Genius Chapter 137: Schemes and Being Schemed Against

Chapter 137: Schemes and Being Schemed Against

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

[Did you see the lineup clearly?]

[Yes, it’s exactly as Yoyo described. But it seems this team has a few high-ranking players.]

[This lineup is too fragile. With both an assassin and a marksman on the livestreamer side, it should be easy to deal with them. Just have the assassin flank and attack.]

Viewers who had high expectations for momo felt their hopes dimming when they saw the team’s name, “Advertising Space for Rent.” Now, seeing such a peculiar lineup, based on their years of watching game and battlefield streams, they felt this fragile team either had to be well-coordinated or was just handing out points.

If such a peculiar lineup faced a perfectly skilled team, the chances of them giving away points were as high as 90%.

In a battlefield environment, having a frontline equated to having a stable setup. With a marksman, there could be Dispel Cloak to prevent an assassin from flanking and sneaking attacks. But now, the lineup revealed by the teammates made livestreamer FirstUnderHeaven a bit uncertain.

“Could this be a trick?” someone in the livestreamer team’s voice chat asked.

FirstUnderHeaven had previously been more reckless in battles, but today he managed to remain calm and composed. “Let’s observe cautiously for a while longer.”

His instincts told him not to be too complacent, but after watching and probing for some time, he still couldn’t figure out the purpose behind Momo’s choice of this team.

However, there was no time for hesitation on the battlefield. FirstUnderHeaven quickly made the most advantageous decision for his side. “They might have another squad. Be careful of a flank.”

“Maintain our original formation. Marksmen, keep an eye on the assassins. Doaist priests and healers, watch for flanking. Capture the points first! Engage under the point!” FirstUnderHeaven said, and immediately rushed forward. His team split into three groups, aiming to capture three points as quickly as possible. The northern point, which was closest, had already been taken by their Doaist priest, and a warrior was sent to check the western point. The rest of the team stayed at the eastern point.

Battles under the points could leverage their lineup advantage to capture and hold them. In point capture maps, the more players on a side, the more favorable the progress of capture.

With a lineup consisting of warriors, dual healers, a magical swordsman, an assassin, a marksman, and a Doaist priest, their formation provided strong front-line support and flanking capability. In terms of firepower and stability, their setup was certainly not inferior to the opponent’s.

The eastern point’s crystal monument was surrounded by water and forest, with varied terrain of high and low elevations.

The clash between the two sides was imminent. Su Mo descended from the high ground to stand in front of the array master, quickly directing, “Cantaloupe, take position by the lake. Apple, stay behind the fire trees. Watermelon, stay hidden and don’t move for now. ClearWind, handle the enemy’s warrior.”

ClearWind responded straightforwardly, “That warrior is locked onto me. I knew he was coming for me.”

Far away at the southern point, Bitter Melon responded, “…Speak more respectfully.”

ScarletFruit added, “ClearWind, avoid using aggressive language after the battle; it can backfire.”

The team had coordinated with Momo countless times in dungeons, so they understood positioning immediately when the command was given. FireworksAndLanterns promptly summoned the bear to protect Apple, while Momo moved to the front, with the array master behind him.

“Focus on holding them back and baiting their skills,” Su Mo continued. “Cantaloupe, increase your pressure and watch your health.”

Cantaloupe thought this wasn’t just a bit of pressure, but a lot. Still, he considered this a sign of the commander’s trust in him. Realizing this was the time to repay that trust, he gritted his teeth and said, “Okay, I’ll do my best.”

Apple, still wondering about taking on the role of FirstUnderHeaven, asked, “When should I use my skills?”

“Wait,” Su Mo replied with a slight smile, “until the enemy’s assassin comes to cut our backline.”

Cantaloupe, “…… cut who?” 

Su Mo blandly said, “There is over an 85% chance that you’ll be the target.” 

The rest of the team was speechless.

The other teammates were speechless. It seemed like they couldn’t fully relax.

The commands from both sides were quickly exchanged within their respective voice channels. On the livestreamer team’s side, as the warrior moved into the lake, FirstUnderHeaven suddenly noticed something strange about the enemy’s positioning. The healer was standing by the lake, the array master was surrounded by a summoner, the magical swordsman was also accompanied by a summoner, and only one physical swordsman was alone.

