The Newbie Is Too Strong's
172. Strong Opponent, Mulya Kasih High School
Right after our match, we watched the second preliminary round match between the winners of the first preliminary round of group 2 and group 14. Yes, anyone between the two teams is the winner, they will be our opponents in the next round.
Well, although most people have concluded first who the winner is about the gap in ability between the two teams. All the audience seemed to favor Mulya Kasih High School Team over Target High School Team.
But it's not without reason.
In this second half, it appears they rested Viandra by being replaced by a reserve archer. However, that does not reduce the gap between the two teams.
Come to think of it, their strategy was really exactly following us, a shielder and mage guarding the monolith, while an archer providing attack support and a cleric giving their team a buff.
What was different was that his main attacker was a swordsman. It was as if it was mocking me that this was what a team formation should be like. A lowly Assassin like me is simply unfit to be the main assailant. Yeah, of course they never said any of that. It all just came from an evil assumption in my heart that I realized was probably wrong.
However, this was not something that deserved to be a spectacle. This is not a game, but a massacre. Depending on the difference in the ability gap of the two teams, the game can be an exciting match or just a heartbreaking slaughter scene to watch.
The swordsman seemed to advance alone casually. He did not at all allow the enemy attack team to advance to attack the monolith. In just a few slashes, the two opposing team members can no longer dwell then game over in the arena.
What was left was the three defending team members. Even so, they were just like fragile papers in the face of the swordsman's absolute strength. In just one or two slashes, they lost without giving a counterattack at all. Including the opponent shield, whose frail shield was smashed with just the sword slash casual the swordsman.
Then in an instant, in just a light slash anyway, the opponent's monolith was destroyed.
The match ended 105 vs. 0 in just 5 minutes 59 seconds, less than half of the time we used to finish the same round.
Everything was resolved alone by the swordsman without even needing the archer behind him to support him.
Not only Viandra, the swordsman is also a real threat to our team. No, it was likely that most of their members were monsters.
It's really a difficult situation for our team.
I certainly like challenges. The stronger the opponent, the happier I will be. But this is not the time for that. We have to win here to restore the confidence of our team that had slumped in their case with the Andalusia High School Team last year.
Of course you weren't on the team at the time, but seeing how Senior Areka's aching expression was just by remembering it, I was more or less able to understand the general picture of the situation.
Especially Senior Areka. I can't keep him locked up in the bitterness of that past trauma. We have to win.
.
.
.
That's how time passes, until the time shows at 3 pm past 10 minutes. It was our match schedule in the third round.
At least, the situation on the team seems fine for now where their confidence is still at an optimal level. Their mentality did not degenerate at all after witnessing the greatness of Mulya Kasih High School just now. In fact, there was a burning fire in their eyes that showed their strong determination.
The strategy we used in this round changed a little bit. For the defense team, the composition remains the same, only there is a personnel change where Kak Yudishar replenishes his place which was replaced by Kak Sabrina.
As for this time, we decided not to use long-range support, but rather close-range support. I remain as the main attacker where Robby's brother acts as the attacking assistant next to me.
If if they were to use an archer, then Brother Robby would be quite skilled in dispelling arrow attacks. Same with the defending team. The combined movements of Senior Areka and Brother Yudishar are unquestionable.
For this third preliminary round, the rules of the game are exactly the same as in the previous second preliminary round.
And that's how the match started.
As expected, in this round they again took down Viandra, the fighter. But unexpectedly, they did not use archer at all. Again, the composition of his team is similar to ours, except for the main attacker who is a fighter.
But apparently my guess was wrong. As if to insult us, they only let down Viandra as a striker where the remaining four teams stand by at the back as a defending team.
Deftly, Viandra jumped me and Robby's sister. I don't need to get in the way of him because I'm confident in the abilities of my team members at the back. All I have to do with Brother Robby now is destroy the defending team and their monolith.
I remember my old days in Gardenia. If I go back to those memories, I mostly complete missions individually. Only occasionally did I complete missions with the team and even though it was said to be a team, it was just a party consisting of two people, me and Keporin.
Instantly I realized that I wasn't very good at team matters. On my team right now, I'm not actually cooperating with them. It was they who wisely likened their pace to my egoistic movement. Why did I just realize all that? To be honest, I felt ashamed and guilty of them.
The opposing swordsman cunningly lured me away from Kak Robby and was used by his mage and shield colleagues to work together to eliminate Kak Robby from the arena.
In just an instant, I lost my precious teammates right before my own eyes.
‘Sial!’
When I hoped that things would improve, Viandra managed to break through Senior Areka's defenses and eliminated Kak Yudishar and Kak Yurika in the arena and destroyed our monolith.
‘Sial! Why can I be so off guard?!’
However, when I felt frustrated, a voice came to reach me,
“Luca, don't give up! It's too early to give up! There is still 20 minutes more to turn things around!”
Immediately I was struck by my own stupidity. Senior Areka's words. We haven't been eliminated here. Obviously there is still a chance to turn things around no matter how unfavorable our current position may be.
We just have to eliminate more opponents and destroy their monoliths.
With that spirit I rise. No matter how the four of them gang up on me, I will never lose.
I saw the opponent cleric focus on giving his buff to the swordsman, instead of spreading it to each team member. It then makes the swordsman leveling up his abilities with extraordinary drastic.
The swordsman who received the buff acted as the main attacker who attacked my body. And every time I was about to retaliate, the opponent's shield disturbed me by blocking my attack through his shield.
The mage is no less annoying. He kept shooting at me with his fireballs when the swordsman was in the cooldown of his attack or there was an easy chance to do so.
Being outplayed with four opponents like this really sucks.
But, of course you guys forgot that I'm an assassin.
I only deliberately acted foolishly like that by accepting the clumsy attacks to brainwash them into the existence of Senior Areka who was still temporarily facing the Viandra.
If the enemy feels above the clouds like that, usually they will no longer focus on their surroundings and will only focus on bullying opponents who have been dying.
After the enemy seemed to have the vibe I wanted like that, I started activating my stealth skill and shadow steps and instantly disappeared from before them.
As I expected, instead of dividing the formation to help Viandra defeat Senior Areka, they still focused on my whereabouts disappearing in their midst.
Either it's because they trust the Viandra too much, or as I mentioned earlier, obviously, the four members of the Viandra team had lost their focus over the remaining fight between the temporary Viandra against Senior Areka.
It could be that if they would think about defeating Senior Areka to finish me off together, then it would derail my strategy that I had designed.
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The Third Preliminary Round Temporary Score
Mulya Kasih High School: 103
Pelita Harapan High School: 0
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