

With everybody so busy in Mid, it meant Lars and Winner will be able to fight once again without any distractions.

[I couldn't quite finish him off last time, but this time for sure...!] Lars promised.

For the sake of grasping that eventual victory, Lars saved his Backfire Cannon without spending it on the minions. And so, since the Droid only used basic attacks to shoot down the minions, then Lars did the same.

In a way, this in itself was like the preliminary for the duel. Which of the two marksmen was better at clearing the wave with only basics!?

[Geh, looks like I lost this one.] Lars grumped as he found himself retreating against Winner and two enemy bowmen that refused to die. [Dude is legit. I thought I was clearing like a pro, but he totally outdid me. No idea how that happened, but respect, yo.]

Capitalizing on the brief lane advantage, Winner aggressed on Lars without further ado. Dude wasn't gonna wait until Lars clears the minions first, and he totally wasn't obligated to.

[The duel has already started.] William reasoned. [If you fall behind at the wave-clearing phase, then you only have yourself to blame for it. This is also a part of dueling.]

William had every intention to pile up as much damage as possible on Gunz before they start their actual duel. He was in no position to give his opponent any leeway, seeing as he was lagging behind by 20% HP.

[But I have to say, this round was too close to comfort.] William frowned. [I had two advantages over him, but he still contested my farming speed this well.]

In terms of base stats, Droid and Pirate were rather similar. They were both underpowered marksmen who relied on other factors in order to gain an advantage. For Droid, that factor was the drones, while for Pirate it was the gold advantage.

However, neither of these two factors came into play in this wave clear. William didn't summon any drones, and Gunz didn't have the time to return to base and spend his extra gold.

As such, their recent exchange was nothing but a simple contest of basic attacks and wave-clearing expertise. Except, not really.

Even under these seemingly-even conditions, William still had two factors playing in his favor.

For starters, their early builds were different. Gunz opted for Ninja Tabi, trading Attack Power for Attack Speed in order to better combat the drones. On the other hand, William went for Samurai Tabi, the classic power opening that was more efficient during the early-game.

[When it comes to farming, my DPS is clearly better.] William was convinced. [So, it's impressive he held up this well, especially when he was so distracted the entire time.]

Yes, Gunz was very much distracted throughout that entire contest. The phantom drones occupied his mind as he constantly moved around, doing his utmost to match William's steps. That was the second big factor that played in William's favor.

[He was too cautious about the possibility of me summoning drones. That was his undoing.]

No matter how impressive Gunz's mechanical skill was, nobody could draw out 100% of their power while distracted. Even if that distraction only dropped Gunz's efficiency down to 95%, it was more than enough to harm his performance and allow William to seize control of the lane.

[Ironically, it's your very caution that now allows me to summon my drones early.] William activated Assault Drone, summoning a flying drone behind his back. This occupied 2/4 of his battery gauge.

He could use the remaining 2 batteries to summon another Assault Drone, but he opted to wait for now. It might be more worthwhile to save these batteries for a different skill, a trump card that was as powerful as an ultimate for duels.

[I rather not rely on it, but he might force my hand.] William thought.

This second battle wasn't going to be like the previous one. This time, William had every intention of capitalizing on his class's unique advantages, and Gunz was advised to do the same.

It was unfortunate, but William didn't have the luxury to keep contesting Gunz in raw skill alone. Nonetheless, though they only had one round to compare their mechanical skills, the result was fairly clear.

[We're about even.] That was Wiliam's conclusion despite the 20% HP gap that opened up between them during the fight. He unquestionably lost that particular round, but it's the bigger picture that mattered, not that one specific result.

All in all, Lars had superior reflexes and shooting skills. He was like a physically gifted tennis player who delivered powerful groundstrokes and used his speed to return all incoming balls. There was not much strategy or tactics in his playstyle, just raw ability.

On the other hand, William was the calculating type. He was good at adjusting to the enemy's patterns and preparing difficult courses that the enemy struggled to return.

In Classmacners terms, this meant Gunz was more mechanically skilled while William had better fundamentals, especially when it came to spacing. As such, their particular strengths canceled each other out and made them even.

[So, it's pointless to keep competing like that.] William concluded. [He'll win some, then I'll win some. It won't really go anywhere and we don't have all day to fight each other. So, it's time to test the full extent of Gunz's skill, including how well he knows his class and the matchup.]

And so, William pushed along the lane with a drone in tow, running ahead of the two surviving bowmen. This time, he was going to use every tool at his disposal in order to claim victory. The very fact he had so many tools available to him in Classmancers was the reason he migrated to it from tennis.

