I am Smart

---

Contrary to people’s predictions, Sansu didn’t pivot strategically even while being at a disadvantage.

If we exclude fighters, it’s a classic matchup against classic.

At this point, hardly anyone imagined KILLTHAT would lose.

KILLTHAT’s team members thought the same way.

[KILLTHAT Jo Dae-woo has defeated Bear Doll Family Cactus!]

[Oh!? Nice!]

[Current Realm nice.]

[Oh? Good. That was great. Is that the best sword? Haha.]

Moreover, just a few minutes into the match, Jo Dae-woo’s elimination of the opponent’s mana user further improved the game’s flow.

It was certainly going smoother than expected.

… But.

[Bear Doll Family Moon Si-hyun has defeated KILLTHAT Jo Dae-woo!]

[Bear Doll Family Moon Si-hyun has defeated KILLTHAT Trend!]

[Enemy, annihilated!]

[Huh?]

[What? Did he die? Didn’t we just cut the opponent’s mana user?]

[Ah, this total annihilation popped up too early.]

… The mood completely flipped in an instant, within a few dozen seconds.

[Oh dear. Died at a crucial moment. Guess we need to come back up quickly.]

[It’s okay, it’s okay. The situation up top is good. Just hold on a little longer.]

[Oh, I’ll hurry down to help.]

A team member’s encouraging words followed a feeling of doubt.

“……”

However, none of those words reached Jo Dae-woo right now.

As he waited for his resurrection, Jo Dae-woo was stuck in a severe cognitive dissonance.

He repeatedly replayed the fight with the fighter in his mind.

And in the end,

‘… How did that happen?’

Her movements, Moon Si-hyun’s, were excessively quick and fluid.

It was as if she could predict all of a swordman’s trajectories, performing evasive maneuvers, and even the attacks that seemed unavoidable were dodged in bizarre postures that twisted her joints.

In a manner that would typically have resulted in taking hits, she dodged strangely and swiftly approached within striking range to counterattack.

Moreover, the final parry… honestly, it was hard to tell if it was prediction or reaction.

For Jo Dae-woo, who relied on physicality—the result of combat—this was confusing enough.

As a player driven purely by muscle memory, it had been a while since he had faced an opponent without any variables.

“……”

Soon, the grayish view began to fill with vibrant colors again.

Revived, Jo Dae-woo slowly stood up at the base.

The game wasn’t over yet.

Even if they had relinquished advantageous terrain, the situation up top was still favorable.

Now, he had two choices for operation.

He looked at the stance he held.

Then he dashed forward.

“…… Is that so? Are you saying it’s a reaction?”

“Can it… even be a reaction?”

“Well, I suppose if it were a beast, it might react, but a human…”

“Ah, regardless! The match will continue!”

With Moon Si-hyun’s play, the atmosphere shifted entirely, even the commentators who usually dislike one-sided matches were excited.

“……”

Kant quietly entrusted the commentary to the team before focusing intently on a corner of the broadcast screen.

There, the mini-map of the Current Realm was displayed.

On the left terrain of the Current Realm and the right terrain, a small object and a medium object were visible respectively.

At the small object, the shaman and mana user were keeping watch over each other, while at the larger object, the fighter was standing alone.

Soon, the portrait of the swordman revived at the base appeared.

“……”

Then, the swordman’s portrait started moving.

To the right.

Toward the large object.

“Oh. The situation in the Current Realm is about to collapse soon.”

At that moment, Kant opened his previously closed mouth.

“Jo Dae-woo has revived and started running toward the large object—… Huh?”

The commentators momentarily halted their discussions at Kant’s sudden statement, which seemed almost premature.

―――
What?

Suddenly?

This is so out of left field.

Why hasn’t the Current Realm ended? They haven’t even filled 30% of the respawn point yet.

Is this guy doing this on his own without any delay in the match??

What is this biased support for Bear Doll Family?

―――

As the suspicions rapidly surfaced in the chat, the commentators turned their heads to look at Kant.

Kant was still staring at the mini-map.

“… I’ve met Jo Dae-woo a few times in ranked matches.”

He continued speaking while keeping his gaze fixed on the transparent desk below the screen.

