Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.17 Ch.6: Nervous Warding

The fourth game between Stratus and the Leopards began. It was Stratus' last chance to even the odds, so the pressure was on.

Most of the team tried to pretend as if they weren't bothered by this at all, but it was impossible to not feel any pressure under these circumstances. In particular, Ben was the most nervous of them all.

But, even he somewhat conquered his fears for now. The presence of Mike and Co. did wonders for helping him to take his mind off things. By the time the game loaded, Ben's mind was already fully occupied with how he was going to play this important game.

They invaded us last game. Ben recalled the start of Game 3, where the Absolute Duo appeared out of the blue in Stratus' territory right at the start of the game. That one small but critical play had hefty consequences for the rest of the game.

In fact, maybe it wasn't a stretch to claim that this play determined the entire momentum of Game 3. For an aggressive comp like the one Stratus used, suffering an early death bore greater implications. It completely killed their chances of building an early lead.

Not to mention, the situation also put Luke on the spot. He had to fill up for Vincent in Top instead of jungling, which threw his entire game plan further into disarray. Truly, that one invade was very critical.

Even though Stratus wasn't sporting the same kind of aggressive lineup this time around, an early death should still be avoided at all costs. Perhaps dying in the early-game wasn't as bad as dying in the mid-game, but it'll definitely hit the team's morale very hard if the same scenario repeats itself again. At the very least, Ben knew for sure that it'll hit his morale super hard.

Especially, if I know I could've prevented it. Ben nodded to himself. "Um, if it's not a problem, I'd like to place three wards near Top right at the start."

"Sure," Yuel said. "Place as many as you deem necessary. The enemy might invade again, so it's best to exercise caution. In fact, I'm glad you've brought that up yourself. It shows you understand what we're dealing with here."

"Yes, the enemy's Top and Jungler are very aggressive, right? I'll do my best to not give them any opportunities."

"Good. With your defensive playstyle, you should be able to discourage them from trying anything funny."

"Y-Yes!" Ben tensed up a little. I-Is he really placing so much faith in me!?

That was rare considering Yuel wasn't the optimistic type. He wouldn't say "you can do it" unless he truly believed it.

I-I totally can't mess up here! Ben gulped. I can't betray that trust!

"Duuude, look what you've done." Lars chuckled. "Ben looks stiff like a statue all over again. No need to place so much pressure on him."

"That wasn't my intention," Yuel said. "I just shared my predictions."

"Well, in your case, if you tell somebody you're 'expecting' them to perform, then you're like SERIOUSLY expecting them to perform."

"Yes, of course. Why would I say it if I didn't mean it?"

"Well, ya know, usually teammates say things like that to each other to encourage and stuff," Lars explained. "Like, 'you can totally do it, yooooo!' That kinda stuff just means you believe the dude got the powah, it's not the same as saying 'you gotta pull this off or else I'mma be disappointed in you for life!'. That's some Asian parent moment."

"Is that so." Yuel shrugged. "I'm not the type to say things like this unless I really expect it to be true."

"Yep, exactly! That's the whole problem, dude," Lars said. "When you say something like that, you mean it in a super serious way. Dude gonna feel like he disappointed you if he screws up even a little."