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The Team is Falling Behind

The team is lagging.

There’s no clear solution in sight.

So what should we do?

“Let’s group up in the mid first.”

Exactly. Gathering is the first step.

In a team game, if you find yourself falling behind, that’s a card you can pull from the losing side.

The reason for this situation is simple.

I just can’t keep up with the speed of the whole STK Team.

Even if I monopolize the hunting grounds, how can I manage with my manpower lagging behind?

I even considered pulling our allies back to my labyrinth like the Germanic migrations.

‘Of all times, they all got wiped out…’

It’s too late for a resurrection to make any difference now.

Points are quickly being lost, and in the meantime, the assault troops pushing the center will only grow stronger.

These guys are high-ranking users.

They know well just how hopelessly we’ve fallen behind.

So, when I ordered to gather, nobody challenged it.

Well, there has to be some way out.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s rearrange our formation.”

“Uh… it’s already too late if we head to the opposite labyrinth, are you really planning to reclaim it?”

“No, even if we arrive now, it’s already a marathon race with victory determined. Even trying would just mean losing. So…”

I pointed ahead.

“Let’s push through the mid right now while the gap in the central line isn’t too wide.”

“Is that really possible? It’s still tricky with the turret in play.”

“The opposing team already has their frontliners in the center.”

Taking a short breath, I began the briefing.

“The labyrinth entrance is already blocked like a giant wall, so even if we wanted to engage the main force, we can’t fight. They’re all hiding like turtles in their shells. If they keep eating the labyrinth mobs and push slowly, we won’t have the numbers anymore. There’s still enough opportunity to break through their front even with them there, so let’s aim for that. I’ll pull the aggro and the rest can rush in the moment we have the opening. We’re all huddled together, whereas they’re scattered in the labyrinth, so we won’t find an easier target.”

Hmm, that sounded less convincing than I thought.

I felt deflated for being proud of what seemed like a well-explained plan.

But hey, if it continued like this, there really wouldn’t be a shred of hope… it would be a complete wipe, so I understand.

‘This is no fun.’

I clapped my hands to lift the atmosphere.

“Don’t worry! If it goes well, it means a big victory in the mid team fight. It could turn the tide. This is before the big event. More than winning, let’s enjoy ourselves. Above all…”

As I brushed my hair back, the wind of a grand castle swept over my forehead.

Even in virtual reality, this sensation feels great, lifting my spirits.

With a deepened smile from the refreshing breeze, I asked, “Say my name.”

“…Friede.”

Oh! She actually said it.

“That’s right. Let’s turn the impossible into possible. With Friede by our side.”

It would be a shame to do nothing now, wouldn’t it? Right?

Thanks to some effort on my part, their expressions seemed to lighten as if they had shed a heavy burden.

“What you said leaves us no choice.”

“At this point, if we’re going down… we might as well cause a ruckus.”

Yeah, this is how it should feel!

As I shook off the dust and readied the formation, some fidgeting was felt from the opposing side.

Did they catch on to our intentions?

It wouldn’t matter what they did; the die had already been cast.

“We’re going!”

With that shout serving as a signal, I launched my body toward the enemy.

* * *

Kim Woo-chan was quietly holding the central line.

As long as the ranged dealer behind and the assault troops advancing kept things from collapsing, it would be a simple matter.

Typically, the Soul Warfare central line is rather dull, one might even feel like yawning out of boredom.

Then, something unusual crossed his gaze.

“What the…? How many of them are there?”

Beyond the clashing assault troops, the number of gathered players was alarming.

He quickly connected to the voice channel to inform his team.

[“Looks like the opposing team is all-in on mid. Hurry up!”]

[“Really? Of all times?”]

The hint of dismay in Warden and Chan-hyuk’s voices led Woo-chan to guess that timings had gotten slightly off.

Checking the game timer on the status window…

“Oh no…”

It happened to be the exact moment when the critical objective, the Ancient Dragon, spawned.

[“We can’t back out now; we’re already trying. Jin-yoon and Min-ho are coming to support first. We’ll catch up quickly.”]

[“I’ll take down our mobs soon, so I’ll follow behind. Hold on for just a minute.”]

[“Understood.”]

It appears that the trial had already begun.

While anyone can enter the boss room for object hunting, once it begins, you can’t just leave.

Of course, they were likely counting on that.

They rushed to support the center, breaking the encirclement of the labyrinth, but I couldn’t vouch for whether they could make it on time with such heavy gear.

