216 Analyzing Taurus (1/2)

”You're one smooth criminal, Lars,” Luke grinned and smacked Lars on the back. ”You never told us you got such a cute girlfriend!”

”Haha, she ain't my girlfriend,” Lars laughed. ”She's a good friend and one heck of a player. She gonna be on StormBlitz's first-string this year.”

”Whoa, for real!? Such a cutie!?” Luke's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. ”Man, and here I thought all the girls who play video games are-” He glanced around the room and noticed Kai and Nia were among the listeners. ”Ahem. Anyway, cool stuff, bro.”

”So, she came to spy on us?” Kai asked.

”Yes, among things,” Yuel said. ”Don't worry, we haven't told her anything.”

”I hope you didn't,” Kai gave them a look. For some reason, she seemed rather antagonistic about the whole affair.

”So, shall we resume our secret meeting?” Vincent cut in. ”We were in the middle of discussing our opponents' strengths and weaknesses.”

”I said pretty much everything I had to say,” Yuel admitted.

Right before Julia arrived, Yuel shared intel about the various major flaws he discovered in their opponents. Most of Taurus' players didn't come across as high-level and their craft was unpolished in many ways.

There was only one opponent who stood out from the rest. The captain of their team, Nirvana. The guy played solid Mid, enough to give Lars trouble. Yuel couldn't find any glaring weaknesses in Nirvana's playstyle.

”What about you?” Yuel asked Vincent. ”Did they have any 'abilities' that stood out?” His skin crawled as he asked the question.

[Did I seriously just ask that with a straight face?] Yuel cracked a weird laugh. After months of interaction with Vincent, Yuel concluded this was the best method for inquiring about the clown's findings. Vincent definitely had the knack for spotting others' strong points, but the way he laid out his findings always made Yuel lose brain cells.

”Very well, so my turn has finally come,” Vincent brought up his tablet. As soon as the game was over, he wrote down all the data he absorbed with his Information Blackhole, to make sure none of it will escape the gravitational pull. ”Now, let me share the mysteries of the world with you!”

”Didn't you say there was barely anything important?” Yuel asked.

”Well, yes. However...!” Vincent insisted with a dramatic tone, just to make a scene.

”Cut to the chase already,” Kai ordered. ”We don't have time for this.”

”Yes, indeed, time is of an essence,” Vincent nodded. ”If I don't speak fast, the casualty of time and space will collapse and the world will implode into a black hole!”

”..............” Everybody gave him a cold, silent stare. The invisible pressure felt like a knife pressed against his throat.

”So, basically, they're scrubs?” Luke laughed.

”They totally are,” Kai nodded.

”Nevertheless!” Vincent continued. ”My Information Blackhole picked up a few things. Firstly, TheLegend, the enemy Carry. I'm convinced his Fury Inducer skill extends beyond real-life Even inside the game, he often pretends to be almighty and that invokes the urge to smite him down. Even I nearly aggressed on him a couple of times when his plays showed no respect for our strength.”

”So, you're saying he's good at being a scumbag” Kai summarized. ”That's some 'talent' right there.”

”Hmm,” Yuel considered this seemingly useless information. ”So, it's like a taunt ability?”

”Indeed!” Vincent nodded. ”It alters causality to make his foes seek vengeance against him! Though, as far as causality-alteration skills are concerned, it's definitely on the weaker side.”

”I see,” Yuel nodded. In other words, TheLegend acted like a natural scumbag and that invited hatred from his foes. It wasn't exactly a talent to be proud of, but it was indeed a ”skill”, in the sense that it could hinder the enemy's performance.

It was like a taunt effect that clouded judgment. It might cause an enemy to jump the gun and recklessly aggress on TheLegend, digging their own grave in the process. Kai was especially susceptible to things like that.

”So, here's what we should take from it,” Yuel summarized. ”Always think twice before you target TheLegend. Make sure you're not being reckless just because you want to see the guy dead.” Everybody nodded in understanding.

”Next on the list,” Vincent scrolled on his tablet. ”Nirvana, the enemy Mid Laner. He has been lying low for the most part, but his performance was very strong.”

”That's true,” Yuel agreed. Most of the enemy team came across as half-baked, except for Nirvana. Stratus easily gained an advantage in Top and Bot, but not in Mid. It was a big part of why they couldn't wrap up the game for a while.

”As for his talents,” Vincent continued. ”It has to be the Silent Backer!” He shouted in excitement, as if this random combination of words meant anything. Everybody hit him back with the Silent Treatment attack.

”Alright, I shall explain,” Vincent cleared his throat. ”Nirvana has been lying low during the first half of the game, despite being one of the more skilled players. Naturally, one reason for that was how Gunz gave Nirvana a hard time in lane.”

”Yeah, I totally rekt that guy.” Lars gave a thumbs up. ”Dude was strong, tho. He didn't attack much, but his defense was on point.”

”Yes, he came across as a defensive player,” Yuel agreed. Nirvana almost never actively initiated attacks, but he skillfully deflected incoming attacks.

”But, there was a shift in Nirvana's attitude during mid-game, was there not?” Vincent asked everybody.

”There was?” Yuel frowned. He didn't remember such a thing. Based on his analysis, Nirvana remained a defensive player from start to end. Even during the team-fighting phase, the guy didn't show much initiative. That was one of the reasons it was so difficult to uncover any weaknesses in his play. Nirvana's biggest ”weakness” was his lack of initiative, that's all Yuel managed to gather.

”Nirvana continued playing defensively during the mid-game as well,” Vincent continued. ”However, there was something amazing about his performance. He was almost always at the right place, at the right time, ready to help his teammates in moments of peril. He backed up his allies from the shadows without expecting any gratitude. The lone ranger, Silent Backer!”