*Let's see... 3, 6, 9, 12 players, huh? They really don't waste any time.*
Though it had been 10 years since Jisha last set foot on Synergy's mainland, this one command from Stein was all she needed to remember what had "just" transpired.
The amount of time that would pass in the main world after an alternate life instance was unknown - sometimes, it was weeks, and sometimes, it was days.
In this case, it seemed to be a few minutes. This was an extremely small amount of time especially for an alternate life that lasted about 10 years. Jisha hadn't heard of time dilation on this scale before, but general knowledge of alternate life instances was scarce. Most players who completed one often kept the information to themselves.
Jisha observed the world she'd stepped back into. Atmospheric essence was undetectable - her body had returned to that of a Tier 0 player. The shackles that had been removed for the dungeon seemed to have been reapplied.
Direct manipulation of true essence was no longer possible. Fae Sol was restricted to using "skills" of Synergy.
*What a pain...*
Jisha narrowed her eyes and observed the projectiles headed her way.
Four of them seemed to be physical projectiles while two of them seemed magical.
*Six ranged units... They're perfectly balanced.*
All of the enemy players were around level 7 or 8, which meant that they were most likely twice-evolved.
At level 5, six classes were available to players.
From the melee side, there were Fracasiers, Batonistas, and Neophyte Battle Magi.
On the ranged side, there were Pitchers, Slingshotters, and Neophyte Mages.
Of the 12 players, there seemed to be 2 of each type.
These 12 players didn't seem like they had a perfect encirclement, and this was likely because they hadn't expected a wild Fae Sol to appear in this exact spot.
Despite that, their attacks were well-coordinated.
Though the melees weren't in range yet, all 6 ranged unites launched a slew of projectiles at her. They left little space to dodge.
That's right - *little* space... not *no* space. Though any ordinary opponent would likely have been hit, Jisha was anything but ordinary.
Seemingly effortlessly, she weaved through the attacks and raised her weapon to counterattack.
---
When Stein witnessed his opponent dodge the 6 projectiles that were heading straight at her, he nearly doubted his eyes. His evaluation of Fae Sol increased a notch. Originally, he thought he could overwhelm her with sheer numbers. After all, 12 was more than 7. On top of that, each of their individual skills were higher than that of the 7 in the Uval Cemetery.
However, he quickly realized he was mistaken. Stein was a versatile commander - he quickly adapted to the situation.
*>Stein: Mage unit, take cover behind melees. Pitch unit, stay at mid range. Sling unit, keep your distance!*
Most classes in Synergy had two fundamental ways of attacking. One was basic attacks, and the other was "skills" or "spells".
Unlike skills, which consumed mana and/or stamina, basic attacks did not; sometimes they consumed physical resources like ammunition.
Classes that focused on damage output from their basic attacks usually dealt continuous damage while spellcasters and skill users dealt bursts of damage.
The Pitcher and Slingshotter classes focused on basic attacks while Neophyte Mages dealt with spells.
*>Stein: Melees, close in.*
Stein's formation change was most optimal in a boss fight. He placed each unit at their most effective ranges from the target.
However, there may have been a small flaw with this plan.
Fae Sol was a player, not a boss.
Unlike bosses, which one could usually attack fairly mindlessly, fighting another player usually required a lot of brain power.
*This is all I can hope for, though...*
This was unknown territory for Stein and Asunder. Never had they fought a single player with a raid party! As this was a new experience, it was impossible to tell whether this strategy would be effective.
It was known that Fae Sol was of the Slingshotter class which was known to be a "glass cannon". They could deal high amounts of damage but were fragile on defense.
Early in the game, this fact wasn't apparent via stats. But Stein was well aware of a Slingshotter's weakness - it had a very low attack speed!
In other words, Slingshotter was a class that focused on basic attacks, yet they had a high cooldown. This, paired with their high damage per shot, made them extremely deadly at long range.
If he could overwhelm Fae Sol with melee units at close range, it would be impossible for her to fire fast enough to retaliate.
Stein noticed Fae Sol begin to move away from Asunder.
*As expected... she's playing to her class's strengths.*
If he let her stay at a distance, they'd only be picked off one by one. Stein had seen her accuracy in the battle in Uval. It wouldn't matter how many numbers he had on his side if none of them could reach her - they would lose!
In the next moment, what was natural for a Slingshotter came to be. Fae Sol raised her gold-colored weapon and fired!
When the melee units saw this, some of them used a dash, sprint, or some other skill that allowed them to move a short distance rapidly.
This type of ability, known as a "gap-closer", was something all melee units possessed. After all, if they didn't, it would be impossible for them to catch up with a retreating ranged unit.
But this type of skill could also be used to dodge.
However, they immediately realized that they had wasted their gap-closing ability!
*-152*
*>Quaterniana: Slingshotter downed.*
*>Stein: What?*
None of the melees that were charging at Fae Sol were the intended target. Instead, from a ridiculous range, Fae Sol sniped another Slingshotter off Synergy's surface.
*Why?*
Stein couldn't understand why she'd gone for a risky shot instead of landing a guaranteed hit on a melee that was posing more of a threat. But there wasn't any time to think about that now.
