Chapter 235. Challenging Game (2)

Announcements of slain allies kept popping up.

"Chikicha!!"

"Chikicha~!"

"Chikichikicha~!"

The guy in front of Almond kept making annoying sounds and used all sorts of psychological warfare.

Almond finally reached Level 4 after avoiding these physical and mental attacks.

'Finally...!'

[Release Acceleration Upgrade]

[Damage will increase when the target is farther away. May increase up to 250%]

Ran's specialty, the release acceleration upgrade, had finally been unlocked.

Without hesitation, Almond immediately created a bow.

Creak...

Almond pulled the string made of mana. Aiming and firing didn't take long.

Bam!

He instantly released it in the blink of an eye.

Pwooong!!!

The water bomb squarely struck ForeverAlone's face.

'Finally.'

Almond felt a sense of relief.

***

"Wow, Almond smacked ForeverAlone with a shot the moment he reached Level 4! There we go, Almond!"

"That was a maximum range shot, right?"

The casters were astounded by the single shot for a reason. It was Ran's maximum range attack.

[ForeverAlone]

[HP: 73%]

"Ah, ForeverAlone! Looks like he sharpened his focus after his HP got chipped away. He seems a bit dazed."

"I don’t think it's his health taking a hit that's the issue. He’s wondering how he got hit."

Ran's completed his Charge after those words.

Splash!

"He got hit again!?"

"It really is strange, isn't it?"

ForeverAlone took another hit.

[ForeverAlone]

[HP: 50%]

With just two hits, ForeverAlone's health dropped to 50%. Fortunately, the second hit wasn’t from maximum range, but the damage was still enormous.

"Is ForeverAlone already down to half health?!"

"This is the damage that Ran can inflict starting at Level 4! It hurts so much if you get hit from far away!"

Just two hits had halved ForeverAlone's health. This was the power that Level 4 Ran possessed.

"But why is Almond neglecting the minions? He’s only attacking ForeverAlone. He’ll miss out on a lot of minions!"

***

As the commentators said, Almond was only focusing on ForeverAlone.

ForeverAlone felt more confused than anyone, 'Why is he only attacking me?'

Almond’s plan seemed to be working.

'He's hitting me from almost maximum range every time.'

It was already difficult to land a hit with Ran, but Almond kept hitting him from maximum range.

Then, the sound of water could be heard again.

Whoosh!

Almond aimed again from so far that ForeverAlone couldn’t even see him.

ForeverAlone clenched his teeth.

'He's going to ignore all the minions and continue shooting at me.'

An attack was coming again. This time, ForeverAlone perfectly hid behind the minions.

But...

Crash!!

He felt a staggering impact.

"!?"

At first, ForeverAlone thought the splash damage had caught him, but that wasn't it.

[HP: 23%]

He took the full amount of damage. The attack had struck his slightly protruding heel.

'... What?'

ForeverAlone’s plan had failed.

***

"Ah! He got hit again!?"

"Almond's Ran hits from as far as you can see. He only needs to see a hair! There's no exception even against a mid-lane Challenger!"

"A head pops up! You better hide well!"

— Who sings that song so loudly? lol

— Please don't sing it like a crazy military song. LOL.

— How is that possible? lol

— He got hit again?

"But! ForeverAlone! He's moving forward no matter what!"

"True to his Challenger rank, he's not scared even with low health!"

Good players had this trait. Even with low health, they didn't hesitate to fight more.

"Wow~ Going forward with that health is amazing!"

"ForeverAlone is famous for his bold plays! He’s showing us what a true Challenger is!"

"Right! Just getting hit won't do. He has to do something now!"

First, ForeverAlone threw a basic bomb.

Bang!

Almond kept his distance, so the first bomb completely missed.

However, ForeverAlone also threw something else next.

[Claymore]

A suspicious object fell from the air.

Clang!

Almond heard the sound of something dropping.

"Huh? The bomb seems to be a feint. ForeverAlone also threw over a claymore?"

"That's correct. It seems like setting the claymore was his plan from the very beginning."