“A user like Jo Dae-woo… I mean, those with a particular stat that stands out in Fiore, especially those with remarkable physical attributes, have a common trait.”

“Yes.”

“… If they fall behind in their area of expertise, they have difficulty bowing down.”

“… What do you mean by that?”

“Basically…”

Kant still kept his eyes glued to the mini-map of the Current Realm.

The commentators followed suit, redirecting their attention to the mini-map.

There, on the right, the portraits of the fighter and swordman units were clashing nearby.

Soon, the swordman quickly approached the fighter.

“Hmm.”

The commentators, who were watching the mini-map, then shifted their gaze to the intensely changing in-game screen.

“If someone is in an area they are very confident in, and the opponent excels past that…”

[Bear Doll Family Moon Si-hyun has defeated KILLTHAT Jo Dae-woo!]

“Then they should be able to just acknowledge it and submit.”

―――
Wow.

No way;

Wow, it just can’t be, lol.

Did they predict this?

Wait, didn’t they just block the parry again?

How does Kant know the outcome without even having fought?

Moon Si-hyun! Moon Si-hyun! Moon Si-hyun! Moon Si-hyun! Moon Si-hyun! Moon Si-hyun!

Wow, Jo Dae-woo really got crushed in this 1v1, huh?

I didn’t expect much but;

This fight isn’t even close.

This is unbelievable.

Did that really hit??

Under the moon!

―――

The match continued.

[Bear Doll Family Moon Si-hyun (Current Realm/Fighter): (9/1/4)]

[KILLTHAT Jo Dae-woo (Current Realm/Swordman): (3/6/2)]

Jo Dae-woo couldn’t comprehend his disadvantage and kept forcing himself into the fight.

And each time he did, he got wrecked by Moon Si-hyun, ultimately assisting her quick resurrection.

This was an extremely shameful experience for him.

Still, thanks to his team in the Sky Realm, the game was still moving forward without collapsing completely.

―――
This feels like it might be the last fight.

The swordman needs to shred through the damage.

Jo Dae-woo needs to make a penance fight now.

―――

Before long, the final large-scale battle was looming.

[Let’s go, let’s go! Respond!]

As KILLTHAT’s spear unit charged toward the enemy, the combat began.

Jo Dae-woo didn’t rashly dive in but circled to the side.

The main force engaged in chaos.

But he was only focused on one angle.

The swordman’s ultimate skill, Blades of Havoc.

It raises the specs of the entire unit, temporarily rendering them unable to be targeted, and attacks automatically proportional to the attack speed during that moment.

When attacking, that precise moment would release the un-targetable state.

While it had the drawback of being uncommandable,

If used properly, it was capable of flipping the tide of battle instantly.

And in a moment of opportunity amid the clashing chaos.

Jo Dae-woo’s eyes shone briefly.

Red light erupted from his sword.

But at that moment,

His vision went dark.

“… Huh?”

It was an unfamiliar space.

A shallow stream beneath his feet.

And before him,

A woman cloaked in moonlight was gazing towards him, backlit by a giant full moon.

“… Damn!!”

He was trapped within the fighter’s ultimate skill.

And the match concluded.

An outcome no one expected.

A complete defeat for KILLTHAT in the first set.

―――
Hako Virtual Minor Gallery

―――
‘Bear Doll Family’ <<< In fact, fans who originally cheered for them are totally on fire, lol. (Capture from a comic) If you believed in the Bear Doll Family, totally on fire, lol. If Bear Doll Family is the hero of our village, totally on fire, lol. - LOL. - Da Si-hyun, haha. - The sudden boost in energy is just hilarious, lol. - Ah damn, lol. - It's completely ridiculous. - It's still only the first match, you crazy people. - What? I turned off the match after seeing the cactus die and they won?? Yup. - What the heck, how did they pull that off when the swordman used his ultimate? They probably timed it perfectly with the attack. - How the heck did they manage that... the fighter's ultimate also has a delay. ――― - Pazzk Minor Gallery ――― - Official) MVP of the first set... for real. (Capture of a bear doll) Moon Si-hyun. - Da Si-hyun. - This was epic, for sure. - Is this official? Yup. Yup. They say there will also be interviews after the matches for the winners. ――― - What’s up with Moon Si-hyun? How did she react to that charge? - Seriously, it’s like the level of a fallen warrior. - Isn’t this really suspicious? How could she block such a charge? Hey, old man; What does hacks even mean, you relic? - But is it really a reaction? Against a grandmaster twice in a row like that, for real. - It doesn’t make sense that if she can block a swordman charge, she can probably block the fallen warrior stuff. - I feel like the squirrel mentioned something about that. - Really? - Meh... it's too old a memory to recall. It might be memory manipulation. - I was ready to get totally crushed, but now I regret it, damn it. - Can I order chicken now? ―――

