The 1v1 Grandmaster

Minions arrived from both sides of the lane and clashed in the middle. Now, the battle began for real.

Normally, both players will join the war effort by attacking enemy minions. However, that only applied when both sides were of roughly equal strength and it wasn't dangerous to directly confront the enemy.

This situation was different. Yuel was Lv.9 whereas Ignis was Lv.5. He had a huge lead in term of strength. To make the best of it, he aggressed on her to kick her out of the lane as soon as possible.

"Coming at me, eh?" Ignis sneered. She sure sounded confident, despite the fact she was four levels below him and he had Marasume. Amazing confidence.

Contrary to her arrogance, Ignis actually retreated toward her Golem. However, she didn't get too far away and allowed Yuel to pursue a fight if he so wished. In other words, she was accepting the invitation to a duel but she didn't want to hold it near the minions.

[Makes sense.] Both his Knight and her Warrior gained benefits from being near minions, but the Knight's benefits were superior in this situation. His passive, Chivalry, buffed the defense of nearby allies, players and minions alike. On the other hand, Warrior's passive, Battle Thirst, buffed only the Warrior's own attack power for each nearby enemy, counting both enemy players and minions.

Knight's Chivalry had a clear advantage as long as they were near a healthy wave because the buff applied to a group of allies. As long as Knight was working alongside his minions, they were more durable and will eventually out-grind the enemy forces.

Thus, Ignis got away from the minions to rob Yuel of this advantage. In exchange, she lost most of the power she could have gained from Battle Thirst. It was a good trade for her.

[Is she really drunk?] Yuel frowned. Ignis read the situation in a split second and immediately made her tactical retreat. This wasn't such an easy judgment to make, especially not with a hazy mind.

Then again, she was a pro and a 1v1 Grandmaster to boot. Perhaps this sophisticated move was as natural as breathing for her. It's not even a question of "reading the situation" or "making the right judgment". Ignis probably just [felt] what's the best response in this situation. It's like an instinct.

Yet, Yuel was going to take on this magical beast. A pro, a Grandmaster. He was now going to test how his skill compared against the real deal!

Yuel followed Ignis toward her side of the lane, away from the minions. Now, the two waves had equal strength and will wipe each other out at around the same time. Gaining lane advantage through buffing minions was the Knight's forte, but no big deal. Yuel just had to defeat Ignis and then he'll get his chance to push the lane.

"Come, kid," Ignis used a taunt emote, but she hasn't even cast War Cry yet. Was she going to fight without a shield? Or, was she waiting for the fight to start first? Well, either way...

"If you're sure." Yuel advanced. No problem, he had plenty of advantage. No matter how good a Grandmaster was, they couldn't magically alter their stats. Math was on his die! He'll win!

Yuel got within range and slashed! But, it whiffed. Ignis stepped backward in the last moment and the blade missed her by a hair's breadth. In the very next moment, she attacked back!

[Huh? It reached?] Yuel blinked in confusion as his HP dropped. Even though his blade failed to deliver a hit due to distance, Ignis's counter-attack had no trouble hitting him. How could that be? Shenanigans.

[Whoa!] A second slash at his Knight! No time to be distracted here! The enemy was a Grandmaster and she thirsted for blood. [Focus. Focus!]

Yuel attacked again and missed again. Ignis just barely got out of the range of his swing. This time, he confirmed for sure: it's the distance that made his attack whiff. Therefore, from this range, Ignis couldn't possibly- hit!? His Knight lost 7% HP!

[How!?] This didn't make any sense! Both Knight and Warrior were melee classes with swords, so their attack range should have been the same!

No, wait. That's not quite right. Getting struck by that huge blade reminded Yuel a piece of trivia: the range of the Warrior's attacks was slightly amplified by the fact he was wielding a big sword and was swinging it with both arms. Yuel never bothered comparing the lengths, but apparently, the Warrior's reach with basic attacks was slightly longer than Knight's.

The difference between them was minute, something like half a step. Yet, Ignis utilized it to the fullest. She dodged Yuel's attacks by a hair's breadth and instantly countered.

