A new minion wave arrived, and as usual, Apprentece extended into enemy territory in order to delete the bowmen first. Then, he proceeded to bash the swordsmen with his huge sledgehammer.

It's as if the word "fear" didn't exist in this guy's dictionary. Even with Nia hanging around Top Jungle, Apprentece didn't think twice about clearing the lane so aggressively.

Well, it makes sense to an extent. Ben thought. He's playing Orc, so he has to be aggressive in the early-game. I never understood how people can play so boldly, but it's a valid approach.

Ben's Druid was unable to contest the aggressive Orc whatsoever. Not to mention, Apprentece was so good at this job that he cleared the minions before Nia even had the opportunity to gank.

As such, as risky as all of this seemed, this risky farming technique was actually relatively safe for Apprentece. But, that should be the end of the line for him.

If he extends any further, he'll become a gank target. Ben thought. Last time, he retreated here, so I'm sure he'll do it again- wha!?

WHISH! The Orc rolled across the ground all of a sudden!

W-Why!? Ben froze in place. He failed to process the scene in front of him. Apprentece was rolling ahead of his minion army, right toward Ben! How come!?

BAM! A hammer crashed into Ben right as Apprentece finished the roll!

In his confusion, Ben couldn't respond to the sudden development at all. It's only after the hammer struck him that he finally woke up from the mental stun.

I-I have to retreat! Ben rolled away from the scene, toward his side of the lane. O-Okay, safe. Or, am I?

Clank. Clank. Clank. Heavy metal footsteps resounded behind him. Apprentece was giving chase!?

Is he planning to chase me all the way to the tower!? Ben gulped. There's no way, right? Nia is nearby, so he can't overextended like this… right?

Nonetheless, the footsteps grew louder and louder. The Orc was definitely getting closer and closer.

D-Do I use my shield!? I need it to tank the minions, but I'm already down to half-health...

In just a couple more hits, Ben will drop to a critical HP level. At that point, he'd have no choice but to recall to base, leaving the lane entirely exposed to this vicious pusher.

I can't get hit again. Ben gulped. But, from this distance, he'll have no problem reaching me with the scourge.

In fact, it was a bit surprising that Apprentece hadn’t opened this entire attack with Scourge, as that’s the move he pulled last round.

Maybe he's conserving MP? Ben wondered. He surely won’t push the tower this time around, so maybe that’s why he’s not hurrying to use it. Still, he might use it if I don't shield myself...!

And so, Ben cast Gaia's Protection on himself. It was a bit premature, but he had to protect himself from any further damage. Dropping any lower than 50% was bad news.

And yet, despite Ben fortifying himself, the metal sounds behind him didn't die down. Clank. Clank. Clank. The Orc drew ever closer.

He doesn’t scourge me, but he's still chasing? Ben gulped. What did I do to deserve this anxiety...

He felt like a hapless rabbit with a vicious wolf breathing down his neck. The opponent had the ability to stun him in place and ravage him thoroughly, yet the guy was apparently conserving his MP and giving a simple chase instead. It’s almost as if Apprentece was playing with his food, which made the situation feel that much more terrifying.

Fortunately, Yuel picked up on the situation without Ben even saying anything.

“Nia, gank Top,” Yuel ordered.

“Hmm. Ok.” Nia advanced toward the lane as ordered, but she had a difficult expression. “Is this a good idea? It feels kinda weird.”

“What does, exactly?”

“Well, I’m not sure I understand what’s going on here.”

“What do you mean?” Yuel raised an eyebrow. “The Orc is overextending to chase Ben, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he plans to push the tower as well.”

“Yeah, but why?” Nia tilted her head. “He should know I’m here, right?”

“Maybe he didn’t notice, or maybe he forgot about you. That seems to happen to some players who play against you.”

“Hmm, but…” Nia twisted her lips. Something felt off about all of this. “I don’t think I erased my presence yet. And, I’m pretty sure they warded at least one of the areas I passed through.”

“The wards could’ve expired,” Yuel suggested. “We’re already getting to the point in the game where wards have to be replaced, so it wouldn’t be strange.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Nia wasn’t convinced in the slightest. None of this aligned with how she perceived her own status in this game.

As far as Nia could tell, the Leopards were as vigilant as in the last game. It felt like they placed fewer wards this time around, but they nonetheless monitored all the important spots. Therefore, it was inconceivable that they weren’t aware of the fact she was currently in Top Jungle.

But if that was the case, then why was Apprentece overextending like this? Wasn’t he supposed to be some super mega ultra pro-level player?

“It’s also possible that he’s aware of everything and is taking a gamble of some sort,” Yuel suggested. “He’s probably underestimating you and Ben, so he expects to get away with this. Honestly, that sounds like the most likely scenario to me.”

“Cocky.”

“Yeah, you can say that again.” Yuel smiled wryly. “That’s why we can’t let him get away with this.”

“Right.” Nia nodded in agreement.

Yes, we definitely can’t let him get away with a push like this. Yuel repeated. Even if it’s a trap of some sort, we have to attack him.

The possibility of a trap wasn't entirely out of the question, so Yuel had to consider it as well. With that said, he didn’t deem it necessary to share this conspiracy theory with Nia.

She already seems unsure about the entire thing, so no need to add fuel to the fire. Yuel reasoned. In the end, even if Apprentece is plotting something in a situation like this, we have no choice but to bust through his ploy.

Stratus had every advantage in this situation, no two ways about it. Yuel analyzed the board state from top to bottom, but he couldn’t think of a single decisive play the Leopards could go for to turn the tables on Nia.

The most likely scenario would be a counter-gank. Yuel reasoned. But, Winner is on his way to the Griffin Camp, almost as if he knows it’s up for grabs right now.

That was curious in its own right. If it’s true, then how did Winner reach the conclusion that going after the Griffins now was a strong play? Did he expect Nia to keep hanging around Top? If so, it meant he and the rest of the Leopards were fully aware of her current position.

Or, maybe he just forgot to factor in her presence. Yuel shrugged. It sounds silly, but it’s a very real possibility when it comes to Nia.

Regardless, the fact remained that, with Winner out of the picture. nobody was around to assist Apprentece with a counter-gank. Therefore, even if Appretnece was plotting something, he was still going to put himself in a 1v2 situation by going through with that push.

To me, this reeks of an underestimation. Yuel thought. I have the feeling he thinks he'll get away scot-free from this. So, let's prove him wrong.

And so, following the instructions, Nia navigated through the Jungle and reached Top. The next step was to summon her phantasm and cloak herself in invisibility. Then, she'll be able to strike down that cocky Korean player for sure!

... or, will she?