I Have a Reason to Hate Streamers

The death of the monster hunter marked the beginning of the game's acceleration.

The flow itself wasn't bad.
Since Sigma secured the first kill, the numerical advantage was theirs.
Naturally, the difference in acquiring objectives began to grow.

But Aspectrium was a battlefield where team reunions were highly restricted.
In other battlegrounds, a gap would have formed immediately in team-based combat, but here, most engagements were one-on-one, localized skirmishes.
With fewer players, there wouldn’t be an immediate dramatic change.

Rika, who had barely escaped Cerberus' grasp, encountered an enemy warrior.
Warriors were a class known for their solid mobility and strength against ranged attackers.
Despite her injuries, Rika fought valiantly... but of course, there were limits.

[‘AT Valkyrie’ has eliminated ‘Sigma Rika’.]

After another skirmish, the warrior's spear ended Rika’s life.
Even just before her death, she managed to fire several arrows that lodged into her opponent's body.
Fortunately, Rika’s resistance wasn’t just a one-off moment.

The spirit of her defiance was carried on by Camellia.
On one side, a veteran player with one of the longest careers in the league.
On the other, a rising star from the second team, a mirror match that was about to unfold.

The outcome of the match was evenly balanced.
Valkyrie, though physically inferior, relied on her seasoned experience and managed a slight edge.
However, Valkyrie wasn’t in perfect condition for the engagement, so both fighters exchanged blows without hesitation.

《 Valkyrie and Camellia are engaged in a bloody war of attrition! 》
《 It looks like both of them think they have a chance right now, doesn’t it? Both are attacking aggressively. 》
《 Camellia is leading in the frequency of parries, but Valkyrie also dodges well. 》
《 The effective hits are being exchanged equally. The advantage keeps shifting, so the outcome is anyone’s guess! 》
《 If this continues, the one who survives will win… Wait, at this moment! 》

Another spatial shift within the dungeon occurred.
As Camellia's halberd was swung horizontally, she swapped places with Luche.
Coincidentally, Luche was charging toward Cerberus with a shield bash.

The battles happening in different places naturally connected.
The broadcast split into two screens.

Luche pressed forward, initiating a close-quarters battle with Valkyrie.

[The strength to lift mountains and the will to cover the world—]
[‘Yeokbal Sanggi Gaeseo (Ruthless Strength and World-Encompassing Will)’ effect activated.]
[Receiving continuous fixed damage until health is fully drained, while all stats... ]

There was no inherent matchup between the warrior and the weapon master.
It was simply a matter of who fought better.
In other words, Camellia was facing the worst possible opponent with no chance of winning.

Sigma eSports had been facing tough opponents from the group stages.
It was a somewhat disheartening story, but every member of the team had learned to objectively assess their own abilities, whether they liked it or not.
So… when there was no chance of victory, they knew how to sacrifice themselves without hesitation.

Even with more than half of her health remaining, Camellia activated her desperation mode.
At the cost of certain death, she left a scar on Cerberus.
Her spear, fueled by a brutal force, was swung wildly.

《 Battles are unfolding across the battlefield. 》
《 Ga-wol and Eric are also close by. It seems they'll find each other soon? 》
《 Ah, Ga-wol found him first. His vision is indeed impressive. 》
《 Immediately begins the pursuit. Eric chooses to retreat and avoid the fight. 》
《 It's not so much about escaping, but buying time. Once a berserker enters a fight, there's little chance of backing out. 》
《 And no one has survived after engaging Ga-wol in a full-scale battle in this World Championship. 》

Amidst the chaotic brawl, the end was gradually drawing near.

The first to be decided was Luche's battle.
Both sides had been exhausted, but the paladin’s endurance was well-suited to such a bloodbath.
A warrior could not endure this type of fight.

When exchanges were similar, the paladin would always have the advantage.
It was a match where the warrior had no choice but to take a risk.
Luche seized the moment when the warrior overextended, securing the kill.

Then, a bit later, Camellia fell.
She had driven her spear into Cerberus' shoulder, but the price was her own life.
A long sword left a crimson line on her beautiful neck.