Their positioning was somewhat scattered and appeared cautious, but this level of dispersion left them with many vulnerabilities.

What were they doing?

Were they playing around? Why was it like this?

Facing the warrior already engaged with the enemy physical swordsman, FirstUnderHeaven quickly adjusted the strategy, “Warrior, engage with ClearWindIsHere. Assassin, go around and cut the healer. Doaist priest, control FireworksAndLanterns. Marksman, focus on the enemy array master with me. Let’s kill the array master first.”

Such scattered positioning, in the absence of any front-line harassment, made it too easy to target the back line.

Moreover, without a Dispel Cloak profession, and with no protection around the healer, it was essentially offering the healer up for them to kill.

“Are they just leaving the healer for us to cut?”

“Is it a trap?”

“It can’t be. The assassin is invisible, so they can’t see him. With all his skills, Yoyo could take down that healer in just three strikes.”

“They don’t have a Dispel Cloak, so they’re very passive.”

Indeed, without a Dispel Cloak, and with their high-damage assassin on the field, killing an unprotected healer was as easy as drinking water.

Taking out the healer from behind was a given. FirstUnderHeaven couldn’t understand why, despite wanting to be cautious, he found it hard to stay wary with such an obviously flawed formation. “Did Momo assemble a dungeon team? Is he treating this like a dungeon? Spreading out is correct, but spreading out so much just gives us the chance to pick them off one by one.”

[Correction: even a full dungeon team would have a warrior.]

[I don’t quite get the strategy. This front-and-back positioning really seems like a dungeon setup.]

[Momo is better at PvE command… his personal skills are strong, but it seems like he’s struggling with commanding in a PvP battlefield?]

[Why is such a luxurious team still hesitating against a flimsy team? Can the livestreamer team really handle it?]

With 7 players against 7, the team that loses members first will collapse, especially when the opponent only has a single healer.

FirstUnderHeaven wouldn’t give the opponents any time to react. Once he gave the order, he immediately began repositioning and focusing fire. “Stick to our original plan, and don’t give them time to wear us down.”

But shortly after the engagement began, the situation on the battlefield took a new turn. While the opponent indeed had no front line, when the warrior was keeping ClearWindIsHere occupied, Momo, who had originally been in the back line, suddenly charged forward.

[??? A front-line summoner?]

[fuck, is a physical summoner this fierce?]

Summoners were typically mid-to-long-range professions, designed to maintain continuous output by keeping their distance.

But Momo abandoned that opportunity, cutting into their formation like a warrior. He bypassed the warrior who was entangled with the physical swordsman in the front and directly entered their back line. The summoner’s staff seemed to transform into a weapon in Momo’s hands, and after breaking through the back line, he charged straight at FirstUnderHeaven. Momo even used basic attacks to interrupt the magical swordsman who was in the middle of casting.

Compared to the scattered positioning of the “Advertising Space for Rent” team, the livestreamer team had a well-organized formation. The warrior’s position was just right to block the front line’s vision. Even when entangled by the physical swordsman, the warrior could shield the team from damage in the blind spots. However, Momo’s move to leap over the warrior and dive into the enemy’s ranks tore through the center of the livestreamer team’s defense, immediately targeting the magical swordsman, FirstUnderHeaven, and forcing the fragile professions in the back line to quickly reposition.

FirstUnderHeaven said, “They’re going for a strong attack, using heavy blows on us. Healers, watch your health closely.”

The marksman cursed and then turned to focus fire on the summoner’s pets. “The array master is being protected by the bear!”

Meanwhile, the array master was protected by Momo’s bear, skillfully dodging the attacks from the distant marksman. Momo joined forces with the bear, applying pressure with their ranged attacks. The “Advertising Space for Rent” team came on strong. Even though they had a seemingly weak lineup, their aggressive push was fiercer than the front line. In a typical battlefield, the first wave of attacks could set the tone for the match. If one side lost the initial momentum or firepower, it could easily lead to their teammates retreating in fear.

The healer, holding a skill, immediately used a dispel when the opponent’s summoner unleashed a group attack with its summoned creatures.

“Am I hallucinating? The firepower doesn’t seem that intense.”

“Of course, their positioning is so chaotic, and their teammates’ output isn’t synchronized.”

