Chapter 1291: Firing Line
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
Thus, Jiang Botao lost the first individual match.
19!
It seemed like Happy's fans had already prepared for this. After Ye Xiu won, the stadium was immediately filled with innumerable flashing signs.
Another match was added to this record and even Team Samsara weren't able to stop Ye Xiu's consecutive victories.
"10-0!!!" Someone very daringly yelled. Last time Happy had been crushed by Samsara ten to zero, but this time? At the very least, Samsara wouldn't have a chance like that anymore, but the possibility of Happy winning ten to zero was still there.
"That'll be rather difficult, won't it?" Commentator Pan Lin wondered aloud with a smile.
"Haha…" Li Yibo chuckled but didn't dare agree. In the individual match that had just end, he hadn't commentated much. He had been a little scared. As the match started, he had wanted to note that Jiang Botao's playstyle was somewhat of a counter to Ye Xiu's playstyle, but due to how small the map was, the two sides soon met and engaged, not giving him much of a chance.
At first he had thought it was a shame, but now, he was glad that he hadn't managed to get that chance.
The results of the match gave a very clear message. Jiang Botao's meticulous style had fallen apart in trying to keep up with Ye Xiu's unspecialized barrage.
He had almost gotten his face slapped… When he realized this, Li Yibo had subconsciously stroked his own face. It was a good thing he hadn't spoken up; after this realization, he immediately commented on how Ye Xiu's style countered Jiang Botao's.
Li Yibo, having managed to get to safety, finally got the chance to accurately display his ability as a commentator, and during Happy's match too. Even Pan Lin was impressed, but Li Yibo was cheering for his good fortune.
It seemed like reserving judgement had its benefits.
Li Yibo had finally grown some wisdom. In the past, he loved to rush to express his opinion first, then prove it through the match, thus showing off his analytical wisdom. However, he had recently found that more and more often, his analytical wisdom would head in the complete opposite direction. In the future, he'd have to be more patient, Li Yibo concluded from these experiences.
The second individual match soon began.
On Happy's side, Su Mucheng rose to the challenge while Samsara sent out Wu Qi. He was the Assassin player of the team and a member of their main roster during the two consecutive championships. But after Sun Xiang transferred in, he mostly appeared as the sixth player.
Launcher against Assassin, one with a very far range, one with a very close range. Both sides played cautiously. Su Mucheng kept a close eye on the distance between them, while Wu Qi didn't dare approach without an opportune moment.
"What a troublesome Assassin. Team Samsara surely has raised many very talented members! After Yang Cong, I'd say that he'd be a good choice for the Alliance's Number One Assassin." At the player stands, Ye Xiu commented on Wu Qi as he watched the match.
"True. He's patient and merciless. He's mastered all the characteristics an Assassin should have." Wei Chen nodded in agreement.
"Could it be that… Team Samsara will soon have a five All-Star line up?" Chen Guo wondered aloud at the side.
Ye Xiu and Wei Chen glanced at each other, their gazes considering.
"We'll have to see how popular their team is. If even after the votes are split up between the five players, all five are sent into the All-Stars, then that'd be terrifying," Fang Rui commented. He had analysed the situation objectively. All-Star voting was all up to the fans, so many of the votes were given blindly. Those fans loyal to their team would unhesitantly give the players their vote even if said players had yet to reach that level.
If all five of Samsara's got into the All-Stars, all supported by their fans, then that could only mean that their fanbase was large enough completely crush the fanbases of other teams. Otherwise, they'd have to gain the votes of unaffiliated fans. For Wu Qi, this was something he truly had no advantage in, a player who was so close to entering the All-Stars getting delegated to sixth player in the team competition due to Samsara's extremely grand line-up. And, with Samsara's strength, the sixth player had very little room to perform. Without a chance to display their talents, how would they gain popularity? What Ye Xiu was commenting on was, in the end, only strength. If you wanted to talk about popularity, there were too many subjective variables.
"Who knows? Maybe by the end of this season he'll be making a fuss about leaving Samsara!" Fang Rui laid this misfortune upon Samsara, head resting on his hands.
However, his logic wasn't faulty. If the other had the ability but no chance to show it, who knows what thoughts would spawn? More importantly, WU Qi had already won two championships as a member of Samsara's main roster. He might have higher pursuits now, such as a place in the team competition line up...
As Happy discussed Wu Qi's future with interest offstage, the two onstage were still testing the waters. The two were using movement and position to circle each other, trying to find an opening. Though Su Mucheng could maintain an offense with her range advantage, Wu Qi didn't give her much of a chance to launch an effective one.
As time ticked by, the match seemed like a game of tag. Su Mucheng kept chasing after Wu Qi, throwing all sorts of bombs at him.
"That's a little hasty," Wei Chen suddenly commented. His tone was concerned, clearly talking about Su Mucheng.
"Her attack efficiency is really low. If this continues, she'll have problems with her mana," Fang Rui also spoke up.
"Her opponent is baiting her into it," Ye Xiu noted.
It was the three of them who typically had more to say on matches. The rookies would sit around them and listen to learn something from it.
