The Challenger

"Let us conclude this mortal battle-" A raspy demonic voice resounded across the area.

It was totally unlike the usual heroic line of the Knight, but both versions were equally recognizable because both started with the words "let us". This much was enough to set off Ronald's alarms.

[Here comes the taunt!] Ronald stopped his offense and canceled into a Dodge Roll. However, he didn't roll away from his foe.

Honorable Duel was slow enough to be reacted to, but even on reaction, it was a little tricky to properly roll it. This dang skill targeted everybody in a cone in front of it, so rolling away to either side was usually a bad call.

[Instead, I'm gonna roll right into you!] Ronald grinned as he rolled toward the enemy's right flank. No matter how many times he pulled this trick, every single time felt like an episode of Mission Impossible. The stress was real!

[I'm toast if I mess this up, even by a little.] Ronald gulped. [But, I'm too good at this game to screw up like this! Ha, take that! Made it!] Ronald breathed in relief as he recovered from the roll and stood back on his feet.

"- in the pits of hell!" the demonic Knight had finally finished shouting his nerdy phrase but his words fell on deaf ears. By the time bruh finished dropping his long-ass one-liner, Ronald was already on the enemy's right side, ready to continue his offense!

[Actually nah, I think I'm good for now.] Ronald glanced at his HP. He lost over 25% HP in that exchange. These little minion bruhs sure hit him hard while he was whacking Blackhole.

[Time to relax and foot it.] Ronald activated Relaxing Exhale, erasing the remains of his Rage meter in exchange for HP recovery and buffs. It restored 10% of his HP and granted him the Movement Speed he needed to quickly GTFO.

And so, Ronald's first 1v1 exchange with Blackhole came to an end. Both players retreated to their respective sides of the lane and safely farmed the rest of the minions from there. They didn't engage in any further fights, at least for now.

[But, I'll totally do this again next wave if you don't show me you have an answer for this.] Ronald grinned confidently. [Who knows, maybe I'll even go Berserk in the next fight.]

Admittedly, that whole exchange was high-risk high-reward. Fortunately, Ronald only lost about 15% HP there, but things could've easily gone south if his opponent was more competent.

So, what did Ronald gain in exchange for all that risk? Well, everything! He reduced his opponent's HP by a whopping 30%, just like that! That Barbarian Slam into a flurry of strikes was hella smooth!

At first, since Ronald aggro'd the enemy minions, he lost almost as much HP as Blackhole did. But, that's where Relaxing Exhale came to save the day and give Ronald the edge. If not for that bad boy, then Ronald wouldn't have bothered with such a reckless play. There was a method to his madness.

[Knight is a fine meta class and all, but it doesn't have HP regen.] Ronald thought. [So that's the one advantage I gonna abuse against you!]

Ronald had a clear-cut plan for how to deal with his lane opponent going forward. But, what about InformationBlackhole? Did the dude have any aces up his sleeve?

"Such a brutal exchange," Vincent commented. "His offense seemed so reckless and dangerous at first, yet he came on top in every possible aspect in the end. It was a brilliant display of skill!"

"Yes, it was a strong play," Yuel agreed. "I assume he snuck up to you while you were using Shield Bash?"

"That he did! I did not see it coming at all!" Vincent hyperventilated. "To think that he could close the distance in such a short amount of time and also charge up a Barbarian Slam on top of that! Truly, it was nothing short of masterful execution! I did not expect him to be capable of such feats!"

"We've seen him play Top before," Yuel reminded. "You should've known that he's a dangerous opponent."

"Indeed, I did. But, to be honest, all his lane opponents submitted far too easily during the previous scrimmages. As such, it was difficult to estimate just how strong Challenger really is."

"That's also true," Yuel conceded. "This play made me realize he's packing more than I expected. I'll have to revise my evaluation of him."

"Likewise." Vincent nodded. "So, in light of these revelations, what is our plan?"

"It's not like we have many options here. You'll have to borrow Luke's help if we conclude that you can't deal with the Berserker by yourself, but it's too early for that."

"True, true."

"So, for the next wave, try to farm normally. But this time, keep an eye on the Berserker so he doesn't surprise you again."

"Understood. I shall challenge this challenger once again!"

For once, Vincent didn't have any bombastic nicknames to attach to a player. The best he could do was to joke about Challenger being… well, a challenger.

[Truth be told, I can't quite pinpoint what sort of special powers this mighty warrior possesses] Vincent shook his head. [Is he the "Herald of Aggression"? The "Bloodthirsty Duelist"? Nay, none of these sound right.]

There was no denying that AbsoluteChallenger was "strong" in Top, but that's about it. Vincent couldn't derive anything more specific from watching the replays.

The man defeated his opponents in a convincing manner, overwhelming them through superb mechanical skill. It was undoubtedly a strong display of skill, but that's all it was. In the large scheme of things, it didn't stand out that much because the Leopards dominated all these games as a whole.

[I suspect that, as his name implies, he's a "challenger". Perhaps his true strength will only reveal itself when he faces sufficiently hard competition that pushes him to the limit!]

There wasn't any hard evidence for that claim just yet, but Vincent's senses were tingling. The more he observed Challenger, the more it felt like this specimen's performance depended on how tough the competition was.

[I suppose it falls on me to unmask Challenger's full potential for the first time on the competitive scene! Or, perhaps I think too highly of myself.]

Was Vincent really strong enough to force Challenger's hand? So far, their exchanges were rather one-sided.

[Truth be told, I'm most likely the weakest link of this team, I'm aware of that much myself.] Vincent smiled wryly. [It wouldn't be strange to see myself replaced by Ben in the upcoming months.]

As a man cursed with the power to analyze everybody's special abilities, Vincent could tell that his own ability didn't quite measure up to the rest of the team. His observation skills and game knowledge were top-notch, but these alone didn't suffice to win games. He also had to put all these tools to great use during the game itself, which wasn't always the easiest thing to achieve.

So, against a small fry like Vincent, will Challenger bother to unveil his true power? Most likely not. It'll take more than just Vincent alone to draw out Challenger's true might, assuming there was any such hidden might to draw out in the first place.

[I assume Challenger came at me so strongly not because he considers me specifically a mighty foe, but because he sees Stratus as a worthy opponent as a whole.] Vincent reasoned. [After all, we're the team that has delivered the Leopards to their first defeat of the year. This has surely hurt their pride, hence Challenger's increased aggression.]

The moment Stratus registered as a threat, Challenger's bestial instincts must have kicked in and powered him up beyond the level he had shown in previous games. And, the enemy's wounds will likely stay fresh for quite some time after that shocking defeat, so Challenger will keep going strong for a while longer.

[I feel like a Lv. 10 player who's taking on a Lv. 60 raid boss. This is both thrilling and terrifying.]

While all these thoughts were circulating in Vincent's head, the third wave had arrived. Though, in Vincent's case, this was only the second wave he got to clear in the lane.

And so, it was time to confront AbsoluteChallenger once more...