“Take this opportunity to deal with Momo and UnchainedWanderer first.”

“Wait, no, we can’t split our skills.”

On the battlefield, control and dispel skills were being used in a tangled fashion, with each side calculating the other’s skills. Originally, FirstUnderHeaven had planned to control the opponents and focus on reducing their numbers to gain an advantage. However, the opponent’s strategy had cut the battlefield into pieces, disrupting their plans.

The warrior was dealing with ClearWindIsHere. The Doaist priest was focused on FireworksAndLanterns. FirstUnderHeaven and the marksman were engaged with Momo and UnchainedWanderer.

Despite being a test of team coordination on the battlefield, it had bizarrely turned into a series of 1v1 and 2v2 skirmishes.

[I’m stunned. Has Momo’s basic attack become stronger again?] 

[Yes, back when he played Midnight Bell, his basic attack’s knockback wasn’t this strong.]

[Is it just me, or does it seem like the livestreamer team can’t handle the opponents? With no front line and just a single healer, shouldn’t it be easy to deal with them?]

FirstUnderHeaven also realized that after the battlefield was cut into smaller sections, the challenge became about 1v1 capabilities. Despite their initial wave of attacks causing some damage to Momo and others, the seemingly insignificant healer was able to heal them back up. Healer Cantaloupe was astonishing, managing to stack buffs on all five teammates, effectively healing them all by himself. In contrast, their own team, which included two healers, was safe but had an overflow of healing.

The warrior and physical swordsman were not achieving results. One was tanky with average attack, while the other had average defense but high attack.

The Doaist priest could control FireworksAndLanterns, but FireworksAndLanterns’ summoned creatures were also formidable. Moreover, the enemy’s array master was extremely agile, and Momo’s basic attacks were fast and powerful. The magical swordsman needed the right environment to execute his sword techniques, which meant that he and his marksman couldn’t effectively counter UnchainedWanderer and Momo on the opposing side.

Momo attacked from the front, while UnchainedWanderer provided support from the back.

The physical-type summoner was more troublesome than the magical-type summoner, especially one like Momo. Whenever FirstUnderHeaven faced him before, he would always be inexplicably drawn into the rhythm of Momo’s skills. Moreover, the array master behind Momo seemed to provide continuous assistance, with various arrays constantly in play. On top of that, the opposing array master was a high-damage type, delivering both support and powerful attacks. After several rounds of combat, their team found themselves at a disadvantage.

They were being restrained.

“Focus fire on Momo first,” FirstUnderHeaven said.

The marksman shouted, “There’s an array master with a defensive array, and a healer in the back healing them. We might not last if we keep this up.”

In the distance, an unattended magical swordsman, with a superior output environment, acted like a mobile artillery, bombarding them with sword techniques seemingly without cost.

What should have been an advantageous battle suddenly became a strange stalemate. Although their team had better endurance, they couldn’t match the offensive power of the opponents. FirstUnderHeaven looked at the healer Cantaloupe, who was in the water, healing teammates. With their fragile lineup, they only needed to collapse the healer’s defense.

“Yoyo, go around and take out their healer.”

“Here it comes.” The assassin Yoyo, who had been lurking for a long time, quietly slipped into the backline of the Advertising Space for Rent team after circling through most of the forest. He aimed at their only healer, Cantaloupe.

At that moment, Cantaloupe seemed unaware of the impending danger and continued to stand in place, healing his teammates.

Yoyo, still invisible, waited for the right moment and launched his attack, intending to finish off the fragile healer with a few strikes.

Unexpectedly, a fear array suddenly descended from above.

Yoyo’s invisible state was immediately disrupted, and Cantaloupe quickly moved away.

Yu Zhen, who had been waiting for a long time, said, “Here.”

Cantaloupe, still shaken, asked, “How did you know?”

“You were standing on the lake. No matter how stealthy the assassin is, he will inevitably cross the lake surface when he approaches you.”

Su Mo and Yu Zhen were very familiar with the assassin’s behavior patterns. In such situations, a strategic commander would typically choose to target the healer, as healers often find it challenging to manage healing while being attacked. The death of a healer usually leads to the collapse of the team.

They were waiting for the assassin, who posed a significant threat to their side, to reveal himself.