"Purposefully circling the boundaries of the map, baiting Su Mucheng into attacking, he's trying to deplete Dancing Rain's mana and wait for a chance to strike back." Since there were rookies listening in, Ye Xiu would often explain in more detail to help them understand.
"What if she just stops attacking altogether?" Luo Ji asked.
"She has to retract her offense carefully, pace it well. Her opponent planned this and isn't just attacking her mana, but her skill cooldowns too. If you abruptly stop an offensive and your skill tree isn't complete, then you'll usually leave many openings which the opponent can grasp. Thus, Su Mucheng generally paces her attacks well to suppress her opponents, but now she's losing her pace a little. If this continues, her Firing Line might expose an opening."
Firing Lines were a term unique to Launchers. A Launcher's offensive relied on depth and layering. The further away a target was, the lower the accuracy of attacks; the closer they were, the riskier it would be for the Launcher. Every Launcher had a Firing Line of optimal distance unique to them which depended on their skill level and playstyle, as well as their mastery of different skills. This was the distance at which a Launcher could maintain the strongest offensive, termed the Firing Line. If you wanted to break through a Launcher's offensive suppression, then breaking past their Firing Line was crucial. To do this, one had to understand how each Launcher maintained and operated their Firing Line - which skills they preferred to use, how they arranged these skills, what methods and pacing they were used to - and think of a way to break through.
This was relatively basic theoretical knowledge in Glory, and after playing Glory for so long, there was no need for Ye Xiu to explain these basic ideas to Happy's rookies anymore. He just had to make sure they understood that what Wu Qi was currently doing was aimed at throwing Su Mucheng's Firing Line into chaos. To do this, he had displayed admirable patience, forcing Su Mucheng to mess up the rhythm she had been maintaining so well.
Boom boom boom!
Onstage, Dancing Rain sent another round of cannonfire. Her attacks were converging more and more. Under this dense firepower, Wu Qi didn't seem to be holding up very well. However, he didn't let his Assassin character Cruel Silence hide completely, continuing to expose himself to Dancing Rain's line of sight, baiting the other into attack.
Boom boom boom!
The attacks continued without pause, but offstage, the frowns of Wei Chen, Fang Rui and the others continued to get deeper.
"This isn't good!" Fang Rui exclaimed.
Just as he said this, Wu Qi's Cruel Silence, who had been jumping around and dodging for so long, suddenly grew bold and shot forwards like an arrow.
"See! There was an opening, he's gotten past the Firing Line!" Fang Rui exclaimed. In the past, they had been opponents and now they were teammates, so he understood Su Mucheng's Firing Line rather well. After considering things from Wu Qi's perspective, he could even figure out approximately what the other planned to do next.
Of course, Wu Qi's thoughts wouldn't mirror Fang Rui's exactly, but they had caught more or less the same opening. Su Mucheng's Firing Line was getting rather patchy. She had been unable to execute her original fearsome offense to perfection due to the lack of a few certain skills.
I can get past!
In that moment, that was Wu Qi's only thought. Cruel Silence, went full speed, not wanting to waste a single moment of this opportunity, and charged towards Dancing Rain in an attempt to break through her Firing Line in one go.
"Haha…" Just as everyone in Happy was on the edge of their seats in worry for Su Mucheng, Ye Xiu chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?" Chen Guo asked.
"A cunning rabbit has three burrows*, have you ever heard of that?" Ye Xiu asked.
"Of course, what about it?" Chen Guo couldn't understand.
"Who said that you could only have one Firing Line?" Ye Xiu chuckled.
Never mind those old and young pro players, even Chen Guo immediately understood with that.
Onstage, the cannonfire didn't stop. Su Mucheng naturally wouldn't stay there like a sitting duck and let her opponent close in. She had Dancing Rain continue to hinder her opponent's momentum. However, Wu Qi had already judged Su Mucheng's Firing Line to be messed up and incapable of blocking his momentum.
He got through!
Just as Cruel Silence took another step forwards, Wu Qi let out a breath of relief. He had already broken through Su Mucheng's Firing Line, so the firepower at the following distances would only get weaker. In addition, the other might make mistakes in her panic as he closed in.
It was all coming to an end!
As Wu Qi thought this, boom boom boom, with three bangs, three Anti-Tank Missiles came soaring over.
It was just a low level skill so Wu Qi didn't think much of it, easily having Cruel Silence pass through the missiles.
Continue forward!
This was the only thought on his mind.
But...
What was happening? The firepower didn't seem to be weakening?
Wu Qi, darting in and out of cannonfire, realized that his charge was very unsuccessful and didn't achieve the results he had hoped for at all. He couldn't help but turn his head and look back. There wasn't anything wrong, Su Mucheng's Firing Line should've been left in the dust behind him! Yet this offensive...
Nomyummi
TN: A cunning rabbit has three burrows means one has many hiding places/ways out -Jouissance
Chapter 1292: Composed Samsara
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
"Not just one Firing Line…"
Spectators often had a clearer view of the overall situation, and Samsara's players had realized the crux of the problem at this point, too. Wu Qi hadn't managed to break through, but instead had fallen into an attack arrangement that Su Mucheng had set up for him.
