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[Participants, please enter the portal.]

Gulp.

The teammates were so nervous that their breathing could be heard in the quiet waiting room. There was nothing more to prepare or say.

Tako finally spoke just before entering the portal, "I believe everyone is ready now."

They all nodded.

"Did everyone turn off the chat?"

During the competition, participants were restricted from viewing the chat. This prevented viewers from giving away information about the opponents in advance.

Even though some would feel empty without the chat, the participants realized that it wasn\'t necessary as soon as they stepped into the portal.

[Entering the arena.]

[Sponsored by...]

The screen briefly darkened as the tournament sponsor logos appeared one by one.

A loud cheer erupted as the screen brightened again, piercing everyone’s eardrums.

"Wowww...!"

"Wowwwww!"

"!"

Sang-Hyeon\'s footsteps briefly halted after hearing cheers.

\'Is it always like this?\'

Even though it was virtual, the cheers that echoed throughout the stadium were overwhelming.

The audience, dressed in various colorful costumes, waved glow sticks that shone in different hues. Some glow sticks extended like magic wands, capturing everyone\'s attention.

However, it was the right side of the stadium that caught Sang-Hyeon\'s eye the most. People wearing hats shaped like almonds and cheering.

— Almond! Almond! Almond!

— It\'s Almond!

— Wow! Almond!!

Almond felt like he was seeing the chat scream his name in reality. The surrealness hit him like a truck, sending chills down his spine.

"... Wow…" Sang-Hyeon couldn\'t help but exclaim in awe.

The countless fans in the chat or online communities were now physically present before him. Even though it was virtual, people willingly bought tickets and shouted his name.

"Almond, wave your hand."

Bubblegum stepped forward and bounced around while waving his hands.

Sang-Hyeon also waved his hands, but slowly and not as excitedly as Bubblegum.

— WOW!!!

— OMG!! I\'m dying to see them!

— Almond! Almond! Almond!

Thunderous cheers echoed again.

However, there was a voice that overshadowed all of them.

“Balloon Stars is entering~~!”

On the stage, caster Kim Sang-Hoon was shouting enthusiastically. Every time he vigorously waved, his flashy outfit shimmered.

“Wow, isn\'t this energy amazing?”

Kim Sang-Hoon gestured toward the direction of Almond\'s fans. The camera followed and quickly panned over to show the audience. People wearing almond hats were cheering loudly and came into view.

The viewers laughed.

— Hahahaha, crazy nut fans!

— They’re truly nuts.

— When did they get those hats, LOL!

— Damn, Almond sure is popular.

— Will I become a nut fan too?!

The almond-shaped hats looked ridiculous, but there was something even more baffling.

“Wow! The Fearless Deer! They\'ve nailed the characters!”

— Hahaha, crazy folks.

— They\'re insane, LOL

— They act like this, but are ranked 5th in the Power Rankings. They’re truly skilled players.

The Fearless Deer team appeared wearing demigod costumes.

“Neigh~!”

They lined up and galloped toward the Balloon Stars team.

Tako furrowed his brows, “They’re trying to rile us up.”

He noticed that they weren\'t simply trying to entertain the audience with their costumes.

"They want to make us feel foolish if we lose to them. Just ignore it. Act like it\'s nothing."

Following Tako\'s advice, the team members behaved as usual and took their positions.

“The players are now standing at their positions!”

Boom!

The flashing lights came down on them individually, and the champ select screen appeared.

[Choose a champion to ban.]

The bans began along with the broadcasting.

The caster’s introduction boomed out.

“Now, the champion banning phase will begin! As it\'s the opening match, the strategies that come out here could impact the entire tournament!”

Kim Sang-Hoon\'s introduction was picked up by the co-caster, OrangeKing, sitting beside him.

“That\'s right. In any tournament, the meta changes at least once during the match. Even if it\'s a lower level tournament like this, it\'s no different!”

“Oh... so it\'s considered a lower level tournament?”

“Hahaha. I mean, that\'s what they say…”

While the casters and analysts engaged in the introduction, the ban phase ended.

[Ban List - Balloon Stars]

[Biker Gang - Paul]

[Nova Star - Solia]

[Valkyrie - The Firm Wing]

The bans by Balloon Stars mainly countered the enemy\'s charge-in combos.

