Season 5: Chapter 157. Family-Style Business (4)

Tap.

Takoyaki smacked his own forehead. "Oh. Seriously... I told them not to do that..."

Zelo had been interpreting this Survival mode as roughly a political game. Being the sort of person who was completely obsessed with streaming, he focused on showmanship rather than winning or losing.

Therefore, he thought up schemes like devouring both the Nonghyup and the Knight Order or stabbing the Nonghyup in the back, taking them out, and then agreeing to let the Knight Order live.

"Those guys, that sort of thing doesn't work on them!"

Takoyaki understood wanting to resolve things verbally as a fellow broadcaster, but the Knight Order contained a former pro and a former national representative. These people had an uncommon competitive drive. There was no such thing as casually reaching an agreement and moving on.

The moment they revived Sweet Potato, they were already coming back.

[The Abyss Shadow descends!]

To make matters worse, the Abyss Shadow was closing in from behind Can't Can't Can't.

***

Zelo was dumbfounded. Takoyaki had told him not to do this, but he wasn't without his own argument.

"No, seriously! You barely survived getting flanked, and you're crawling back again!?"

— fr lol

— Ruthless people

— They're treating them like pushovers

— Time to punish them!

Escaping a major danger gave people great satisfaction, even from minor gains. For example, 99 out of 100 people didn't wait for further gains but got out immediately when a stock that had been dropping and had been locked in for three years finally touched the break-even point.

Whatever the gains, they just wanted to be free of that long state of suffering. Zelo's ability to read audiences and grow his stream was exceptional, which meant he was also very sharp about instinctive human reactions. That was precisely what tripped him up.

Kiiiiing...!

The team currently charging back had members who ran completely counter to ordinary human instincts.

Almond would naturally return for greater gains and retribution.

Even the conservative Sweet Radish didn't give up large gains simply because he'd escaped a major danger. His head was too cold for that, which was exactly why these kinds of tricks didn't work on him.

"Get out! Bubblegum hyung!"

"Oh oh oh!?"

"Block it!"

At Zelo's words, Bubblegum stepped in front with a shield to intercept Sweet Potato's Iron Ball.

Wiiiiing...!

However, Sweet Potato's Iron Ball made a sharp curve.

"A-a sharp curve!? This is an advanced technique I only mastered after a whole year of playing Iron Ball!?"

— lmaooooooooo

— Absolute talent monster

— One year lmaooo

— It's difficult but usually a month of practice is enough...

— Bubblegum...

Whoosh!

Sweet Potato passed right by Bubblegum and rammed directly into Zelo.

CRASH!

Zelo had been trying to contract Raina again.

"How dare you! Trying to take the Lord's lady!!"

Zelo was pushed far back and away from the rune box.

"Insane... you have so many! Give me just one!"

— lmaooooooooooo

— What negotiation tactic is that lol

— lmaooooo

— Why can't he just say it's his!

At this point, ForeverAlone charged in. "Don't talk about ladies!"

Slash!

He was using a sword again this time.

Even as a champion, Sweet Potato could do nothing against ForeverAlone's attack and just kept rolling back.

"Oh oh oh... hm hm!?"

— lmaooooooooo

— Talking about women in front of ForeverAlone!?

— lmaooooo

— Don't underestimate someone who's never dated smh

Slash slash!

Sweet Potato's HP continued dropping. He held on until the signal came.

'They told me to stall until backup arrived.'

"Fire!"

A huge fireball came flying from the other direction too.

Crash! Boom!

Two Fireballs collided mid-air and cancelled each other out.

— What the

— Wow

— Top-level clash

— This much power in a raw fight lmaooo

Black Tea's bullets and Zelo's arrows crossed. Sweet Radish stormed in to disrupt Acorn Jelly and Bubblegum's positioning.

'They're here. I have to pin someone!'

Sweet Potato curled up to pin down ForeverAlone.

[Rounded and Tough]

ForeverAlone was a Challenger. Hidden behind his flashy physical play was considerable judgment. He immediately calmed himself and realized.

'Hm? What is this? Better to leave this and fight Sweet Radish.'

That Iron Ball skill was nothing but trash if left alone. He had no reason to deal with it, but that trash kept talking.

"Hey, I heard you joined the never-dated club?"

Sweet Potato had learned how to get under someone's skin first from the Nonghyup.

"Someone who's never dated?"

— LOL

— lmaooooooo

— Hahaha

— Never-dated club lmaooo

— lmaooooo

— That line though...

"Don't worry. These days you're safe until 30..."

Clang!

Sweet Potato felt a vibration on his back.

"I-I... I also have female viewers!"

Clang clang!

Sweet Potato looked pleased while getting hit.

He laughed like a villain and kept poking him further. "Kyo kyo kyo? Still young, aren't you? Gi-Chan, fan relationships and romance have abso~~lutely nothing to do with each other!"

— Is this working?

— lmaooooo

— Creating a provocation skill from nothing

— lmaooooo

— lmaooooooooo

Clang!

Clang!

ForeverAlone swung his sword in rage.

It was time to stop taking hits now.

"Don't take it out on me, ForeverAlone! The one who took away all your potential girlfriends is..."

Tiiiing!

An arrow flew and bounced off ForeverAlone's sword.

"Hey there~!" Almond had fired it as a hello greeting.

"THAT GUY!!"

At Sweet Potato's shout, something felt off about the atmosphere.

"Grrrr..."

ForeverAlone approached very seriously with his sword raised.

— The timing lol

— LOL

— lmaooooooo

— Hey there is crazy

"Everywhere I go, everyone just gets on my nerves! Just because I'm getting older! AHHHH!"

It seemed ForeverAlone had been carrying a lot of stress from his older teammates in Can't Can't Can't.

