novelraw Chapter 172 : No Matter the Matchup (3)
Chapter 172 : No Matter the Matchup (3)
No Matter the Matchup (3)
The Elemental Shrine, true to its name as the "Shrine of Elements," was a place that exuded a mysterious atmosphere.
The types of elementals spawned there fell into four main categories: Earth, storm, magma, and Iceberg.
Depending on the randomly generated elemental, the appearance of the location would change, making it possible to guess the elemental type even from a distance.
For this reason, viewers were able to determine the elemental attribute that Lee Gyeongbok had to defeat.
― Ah, lol, look at the dust blowing."
― Of all things, why did it have to be Earth Elemental!"
― This is pure bad luck, damn, lol."
Earthen mounds with brown dust, stone flowers blooming from the ground, and a shrine of enormous stones set like dolmens.
Crouched in front of it was a hulking, headless rock giant.
― Can Barzan's damage actually go through on this?"
― If it's Earth, that means defense and stamina, so it'll be tough;;"
― On top of that, barzan deals water damage, so it's even less effective, lol."
― Barzan can still deal magic damage from the frontline, though!"
― Dude, lol, that's a one-time use!"
Viewers shared their concern again. Any other attribute might be fine, but Earth Elemental was strong against physical attacks.
― Shouldn't DD join in right now?"
― Yeah, if it's DD's magic damage, it should be doable."
― What's Genome doing! Doesn't he see the minimap?!"
The viewers suggested Genome should join. Before Lee Gyeongbok could respond, a message popped up in front of him.
[〉Boss? Am I going out for fieldwork?]
It seemed Genome had made the same judgment as the viewers. Lee Gyeongbok replied with a hint of laughter in his voice.
"It's fine. If two people join in something one person can handle, that's just a waste of manpower."
His refusal stirred the viewers. But Lee Gyeongbok didn't stop there.
"Instead, everyone, prepare to push your lanes. I'll give the signal before I take the buff."
His command, as if the buff acquisition was a certainty, turned the viewers' murmurs into laughter.
― That crazy Purple confidence, lol."
― Don't trust matchups! Trust in Godple!"
― Honestly, perfazan is on another level, I'm just saying."
― Spoiler) It's gonna work anyway."
― Lol, honestly, I'm more curious about how he pulls it off."
― Nice troopers shouldn't try this at home!"
Lee Gyeongbok immediately threw the flag.
With the skill aptly named "Declaration of War," the rock giant rose to its feet.
The battle began as his spear shot forth like a bullet and hit its mark.
― Oh?"
― The stamina's going down surprisingly well?"
― Is this the true strength of Perfazan?"
Once Lee Gyeongbok's attack began, the Earth Elemental's stamina dropped more quickly than expected. Still, most viewers remained skeptical.
― Barzan initiates well, sure."
― But his passive fades away pretty fast, sigh."
― Looks better because the damage is proportionate to stamina, lol."
― If the trade goes any longer, it's gonna get tough."
― And that's why another person would help..."
― Elemental attacks being AoE is another huge disadvantage."
True to their worries, the Earth Elemental began a counterattack. Its rocky body broke apart, floating then furiously spinning.
Viewers were shocked.
― ?"
― What the? What's happening?"
― Wait;;; Am I really seeing this right?"
― Dude, lol, is this even possible?!"
― Did he dodge all that?"
Lee Gyeongbok's stamina hadn't moved a millimeter. Even in the middle of the raging rock storm, he not only dodged the attacks, but used the flying boulders as stepping stones to continue his assault.
― Hyung! That's Mystic! Not Demerc!"
― Come on! Stylish action belongs to another house!"
― Wait;;; Wasn't Demerc only possible because of skill compensation?"
― Oh, lol, he's got movement speed buff, though."
― Dude, how can you compare that to this!"
-(Kemalcon)(Kemalcon)(Kemalcon)
― Does it make sense? No. If Purple did it? Then it does."
― Lol, Purple's done it again."
But the amazing part didn't stop there.
"About 10 seconds until buff. Start pushing lines."
With non-stop attacks, the Earth Elemental's stamina continued to drop rapidly.
Even while reading the incoming attacks, Lee Gyeongbok never forgot to keep track of the map and give commands.
― Is he really giving orders from there?"
― Look at those eyes!"
