Chapter 1352: A Map Suited to Phantom Demons
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
The Pseudo Silver equipment might have cost huge expenses in materials, but since they weren’t trying to achieve the best possible stats, the requirements for the materials weren’t quite as high. For Orange equipment stats, even rare materials were rarely needed. This solved a huge problem. After all, no matter high level or not, rare materials were limited in number and held great value. Yet now, with low requirements for rare materials, most of the other materials were easily obtainable from their guilds. Anything else they lacked weren’t something they couldn’t buy with a little money.
Sixteen pieces.
That was the answer Ye Xiu obtained when he came asking about it. They had already produced sixteen pieces of Pseudo Silver equipment. From nothing to this was impressive, terrifying even, progress. Thus, Happy decided to forgo switching their new equipment in for now.
May 1st, Round 33 of the Pro League began. Though Void had drawn attention with their “Plan of Counterattack”, however, this analysis made by attentive and hopeful fans, was more anticipation than anything. In the Round 33, it was clear that the match between Thunderclap and Wind Howl was the hottest topic, and it naturally became the match to be live broadcasted.
However, none of the fans that came to the stadium cared about that. Banners, signs, they practically flooded Void’s home stadium. For Void, this was like an early finals. If they lost, this season would end here for them. If they won, then they might still have a chance.
Amidst the cheering, the players entered the stage, their accounts projected one after the other in the center of the stage. To Happy, Void’s fans weren’t all that friendly. For one, the match was crucial, and second, Happy had beaten Void 10 to 0 last time.
Though a 10 to 0 and a 9 to 1 only had one point of difference, but they held two completely different meanings. A 10 to 0 was a flawless victory, a true sweep. It was equal to getting a perfect in a PK. The victorious side would be showered in glory and the losing side would be humiliated. No team’s fans would be as naive as to not hate someone after such a humiliation.
Team Happy’s members settled in their seats amidst the ear-piercing jeers of the fans. However, they had already experienced over thirty matches, with over ten of them away games. Happy’s players wouldn’t be scared by this. No matter how scary it was, it couldn’t compare to Tyranny. They had already experienced Tyranny’s home stadium.
The pre-match preparations came to an end and soon the time for the match arrived. For Team Happy, Ye Xiu was sent out, as expected. As for Team Void? All the fans were curious as to who their team would send out to beat Ye Xiu and his 31 consecutive victories. But… Li Xuan!
When the name appeared on the big screen, the entire stadium went into uproar. What was going on? Was it becoming fashionable for captains to challenge Ye Xiu recently?
Wind Howl’s Tang Hao, Royal Style’s Tian Sen, they had both done it, and now, their captain, the Number One Phantom Demon, Li Xuan, had stepped up to the challenge, too.
“Good luck, captain!” The stadium had erupted into cheering.
Fielding their captain was a display of Void’s courage and confidence. However, if he lost, then that was sure to be a huge blow to their morale. Li Xuan’s Crying Devil was a Phantom Demon, too, a class that was more on the supporting side. Yet, he had stepped up in this moment.
The two entered their booths and their characters were loaded into the map. The match soon began.
A Phantom Demon’s map choice naturally wouldn’t tilt the scales in Ye Xiu’s favour. This map was a town with many alleyways, perfect for a Phantom Demon’s Ghost Boundary’s AoE effects and damage.
Seeing the map, Ye Xiu naturally understood Li Xuan’s intentions. Lord Grim very uncharacteristically didn’t head straight for the center of the map, instead choosing to move strategically.
The two characters, one took the left path, the other took the right. Once they were at the center, they looked out and neither of them saw the other.
“Huh? How come you’ve switched playstyles today?” Li Xuan asked in the public chat. In one on one matches, Ye Xiu had maintained a simple and brutal style, charging right into the center, hunting down his target and beating them into a pulp.
“Your map choice is too much! If you left even a slight opening, you think I’d have to resort to this?” Ye Xiu replied.
Li Xuan paused for a moment and then realized that Ye Xiu wasn’t just trash talking. For this map of choice, even the area at the center of the map was just the right size for Crying Devil to cover as a Phantom Demon. He really didn’t leave any room for his opponent. Under these circumstances, his opponent definitely wouldn’t be able fight in such a straightforward manner any more. Playing dirty was pretty much his only choice.
“Hahaha, next time, next time.” Even as Li Xuan wasted his breath with Ye Xiu, he began to pay more attention to what was behind him. He had chosen this map and was naturally very familiar with it. It took but a moment for him to analyze the routes his opponent could take to get behind him. It was a one on one map, after all, so it wouldn’t be very large; it’s complexity was therefore also limited.
Where would his opponent be? Just as Li Xuan was considering this, he heard the sound of cannonfire. Looking up, he saw a character fly into the air. Apart from Lord Grim, who else could it be? The other wouldn’t just stay in the alleyways and wait for death, so he jumped right onto the roof.
This playstyle wasn’t unexpected to Li Xuan. The alleyways were narrow. In comparison, the rooftops were much more wide and open.
