League of Spirits (6)

It was the first time Flame and Hae Won-Ryang were having a meal with Ma Yu-Seong, Eisel, and Baek Yu-Seol, who were already members of the gourmet club.

"Is this your first time having pork cutlets?"

"Cutting fried food with a knife instead of steak feels a bit strange."

"How does it feel to slice cutlets instead of steak?"

"Well, it's edible enough."

The unlikely group of five gathered at one table gave Flame a strange feeling. These were the characters she had cherished the most while reading the original story, and now they had become her closest companions. It felt surreal, but also made her happy.

"Sigh. I can't believe we quit practice after just one match."

Not entirely pleased with the situation, Flame stirred her spicy cold noodles and sighed deeply.

"Actually, it might be for the best. At least we got a sense of how the game flows after that first match, right?"

There's a limit to how much one can gain from running endless practice matches. LOS games were often based on 'builds,' and next comes what's called a 'fixed framework.'

The fixed framework refers to very basic strategies that haven't changed over time. For instance, sneaking into the enemy's alley to steal monsters (invade strategy), roaming around alleys and perfectly timing a backup from teammates (gank), or knowing where to hide to ambush the enemy effectively.

It means you have to physically learn these strategies through experience. And then there's the matter of builds, which is where Flame's team had a significant weakness.

"So, what do you think of our team?"

When Flame asked Baek Yu-Seol, he slurped up his cold noodles and responded.

"Honestly, no chance."

"The core of LOS is strategy and teamwork, and we're lacking both. But there's one thing we're absolutely perfect at."

"What's that?"

"Individual skill."

"Hm. Isn't that important too?"

"It's important, but when I say 'individual skill,' I'm not talking about overall game performance. I mean one-on-one combat ability."

It finally clicked for Eisel, who put down her fork. She rarely spoke when eating or holding utensils.

"So, you're saying that while we're terrible at handling five-on-five situations, we're great in one-on-one fights?"

"Exactly."

Hearing this, Eisel's expression stiffened slightly.

"While individual skill is certainly a key factor, it can actually be a disadvantage in a cooperative game like this."

"Yeah, because we're all too good individually, we end up focusing on solo actions rather than working together."

Flame spoke up decisively.

"So, let's just stick with that."

"Huh?"

"Let's focus on minimal practice to avoid interfering with each other's attacks. Then, go solo and take out the enemy team members one by one. Fight the way you each like."

"And… Can we win that way?"

Flame shrugged her shoulders and twirled the spicy cold noodles with her chopsticks.

"I mean, wouldn't this be better than trying to practice coordination that won't work? We should just get used to using various spells and crush the enemy team individually. That's the perfect 'strategy' for our team."

"… That's not really a strategy, though."

"If you dress it up, everything can sound like a strategy, right? For that reason, we'll adjust our positions to maximize each person's strengths."

The previous positions had been assigned based on Flame's assumptions, but the result was a complete failure. It was clear that she didn't fully understand the sport either.

"First, if anyone has a position they want to play, go ahead and make your case."

Baek Yu-Seol quickly spoke up.

"Send me to the top… No, the upper lane."

He had spoken first, so there must have been a reason. With his fingers interlaced and his chin resting on them, Baek Yu-Seol adopted a serious expression.

"The top lane… That's the battlefield for real men."

"… What?"

"It's the world of tough guys, where you don't rely on your team but settle things one-on-one in a ruthless duel…"

"You crazy…"

It was a ridiculous statement, but it wasn't entirely wrong. Sending people who excelled in one-on-one combat to the upper or mid lane was indeed the right call. Some players who weren't good at one-on-one but thought they were ended up in those lanes, leading to their team's defeat. But at least Baek Yu-Seol and Ma Yu-Seong were different.

Their one-on-one combat abilities were undeniably top-tier.

"Ma Yu-Seong, you'll stay in the mid lane. You're the best at one-on-one among us, and your spells work well when receiving backup from our team."

Ma Yu-Seong could quickly spot an ally's backup on the minimap and immediately jump into action, locking down the enemy or eliminating them with powerful attacks.

