Chapter 79: The Shady Inn 9V1
The progress bar completed its run, and faint battle music began to play in the background—the game had officially started.
“-rd.”
The host entered the command to randomly assign all players to different factions. On Wu Qingchen’s display, the screen forcibly shifted from the main base to the setting where players select their random hero characters.
Mori Motonari! My favorite for large-scale crowd control! Wu Qingchen hurriedly moved his mouse toward the spot.
He’d only moved his mouse a third of the way when Mori’s slot was taken.
Hojo Soun! My favorite instant-kill king! Having missed Mori, Wu Qingchen gripped his mouse tightly, hoping to make up for the loss.
But before he could move, Hojo’s slot was taken as well.
Tachibana! Sarutobi!
Wu Qingchen widened his eyes, and at that moment, his vision surpassed its usual limits; he instantly spotted two more useful characters among the mass.
Who are these people? What kind of hand speed is this?
It may sound like a long story, but in truth it was brief—from the moment Wu Qingchen began to select a character, to the disappearance of all his preferred choices, the entire process took less than a second—not even a fifth of the time it usually took him to pick a character in his previous games.
Was it really necessary to be this fast?
“.....”
Wu Qingchen silently typed a string of ellipses.
Takeda Nobuyoshi, Otomo Muneshige, Sanada Yukimasa, Saito Toshinobu, Ashikaga Yoshiteru...
This is ridiculous! All that’s left are these misfits?
Wait, there might still be a decent character...
Wu Qingchen glanced left and right with a look of disdain, and suddenly spotted a character among the rejects whom he was fairly skilled with:
Saika Magoichi—the highest DPS, longest range, late-game powerhouse in Nobunaga’s Ambition Warcraft mod—of course, also the most hated and most likely to be focused down immediately.
Saika... should he choose or not?
If he were using his main account in a level 50+ room, Wu Qingchen would have chosen Saika without hesitation.
But in a “1-20 Newbie Room,” you couldn’t really count on teammates for support or protection; picking the most hated late-game character seemed a bit reckless for his own enjoyment.
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Inside the training room, the scholar in charge, who was closely watching Wu Qingchen’s obvious hesitation, quickly issued a command: “Alliance side, Plan 3, Plan 3!”
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The dialogue box on Wu Qingchen’s screen immediately showed a message from his teammate.
“Pick Saika, we have no late game!”
A 1-20 newbie room, and they actually know to secure the late game?
“.....”
Wu Qingchen typed out another string of ellipses. Since his teammate had spoken, he followed suit and selected Saika Magoichi.
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“Whew...”
In the training room, the strategist group made up of soldiers, the psychology group in white lab coats, the analysis group of map developers, and the tactics group of former pros who understood ordinary players better—all these teams collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
“Almost had to activate the backup plan from the start. I told you, we should just assign all fragile supports...”
“If you assign all one type, it could create a psychological cue! Besides, Wu Qingchen’s rate of picking fragile heroes is already at 10%...”
“All right, all right, maintain discipline!” The scholar in charge raised a hand, eyes still fixed on the huge screen. “He’s started buying items... Oda army, take note! Wu Qingchen glanced at the lower left corner three times, continue with Plan 2!”
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For levels 1-20, tactics are basically nonsense, and teamwork is questionable at best...
Better to stick with standard gear!
Wu Qingchen made his decision, purchasing a health crystal for sustained combat and faster recovery, and pants for survivability and increased movement speed.
He walked out of the base, casually observing his teammates’ movements, feeling a bit relieved.
At least these teammates seemed reliable.
At minimum, they had the sense not to hinder Saika’s economy and leveling as a late-game carry...
Controlling his character, Wu Qingchen walked a few steps and was satisfied to see that his usual bottom lane was unoccupied.
Following the minion wave past the turret and toward the center line, the enemy minions emerged from the fog of war...
The opposing character appeared before Wu Qingchen.
Damn! It’s Tamako?
Wu Qingchen’s heart skipped a beat—Tamako, on the Oda side, was a tactician and warrior, best at draining health and skilled at early solo kills.
No worries, no worries!
————————
Wu Qingchen steadied himself. Tamako in a 1-20 newbie room shouldn’t be hard to handle.
The battle began.
In his bedroom, the sound of Wu Qingchen’s frantic keystrokes echoed.
Positioning, last-hitting, attack, stop! Retreat!
Position again, dodge Tamako’s range, last-hit, the minion is one hit away, preparing to attack...
Damn it!
Just as Wu Qingchen was about to land the final blow on a minion with a sliver of health, Tamako suddenly used her E skill to leap forward, blocking Saika Magoichi’s position. The minion he’d aimed for was taken out by an ally, and Saika lost a tenth of his health to Tamako’s skill.
Fine, count yourself lucky!
Positioning, dodging range, last-hitting, preparing to attack...
Damn!
As soon as the enemy minion was near death, Tamako stunned Wu Qingchen with a skill, causing him to miss another kill and lose another tenth of his health.
Two minutes later, with a health crystal and pants, Wu Qingchen had last-hit three minions and lost half his health, while Tamako, with two mana crystals, had last-hit twelve, and was at full health and mana.
Damn, this is tough!
Is the enemy’s 1-20 side really this strong? How about mine?
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Wu Qingchen decided to call for assistance: “This Tamako knows how to play, need help bottom!”
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“He called for backup, he called for backup!” In the training room, the tactics group—led by “Day and Night,” a former pro with extensive experience crushing newbies—immediately suggested, “Send Sarutobi!”
The scholar in charge hesitated slightly, then nodded, “Alright, Sarutobi Plan 1!”
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“Hang in there, I’ll be there as soon as I hit level 2!”
Wu Qingchen controlled Saika Magoichi to retreat a few steps. Amid his multitasking, he found Sarutobi Sasuke on the minimap—he was at level 1, with 80% experience.
Good! Sarutobi will be here soon.