Artemeni couldn’t help but smile when she saw minions awkwardly shuffle. She wondered if she looked like them when she first marched together with the other soldiers when she was just a little pup. It was a long time ago for her, training starting when she started to walk.
She shook her head. She had no time to think that kind of stuff. She was weak right now. She had to be more careful as she couldn’t rely on the strength she built up now. Thankfully, the second floor also gave her extra boosts too.
(You choose the Tank role. Your Defense and Vitality increases. Your ability to resist abnormal status effects increases based on your level. )
(You acquire the active skill Taunt.)
(Your speed decreases. Your ability to use mana-based attacks decreases.)
(Durability and Defense of your shields and armor increases.)
(Destroy enemy towers and nexus while protecting yours to conquer the second floor.)
Standing in front of the first tower in the top lane, she spotted the approaching wave of blue-robed minions, bobbing in a similarly ungainly fashion. She raised her shield, grounding herself, and focused. Their goal was clear: break through her line, push toward the tower, and disrupt their strategy.
“Let’s see what you’ve got,” she muttered, her fingers tightening around her weapon. She activated Taunt, feeling a strange pull of energy as the approaching minions momentarily halted, their attention drawn to her.
The enemy minions staggered slightly before charging toward her in a frenzied, single-minded focus. Artemeni braced, blocking the first few blows with her shield, feeling the satisfying thud of impact as they collided with the reinforced barrier. Despite their cartoonish appearances, their strikes had a surprising bite to them—enough to keep her grounded and in the moment. Thankfully, her minions weren’t sitting still and helped her to push the wave.
But something changed when she arrived at the enemy tower. The moment the first minion entered into its range a blue energy orb shot out from the tower, killing the minion. Artemeni’s eyes widened as the blue energy orb vaporized the lead minion in an instant. The tower’s raw power was something she hadn''t anticipated. Adjusting her stance, she retreated a few steps, assessing her options. Though she was accustomed to being a bastion on the battlefield, this role as the frontline tank required her to rethink her approach—she had no backup strength to rely on, just pure resilience and strategy.
Another wave of minions began to rally behind her, and she let out a slow breath, preparing to press forward with them. They moved as if entranced by some invisible command, their movements precise but predictable. Artemeni raised her shield and nudged the lead minions into formation with a swift gesture, using her bulk to guide them like a shepherd. She needed to let them chip away at the tower while protecting them as best she could.
At the same time, the enemy champion appeared. It was a large, lanky man with some armor covering its body. It had a spear and shield, just like Artemeni. Despite having it in her clear vision, Artemeni couldn’t discern its face.
Artemeni sized up her new opponent, her instincts kicking in as she studied the faceless figure wielding a spear and shield, mirroring her setup. This wasn’t just another minion—this was a challenge.
Champion vs. Champion. She felt a flicker of excitement at the thought, her warrior spirit flaring up despite her weakened state. The opposing champion wasted no time, stepping forward with a steady, determined gait. Artemeni noticed the efficiency in its movement—it held its shield high, spear angled downward, a textbook defensive stance. It knew how to use its gear, at least on a basic level.
Artemeni narrowed her eyes, her grip firming on her shield as she watched the faceless champion. She could feel the tug of her own Taunt skill nudging at its attention, drawing it to her like a moth to a flame. She’d faced her fair share of enemies in the past, but here, without her full strength, it was all about playing her role—enduring, outlasting, and ensuring her minions had a clear path to chip away at the tower.
The enemy champion lunged, its spear a silver blur as it closed the distance. Artemeni sidestepped, angling her shield to deflect the blow, her feet sliding back to absorb the impact. The hit reverberated through her arm, but she held firm. She took a steadying breath, dropping her stance slightly to stabilize herself against the relentless onslaught.
"Fine, then," she muttered, "let’s play."
The enemy champion locked onto her with a mechanical determination, its movements sharpening as it lunged forward, focused solely on breaking her defense. Artemeni braced, absorbing the blows while her minions darted around, their small weapons chipping away at the tower’s defenses with each wave. The champion was relentless, though its pattern remained relatively simple—strike, retreat, jab with the spear, raise its shield.
It was predictable and exploitable. But just as Artemeni was about to counterattack an alarm bell rang in her head as someone exited out of the thick jungle behind her, cutting her way towards the ally tower. It was the enemy Ganker.
Artemeni’s eyes darted to the figure emerging from the jungle, an enemy ganker slipping into her flank with deadly intent. She clenched her jaw, calculating her options. A single misstep here could unravel her defenses, exposing her minions and the tower to a brutal assault. Her grip on the shield tightened as she took in the ganker’s form—a lithe, shadow-wreathed figure wielding twin blades that glinted menacingly in the low light.