"Daydreaming? Haha!" Ignis dished out another attack before Yuel could react.

[Ugh! I need to focus or I'm dead!] Yuel shook his head. Ignis struck in the brief window of time it took him to measure distances. This was tough. Thinking for too long will be the end of him. The fight just started, yet he was already down to 72% HP. And Ignis? Unharmed.

[Okay,] Yuel created some distance first. [How am I going to deal with her range advantage?]

From the last two exchanges, he got a rough idea of how the Warrior's reach compared to the Knight's. He improved his understanding by carefully stepping forward to intimidate. The moment Ignis finally stepped back, that's where the limit of his range laid and where Ignis's range advantage began.

Okay, so he grasped the distances. What next? As long as Ignis maintained that distance, Yuel couldn't charge at her. She was effectively zoning him by having a reach that's barely half a step longer than his. It's absurd. He never felt so pressured by a Warrior's reach before.

He fought Roi before, so he should have been used to confronting strong bruiser players. But, this fight was something else. Roi was strong, but he mostly relied on his mechanical skill to dodge incoming attacks while attacking.

Ignis was a different beast altogether. She's a pro who knew every aspect of Classmancers, a Grandmaster who fought countless duels. She knew every situation like the back of her hand, even while drunk.

Gulp. Was Yuel's controller packed with rocks or something? It felt so heavy...

"What's wrong, kiddo?" Ignis asked. "Cooooome at me already!"

"W-Why don't you come at me instead?" Yuel forced a shaky smile. His forehead felt sweaty. This Grandmaster read every move, every twitch, he made. It felt like no matter what Yuel will try, Ignis will tear his plans apart.

"Heh," Ignis smirked. "You're pretty sharp, kid. You figured how *hic* I am from being hit just twice?"

"Yeah, I admit you're pretty good," Yuel forced that through gritted teeth.

"Hehe, damn right! I'm awesome! The best! No wonder you're *hic* of my *hic* and *hic* damn *hic*" Ignis turned into a hiccupping machine gun while acting she's the number one player in the world.

[Chance!] Yuel rolled forward, closing the distance to Ignis. After he recovers from the roll, Ignis will be deep within his attack range and won't be able to easily step backward and counter.

"Ah! Cheap!"

[Not my fault you were busy boasting instead of focusing on the game.] No mercy. As soon as Yuel stood up - he swung his blade!

"Whoa! Dangerous! Pffhew!" Ignis made some weird noises as exaggeratedly steered her controller to the right as if it's going to make her Warrior move faster. Futile! Yuel already saw where she was moving, so he aimed his blade a little to the right to- wha!? He missed!?

In the very last moment, Ignis changed directions and took a step to the left! Yuel swung based on his prediction, but it sliced through empty air. How did this...!?

[Superhuman reaction speed? Or, was it a feint all along?] Yuel bit his lip. Even though he attacked Ignis in a moment of vulnerability, she wiggled her way out.

But, it's not over yet. They were next to each other, so even though the first attack missed - he went for another one! At this range, simply taking a step back won't cut it!

"Guuah, you got me!" Ignis activated War Cry, erecting a shield.

Yuel's second attack connected, but it didn't touch Ignis's HP. The slash destroyed over half her shield and stole some protections via Murasama's effect, but that's all. Ignis was unharmed and dished out a counter right away, shaving off another 7% from Yuel's HP. The amount of protection he stole from Ignis was meager from landing just one hit, so they didn't reduce the damage much. He had to press harder!

A third attack! Ugh, this one missed. Yet again, Yuel predicted Ignis' movements to guide his blade, but she altered her course in the last very last moment. And of course, he instantly ate a counter-attack straight in the face.

But, that's no reason to panic. Yuel had a huge level advantage, so he could soak more hits than Ignis. He never expected this to be an even battle in the first place, not against a Grandmaster.

To compensate for the huge gap in their combat skills, his best bet was to keep abusing his stat advantage and push forward. His four levels of extra stats were his greatest, and possibly his only, advantage in this fight.

