Chapter 196

CHAPTER 196

[The first lane matchup begins immediately after the minions spawn! Spoon specifically left Epic open and picked Luke to face Seojun directly!]

Arin's excited commentary rang out.

Before the match, everyone had made predictions about what would happen.

Not a single one of them had guessed correctly.

[The players really did prepare a lot! How much practice must they have put in?!]

[Leaving Epic open was a truly bold decision. For viewers who may not know, let's briefly explain. In a previous tournament, Spoon was completely destroyed by Seojun's Epic. That's why the PTSD jokes keep coming up. It wasn't just that he lost—he lost spectacularly!]

[Exactly. It was brutal. Yet despite that, Income Gap seems different from before. At least from the perspective of the viewers. And honestly, judging by the conversation between the players, it sounds like... they really did prepare something!]

• It's finally happening.
• Did Income Gap actually prepare something?
• Korean Championship Finals.
• The Korean Finals equivalent and they leave Epic open?
• If they avoid the matchup, it'd be even more embarrassing.
• If they get crushed three games in a row, they'll have to enlist immediately.

[Seriously, I can't wait to see what happens. Whatever strategy they've prepared...]

[We'll find out very soon.]

[That's right! The game begins!]

[The junglers look like they're starting on opposite sides. Normally you'd expect them to start from the same side, but this time they're crossing over.]

[Looks like they anticipated each other perfectly! It's almost like they arranged to meet in the bottom lane from the beginning!]

[Seojun! He's moving forward!]

• HOLY SHIT.
• SEOJUN!
• He's going in already? LOL

Seojun's movements flowed naturally.

Like breathing.

There were many ways to use facts and knowledge.

Applying them directly to combat was merely one of them.

And when it came to this field, Seojun could state something with certainty.

The most important factor in combat involving ranged attacks was distance control.

Which was why ranged combat naturally developed.

After all, it was safer to attack from farther away.

There were always exceptions, of course.

But Luke wasn't one of them.

Yet Seojun approached without hesitation.

• Streamer, isn't that too reckless?
• It looks like he's just walking into range.
• No way he's trying to dodge everything manually.
• Wait... Seojun's spacing?

His body moved with perfect efficiency.

Every muscle responded naturally.

Every movement was economical.

The support behind him remained hidden in the brush.

Both sides knew it.

Neither side cared.

The moment Seojun and Spoon locked eyes—

Seojun's hand moved.

Spoon reacted instantly.

The muzzle of Luke's dual pistols flashed.

Two attacks flew toward Seojun.

Seojun had already predicted them.

With a single step backward, he retreated.

The bullets sliced through empty air.

And at that moment—

[Passive Activated!]

The distance had become exactly thirty-two units.

A range where the skill could activate.

Ordinary players would have celebrated.

Seojun didn't.

He had already been waiting for this.

There was no smile.

No excitement.

Only concentration.

Because this wasn't luck.

It was certainty.

The reason was simple.

Seojun had personally experienced Spoon's habits during their previous practice match.

And during that match, he had analyzed every pattern in Spoon's combat style.

Thirty-two units wasn't a random number.

It was a calculated result.

The trajectory of Spoon's attacks.

The habit of firing immediately after stepping forward.

The tendency to overcommit when trying to pressure an opponent.

All of it had been recorded.

Observed.

Remembered.

And now—

Exploited.

[Counterattack!]

The skill activated.

At the exact same time, the position where Seojun had been standing exploded.

A delayed shot from Luke struck the ground.

Just a fraction of a second too late.

From an outside perspective, it looked as though Seojun had simply dodged.

But that wasn't what happened.

Spoon had intentionally layered his attacks.

One direct shot.

One predictive shot.

A setup designed to force movement and punish the dodge.

Yet Seojun escaped both.

“Crazy.”

Someone muttered.

From behind, the support watching the exchange couldn't help but react.

The attack had been perfect.

And yet it missed.

Not because Spoon failed.

But because Seojun had already accounted for it.