*>Stein: Melees, use everything you have to close in. Ranged units, don't let up!*
A few melees who hadn't used a gap-closer charged forward. In the time Fae Sol's basic attacks were on cooldown, they had to make a significant move. If they couldn't...
*We'll actually lose?*
This unsettling thought arose in Stein's head.
---
*They're good.*
Though Jisha was thinking this, this battle was a walk in the park for her. If she were given the choice to fight 12 Synergy players or the man from the other world, she would choose the former every single time. And it wasn't even close.
Yes, they were only "good" for beginner Synergy players... but nothing more.
Jisha raised her weapon and fired at the backline once again.
*-133*
With that, the final enemy Slingshotter was killed.
*10 to go, huh.*
There wasn't any special reason Jisha targeted the Slingshotters first. She had so many ways to win that she felt like she could do anything here and still come out on top.
However, those Slingshotters were a bit annoying. That was all.
*Hmm...*
She observed the melee units continue to close in. They still weren't at a range to be a threat. Currently, the only threat originated from the Pitcher class. With their high attack speed, dodging their attacks required a bit more effort than anything else at the moment.
*I see...*
And at this moment, Jisha noticed the Mages in the backline finish casting their spells.
Neophyte Mages had two "high-damage" spells. One was a laser-like beam that dealt high damage to a single target. The other was an "area-of-effect", or AoE, spell that appeared on the ground and dealt damage to everything in it.
Of course, before the spells took effect, there was an indicator of where they were cast. If this didn't exist, it would be impossible for new players to dodge them, and the class would be "broken" beyond belief.
So when Jisha saw the circles on the ground along with the Pitchers' attack patterns, she immediately knew what their strategy was.
*Not bad. Guess I'll play along!*
---
*She fell for it?*
Never would Stein have expected this strategy to work on Fae Sol, but when he thought about it, it made sense.
This was a basic tactic known as "zoning". It basically forced an opponent to dodge into a trap. In this case, the Pitchers' basic attacks along with the Mage AoE circles would zone Fae Sol straight into the melees.
In this situation, every move Fae Sol used would be a losing one. If she were to retreat backwards, she would take a lot of damage from the AoE attacks. If she were to stay in place, she would be pelted by Pitcher ammunition. And if she were to move forward, she would enter the embrace of the melee units that were charging at her.
Of course, the sides were open. But moving to the side would have the same effect as moving backwards, only worse. The only thing it would do was allow the melees to recharge their gap-closing abilities...
Stein was a bit surprised that Fae Sol chose the "worst" option. There was no way for a Slingshotter to win at melee range. At least if she'd dodged backwards, she'd have taken damage but would have still remained at a distance. However, she was entering the range of 6 melee units... including the two most skilled of the group, Castle and Stein.
Yes, Stein was about to face this menace head-to-head. During an engagement, Stein would not be able to command his subordinates through chat; it was impossible to focus on two things at once. He and his five allies would have to focus on efficient communication to get the job done.
The two parties were now less than 5 metron away from each other. Stein and Cargo Biscuit, the other Neophyte Battle Magus in his party, would be the first ones to engage. Out of these melee classes, they had the longest range.
In addition to basic attacks, the Neophyte Battle Magus had two skills: "Mana Punch" and "Mana Palm Strike".
*>Stein: Cargo!*
Cargo Biscuit, understood Stein's command. As they were both experienced players who had worked together many times in the past, one word was usually enough to convey intentions.
Cargo Biscuit charged his Mana Palm Strike and threw it out. As this was currently the longest-ranged "melee" attack, it was used to engage. This, along with the Pitcher and Mage basic attacks that weren't letting up, forced Fae Sol to move even closer to the melee group.
All this time, Fae Sol had taken 0 HP of damage. Though this fact unnerved Stein, he knew that was about to end.
He, along with 5 other melee units, were almost in range.
Fae Sol raised her weapon once again.
Stein and the others braced for impact.
Even though they were nearly at pointblank, a Slingshotter could still fire. In a strange way, it made them even more deadly, since even a complete noob was unlikely to miss from this close.
*-320*
And as if she were showing off, she fired a perfect vital strike.
A Fracasier, one who had wasted their gap-closing ability earlier, was dead.
Fae Sol's attack was now on cooldown. Everyone on Asunder understood this. So the instant she fired, Castle used his gap-closer and a skill, which allowed him to attack with a flurry of punches, to relentlessly attack!
"I've got you now! You won't embarrass me again...?"
Castle was flabbergasted.
His attack didn't connect.
He didn't understand how.
Slingshotters didn't have any movement abilities. Nor did they have any defensive abilities. The only thing they could do was fire basic attacks. Their only skill was a "targeted attack" which was nothing more than an enhancement to basic attacks.
She'd just fired, which meant that she should have no cards left to play.
But when he looked at how his attack was blocked, he saw that Fae Sol was no longer holding a slingshot.
He looked up with a bizarre expression. But the only thing that was returned to him was a bright smile on an avatar that was a work of art.
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