"And as for the support and alley positions, Eisel and I will take turns. As you know, we both have the ability to freely use CC (crowd control) spells to neutralize and lock down the enemy."

"Oh, right."

"So, we'll alternate between these roles, finding out who suits which position better, and we'll occasionally switch based on strategy. This can confuse enemies who try to analyze us."

"That makes sense."

"What's the role of the alley position?"

"The alley role is usually to roam quickly between the top, mid, and bottom lanes, hunting alley monsters and providing backup to whichever lane needs it. Players call this 'ganking.'"

"Ganking…"

"This is a crucial role. If you can't make fast decisions, one of the lanes could collapse in an instant."

"Got it."

"And Hae Won-Ryang will take the bottom lane, while I'll play support behind him. However, I'll be focusing more on defensive and healing spells rather than CC. My role will be slightly different from yours."

Baek Yu-Seol slyly interjected.

"If you compare it, the alley role is like a hardworking modern father, quietly doing his job, while the support role is like a busy mom at home, trying to take care of everything from securing vision to supporting the main damage dealer."

"Hey, how can anyone understand when you explain it like that?"

"Oh! I get it perfectly now!"

Honestly, they were both unusual.

As the group was nearly done eating their pork cutlets, Flame started wrapping up the conversation.

"While Baek Yu-Seol and Ma Yu-Seong are excellent in one-on-one combat, the real key to winning 5v5 team fights is Hae Won-Ryang. He has the judgment and attack power to use the limited seven spells in the most efficient and versatile way depending on the situation."

At Flame's praise, a faint smile appeared on Hae Won-Ryang's face. But as Ma Yu-Seong playfully tried to pat him on the shoulder, he quickly returned to his usual grumpy expression.

"So, did everyone get the gist from the last match?"

The four nodded in agreement.

"Alright. We might want to jump into another practice match right away... but that's not what we should do. First, we need to learn the 'basics.'"

Ma Yu-Seong frowned.

"Does that mean we have to read more boring strategy guides?"

"No. There's something better than reading that all day."

Flame rummaged through her handbag and pulled out some small tapes.

"These are recordings of amateur tournaments. We'll watch these and analyze how players use strategies, how they secure vision, and what situations lead to what outcomes. We'll repeat this so that we naturally react in real matches."

With only two weeks left until the school tournament, starting video study now seemed like a tight schedule, but Flame believed in her team.

These prodigies had exceptional practical sense and superior intelligence, so even this unique method of training would benefit them.

The next day at Stella Dome.

As usual, a fair number of people were gathered in the spectator seats of the League of Spirits practice field. However, there seemed to be a bit more than usual.

The reason?

Rumors had quietly spread that 'Flame's team was strange and something special.'

Of course, most of the buzz was still about how uncoordinated Flame's team had been, but there were also plenty of sharp-eyed observers who had come based on curiosity.

"Is it true those kids are so unusual?"

"Yes. They didn't understand the game mechanics at all, but their physical skills were beyond imagination."

"Hmm, that's hard to believe."

Most of the coaches and players who hadn't watched the match yet were skeptical.

It made sense. No matter how great a magic warrior someone was in reality, the more skilled they were in real combat, the more awkward they tended to be in League of Spirits.

With only seven spells, strict cooldowns, and limited mana, it was as if they had suddenly been shackled by a one-ton weight, and many great warriors floundered. They were unable to adapt and collapsed throughout the day.

In League of Spirits, all the elements that would drive a real magic warrior to madness were present.

"Still, now that you say that, I'm curious."

"When are those guys coming?"

"Let's wait. There's nowhere else for them to practice besides the Stella campus."

"They just started practicing yesterday, so they'll probably train intensely for the next two weeks until the tournament. Let's analyze their strengths just in case something unexpected happens."

And so, they waited.

Six hours passed.

"When are they going to show up…?"

As the day dragged on without any sign of Flame's team, the players started getting irritated.

