A few of the Cheese coaches had formed a coalition. Not really a coalition so much as... a sort of casual group broadcast. They watched games together, talked, laughed, and chatted. Though it was in virtual reality, they'd set up dim lighting, comfortable sofas, and arranged potato chips and Doritos for a relaxed atmosphere.
"Ah! Come on! That's not how you do that!"
"Hm? Is this right?"
"Nice shoooot!"
Beyond professional feedback, they also showed plenty of pure spectator exclamations and reactions.
"Oh no... Bubblegum hyung..."
— lmaooooo
— Takoyaki is SWEATING
— Ugh...
— Takoyaki...
— Why this hard road again...
Takoyaki's main reaction was simply wiping sweat running down his head because he'd taken on a difficult team as coach.
"Sigh... Bubblegum hyung..."
— lmaooooooo Gum...
— Takoyaki hang in there~
— all he does when he shows up is complain about Bubblegum?
— Mountain Bubblegum
— lmaooooo
— Thank goodness ForeverAlone is there...
He was currently coaching the team known as Can't Can't Can't. This team included Zelo, Bubblegum, Acorn Jelly, ForeverAlone, and Choco Shroom.
Originally, ForeverAlone was supposed to find a coach. He mostly only knew younger players. Those younger players flatly refused after taking one look at Bubblegum, Zelo, and Acorn Jelly. Just then, Takoyaki's team had disbanded, leaving him with nothing to do. He accepted and fell into this situation.
"Haah..."
Takoyaki felt a wave of mild regret. He'd played in the streamer tournament, so he thought he could surely manage as a coach. Watching from the sidelines felt more frustrating.
"That's not it. That's not how you do it!"
An old pro teammate came over to comfort him. "Takoyaki, hang in there. I shouldn't be saying this, but your situation is better than the Knight Order's."
— Wow
— I see
— What the
— lmaooooo
— They must feel really bad for him to offer this kind of consolation...
— lmaooo Knight Order...
"No, what does that mean, hyung? Our results and the Knight Order's are more or less the same."
"True, but comparatively, the Knight Order is underperforming way below their specs. Nobody expects that much from your team."
That was a fair point. Everyone expected their team to do poorly from the start.
The Knight Order had bad results relative to the enormous expectations, especially right now.
"Wow, the Knight Order is out at 7th!?"
With the Knight Order posting a 7th place finish, their evaluation was in free fall.
"Damn..."
"What about their coach??"
"The split strategy is ridiculous."
The gathered coaches worried about Sa-Rang. When the players had good specs, but the results weren't showing, who else would take the blame?
"Strangely, Almond can't seem to perform."
"Right? He's not in his usual form."
"Weird. Is the split the right call?"
Everyone on the other sofa added their opinion. Their eyes drifted to Takoyaki.
"Hyung, you played the streamer tournament with Almond, right? What's going on? Is he out of form?"
"Well..." Takoyaki thought briefly and shook his head. "No, Almond's form hasn't dropped."
"... Then, what’s going on?"
"Wow, Almond blinders..."
Everyone was teasing him, saying that it made no sense.
"No, he was at exactly this level from the very start. If he's not practicing, there's no reason for him to drop further."
It was a statement with its own logic.
— lmaooooo this is his floor??
— fr
— lmaooooo
— This guy is just good at the game!
— Takoyaki knows best
"Then why are the results like this? Because of the split?"
Takoyaki quickly answered, "No, it's compatibility. The compatibility of Almond, Sweet Radish, and Black Tea as a trio is terrible."
Terrible was a strong way to put it.
Takoyaki explained, "For Almond, someone needs to accept his slightly off plays and cover for him so he can fly. That's why he surprisingly has good chemistry with Bubblegum."
"Oh..."
"Right. That was always true."
"Even at the world championship, player Pang covered for him. Yeah."
Everyone nodded in agreement about Almond.
"Sweet Radish is a theoretical analyst type who performs when team members of mid-tier or above are evenly distributed. This was during his pro days, so maybe not now... Anyway, that's his fundamental nature."
Takoyaki had good insight into Sweet Radish too.