[‘Sigma Luche’ has eliminated ‘AT Valkyrie’.]
[‘AT Kelberos’ has eliminated ‘Sigma Camellia’.]

[There are few survivors in the maze.]

Cerberus exhaled harshly.

After going around in circles, he was back in front of Ga-wol.
The sword-wielding woman who had stood before him at the start of the match had not changed in appearance.
Her breathing was steady, not a single sleeve torn.

Ga-wol wasn’t unscathed either.
One of his team members had certainly died by her hands.
In fact, the end of his sleeve was slightly stained with blood from whoever she had just fought.

How was Cerberus in comparison?
A smug smile formed on his lips.

‘Really… so much higher.’

Unlike Ga-wol, who remained calm, Cerberus was exhausted.
His breath was heavy, and his body felt sluggish.
It meant he had made too many unnecessary moves.

In addition to fatigue, he had several injuries.
Camellia had stabbed his shoulder, and Ga-wol had caused injuries to his arm and chest.
The wound inflicted by Ga-wol was particularly severe.

What had he done to himself? The healing process was slow.
It wasn’t from system assistance—had it been, a debuff would have shown up on the UI.
It meant the wound was so badly damaged that it was difficult to heal.

Ga-wol’s sword was straight, and his curved blade was sharp.
It’s only natural that the cuts made by a high-level swordsman would be smooth.
The fact that they weren’t… meant that the sword had deliberately made the wound worse before pulling out.

“You look tired. Should I give you a moment to catch your breath?”
“No need. Looks like our berserker took a lot of damage, huh? Time’s not on my side either.”
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong… but I don’t like hearing excuses after losing.”
“Did I look that pathetic?”

Ga-wol responded with a smirk instead of a reply.
It was pointless to argue. The sharp sword spoke for him.
Cerberus was pleased with this answer.

In this match, Cerberus had certainly achieved a lot.
He had pushed Rika to the brink of being incapacitated, and inflicted considerable damage on Luche as well.

No one would blame Cerberus for his contributions.
But what did that mean?
Ga-wol had killed and cornered AT’s team members as well.

Yet, unlike Cerberus, Ga-wol had not suffered a single wound.
Cerberus relentlessly chased after Ga-wol.

[Passive: Perfection]
[When health is above 90%, all attack power increases by 8%. When above 95%, it increases by 11%.]
[Target: Sigma Ga-wol]

A massive hand targeted Ga-wol’s face.
When an important area like the face is targeted, one’s attention is naturally drawn there.
While his hand covered the view, Cerberus aimed for the midsection with his scimitar, targeting Ga-wol’s thigh.

Neither of them succeeded.
Ga-wol, who clearly focused on his opponent, had a broader field of vision.

With just one step, Ga-wol pulled back, narrowly avoiding Cerberus' reach.
The scimitar, pulled by Ga-wol’s blade, cut only the empty air and stopped.
Instead, Cerberus' thigh was the one that was sliced.

This was it.

A perfect sense of distance, without any deviation.
Knowing exactly where the weapon's force is applied, Ga-wol achieved his desired result with minimal interference.
It was an area that only Ga-wol had reached—one Cerberus had yet to catch up to.

“Ugh…!”

Cerberus still didn’t see it.
Where on the moving sword should he strike to control its path?
What kind of force was required for minimal interference, and where did Ga-wol’s demonic sense of distance come from?

The path wasn’t exactly visible.
Yet, Ga-wol still moved forward.

Predicting where the opponent would strike was something Cerberus could also do.
By avoiding directly watching the attack, Ga-wol used reflections in the mirrors and shadows to predict it.
By not giving Cerberus any visual clues, Ga-wol could at least fight on equal terms with the next strike.

A sword that moves honestly couldn’t escape Ga-wol’s predictions.
So, Cerberus switched his scimitar for a longsword.
The altered length and weight would throw off Ga-wol’s calculations.

At that moment, Cerberus advanced.

“Your growth is fast.”

Ga-wol’s sword had been waiting, piercing Cerberus’ neck.
Had it not landed? But, the next match…
In the dying man’s eyes, the flame of fighting spirit never extinguished.

[‘Sigma Ga-wol’ has eliminated ‘AT Kelberos’.]@@novelbin@@