Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story

Instead of recalling, Nia followed Yuel's bizarre instructions and headed to Top once again. However, this time, no enemy wards could possibly expose her.

["Enter Top from our side of the lane."] Such were the alien robot's instructions. It was an unconventional order, but one that made Nia feel that much better about this madness of a plan.

[They have no idea I'm here, hehe.] Nia entered Top Lane through the jungle entrance that lay between Top Turret and Top Golem.

[And now, I wait.] Nia hid behind the jungle wall.

Despite how dangerous the upcoming play was going to be, the situation got her a little giddy. She was like a ninja sneaking around, searching for the right opportunity to strike.

[Too bad I'm not actually playing Ninja. It can pull off plays like this way better.]

Ninja's Izuna Drop was a devastating attack that deleted tons of HP in one fell swoop. So, with Ninja, all Nia had to do was successfully sneak up on the enemy ONCE, and from there it was GG.

On the other hand, Drow's plan of attack was a bit more complicated. Its Cursed Dagger was also pretty strong as a surprise attack, but it didn't deliver a lot of damage in one hit. Instead, it prepared the stage for follow-up attacks. So, Nia would actually have to stay around and keep attacking her victim in order to reap the benefits of this setup. This wasn't exactly an ideal arrangement for her when she only had 40% HP.

[Oh well.] Nia shrugged. [As Yuel said, this Orc already dropped to 80%. If I stun him with my ult and then Ben follows up on that, we can kill this scary guy. Probably.]

Even though Nia's earlier gank attempt failed miserably, it wasn't entirely without merit. Though she didn't get the chance to deal any damage to the Orc, her dear twin sister put in some work.

When Apprentece was chasing Nia into the jungle, he ran past Nia's doppelganger. It was the phantasm that Nia abandoned there when she entered stealth. Even after Nia left, the clone continued faithfully waiting there, believing that one day her dear sister would return.

[I'm such a terrible sister, though.] Nia thought. [I only came back there because I was in trouble.]

In the heat of that stressful situation, with nobody to turn to, Nia only had her phantom sister to rely on. And so, when she ran away, her legs naturally carried her back toward the phantasm.

Apprentece followed her all the way, so the phantasm assaulted the guy with ethereal arrows. That was probably one of the reasons the monster gave up on his chase so early.

[If not for my sister, I might've been dead by now. Scary. I shouldn't have abandoned her like this!]

With that said, Nia was about to do it yet again. [Sorry, sis! But, this is for the greater good, I promise! Seriously though, this feels like such an awkward design sometimes...]

Phantasm summoned a phantom clone that attacked enemies, but it was also the skill that enabled Nia to enter stealth. So, on paper, it sounded like a strong skill that did two great things at once. But in practice, it was almost impossible to utilize both aspects at the same time.

If Nia wanted to deliver an unexpected gank, she had to enter stealth early and leave her sister in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, when Nia wanted to take advantage of the phantasm's firepower in a fight, she'd have to give up on stealth attack the enemy alongside her sister.

[This combination of random things is only great for escaping, basically.] Nia concluded.

On top of providing stealth and summoning a stationary clone, activating Phantasm also made the Drow dash backward. That made it a great escape tool, especially in combination with the other two utilities of the skill.

But, that was the only use case for which the skill was truly awesome. For any other situation, the many different features of Phantasm didn't mesh that well together, so only one feature played a role at a time.

[And, for this play, I only need the stealth part. Sorry, sis.] Nia apologized as she turned her back toward the lane and activated Phantasm. The skill launched her backward while leaving an afterimage at her previous location.

[Ok, here I go.] Nia gulped. Even though she had already agreed to go through with Yuel's risky plan, she still felt a shiver with every step she took.

On the other hand, her opponent seemed to ooze with confidence. Apprentece was currently partying in Nia's tower area without a single care in the world.

Seriously, the guy exercised zero caution. He didn't even bother swapping his sledgehammer for a scourge, so he was hammering the tower point-blank.

[It's as Yuel said, this guy is so aggressive it's scary. But well, this is great for me, so I'm not complaining.]

With how boldly Apprentece was overextending, it was apparent he wasn't even considering the possibility of Nia approaching the tower. The guy was 100% convinced that Nia had already recalled, so in his mind, there was nobody in the immediate area who could possibly pose a threat.

But, he was wrong. Nia was right here, about to stab this cocky guy in the back!

With that said, this play was extremely dangerous for Nia as well. That was the main reason why Apprentece didn't suspect a thing as he casually whammed the tower.

[I see Ben is already on his way.] Nia confirmed. [So, we can do this! Probably. Maybe. Yeah…]

How much could Nia actually count on Ben? In her experience, Ben wasn't exactly the most reliable teammate during stressful situations.

