Finally, the team created a 1v1 situation for Kai and TheLegend. Surely, that bastard was going to come out and fight her now! Except, the guy didn't budge.

Kai even briefly placed herself inside the tower area while her minions were tanking it. But, TheLegend ignored her and worked on clearing the minions first.

"Damn, what's going on with you guys?" Bruce ranted. "Zeph died, Bryan died, and now Dyl almost died. The fuck are y'all doing?"

"I warned you back then," Zeph shrugged. "These guys are better than you think. At least, the guy I'm fighting in lane is pretty damn high-level. To be honest, it doesn't even feel like I'm playing against a middle schooler."

"Bah, excuses." Bruce rolled his eyes.

"I agree with Zeph," Bryan tuned in. "These guys know a thing or two. I’m not saying they're better than us or anything, but they’re better than we expected. We gotta treat them like decent players. Seems like this year, Stratus ain't gonna be a free win like we thought."

"No way," Bruce insisted. "These guys got two chicks on the team and their captain is one too. Are you seriously telling me ya think these guys are good? Ain’t buying it."

"Then, how about you show us how it's done, boss?" Dylan suggested. "You're 1-on-1 with that chick, right? Kick her ass. Show us that these guys got nothing for us."

"Yeah, do it, big boy," Zeph added.

"Prove that you're a man," Bryan egged him as well.

"Heh," Bruce sneered. "That's the kinda low IQ thinking that's keeping you guys at low level. Yeah, a ‘1-on-1’, sure. Doncha see the two players in the Jungle over there? They can rotate here anytime. I ain't dealing with that."

"Fair enough," Dyl nodded and the rest agreed too.

"Heh, dumbasses," Bruce grinned triumphantly. "Ya gotta use that brain of yours sometimes, ya know?"

You’re the last person I want to hear this from. Bryan narrowed his eyes. The rest had similar thoughts.

At his core, Bruce was just a dumbass. But, he was pretty strong, both inside and outside the game. He had this something about him that made people follow his lead. That's what made him the leader of the gang. He wasn't the official captain of the team, but most people considered him such.

In theory, Raymond, the actual captain, was stronger. But, he rarely showed off his strength and he never boasted about it, so he didn't come across as a firm figure of authority. On the other hand, Bruce took any opportunity to stand out and pretend he was the hottest shit ever. So, at some point, everybody started believing he was really all that, even though, deep down, they knew he was just a show-off jackass.

Even in this shitty situation, you ain't gonna say anything, cap? Bryan threw a glance at Raymond. The number of words that came from the guy’s mouth since game-start could be counted on one hand. That was no way for a captain to be. That's why nobody genuinely respected Raymond as the captain and instead treated Bruce as the true top dog.

"Anyway, don’t worry," Bruce grinned at them. "Once I get a proper 1v1 situation, I'mma mop the floor with that chick. She gonna uninstall the game after I’m done with her, khaha!"

Meanwhile, on the other side, the waiting game continued.

"He's not coming," Kai muttered. "I don't get it. I thought he gonna attack me the first chance he gets."

"Yeah, it's a little odd," Yuel frowned. Based on the data he gathered on TheLegend, the guy was prideful and would take any opportunity to prove he was the best in the world. Even his IGN screamed that mentality. So, he should've jumped on the opportunity to fight Kai 1v1. And yet, TheLegend was avoiding combat. Why?

"Just a thought," Vincent started. "Maybe he's wary about me and the Vanishing Phantom being nearby?"

"Possible,” Yuel agreed. “He does come across as the type who pretends to be confident and aggressive, yet hides away at the first sign of danger.”

"Tch, so he's wussing on me?" Kai clicked her tongue. They finally arranged a great opportunity for Kai to 1v1 this bastard and get a kill, yet the bastard chickened out.

"I wouldn't say he's being a wuss," Yuel said. "It's a legit concern. I was considering asking Nia to gank Bot in case something goes wrong with the duel."

"Wait, you don't trust me to beat that bastard?"

"I..." Can't tell for sure, honestly. I don't know how strong he is. The last time they fought, they seemed pretty evenly matched. But, it was a wild brainless exchange of blows, so that data doesn’t work as a reference.

That was Yuel's objective analysis of the situation. But, his lips remained sealed. He had a gut feeling. If he shares his real opinion, it gonna set Kai off. It won't do the team any favors.

It was of utmost importance for the team to maintain high morale and good relationships. Yuel was there before, he witnessed StormBlitz's second-string crumbling apart due to internal arguments. The trigger for it was a couple of small in-fights, which accumulated into a huge blowout. Yuel refused to be a catalyst for another such tragedy.

"It was just plan B," Yuel said. "In case something goes wrong with the duel, I wanted Nia to be nearby and gank."

"So, you admit you don't 100% trust me to beat that fucker."