― Is this what you call a Perfect-Order? What have I been doing all this time?"
― Lol, that's why I don't follow just any order!"
― That's just trolling, though."
― Troll caught in the act."
― Wait;;; how's he defeating the elemental this fast!"
― Sometimes it takes three people and it's still chaos, yet soloing is faster like this."
― Common sense just got destroyed again, lol."
The anxiety from moments ago vanished like a lie, replaced with sheer excitement.
And just as Lee Gyeongbok had said, the Earth Elemental fell quickly.
He picked up the brown core that emerged from the crumbled rock pile.
[Elemental Buff – Essence of Earth]
[All team members' defense and stamina increase.]
[Using the essence loses the buff, but grants a shield.]
As soon as the explanation popped up, Lee Gyeongbok repeated his order.
"Start tearing down the towers."
The change was immediate.
Just as Lee Gyeongbok had commanded, teammates pushed forward on their lanes and engaged enemy champions.
Until a moment ago, the opposing team was relaxed. They were fighting near their towers, waiting for a 'kill angle.'
Willing to take some damage, they focused on exchanging damage.
"What the...?!"
"That's the Essence?!"
"This fast?!"
The situation flipped at once.
Just when they thought it was over, the buff came in and Lee Gyeongbok's teammates had their stamina restored.
With increased defense too, the enemy couldn't calculate the damage correctly.
As a result, it was now the opponents who were in danger, staring down at a sudden 'counter-kill angle.'
[GENOME: True Jinsun is truth itself]
[ECLIPSE: True Jinmae tastes great]
Genome and Eclipse didn't miss the opportunity.
[〉We have fulfilled the king's command!]
[〉Secured results!]
Filled with satisfaction, the two of them typed in chat. However, the bottom lane duo wasn't as skilled as them.
[〉Ah, sorry. We missed it......]
[〉We survived, though.]
Lee Gyeongbok checked the results and quickly responded.
"That can happen. It's okay. Just finish taking down the tower at bottom."
― Wow, even with that, they couldn't get it, almost typed it^^"
― I *almost* typed it, gross lol"
― About to blame them, but changed my mind because Godple spoke up, lol"
― Everyone hands off the keyboard!"
― Now I see how Mystic usually acts!"
The chat became noisy for a moment, but calmed quickly. Those who wanted to criticize the bottom duo deleted their messages thanks to Lee Gyeongbok's swift reply.
'Genome hyung will handle the rest.'
There was no need to aggravate things by mentioning related messages. Instead, Lee Gyeongbok brought up another topic.
"Everyone did great. Even if Eli respawns, we're still at 5:3, right? Let's get ready for the team fight."
― Non-stop orders, what's up with that?"
― That's right, perfect-Captain never rests!"
― Black Company trait) There's no break time."
― Lol, was this Black Company too? lol"
― Today's theme fits perfectly, lol"
― ???: No time to hesitate!"
At Lee Gyeongbok's prompt, viewers refocused.
"Since the minions are pushing lanes, everyone finish your item builds and return. We'll regroup and end the game together."
[〉Orders acknowledged!]
[〉Woohoo! Shopping time!]
[〉Yup! Got it!]
[〉I won't make the same mistake this time!]
― Lol, genome's out of his mind"
― Woohoo, lol"
― Ah, I'm ready to submit my resignation, lol"
― Such a clown."
― Show some reliability like Ecl, people!"
The team followed the instruction at once. While the viewers enjoyed it, Lee Gyeongbok moved to the mid lane with the minions.
He had already dealt with the tower in front of the base, but the enemy wouldn't step out so easily.
― Aren't they going to defend? Not even now?"
― No way, totally impossible, lol"
― For real, their vision's all blocked, right? So scary, lol"
― Honestly, even without other enemies, if it's Godple, you can't push up, lol"
― If you lose at 2:1, the game's done"
― Then it's a free pass to the base, lol"
With lanes dominated and the minimap vision limited, it was possible Lee Gyeongbok might be a decoy, making them reluctant to act.
Thanks to that, Lee Gyeongbok was able to quickly finish tearing down the towers.
Watching his teammates returning via the minimap, he spoke.
"The strategy is very simple. It won't be difficult."
The explanation that followed was indeed brief. But the reaction was far from it.
[〉Boss? You're really going to do that? Let's go, immediately!]
