The final game began. At long last, Stratus had the opportunity to test their mettle against Apprentece, the rumored pro-level player!

With that said, the game’s opening was rather uneventful. Yuel told the team to exercise caution against early invades, but the enemy didn't seem interested in anything of the sort.

So, I see Apprentece isn’t THAT cocky. Yuel thought. I was sure the Orc pick implied he was completely looking down on us, but he's more reasonable than that, at least.

In fact, even the Leopards themselves were a bit surprised by that tame turn of events.

"My, you're not suggesting an invade?" Cato asked.

"No need," Jin stated matter-of-factly.

"I thought you were planning to go all out with that Orc of yours."

"This kind of invade is risky for minimal benefit. Not worth."

In truth, when dealing with vastly inferior opponents, an early invade was a great opener for hyper-aggressive classes like Orc and Dark Knight. However, given who Jin's teammates were in this game, he didn't want to take unnecessary risks.

I will take risks as needed, but only the kinds of risks I can fully control. Jin thought. I shouldn’t rely on these teammates too much.

After the tame opening, both sides proceeded to their lanes. And so, the laning phase began.

Out of everybody in Stratus, it was Ben who had to face the new, powerful opponent.

Just my luck. Ben gulped. B-But I have to do it! Somehow.

This laning phase was assuredly going to be fiercer than anything he had experienced here today. Not only was the opponent's class far more aggressive than anything Ben had faced today, but the opponent himself was also rumored to be leaps and bounds above Challenger in terms of skill level.

I-It's okay! As long as I stick to my usual defense, I should be able to do it...! Ben tried to pump himself up, but shivers nonetheless assaulted him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lie to himself - he was terrified.

This was the last game of the day, the game that would decide the winner of the entire scrimmage. And, it was Ben's responsibility here to stop the enemy's strongest player, to make sure Apprentece won't be able to snowball to victory.

N-No pressure, haha... Ben took a deep breath. I-It's okay. It should be okay. I've come so far today already. I should be okay. Yes.

This wasn't the first time that pressure got to him today, and it probably wasn’t the last time, either. On this grand stage, with countless eyes watching his every move, it was impossible to not get nervous. Everybody wrestled with that kind of pressure to one degree or another. Therefore, Ben had to confront that nightmarish beast as well!

For better or worse, this entire inner turmoil was written all over his face for everybody to see. Ben went from shaking, to frowning, to gritting his teeth in determination, and then back to frowning again.

"I'm tellin' ya, dude is totally out of it," Lars whispered.

"Yes, I can see that," Yuel agreed. "But, it looks like he's about to overcome it? Or, maybe not..."

Ben's expression went back and forth between that of a terrified kitten and a confident lion. His mental state must have been a total mess.

"Ya gotta say something to him, dude."

"Me?" Yuel asked. "I don't think I'm the man for the job. That's more your forte."

"I've already said a bunch of stuff to everybody, remember? But, Ben is still nervous like that. My talk ain't helping him, yo."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Yes, looks like his case is more difficult than the others'."

It was understandable. Ben was already timid by nature, and in this game, he was thrown into the most difficult situation. He was the one who'll have to go up against Apprentece, the legendary Korean player. This was an unknown enemy hailed to be the strongest in the region.

Yuel understood all of that, but what could he possibly say about any of this? He wasn't an expert at encouraging others. A job like this, which required emotional intelligence, was best left to the two goofs: Lars and Vincent.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Lars said. "Ya ain't that good with mincing words, that’s why stuff like that is always hard for ya. But, that's also why it's so effective when you say something, ya know?"

"What's 'so effective' about it, exactly?"

"When ya say something reassuring, it got a different ring to it,” Lars explained. “Everybody knows ya don't like sugarcoating or overhyping stuff, so when you say something positive, people know it's legit."

"Yeah, I feel like I've experienced something like that earlier today." Yuel nodded. "But, what can I even say here?"

