Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story

Vol.5 Ch.18: Do I Have the Right to Win?

『You have been killed!』

"Heh, that guy is one hell of a sniper..." Gilbert smiled wryly. This death was so frustrating that he had to laugh it off or else it'll eat away at him.

Seriously, Gil? Howard frowned. You gonna pretend Lars's skill is too much for you? What kind of excuse is that?

Gilbert didn't lose to something simple like "inferior skill". Classmancers wasn't some shallow game where everything could be blamed on a difference in mechanical skill. Gilbert should have known that well by now, and yet...

Gil may become useless at this rate. Howard concluded. A fighter who lost his determination to adapt was useless. With that kind of mentality, Gilbert will keep losing time and again.

Was there anything Howard could do to still salvage Gilbert? Scolding may make Gilbert even more conscious of his faults and that'll drag down his performance even further. At the same time, giving Gilbert empty praise like "you did your best" may make Gilbert think there was really nothing he could've done in that situation and that admitting defeat was alright.

It was a delicate issue. Howard couldn't tell for sure how Gilbert may react, so it was safer to not poke this beehive. It was a rare display of weakness from a player who was otherwise solid and consistent, so Howard didn't know how to deal with this yet. It was unfortunate, but Gilbert lost to the pressure and to his pride, and this wasn't the first time either.

I don't like this, Howard frowned. In a tournament match, things like that are fatal.

Consequently, Howard's eyes naturally fell on Julia's status. As if responding to his gaze, a message popped up.

『An ally has been killed!』

Julia finished off Gregory shortly after Gilbert's death. The 2v2 turned into an unfortunate 0-2 for Howard's team.

Lars performed well in that fight, as expected from him. However, surprisingly, Julia also put on a very strong showing there. From how she countered the gank with Hurricane by separating Gilbert and Gregory, and all the way to the final play where she combined Jet Stream with Angelic Grace to catch up to Gilbert. Truly, Julia executed this attack with finesse. It was a type of aggressiveness that Gilbert lacked.

Hmm, I wonder... Howard didn't expect such thoughts to emerge during this selection match, but there was no denying that Gilbert had a tendency to underperform under certain circumstances. Of course, Julia also had her own bag of problems. However, if she can learn to consistently play like she's playing right now, then...

"Haha!" Julia pumped a fist after scoring a kill on Gregory. "Get cucked, bastard!"

"Awesome job, July!" Lars called. "We got them both!"

"Y-Yeah!" A wave of heat spread throughout Julia's body as the situation sank in. Not only did Lars just praise her for playing aggressively, but they made a beautiful combo play together! The game was a blast and was on a roll! It was awesome!

I can do it! Julia clenched her mouse. If she keeps playing like this, she'll deliver victory to the team for sure. She'll murder everybody for the sake of getting Lars into the first string! Yeah, that's right! You idiots all gotta die for the sake of my love!

However, right now, there weren't any enemies in sight. So, Julia took a deep breath to calm down. If she stays in this hyper state the whole time, her heart will explode for sure. Therefore, until she runs into another enemy, it was better to switch gears for defense- wha!? A wild Ellen appeared!

Sorry, July, Ellen smiled wryly. I knew you'd stay here for a little too long like that.

It was a habit Julia exhibited from time to time when they practiced together. After scoring a kill, Julia remained at the same place for a few seconds, supposedly to "cool her engines". During this short period of time, she was in a limbo between her offensive and defensive sides. Therefore, any surprise attack would catch her off-guard!