The claymore could be disabled with a hit, but Almond had been too busy avoiding ForeverAlone's first bomb.

This made things complicated.

"Any military expert would know this! Thousands of shrapnel will fly out and make a beehive out of you if you get caught!"

"Such a mine being installed nearby makes it very tiring!"

When the claymore was triggered, thousands of sharp lead pieces would fly out. It dealt substantial damage and slowed the victim’s movement speed.

"Going left, which is south, will be hard for Almond from now on."

Moving left became off-limits for Almond.

Now, Almond had to focus on attacking the opponent while moving only toward the middle and the right.

"Both champions are great at maneuvering. It'll be tough when the routes are restricted!"

Boom!

As expected, Almond failed to dodge ForeverAlone's next attack because there weren’t many places to go.

"Almond's health is being drained!"

"And he hid behind the minions again!"

"This is the advantage of Explosion Madness, right? He can throw bombs upward and hit enemies hiding behind minions. On the other hand, Ran shoots in a straight line, which makes it difficult to hit an enemy hiding behind minions!"

"ForeverAlone definitely has a high understanding of the champions!"

"Almond has fully charged his attack, but it looks like he can't shoot!"

"ForeverAlone is saying, 'This time, you won't even find my hair! Just like a Tako!'"

— Didn't you say that? Lol.

— When did I say that?!

— WTF lol.

— Aren't you afraid of their curse?

OrangeKing made fun of how ForeverAlone completely hid behind the minions. Or… everyone simply believed that was what he did.

'Is he... hiding?'

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

In Almond's eyes, he could still hit from a few angles.

Crash!

Another Crystal of Purity struck ForeverAlone's left elbow.

[ForeverAlone]

[HP: 3%]

ForeverAlone's health was almost depleted now.

"No way! How did he get hit?!"

"Ah, thank god it wasn't at maximum range!"

ForeverAlone barely survived because Almond hadn’t shot from maximum range, but he didn't just get hit by Almond.

"ForeverAlone also dealt considerable damage with his bombs!"

[LazySoldier]

[HP: 37%]

Almond's health dropped significantly too, because when he shot, ForeverAlone also threw a bomb.

"That's right. No matter how good you are at dodging, you can't avoid a bomb while attacking!"

"But ForeverAlone will die if he’s even grazed now!"

It all seemed meaningless, even though ForeverAlone managed to deal some damage. He was feeling the pressure from having only 3% of his HP left.

"If ForeverAlone takes any more splash damage, he'll die. Wouldn't it be better to go back to the sanctuary and charge up?"

Contrary to their suggestion, ForeverAlone didn't retreat.

"Why isn't ForeverAlone going back?! He must still have something up his sleeves!"

"Almond will advance to kill ForeverAlone! This feels like a trap!"

***

Almond's eyes glinted.

'It hit again.'

ForeverAlone managed to land another attack that Almond didn’t expect.

Was ForeverAlone psychologically shaken up now? His health was at rock bottom now.

'One more hit, and he's dead.'

Almond walked forward and gathered the last of his mana to finish off ForeverAlone. There was no need to shoot from maximum range anymore.

Then, Almond suddenly thought of something.

'Wait, why did he place a claymore on the left?'

ForeverAlone’s use of the claymore had been strange. It was specifically strange how he deployed it.

Explosive Madness' Claymore could also be activated by directly hitting a target, but ForeverAlone deliberately deployed it to the far left.

'Is he trying to send me to the right?'

ForeverAlone probably wanted to send Almond to the right, which was the north side of the map.

‘Why?’

Almond quickly turned to look at the dense bushes in the north.

The bushes rustled.

Swoosh!

"Aaaargh!"

Immediately afterward, a dark shadow leaped out. It was the jungler.

***

"Gank incoming!"

"ForeverAlone was waiting for this!"

The Beast charged at a rapid speed. Almond tried to quickly change direction, but—

Thump!

The Beast's shoulder struck his side and Almond lifelessly tumbled.

"Oh no! If he rolls toward where the claymore is!"

Ding...!

A chilling warning sound rang out.

Crash!