[〉I'm concerned for my lord's safety, but I trust you, my liege!]
[〉Wow... if this works, it's going to be insane.]
[〉Can this really work?]
Even the team was buzzing.
― Absolutely Crazy Plan"
― And Genome, lol, immediately latching on"
― For real, as long as he's not in danger himself, lol"
― But with Godple, maybe it really can be done?"
― Ah, this is the 'Perfect-Plan'!"
― If you're on the receiving end, it must feel surreal, lol"
― What is it, a clip! Time for a clip!"
― Highlight Clip (Full video)"
― Is this really a clip if you don't cut anything, lol"
― But every moment is a highlight!"
The viewers were astonished too.
But beneath that surprise was an expectation: If it's Purple, he can do it.
* * *
Resurrected, elephant let out a deep sigh.
'His judgment, initiative, and above all, trust... Everything was perfect.'
Even while dead, he had kept watch over the situation. Because of that, he could easily guess the entire sequence was driven by Lee Gyeongbok's commands.
'Mid and top both died and we were pushed up to the base. Now there's no point in trying to mark Purple exclusively.'
He addressed the bottom duo, who were looking to him.
"For now, I'll handle calls again. Honestly, there's nothing to do now except a tower hug..."
With the situation at 3:5, venturing outside the base was out of the question. The only choice was to focus on defense until slain teammates respawned.
"They definitely won't miss this opportunity. If a team fight breaks out, of course we'll lose. But if we hold on, there's hope."
"Hope?"
"If we hold out at the Temple tower until the others revive, there's a chance at a comeback. So, number one is survival, and number two is protecting the tower."
His explanation seemed to bring resolve even to the previously pale bottom duo. There was nowhere left to retreat.
"They'll be here soon. So, get ready—"
Before Elephant could finish, a red flash blinked on the minimap—an alert signaling the start of a fight.
Arriving with the advancing mid lane minions, Lee Gyeongbok showed up.
There was something odd, though.
"... What the?"
"Why is he alone?"
Only Lee Gyeongbok had invaded the base. Elephant raised his hand to stop the other two.
"He might be a decoy. Stay by the base."
If they advanced to fight him, there was a chance the enemies might attack from other lanes.
But Elephant soon had to revise his words.
"He really is alone...?"
There was fighting between minions on other lanes, and their vision confirmed no other enemy champions. The other two men stole glances at each other—should they go for the kill?
"No, it's too... it's too blatant, it makes me suspicious. Let's just stick to tower hugging as planned."
There was no way to know what the opponent was thinking. That itself was a reason to stick to the plan.
The next one to take the initiative was Lee Gyeongbok.
"Dodge it!"
He threw his flag at them. There was enough distance that dodging itself wasn't difficult.
Still, they couldn't relax: right after the flag, Lee Gyeongbok's spear came flying in.
The flag landed between the three, and Lee Gyeongbok teleported right next to it.
'Alone? What the hell...!'
'Well then!'
'We have to catch him!'
Words weren't needed.
Elephant had a bad feeling but had no other way. Along with the Temple tower, the three started attacking Lee Gyeongbok.
Shells, projectiles, and sharp claws flew at him.
Amidst it all, Lee Gyeongbok smiled leisurely and threw his helm.
'That's—?!'
Elephant's eyes widened.
A flash burst out from Lee Gyeongbok's body, sending a shockwave that pushed all of them back.
At that moment the ground shook, and walls sprang up all around.
Walls decorated with Barzan's flag emblem and portraits of kings wearing a similar crown.
"He's holding a coronation...!?"
"Ultimate?!"
"How?"
The three steadied themselves, stunned.
Barzan II's ultimate, "Rightful Coronation," had activated. It conjured walls to partition insiders from outsiders, and Barzan received a buff based on the number of people trapped inside.
But the reason they were surprised was something else.
"Fifty times on the frontline, already?"
"Wait, is that even possible?"
"Isn't this a bug?"
Because of the ultimate's condition: it required hitting enemies with "King of the Vanguard," a CC skill, fifty times—using the afterimage.
That's why Barzan's ultimate usually doesn't come up until late in the game.
'Unless...'
Only Elephant among the three realized the answer—he was a jungler himself, after all.
'If he hit all the jungle creeps, it's possible.'
