Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.19 Ch.1: Stratus - A Threat or Pushovers?

Perhaps, if there was one event worth mentioning, then it was the single death Apprentece suffered in that game. For just a brief moment, the seemingly invincible player let down his guard and allowed himself to overextend. This one careless mistake cost him his life.

But, the Leopards had no trouble recovering from that setback as they were already far ahead in the game anyway. And so, despite this one achievement, the curtain dropped on Stratus without mercy.

"Welp, that's that." Karen threw her arms behind her head as she spoke. "Dang, that last game was sure something. Where the hell did they bring that guy from? It almost looked illegal."

"Yes, it does rub me the wrong way as well," Fiona agreed. "By nature, the Leopards already hold most of the region's most impressive talent. And yet, they also have Apprentece on top of that. It throws the region's sportsmanship into question."

"Right?" Karen nodded. "I mean, goddamn it. We really stand no chance, do we?"

"Language, Karen," Fiona scolded. "And, as impossible as the challenge may seem at the moment, in the end, this is but another obstacle for us to overcome. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Whoa, are you really saying we gonna beat that thing, sis?"

"Apprentece is not a 'thing'. And, regardless of his impressive skill, he is a middle schooler like the rest of us. Besides, ultimately, he is but one player in a 5v5 game."

Apprentece was indeed an overbearing existence, like a chess piece that transcended the game's rules and moved around even more freely than the queen. But, no matter how strong a chess piece was, it was just one piece out of many. Thus, it should be possible to defeat the Leopards as a team even without directly triumphing over Apprentece.

"I shall lead the team to victory against them," Fiona promised.

"I'm sure you will, sis!" Karen was now singing a completely different tune after the declaration. Like, it seemed totes impossible to beat that Korean hacker. But, if sis says we can win, then we will!

"Well, at least Stratus looks like a bunch of pushovers," Karen said. "So, they're not a threat at all."

"Pushovers?" Fioan blinked. "Is that how they looked to you?"

"Yeah. I mean, they're not the worst out there since they took at least a few games, but meh, they're D-tier at best."

"Actually, with this result, they might have just established themselves as the third strongest team in the region."

"For real?"

"Yes," Fiona said. "They triumphed over Taurus, the usual favorite for third place. Also, they achieved a 2-3 against the regional champions. As such, it stands to reason to consider them the region's No. 3."

"Dang, they really shot up through the ranks, huh." Karen chuckled. "Weren't they like the worst team in the region before?"

"Indeed. Stratus used to be at the absolute bottom until this year. From the records, Stratus has not won a single competitive game since its conception."

"Wow, what a joke."

"That's perhaps going too far," Fiona said. "But yes, the team was undoubtedly a disgrace to the competitive scene. Out of curiosity, I did review some of its older games."

"Oh, you did? Dang, you should have told me. I would've brought popcorn and stuff, haha."

"You should be glad you did not have to subject yourself to that torture," Fiona said. "That horrendous spectacle would have spoiled your popcorn."