Along with dark smoke, hundreds of tiny shrapnel blades exploded out.

Tatatatatatatatak!!!

A dense barrage of fire obscured the surroundings.

"The claymore has been perfectly activated!"

"If all those hit, it's going to hurt a lot!"

Almond had been trapped in a situation where all the claymore fragments would most likely hit him. Even in such a situation, Almond concentrated to the maximum while tumbling through the air.

Whoosh... Whoosh...

The world seemed to slow. Only Almond's consciousness moved at a normal speed.

Then, he saw them. The claymore fragments bloomed like flowers. Straining, Almond lifted his arm toward them. Although his movements seemed frustratingly slow, he was actually moving incredibly quickly.

Whoosh...!

Mana gathered in Almond's hand, and a handgun materialized. He pulled the trigger without aiming any further.

[Fire]

A Crystal of Purity shot toward the blooming claymore.

Boom!!!

The explosion clashed with the expanding force of mana, creating a gust of wind.

Crash!!!

A transparent shockwave spread out, scraping the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

In that cloud, the audience could see Almond's remaining health. He still had much more than expected.

[LazySoldier]

[HP: 29%]

"What!? Did he just shoot down the claymore fragments?"

"His reaction is insane!"

"He couldn’t have reacted so fast unless he was planning to do so ahead of time!"

Despite OrangeKing's comment, Almond hadn’t thought about shooting the fragments until he heard the claymore's warning sound.

Almond anticipated the gank though.

'Whew, I survived...'

Relief washed over him even though he wasn't completely safe from the claymore.

"The Beast is coming back for Almond!"

The Beast aimed for Almond's windpipe from right next to him.

[Charge]

Pollock activated the Beast's Charge skill.

"Roar!" the beast roared and dashed toward Almond again.

The bulky hand grabbed Almond's arm. Or rather, he intended to grab Almond, but Almond's arm slipped away as if it just passed through.

'What?'

Almond had demonstrated insane control skills even while falling. Pollock couldn’t believe it, but didn't care too much.

Although Almond slipped away, the Beast still successfully pounced on Almond.

Thump!

Almond lost his balance and fell.

Splat.

His back slammed onto the ground and his sunglasses slipped off.

Almond couldn't move at all except for his right arm. The Beast’s Charge skill had caught him.

[You have been suppressed!]

— That’s dreadful

— What’s up with this scene?

— Mom, I want to become like Pollock when I grow up!

— If Pollock were female, the blond boy Almond would have stunned her.

The viewers joked around, but...

"Almond, he's going to die!"

"If this continues, Balloon Stars will lose! It's really over!"

The situation was grave. Almond’s survival was pivotal for the team's victory or defeat. If he simply died here, the first set would be a loss.

[LazySoldier]

[HP: 18%]

Almond's HP had gotten dangerously low. A few more bite attacks from the Beast would kill him.

"Ah! The Beast is about to bite!"

"If this goes on, everyone in Balloon Stars will die!"

The Beast's gaping mouth darted toward Almond's neck to chip away at Almond's HP.

Grit!

In a near-death situation, Almond's face strangely showed no fear.

No, rather, he seemed satisfied.

Almond looked toward ForeverAlone.

'As expected.'

The analysis he did with Tako turned out to be correct.

ForeverAlone was too greedy and overly reliant on his dodging ability, so he often hovered nearby, hoping to score a kill despite his low HP. He was still hiding behind the closest minion to throw a bomb at Almond, trying to score a kill at all costs.

However, ForeverAlone had overreached this time.

After all, Almond still had one of his hands available.

'This is my chance.'

Pure white mana gathered in the barrel of the manifested gun.

Swoosh.

ForeverAlone's eyes widened, 'Wait, what? Almond is being suppressed. How can he still aim?'

Players couldn't attack while suppressed. Of course, ForeverAlone didn't know that only Almond's right hand was being suppressed. Pollack couldn't report every detail to ForeverAlone.

Almond prepared to shoot.

"Ah, sh—"

ForeverAlone's face twisted in despair.

Almond grinned as their eyes met, and he muttered in an act of revenge, "Chikicha."