Lord Grim turned this view on the rooftop. Li Xuan didn’t make his presence known. In a direct confrontation, there was little chance his Phantom Demon would be able to take on the powerful Unspecialized! Thus, this match would rely on tactics. He had to find a chance and CC Lord Grim for good. He couldn’t let him escape; he had to take him down in one go.
Thus, the first strike was critical. This strike may very well decide the entire battle. Li Xuan wouldn’t act without 100 percent certainty. However, if he kept waiting like this, it wasn’t like opportunity would just come to him. Li Xuan considered his options for a moment before letting Crying Devil stick his head up into Lord Grim’s field of vision for a moment.
“I see you!” The message jumped out and light flashed. Lord Grim was already launching attacks over at him. Anti-Tank Missiles, the three artillery shells shot over.
It wasn’t anything that could threaten him. Li Xuan easily had Crying Devil charge and dodge the attack, heading towards Lord Grim.
Ye Xiu, naturally, wasn’t afraid of close combat. Seeing his opponent approach him, it was exactly what he wanted. Lord Grim didn’t enter the alleyways, remaining on the rooftops as he approached.
Bang, bang bang…
Currently, Lord Grim was the only one who could attack. He shot normal attacks at Crying Devil as he leaped across the rooftops. These attacks were nothing significant, and it didn’t matter even if Crying Devil didn’t dodge. The two characters, after sneaking to the center, suddenly decided to show themselves one after the other and charge right at one another. Considering this, their earlier actions seemed completely wasteful.
Finally, the two characters were mid range from each other, and Lord Grim gained more usable attack methods. As for Crying Devil, his Ghost Boundaries were finally in range. However, face to face, there was no point in trying to unleash Ghost Boundaries. Ghost Boundaries required casting. If they didn’t control their distance and used them in a head on confrontation, then it’d definitely be interrupted. Currently, Crying Devil and Lord Grim were a little closer, and it didn’t seem like the former had any chance to summon a Ghost Boundary. But that was when Crying Devil suddenly swerved and entered Lord Grim’s blind spot.
However, Ye Xiu was very experienced. Even just from this view, he could guess what the terrain was like in his blind spot. Standing above, his mind rapidly constructed the possible route Crying Devil had used the blind spot to take. However, he couldn’t grasp the other’s movement speed.
Not being able to grasp the other’s movement speed meant that he couldn’t estimate his opponent’s position. Even if he could calculate the routes his opponent might take, Ye Xiu couldn’t make a precise judgement. He really wasn’t that familiar with this map, otherwise he’d be able to figure out where the other might attack from through sheer experience. Right now, Ye Xiu could only use what was in front of him to make a vague judgement.
There?
Ye Xiu glanced at a spot and immediately had Lord Grim charge over. He still didn’t come down, remaining on the rooftops. He would jump over what gaps he could and those he couldn’t, he’d jump down then right back up…
As he advanced, he continued to turn his view, looking out for any hints of Crying Devil.
A figure suddenly flashed in his periphery. Ye Xiu immediately had Lord Grim come to a stop. That position, that direction, it was off from Ye Xiu’s prediction. Where was his opponent trying to go?
He had yet to come to a conclusion when another figure suddenly flickered into view.
How come he’s come to this side now?
Ye Xiu turned around, observing the two places Crying Devil appeared, unable to figure out his opponent’s intentions.
Was he just taking a longer route to hide his actual goal? Ye Xiu didn’t think it was so simple. This seemed more like a trap, baiting him into investigating further. Thus, after Ye Xiu had Lord Grim carefully take a good look at the surrounding terrain, he stopped moving.
Li Xuan had Crying Devil run and run, popping out here and there. All this trouble, only to find that his opponent had stopped moving.
Crying Devil once again walked out of Lord Grim’s blind spot, giving the other a clear view. However, he only saw the other turn to look, not move.
“That’s enough of that. You can stop. I’m not going over,” Ye Xiu said in the chat.
“If you don’t come over, how are we going to fight?” Li Xuan saw that his opponent was far too experienced and cunning. He was running around, but the other just watched him like some sort of circus monkey, not bothering to move. Thus, Li Xuan also gave up.
“You come over,” Ye Xiu suggested.
“No way, I can’t fight you while you’re over there like that,” Li Xuan replied.
“Then give me a place you can fight in. We’ll go over,” Ye Xiu replied.
“I like where I am now.”
“Then perish the thought.”
“What about we roll die? We’ll take the numbers we roll as coordinates and go over,” Li Xuan suggested.
“Sure, you go first!” Ye Xiu said.
“Ok,” Li Xuan agreed and then really did roll in the chat.
34!
Li Xuan’s number had been rolled.
“Your turn,” he messaged.
And so this time it was Lord Grim rolling dice in the chat.
41! “34, 41. There,” li Xuan said.
“I was already moving when 34 was rolled. Haven’t you realized I’ve disappeared?” Ye Xiu replied.
“I’ve realized for a while now,” Li Xuan said.
“Because I already knew you’d roll a 34,” Ye Xiu said.
“I knew that you would know,” Li Xuan said.
“Really? Then guess where I am now,” Ye Xiu said.
Li Xuan didn’t reply, because he had to keep his attention on his surroundings and not the chat. He knew that Lord Grim had already approached Crying Devil.