"Oh..."
"Right. That's true."
Everyone nodded.
"Black Tea seems like she has strong opinions, but she's actually someone who needs a strong caller."
He explained the required conditions for all three. None of them were being met.
"Listening to it, you'll understand. They interlock in a way where they interfere with each other."
"Wow. You're right?"
The other coaches looked at Takoyaki with wariness. He knew the inner workings of another team too well.
'This bald guy... does he know everything about our teams too?'
Three national tournament wins did mean a remarkable brain.
"Well... it'll take some time for this chemistry to come together."
He didn't think things would be resolved within this scrimmage, but a little later. Then, they all heard shocking news.
"She's saying they'll get first place from now on!?"
Sa-Rang had announced that they'd be getting first place going forward.
"Yeah. That's what she apparently said."
"Wow..."
"She's genuinely a superstar in a sense..."
"No words."
— What the?
— Wow lmaooo
— What
— Wow...
— The audacity
The coaches all had the same question. Less about how she'd deliver on the claim and more about where on earth that confidence came from.
"What did this person even do before?"
"She's something else, for real."
Those who had ever participated in anything resembling a competition understood. What someone said could become a shackle in its own way. Not just anyone could trash talk.
Takoyaki also found it genuinely puzzling.
'But this flavor feels familiar... Mmm.'
He chewed on it for no reason. This bold statement... somehow felt familiar. Not just a spicy flavor, but a pleasantly spicy flavor.
Someone pointed at one monitor and called out excitedly, "Hm? The Knight Order changed their split members!"
— They're gathered watching the Knight Order instead of their own teams LOL
— Hm? Really
— After posting 4th 4th 3rd 7th, curious how they plan to get first place~
— Almond and Lemon???
— Black Tea and Lemon got separated??
— Hm?
Everyone was surprised by Black Tea and Lemon being separated, not just the viewers.
"Black Tea and Lemon?"
"Hmm...? This completely eliminates the bottom duo chemistry?"
Black Tea and Lemon were already an established duo in the streaming world. They’d built their own rhythm together over a long time. If they were separated, both would only perform at their individual ranks. Together, they produced top-tier Challenger synergy.
'Ah.'
Seeing the two of them separated, Takoyaki understood the team's intention.
"They didn't separate Black Tea and Lemon."
"Then what?"
"They separated Almond from Sweet Radish and Black Tea."
— I see
— Wow
— What
— Hm?
— Hm?
Earlier, Takoyaki had said the trio's chemistry wasn't working.
"Ahaha! Got it! I understand why the Knight Order is insisting on the split!"
Everyone turned at Takoyaki's words. They were all curious. Why was the Knight Order obsessed with a split strategy even though it wasn't manageable in an event tournament like this?
"Why?"
"That woman knows exactly how to use Almond!"
Her only disclosed records were as Best Yi Sun-Shin. If anyone watched her games, they could tell that she was a master at using Almond, even more skillfully than Cookie. When she held command, Almond became a complete protagonist.
"The split is giving Almond solo play opportunities."
"Putting Almond in a two-person team and having him lead almost like solo play is the optimal setup, especially in a split two-person group. Instant judgment and breakthrough power are essential. This is absolutely tailor-made for Almond."
Right, the split wasn't tailor-made for the Knight Order. It was tailor-made for Almond.
Almond ultimately hadn’t found the strategy that suited the team, but the strategy that suited himself!
"And simultaneously with Sweet Radish and Black Tea separated, the other two will come alive too."
"Is, is that right?"
Everyone looked like they couldn't fully accept it. At that moment, the coaches each added a word.
"Oh! The Knight Order already ran into another team!? Wow... such terrible luck!"
"Ugh. The route is ruined."
"... Damn."
"Seems like they planned it to avoid encounters... and they still run into someone?"
Then, one person screamed, "AAAAGH!?"
Sardine, the coach sitting right next to Takoyaki, was coaching the team, Magical Girls.
"That's our team!? Why did they land THERE!?"
