Each league has players who represent their regions.
Even without pointing out the top players from Europe or North Arica, there was always at least one famous player from regions like Northeast Asia, including Korea, West Asia, or South Arica.
But the most frequently ntioned ones were undoubtedly from Europe and North Arica. Not only because their international results were good, but because the influence of these players was different. Representing a league ant that you were defining the style of that league.
For example, in Europe, the league was one where ranged damage dealers were especially obsessed with firepower. It was due to the dominance of long-ga specialists like Cerberus and the backline disruptor, Reaper.
If you dragged the ga out against Cerberus, you were bound to lose. However, since there were no players capable of defeating him in close combat, the team had to rely on ranged dealers. To prevent being devoured by Reaper, specialized bodyguards beca a common strategy.
As for the North Arican league...
It was a league dominated by two notorious figures.
“Did you gain so weight?”
“Shut up, you rude bastard. You’ve got nothing better to say as soon as you et .”
“I was just joking. Did you really put on weight?”
“You better watch out when you’re walking at night. I’ll co find you one of these days.”
“That’s why I never go out at night. There are too many people looking to get .”
In a café in Los Angeles, California, a small woman frowned. Across from her, a man sipped his coffee with a smirk.
The rough-talking woman was a professional gar known by her nickna, "Hero."
And the man across from her was "Phantom."
Together, they influenced the North Arican league, turning it into one focused on survival and mobility. The assassin class, known for its high kill potential, had to survive Phantom’s grip and face Hero’s overwhelming power.
As a result, North Arican matches often featured flashy and stylish classes.
“This café is nice. It’s not too remote, but not too crowded either. The coffee tastes good too.”
“This is the place my coach recomnded. I liked it too, so I co here often.”
Arica was a land far from their hotowns. Despite being on different teams, both of them had started living in a foreign land at the sa ti, which created a sense of camaraderie.
A eting that started by chance had lasted for several years now.
Hero's fork cut through the cheesecake.
The piece of bread stuck to the fork, and a bright smile appeared on her face. Phantom stared intently at her before speaking.
“Is that cheesecake really that good?”
“Yeah. Whenever I co here, I always get it.”
“Let try a bite, I want to see what it tastes like.”
“Are you crazy? Why would I give you a bite of mine?”
“You won the last match, right? If you like it, I’ll get one for myself, but let try a bite first.”
“Ugh...”
Over the years, a certain unspoken rule had developed between the two of them.
In the league, the two were constantly trading victories. Familiarity alone couldn’t soothe the bitterness of defeat.
Whenever they t, the winner would cover the al costs, allowing them to clear the air.
In the second round of the North Arican league, Hero had claid the victory.
Finally, with her hands trembling, Hero shared a small portion of the cake.
In short, even after years, the sting of defeat was still painful.
Despite accumulating championship titles and many wins, they remained obsessed with the outco.
Professional gars at the top are all like that.
They were people for whom only victory and the ga mattered. So, their conversation was hardly ever special.
“I think I’m starting to see which teams will make it to the World Championship.”
“Well, it’s about that ti.”
“Do you have any teams you’re watching?”
“Sa old ones, and maybe Japan.”
“I think that necromancer looks interesting.”
A good amount of ti had passed since the start of the second round, which ca with a new patch.
At this point, the rankings in most regions were beginning to stabilize.
The exact results would take a bit longer to confirm, but the teams heading for the World Championship were already becoming clearer.
So teams had fallen while others had risen.
Naturally, a new team to watch had erged in this year's World Championship as well.
Falcon, who had made an impact in the Prelude, had smoothly taken control of the Japanese league.
The team of Crow, who had showcased corpse bombing in the arena, was also gaining attention.
Team CP was being highlighted for its unusual tactics.
And lastly,
“Are you really not going to ntion the Korean league?”
“That country is done for.”
“Have you not seen any matches at all?”
“...I’ve seen it. But only because of one team.”
Hero smiled broadly.
Phantom's distaste for his ho country was sothing that had been around for quite a while, as he had long since beco a naturalized Arican citizen.
