TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 89

At exactly 7 p.m., the scrimmage between Sabertooth and Polaris finally began.

This scrim hadn’t been easy to arrange. If the real reason behind it were laid out plainly, it would already be an insult to Sabertooth itself. So when Sabertooth’s five players logged in, they were all brimming with killing intent.

Although Polaris had practiced countless team matches in the arena and had even faced several pro teams head-on with a decent win rate, it wasn’t until they encountered Sabertooth that they realized: even if this team had murky depths and endless drama, their strength was undeniable.

In the first game, everyone on Polaris had mentally prepared for Xia Tong to be targeted to death by Sabertooth.

Recalling his previous argument with Goblin in-game that had ended on bad terms—and thinking about the deep-seated grudge between Dylan and Lin Mingfei—Xia Tong silently calculated several different opening patterns to minimize incoming damage.

At the start, they clashed on a plain overgrown with wild grass.

Xia Tong’s vigilance was maxed out. The focus was so intense it made his scalp tighten—a feeling he had never experienced before. He had to dodge Goblin’s carpet-bombing attacks while constantly avoiding Dylan’s ghostlike locking aim line. Meanwhile, Robin King’s axe spun between him and Shi Ya like a boomerang. Xia Tong rolled and sprinted; after being tripped several times by the axe, he crashed into Molan and his lightning-black panther.

No matter how he dodged, it felt like he could never escape Sabertooth’s net of attacks. His HP bar fluctuated wildly, making Shi Ya’s heart pound in fear. In the end, Shi Ya dumped several major healing skills onto him. On the other side, Zhou Yanjun stuck tightly to Goblin, trying to apply pressure and buy Xia Tong some breathing room—completely neglecting Dylan. He was instantly caught during a cooldown gap. At the same time, Shi Ya had no skills left.

Zhou Yanjun gave up first blood for the entire team.

With him down, Polaris was reduced to four players. Sabertooth excelled at snowball-style crushing tactics and gave the remaining four no chance to stall. They swiftly cleaned up the rest.

Fifteen minutes.

After exiting the arena, Xia Tong remained in a dazed, soul-out-of-body state for a full thirty seconds—until Lin Mingfei grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard.

“Xia Tong!”

Xia Tong’s wide eyes still wouldn’t focus. Staring off to the side, he muttered, “How did that happen? Their synergy is too strong… too strong! The moment one of them moves, the other four move with him! Like a net! I just couldn’t dodge it! No matter where I went, they could catch me—”

“Well, that’s it. Shorty’s got psychological trauma from Sabertooth,” Zhou Yanjun whispered. “But I was the one who gave first blood. If anyone should have trauma, it should be me.”

“If Dylan can just burst you down like that, his penetration damage must be really high,” Bo Yu said quietly.

“You two should talk less,” Shi Ya nudged them both with his elbows.

“Xia Tong!” Lin Mingfei raised his voice slightly, calm but firm. “Look at me. Look into my eyes.”

Xia Tong’s gaze lifted stiffly and met the alpha’s sharp, commanding stare.

“I’m sorry… I don’t even know what happened that game. I played terribly—so careless and sloppy—” he stammered.

“No. You weren’t careless. You were cautious and perceptive. But you lost because you were too cautious, too perceptive,” Lin Mingfei said in a low voice.

“What do you mean?” Xia Tong’s voice trembled.

“I observed it several times,” Lin Mingfei said. “The moment Dylan’s aim line flicked toward you, you immediately dodged—even though you weren’t his actual target. They had only just started setting up and you’d already sensed it. You imagined that their ultimate target was you, so you kept dodging. Why do you think Sabertooth’s traps are everywhere? Because you imagined them. You did a lot of unnecessary work, understand?”

“Yes. And in the middle, Goblin threw out several feints too—just to bait your skills,” Shi Ya added. “Sabertooth’s team tempo is very fast. But you don’t have to be that sensitive. Give yourself one more second to think. Maybe you won’t die so easily.”

“I… I’ll think about it. Think some more.” Xia Tong lowered his head and pressed his fingers to his temples.

Lin Mingfei lowered his own head slightly, softening his tone. “The essence of the entire King’s Tomb league is sparring with teams of different styles and building corresponding strategies. This is a scrim—winning or losing doesn’t matter. What matters is that we understand Sabertooth’s playstyle, adapt to their rhythm, and overcome it. That’s the value of a scrim. If he takes one step and you take two, you win. But if you take three steps and trip yourself, you’re better off not taking that third step. Understand?”

“I understand… I need to adapt to Sabertooth’s rhythm,” Xia Tong said softly.