The jungle, emptied in an instant with not a single creep left. Since creeps are considered "enemies", hitting them with the skill fulfills the condition.
"Actually, this could be an opportunity!"
Elephant rallied the two shocked teammates. He didn't know why the ultimate was used now, but they had the advantage: even with the buffs, it was three versus one.
"We have to secure the kill now!"
"Yes!"
"Blocking your own escape—the sign of a clumsy Barzan."
The other team members confidently charged in. They weren't the only ones unable to get out—Barzan was trapped too.
In agreement, Lee Gyeongbok responded.
"Yes, I hear this coronation doesn't end until the king dies, right?"
He twirled his spear.
At some point, the helmet had been replaced by a crown on his head.
"So, you'd better hurry."
The main base tower was blocked by the wall. The only thing Lee Gyeongbok needed to worry about were the three in front of him.
Which, for him, was not hard at all.
"Ah, sorry!"
"Don't apologize, just keep up the DPS!"
"Yes!"
Lee Gyeongbok didn't stick to Elephant the way he had before. Instead, he used his buffed stats to move around and bait him.
As a result, rather than focusing on attack, the ADC and support's attacks were inadvertently blocked by Elephant.
It was something that happened because they'd never fought together before. But Elephant couldn't focus more.
"What..."
One red alert after another lit up on the minimap—enemy champions, apart from Lee Gyeongbok, were invading.
At that, elephant quickly understood Lee Gyeongbok's true aim.
"Is he trying to hold us here until the base is destroyed?"
Barzan's ultimate remains active until he's the only survivor or he dies.
"I'm not the one trapped with you..."
Lee Gyeongbok answered with a smug smile.
"You are the ones trapped with me."
All three realized: unless they killed Lee Gyeongbok, they couldn't protect their main base.
〈The Temple tower has been destroyed!〉
The system voice confirmed it.
Elephant's mind whirled furiously.
'Even if the other two revive, we're left with four versus two!'
What they had planned as a 5:5 would already be broken—if the top and mid laners revived, it'd still be just four versus two outside, so the game was already lost.
'Unless he's sure he can hold us three on his own, he couldn't have used this plan.'
Still, elephant acknowledged the soundness of the plan. If it were anyone else but Lee Gyeongbok, there'd be no way; but for him, both 'confidence' and 'skill' were real.
'Then the best option is...!'
Elephant reset his goal.
He charged toward the support and shouted,
"Boost me!"
Startled, yet the support immediately clasped his hands to make a foothold.
"Oh?"
Lee Gyeongbok dodged the ADC's attacks while watching him. Using the support's help, elephant jumped and threw a grappling rope over the wall.
'Got it!'
Once the game ended, his rivalry with Lee Gyeongbok would also pause. He hurried over the wall, shouting.
"Hold him off as long as possible!"
Once over, the situation was dire. Genome and Eclipse, along with the enemy bottom duo, were literally 'tearing down' the tower.
With only the base left, he took a deep breath.
"Oh!"
"Damn it...!"
The others hadn't expected Elephant to escape the ultimate. They were surprised.
Genome and Eclipse turned instantly.
"We'll block him! You keep hitting the base!"
"Y-yes!"
Elephant immediately used a skill—a roar that staggered everyone for a moment.
"Ugh...!"
Still, both Genome and Eclipse were skilled in their own right, and even while staggering, they managed to block Elephant.
[PerfectPlay: Attack him, not me]
'Gotta be quick!'
He focused even more, fired up by the kill announcement on the screen. His play, sharpened by fighting Lee Gyeongbok, surpassed his previous limits.
"Argh...!"
"What the..."
Genome and Eclipse were instantly pushed on the defensive. The surprised bottom duo supported them.
"No, hit the base!"
"Remember your king's command!"
Supported, they survived, but their DPS rotation was broken. Elephant didn't miss the opportunity.
He vaulted over Genome's shield and charged at the bottom duo.
'The respawn is almost here!'
His teammates would revive soon. If he could hang on a little longer, there was hope.
He took out the flustered bottom duo. Unlike Lee Gyeongbok, they'd built up damage from the tower hits.
"Damn!"
"Wow, as expected from a pro!"
"Genome! Handle the base!"
Genome and Eclipse split roles—Genome began shuffling cards rapidly, Eclipse blocked in front.
That's when Elephant discarded his claws.