But… Su Mucheng wasn't a new player! The Golden Generation, joining the alliance in Season 4, had become well-know very early on and gained fame rapidly, meaning that they had long since been researched by the other teams. The Firing Line wasn't something new. From the very beginning, finding the Firing Line was the heart of researching a Launcher. Su Mucheng's Firing Line was no secret, hadn't been for a long time, and wouldn't have remained one for long anyways.
Because this was a competition, everyone would give it their all on the field, and the Firing Line was each Launcher's DPS limit. In competitions, players often felt that their best wasn't enough, so who would hold anything back? Unless, of course, you were bullying someone with skill far inferior to yours, then you wouldn't need to give it your all. Even so, there wouldn't be a disparity of skill so big between anyone who had the ability to get into the Alliance, at least to the extent that one could bully the other.
Samsara's members exchanged looks. Happy wasn't an opponent they would underestimate, and Su Mucheng wasn't an easy opponent to fight. Even if they had crushed Happy 10 to 0 in the previous match, this round they would only be more prepared. However, they really hadn't thought that Su Mucheng had more than one Firing Line. She hadn't even hinted at such a talent in the previous matches.
"She's gotten better," Zhou Zekai suddenly said.
The others frowned, continuing to watch the match. Under Dancing Rain's cannonfire, Wu Qi's Cruel Silence didn't have any success closing in. Dancing Rain casually pulled away further as she blasted him. The distance between them slowly grew until...
"The Firing Line!" Jiang Botao called out. This distance was where the Firing Line they were familiar with was at. Cruel Silence had been suppressed by the attacks, Su Mucheng had Dancing Rain slowly pull away, and just like that, Cruel Silence, who had already broken through Su Mucheng's first Firing Line, was pushed back into it again.
Cannonfire poured down like a storm and this offensive was clearly a step above the previous one. This was Su Mucheng's true Firing Line, the one Wu Qi had originally broken through. Yet, he hadn't imagined that there would be another Firing Line hidden behind this one which disrupted his charge and sent him back.
That unknown Firing Line had already caused Wu Qi huge problems in his advance, and the current one he was caught in was what everyone knew to be Su Mucheng's true, strongest Firing Line.
Under the blasts, Cruel Silence's health dropped at an alarming rate. What experienced player wouldn't know what would happen when you were in a Launcher's Firing Line? Launchers wouldn't stand there like an idiot and just DPS but adjust themselves according to the opponent's response to ensure their target remained in their Firing Line. It was easy to get into a Firing Line, but much harder to get out of one.
Samsara's players all turned to look at Sun Xiang simultaneously. He had been teammates with her for half a year, after all.
"Did you know she had this level of skill?" Lu Boyuan nudged Sun Xiang, asking.
Sun Xiang shook his head, face filled with confusion. In reality, when he had arrived in Excellent Era, the Spear and Cannon Duo that had been established in Season 2 met an untimely death. Though One Autumn Leaf and Dancing Rain had both still been in the team, they had lost the sense of partnership they had in the past. Sun Xiang was rather depressed at this, but Su Mucheng's professionalism was flawless; they just didn't have that sort of chemistry. Partnerships did somewhat depend on fate. It wasn't uncommon for forced partnerships to end in an absolute mess in the Alliance.
However, even as teammates, Sun Xiang really didn't know that Su Mucheng had all these tricks with her Firing Line.
"With her skill, I think she can probably maintain her Firing Line at a wider range. What do you think, Little Zhou?" Jiang Botao said.
"Yeah," Zhou Zekai nodded.
"However, she purposefully controlled her skill use, focusing on the range of her Firing Line. But because it was so focused, she could combine and use the skills that were freed up interchangingly to split off a second Firing Line…" Jiang Botao analyzed.
The Samsara players around them all nodded. They weren't like Happy, full of rookies. Samsara's line-up was the most stable in years. This group of players had grown together, gained experience together. They understood and complemented one another very well. Communication was simple and convenient for them. Samsara's two consecutive championships was a result of these players growing to their peak. Luck would always play a factor in who became the champions, but this luck could only be grasped if you had enough power.
Now, this championship team managed to analyze Su Mucheng's current playstyle completely with just a few sentences.
"How cunning," Jiang Botao continued to comment.
"Yeah… If needed, I believe she could increase the range of her Firing Line, instead of splitting it into two like this," Lu Boyuan agreed.
"However, she didn't do that. She held back, making her choices seem more varied. She's managed to maintain great control over this," Jiang Botao sighed.
"It's not looking good for Wu Qi!" Blade Master player Du Ming exclaimed.
Everyone fell silent. It was a shame that the person they had admiring was their opponent. If their opponent performed well, then it meant trouble for them. However, the confidence of a championship team wasn't anything to scoff at. Faced with an impending loss, their mood seemed very calm, not at all panicking because of two consecutive losses.
In the end, it was Su Mucheng who claimed victory. The cheering in Xiao Shan Stadium drew on for a good while.
This was Samsara, after all! That immensely powerful Samsara, and yet, Team Happy was currently leading 2 to 0!
Wu Qi returned to the player bench. He was naturally in a rather bad mood due to his loss.