Biker Gang - Paul could use his ultimate to summon and ride a motorcycle while Nova Star - Solia swiftly navigated the battlefield using powerful heat propulsion. Valkyrie, with the ability to descend to any desired ally\'s location, complemented those charging compositions exceptionally well among the tank champions.

\'With this lineup...\'

Tako believed that with this lineup, they had successfully countered the most challenging combination from the opponents. Charging compositions were still possible, but they wouldn\'t be as powerful as the one that included those three heroes.

\'The problem is their team bans.\'

Tako furrowed his brows as he looked at the enemy\'s ban list.

[Ban List - Fearless Deer]

[The Cold-Blooded Evil Archer - Raina]

[The Succubus - Sitri]

[Iron Ball - Lett]

Raina and Succubus were considered reasonable bans. However, there was one slightly unusual ban.

"Huh?! Banning me? Really?"

Iron Ball, Bubblegum’s main character, was banned.

Iron Ball was a tank champion who could transform into a steel ball at will and roll around to disrupt opponents, but he was banned in this match.

Iron Ball didn\'t have particularly good performance evaluations and didn’t come across as a threatening pick, except that Bubblegum was skilled at using him.

"Wow, Balloon successfully taunted them, right?!"

“Me? Telling them it would be a disgrace if they lost to me? Pfft. Do you think it won’t be that way if they ban my champion and still lose?!”

While Bubblegum was taunting the opposing team, their first pick was revealed.

[Select]

[Frenzy Centaur - Chester]

"Ah."

Tako looked as if he understood something.

"They seem to have prepared a top dive composition, right?"

"No way... Are they planning to target me?" Bubblegum remarked.

"It\'s possible. Top dive compositions make it easy to dive under the turrets..."

"Ugh..."

Bubblegum looked a little scared and was tired of being the enemy team’s target. He imagined himself continuously dying and felt his mind going blank. He could already see himself looking at the chat filled with offensive messages about him being a target.

"Anyway, let\'s proceed with the picks. Let\'s start with the support."

The picks proceeded one by one.

The enemy team’s picks matched Tako’s expectations.

"For the jungler, how about going with the Beast?"

"I\'m good with that."

The picks went on according to the set order, but something seemed off.

\'Their top lane strategy was never used in practice matches.\'

It seemed odd. Fearless Deer always focused on taking down the enemy ADC in the practice matches. Why would they suddenly decide to target the top lane now? Would it work? It didn\'t make sense, especially for a non-professional team.

Tako quickly corrected the order.

"Wait!"

"?"

"Let\'s change the jungler to Poison Rabbit, not the Beast. Poison Dart Rabbit - Jacky."

"Okay~"

Tako chose the more versatile Poison Dart Rabbit, although it was slightly less efficient.

[Flashy Blade - Swift]

Meanwhile, the opponent picked Swift as their mid-pick. The opponent\'s mid, Tomato, was known as the master of Swift.

\'Seems fine. Maybe I was wrong?’

Tako was about the make the next pick while scratching his head. At that moment, he sensed something strange.

"I got it. Pick Storm Ninja for the next one."

All of a sudden? His teammates all turned around and looked at Tako.

***

The analysts didn\'t initially understand the changes as the picks gradually came together.

"Ah, it seems that Balloon Stars is choosing the Poison Bunny as jungler again. It seemed like they were considering going with the Beast for a moment. Wouldn\'t the Beast be a better choice for the team?"

"I agree, but what other options does Miho have? Solia and Succubus are banned."

Right at that moment...

[Storm Ninja - Haruki]

Storm Ninja appeared as the mid-lane.

The casters were momentarily speechless.

"Miho is going as the Ninja?"

"Well..." One of the analysts quickly went through the screen and shook their head. "No, she won\'t. She doesn\'t play Ninja."

OrangeKing interrupted, "Oh, this isn\'t for Miho. It\'s for Almond in a mid-lane position. We showed it about a week ago. It caused quite a stir when he played that champion for the first time."

"Is that so?! It\'s their sub-position!"

"Yes! Picking Poison Bunny was also done with the idea that Strawberry would play ADC in the bottom lane."

"This is unexpected. How does Almond respond in mid-lane against the opponent\'s strategy to counter the Bubblegum?

"I\'m not sure..."

Even OrangeKing couldn\'t fully understand it, but picking Storm Ninja looked promising for the mid-lane battle.

“The opponent\'s mid is Swift, so it’ll be pure hell once Storm Ninja comes out! At least until Level 6!”