Eclipse was confused.
"Ah, crap..."
Genome understood immediately. It was the Claw Tracker, lagnel's ultimate, "Revealed Claws."
Based on his kills, his attack and speed increased, and above all—
His "Sky Ambush," usually only possible in bushes, became possible anywhere for the duration.
"Genome!"
Elephant leaped over Eclipse and struck down on Genome. Genome tried to resist, but couldn't hang on with his remaining stamina.
[PerfectPlay: Not me, attack him]
As Lee Gyeongbok finished off the last ADC and the wall disappeared, Eclipse also fell.
It returned to a 1:1 situation.
'The last showdown, at least...!'
Elephant charged at him. Lee Gyeongbok faced him with spear in one hand, flag in the other.
"Good game."
He wasn't aiming for Elephant.
Flag and spear soared, as if in one motion.
At their ends was the main base.
With that, Lee Gyeongbok's figure vanished, the main base's stamina dropping.
"Damn..."
Elephant dove desperately at him, but it was too late.
Eclipse, intent on completing the mission before dying, had ignored defense and hit only the base.
[Defeat]
The base fell.
Just as Elephant had prioritized team victory over individual rivalry, so had Lee Gyeongbok.
Lee Gyeongbok raised a thumbs-up to Elephant.
"That was close."
Along with a smile.
It wasn't sympathy or mockery, but pure joy lighting up his face.
"That was a really fun game."
"Well..."
Before Elephant could respond, the scene changed.
The game ended, and they returned to the lobby.
"Wow."
He let out a small exclamation of admiration.
It was the quickest game he'd ever played—and though the outcome was defeat...
'That was the real last game.'
Elephant found no reason to queue up again. He wanted to face tomorrow's promotion match in his current state.
Thus, instead, he went immediately to the "Add Friend" screen.
'Will he accept?'
He wanted to face Lee Gyeongbok once more.
After some deliberation, he wrote the message and pressed confirm.
["PerfectPlay" is not currently accepting friend requests.]
Reading the message on his screen, elephant pressed his forehead.
"Ah, of course..."
It was no doubt to prevent random friend requests from fans. He'd blocked them himself as well.
So he quickly exited the game and opened an internet window.
Where he headed was none other than the streaming site, tri.
"He said he's streaming..."
He searched for the channel and immediately found Lee Gyeongbok's stream.
Strictly speaking, it was break time, but Genome was hosting, so it was fine.
― What's this, a quick game against a pro gamer?"
― PerfBottomEle! PerfBottomEle! PerfBottomEle! PerfBottomEle!"
-(PerStampCon)(PerStampCon)(PerStampCon)
― He pulled it off? He pulled it off? He pulled it off?"
― Genome and Ecl's decisions were great, lol"
― Yeah, this finally looked like a real team game"
― That's Mystic, right there"
― When God shows up, the true myth awakens!"
― The barrel meta was wild too, lol"
― Lol, barrel, honestly lol"
― SMASHED it with the KingGodShek line, so stylish, lol"
― WA! You know the Watchman!"
The chat was full of praise.
But interestingly, the praise wasn't only for the victors.
― That Elephant coming out of the barrel, what was that?"
― Wow, lol. Came out and calmly started setting up kill angles one by one"
― He's not a pro for nothing!"
― Wow, it's been a while since I saw full control Elephant, lol"
― That was a truly amazing match, lol"
― Elephant is totally first team material again, lol"
But defeat was still defeat.
The loss was clear, both as a team and individually.
But he was a pro.
'Next time, for sure...!'
If he collapsed over just one game, he'd already have quit the scene. He felt his competitive fire flare up as he hit the follow button.
'But how do I actually contact Purple...'
A business email was public, but his desire wasn't 'business' at all.
As he thought about it, he remembered suddenly.
'Does Coach Baek Kangmin still work with you?'
Hadn't he mentioned the coach?
Since he'd referred to him as coach, it seemed they hadn't had contact—but,
'If they were on bad terms, he wouldn't have brought it up.'
To mention it first meant the relationship wasn't bad.
Maybe Coach Baek Kangmin would know a way to get in touch.
'I'll have to ask him tomorrow.'
With that conclusion, he went back to the stream.
The game had ended, but as for watching the stream, he was still just getting started.
That night, Lee Gyeongbok gained one very unique new fan.