"That really was too sly of her!" Accepting the towel his teammates handed over, Wu Qi wiped his hands before throwing the towel onto his seat dispiritedly. It was clear that, in the end, he had figured out what was going on with Su Mucheng's Launcher.
"We'll watch out next time," his teammates consoled him.
"Watch this, I'll avenge you!" Lu Boyuan said.
"It's not a group arena, avenge my ass." Wu Qi glared.
"You can avenge yourself later in the team competition," Jiang Botao told him.
"Am I in the starting line-up for the team competition?" Wu Qi's eyes shone.
"Ahem!" Jiang Botao cleared his throat. "Next time, next time."
Wu Qi returned to his dispirited state. In reality, they had already gone over the line-up before in the prep room prior to the match. It was exceedingly rare for a team to wait until the match itself to announce their line-up to the players. Wu Qi already knew that he would still be the sixth player for the team competition. He was just expressing his desire to be a part of the starting line-up. Seeing his state, his other team members started laughing. Getting into the team competition starting line-up for Samsara was very difficult nowadays. However, Samsara was a team with a truly impressive atmosphere, able to discuss this rather sensitive topic freely.
"Well, I'm off," Lu Boyuan said to his teammates before he headed off. On Happy's side, their third player was also a Fighter class player, Steamed Bun.
"Aiya, it's this guy. If I lose, you can't blame me, okay? That guy's hella weird!" Seeing Happy's next player, Lu Boyuan hurriedly turned back to speak with his teammates.
"If you lose, you can hand your place in the starting line-up to me!" Du Ming hollered.
"Hand it to me!"
"Me me me!"
All the players on rotation joined in. Lu Boyuan smiled, already walking towards the stage.
"As expected of a championship team…" Happy's members were also paying attention to the situation with Samsara.
After two consecutive losses in the individual round, the team wasn't at all panicked. This team didn't have any very experienced veterans, but they were all very composed players. This might be the result of the confidence gained in these two years as two-time consecutive champions. Even opening with two losses wouldn't impact their confidence. The psychological advantage that taking a lead had was completely lost when faced with Samsara. On the contrary, their confidence, their composure, their leisurely attitude would unstabilize their opponents.
However… considering that Happy's third player was Steamed Bun, there was no such setting that would make him feel unnerved. Chest puffed out and head held high, Steamed Bun got onto the stage with several long strides. He gained quite a lot of cheers.
Compared to the rest of the Alliance, Team Happy's line-up was one of the least stable. Steamed Bun didn't have all that many opportunities to perform but he was quite popular amongst the Happy supporters since he could always bring surprises to the match. A match with Steamed Bun was never boring.
"Samsara's third player is Lu Boyuan. This player is a model competitive player. He has great mental fortitude and his forte is performing at his peak under pressure, turning the tables on his opponent. After falling behind by two points, he's the third to come up, but this is exactly the type of situation which he performs well in!" Pan Lin commentated on the two players in the live television broadcast.
"As for Happy, they've sent out Bao Rongxing. Eh, this player… He's a very… well, no matter where he is, he's a player who has a very inconsistent performance. Do you agree, advisor Li?" Pan Lin asked.
"Ahem!" Li Yibo coughed.
"Ahem ahem!" Li Yibo coughed more.
"Bao Rongxing is the one player that can bring the most unexpected of situations to a match," Li Yibo concluded. A player that was so unpredictable really wasn't one he dared to predict anything about.
"Alright, now the match will start," Pan Lin announced.
On the field, the characters were loaded into the maps. For Happy, Brawler Steamed Bun Invasion; for Samsara, Glory's current Number One Grappler, Chaotic Cloudy Mountains.
"Alright, let the match start! Both characters are running directly for the center," Pan Lin called out.
"Lu Boyuan struck first! Don't Grapplers usually wait for the opponent to make a move and then counter, Advisor Li?" Pan Lin asked.
"Yes, because grabs are the highest priority skills in Glory, so Grapplers have the ability to break through an opponent's offense. Using grabs during an opponent's offense is usually harder for the opponent to deal with," Li Yibo said.
"But Lu Boyuan is really taking the initiative here!"
"Samsara has, after all, lost two matches in succession. They need to be fierce in order to raise their morale!" Li Yibo explained.
Just as he finished speaking, Lu Boyuan sent a message. "I'm not gonna give you a chance to mess things up, man!"
"Advisor Li?" Pan Lin turned his head towards Li Yibo.
Li Yibo had a bitter expression. What was up with people today; how come even Team Samsara decided to start slapping the faces of commentators?
Chapter 1293: Being Too Skilled Can Become An Opening Too
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
"Too messy!" Steamed Bun sent a head-shaking sighing emoji like a teacher lecturing a student. Then, Steamed Bun Invasion faced Chaotic Cloudy Mountain's attack directly.
Circle Sweep Kick!
Chaotic Cloudy Mountains leaped into the air and looked as if he were trying to step on Steamed Bun Invasion. However, everyone knew that Grapplers had all sorts of grab skills. Getting kicked wasn't the scary part. It was the sweep following the kick that was terrifying. The sweep had grab priority, and it knocked the target to the ground.