"Let's wait a little longer; it's almost dinner time."

Even when other trainees finished their practices and left for the day, Flame's team still didn't appear.

"They'll show up tomorrow, right? The tournament's right around the corner."

But one day passed, then two, three, and a week went by. Still, they didn't show up.

"What are those guys doing…?"

"Aren't they practicing?"

"What do they do after their afternoon classes?"

"I don't know. I heard they either rush back to their dorms or all head to the library together to watch videos…"

"Unbelievable."

One of the coaches rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"They're giving up on the match."

It wasn't uncommon. Even among magic warrior cadets, some underestimated LOS, tried it out, and quickly quit when they realized it wasn't as easy as they thought. It seemed Flame's team was no different.

"I expected at least some kind of performance from them, being hailed as geniuses…"

"This is all they're capable of."

"No matter how outstanding they are in real combat, the world of LOS is completely different."

"They probably thought it was easy and got a rude awakening."

Now, with about a week left until the tournament, even if they started practicing now, it was doubtful they'd make it past the preliminaries.

"What a disappointment."

"I've lost all interest in them."

"Even if we wanted to pay attention, it's not like they're going to show up anymore. They'll probably just forfeit in the preliminaries."

The event staff gave up on Flame's team completely.

Then, six days before the academy tournament…

"Huh? Who are they?"

It was Saturday morning.

A few coaches and players, who had arrived early to practice over the weekend, noticed some trainees already at work.

What caught their attention was the fact that it was Flame's team, the very group they had assumed had quit, practicing early in the morning.

"Damn it. I came here to train my own team since it's the weekend, so I can't watch them…"

"Ugh. I also have to check on my team until noon."

"Still, we're curious. Let's watch for a bit before we go."

"Yeah. But how much could they have improved in just a week after being such a mess…"

The player trailed off as he watched Flame's team play.

The other observers were equally speechless.

[Blue Team Victory!]

[The level 12 AI has been defeated.]

"Huh, what?!"

They had just sat down to watch the match when, suddenly, Flame's team defeated the level 12 AI.

"How did they do it? Did anyone see? Hey, you over there! You were sitting here, right?"

"Uh? I was watching my own team…"

"Damn it...!"

Since it was early in the morning and not many people were around, no one had witnessed Flame's team's victory.

"They beat level 12 AI..."

For mere student-level trainees, this was no easy feat. In fact, it was an impossible task for beginners who hadn't practiced much. Typically, only experienced amateur players who had spent a lot of time on the battlefield of LOS managed to beat the level 12 AI, using it to prove their skill.

"They haven't even practiced."

"Did they go practice somewhere else?"

"Where would Stella cadets even go to practice? And people say they've been holed up in their dorms after school every day."

"Well, I'm not sure…"

"Let's wait and see. Maybe they'll play another round."

But just as if they knew how to toy with people's patience, Flame's team started talking about something else.

Hey, it's lunchtime.

Oh yeah, should we grab something to eat?

Sure. Let's meet back here in the afternoon.

Once again, they were talking about food.

"Ugh. I have a sponsor meeting during lunch, so I won't be able to come back…"

Some of the team representatives groaned, but for others, it was a blessing in disguise.

After all, they said they'd be back for practice in the afternoon, so this gave everyone more time to gather their analysts.

'Hmm. I should bring that player and ask for an analysis.'

'The coach wanted to see this match... I'd better let him know.'

It gave them time to call in their own experts to observe.

Time flew by quickly, and soon it was 1 PM.

"What's this? LOS players coming on the weekend?"

"Yeah, seems unusual. Is something happening?"

"Look over there, even the coach of the Adalen Fires is here…"

One by one, high-profile analysts from outside started to gather. Finally, five trainees, Flame's team, showed up at the Stella Dome LOS practice arena.

Difficulty selection: Level 12 AI.

With Flame's small voice, the match began.

Though it wasn't a professional league, all the spectators fell silent and focused their attention on the game.

For the analysts, who were usually worn out from the repetitive practices of teenage trainees, this match was highly exciting.