The 2v2 restarted. Kai activated Burning Spirit and initiated the assault! SWHISH! She fired the first fireball!
It seemed like the aggressiveness took the enemy by surprise, so Professor failed to dodge the opening shot. Or, maybe he couldn't dodge it even if he saw it coming.
I gotta remember these guys are scrubs in combat, Kai reminded herself, they're all brains, no brawn. So, this should actually be hella easy!
She fired another fireball without waiting for the opponent's response. As the stronger fighter, Kai had the ability to subdue the enemy through sheer strength!
Alas, the second fireball missed its mark. Professor managed to step out of Kai's reach just in the nick of time. Evidently, the enemy was also doing their fair share of thinking here.
"Phew." Nahum exhaled in relief as he managed to make the enemy whiff their second shot. It took him some time to run the calculations for the fireball's speed and trajectory, but he successfully solved that riddle.
However, his partner wasn't as impressed. "The heck are you doing?" Marim asked. "You're supposed to be coming at her, not running away."
"Easy for you to say," Nahum ranted. "I'm the one on the front line here, so all the pressure is on me."
"Oh, c'mon, man up. Just go out there and hit her hard so I can execute her."
Nahum made a face. "So, you're telling me to do all the hard work just so you can just waltz in and steal the kill?"
"Hmm. Yeah, I guess that's how it's gonna play out, haha." Marim chuckled. "Seriously though, we've already agreed that this is the best strat, right?"
"Yes, but only if we insist on staying and fighting…"
Frankly, Nahum believed it was best to disengage here. However, Marim insisted they had the mathematical advantage, and Nahum failed to refute that claim.
Right now, the situation was almost a 1v1. Marim and Memer both steered clear of the frontline, too afraid to receive additional hits.
In a situation like this, Nahum clearly had the edge. A 1v1 between a mage and a bruiser was bound to be in the bruiser's favor, especially when the mage's big cannons were exhausted.
The only issue is that Beat is at least ten times stronger than me in combat, Nahum admitted, so I wouldn't be surprised if she beats me even in a matchup like this.
Beat must have been thinking along the same lines, that's why she was shooting fireballs without any concerns. She wasn't afraid of Nahum at all.
How am I expected to defeat somebody like that? Nahum frowned. Frankly, I don't think Marim was thinking logically when she suggested staying and fighting.
The counter-gank plan ended in failure, so it was best to cut losses and retreat. However, Marim insisted that the opportunity wasn't lost yet, and somehow she swindled Nahum into this mess. Sigh.
Hrm. I predict that this fight will demand a lot of improvising on my end. That really isn't my forte... Nahum sighed, but he stepped forward nonetheless. Well, so be it. I've already improvised once in this battle, and it turned out fine. So, perhaps I can recreate the formula.
That time when Nahum separated Beat and Memer on the spot was ingenious. It was a heat-of-the-moment play, with little to no time to calculate the finer details, yet it turned out so splendidly. Even now, remembering that exhilarating moment gave Nahum shivers.
Marim is right about one thing. Sometimes, improvising on the spot is necessary. Nahum admitted. Even in an intellectual game like chess, there are formats with tighter time restrictions, where players are forced to blitz out their moves. Certainly, that involves a lot of improvising.
Despite how hectic such chess games looked, the involved players weren't dishing out their moves mindlessly. It's just that they've internalized the game theory of chess to the point that it was as natural as breathing for them. Thanks to that, they were able to improvise on the spot and still make sound plays within the chaos.
Perhaps that's the final form of mathematical reasoning as well. Nahum thought. You need to not only know the theory, but also have enough experience to apply it on the fly. This is something I haven't considered much before.
At large, the Tycoons focused on studying the game's meta, the optimal picks, and the best tactics. However, it was all theoretical knowledge. When they had to face real opponents, the knowledge didn't always translate into practical execution.
Marim is the only one who constantly comes up with spur-of-the-moment plays. I always thought that's just her being rash, but…
Perhaps Marim was the one who had the right idea the whole time. While everybody else was busy studying theory, Marim was improving her execution. This helped her develop all sorts of skills that the rest of the Tycoons lacked.
Alright then, let's try some calculated improvisation! Nahum rolled forward just as his opponent unleashed another fireball. Let's see how well I can utilize math and theory in real-time!
There was no time to calculate everything to a T. Nahum had to trust his rough estimations in order to gain the upper hand!