Steamed Bun looked like he knew about the threat of this skill. He didn't use a skill to fight force with force. Instead, he rushed forward aggressively and then dodged to the side.
Lu Boyuan was watching Steamed Bun Invasion's movements closely. If Steamed Bun didn't move too far away, he would still be able to hook onto the target if he adjusted his Circle Sweep Kick. But when Steamed Bun Invasion dodged, he strode three steps. Chaotic Cloudy Mountain's legs weren't that long. His attack was dodged cleanly. But Lu Boyuan still had his Chaotic Cloudy Mountain finish the sweep in the air. Even though it didn't hit a target, it stopped his character's aerial momentum.
Whoosh!
Steamed Bun Invasion threw a Brick. His prediction was off, and the Brick whistled by Chaotic Cloud Mountain.
"Oh! You've got some skill!" Steamed Bun Invasion praised his opponent. At this moment, Steamed Bun Invasion slid forward, wanting to attack with a Tiger Flips the Mountain when Chaotic Cloudy Mountain fell.
Lu Boyuan saw everything clearly and didn't say a word. Just when his character was about to touch the ground and the instant Steamed Bun Invasion's arm smashed towards him, Chaotic Cloudy Mountain suddenly raised his two legs, twisting onto Steamed Bun Invasion's shoulders.
Aerial Twist!
Chaotic Cloudy Mountain twisted in the air, and his two legs, wrapped around Steamed Bun Invasion's shoulder, threw him onto the ground.
Lu Boyuan used this grab skill for a dismantle effect. Being able to stop Tiger Flips the Mountains using such precise manipulation of a skill required incredible perception.
Samsara's fans fired up. Even though it was just a skill hitting, it was a brilliant play.
The attacks weren't over yet though.
Chaotic Cloudy Mountain had wrapped around Steamed Bun Invasion's shoulders and flipped him towards the ground, but the throw wasn't aimed directly downwards. Midway, Chaotic Cloudy Mountain loosened his legs and landed on the ground first. He then stepped forward and reached out with his hands, catching the tumbling Steamed Bun Invasion.
Overhead Toss!
Anothing skill was released. Steamed Bun Invasion was grabbed by Chaotic Cloudy Mountain and thrown towards the ground. A huge rumble exploded. Just the sound alone told how heavy this throw was. It still wasn't over yet though.
Ground Toss!
While one arm threw Steamed Bun Invasion onto the ground, the other hand stretched forward and grabbed him again, not leaving Steamed Bun Invasion any time to roll away. His arm hoisted him up and threw him back into the air.
Chaotic Cloudy Mountain jumped up high. This time, he used both hands to grab Steamed Bun Invasion and then: Slam Dunk!
With matchless strength, Steamed Bun Invasion was thrown fiercely towards the ground This high-level skill's power was no small matter. Steamed Bun Invasion smashed into the ground, forming a crater. From the way his body was bent, it looked like his back had snapped.
With just this brief combo, Steamed Bun Invasion had lost a fifth of his health. It hadn't even been ten seconds since the two characters had met. Luo Boyuan's efficiency made everyone gasp in awe. The Samsara fans were already going crazy. Happy's fans couldn't help but start to sweat for Steamed Bun.
Lu Boyuan didn't get distracted by the previous combo. After Slam Dunk, he immediately pounced on Steamed Bun Invasion.
Brick!
Steamed Bun Invasion leaped out from that crater, while also throwing a Brick. His attack had been quite sudden. However, after a season of competitive play, Steamed Bun's crazed love for Brick, which was often used as soon as it went off cooldown whether or not it made any sense, had become a signature move for him. How could pro players not catch onto this and fall for it again and again?
Chaotic Cloudy Mountain sidestepped it, dodging the Brick, and continued to press closer.
Sand Toss, Poison Needle, Molotov Cocktail.
Steamed Bun looked like he was panicked and was throwing whatever he could at his opponent. How could such a brainless offensive stump Lu Boyuan? Chaotic Cloudy Mountain continued to press closer and closer.
Brick!
Another Brick!
After a few more skills, the Brick came off cooldown again and Steamed Bun Invasion immediately used it without any hesitation.
Lu Boyuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Had this guy been thrown silly? What the heck was this?
"Has Bao Rongxing lost it?" On the broadcast, Pan Lin was dumbfounded. There didn't seem to be any hints of thought behind Steamed Bun's moves. He just looked to be throwing things randomly. He looked completely powerless. An extra being helpless against the hero was common in movies, but this was the Pro Alliance. It was said that there were no weak players in the pro circle, but this ridiculous performance seemed to show otherwise!
Li Boyi also thought the same, but he resisted opening his mouth. This Bao Rongxing always pulled out the biggest surprises. Casually declaring a verdict wouldn't be good. It would be better to keep watching. Maybe he was currently trying something crazy. What if it takes effect immediately afterwards?
