I Have a Reason to Hate Streamers

Chapter 162

[IKL Summer Playoffs Final - Match 1]

[Arena: Fairywood Forest]

[Rules: 5v5 Deathmatch]

[Sigma eSports vs Eunha Gaming]

The towering ancient trees stretched high into the sky, thick with greenery.

An assassin moved stealthily among the fragrant trees.

Her lips moved as though speaking, but nothing could be heard over the broadcast.

For various reasons, in-game voice chats rarely become public.

But there was one thing for sure:

Gawol, as always, closed the distance to the enemy without hesitation.

“Yes. The much-awaited first match of the IKL Finals has begun.”

“The arena is Fairywood Forest, a battlefield where mana regeneration skyrockets. However, both teams seem to have some tricks up their sleeves.”

“Eunha Gaming has brought out a staggering lineup of four mage-type classes—an unexpected combination. Among them, three classes revolve around summoned creatures.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen such a lively match. Sigma eSports also has several classes that handle mana well, though not to the extent of mages.”

“Yes, it seems that Eunha Gaming has gotten off to a slightly advantageous start. That’s the way it looks.”

Eunha Gaming entered the first match with full force.

Having defeated Q Prime and ACL, they had kept their hidden cards well-guarded.

As soon as they arrived at the finals, they immediately pulled one of those cards.

Mage-type classes often bring summons with them.

Summoners and elementalists are obvious, and even the spirit mages summon hardy creatures.

Frost mages, depending on their build, could summon large creatures like ice golems.

A 5v5 battle unfolded on the battlefield.

The summoned creatures held the front lines with their toughness, while the magic rained down like a deluge.

In the midst of all this, it wasn’t hard to imagine Tuhui darting around, picking up kills.

“This is where all eyes are inevitably on Gawol.”

“Gawol is already patrolling the outskirts of the forest. She’s sneaking past observation summons, heading toward the enemy lines.”

“As always, her route selection is impeccable. With her speed, it’s clear she has a lot of advantages.”

Fairywood Forest is generally an arena advantageous for mages and warriors.

But it also had merits for assassins.

The vast Z-axis created by the giant trees allowed for smooth aerial mobility.

Gawol, leaping from tree to tree, concealed herself beneath the leaves.

It was due to the movement of the summoner's monstrous bird overhead.

There were likely dryads hiding in various parts of the forest floor.

Finding the roots of tree spirits in such a forest was an impossible task.

It was easier to deceive the ghostly eyes that hovered in the sky.

The ghostly spirits of the spirit mages had a 60-degree field of vision with a 2.4-meter observation range.

There were many blind spots on their flanks, and if you had the right information, avoiding them wasn’t difficult.

“Wow, she just easily bypassed that nearly flawless defense.”

“Wasn’t it the year before last? Phantom used this exact method to take on Eunha Gaming in the Prelude.”

“The number of summoned creatures is different now, though. Truly... an amazing player.”

“But Nabilella isn’t moving? The main teams must have already spotted each other.”

Gawol’s infiltration proceeded smoothly.

However, no match in the finals would unfold easily.

The commentators’ predictions began to veer off course.

First, even as the match began, Nabilella’s Tuhui stayed close to the mages.

Her role wasn’t to face off against Sigma’s main team.

Azur’s ice wall blocked Sigma’s retreat.

Though they immediately began working to break it down, the speed at which the summoner’s birds arrived was faster.

The fiery birds collided with Luché’s shield, bursting into red flames and sending a hot wind blasting out.

[Active: Sacrifice of Spirits]

[Command all spirits in the area to sacrifice themselves. The sacrificed spirit will approach nearby enemies and cause a mana explosion.]

[Effect: Shattering Strike.]

[The penalty from physical damage is greatly enhanced. All stats are decreased...]

One hit had caused significant damage.

Originally, I had planned to disable the spirit mage, but that strike hit me in the lung.

I couldn’t move as freely as before, and blood filled my mouth.

Still, the objective was accomplished.

I couldn’t kill her immediately, but that was fine.

I had left deep cuts, and there was no way the enemy had a reliable means of healing.

With the spirit mage’s pitiful regeneration, she wouldn’t last long.

And since I was already this far...

I increased the distance, ensuring the mages couldn’t hit me with their barrage.

I made sure to relay the situation to Outlaw on the way.

“I scratched the spirit mage a few times. She won’t survive long.”

“You did it again. We’ve finished preparing here. Luché’s guard gauge is restored, and we’ll be re-entering soon. Can you hold out?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. Tuhui’s right on my tail... I took a hard hit, so my breathing’s a bit off. Looks like I’ll have to fight.”

“Good luck.”

The Inbl system imposes debuffs depending on the damage area.

When I was slashed, I couldn’t move properly due to the penalty from the cut.

Right now, it felt like my lungs were damaged, restricting my mobility.

I had no choice but to wait here, slowly regaining my stamina.

After a little while, a tall woman appeared in front of me.

Tuhui. Nabilella’s base is kickboxing.

I didn’t think she was national team level, but I had heard she was a pro.

Her orthodox stance was precise and dead on as she aimed at me.

This was the opposite of ACL’s Donghae.

He was like me, someone who entered the sport late, so while his movements were good, there were many weaknesses in his game.

Nabilella grinned.

“I’ve been wanting to land a clean hit on you, and now I finally get my wish.”

“Yeah. Clean hit. If not now, when would you ever hit me, huh?”

“You... your tongue is really something else, huh?”

“Maybe it’s that your trigger point is just too low? Don’t athletes usually hate this kind of thing?”

There was no response.

The conversation ended.

With the sound of wind cutting through the air, her arms lashed out at me, sharp and fast.

It was a basic, solid attack.

Her strike had no excess motion, and she used her longer limbs effectively.

I had to admit it, but still... was she getting too cocky?

“Hey, I’m curious. When’s the next person coming?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you going to fight alone? That hit I took earlier? I just wanted to rack up a kill... it wasn’t because you did well or anything.”

The response never came.