[I wish we could pick classes in tennis, too.] William scoffed. [If I had the option to smartly counter-pick, then maybe I wouldn't have to deal with opponents who had borderline pay-to-win specs.]

In Classmancers, class mastery and matchup knowledge were just as important, if not more important, than raw skill. Therefore, even against mechanically superior opponents, William could close the gap via studying and practicing. It allowed him to come up with specific strategies for specific scenarios, something that was much harder to apply to a physical sport like tennis.

And so, for this particular situation, William chose the tactic of aggressively advancing forth with a drone and two bowmen. Now, how will the "mechanically superior" opponent respond to this one?

[Dang, dude is coming at me hard!] Lars grinned. [Good, I like it! That's how a real high-level game gotta be, yo!]

He backpedaled while shooting the enemy bowmen. These dudes weren't allowed to enter his tower area, so he had to deal with them before that.

But, that was easier said than done. His opponents weren't just the bowmen but also Winner himself! And, dude had a drone behind him on top of that!

[Dang, this is rough!] Lars shot the bowmen while doing his best to stay out of Winner's reach. But of course, that was impossible.

ZAP! A laser beam pierced through Lars's side. ZAP! Another beam came right after that, this time from the little drone behind Winner!

[Nope! Try again, dude.] Lars successfully sidestepped the second shot, at least. In fact, he inputted his sidestep early enough to dodge both laser beams, but of course, his Pirate refused to respond in time for the first shot.

[Maybe I could've stepped it if I knew how to do that KC thingy.] Lars wondered. [Yuel says it's not a big deal for marksmen, but I feel like it could be hella useful in the early-game. Oh well.]

As much as Lars wished for it, he wasn't the protagonist of some cheesy sports movie, so he couldn't learn the Korean Cancel via the power of friendship. That delicate technique required lots of practice and Lars hasn't put in the effort, so KC wasn't available to him at present.

And so, he had no choice but to remain on the receiving end of Winner's shots as he retreated

[Welp, I can just foot it and run all the way back to the tower.] Lars reasoned. [But, that'd be lame. If Winner sees me do that, dude gonna give up and retreat. So nah, I prefer to keep drawing him in like this, even if it costs me some HP.]

ZAP! ZAP! Like before, the first hit connected but the second beam whiffed. That's the best Lars could do while preoccupied with clearing the bowmen.

[Dang, I'm about to lose my HP advantage!] Lars thought. [This ain't good, yo...!]

Lars seriously needed that advantage for the upcoming duel. Even though he maintained the upper hand in the previous duel, it was clear that Winner was getting better and better as the fight went on.

[Dude's adaptation is the real thing.][It's like fighting Aron all over again.] Lars shuddered as he recalled the former captain of StormBlitz.

Even though most of his duels back in StormBlitz were against Trever and Taison, Lars also had the honor of dueling the very captain of the team. These were some interesting duels for sure.

They started out kinda like this one, with Lars dominating through superior mechanical skill. However, the longer the duel went on, the more the tides shifted in Aron's direction. Dude's counters became better and better as if he designed his entire playstyle for the sole purpose of countering Lars.

By the end of the game, Aron often mopped the floor with Lars. No matter what Lars tried, no matter how he adjusted - Aron was always five steps ahead. A late-game Aron was like a ruthless machine designed for the sole purpose of ripping Lars apart.

[Shit was scary sometimes, not gonna lie.] Lars smiled wryly. [I dunno if Winner is as good as Aron, but he sure gives me the same vibe. So, I gotta play it careful for now.]

And so, Lars created even more space between himself and Winner. As a result, it became that much harder for him to fire any shots at the last surviving minion. And in exchange, he didn't get shot by any laser beams, either.

As a result, Lars found himself retreating all the way back to the tower. He killed one of the bowmen along the way, but the other one set foot inside the tower's area.

[Nuuuu! My exp and gold! Yuel would chew me out for hours if he saw this!]

Thankfully, Yuel was currently preoccupied with a very hectic situation in Mid. Somehow, that simple rotation turned into one big party and things were looking pretty dangerous over there.

But anyway, Lars couldn't do anything about that so there was no point in being distracted. The enemy in front of him was all that mattered.

BAM! The final bowman dropped dead. And so, Lars and Winner remained alone on the lane. It was time for a duel!

[Okay, let's do this! ... hey! Come back here!] Lars yelled toward his retreating opponent. [Welp, of course he won't fight me here. This is my territory, after all.]

Nothing will get started here as long as Lars was sheltered by his tower. There was no opponent, no matter how eager, who'd challenge Lars inside his tower area.