Li Yibo thought in this way. Lu Boyuan didn't dare be careless either. They had studied Steamed Bun's matches in particular, but apart from his love for Bricks, he didn't seem to follow any other rules. There wasn't much that could be done for pre-planning against this sort of opponent. He just had to perform well when the time came. Focus! Focus was important because Steamed Bun could suddenly pull out a trick from nowhere. Sometimes Steamed Bun's plays would be brilliant, other times his plays would be stupid. If he didn't focus, maybe the stupid play might work out. Quite a few players had fallen against this rookie. And after they lost, they would complain to the reporters incessantly and looked as if they could go on for three days and three nights.
Lu Boyuan didn't want to capsize like them, so even if Steamed Bun looked like he was lost, he didn't let down his guard. Chaotic Cloudy Mountain once again pressed towards Steamed Bun Invasion. Lu Boyuan didn't force his way through. He used a low-level Fling as a probe for the start of his next round of attacks.
Lu Boyuan stared closely at Steamed Bun Invasion's movements. Chaotic Cloudy Mountain's two hands reached out, but then he saw Steamed Bun Invasion suddenly crouch down. His right knee lifted up, while his left foot pushed off the ground.
Powerful Knee Strike!
This skill name flashed through Lu Boyuan's mind. Which attack was faster, Fling or Powerful Knee Strike? The answer was clear in an instant.
Powerful Knee Strike would arrive first, but Fling could be saved through some adjustments. Chaotic Cloudy Mountain crouched down, while his two hands reached upwards. He was planning to Fling his opponent once the Powerful Knee Strike passed. Lu Boyuan once again displayed his precise judgement, but this time, Chaotic Cloudy Mountain did all this for nothing. The Powerful Kee Strike he had been anticipating didn't appear.
All of the viewers saw what had happened.
Steamed Bun Invasion had lifted his right knee and his left foot pushed against the ground, but he didn't soar through the air. This attack wasn't a Powerful Knee Strike. It was just a normal one. But the problem was that for a normal knee strike, this distance was too long; it didn't even reach Chaotic Cloudy Mountain. It was a complete miss.
Steamed Bun Invasion raised his knee, minding his own business, and didn't hit the target. However, not hitting the target seemed to have the same effect. When Steamed Bun Invasion was two steps away, Chaotic Cloudy appeared to have been hit by the knee strike. His body crumbled and bent, his two arms went up into the air as if he were surrendering.
Everyone was dumbfounded at this strange scene.
When Lu Boyuan saw that he had predicted wrong, he knew that the situation wasn't good. But when he tried to adjust Chaotic Cloudy Mountain's position, crack!
The crisp clear sound of bones shattering could be heard by everyone. After Steamed Bun Invasion feinted a knee strike, he suddenly used a real Powerful Knee Strike. Chaotic Cloudy Mountain was still crouched down. Right when he was about to retreat, this Powerful Knee Strike hit Chaotic Cloudy Mountain square in the chest.
Everyone's hearts turned cold at the sound of this crackling. It was as if they could feel the pain from this attack themselves. Chaotic Cloudy Mountain fell backwards, and Lu Boyuan immediately Quick Recovered. Steamed Bun Invasion's Powerful Knee Strike had been extremely fast though. He landed on the ground and followed with a Tyrannical Chain Punch, beating on the fallen Chaotic Cloudy Mountain.
Lu Boyuan was depressed!
Focus, focus! He had been so focused, yet he had still fallen for a trick. That hadn't been a Powerful Knee Strike previously, but a regular knee strike. Using a regular knee strike made absolutely no sense. It wouldn't be able to hit anything. It wouldn't be able to block anything. If Chaotic Cloudy Mountain hadn't dodged it and continued forward, Steamed Bun would be in the grasp of his hands. But the problem was that not a single brain cell of his thought that this would be a regular knee strike. Had he baited himself?
Lu Boyuan couldn't help but think about what had happened previously as Steamed Bun Invasion pummeled him. If that had been a trap, then Steamed Bun was truly bold. It was because he was skilled enough that he could react in that instant. If it hadn't been him, if it had been a random player from the game, Lu Boyuan was certain that Steamed Bun Invasion would instead be the one pressed to the ground.
An opening had appeared because he had been too skilled?
Luo Boyuan couldn't accept it.
Tyrannical Chain Punch ended, and Steamed Bun Invasion leaped back. Lu Boyuan recovered and had Chaotic Cloudy Mountain get up. As soon as looked up, he saw Steamed Bun Invasion's knee rise up again.
Powerful Knee Strike!
Lu Boyuan was just about to have Chaotic Cloudy Mountain dodge to the side, but then he saw that Steamed Bun Invasion didn't fly forward. It was another empty knee strike. Lu Boyuan only then remembered, Powerful Knee Strike had just been used. That wasn't a low-level skill. It couldn't be off cooldown yet.
"You're crazy!!" Lu Boyuan lost his cool. Using a normal knee strike at that distance? Apart from crazy, there was no other explanation. Just when he blurted this out, Steamed Bun Invasion raised his arms and threw a Brick.
"A Brick again? Is that all you know?" Lu Boyuan shouted as Chaotic Cloudy Mountain dodged. He wasn't the type of person who liked to talk a lot during a match, but facing this opponent, Lu Boyuan felt like if he didn't vent, he would choke to death.
Chapter 1294: Thought Process Off Target
Translator: Nomyummi Editor: Nomyummi
The audience members looked at one another.