On the other side, Yoyo found himself unable to move.

The opposing array master, despite being a magic-type profession, exerted a pressure on her similar to that of a marksman, as if he was very familiar with her control skill cooldowns. Every time she used a control skill, another control skill would follow immediately. She suddenly felt a bit scared; despite having already baited a wave of firepower from Momo, it seemed these people still had so many skills left.

The terrifying aspect of an attack-type array master was that his attacks came with damage enhancement. Yoyo, being a fragile assassin, intended to retreat and seek another opportunity after failing one attack, but the array master did not give her any time.

The array master, having been waiting for a long time, immediately abandoned assisting Momo and instead collaborated with the healer to hunt down the assassin. Additionally, Apple, lurking outside, seized the opportunity and began focusing fire on the assassin.

Due to the enormous split in the battlefield, Yoyo, as an assassin, was extremely fragile and was under the array master’s healing suppression status. Before the livestreamer team’s healer could save her, he saw his teammate fall.

[Eight Desolates Platform] Apple killed Yoyo!

“Oh yeah!” Apple shouted.

Su Mo glanced at his own skills and said, “Watermelon, go ahead. We’ll protect you.”

Having been hiding in the forest for a long time, Watermelon, upon hearing that his teammates would protect him, immediately locked onto the nearest healer and confidently declared, “I’ll make sure to take him down.”

The danger for the livestreamer team wasn’t over yet, even after Apple killed Yoyo.

FirstUnderHeaven’s marksman had also locked onto the opposing assassin. When he saw Watermelon’s ID, he was momentarily stunned and quickly alerted his teammates, “They have an assassin, it’s Watermelon.”

Assassin Watermelon was a familiar face on the battlefield, and they were well acquainted with him.

“Get him before he gets close,” FirstUnderHeaven instructed. “Doaist priest and healer, stay alert. Stay close to the marksman and don’t let Watermelon find an opportunity.”

As Watermelon, still hidden, emerged from the forest, he was immediately targeted by the marksman. The marksman let him approach slowly, and as the teammates readied themselves for a focused attack, he decisively revealed the assassin.

At that moment, a sword technique came straight at them, directly controlling the rear marksman, Doaist priest, and healer.

Apple, who had been lurking in the back, finally found his chance to contribute. “Perfect, 1 controls 3.”

Watermelon, already in full state, saw the enemy controlled and immediately used his decontrol skill to charge towards the healer.

Momo smiled slightly, momentarily halting the assault on FirstUnderHeaven and then summoned the Thunder Lion to follow up on Apple’s control.

FirstUnderHeaven was horrified to realize that while they had been calculating the enemy’s moves, the enemy had anticipated their strategies and had launched a counterattack.

The “Advertising Space for Rent” team’s initially chaotic positioning was, in fact, strategically adjusted to optimal distances. For instance, the positions of the array master and magical swordsman might have appeared erratic, but they were positioned to either advance and support the summoner’s attack or retreat and use their range to protect the healer. Because their positioning was so spread out, the enemy misjudged the distances. The array master and magical swordsman were mobile units within the team, seemingly focused on output while actually waiting to dodge and strike at the right moment.

FireworksAndLanterns and ClearWindIsHere, on the other hand, had effectively pinned down two of the livestreamer team’s DPS.

With the right distribution, they could easily support their teammates without needing constant movement. The opponents had been waiting for just the right moment: the healer and assassin were bait. As soon as the assassin made a move to kill the healer, the array master would immediately counterattack. Once their control skills’ cooldowns were up, Watermelon would emerge from the forest, ready to strike the rear.

Unfortunately for the livestreamer team, in their attempt to stay safe, the rear’s mage and healer had moved closer to the marksman, inadvertently playing into Apple’s 1v3 control setup.

It all seemed preordained. The instant they revealed the assassin, the opponent unleashed all their reserved control abilities on them. The continuous controls overwhelmed the livestreamer team, with the summoner and array master controlling the field while the farthest magical swordsman finished off the targets. Most critically, the opponent’s magical swordsman, Apple, still had his burst skills ready. Seeing that his teammates had created an advantageous situation for him, he promptly targeted the controlled Doaist priest and used his burst skill to eliminate him.

[Eight Desolations Platform] Apple killed Fu Ding Tianxia!

