Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.18 Ch.20: Countering the Invisible Phantom

Until it happened, Ben was oblivious to the whole ploy. He kept running toward the tower, believing that the enemy was still chasing him. Since he couldn't see what was happening behind him, he didn't catch on Apprentece's intentions fast enough.

Nonetheless, Ben was adamant about making up for this mistake. He rolled forward and dashed toward the attacker!

"Ben, wait." Somebody called out but their voice was drowned out by Ben's hectic storm of thoughts.

N-Not good! Not good at all! Ben rushed to the scene like a madman. This is all my fault! Stupid me. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I can't let Nia die because of me!

"Wait, even if you go there now, you-" There was some noise in the background, but Ben's raging thoughts drowned everything out. He had to focus 110% on the task in front of him: rescuing Nia from this devastating predicament.

It's all my fault. I have to save her! Ben rushed and rushed, then he hit the brakes and aimed his Nature's Grasp. The skillshot was going to cover ground faster than Ben could do by foot, and it'll also drag Apprentece away from Nia on hit. So, this had to be the optimal play here!

And so, Ben took a moment to properly aim the tricky skillshot. He had to aim it well. He absolutely had to nail this shot. There was no room for error here. And yet...

Ugh, stop shaking so much! Ben complained to his right arm. It was shaking restlessly on top of the mouse as if having a spasm attack.

N-Nothing to be nervous about! I can do this! I practiced this skillshot enough, yeah! Ben fired the branches forward. They stretched out of the Druid's arm and darted toward the Orc!

Despite the immense pressure and the shaking, Ben's shot was miraculously on point. Thanks to tireless practice, his body was able to fire Nature's Grasp even under such stressful conditions! All his hard work paid off!

But, there was just one problem. No matter how accurately Ben aimed, there was one undeniable fact in play here: his target was Apprentece, the Korean prodigy.

WHISH! The Orc rolled forward, slipping underneath Nature's Grasp in the nick of time.

"Ah..." Ben froze in place. At that moment, he realized that he wasn't thinking straight about any of this at all.

How many times today did he actually land Nature's Grasp on Apprentece? Zero. Nada. He missed all of them. Or rather, Apprentece dodged every single one.

So, why did Ben even dare to entertain the idea of hitting Apprentece this time? Especially, when his hand was shaky and unstable like that.

O-Oh no! I made another mistake! Ben cursed himself. I have to hurry!

He charged ahead even faster! Nature's Grasp failed to stop Appretence, so Ben's only option was to get to the scene and contest the Orc directly!

"Ben, retrea-" There was some noise in the background again, but Ben failed to register it. The only thing fueling his mind was the determination to save Nia at any cost.

I can't let her die because of my mistakes. I can't! He repeated with every step he took forward.

In the meantime, Apprentece continued attacking Nia. Even after the girl was freed from the scourge's stun, it didn't mean she was safe. Not even close.

Apprentece continued chasing her while lashing at her from behind. WHISH! SWISH! The metal whip crackled, striking the Drow's back.

Each attack deleted 20% of Nia's HP, just like that. This was a vicious onslaught!

S-Scary! Nia shook wildly as she ran away. O-Ok, ok, ok. I should be faster, r-right? I can lose him, right?

The footsteps behind her should have grown dimmer, yet it didn't sound like it at all. Even the Dodge Roll she did earlier didn't help much, as Apprentece used a Dodge Roll of his own shortly after.

How could this be? Why wasn't Nia able to lose that scary predator? Sure, Drow didn't have a passive that boosted its Movement Speed as Elf did, but it was nonetheless a nimble class. So, Nia should've been able to outrun a heavier class like Orc without any problems.

Nonetheless, it felt like the metal footsteps were constantly right behind her. The gap between them wasn't opening up at all!

Her HP was already below 40%. Two more hits and she was done for! Scary!!!

L-Leave me alone already, you bully! Nia tried to repel the pursuer with the power of thought, and surprisingly, it was... super effective!? The metallic footsteps dimmed down and eventually died out.

A-Am I safe? Nia cautiously turned around. H-He's really not there! Phew. The nightmare is over...

Yes, it was nothing short of a nightmare. There was no better way to describe the immense pressure Apprentece piled on her throughout the whole thing. She felt like meat on a chopping block.

Nonetheless, Nia survived! But unfortunately, it was too early to celebrate...

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