As Lu Boyuan had thought, it was precisely because he was too skilled that he was hit by the Powerful Knee Strike. If it were a normal player, then they would've already used a Fling to throw Steamed Bun Invasion to the ground.
The viewers definitely comprised of normal players, so they didn't understand why Chaotic Cloudy Mountains had ducked down low before straightening up with his arms in air like he was surrendering. As Lu Boyuan cursed, wondering what the hell Steamed Bun was trying to do, the viewers, who had no idea what was actually going on, were trying to figure out what the hell Lu Boyuan was trying to do.
Right now, Lu Boyuan, someone who usually didn't speak much during matches, was yelling in the channel. Words like "are you fucking crazy" and the such could probably count as personal attacks, if pressed.
Lu Boyuan had completely lost it!
It wasn't just the audience who thought so; even the live commentator Pan Lin was commenting on this. Lu Boyuan's current state was just too far from his usual self.
"Calm down!" No one would've expected that, onstage, Lu Boyuan's opponent Steamed Bun would send a message admonishing him.
"Panicking like that isn't proper." Another followed. Where had Steamed Bun learned all this from?
"Fuck!" Lu Boyuan exclaimed. Why the hell was this guy suddenly scolding him?! They were opponents, okay? What the hell does my panic have anything to do with you?! And plus, I'm not panicking!
As Steamed Bun scolded the other, his actions didn't stop. With his Brick a miss, he did a Sand Toss.
Lu Boyuan wasn't in the calmest of states right now, but he wasn't panicking either. Chaotic Cloudy Mountains dodged perfectly. After Sand Toss, Steamed Bun Invasion continued to close, but Lu Boyuan's Chaotic Cloudy Mountain wasn't a ranged class, so there was nothing he wanted more than for his opponent to be close. As Steamed Bun Invasion closed in, he naturally wouldn't retreat and just observed the other's motions. Lu Boyuan decided to forgo taking the initiative and returned to the usual style of Grapplers, waiting for his opponent to make the first move and countering. He'd see what tricks this guy had up his sleeves.
Thus, Steamed Bun Invasion arrived in front of Chaotic Cloudy Mountains as the latter slowed down his pace on purpose.
Brick!
Lu Boyuan was close to tears.
Was this really the legendary use-immediately-after-cooldown style?
To be honest, if you really wanted to calculate this kind of pacing, it would be very troublesome. Although Brick wasn't a low-level skill, it wasn't very high either. It was a skill Brawlers learned very soon after advancing classes and had a short cooldown. Considering the frequency at which Steamed Bun used the skill, calculating the cooldown of this skill would be very distracting.
This was probably the real motive behind his frequent usage...
A skill like Brick didn't deal much damage, but because of its crowd control, you had to be wary of it. Steamed Bun, using this skill so frequently and making it so that his opponent's had to stay on guard against it was very distracting for his opponents. In addition, this guy often used his skills in a chaotic mess, suddenly throwing in some troublesome skill; it really was quite hard to guard against!
Lu Boyuan felt like he had discovered something; he felt like he was close to figuring out his opponent's thought process.
However, this seemly random and completely mindless use of Brick Throw wouldn't just distract the opponent, it would also disrupt your own rhythm! After all, skill usage needed to be paced. Sometimes a different skill would evidently work better in this scenario, but Steamed Bun just always chose Brick. Wasn't that a little wasteful?
Lu Boyuan, who had thought he was beginning to understand, realized that his logic didn't work out after considering it a little more.
Lu Boyuan's thoughts, very unfortunately, went down an erroneous path. He had started trying to figure out Steamed Bun's thought process and rationalizing the other's actions from a theoretical perspective. And this was something that even Ye Xiu, who had far more experience and time with Steamed Bun, had failed to accomplished in two years.
As for why Steamed Bun liked Bricks, that was something Ye Xiu could explain to Lu Boyuan. It was because Bricks were easy to come by and unsuspecting. After you used them, you could just toss them aside to get rid of the weapon.
Trying to use Glory theories to figure out this problem would only get further and further away from the truth of the matter. Lu Boyuan was thinking himself into a mess. It was true that counterattacking was a Grappler's primary style. However, this style required you to have a precise understanding of your opponent's style, a decisive judgement, quick eyes, and steady hands.
Yet right now, the one Lu Boyuan was trying to figure out was Steamed Bun. Steamed Bun, the mystery that even Ye Xiu had failed to figure out after two years.
And so he lost.
He lost without knowing how he lost in a complete mess. It was only when Chaotic Cloudy Mountains fell that Lu Boyuan woke up from his stupor of trying to figure out Steamed Bun.
He lost just like that?
Lu Boyuan was shocked. He had been under this strange impression that there was plenty of time, and he had plenty of health. Trying to figure out Steamed Bun was like losing yourself in an abyss.
After leaving the booth, Lu Boyuan was still scratching his head. As he walked back to the bench, he kept looking up at the playback on the big screen. It wasn't until he was back at the bench that he smacked himself on the forehead, "Fuck, I'm so dumb!"
When he had gone up there, it was with the decision to take the initiative more and not give this weird player any chances to play tricks. Why did he end up trying to figure out his opponent as he fought?