“Fifty-fifty.”

Spoon laughed.

His fighting spirit only grew stronger.

This was the most basic rule of competition.

You never knew until you tried.

“A fifty-fifty, huh?”

Seojun smiled.

The corners of his lips rose slightly.

The game had finally become interesting.

For Spoon, if Seojun actually landed even a single shot, it was basically the same as taking a 50% gamble.

And yet he was betting on it.

“Ah, is that so? Then why don't you try a 33% gamble instead?”

• A 33% gamble? LOL
• What did he figure out now?
• The collection of spoilers continues.
• Looking at the comments, everyone's acting like they've already seen the future.

“Once the minions arrive, you'll understand what I mean.”

Of course, unable to see chat, Seojun simply answered Spoon before stepping back again.

He should've just used his skill and backed off...

Yet Spoon continued firing aggressive attacks.

Had he made a mistake because this was a tournament?

No.

The more Seojun watched, the more certain he became.

The opponent was consciously changing his habits.

Trying to overcome them?

Interesting.

But would that really work?

And even if it did, would it work against him?

“Seojun is crazier than I expected.”

Someone muttered.

“Huh? Me? Did I do something?”

“No. Just focus on last-hitting and surviving lane.”

[Minions have spawned.]

The duel.

Both players possessed a confidence born from being D-rank players.

Not arrogance.

Confidence.

Which was why moments like this happened.

ADC versus ADC.

Eye contact.

Observation.

And then a slight difference.

Luke had begun accumulating stacks.

His passive revolved around landing attacks.

The more attacks he landed, the stronger he became.

At full stacks, his attacks transformed.

The range increased.

The size increased.

Even the area of effect expanded.

• Passive stacking.
• Here we go.
• OOOOOOOOH.

Unlike heroes who specialized in direct combat, Luke was a hero who gradually altered the battlefield itself.

He didn't rush forward.

He established territory.

His attacks laid down zones.

And anyone standing within those zones could be damaged directly.

The strategy Seojun had identified was simple.

Habits.

Patterns.

Everything.

He had analyzed all of it.

And this draft existed specifically to overturn those habits.

Luke's passive was central to that plan.

• So that's what they're going for?
• Wait. Is Seojun intentionally letting him stack?
• And you're saying Spoon played that well because of this?
• If that's true, that's insane.

The minions met.

The fight began.

A wave of minions collided in the center.

Step.

Step.

Seojun alternated between farming minions and poking at Spoon.

Spoon did the same.

Naturally, since Luke was a D-rank hero, his early laning wasn't weak.

And unlike before, there was no reckless all-in.

The support remained hidden in the back.

Only the occasional projectile flew toward the minion wave.

To Seojun, it was obvious.

Spoon had chosen patience.

In previous matches, he had always maximized pressure.

This was the first time Seojun had seen him play this cautiously.

And the reason became clear immediately afterward.

Mana surged.

The nearby minions began glowing faintly.

A magic circle spread beneath them.

Then—

Another stack accumulated.

Not on Spoon.

On the battlefield itself.

[Territory]

Whenever Luke dealt damage, he gradually expanded his control zone.

One zone.

Then another.

Eventually, three separate areas formed.

From those positions, Luke began activating skills.

The distance between melee and ranged minions started to blur.

Seojun's movements slowed slightly.

Not because he couldn't avoid them.

But because the lane itself was changing.

Two attacks flew toward him.

Both narrowly missed.

So this time he's prioritizing expanding territory over direct damage.

Seojun nodded.

I was wondering why he was changing his habits.

Now he understood.

The objective wasn't immediate victory.

It was creating a battlefield where future predictions became harder.

• Wait, he's really changing?
• Is that why he's standing there?
• No way. Did Spoon actually evolve?
• The things they're saying in chat sound insane.
• So did Spoon actually awaken or something?
• The prophet is here again.
• Predicting someone's future through gameplay should be illegal.
• Stop making things up LOL.

And Spoon continued calmly farming minions while steadily expanding his territory.