Muddled Priorities

Based on Vincent's analysis, Kai wasn't very likely to play aggressively in Mid so long as her opponent was a fellow female player. That was unfortunate, but it still wasn't nearly as troublesome as the situation in Top.

In fact, Top was the very lane through which the enemy paved their path to victory. Challenger dominated the lane with his skillful aggression, and together with Winner they completely ripped the lane apart.

Therefore, if nothing changes in Top for the next game, then the same scenario will repeat itself again.

[As for why things turned out that way...] Yuel frowned. [This isn't going to be a pleasant topic to discuss.]

Of course, a big part of the blame lay with Luke and with his inability to properly gank the lane. But, the very fact the lane needed so much help was already a problem in its own right.

[I think Vincent can't handle Challenger, not when the guy is playing so aggressively.]

Vincent was a versatile player who could play offense, defense, and anything in-between. He always adjusted his approach based on the opponent and on Yuel's instructions. In that sense, he was a very dynamic soldier with a vast array of uses, but that versatility came with a cost.

To put it simply, Vincent was a jack of all trades but a master of none. His offense wasn't strong enough to bust through Theorist's defense, and his defense wasn't bulletproof enough to deflect Challenger's offense. In other words, Vincent's performance suffered greatly against extremists who were fully dedicated to either offense or defense.

[So, it might be a good idea to switch him with Ben.] Yuel pondered. [Ben is too defensive for his own good, but that's exactly what we need right now against Challenger.]

Stratus didn't have the option of fighting fire with fire in Top, so their next best option was to extinguish Challenger's flame with a strong defense. To that end, there was nobody better for the job than Ben, but…

[That'll be his debut game.] Yuel thought. [Not to mention, we're losing right now, so he'll probably feel extra pressure to help the team win. Will he be able to handle that?]

Ben was already lacking in the self-confidence department in general, so throwing him into this difficult situation sounded like a recipe for disaster. There was a very high chance he'll perform poorly, which will miss the whole point of subbing him in.

[On paper, this is an adequate answer to Challenger's offense, but I don't know if we should take a risk like that here.] Yuel frowned. [We have to win the next game, no matter what. This is our last chance to force the Korean player on the stage.]

If the Leopards win the next game, then they'll be at 3-1. At that point, they'll secure overall victory, so there won't be any need to sub in the Korean player. That's a scenario Yuel had to prevent, no matter what.

[I don't want to wait until the regionals to face that guy.] Yuel thought. [We have to see what he's made so we can start collecting data on him as soon as possible.]

"Dude, everything okay?" Lars asked. "You keep making this scary face as if the fate of the world is at stake or something."

"Everything is... not okay, honestly."

"Haha. Yep, we're in a tough spot, aren't we?" Lars nodded. "But, it gonna be okay! We just gotta win the next game and even out the score! Easiest thing ever, believe it!"

"Yeah, 'easy', right..." Yuel smiled wryly.

"Welp, I dunno what kinda complicated stuff you be thinking about. It gotta be some rocket science that I'll never understand. But, there's one thing even I know: you totally look on edge today."

"Do I?"

"Yeah, it's like you're super worried about something," Lars said. "And like, I dunno what's bothering you or how complicated it is, but I bet you're overthinking something as always, haha."

"In fact," Vincent interjected. "I've had the same impression this entire match. You appear more agitated than usual today, o wise Chessmaster."

"Am I?" Yuel didn't feel like he was any different than usual, but maybe the topic of the Korean player weighed on him more than he realized.

"Please, Chessmaster, do not forget that today's battlefield is naught but testing grounds for future battles," Vincent said. "What matters most is that we seriously clash with our opponents and learn valuable lessons along the way. Achieving victory is but a byproduct of our efforts. It's the journey that matters, not the end result."

"That's... right, actually." Something clicked inside Yuel's head thanks to these words.

On paper, nothing that Lars and Vincent said was new or revolutionary. These were all things that Yuel was perfectly aware of himself. Nonetheless, somewhere along the way, his priorities got muddled without him noticing.

[They're right, I was thinking too hard about winning.] Yuel realized. [Even though my main goal was to gain practical experience against the Korean player and not just win per se, I've become a little too obsessed with getting us there.]

Instead of focusing on gaining experience against the Leopard as a whole, Yuel was preoccupied with bringing the Korean player to the stage. As a result, at some point, he started thinking only about winning to make that happen.

[Sure, getting practical experience against the Korean player is very important, no doubt about it. But, there are many other things to be gained from today's scrimmage.]

