Chapter 94: Asker’s Resolve
Asker and Medea trudged through the snow, the wind howling around them.
“I’m cold,” Medea said, hugging Asker’s arm. “Warm me up.”
“You can create fire,” Asker pointed out.
Medea: …
She suddenly regretted having a Fire ability.
With a flicker of her wrist, a fireball appeared, radiating a pleasant warmth, pushing back the biting cold.
“Wait,” Asker stopped suddenly, looking at the tracks in the snow.
“Snow Monster footprints.”
“What should we do?” Medea asked, suddenly nervous. Though Asker was with her, he was still injured and without his sword.
“We’ll deal with it when we encounter them,” Asker said.
“Deal with it how?” Medea asked.
Asker looked at her pointedly.
“Me?” Medea asked incredulously. “But…I’m a Psychic! You want me to confront a Snow Monster head-on?”
“It’s fine, I have faith in you,” Asker said.
“I don’t even have faith in myself!” Medea thought, exasperated.
“Don’t say that, I trained you, after all.” Asker said. “Just listen to my commands when we encounter a Snow Monster.”
As if on cue, two Snow Monsters rounded the bend in the mountain path ahead.
“How convenient,” Asker said dryly.
“What do we do?!” Medea almost shrieked.
“Fire right, control left,” Asker instructed.
Medea summoned a fireball and hurled it at the Snow Monster on the right, simultaneously making eye contact with the one on the left.
“Controlled!” she shouted.
“Make it charge the other Snow Monster with full force!” Asker said.
The fireball flew straight ahead. The targeted Snow Monster hurriedly retreated, just as the controlled Snow Monster, slightly behind it, suddenly shifted and charged left, slamming into its companion.
Completely caught off guard, the first Snow Monster was knocked off the mountain path. The controlled Snow Monster, unable to stop its momentum, tumbled down the cliff after it.
“That’s it?” Medea was incredulous, seeing the two enemies so easily dispatched.
“What did you expect?” Asker said. “Learn to use the environment to your advantage.”
“Then, what if there are three Snow Monsters?” Medea asked. “Control one, knock one off, what about the third?”
“Use your brain,” Asker said. “Using the environment is essentially about creating displacement, forcing the enemy off the path.”
“Snow Monsters are afraid of fire, so your fire projectiles can restrict their movement. Imagine your projectile’s path is a straight line. Which way will they dodge to avoid it?”
“Realizing this, you can calculate how to position your attack, forcing them towards the edge of the path.”
“Then there’s the choice of control target. You can either control the Snow Monster closer to the inner side and make it push its companion down the mountain, or control the one closer to the outer side and have it grab its companion as it falls, dragging them down together.”
“So, what’s the difference in choosing? Considering the narrow mountain path, either method is viable. Then what’s the disadvantage? The Snow Monster’s weight, of course.”
“Heavier Snow Monsters tend to have stronger muscles and greater strength, making them harder to push or pull. So, shouldn’t you prioritize controlling the heaviest Snow Monster and then manipulate it to push or pull the lighter ones? That would increase the success rate of displacement.”
“Then how to judge a Snow Monster’s weight? Considering their density is roughly the same, it depends on their size, of course.”
“How…” Medea said, impressed. “How can you come up with so many countermeasures the moment you see a Snow Monster?”
“That’s experience,” Asker said. “Seeing a mountain path, you should think about how to use displacement to knock the enemy down; seeing a swamp, you should think about how to lure the enemy into the mud and slow them down.”
“Even different professions have different focuses on the environment. Gunmen focus on high ground and cover distribution, melee warriors focus on enemy positioning, their own positioning, and attack ranges.”
“Mages are relatively more concealed. They don’t need to face the enemy directly like melee warriors, nor do they need to focus on damage output like gunmen, exposing their position with every shot. Therefore, they have more opportunities to observe and utilize the terrain.”
“Hmm, hmm, hmm,” Medea nodded thoughtfully.
“Medea, I’m very optimistic about your future, you’ll become a powerful Psychic,” Asker said, seemingly remembering something.
“Really?” Medea nodded, then suddenly asked, “Who is Xiao Liu?”
Asker paused, realizing she was reading his memories again, and explained:
“A junior of mine from my previous life, she came from an esports training camp and was later poached by the Purple Lightning team.”
“She also…” Medea hesitated. “I mean, did she also play a Psychic?”
“Yes, like you, she also followed the Infernal Succubus path,” Asker replied. Since Medea could read minds, there was no need to hide his past – she would find out anyway.
“Heh, ‘I’m very optimistic about your future,’ you also said this to her, right?” Medea said, a little displeased.
Just how many people have you said this to?!
“Yes, she was a very talented player,” Asker said. “But you’re different from her.”
“Oh, how am I different?” Medea asked, intrigued.
“She was the hardworking type, relying on constant practice.” Asker said. “The most standard positioning, the most standard operations, she would consolidate all tactical movements with thousands of repetitions, ensuring that she was completely consistent with the textbook.”
“Although the tactical movements in the textbook are the most efficient, it also means that her actions are easily seen through by top experts. If everything is done according to the textbook, then when to read thoughts, when to implant ideas, and even when to manipulate the enemy’s mind, it’s all like pre-determined actions on a timeline, completely predictable to the enemy.”
“It sounds like you’re a little disappointed in her?” Medea asked tentatively.
“Not at all.” Asker said honestly. “I originally planned to guide her through the basics and then slowly teach her the tricks of tactical variations. It’s a pity she switched teams shortly after starting.”
“Was it because of a relationship?” Medea asked.
“Of course not!” Asker said, exasperated. “She’s from the North, and the Purple Lightning team happened to be based in the capital, and her parents wanted her to develop her career back in her hometown…”
“Oh.” Medea suddenly felt a sense of smug satisfaction.
Because she could abandon her country and family for Asker, while this Xiao Liu couldn’t, this immediately gave Medea a psychological advantage.
“You just said that I’m different from her, right?” Medea said with a smile. “Is it because I’m charming and can utilize the advantages of a Psychic more easily?”
“Of course not.” Asker was a bit speechless. “I mean, you’re a naturally talented player.”
“She’s quite honest and introverted, so step-by-step learning is more suitable for her. You’re different. You’re full of tricks, so you’re more suited for some more…unorthodox operations.” Asker said, “I think a trickster style suits you better.”
“Oh, I forgot to explain, Trickster is a player on our team, his bloodline is ‘Mind-Stealing Wraith,’ his main sequences are ‘Spirit’ and ‘Mind.’”
Medea tried to read his mind, and the image of a short, sneaky, trash-talking ghost immediately appeared in her mind.
“This Trickster…” She didn’t know what to say.
“Very annoying, right?” Asker said. “But his trash-talking skills are very powerful. It’s said that he used to be a professional internet troll, paid to attack and curse people online. He can make the other party so angry that they pull out their network cable with just a few words.”
“Combined with his ‘Mind ability,’ he can forcibly transmit all kinds of trash talk into the opponent’s mind during battle.”
Medea shuddered at the thought, goosebumps rising all over her body.
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