“Not today,” she muttered under her breath, a fierce determination igniting within her.
She was already stretched thin, the enemy champion pushing her with steady, forceful strikes that demanded every ounce of her concentration. The ganker, however, added a new layer of urgency.
She was far away from her tower and with her lowered movement speed and the ganker on the way, she couldn’t retreat. She gritted her teeth in determination. She had a huge wave of ally minions on her side thanks to constantly pushing the enemy wave. Would it be possible for her to two on one with their help? The minions seemed to attack whatever was in front of them unless a skill influenced them. If she positioned herself just right maybe she could do it.
Positioning herself just ahead of her minions, she raised her shield, calculating her stance to catch both the champion''s spear strikes and the deadly, fast movements of the ganker. The ally minions flanked her sides, clustering together like a shield wall. She nudged them slightly with her spear and shield, drawing them forward and using them to disrupt the enemy''s pattern and add to her own defense.
The enemy champion came in again, predictable in its pattern. Artemeni sidestepped the first spear thrust, deflecting it toward a minion who immediately swarmed it, briefly halting its advance. But she barely had time to breathe as the ganker appeared, slashing down with its twin blades. Artemeni angled her shield up just in time to catch the first strike, the force jarring her stance but not breaking it. She pivoted, using her shield to redirect the ganker''s second blade just far enough to avoid a critical hit.
Her minions seeing the new enemy in front of them lunged toward the ganker. Some began chipping away at the champion, whose shield buckled under their relentless strikes. Seeing this as her chance, Artemeni summoned every ounce of her strength, stepping forward with a mighty bash that knocked the champion back a few paces. She glanced at her minions and growled, “Push, keep moving forward!”
Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!They surged forward, small but relentless, their focus unwavering as they tore into the enemies. But the ganker was cunning, weaving through her line to try and find an opening. Artemeni adjusted her position, planting herself between her minions and the ganker, blocking it from reaching the exposed flank.
The enemy champion, regaining its stance, lunged back into the fray, locking into another clash with her. Artemeni smirked, adjusting her grip. She had one chance. With her shield raised, she drove her weight forward in a concentrated strike that smashed into the champion, momentarily stunning it. Then, with a quick pivot, she brought her shield up to guard against the ganker’s slashing blades while activating Spear of Huntress, mighty skill drawing upon her lowered mana reserves like a desert drinking rainwater. But it was enough. She threw it to the enemy tank, piercing its chest.
(You defeated Level 1 Tank. Level 2 Tanker will spawn in 1 minute.)
The ganker tried to take advantage of her weaponless state but it was quickly overwhelmed by a large number of minions, swarming it like ants and beating it down with their small weapons.
(You defeated Level 1 Ganker. Level 2 Ganker will spawn in 1 minute.)
With that, Artemeni took down the first top lane tower.
...
(Your team destroyed a tower.)
(Enemy minions will be strengthened.)
(Your team destroyed a tower.)
(Enemy minions will be strengthened.)
Aurora frowned. She was in a perfect stalemate against the enemy mage, neither fully committing attacking nor pushing the lane. However, if enemy minions were really strengthened as the notification said, it was inevitable that her minions would be overpowered and she would pushed back to her own tower.
But even more important, the notifications told her one thing: She was the only one who hadn’t destroyed her lane’s tower. That wouldn’t do, even with her lowered stats. The enemy mage looked like what common folk thought female mages looked like with a pointy hat and a staff. She also wore a pointy hat and held a staff but it didn’t matter.
Aurora’s frown deepened as she gripped her staff tighter, watching the enemy mage shuffle her position, clearly anticipating the next move. The notifications loomed in her mind, a constant reminder that her team had already outpaced her. The last one to destroy a tower, huh? She clenched her jaw. That wouldn’t do—not for her pride, nor her responsibility to the team.
She had the push the lane before the waves of strengthened minions arrived. Her fingers curled around the intricate carvings of her staff, magic humming faintly beneath her touch. She cast a quick glance at the battlefield, calculating. Aurora began weaving a spell, the glow of her mana radiating faintly as she muttered the incantation under her breath. A flicker of pale blue light shot from her staff, arcing toward the enemy mage. It wasn’t meant to hit—it was a feint. As expected, the enemy mage raised her staff, forming a glowing barrier to block the projectile. But Aurora was already in motion, her focus shifting to the enemy minions.
With a sweeping gesture, she unleashed a low-tier area spell, "Blaze Surge," igniting the ground beneath the advancing wave. Flames erupted, swallowing the nearest cluster of minions. The enemy mage hesitated, likely debating whether to counter or push forward. That moment of indecision was all Aurora needed.
