Swordmanship Veteran's Game Stream Chapter 163
【Read only at hivetoons.org】
-Ah lol just call Alpaca.
-An assassin is doing a 2v1 but trying to play like a bruiser.
-Reliable warrior brothers who are tanky but also deal good damage.
A shadow instantly enveloped his body due to the immediately activated skill.
The shadow moved in a way that made it temporarily impossible to distinguish the shadow from the real body, or the real body from the shadow, either by the naked eye or systematically, summoning a clone to the spot where Seo-jun stood.
And at the same time, Seo-jun read the telltale signs and was thrusting his right arm forward.
Forward, to the side, inward toward the body.
Before using the skill, Pado assumed a stance in advance, preparing to deliver a single strike.
It was subtle, so most would not notice it, but such a habit was merely a good hint for Seo-jun.
However, such habits could conversely become a trap.
If it had been Lee Dong-soo, he would have surely exploited the opponent targeting that habit.
Then, what about Pado?
'Did he really try to bait me?'
Seo-jun asked himself that question in the brief moment he had already moved his body.
He thought of Pado's skill and combat sense that he had seen.
However, since a setup could not come out without preparation, this was not a move that could be executed spontaneously.
Rather than combat sense, it was a matter of looking at preparedness.
'He said he would do his best, right? It seems to be a trap.'
Even if it were a trap, and he could predict the position of the incoming attack, Seo-jun's arm was already moving.
To the spot where the attack would land if it were not a trap, that was.
However, Seo-jun was neither flustered nor regretful.
This was not spilled water.
Because he had another body.
As expected, Pado's kama was revealed, and its location was proven to be a trap.
However, at the tip of that kama was an assassin's dagger.
Not Seo-jun's assassin's dagger, but his clone's.
'I just have to block both.'
Seo-jun made eye contact with Pado, who had revealed his body in the middle of spinning his kama.
Seo-jun saw a hint of resignation in the eyes of Pado, whose prepared move was blocked, and immediately read his determination to continue the next move through his action of swinging the kama.
At the same time, the jungler appeared behind Pado.
Seo-jun smiled while looking straight ahead.
Though he did not know whether it would work or not.
As Seo-jun let out a deep breath, the two bodies moved and parted.
People were able to use two arms simultaneously. They played instruments, typed on keyboards, and displayed intense movements.
The same went for their legs.
They walked, ran, kicked, and swam.
Though there might be a difference in skill, they eventually managed to do this naturally once they grew accustomed to it.
However, for a newborn baby, even simply moving would have been a difficult task.
This was the familiarity gained as a result of countless practices they naturally performed while growing up.
Zen users thought, 'Then isn't it just a matter of getting used to using two bodies?'
However, this had a fundamental limitation.
Their vision was only in one body.
The same was true for consciousness and senses.
In addition, putting aside other mental visualizations, moving a single body was too complex.
Furthermore, if a body had four arms and four legs, one might be able to fully utilize those given resources, but.
Having two bodies was equivalent to having two battlefields.
Even if one grew accustomed to managing two bodies at once, the human brain was not very suitable for multitasking, making combat itself difficult.
The positions of the opponent and myself, the opponent and the clone, and the clone and myself.
When dealing with a single enemy, the things one had to consider multiplied by two, no, three or four times.
Even if one fought past those two difficulties, there was no exceptionally great advantage.
Rather than doing that, it was far better to ensure safety by keeping a clone behind to pull back.
Of course, there would be an advantage when dealing with two opponents.
But wouldn't that be even more impossible?
At that point, there would literally be two battlefields.
Hence, C-grade jungler 1898, who had joined Team Mental for 5 points, snorted when the shadow first separated and approached him.
And quite loudly at that.
Was that why? The shadow in front of him, which blocked his attack, spoke.
1898's Adam's apple bobbed. He swallowed hard.
It was not that he was overwhelmed by momentum. What kind of momentum could a shadow possibly have?
'This is the real body, right? Though a clone can speak too.'
1898 considered using a skill.
If it was a clone, there was no need to use a skill. It would disappear over time.
In a favorable 2v1 situation, there was no reason to waste a skill on a clone.
Especially if his current hero and skills were prepared specifically to target Zen, assuming this exact situation.
Therefore, he had intended to use his skill the moment he was certain the shadow in front of him was Seo-jun, but he still was not sure.
He aimed a bow that looked as though mana was flowing through its limbs and fired an arrow.
He was a ranged jungle hero who used a bow and arrows flowing with mana.
A sleek arrow made of pure white mana flew forward.
The shadow deflected it with his assassin's dagger.
It was the second time.
He blocked the third arrow as well.
Gradually, the distance between him and the shadow narrowed.
'No matter how I look at it, this is definitely the real body!'
Pado, whom he caught a glimpse of, was near the other shadow but was not coming this way, anticipating a swap in positions.
At a glance, they seemed to be fighting; would the clone die soon?
'I have to hit him now while he's relatively close to me.'
He released his fingertips while activating a skill.
'By the way, I think I made eye contact with the shadow over there, but it must be my imagination, right?'
The moment the arrow left the bowstring, it immediately split into five and flew forward.
If struck by this arrow, the caster, Fear, and the arrow embedded in the opponent's body would be connected by magical energy for a while.
If the distance widened and the chain broke in this state, the opponent would fall into a state of fear.
