Lars vs. Jin

[Timing is key here.] Jin thought. [Gunz probably thinks that he's firing his shots when I can't move, but that's not entirely true.]

Gunz fired the previous shot with impressive timing as he waited for the moment when Jin started swinging the hammer. At that point, Jin was locked in the attack animation and should've been unable to move. This was an effective approach, but not entirely bulletproof.

[I suppose his tactic works fine against most players in this region.][But, I know a counter.] Jin swung his sledgehammer once again. As expected, Gunz fired soon after with pitch-perfect timing. The guy had a truly impressive reaction speed, even Jin had to admit.

Nonetheless, Gunz's little scheme was going to fall apart. All it took was a little backstep.

As soon as Jin's sledgehammer slammed into the enemy swordsmen, he animation-canceled the recovery into a quick backstep. As a result, the laser beam hit him instead of the minions.

Needless to say, the enemy wasn't ready for this development.

"No way, yo!" Lars exclaimed. "But, I aimed it so well! That dang step-cancel thing, yo…!"

His plan was supposed to be bulletproof. No other player out there could do anything against Lars's careful timing and 200% accuracy.

And yet, this Apprentece dude just shut down the play on the spot. He made it look so effortless, too. Like, dude saw Lars shooting twice and figured everything out. What a pro!

[This ain't good.] Lars frowned as he watched the entire enemy army turn their gazes toward him. They now branded him a first-class criminal for his offense. [I was framed, yo! I'm innocent, I swear!]

Alas, no amount of pleading will change the bots' minds. They were dead set on avenging their commander, that dang dude who stepped into Lars's shot of his own volition!

[Okay, so what now?] Lars wondered. [I can retreat, or I can keep shooting these dudes until it's time to bail out.]

Fortunately, there was no danger of being ganked anytime soon because Winner had just finished clearing Top. So, Lars stood his ground and fired another laser beam! ZAP! 

Apprentece probably didn't see this move coming because he didn't bother guarding his minions at all this time. And so, Lars delivered a clean hit on one of the bowmen.

So, what was the Korean pro going to do about this? Did he have any more cool tricks up his sleeve!?

[He keeps shooting?] Jin wondered. [Well, I suppose that's an acceptable approach. He has nothing to be afraid of until the minions actually get closer, but he's definitely taking a risk here. We'll get over there very soon.]

As Jin's minions advanced ahead and invaded enemy territory, the enemy swordsmen were obligated to give chase. To do so, they gradually moved from their frontline toward their backline. As a result, the entire enemy formation was now lumped together, and this was exactly what Jin wanted.

BAM! His hammer slammed into the entire enemy wave, demolishing their HP. The swordsmen who were already injured collapsed on the spot, while the rest sustained critical injuries.

BAM! A second strike sealed the deal. Jin obliterated the entire enemy army.

Now, Gunz was left all alone on the lane. Meanwhile, Jin and his army marched toward him.

Nonetheless, the guy exhibited no signs of being worried about any of this. He continued firing shots through his Elven Sight as if the approaching forces were just an illusion.

[Is he betting on his leap for a bailout?] Jin wondered. [That's some confidence he's showing here. Let's crush it.]

He extended into enemy territory along with his minions. However, to make things harder for the enemy, Jin maintained some distance between himself and his soldiers.

Since Eleven Sight used first-person mode, its field of view was narrower than the regular third-person view. So long as Gunz was focused on the minions, it was possible for Jin to slip into the guy's blind spot.

[Admittedly, I've never been good at gauging the correct position for this.] Jin thought. [It's not like I can actually see his field of view, so there's a lot of guesswork here. I firmly believe that only machines can accurately visualize something like this.]

Nonetheless, Jin gave it a shot. He was planning to trade his sledgehammer for a scourge soon enough anyway, so he might as well do it now with more purpose.

[Somewhere here, I suppose?] Jin stopped and waited for the enemy's next shot. The moment Gunz fired his next beam, Jin unleashed Scourge! WHISH! The bribed whip extended far, shooting straight at the unsuspecting prey!

Or, was that prey really unsuspecting?

[Oh, here it comes!] Lars grinned. [I knew that dude wouldn't let me do my thing in peace. But, git jebaited, yo!]

He activated Elven Leap, jumping high into the air while performing an elegant backflip! Or at least, that's what Elf would've done in the default costume. But, Lars's skin had cutting-edge technology! Instead of actually jumping, this sci-fi dude activated the jetpack on his back and took off toward the sky!

Of course, the actual animation speed remained the same as in the default skin, despite how different the actual motion looked. Instead of putting on an impressive display of gymnastics, the sci-fi dude just let the jetpack carry him across the sky in an arc.

Right before hitting the ground, dude turned around so he could properly land on his feet. Some people online complained that this animation was less satisfying than Elf's OG stunt, but Lars felt it matched the sci-fi theme to a T. Sci-fi dude be lazy and let the technology do the heavy lifting for him! An efficient dude, yo!

Thanks to the power of technology, Lars got out of the dangerous scene and created some distance between himself and the enemy. What's more, he successfully dodged an enemy attack with that leap, which triggered the skill's secondary effect.

[Heck yeah, lessgo!] Lars grinned. He received two buffs from this maneuver: one to his Movement Speed and one to his Attack Speed, which he planned to put to good use right away!

ZAP! He fired straight at the Orc as soon as he landed! Dude didn't see it coming at all!

"Wha-!?" Jin grimaced. [I need to sidestep-] It was too late. The laser beam pierced his torso before he could even respond. 

This counterattack wasn't even on Jin's list as far as "possible scenarios" were concerned, therefore he failed to respond in a timely fashion. It was an error on his end

[Just what is he thinking?] Jin frowned. [Instead of optimally jumping away toward his tower, he jumped diagonally to keep me within his attack range. And, he did all of that in the heat of the moment even though I was the one pressuring him.]

All the effort Jin spent on carefully slithering toward Gunz was wasted. If anything, it only made him look bad. He had spent all that time approaching the enemy only to be outplayed in the blink of an eye.

"Jen-jang!" Jin cursed through gritted teeth. He couldn't contain himself on this one. This wasn't how any of this was supposed to go!

His purpose here was to crush Stratus' strongest and salvage the team's reputation, but instead, the enemy was clowning on him right now. This only tarnished the team's reputation further! And even worse, it made Jin look inadequate.

[So, this is how you want to play it.] Jin thought. [Originally, I was considering letting the minions push on their own this time, but I see you're asking for some pain.]

It's not like this single hit Jin received was particularly damaging, at least in terms of HP. However, it did damage something else for sure: his reputation. Jin clearly lost some points because of this exchange. It just made him look bad. Terribly bad.

[Alright then, I'll go all in. That should put you in your place.] Hellbent on getting revenge for this insult, Jin pressed onward without thinking twice. With an entire army on his side, he should have no trouble delivering hefty damage on the enemy tower.

However, there was one tiny element he failed to take into account amidst his rage. And, that very element sensed Jin's lapse and prepared to launch an attack…