"Ugh..." What a tough customer this girl was.

"Don't worry about it, dude," Lars interjected. "Yuel always comes up with plan B, C, D, and all the way to Z probably. He always be trying to cover all possibilities like that."

"Yeah, I guess," Kai wasn't entirely convinced but she dropped the topic for now.

Kai seems very touchy about this fight. Yuel thought. Is it like a personal vendetta for her? That guy sure said some nasty things to her before the match, so I get where she's coming from.

There was still one way to arrange her desired 1v1. However, it involved a risk. Yuel had to completely trust Kai to come on top in the fight, or else she’ll wind up dead.

Well, we got some leverage here, so we can take a risk or two. Yuel thought. Not exactly the healthiest way to come up with plays, but they had breathing room to act a little wilder than normal. No to mention, if Kai nails this one and the team gets yet another kill, they’ll pretty much have the match in the bag at that point. Such an overwhelming early-game advantage will be nigh impossible to overcome.

"There's one way we can reassure their Pirate that we won't gank," Yuel said. "Nia, Vincent, do you mind rotating together to Mid? Let's see if we can start a big push there."

"Works for me," Vincent said.

"Um, I don't have any skills," Nia pointed out. She spent her entire kit on the recent gank against the Lionfolk, so everything was on cooldown.

"It's okay, I don't expect you to get a kill there," Yuel said. "I just want you to help push the Turret there, since Lars isn't making much progress."

"Hey, hey!" Lars objected. "I'm totally winning here! Believe it, yo!"

"Anyway," Yuel continued. "The goal isn’t to get a kill, but just to get lane advantage. Also, I want you to rotate along this path." He drew on the mini-map.

"This looks predictable as heck," Nia commented.

"Yes, that's exactly the point,” Yuel nodded. “They probably got a ward around here, so they'll see you rotating. That'll reassure their Pirate that you won't be ganking him while he’s fighting Kai."

"Oh, such brilliant thinking!" Vincent made noise. "In this cold war with radio silence, you invented an encrypted system that can deliver a message to our foes!"

"Let's do it," Kai supported it without thinking twice. "You’re game?"

"Yes, I'm ready to dictate myself to this cause," Vincent saluted.

"Ok," Nia nodded.

The duo traveled through Bot Jungle toward Mid, running along the route Yuel drew for them. It was 99% guaranteed that at least one ward will spot them along the way, so the enemy will be alert.

"Look, they're rotating to Mid," Bryan pointed out. "Ray, they're coming after you."

"Hrm, I see," Raymond began retreating right away.

"You know what this means, right?" Zeph snickered. "These guys ain't gonna be ganking Bot any time soon. So, you got the 1-on-1 you wanted, Bruce."

"Hell yeah, I did!" Bruce grinned. "Time to show y'all scrubs how this shit is done for real!"

He took the bait. Kai's eyes glinted dangerously. This was it, the fight she has been waiting for. She could feel her heartbeat quicken. This was one enemy she absolutely couldn't lose against, no matter what. She gonna mop the floor with this bastard's ugly face!

The Pirate ran straight at her. As soon as he was about to step into her range, Kai fired a spear.

"F-Fuck!” Bruce couldn’t sidestep in time. He wasn’t expecting an attack from this distance. Shouldn’t the spear whiff from this far? Unfortunately, it didn’t. It hit him with the tip of its range. “Shit, I’mma kill yo ass!"

Bruce fired back. However, his counter whiffed. "How the fuck did that miss!? Game, pls!"

A split moment later, another spear darted at him. He reacted too late. The spear pierced his chest.

Shit, what's going on!? Bruce roared internally. This was bullshit. It ain't happening! Was he gonna allow some chick to make fun of him like this? No way!

"Die, you bitch!" Bruce pulled the trigger. However, his bullet missed again. How!? His aim was on point! It definitely was! Yet, for some damn reason, the bullet didn’t connect. It almost grazed the Impaler, but it didn't touch her. It's as if some invisible force moved the bullet away to make it miss. Why!? How!?

Alright, he's flustered. Kai could tell from the way the Pirate was twitching. For the avatar to spasm like this, it meant the player’s mouse control was unstable. Players like that were the easiest to read. When they stopped shaking and took careful aim, it meant an attack was about to come out. It was so hilariously telegraphed.

BAM. A bullet came flying at her, but she already sidestepped it the moment the Pirate took aim. He wasn't calm enough to notice her movements and adjust his aim at the last moment, so that bullet was going to whiff.

Without wasting any time worrying about it, Kai countered by hurling a spear. The enemy's attack whiffed, but hers connected perfectly. Counter hit! Too bad that clean counter hits like these didn't deal bonus damage in this game.

"Oh, there it is!" Vincent shouted loudly into the mic so everybody could hear. "The Rhythm Reader has awakened! With its power, Beat will dodge each and every shot flying her way!"