However, if they kept the distance close, Fear's arrows would fire five shots at a time, just like when using the skill.
Therefore, if he caught the timing right, it was a great skill to bind Zen.
Since fleeing would inflict a guaranteed fear effect.
While it was not exactly a hard counter, it would be a lie to say he had not targeted Zen with it.
One of the five arrows, which spread out like a casting net, pierced the shadow's thigh.
Since the distance was virtually point-blank, it must have been impossible to dodge or deflect all five of them.
He could have avoided it if he had swapped positions with his clone just now, but the shadow approaching him never once looked back toward where Pado and his own clone were.
'So, because he doesn't know the situation behind him, swapping bodies carelessly would...'
His hand, which was loading the next shot with a satisfied smile, paused for a moment.
The shadow stabbed his body with the dagger.
'If this were the real body and that side was the clone, the clone would have been destroyed long ago, and the skill would have ended...'
Because the shadow in front of his eyes, which was now naturally turning its body to slash at his neck, had never once looked back.
There was no way Pado had not finished off the clone, which could not even move properly in the back, by now.
The remaining possibility was...
He missed with his arrow.
He immediately tried to check Pado's situation.
A horizontal slash from the sword of the clone—which he had thought to be the real body in front of him—blocked his way.
"Focus properly over here!"
Dominating the space, the kama lunged forward to tear into Seo-jun like a pack of wolves.
Hanging from a rope or swung by hand, it freely changed its range and moved in a way that was difficult to block.
"Where do you keep looking away!"
Those attacks were easily parried by Seo-jun.
Even more easily than in the fight a moment ago.
Instead, the assassin's dagger lunged, targeting Pado's legs and torso.
Furthermore, Seo-jun's—or rather, the shadow's—gaze was not entirely focused on Pado.
Rather, it seemed to linger more behind him.
Pado found this incredibly bothersome.
Even so, he could not check behind him either.
If he was careless, he would get stabbed like now.
He could guess what the opponent was doing.
Still, even if one accepted it with their head, there were some things that simply could not be comprehended.
'Is he really facing the jungler with his clone at the same time?'
It was downright ridiculous; when the shadow was first sent, he had wondered what on earth it was, but he had paid no attention because Seo-jun had pushed the offensive first.
Yet, the jungler was not coming.
If so, there was only one possibility.
It was highly unlikely he had given up on ganking because he suddenly got hungry like Dokkaebi.
The shadow that went first.
In other words, Seo-jun's clone was holding him back.
And yet, had he allowed Seo-jun to land an attack on him?
"You are more impatient than before."
The shadow's mouth opened.
It was certain that this was the real body and the one that moved to the back was the clone.
Although he did not know the situation in the back, because the gaze kept shifting.
Their weapons clashed against each other.
Pado tried swinging the kama in his other hand, but it was blocked likewise since the opponent also wielded two weapons.
And even then, the opponent's gaze was still not fixed on him.
Beyond him, toward the back.
While he was hard-pressed just to look around his surroundings, Seo-jun leisurely cast his eyes on the other battlefield.
No, it felt more like he was taking in the whole scene comprehensively.
This felt highly unpleasant. It was as if the gap in their skills was being laid bare.
He had never expected there would be this much of a difference.
No matter how much he acknowledged being inferior to the opponent, this degree of difference was another matter entirely.
Clenching his teeth, Pado used a skill on a nearby minion that had been struck by his kama in order to turn the tables while fighting.
'If I turn invisible, he will focus on this side.'
The shadow flickered.
Seo-jun had swapped their positions.
'Could it be that the jungler is on the verge of dying?'
He hurriedly looked back. He had seen Fear's arrow in the leg of the shadow that swapped for a split second, so he was not worried.
'The skill will disappear soon.'
And during the remaining time, he would be trapped in a state of fear.
On top of that, even his ultimate was not far off, as they had picked a fight shortly after reaching level 5.
If Pado became able to use his ultimate, the tables could turn.
Although the opponent would hit level 6 first, Zen's ultimate was to use one more clone.
Since it was an ultimate that summoned one's clone silently behind the opponent using the opponent's shadow instead of one's own.
Just like this, right now.
The moment Pado's gaze reached where the jungler was, he felt a blade touching his back.
Rapidly, his health bar drained.
While Pado looked back again, the jungler in front shouted.
"The moment he swapped bodies, he hit a minion instead of me!"
Had he only needed to kill one to reach level 6?
He had swapped positions targeting that, and then immediately used his ultimate.
At the same time, the shadow Seo-jun had previously used disappeared as its time ran out, and the mark placed on Pado exploded, dealing damage.
With level 6 just around the corner, Pado's health was also running low.
"This time, why don't you try fighting my clone. It's Phase 2."
He ended up facing Seo-jun's clone this time.
"Phase 2? How many are there?"
Pado's voice, speaking with a slight smile, trembled slightly.
Although he had not been able to confirm, if Seo-jun wielded his clone as well as his real body...
It was a crisis for Pado.
-Phase 2, my foot lol.
-So you're saying this one is the clone now? And before this, the real body fought here and the clone fought over there???? Simultaneously???
-What the hell is going on lol. Can we see anything if we look at Seo-jun's stream?
-Even if you watch his stream, you can't really see anything lol. Just watch the broadcast.
-It's an embarrassment if you lose even to a clone, Pado, hang in there.
-Is he really going to get completely destroyed?
-Talli, let's go ultimate too!