The Knight Order had been doing poorly, but the other side's start wasn't easy either. The Knight Order had dropped into a barren area to begin with. Two teams had overlapped there. In a barren neighborhood with nothing to eat, two teams would now have to fight.
"Now the Knight Order has to die to be useful!?"
The coaches in the back told her.
"But this is actually honey for us! We’re guaranteed to kill them all! Look at the angle!"
"Wow, true. Insane luck! The Knight Order is split up! Magical Girls might kill all of them?"
It felt like Magical Girls would wrap around the Knight Order and devour them.
Takoyaki shook his head. "I don't think so."
The dots on the minimap, spread out as three and two, instantly converged to the center.
"Oh oh oh!?"
"What? Wh-when did they?"
Before the coaches could even follow, the Knight Order had swiftly pivoted to a full offensive.
Crack.
Almond burst out from the bushes first and drew his bow.
BANG!
[Headshot!]
The arrow planted itself precisely in Miho's head.
— What the?!
— Wow
— that's like a prize for Miho, isn't it?
— Oh
— Wow
"They're doing raw combat!?"
Raw combat meant fighting from the very beginning without a single contracted champion.
"Are they out of their minds!? You lose here and you're done for!!"
At that moment, did Sardine sense her future? She vented frustration at the Knight Order for no real reason.
— Let's go down together~
— Why is that your problem LOL
— Self-destruct plan?
At first, they were in disbelief. They thought the Knight Order was just being reckless.
"You think you can win doing this!?"
It looked that way, but no one could know until the fight started.
'The early skill exchange is what matters most.'
Takoyaki focused on Almond.
Crash!
Bang!
Magic and ranged attacks flew back and forth between the two sides. The enemy's attacks were pouring into Almond.
'Just once...'
Almond dodged.
— Wow
— That missed??
— How many did he slip?
— What
Takoyaki felt the same sensation as in the previous tournament.
'Just once when it matters...!'
He stared wide-eyed as if he were there in person.
'This is Almond.'
He slipped one attack right and gave Lemon an opening.
The coaches exclaimed in unison.
"Th-this is huge?"
"That's it right there."
"How much work is he doing?"
The enemies had overinvested in their attacks on Almond and missed. Thanks to that, Lemon gained a great angle.
[Sweet Radish: Lemon! Wind!]
[Lemon: Okay!]
Bang!
[Air Bomb]
The game suddenly flipped. Lemon's attack pushed the enemies back toward the three-person team.
[Black Tea: Everyone, die!!]
Whooooosh!
Black Tea, who had received Lemon's briefing in advance, fired a Fireball.
CRASHHHH!
[CutiePie: AAARGH!]
[StrawberryShooter: What!? What!?]
[Miho: Wh-where is this? Wasn't that Almond just now!?]
The Magical Girls team dissolved in smoke and flames.
[Sweet Potato: GOING IN!!!]
Sweet Radish and Sweet Potato drove in and shattered the entire enemy formation.
[Sweet Radish: Servant Flash!]
Whoooooosh!
Sweet Radish spun half a turn, his spear instantly slicing four enemies in one motion.
— Servant Flash is Sweet Potato's LOL
— Suddenly used Servant Flash!
— lmaooooo
— Wow that entry was insane LOL
Shockingly, all four hits landed cleanly due to his precisely calibrated distance sense and weapon use.
[Bleeding]
Generally, spears were used for thrusting. In Survival mode, weapons and skills were randomized to a degree. Sweet Radish’s spear had a blade shaped for slashing, making that style of combat possible.
He took advantage of such variables to tear through the battlefield. This was the physique and split-second judgment of a former professional and a current Challenger.
"Wow..."
"Insane."
"Out of their mind."
In addition, a rain of arrows came flying from Almond, who had survived.
Bang!
[First Blood!]
A slaughter occurred at the very start of the game.
[DumbYoungMan → StrawberryShooter]
— This game is different! Knight Order!
— They're actually getting first place?
— Split to eat up a whole team right from the start LOL
— This genuinely can't be stopped fr
— This is exciting!
Bang!
[DumbYoungMan Double Kill!]
[DumbYoungMan → Miho]

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