Channeling mana through passive ability, Mana Conductor, funneling residual mana from the spell into a swift follow-up: "Arcane Pulse." The pulse rippled forward, striking both the remaining enemy minions and the mage’s barrier. It wasn’t strong enough to break through, but it was enough to stagger her and disrupt her rhythm.
Aurora’s lips curled into a small smirk as she watched the enemy mage flinch slightly, her barrier shimmering with the aftershock of the Arcane Pulse. The enemy mage, recovering quickly, retaliated with a barrage of shimmering magic missiles, each one homing in on Aurora’s position. She raised her staff and created a hexagonal mana barrier, a much more efficient but hard-to-form version of mana barrier to block it. The first few missiles dissipated harmlessly against the barrier while she dodged others despite her weakened physical stats, she was still an Amazon warrior after all.
With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed Mana Surge, a skill designed to amplify her spells momentarily. Energy coursed through her, her staff glowing brighter as she channeled her next spell. She focused on the cluster of enemy minions closest to the front and chanted. A mage of her level normally wouldn’t need to chant or use hand gestures to fire a devastating attack. But now she had to.
“Stars above, heed my call,
Burn the sky and let them fall.
Brilliant wrath, unleash your glow— Starfall Nova!”
Aurora''s voice carried a steady cadence, the words of the incantation laced with power as her staff crackled with energy. A sigil formed in the air before her, glowing with blue light. Her narrowed eyes locked on the approaching enemy minions and the mage beyond them. A cascade of radiant orbs shot from the sigil, crashing down like meteors upon the enemy minions. Each impact sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, obliterating the clustered minions and leaving craters in their wake. The sheer force of the spell pushed back the enemy wave, and Aurora saw the enemy mage hesitate again, her staff raised defensively.
Aurora couldn’t help but feel a flicker of disdain at the enemy mage''s defensive posture. Among battle mages, hesitation was tantamount to surrender. “Sub-optimal” didn’t even begin to describe it. Magic was meant to dominate the battlefield, to seize control of the tempo. A true mage didn’t cower behind their staff—they dictated the terms of engagement.
But there was no time for smug superiority. She had the advantage now, however slight, and she intended to press it. The enemy mage responded with an incantation of her own, her voice sharp and melodic—a swirling vortex of wind formed at her command, gathering around the base of her staff. Aurora’s instincts flared as the winds coalesced into a visible cyclone, a mid-tier wind spell known for its crowd-clearing efficiency.
“Fire Ball.”
Another mistake. That spell pulled things to itself before it was fired. “Too slow,” she muttered, unleashing a compact yet high-impact Fire Ball directly into the heart of the forming cyclone. The flames collided with the vortex, consuming the air that fueled it. The result was an explosion of heat and pressure that sent embers spiraling outward. The backlash staggered the enemy mage, her defensive stance faltering.
With the path momentarily clear, Aurora pressed forward, her feet digging into the ground as she advanced with purposeful strides. The faint glow of her staff illuminated the smoldering battlefield, and her next wave of allied minions surged past her, eager to close the gap to the enemy tower.
But Aurora wasn’t done. The remaining enemy minions rallied, attempting to slow her push. Her mind raced as she evaluated her options. She couldn’t afford to expend high-tier spells; her mana reserves were finite, and the looming possibility of another enemy champion joining the fray was ever-present.
“Let’s simplify this,” she said, taking a deep breath. Channeling her Mana Conductor skill once more, she directed the flow of residual mana into her staff, its tip glowing with condensed energy. With a flourish, she unleashed Arcane Stream, a continuous beam of pure magic that swept through the enemy minions like a scythe. They crumbled one by one, their resistance insignificant against the focused assault.
The enemy mage, now visibly desperate, began casting another spell—something stronger, more elaborate. Aurora caught a glimpse of glowing runes spiraling around the mage’s staff, signaling the preparation of a high-tier attack.
Aurora’s lips quirked upward. “A gamble? Fine.” She planted her feet and raised her staff high. If the mage wanted a contest of power, she’d deliver.
But that never came to be as an arrow cut through the air before neither of them could react, nailing the enemy mage in the face.
“Sorry for stealing your kill, Aurora. Figured this would make this easier.”
Poyraz Karabulut exited out of the shadows, Aurora now noticing his massive bulk and mana and sighing a breath of relief. If this was several years ago, Aurora could have felt humiliated by his help. But now, she put the benefits over her pride.
“No worries, Champion. You are here to take down the tower, I assume?”
Poyraz nodded.
“Let’s take it and move, Aurora.”