"T-That ain't happening! I didn't whiff that! I didn't do that shit!" Bruce moved erratically. What the flying fuck was going on here!? All these shots should've connected! He knew he placed them right!

Yet, not a single one landed. He has already missed four shots and ate four counters in the face. He was already down to 30% HP. How did that shit happen!?

"Heh, so much for 'showing us how it is done'," Zeph sneered.

"S-Shut up!" Bruce had the urge to punch that fucker till he breaks the guy's nose. This was bullshit! This ain't happening! It ain't real!

"You may want to retreat," Raymond suggested.

"Shut the fuck up! I got this shit!" Bruce insisted and fired again. However, the shot didn't connect. Why!?!? FUCKINSHITDIEBTICH!!!

Am I legit gonna lose? To some scrubby chick!? Bruce gritted his teeth. He refused to accept such a reality. It was nonsense. This wasn't real life. It had to be some sort of mistake. This bitch must be hella lucky. Yeah, that's it! She’s just moving randomly like a scrub and that’s throwing me off. That’s how she “dodges” my shit. She's winning thanks to scrub luck!

Bruce explained the bizarre phenomena to the best of his ability. There had to be some cheap trick to it. After all, he'd never lose to some basic bitch like that. This Impaler chick was just lucky this fight, that’s all.

So, Bruce ain't losing. It was all bad luck. Yeah, that's all there was to it. Therefore, he shouldn't feel bad about making a tactical retreat. After all, this fight wasn’t even fair.

I'm out of this bullshittery! He activated Backfire Cannon and aimed it at the Impaler bitch. Good thing I kept this bad boy just in case. He originally planned to chase the Impaler with it once she starts feeling. But, in the end, he needed it himself to run away- Ahem, to tactically retreat! Yes, this was just a tactical retreat! It was smart! This bullshit situation was no place to stay in.

Running away!? Kai summoned an Iron Maiden behind the Pirate as soon as she heard the metallic sound of a cannon. She instantly grasped the situation. Her enemy was planning to escape the scene with the help of his cannon. Over my dead body!

"I'll get you next time, bitch!" Bruce fired the cannon off. The recoil sent him flying across the lane! At least, it should've done that. But, for some reason, his flight was cut short. Like, hella short. He barely moved back at all!

"Huh? Haha, what?" Bruce had no idea how to even begin reacting to this bullshit. First, his bullets refused to hit the target he was shooting. Now, even his Backfire Cannon didn't work as intended. Did this stupid game bug out or something? Why the fuck was all this shit happening to him this fight!?

It's over. Kai fired Impale. The giant spear rammed into the Pirate and shoved him into the Iron Maiden. The torture machine swallowed the Pirate whole and executed him.

『You have killed an enemy!』

She did it. She really did it. This was Kai’s first kill on the competitive stage. And, it was a kill on the most despicable scumbag from the enemy team, the bastard who called Kai trash.

"Who's trash now, huh? Huh!?" Kai lifted her chin. It was over. She prevailed against that bastard and proved her worth. In fact, she kicked his ass without getting hit even once. It was a perfect win! That's how much of a loser that guy was.

"Marvelous! Beat scored a PERFECT on TheLegend!" Vincent commentated. "Stratus is leading 3 to 0! Will they ride that momentum all the way to victory!? Who will the goddess of victory smile upon!?"

"Oh, shut up already," Kai cracked a laugh. But really, the team was doing great this match. Taurus was supposed to be a decent team, but so far Stratus has been mopping the floor with these losers. The game was still in its early stages, but everybody could already smell the victory.

We won. Yuel concluded. He could already see the checkmate from this position. It still required a little extra work from here, but it was an almost guaranteed checkmate.

Early kills on Dark Knight and Pirate were a big deal. Both classes wanted to get ahead as fast as possible during the early-game, but these kills set them back. In particular, the Dark Knight was done for. He might still pose some trouble for a while with his early-game strength, but it was already guaranteed he won’t become a threat during mid-game.

As for the Pirate, it was a class that started underpowered and relied on its passive to gain an incremental gold advantage. Once said advantage grew big enough to get ahead in the item build, Pirate could finally overpower the opposition. Unfortunately for TheLegend, being dead played against any such plans. He couldn’t farm while dead, so instead of getting ahead, he was only lagging farther and farther behind.

By cutting the enemy’s manpower so sharply, Stratus secured themselves the high ground. Unless they commit some grave mistake in the upcoming minutes, a defeat was unlikely. Their worst enemy at this point could only be their own arrogance, so Yuel had to make sure nobody felt overconfident or too relaxed. They should proceed safely and steadily, without any unnecessary risks.

If they keep doing so, they’ll eventually corner their enemies and get the win. No matter how Yuel looked at it, this was a checkmate. They were about to blast through their first competitive game as a team!