[“Hurry up already!”]

Ending that meaningless prompt, Woo-chan clicked off the voice channel and clicked his tongue.

Now, all he could do was focus on defense.

“Hey, Yun-soo, looks like we’re on defense duty.”

“Great! Seems like a shit-storm is brewing. I’ll keep them at bay as best as I can. You just keep moving behind the assault troops.”

“Just a minute… this could take a while.”

Maybe the first wave could be pushed back.

Well, we’ve accumulated enough points, so that should be fine.

In any case, if we’re going to lose, the two of us were fully prepared to buy as much time as possible.

That’s when it happened.

[??? Why is their frontliner slacking?]

[If you’re going to hold a shield like a total loser, you should be in front, not cheering from the back!]

[Did Haldir finally get the transmutation?]

[Wow, I’ve never seen such a formation before, no joke!]

With the overheated chat window flashing, the sight of the Streamer Team rushing in from afar caught the duo’s attention.

The frontliner charging toward them wasn’t your typical player holding a hefty shield.

Clad in silver armor, with swift movements that unfurled a brilliant golden cape behind.

Like a crazed assassin, the bunny ears on her headset flapped wildly.

She was the most notorious member of the Streamer Team, one they were painfully familiar with.

“Huh? Why is she leading the charge?”

“Why are you asking me? Just focus on blocking!”

Woo-chan collided to respond.

Sword against shield, axes against spears—bludgeons became entangled in this melee as Friede cut down the assault troops, carving out a blood trail.

At that moment, a projectile sliced through the air, aiming for her head.

Seeing the projectile bounce off the sword’s edge when I tilted it aside, Yun-soo bitterly gritted his teeth.

‘Gotta keep firing.’

But there was no chance it would work.

I wonder if there’s actually a user able to pull off a headshot against Friede with a bow?

Sure, if they turned the open field into a hedgehog with overwhelming numbers, maybe.

But there’s no way an ordinary ranged dealer could withstand Friede without tier gaps.

As Friede cleared out some of the assault troops, the entire Streamer Team surged through, widening the breach even further.

Ironically, the formation following Friede had the shields upfront with dealers flanking them in a textbook setup.

Maybe Friede didn’t even consider formation from the start.

Even when the assault troops fought among themselves, anyone who approached would take the aggro first.

Absorbing all that aggro and creating paths was nothing short of phenomenal.

Yun-soo, just like Woo-chan, couldn’t help but feel astonished.

This… my plans for mere containment just vanished away.

With just one minute until Seong-yoon arrived, I had to hold on with pure willpower, but…

‘Going from 2 to 3 won’t change much.’

We have to take down Friede.

No, at the very least, we need to perish together.

If not, we’ll get pushed back hard before our main forces can even retreat.

Woo-chan exchanged a look with Yun-soo.

[Just focus on containment. I’ll fight Friede and take her down with me.]

Yun-soo met Woo-chan’s intense gaze with a matching look.

[Just contain Friede for now. We just need to stall.]

Conveying their unaligned intentions, they nodded to each other without any predetermined agreement.

“Whoa!”

With no further thoughts, Woo-chan let out a loud yelp and charged ahead with his shield at the ready.

No matter how skilled one is, there’s no chance to respond against a shield strike in such cramped quarters.

Just before the shield bash could land on Friede’s body,

“What?!”

He felt no heavy impact on the shield he had let loose.

Rather, it felt lighter than a feather, and a chilly sensation brushed past his neck as he hurriedly turned his head.

No, he tried to turn.

From the corner of his vision, he saw Friede’s shining sword swinging down.

Caught in the explosive light that briefly erupted, what Woo-chan saw beneath him was an endless cliff.

‘Incredible body balance.’

Even though this virtual reality carries over physical abilities as they are, isn’t this a bit much for realism?

That was the small complaint that lingered in Woo-chan’s mind just before he was sent plummeting.

“Damn, that idiot.”

Seeing that, Yun-soo lost all thoughts of containing the frontliner, facepalming.

He’d warned them to be careful, yet they charged in like that.

‘We’re doomed.’

The central assault troops were on the verge of annihilation.

At this rate, the base would fall, pushing them to the secondary line.

‘Well, I guess it’s out of my hands now.’

Yun-soo entrusted the base’s downfall to his teammates and stretched his arms wide toward the approaching Friede.

“Heh!”

Just before being cleaved by Friede’s Holy Sword, Yun-soo’s short final cry echoed through the grand castle.

 

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