The Korean player might be the strongest member of the Leopards, but the other members were no pushovers either. On the contrary, they had some of the best players this region had to offer. Therefore, every single game against them was a valuable experience in its own right.

With all of that in mind, the fact that Ben didn't have any prior experience with playing on the competitive stage wasn't a good reason to disregard him. On the contrary, this was a great opportunity to throw him into the heat of a difficult battle and beat the experience into him. After going through such an intense scrim, he'll be ready for anything that comes in the future.

"I suggest we sub Ben in," Yuel said.

"M-Me?" Ben jumped.

"Yes. I believe your defense is exactly what we need to fight off Challenger's aggression. Vincent, what do you think?"

"I wholeheartedly agree." Vincent nodded. "Truth be told, I was waiting to suggest this idea myself, but I'm glad you're the one who brought it up first."

"Why?"

"Because, by making this risky suggestion, it seems to me that you have reclaimed yourself," Vincent explained. "You're now once again the Chessmaster we know and love, the one who's willing to take risks even in the face of immense danger!"

"Is that so." Yuel smiled wryly. "Just to be clear, I'm suggesting this substitution to increase our chances of winning."

"But of course, that's a given." Vincent nodded. "Nonetheless, this is an idea that harbors many risks and unknowns, given Ben's inexperience with the competitive stage. As such, it requires taking a gamble that not just anybody would be willing to take."

"I think you're exaggerating, but okay." Yuel couldn't argue back because he really almost gave up on this idea because of the risk involved. "So, back on topic. Nobody has any no problems with this sub, right?"

"I wholeheartedly support this decision," Vincent proclaimed once again. "It's a tad embarrassing to admit, but it appears I'm incapable of stopping the raging force of nature that is AbsoluteChallenger. His offense is legendary tier."

"Yes, he was surprisingly strong," Yuel admitted. "In that game, it felt like he was stronger than we've ever seen him before. My conclusion is that he's an inconsistent player who has high highs and low lows, which make it difficult to ascertain his true skill level."

"And, I might have unveiled the reason for it!" Vincent announced. "It's something I've been keeping at a speculation level until now, but after the last game, it finally became a conviction! I fought the man face-to-face, so now I know for sure that he is… the Threat Overthrower!"

"Which means what, exactly?" Kai asked.

"To put it simply, his power level goes up and down based on the threat level that his opponents pose. His skill takes a nosedive through the ground against inferior foes, but it skyrockets past the solar system against strong competition! Just as his name implies, he is indeed the Absolute Challenger!"

"So," Kai started. "Are you saying he considered you a 'big threat'? Is that why he mopped you so hard?"

"Haha, I see the Amazon is as harsh as ever."

"Well, I'll be lying if I said I'm in a good mood. That game was a total flop," Kai said. "But, at least Mid and Bot stayed on even ground for the most part. It's only Top where we completely lost control, and I'm trying to understand why the hell that happened."

"Mhm, that's understandable." Vincent nodded.

"If you're trying to say that Challenger played 'better than usual' against you because he registered you as a 'threat', then sorry, but I'm not so sure I'm buying that just yet."

"Indeed, you shouldn't buy it," Vincent nodded. "That'd be a terrible purchase to make."

"Huh?"

"I'm afraid you are operating under a misconception there."

"Say what?"

"I did say Challenger outperformed himself because he sensed a threat," Vincent explained. "However, I never claimed that the threat in question was myself. The real threat that got his attention was… our team as a whole! Yes, that's right. The crushing defeat the Leopards suffered in Game 2 made Challenger register our entire team as one giant powerful foe!"

"Huh, I see. That makes more sense." Kai nodded. "So, the reason he played 'better than ever' was that we're the first team to actually stump the Leopards this year. Nice."

"Indeed, we are the pioneers in the field!" Vincent nodded repeatedly. "That outcome must've come as a shock for the Leopards, considering they cruised through the previous two scrims with little effort. Therefore, this unexpected development set off Challenger's alarms in a big way."

Vincent's hyperbolic explanation made everybody realize yet again just how much they shattered everybody's expectations here today. Stratus was supposed to be the dark horse of the region, yet right now they were posing an actual challenge to the regional champions. Yes, Stratus was so strong, that the Leopards had no choice but to register it as a top-level threat.

For most of the team, this realization alone was already enough to inspire them with tons of confidence. However, not all of them were satisfied with just that.

[That's the bare minimum we have to be able to do in order to drag the Korean player to the stage.] Yuel thought. [After that, the real hurdle will be to beat the Leopards in their final form.]

The goal was right in front of them, they were just one step away. Will they be able to seize victory in the upcoming game and finally force the phantom Korean player to appear on the stage!?