[Though, Yuel claims I just haven't given Ben enough chances to prove himself. I dunno if I agree, but looks like I'll have to go along with this narrative anyway…]

Yuel was like a Tipmancer app that evolved beyond its digital form and became a sentient being. Therefore, even if Nia didn't fully agree with the advice of this human app, there was still a high chance that the advice was on point.

Therefore, despite her many worries, Nia pressed on. She set foot inside the tower area and extended deeper, aiming for the Orc's back.

[Do I start with the dagger?] Nia wondered. [I'd like to, but…]

Similar to how Ninja liked starting its ganks with a basic attack into Izuna Drop in order to benefit from the effect of Imperial Spear, Drow also had a similar initiation combo. It was usually recommended to start off with the Cursed Dagger skill to weaken the prey, and then go for the ult, Force of Rejection.

Against most opponents, both these setups were a surefire combo, especially when the target wasn't expecting Nia at all.

[But, not everybody is like that.] Nia thought. [There are some monsters out there who react immediately. Scary.]

In fact, there was one such monster right in her club: Lars. Whenever they dueled, this mechanical prodigy often dodged Nia's Ninja combos, and he had an even easier time dodging her Drow setup.

[So, what about this guy?] Nia sized Apprentece up. [He supposedly pro-level material, so I guess I have no choice here…]

If Lars was able to outplay her setups, then surely a Korean prodigy would be able to do so as well. In fact, it was even questionable whether Nia would be able to sneak up on this guy undetected, seeing as her previous attempt failed miserably.

[He didn't even give me a chance back then. Scary.] Nia shuddered from the mere memory of the previous exchange. It was a brutal and terrifying experience.

[I knew I didn't erase my presence enough back then, but I didn't expect to be countered like this. It's the first time something like this ever happened. Scary.]

Opponents had countered Nia in many different ways before, but the way Apprentece did it took the take the cake. Normal opponents either dodged Nia's gank or turned the table on her throughout the fight. On the other hand, Apprentece struck her while she was still in stealth! He didn't even let Nia initiate the gank!

Honestly, it was terrifying. That play could win the Oscar for horror movies.

[But for some reason, I still want to give it another shot.] Nia gulped. [Even though Yuel had to convince me to do this, I almost... want this. I want to get back at this monster, as scary as it is.]

It was uncanny. Nia was supposed to be the type to run away at the first sight of danger, so what in the world was she doing here right now, challenging an opponent who nearly decimated her a minute ago?

[It's just super annoying.] Nia puffed her cheeks. [Who gave this guy permission to hit me while I was doing my job? Rude. And scary. But, especially rude!]

Her stealthy playstyle gave the Leopards so much trouble last game, to the point they were overly cautious of Nia's every move. And yet, this new Korean player didn't care in the slightest. It's as if he dismissed Nia's entire playstyle, calling it weak and inadequate.

[N-No way that's right! Last time was just a fluke! At least, I hope so...] Nia gulped. [There's no way he can stop me like that every time. At least, I don't want to believe it's possible.]

And so, Nia wavered back and forth between a surge of confidence and a total lack of it. That one exchange with Apprentece shook her to the very core.

[I think I'm a little salty… No, probably not just 'a little'. I totally am! This guy deserves to be ganked hard! He's cocky and a bully and scary. I gotta do this!]

Nia took a deep breath. Despite how terrifying it'd be to get countered like that again, she wanted to believe in her ability this once. There couldn't possibly exist an opponent on whom Nia's stealth didn't work.

[I can do this! At least, I hope I can…] She gulped once again as she passed by the Orc. So far, the guy hasn't shown any signs of noticing her presence.

Apprentece continued hacking away at the tower with his sledgehammer. His brigade of minions added further damage by lashing out with swords and arrows. It was an all-out attack on the Turret here!

To make things worse, most of the enemy's minion wave was still alive. Apprentece used his ult to grant his army temporary immortality, therefore the first swordsman to enter the tower area had been tanking the Turret's shots for a long time before perishing.

[This is hax.] Nia ranted as she nervously examined the scary enemy squad. [Once I hit the DK, all his minions will turn on me! And, Ben is slow in getting here...]

The Druid ran and ran, but the big guy was slow. It'll take him a few more seconds to reach the scene, at which point it'll be too late. The tower will already be gone.

In fact, even Drow couldn't have made it in time from the base. That's why Nia had to head over here straight from the jungle.

[Ok, it's now or never.] Nia got into position and took yet another deep breath. She was terrified to the core, but also a little excited at the same time. It was revenge time! She was going to pay this bully back for the last time!

[B-But, let's do it safely, without the dagger. Yeah.] She moved close to Appretence and the bowmen, and then- WHISH! She unleashed Force of Rejection!