"My willpower wasn't strong enough!" Lu Boyuan bemoaned.
"I don't know why, but there was a moment where I thought to myself, I can't play like this, I have to figure him out," Lu Boyuan explained.
"And somehow as you were trying to figure him out, you lost, right?" Wu Qi said.
"Yeah," Lu Boyuan nodded.
"It's 3 to 0 now, hey!" Jiang Botao reminded everyone. Right now they really were falling behind. Happy's fans were screaming and cheering, yelling thunderously about a flawless victory. As for Samsara's accompanying fanclub, they were much more subdued. They had actually lost every round in the individual competition. That really was a hit to their morale.
"Hey, did you guys actually fight seriously?" Du Ming asked the three individual competition players.
The three looked at one another.
"It's competition, there'll always be losses every now and then," Cleric player Fang Minghua comforted everyone.
"We'll take back two points in the group arena!" Sun Xiang stood. He was the first player for the group arena.
"Good luck!" His teammates encouraged.
"One versus three!" Someone said.
"No, don't, I wanna go up. I want to fight that sister in Happy," Du Ming hurriedly disagreed.
"You want to take revenge?" Everyone mocked him. They all naturally remembered how Du Ming had fought Tang Rou at the All-Stars Weekend. Back then, Tang Rou hadn't even been a pro player, just a noob, but her ferocious and relentless attitude left a deep impression. It was also then that Du Ming had lost face, getting humiliated by Tang Rou before being annihilated by Ye Xiu. He had been depressed for quite some time after that.
"I remember Ye Xiu also fought you back then, how come you don't go looking for him for revenge?" A teammate immediately asked.
"What revenge? I just want to spar," Du Ming said.
"Is it because she's pretty?" Wu Qi grinned, an arm around his shoulders, "I mean, she really is quite pretty."
"Fuck off," Du Ming pushed him away.
After falling behind 0 to 3, the atmosphere around Samsara was still as natural as ever. No one jumped up yelling something like "we have to win the next round" or anything. However, none of them lacked this determination.
In the live broadcast, Pan Lin was analyzing the line-ups the two teams might possibly have set, while Li Yibo felt like he was just waking from a dream. He was shocked to realize that he hadn't made a single comment throughout the past three matches. Pan Lin had thrown the discussion to him a couple of times but he had gotten by with just a few noncommittal noises. He had been ever so careful like that and ended up not giving any analysis whatsoever.
He had to make his presence more evident! Li Yibo, suddenly awake from his stupor, listened to Pan Lin's analysis, and hurriedly found a place to interrupt.
"Yes!" Li Yibo continued Pan Lin's train of thought. "Samsara's group arena line up has been constant with Sun Xiang first and Zhou Zekai as the last line of defense, with a few players on rotation in the middle. As for Happy, starting with Fang Rui and ending with Tang Rou is also a relatively consistent line up. From the line ups, Samsara seems to have a slight advantage. And the advantages in the group arena stack. I'm wondering if Happy will make adjustments to counter Samsara's line-up. In Happy's line-up…"
"Happy's player is coming onstage!" That was when Pan Lin suddenly announced.!
"Ah, yes, it's… Fang Rui…" Li Yibo felt rather helpless when he said the name. He had only just wondered aloud if Happy would make any adjustments or not, and then Happy had decided to use their usual line-up. Li Yibo felt depressed! He didn't dare finish his thought on Happy. He had been prepared to talk about this possibility and then emphasize the possibility of Happy's line-up remaining unchanged. But he hadn't even gotten halfway there when Happy's player entered the field! There was a small break between the individual competition and the group arena, could you not be so eager to fight? Do you all have something against me? Li Yibo was going to cry.
"Yes, Happy's Fang Rui seems to have decided to get into the player booth early. Let's see, as for Samsara, oh, Samsara's player has decided to get onto the field, too. It's Sun Xiang; seems like neither team has any intention of deviating from their usual arrangements," Pan Lin noted.
"Er, in this match, from the individual competition to the group arena now, it seems like neither team has decided to make any special arrangements to counter the other. They're treating the match as a normal match and haven't made special preparations in accordance to their opponent's identity," Li Yibo could only say.
"But Samsara is already behind by three points. They won't have a good time in the following games. Will they really be beaten ten to zero, like the audience is cheering for? Then Happy really would've taken their revenge," Pan Lin wondered. If this was like before, the idea of Happy winning a flawless victory against Samsara would probably make most people laugh their heads off, but now even the live broadcast was discussing this possibility in a serious fashion. The rise of Happy's position and power in people's minds was truly something terrifying to behold.
"We'll have to see how Samsara performs." Li Yibo didn't think Happy could do it. However, he didn't dare make any predictions. This was Happy, and even when he was being extremely cautious, they still managed to slap him in the face. It was better if he didn't make too many predictions like that!
"Both players have entered their booths, but it seems that the referee is going to wait for the break to finish. Coach Li, could you give us your view on this match between Fang Rui and Sun Xiang?" Pan Lin asked.
My view your ass! I don't want to do these pre-match predictions! Li Yibo cursed internally.