And so, Lars stepped out. And, as soon as he took a few steps...

ZAP! ZAP!

"Whoa!" Lars rolled on reaction. Two lasers passed right past him. [Dangerous, yo! I didn't expect dude to open fire so soon.]

He finished the roll and regained his footing. That was a close one, but he outplayed that shit! Heck yeah!

But, the party was just getting started. As soon as he turned to face his opponent again - ZAP! ZAP!

"Seriously!?" Lars jumped. [Didn't I roll far enough to get outta his range!? I was like 200% sure I did, tho!]

But, nope. The enemy chased him down immediately, and with that pesky drone to boot! There was zero time to breathe, yo!

It was impossible to dodge this one in time. Lars did his best to sidestep the lasers, but both shots hit home.

His HP fell below 70% at this point, almost closing all the gap between him and Winner. He was about to start this duel on completely equal footing, with his previous achievements pretty much erased.

[Well, I don't mind.] Lars grinned. [The fairer the fight, the more exciting it is! Nice aggression BTW, dude. But, I can shoot too!]

Lars fired back while sidestepping, taking advantage of the enemy's recovery animation. Thanks to his speedy reaction, the two of them exchanged shots almost simultaneously; neither side could dodge the other's attack!

However, Lars's shot didn't hit Winner. Why? Because that dude wasn't the target.

Instead, the bullet pierced through the drone flying behind the Droid. That pesky little dude had to go first because it was amplifying Winner's DPS.

[Dang, these double shots really hurt.] Lars glanced at his HP once more, lamenting the double hit he just conceded to the enemy. [Maybe I should've used Backfire there to get out. But no, I can't. I gotta save it in case I need to foot it.]

With that said, Lars was still rather close to the outskirts of his tower area. If he ever desires so, it'll be super easy for him to just retreat back to safety.

[I'm surprised dude has no qualms about aggressing this hard on my turf. I thought he was the more careful sort. But, I'm all for it! Respect, yo.]

It was bold aggression from Winner, quite unlike his previous reserved tactics. Last time, dude only played the spacing game and retreated the whole time.

But this time, Winner was on the offensive. As a result, this felt like a completely different type of battle.

Maybe Winner was only testing the waters last time. So, this time, it gotta be the real deal!

Dude didn't give Lars any breathing room at all. ZAP! ZAP! The next attack was already coming!

Naturally, the opponent was very satisfied with this new pace.

[Good.] William unleashed yet another laser beam. [The momentum is on my side this time. I'm the server in this set.]

William was the one dictating the pace of the duel. Just like in tennis, the one with the initiative held an immense advantage.

This time, it was Gunz's turn to adapt. He had to be on the defensive and work hard in order to break William's serve.

This advantage was the reason William was fighting so openly inside enemy territory. That, and the fact the enemy Jungler was in Mid right now, meaning there was nobody who could possibly gank him anytime soon.

ZAP! William fired. ZAP! His drone followed up almost instantly, even faster than it used to do before. This was thanks to the increased level of the Assault Drone skill.

While the drone's HP and Attack Power scaled based on the Droid's stats, the Attack Speed was a static value that increased with the skill's level. As such, with every level, the drone became better and better at matching William's speed.

At this point, even a mechanical prodigy like Gunz should've struggled to dodge the drone's follow-up shots. And yet...

[Crap!] Lars tried to sidestep the incoming beam on reaction but he was a split second too late. The first beam successfully pierced him, but at least the drone's follow-up shot failed to touch him.

Nonetheless, it was way too close to comfort. Lars literally dodged that one by a hair's breadth.

[Yo, this little dude be shooting fast!] Lars exclaimed. [And dang, I can barely dodge shit from this range.]

Lars already fell below 60% HP. Now, his HP advantage was entirely gone. In fact, after this hit, he was at a slight disadvantage now.

[Dang, this ain't going well...] Lars smiled wryly as he fired a counter-attack.

It was real tempting to hit Winner directly and reclaim the HP advantage, but that'll be nothing more than short-lived self-satisfaction. So, unfortunately, in order to win this fight as a whole, Lars had no choice but to get rid of the drone first.

BAM! A second shot at the drone.

Winner responded in a timely fashion. He probably would've successfully sidestepped the shot if it were aimed at him, but his drone was a slower dude.

CLANK! The bullet successfully struck the drone's metal frame.

[Okay, almost done!] Lars nodded to himself. [One more shot and the drone is out. I really dunno why dude summoned only one drone instead of two, but hey, I'm not complaining.]

But of course, Winner didn't do that out of the kindness of his heart. The reason he only used one drone was going to reveal itself very soon...