Jo Dae-woo sat there, blankly staring with unfocused eyes.

His mind was still trapped in the previous match.

‘Is it really true that swordmen can’t beat fighters?’

‘Or is there something wrong with the character settings? Should something else be used against fighters?’

At this point, he was lost in meaningless thoughts.

[…… Huh?]

‘Then, back then, I should have—’

[Dae-woo!]

“Ah.”

Jo Dae-woo’s dazed eyes lifted.

[One remaining card for the mana ban. One left.]

It was a clue.

“……”

The previously agreed strategy.

But asking that again now that the match was over,

Meant a revision of the strategy.

And that his own underperformance was causing the team’s plans to collapse was not a pleasant feeling.

“……”

He couldn’t readily acknowledge defeat yet.

“No, bro. But it wasn’t the fighter’s fault. If we have one more chance, we can really win.”

[Dae-woo, but it’s too—]

They exchanged a few words, and just then, with only a few seconds remaining.

[… Dae-woo, I know.]

“…… Yes.”

[I know what you mean, but let’s just ban the fighter. That seems best.]

“No……”

Jo Dae-woo attempted to continue but ultimately couldn’t challenge that heavy voice.

He bit his lip.

“…… Yes. Please ban the fighter.”

He agreed to the fighter’s ban.

[Alright. Thank you.]

With the fighter banned and the picks underway,

It was the opponent’s last unit selection time.

[Well, the opposing mana user is doing a bit besides the fighter, but there aren’t many alternatives after the fighter… Honestly, they’ve been doing a bit of everything.]

Malchi mentioned that as time went on.

[But considering our composition against theirs, the ultimate—]

However, cutting through that dialogue was.

[It seems like they’ll pick either an archer or a rogue—Huh!?]

[Ah! The swordman is out!?]

[Hahaha!! No way! What does this mean!?]

[It’s a swordman mirror match!]

[Jo Dae-woo has accepted a swordman mirror match!]

[This doesn’t seem like a composition where a swordman should come out. Is this right?]

[Things are about to get a lot more interesting! Hehe…!]

[He absolutely can’t lose, Jo Dae-woo!]

―――
Jo Dae-woo’s broadcast

―――
What? You lost the first set??

Wow, Moon Si-hyun won…

Karma for showing off about having good physical skills, lol. [Deleted message]

Stop being so arrogant, Dae-woo, haha. Stop hating on the mana user. [Deleted message]

―――

“Damn…”

Jo Dae-woo’s feelings were clearly visible through the camera.

Moon Si-hyun appeared to be innocent to an almost calculative degree.

When he first encountered her, it was no lie to say his heart didn’t skip a beat at her pure appearance contrasting her voice.

As feelings of inferiority began to surge, doubts began to bloom in Jo Dae-woo’s eyes, reflecting on whether everything was an act of innocence or hypocrisy.

A person who started playing Fiore this year surely couldn’t climb to Grandmaster so quickly.

A truly innocent person couldn’t rise so rapidly with so many issues surrounding her in the community.

…… And that feeling of suspicion began to solidify.

– Gulp.

As she picked a swordman in a situation where it made no sense to do so… it became a certainty.

[What? She chose the swordman? It’s no composition where a swordman makes sense!]

[Dae-woo, what are you going to do?]

Jo Dae-woo glared at the screen, deep in thought.

Moon Si-hyun.

“Phew…”

That cunning woman, damn her…

“Give me the swordman.”

I will definitely capture her.