"—Blue Comet's last player has been eliminated!"
The crowd erupted into cheers and screams as the scoreboard above the arena shifted again.
Nova Strikers — 4
Blue Comet — 4
"And just like that, we're down to the final duel!" the first announcer's voice rang out across the venue.
"That's right," the second announcer said, "One player left on each side!"
"Nova Strikers' rising star—Lee Taehyun!"
"And on the other side…"
"The 'Stat Gambler' himself— Kang Minjae."
"What do you think about this matchup, Analyst Park?" the first announcer said. "Do you really think Kang Minjae has what it takes to clutch up this duel and finally secure a win for Blue Comet?"
"Minjae is a strange player," the analyst said immediately.
"His ability lets him redistribute his stats mid-match…strength, speed, endurance—he can shift them around however he wants."
"That sounds like high risk, high reward."
"Or just high risk, honestly," the other announcer chuckled. "His win rate says it all."
"Sheeesh…stats show that Kang Minjae has a 31% winrate when it comes to duel situations," the analyst spoke again. "Yeah…safe to say my money's on Lee Taehyun."
"Well, can't really blame Kang Minjae too much," the first announcer added. "His teammates were wiped out pretty quickly this match."
"Yeah…Blue Comet just doesn't have the firepower to compete with Nova Strikers."
On the ruined city battlefield below, Kang Minjae exhaled slowly as the arena timer ticked down above his head.
Across the cracked street, Lee Taehyun stood calmly with his hands in his pockets. The rising star of Nova Strikers didn't even bother taking a fighting stance.
Thirty-one percent, huh…Can't even argue with that number.
Minjae straightened slowly, looking at his opponent from across the street.
He had studied everything there was to know about Lee Taehyun—the rising star of the Nova Strikers, on his way to compete in the Olympics for the amateur division.
Minjae made sure to remember everything: his fifty-meter sprint times, his bench press record, and even his weapon choice.
Lee Taehyun was their resident Long-Range Attacker. His fireballs were infamous for their destructive power. Three of Blue Comet's players had already been eliminated by them this match.
There's only one way for me to win this…I have to outspeed him and go for the killing blow before he can cast anything.
Minjae activated his skill immediately.
[Stat Conversion]
Lee Taehyun's cast time was recorded at 2.2 seconds…this should be enough.
[Agility: 22 → 32 ▲; Strength: 20 → 10 ▼]
Minjae turned his dagger around into an icepick grip before crouching down, eyes narrowing.
As soon as Taehyun raised his wand to cast a spell, Minjae dashed immediately. He crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, arriving right on his side with his dagger already raised.
Minjae swung, but found himself stabbing at air as the person he was aiming for was no longer there. Taehyun had already moved back a few steps, fire still gathering at his palm.
Tch…he canceled his spell to bait me in.
"Crimson flame, take shape and bind—"
"Burning Chains!"
A blazing chain erupted from the tip of Taehyun's wand and shot through the air toward him. Minjae tried twisting sideways, but the chain barely managed to snag his ankle
No matter, Burning Chains should take 6 Strength to break out of, I'll just shake this off and—
Minjae tried to break out of the binds, but no matter how much he pulled, his feet seemed to be stuck to the ground, almost like his soles were glued to it.
What the hell? How is this possible? I even left 4 extra Strength just in case!
He crouched and grabbed the burning chains, trying to rip them off manually. The flames scorched hotter against his skin, but the bindings held firm.
Just as he was struggling, a faint gust brushed across his neck, like something had just moved past him. Minjae slowly looked up, eyes widening as he already knew what was about to happen.
Taehyun was already beside him, a dagger raised calmly in his hand. "Sorry, nothing personal."
Thk…!
The blade sank into his throat. And just within his next blink, the battlefield vanished…And Minjae was back inside the capsule.
"—And that's the match!"
The small venue erupted into cheers as the scoreboard above the battlefield updated.
Nova Strikers – Victory
"That's the fifth consecutive win for the Nova Strikers!"
"I've gotta say, Analyst Park," the second continued. "Lee Taehyun continues to impress me with such textbook play."
"You're absolutely right, Announcer Kim," Park replied. "Kang Minjae actually made the correct read on the situation, too. But sadly, it was another case of a bad gamble on his end."
"Yeah… the Stat Gambler strikes again."
Park chuckled lightly. "Burning Chains only requires six Strength to break out of. Minjae clearly left himself enough to escape."
"But for some reason," Kim added, "he just couldn't break it."
Park shrugged. "Hard to say what went wrong there. Maybe he miscalculated his conversion."
"Either way," Kim said as the crowd continued cheering, "Lee Taehyun capitalized instantly."
"And that's what separates rising stars from the rest of the field."
***
The cold water ran over Kang Minjae's face as he leaned over the sink. For a moment, he simply stayed there, letting the water drip from his chin into the basin.
The match still replayed inside his mind, of what happened, of what went wrong. But every time he went through the possibilities, only one stuck out.
It was his skill…it's always the other guy's skills.
Minjae shut off the faucet and wiped his face with a paper towel.
Just as he straightened up, the locker room door creaked open behind him as a skittish man in a black suit and glasses came in.
"Kang Minjae?"
"Yeah?" he said, already turning around.
"The Blue Comet roster has been called to the manager's office."
"…Now?"
The staff member nodded.
"Alright."
***
The meeting room was quiet when Minjae stepped inside. His four other teammates were already seated inside the office, muttering to themselves before stopping as he came into the room.
Their manager stood at the front, arms crossed. His expression was unusually stiff.
Minjae took the last empty chair as everyone held their breath, waiting for the next words from their manager.
"I'll keep this short."
He placed a stack of documents on the table. "Our sponsor has officially withdrawn support."
"The team has also been operating at a loss for the past four months."
One of the players leaned forward. "…So what does that mean?"
The manager didn't hesitate, tapping the documents lightly.
"Effective immediately…"
"Blue Comet will be disbanded."