"Just say what you really think, dude. But, preferably, stick to the positive bits, haha” Lars laughed. “For example, what do you think about this Druid vs. Orc matchup? Is it in Ben's favor?"

"Hmm. Honestly, it's a little rough,” Yuel said. “Druid can play it safe by shooting from a distance, but its shots aren't that strong. So, I can see a competent Orc getting the lead in the lane."

"Dang, sounds rough. But, Ben will be alright, right?"

"Yes, he should be. As long as he stays on the defensive as usual, then he shouldn't have a problem dealing with an Orc. At least, in theory."

"Great!” Lars nodded. “Now, tell him all that, just without the bits about how the matchup might be rough and stuff. Just focus on how you think Ben can get things done if he stays calm and all."

"Hmm. Okay, I'll give it a shot." Yuel wasn't entirely convinced, but this should be better than saying nothing, right? This won't somehow make things worse, right?

Honestly, that's always my biggest fear with these things. Yuel gulped. I remember discouraging so many classmates from the game back in grade school. It was all because of the things I've said without filtering them enough. I thought that being objective and giving it to them straight was always the best for them, but they didn't take kindly to it.

Now, two years later, Yuel understood the errors of his ways. He was too blunt and rubbed many people the wrong way. He tried to be objective and always “correct”, but people found that unpleasant to listen to.

But, I've come a long way since then. I've seen Lars and Vincent say a lot of motivational nonsense that somehow grabbed everybody's attention. And, Howard was also pretty slick with things like that.

With so many references to draw from, Yuel should be able to mimic these speeches at this point. So, it was time to put all this accumulated experience into practice!

"Ben, listen," Yuel started. "I know it’s stressful to be the one who has to face Apprentece."

"N-No, it's fine! I'm fine. No need to worry about me. Yeah."

"Very convincing." Yuel made a face. "I'm not going to lie, it'll probably be rough. And, this matchup isn't exactly in your favor, that's partially on me as the one who drafted the classes."

"Not at all!" Ben insisted. "It's my fault that Druid is one of my better classes, you only suggested it because of that. I’m really sorry, I should’ve played a better class!"

"They banned a lot of your better options, so it’s not your fault,” Yuel said. “Besides, Druid is a great class, just not the best against competent a hyper-aggressive opponent."

"Yo, Yuel, my dude!" Lars whispered not-so-quietly. "I told ya to not focus on the matchup part too much!"

"Oh, shoot! Ahem." Yuel cleared his throat. "Anyway, none of this is your fault, Ben. Things just happened to play out this way during the drafting phase, that's all. The enemy took all of us by surprise with that Orc pick."

"They sure did, haha..." Ben laughed dryly. It sounded like the laughter of a man who resigned to his fate.

"That matchup is going to be rough, but it should be doable," Yuel continued. "You might have a hard time stopping his attacks, but you have plenty of survivability, so at least he shouldn’t be able to kill you. As long as you play defensively as usual and stall the Orc, you’ll be good."

"Will I? I'm afraid I'll get pushed hard..."

"It’s possible, but we’ll just deal with it as it happens,” Yuel said. “Before anything, we have to see Apprentece in action. We can't start forming a plan before we know how good he actually is."

"Okay." Ben nodded and his expression became more stable. It was still a far cry from the face of a confident player, but at least it seemed like he came to terms with the fact things will likely be rough and that it’s fine. And so, by the time Ben reached the lane, he was a bit more confident than before.

Shortly, the first minion wave arrived. It was time to see Apprentece in action!

I just have to stay far away and shoot from here. Ben thought. This method won't be very good for farming, but at least it'll keep me safe. Yuel mentioned how survivability is the main advantage I have here, so I have to make sure I capitalize on it.

As the two minion waves were about to clash, Ben positioned himself at a distance and prepared to fire. Meanwhile, Apprentece had already secured his own position as well.

And so, Ben’s great struggle against the Korean prodigy was about to begin!