"Now the picks are all done!"

Boom!

With a grand drumbeat, all the participants disappeared.

[ALL DIVE SYSTEM OPERATING]

BOOOOOM!!!

A thunderous roar sounded, and a gigantic battlefield unfolded in the stadium.

— Wow!

— WTF, What is this?!

— This is crazy!

The audience cheered with tremendous excitement. They weren’t only watching the action on the screen, but could also witness the match directly on the field. This allowed them to cheer on and support their favorite players.

The caster shouted the line they had been asked to say by the production team, "Starting this season, we have the All Dive System in place for the viewing experience! The battlefield unfolds inside the stadium, and participants can also see the audience! It\'s just like the World Cup!"

"Wow! Technological advancements are incredible!"

"Now, it\'s the first match of the in-house tournament. Balloon Stars VS. Fearless Deer! Fearless Deer VS. Balloon Stars! Let\'s start!!"

***

Almond couldn\'t quite understand the sudden change in their picks and positions.

\'What\'s going on? Choosing the Ninja just as a counter to Swift doesn\'t seem to be the reason... Did they build their comp just to avoid the mid-laner?\'

"They picked Flashy Blade," Tako answered as if reading Almond\'s thoughts.

"What?"

"It\'s not about taking down the top lane, but it\'s a combination to prioritize Flashy Blade and take down the enemy ADC."

Almond pondered for a moment.

"Is it because Swift is Tomato’s main champion?”

"Well, that\'s true. Even so, Swift doesn\'t fit well into a top lane strategy."

"Why?"

"Because the mid-laner has to come to the top lane and engage to execute the top lane, but Swift can\'t do shit before Level 6."

"Oh..."

Swift needed to reach Level 6 to use both of his blades. Only then could the champion do anything effective.

“They’re focusing on leveling up Flashy Blade. They banned out Bubblegum, the top main, to frustrate him. They’re planning to take care of the mid-lane primarily and then engage with a well-leveled Flashy Blade later to take down the enemy ADC."

Swift had disarming skills that temporarily disarmed the opponent, which was fatal for ADCs. This combination was meant to render the enemy ADC useless after a smooth landing phase.

"Was that why they banned Raina?"

"Yeah, exactly. Among all those ADCs, they specifically banned just Raina."

Since Raina was a symbolically significant pick for Almond, it wasn\'t surprising that the opponent banned her. That was why Almond couldn\'t understand the opponent\'s true intentions.

\'It gave me chills.\'

Raina was a counter to the dive position. Almond\'s Raina was especially even more effective in countering them.

Whether it was four or five opponents diving in, Almond\'s Raina could instantly disappear from their sight.

\'They banned Raina because it\'s a combination to kill the ADCs.\'

Banning the opponent\'s main champion and picking their own main champion while hiding their strategy. It was an astonishing psychological warfare that could kill two birds with one stone.

"They were practicing that the whole time during scrims, right?"

"Killing the ADCs..."

"Yeah, they\'re just sticking to what they\'ve been practicing."

Furthermore, they created a lineup that could still use the tactic they practiced most. Now, all the pieces of the puzzle fitted.

Thud.

Tako placed his hand on Almond\'s shoulder.

"With a pick focused on dealing with Swift, they’ll put tremendous effort into mid-defense."

"That\'s right."

"Your job is to break through that defense. That\'s what you need to do."

That was right. If the opponent brought a strategy focused on leveling up Swift, the game would simply be over if Almond took down Swift.

That was why Tako devised the ban-pick phase with the utmost consideration for the mid-lane match-up compared to other lanes.

[Welcome to the Battlefield!]

The sanctuary\'s light rose to the sky, and cheers echoed.

— YEAH

— You got this!

— Almond! Almond! Almond!

Cheers? Even inside the game, Almond could see the audience. It was a completely different feeling from the usual games in solo queue. This system had only been tested for the first time this season, so even veteran broadcasters and teammates seemed tense.

"Holy shit..."

"OMG what do we do? I\'m really nervous!"

Almond was no exception. In a situation like this, no one could remain calm.

\'It\'s okay. My body remembers.\'

Even if Almond felt tense and his throat turned dry, that didn\'t matter. After all, instead of his head, it’d be his hands and feet swinging the sword and dodging enemy attacks.

\'Let\'s break through their defense.\'

Almond repeated Tako\'s words in his mind as he stepped onto the mid-lane.