Seconds ticked by.
Sypher stood in the Champion Pit, his three teammates flanking him.Above them, inside a hovering command capsule, their Coordinator watched in silence.
[WELCOME, CHAMPIONS]
[PLEASE PROCEED TO YOUR ASSIGNED LANES]
A voice echoed in his ear.Deep. Calm. Familiar—as if Sypher had heard it before.
The same man who had dropped [Dominator's Howl] earlier.
"You hear me?" the voice asked.
"Oh? So you're the Coordinator?"Selene's voice carried an amused tone."Wouldn't have guessed… with your face and all."
"Let's keep the sarcasm to a minimum, shall we?"A quiet throat-clear.
"Check the scoreboard. Apex—what was your name again?"
"Huh? Oh."Sypher tapped his earpiece, mic activating.
"Sypher."
"Right. You're facing their strongest.So don't do anything stupid. I'll support the rest—your job is to sit tight. Let him farm minions under tower. Don't fight. Don't feed."
A short pause.
"If you follow instructions, you'll survive."
Of course.
Sypher exhaled through his nose, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers.
[SCORE SHEET]
[Points — 0 : 0]
Sypher (Apex) vs. Kuron (Apex)
Roy (Core) vs. Aurora (Core)
Selene (Burst) vs. Pitcher (Burst)
Bork (Sup) vs. Thane (Sup)
Finn (Cord) vs. Ariel (Cord)
Suddenly, explosive laughter burst out beside him.
Roy.
"PAHAHA!! Wait, your name is Finn?! That's gotta be a joke!"
A synchronized sigh echoed across the comms.
Then silence.Brief. Tense.
"Alright—GO!" the Coordinator barked.
[GAME START]
Sypher moved.He left the pit behind, towers of marble and steel shrinking in the distance as he followed a dirt path winding through artificial vegetation. Trees. Bushes. Bio-generated animals, all carefully placed to mimic a real-world environment.
Before him now stood his Tier-1 tower.Still. Massive. Waiting.
His role as Apex was straightforward:Kill the enemy Apex.Farm points through minions and tower destruction.And if things went perfectly—end the match by cracking the core.
But according to the Coordinator—Sypher was outclassed.
Badly.
Sypher clicked his tongue and muttered:
"So I'm playing defense, huh…?"
The minions began to spawn.He turned, shielding his eyes from the glare, and waited in silence.
Then—
[FIRST BLOOD]
[ENEMY TEAM +20 POINTS]
What…?
What the hell?
"HEY?! Which one of you brainless idiots died before the first wave even hit?!" Selene snapped.
Roy respawned in the Champion Pit, rolled his neck, and casually jogged back.
"Sorry, but that brat called me a name. What was I supposed to do—not punch her?"
This idiot…
Early kill.Bonus stats for their Core.And the match hadn't even started properly.
Sypher clenched his fists.Grit his teeth.
"Again, huh…"
If Roy dies two more times, he's locked out. And I'm supposed to trust these guys?
He stepped forward and cracked his knuckles.His minions marched past—five AI soldiers, silent and dutiful, headed toward the enemy tower.
The breeze stirred his hair.
[OX-RUSH]
One moment, the minions were ahead.The next—A shockwave tore through the lane.
A black blur.
BOOM.
The minions exploded like bowling pins after a 15-kilo strike.Dust flew. Debris scattered.
[ENEMY TEAM +5 POINTS]
Sypher froze.
Ahead stood a massive figure.Easily over two meters tall. Maybe more.Short, messy black hair.Chin beard.Open Hawaiian shirt.Sandals.Dark sunglasses.
…
What the—?
He looked like someone had pulled him straight off a beach and tossed him into ranked.
This guy's in my division?Is this a Smurf?
Wait…
The style.The build.That beard—
Oh fuck.That's what the Coordinator meant.
This guy…
He's a Smurf.
"H–hey, Finn? Tell me I'm imagining this…"
"No."Finn's voice was tight. Immediate."That's what I meant. Stay back."
You could hear him swallow over comms.
"He's undefeated in his last fifteen matches.This one… is his rank-up game."
A Smurf.On his way up to the next tier.
And Sypher?
He was standing right in his path.
His fists shook. Sweat dripped down his forehead.
So… that's it? This is how it ends?
It's not fair.It's not fucking fair—
His vision warped.Stomach twisted.
"What the—"
[DOMINATOR'S HOWL]
The ground trembled.Pressure ripped through the air.Finn had popped his ult.
Then:
[DOUBLE KILL]
[YOUR TEAM +40 POINTS]
"YEAH!!!"Selene's voice cracked through the channel."Did you SEE that, Bork?! I turned those dogs into roadkill!"
A loud clap. Sharp. Heavy.It echoed through every headset.
Bork nodded slowly.
"Perfect timing, Coordinator. You saved our asses."
Maybe… this wasn't over.Maybe if he trusted these two—
Then a voice cut through the air.Cold. Flat.
Sypher looked up.
Kuron stood in front of him.Cracked his wrists, rubbed the back of his neck like he'd just woken up.
"Fucking amateurs… always making things harder."
His eyes locked onto Sypher.
"Hey. You."
Silence.
"Don't get your hopes up.This match? Won't even hit the 15-minute mark."
Sypher swallowed.Squared his shoulders.Fists clenched.Eyes locked.
"You think so…?"
A single step forward.
[SOAK]
He raised his right arm and leaned in. The air distorted—like a black hole forming in his palm.Kuron was ripped forward.
[STRIDER]
BAM.
Sypher's fist slammed into his face.Kuron flew back. Hard.Skidded.Caught himself.Blood trickled from his nose.He wiped it away like it was nothing.
"…was that percentage damage?"
Slowly, his eyes rose.
What he saw was simple:
A cocky grin.
[TIME LEFT: 00:13:22]