Therefore, a fourth strike! Before Ignis could escape his reach! This one connected. It shattered her shield and slashed her HP. It erased a measly amount of 4% HP because most of the damage was soaked by the shield, but it was a huge step forward. He finally injured her!

Of course, Ignis countered right away and Yuel could do nothing against it. After this exchange of blows, Ignis almost retreated far enough to take advantage of her longer reach again. But, Yuel had the momentum right now. He was the aggressor, so he won't stop here!

Instead of swinging his sword again, Yuel activated Shield Bash and charged forward with his shield stretched out. Thanks to the quick leap of Shield Bash, this shield attack had a longer reach than his basic attacks. Ignis couldn't possibly dodge-

"Not bad!" Ignis responded with Fearless Charge, quickly leaping aside. Just like Shield Bash, Fearless Charge was both an attack and a mobility skill packed into one. And it actually had slightly better properties than Shield Bash, including faster cast time and longer travel distance.

Ignis got away in the nick of time, dodging to the left. What an absurd reaction speed. But, it wasn't over yet!

After Shield Bash ended, the skill temporarily transformed into a special follow up skill: Blade Swing. This second strike was Yuel's goal all along! Warrior didn't have any follow-ups for Fearless Charge, so Blade Swing was going to hit for sure!

"Pffhew! So *hic*!" Ignis rolled aside and Yuel's swing passed right above her. Unbelievable! What's with this superhuman reaction speed!? Was she Lars MK2!?

But despite the absurdity, Yuel had to keep attacking. Ignis didn't roll too far away and was still within reach. Therefore, another slash! Ugh, it didn't quite reach, just a few millimeters short. And of course, Ignis didn't waste this opportunity and slashed back at him.

This was bad. VERY bad. Yuel was already down to 39% HP, whereas Ignis was still sitting at 96%, alive and kicking.

How did things come to this? Yuel felt like a complete amateur in this fight. Ignis's reaction speed, decision-making, execution... everything was pitch-perfect. From the moment this 1v1 started, she hadn't made a single mistake he could exploit. Even when Yuel caught her off guard, he barely managed to land any hits.

If people called Lars a "beast", but then what did that make Ignis? She's a demon, in the flesh. She was at least as mechanically skilled as Lars, but she also had boundless experience as a pro and her decision-making was polished to the level of instinct. She's unbeatable!

But, that didn't mean Yuel was going to give up. No, not yet. He still had four levels of stat advantage and he already stole protections twice from her. If he can land a couple of hits, Ignis will drop to low HP in a blink of an eye. Yuel just had to land these few hits. Just a few hits... This simple task never sounded harder.

There's still one trick he had up his sleeve, the Knight's second skill: Honorable Duel, an AoE taunt which forced enemies in range to hit the Knight with basic attacks. The Knight also received power and defense buffs for each successfully taunted enemy.

The taunt lasted but a second, but the hit was easy to confirm. It'll draw Ignis toward him and will allow landing easy hits on her while her twitch reflexes are sealed by the taunt. This was the only way he could still make a comeback this fight. The alternative was to retreat, which Yuel refused to do. He was going to show this pro what he was really made of!

Yuel advanced towards Ignis, as if to strike again. But instead, he activated Honorable Duel. "Let us fight honorably!" The Knight's booming voice resounded throughout the area. The skill had a decent reach and was shaped in a cone, so Ignis won't be able to step back or aside. It was a pitch-perfect... miss!?

[No way!] His controller almost slipped through his fingers. Right as the taunt was about to hit - Ignis vanished! She had a concealed Blink! That's why the first item she built was the cheap Spike Shield. Ignis poured the leftover gold into a cloaked Blink!

[Not good!] Yuel turned around. Ignis didn't just dodge his taunt, she teleported behind him!

"Nothing personal, *hic*!" Ignis activated Swordwhirl and began spinning with her blade stretched out. It struck and struck and struck. This was bad. BAD. BAD BAD BAD!