— Age lmaooo

— Why did Bubblegum suddenly flinch LOL

— lmaooooo

Almond fighting against ForeverAlone head-on seemed unreasonable. The old Almond wouldn't have turned a fight down.

"Lemon."

Now, he knew there was no reason to.

"Yes sir!"

Bang!

[Air Bomb]

ForeverAlone was sent flying far back.

Then, Almond fired his arrows.

Bang!

Bang!

Three hits landed while ForeverAlone was in mid-air.

"Insane?"

Even the challenger ForeverAlone was surprised by the damage.

"What trick is this... Wait, and what's with their level?"

— Wow

— Air Bomb is broken

— Lemon Almond combo is better than expected

— Why is their level like that?!

Thud!

By the time ForeverAlone hit the ground, five arrows had already landed. On top of that, Almond had already reached level 4, which packed quite significant damage.

"Wh-what is this? It's completely busted!"

ForeverAlone jumped back to his feet and immediately deflected the next arrow.

'Lemon first.'

He pretended to be angry at Almond while quietly switching targets to Lemon. Targeting the healer and support first was the standard approach.

[Charging Slash]

Whoooooooosh!

This skill charged in a straight line instantly and slashed. Its cooldown required careful usage, but the timing and direction were perfect.

"Wh... hm?"

Pop!

He instantly became a rune spirit.

[DumbYoungMan Cannot Be Stopped!]

[DumbYoungMan → ForeverAlone]

An enormous amount of damage had instantly been dealt. In that brief moment, it felt like ForeverAlone had been hit by nearly three arrows.

"Lord! Nice Multishot~!"

Almond already knew Charging Slash only charged in a straight line. He and Lemon had been shooting targets in a straight line all day. He stood at an angle from ForeverAlone's path and fired Multishot. In other words, Almond already knew ForeverAlone would target Lemon and used that to land multiple arrows at once.

"Insane." ForeverAlone was in awe. "Hyung... you've gotten stronger?"

— What are you in awe about LOL

— This guy just likes Almond

— Fr it was incredible

— Well of course you'd like someone who plays well lmaooo

— What even just happened

— You fired Multishot at a diagonal angle for multiple hits?

Most viewers didn't understand what had just happened.

Click.

Almond raised his index finger for the first time in a while to show off his intelligence. "Charging Slash is not a teleportation. It's a skill that charges quickly in a straight line. Multishot is a penetrating hit that fans out in a semicircle. I found the angle that maximizes the intersection of the long line and the semicircle."

— Huh

— Wha...

— Agreed

— Prof. Almond

— Why is he so smart!

— lmaooooooooo

— Intersection

— Big Bro Almond!

Could he really afford this kind of leisure in the middle of combat? It was simple.

[BlackTea → Zelo]

[SweetRadish → ChocoShroom]

[SweetPotato → Bubblegum]

[BlackTea → Acorn Jelly]

The individual fights had all ended. It ended almost simultaneously with ForeverAlone’s death.

Bang!

[Team Can't Can't Can't Out!]

— Insane

— Wow

— They just beat Magical Girls and who knows??

— Are they actually going to win first place?

— Beating the flankers, completely insane

— Why have these guys awakened?

It was a completely dominant victory. At this point, Almond contracted Cautious Hunter Sori.

Splitting again, they perfectly controlled the south of the map. With Iron Ball and Sori, the split's wings folded and spread at a considerable speed.

[Sweet Radish: Regroup at this point here. They'll probably come. They have to.]

[Lemon: Okay~]

[BlackTea: Wow damn, they're really coming! Sweet Radish oppa is the best!]

Sweet Radish's calls were mercilessly suffocating as the team held the momentum.

[Sweet Radish: They have no other play. Wait here. They'll come~]

[BlackTea: Damn, they came again!?]

[DumbYoungMan: Oh...]

Sweet Radish knew all too well the plays a hunted team had to make. He laid traps precisely there and waited, picking them off one by one. This extreme Lu Bu style didn't seem like Sweet Radish at all, but it wasn't unlike him.

'We're riding high and have to match the energy.'

When he first seized momentum, he also showed a destructive side. This game had cracked open with an early double-flank takedown. At least in his pro-veteran mind, it had already ended then.

Soon, it became a reality.

[1st Place]

"YEAAAAAAAAAH!"

The Knight Order erupted in cheers and high-fived each other.

Slap!

Lemon shyly suggested something. "S-should we do that thing? For the first time in a while? Hehehe..."

Black Tea understood and nodded. "Servant squad! Servant squad!"

"Servant duo!"

"Servant squad Knight Order! Fighting!"

— lmaooooooooooooooo

— lmaooo genuinely pumped

— LOL

— Incredible

— Servant squad is the original foundation~

— LMAO

— lmaooooo

Was the team energy just that good today? The Knight Order's next game turned out the same.

[1st Place]

They also won the game afterward.

[1st Place]

— Black Tea pentakill

— Wow...

The game after that remained the same.

[1st Place]

— Sweet Radish

— Dumb Young Man is legendary...

— lmaooooooooo

— Wow

— Almond just can't be stopped

It was the final game.

[SweetPotato is going berserk!]

[SweetPotato → WhiteChicken]

Even Sweet Potato was carrying now and had eliminated their last nemesis, the Nonghyup.

[1st Place]

The Knight Order's battle cry rang out with fireworks.

"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

And so, they wrapped up every single game of the day with first place.

— Wow they actually did it

— What

— “From now on, we'll win first place.”

— Well damn. Now he'll change his name back to Smart Young Man.

— Just insane lmaooooooo

— THIS FR???

— Nonghyup sobbing lol

— They actually did it!!!

— Insane lmaooo