During the peak years of IKL, Phantom had faced events that were beyond “unfair” in Korea.
His allegations had led to the explosive end of one team, an Exodus within the league, and it was during that ti that Hero had escaped to the U.S.
Since then, IKL had weakened and struggled to regain its strength.
However, recently, Phantom had co across a team that particularly bothered him.
Hero had no hard feelings toward his hotown, so he was able to easily ntion the na of this team.
“Sigma is pretty scary. I lost one-on-one to them when I went to Korea.”
“I saw it. That’s why I still don’t get it. How did soone like that erge from Korea?”
“They probably did sothing else before gaming. I’m sure of it. When I faced them, their movents clearly showed they had been trained in combat. They must have co from a real elite background.”
“Exactly. If they weren’t that good, there’s no way I’d believe it.”
Sigma eSports had beco the dominant force in the Korean league.
In the second round, they were still on track for an undefeated season. They crushed their competition without even a single match loss.
Even though IKL’s reputation had fallen so far, the rise of an outlier team had turned heads.
Rumors about them were already spreading in various parts of the world.
Objectively... they weren’t yet strong enough to win the World Championship.
But a spot in the top eight seed very likely. Given the right circumstances, the team might even make it to the semifinals, which was the general consensus.
They were being evaluated as a team that could potentially cause an upset.
Phantom was especially concerned about the changes in IKL.
The appearance of an invincible predator.
Every team had to adapt and go through trial and error to survive. Once the research was complete, the results would likely beco IKL’s “style.”
Wasn’t this a scenario that felt eerily familiar?
It mirrored the developnt of Europe and North Arica almost perfectly.
“Alright. We don’t know yet. There’s never been an undefeated team in the regular season, after all. It’s still the Korean league.”
Phantom had no objections to Sigma being a strong team.
But there was still much to prove.
eSports was a field with frequent upsets.
Unlike other sports with fixed rules, in eSports, unconventional tactics could erge at any mont.
With enough data accumulated from the regular season, it was about ti for sothing new to appear.
Phantom frowned as he spoke. He seed to be talking a bit faster now.
“There’ll be a lot of variables in the playoffs. Once the montum is broken, weaknesses start to show...”
“Do you know how ugly you sound right now? Just admit it already.”
“...”
“Ugh, what a pain.”
Hero’s lips curled into a sly smile.
It had been a long ti since Phantom had been silenced.
Match Comntary:
"This is really tough. We need a super play to turn this around."
"Things have gotten pretty bad. They barely shook Hekate, but the kills haven’t continued."
"Luche has been consistently improving since the beginning, but the recent performances have been truly remarkable."
"At this mont, Ga-wol enters the enemy territory!"
The assassin, using stealth, targeted Gunslinger’s neck.
The dealer, who had already used up their survival skills, couldn’t put up any resistance as they were imdiately silenced.
Gunslinger was the class that used the most firearms in Inbl.
While it was hard to get the bonus damage, shooting from the backline remained a serious threat to supporters.
Ga-wol picked up a sniper rifle, loading it with a satisfying click and pulling the bolt back.
"However... doesn’t Ga-wol’s play seem unique?"
"Yes, in many ways."
"Picking up a firearm is sothing you see often in plays, but without any buffs, it’s usually just about shooting. But Ga-wol seems to be preparing with a serious stance."
The ga was already overwhelmingly tilted.
At this point, there was only the matter of closing out the loose ends.
Boom. Bang.
The sound of gunfire echoed several tis.
"Ah, I see. Hwang Yul, the analyst, was probably from the UDT, right? What do you think of Ga-wol’s shooting skills?"
"His knee-shooting posture is exemplary. He’s a player who knows how to handle firearms. He could be chosen as a demonstration coach."
"His gun swaps are perfect. Where could he have learned this?"
"There’s a saying that if three high school girls team up, they can take down a tank..."
A few minutes later, Luche finished off the last enemy, and the ga ended.
IKL’s second round had co to an end with a flawless record in the Sumr regular league.
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