With no one controlling him, Watermelon, despite being heavily targeted and low on health, executed extreme maneuvers to whittle down the healer’s HP. Just as he was about to secure the kill, a reminder notification popped up.

[Eight Desolations] Apple killed Xiao Nai Ping!

After taking out the healer, FireworksAndLanterns, free from the Doaist priest’s control, immediately disabled another healer. Seizing this opportunity, Apple then focused fire and eliminated the remaining healer. In just ten seconds, the livestreamer team had not only failed to kill the opponent’s assassin but was instead counterattacked, losing three of their rear-line teammates.

Watermelon, “????”

What was going on? He had risked his life only to have his teammates steal the kills?

Seeing this, ClearWind couldn’t help but say, “Fuck, Apple, you’re such a kill-stealer!”

Apple had not anticipated that he would have a day where he would steal other people’s kills. He recalled the frustration of previous battles where, despite his hard work to deplete the enemy’s health, his melee teammates would snatch the kills away with just a couple of strikes. Despite being a high-damage magical swordsman, he had long been known as the battlefield’s assist king, “Thanks to the big shot for giving me this chance.”

So, this was what FirstUnderHeaven had felt?

It was exhilarating.

Su Mo said, “Oh, keep it up.”

Watermelon asked, “What about me????”

Su Mo glanced at the rest of the team and encouraged, “There are still a few left. Keep going.”

[I’m stunned??? What’s going on?]

[Why are the livestreamer team losing so many players so quickly?]

[Hasn’t the opponent been fighting aggressively? How come they still have so many skills left?]

[Don’t you realize? Momo’s aggression is focused on melee… he still has a bunch of skills as a summoner!]

Momo was focusing on melee combat, and ClearWindIsHere was also engaging in melee combat.

The offensive array master was assisting from the back, stacking arrays, while the magical swordsman was using his skills intermittently, adding chaos with his sword techniques.

FireworksAndLanterns and Doaist priest were playing mutual control… Despite the intense battlefield clash, they had unwittingly given away more skills than the opponent. The enemy indeed had no front line and no marksman, but their professions had a lot of control skills…

The situation had shifted from 7v7 to 3v7, and in less than a minute, the livestreamer team had fallen into a complete disadvantage.

The viewers were stunned, and the livestreamers were also bewildered.

Seeing that only three people were left, FirstUnderHeaven had no reason to stay and fight, so he immediately informed his teammates to retreat to avoid losing more heads.

This was a forest obstacle map, and as long as they entered the forest, there were many obstacles to block their path, making it very convenient for them to escape with minimal health.

FirstUnderHeaven said, “Regroup first, head to the west point. Don’t engage if we’re not all together.”

The red potions were on cooldown, and they could only wait for the healing to recharge. Just after they had begun their retreat, the marksman suddenly realized with horror that an assassin had caught up from behind.

“Fuck, it’s Watermelon.”

“We’ve got a mad dog chasing us.”

Suddenly, a message appeared in the Eight Desolations Platform battlefield that everyone could see:

[Chaos of Blades and Knives, Birds in a Panic] 

[Please be aware, entering the forest will provoke an out-of-control bird flock. The panic will last for 3 minutes.]

It was here! A random battlefield event had triggered in this quest battlefield!

The bird flock, hovering in the air, immediately flew into the forest and locked onto the remaining livestreamer team members and the mad dog assassin.

In the midst of this sudden change, the three members of the livestreamer team, who had intended to flee, were blocked by the bird flock and had to turn around to find another way.

Suddenly, the mad dog assassin, who had been closely following them, accelerated with a slew of active states, and charged forward with the clear intention of taking out their marksman. After securing the kill, he did not linger, turning and running toward the edge of the forest, leaving behind a warrior with half health and FirstUnderHeaven with 30% health.

FirstUnderHeaven was killed by the bird flock, and from the black-and-white perspective, he saw the figure of the assassin gradually disappearing into the distance.

The assassin’s escape was smooth and graceful. Even with a large flock of birds following him, he managed to keep a safe distance, as if he had become proficient in running from repeated practice and transformation, racing out of the forest with great flair.

FirstUnderHeaven said, “……Damn it!”

Author’s note: 

Watermelon: Hmph.