“Right. And not just you—all of us need to adapt to each other’s rhythm.” Lin Mingfei patted his shoulder firmly. “Pull yourself together. Don’t be afraid of losing. We’re not going to scold you.”

“Exactly!” Zhou Yanjun grinned. “Anyway, you’re not guaranteed to be the first one to die.”

Xia Tong took several deep breaths and clenched his fists. “Got it. I’m not scared. Let’s go!”

—

Meanwhile, Sabertooth’s team voice chat was filled with triumphant satisfaction.

“That ended fast. Total stomp,” Molan said, unusually relaxed.

“I didn’t expect you guys to take Fire out first,” Yoyo patted his chest, still shaken. “Healing after that was so much easier!”

“The early tempo was key,” Robin King reviewed calmly. “Blink was completely suppressed. Timer kept trying too hard to protect him, so they ended up playing very passively.”

“Did you see that omega wizard running around with his head in his hands from how scared we made him?” Dylan’s laughter was full of contempt. “Wiped out—him and his whole team—in fifteen minutes. And with skills like that he still dares to play holographic esports? Who does he think he’s embarrassing? Today I’ll show him just how cruel the world of holo-esports really is.”

In the past, whenever Dylan finished a line like that, Goblin would immediately jump in to hype him up. But today Goblin hadn’t joined the conversation at all—strangely silent. Dylan wasn’t used to it and frowned at him. “What’s wrong with you? Cat got your tongue?”

Seeing Xia Tong targeted like that, Goblin felt seven parts satisfaction—but three parts reluctance. He coughed lightly. “Nothing. Just thinking it’s pretty good when we coordinate like this in the arena.”

“As long as you guys don’t drag us down, it’s easy,” Dylan snorted.

A shadow passed through Goblin’s eyes. He hesitated, then swallowed his words.

“We’ll stick to the same setup next round. That omega’s stupid. We’ll keep throwing feints to bait his skills and block his pathing,” Dylan said coldly. “Let’s try not to drag it to a fourth game. I don’t have that much free time to waste on them.”

“OK!” the other four responded enthusiastically.

The second game began quickly.

This time the map was a ruined royal palace they’d seen before. The ground was littered with broken walls and short pillars that could be used as obstacles and vision blockers. As the loading bar finished, Dylan pointed at several uneven rows of pillars ahead.

“Watch my move in a moment. I’ll use my aim line to scare him. He’ll think I’m about to shoot and dodge toward the nine o’clock direction. Goblin, throw your skill at the two-man pillar position. To avoid eating your full combo there, he’ll run toward the spot I’ve marked as Point One. That’s a blind corner—Timer won’t be able to heal him. Molan and Old Wang, you wait there and burst him down. Let’s try to get first blood within thirty seconds of the start. That’s what you call catching a turtle in a jar!”

“Roger!!”

The countdown hit zero with a sharp clang.

The two sides clashed again.

Dylan was brimming with confidence now, a sharper edge in his eyes. He charged forward, planted his feet, and flicked out his aim line, deliberately placing it between Xia Tong’s brows.

Just as expected, Xia Tong bolted toward the two-man-high broken pillar to dodge the “feint.” Goblin swung his staff at the right moment; spell light transformed into crackling lightning, raining down densely at the pillar’s position and leaving behind a smoking crater.

“Old Wang, let’s go!” Molan responded loudly without hesitation. According to Dylan’s plan, Xia Tong would now avoid Goblin’s full combo at the pillar and dash toward the pre-planned blind corner. All they had to do was pop their burst and secure the kill. Everything would link up perfectly. First blood in thirty seconds, and they’d win within five minutes!

Nothing felt better than a stomp.

With that in mind, Molan and Robin King immediately disengaged from Shi Ya and turned toward the target location. But after slipping past a pillar—

No one was there.

In a flash, Molan whipped his head around and stared in disbelief.

Xia Tong was still standing exactly where he’d started.

He’d clearly taken a few steps just now!! Did he… pull his leg back mid-run??

What the hell was this?! The four of them had executed a seamless coordinated focus fire… for absolutely nothing!

Team voice chat filled with Yoyo’s shriek: “He predicted your prediction, didn’t he?! Oh my god, that spot is a blind corner for you guys! Get out, get out!!”

At that moment, Xia Tong stood calmly in place, looking as if he had just finished watching a play.

“Zero, if the enemy moves, I don’t move. Robin King and Molan are stuck in the blind corner for now. Feels like they won’t get out anytime soon. Should we make a move on Yoyo?” he asked.

“Learned to be smart, huh? Now you know how to feint east and strike west,” Lin Mingfei’s voice carried a trace of amusement. “Do it.”

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