Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story

[Here she comes.] Jin nodded as his trusty ward revealed Vanishing approaching the middle entrance of the lane. He had a feeling that this was bound to happen as he kept overextending, so he placed a ward in that area after the third minion wave.

In a vacuum, this was a very meta warding spot. However, since his teammates were so anxious about Vanishing's stealth, they warded the jungle so extensively that Jin's ward was overkill.

Case in point, the other wards had exposed Vanishing's position twice before she even reached Jin's ward. So, many would argue that his ward was worthless.

[At least, amateurs would probably think so.] Jin reasoned. [But, this particular ward has additional uses.]

Even though it wasn't a Stealth Ward, it nonetheless captured the moment when Vanishing activated her Phantasm and went invisible, which was just as telling. From there, it was easy to predict the rest of her movements.

[She might be an amateur, but I'm sure even she knows how to take the shortest path toward the lane.] Jin thought. [So, she'll enter the lane from right around the corner.]

The jungle entrance wasn't very wide, but at least two-and-a-half players could fit through it. So normally, the chance of randomly hitting an invisible opponent who was approaching from the entrance was less than 50%.

However, by assuming that the girl will stick to the wall in order to shorten the travel distance, Jin could land a hit on this elusive target with over 90% accuracy. In practice, his success was all but guaranteed.

[It should be about now.] Jin stopped pushing and backpedaled toward the jungle. Yes, instead of running away from the incoming jungler, Jin was going to give that Drow a warm greeting!

[And... now!] Jin unleashed Scourge, lashing out with a thorny metal whip! His target was the right side of the jungle entrance.

At first glance, Jin looked like a madman swinging at nothing. However, Vanishing was definitely there, he could tell.

The metallic whip cracked and a clash resounded. Then, Vanishing manifested on the lane, stunned both physically and mentally. 

"... eh?" Nia blinked. "Wut? Just... eh?" For a moment, she forgot how speech even worked. Her mind shot-circuited on the spot.

[I… I was invisible, right? I definitely was, right?] Nia started doubting everything. [H-Hax! I call hax! This is some scary Korean hacking!]

Nonsensical thoughts like that spiraled in her head as she watched the Orc raise his scourge once again. She was completely helpless against this second attack and it was going to hurt a ton!

WHISH! The scourge assaulted her again, deleting 20% of her HP! It was brutal damage, the kind only a super scary class like Orc could dish out in the early-game.

[W-What do I do!?] Nia shuddered. She wanted to ask for help or advice, but was there even any time!? She was going to die at this rate!

"Oh, no!" Ben exclaimed in the distance. "I-I'll help!" 

Somehow, that didn't sound very reassuring. In fact, his shaky voice implied he was just as anxious as Nia was, if not more.

[I-I don't think is going to work out.] Nia gulped. [I have to run!]

Even though this was technically a 2v1 situation, it didn't feel like it in the slightest. Nia and Ben were too far apart to gang up on Apprentece.

The original prediction was that Apprentece will keep chasing Ben further in, and that's where Nia will show up to stab the guy from behind. But instead, Apprentece struck first and forced the fight to happen way earlier than that.

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...