[Ugh, she got me good!] Yuel fired a counter-attack while trying to get out of Swordwhirl's range. A single direct hit shaved about 15% of Ignis's HP and lowered her defense. It was heavy damage, but her fast strikes weren't shabby either.

[Yuel: 18% HP] [Ignis: 65% HP]

If they exchange blow for blow here, it's clear Yuel will die. Quick math showed Ignis needed at most three more hits to get him, whereas Yuel needed at least five. It's impossible to win here by confronting her.

So, should he run? That's the only alternative, but... this was checkmate. Not in an instant one, but still a mate in a couple of moves.

Yuel's best bet was to roll towards his side of the lane and keep running from there. Warrior didn't have any chase skills beside Fearless Charge, which was currently on cooldown, so Yuel might get away if he just sprints full gas.

Unfortunately, Swordwhirl's attacks slowed him down. Even if he opens a little distance between them, she'll catch up to him in no time. The only option was to use his ult, Noble Steed, to summon a horse and ride away on it, but- ugh! Ignis landed another hit!

There's no time to dwell on it! Yuel just had to do it! A checkmate in a few moves still required the opponent to execute it flawlessly, so maybe Ignis will make a tiny mistake somewhere. That was his only hope.

Yuel rolled forward, getting slightly out of Ignis' range. But, as if she already predicted this move before Yuel even thought of it, her next swing nearly sliced him. It missed by a nanometer.

Yuel's roll should have gotten him completely out of Ignis's attack range, yet he was almost hit. It could only mean one thing: Ignis started moving along his escape route even before he decided to use it! This was absurd!

Still, Yuel miraculously dodged that attack, recovered from the roll and activated Noble Steed. The Knight whistled, calling forth a majestic white horse. This was his ticket out!

But, there's a catch. Knight's defense greatly decreased during the mounting animation. The defense fell low enough to allow Ignis to finish him off in just one hit. So, if she strikes him in this brief window of time-

『You have been killed!』

The Knight fell off the steed and crashed into the ground.

"Awwyeah!" Ignis triumphantly flailed her controller and flashed her teeth. "I'm the best! Right? Right?"

"But of course, of course," Ellen nodded more times than was necessary. "You're amazing, Igny~"

"Right? Right?"

"Yes, you're the best~"

"Aww, thank you~" Ignis grabbed Ellen and snuggled her like a kitten. Um, what about the game...?

"Good play, sis." Howard also joined the celebration. But, it's not like she won yet... Oh, it's probably all part of a routine. Yuel was used as a punching bag to help Ignis relieve stress. Howard and Ellen showered her with excessive praises so she stops moping.

Well, Yuel wasn't against helping Ignis feel better about herself, but... it's frustrating. She mopped the floor with him. Yuel could come up with excuses all day, like "I'm not mechanically skilled" or "I don't have enough 1v1 experience". But, the bottom line was: Ignis thoroughly and utterly crushed him, even with a handicap of four levels. It's as if he was a newbie who played Classmancers for the first time today.

But, this 1v1 wasn't over yet. Yuel won't let it end like this! Scoring first blood in 1v1 was a huge advantage, but it wasn't the whole game. He still planned to do his absolute best to mount a comeback!

Alas, it proved futile. Due to the huge level gap between them, Ignis leveled up twice after killing him. The level advantage shrunk by half and Yuel now also lagged behind on gold. After adding the astronomical skill gap between them into the equation... This match was already over.

Yuel played safer and waited for opportunities to strike a weak point, but those never came. There were no weaknesses in a Grandmaster's technique.

Eventually, Ignis outfarmed him and that gave her the upper hand in literally every area. The match was decided shortly after that, with Ignis's overwhelming invade under Yuel's Golem area.

『DEFEAT』

It was a crushing defeat, but also an amazing experience. This 1v1 showed how powerful real pros were. And, Ignis was only a B-Leaguer. There were many pros out there who were much stronger than her!

Yuel thought he was already a strong player, but this fight forced him to realize he barely started his journey toward the overwhelming level of the pro scene. He still had a long, looooong way to go.