Arrow

The Legend of the "Invi Killer"

The match hadn't even started yet, but the forums, Discord channels, and social media groups were already buzzing with discussions. Apple, the infamous "Invi Killer," was about to face another Thief in the finals. And this time, it was him—Crowd.

"She's cracked. No Thief has ever beaten her."

"She reads movements like a damn script."

"This is why she's the only Archer we respect."

Apple's reputation wasn't built overnight. She had climbed the ranks of the PvP scene by dismantling Thief players who were supposed to be her natural counters. Video clips of her most famous fights played on countless screens across the gaming world.

A Thief vanished using "Invis"—Apple merely counted in her head. "Three, two, one—" whoosh. She sidestepped perfectly, dodging the attack and countering before her opponent could even react.

Another Thief tried to use Clone Decoy to confuse her. Apple didn't hesitate. Her arrows split through the air, one hitting the decoy, the other planting itself between the real Thief's eyes. He barely had time to process what had happened before the match was over.

And then there was her fight against the speed demon. A Thief who moved so fast that most players couldn't track him. But Apple? She let him come, lured him into an opening, and struck him down in under ten seconds.

She had cracked the code.

Now, another Thief stood before her.

Ren, or Crowd as he was known in-game, stepped into the arena. The underground coliseum was alive with the shouts and cheers of the audience. Above, neon screens flickered, displaying the betting odds. Apple was the clear favorite.

He grinned.

Perfect.

Apple stood on the opposite side, bow slung over her back, her silver hair reflecting the arena lights. She tilted her head, her expression unreadable.

"So, another Thief?" she mused, her voice light, teasing. "Don't you guys ever learn?"

Ren chuckled. "Guess I'll be the first."

The crowd exploded with energy. Some were here for the thrill, others for the money. The gamblers, the pro players, the casual watchers—they all knew this was about to be a fight worth remembering.

The bell rang.

Ren activated Invis.

Apple was famous for predicting her opponent's moves, for seeing patterns before they even formed. Ren had studied her fights. He knew how she worked.

But what if I don't have a pattern?

His plan was simple: absolute randomness.

Usually, he'd go for the head first—a precise, calculated stab.

Instead, he rolled backward and hurled a dagger toward her feet.

Usually, he'd follow up with a body blow to a stunned enemy.

Instead, he kicked the ground, sending a burst of dirt into the air before side-stepping into another unpredictable strike.

How could Apple know what I'm going to do if even I don't know it until the last second? He grinned. Haha, let's see her read this.

The Unpredictable Duel Begins

He struck first.

Bursting from Invis, he swung from an angle no Thief had ever used before—a sudden, unexpected side swipe.

Apple's eyes widened slightly. She twisted at the last moment, barely dodging the attack.

He pressed forward, but instead of following up like a normal Thief, he jumped to the side and hurled a spike bomb at her feet.

Apple had to retreat, flipping backward as the explosion sent dust and debris into the air. For the first time, she looked slightly surprised.

The crowd was losing their minds.

"What is this guy even doing?!"

"Did he just—did he just kick dirt into the air?!"

But Apple wasn't just any opponent.

She watched him closely now, eyes sharp, analyzing every movement.

"He's unpredictable…" she muttered under her breath. "But that doesn't mean I can't react."

She moved differently now, more cautious, more precise. Instead of standing her ground, she baited him—pretended to retreat, lowering her bow slightly.

Ren saw an opening and took it.

Big mistake.

The moment he lunged forward, Apple's hands moved in a blur. Three arrows flew toward him at impossible angles.

Ren barely dodged the first two.

The third clipped his shoulder.

Shit.

He gritted his teeth, rolling away before another shot could land.

Apple smirked. "What, no comeback? Losing your flow already?"

Ren exhaled, shaking out his arm. The wound stung, but he ignored it.

"Heh… not bad."

The battle turned into a high-speed chess match.

Ren kept moving, kept switching tactics, but Apple was adapting. She was no longer trying to predict him—she was reacting in real-time, her body moving with an instinct that was almost terrifying.

He feinted left. Apple dodged before he even struck.

He pivoted for a low sweep. She leapt over it effortlessly, firing an arrow mid-air that barely missed his face.

Shit. She's adapting too fast.

Ren's breath came hard and fast. He was running out of options.

Time to kick it up a notch.

His hand hovered over his inventory.

If he was going to take down the Invi Killer, he'd need to use that.

Ren's breath came hard and fast. His health bar was dangerously low, his stamina drained from dodging and weaving through a near-endless barrage of arrows. The dust from the battlefield swirled around him, illuminated by the bright, artificial lights of the underground arena. The roar of the crowd felt distant, like a muffled echo beneath the pounding of his own heartbeat.

Time to kick it up a notch.

His hand hovered over his inventory, his fingers trembling slightly. Apple was living up to her reputation as the "Invi Killer." Every move he made, she was right there to counter it. His unpredictability had worked for a while, but she was adapting too fast. If he was going to take her down, he needed to do something completely unexpected.

And he had just the thing.

Flashback: Studying the Invi Killer

Ren had watched hours of Apple's fights before stepping into this match. She had fought and dismantled every Thief who came her way with mechanical precision. They all thought they could outmaneuver her, slip past her defenses, land a decisive blow—but they all fell into her traps. Apple had a counter for every trick in a Thief's playbook.

In one of her most famous matches, a Thief had attempted to vanish with Invis, only for Apple to count under her breath—three, two, one—before sidestepping and delivering a precise headshot the moment he reappeared.

Another had tried to use Clone Decoy to confuse her, but she had somehow identified the real one instantly, firing an arrow straight through his heart before the trick had even taken effect.

Then there was the one who had tried to blitz her with pure speed. He had darted left and right, vanishing and reappearing in a blur. But Apple had merely smirked, laid a trap behind her, and lured him straight into it, eliminating him in under ten seconds.

It was like she had solved the Thief class itself, dismantling every strategy thrown at her.

Ren instinctively respected her. But he also knew that respect wouldn't win him this fight.

To have any chance against Apple, he had to use something that no Thief would ever consider. He needed to fight in a way that completely ignored conventional Thief tactics.

Present: The Unexpected Weapon

Ren reached into his inventory and pulled out…

A rock.

Just a plain, smooth stone. Small, light, and completely unremarkable.

Apple raised an eyebrow as she watched him flick the rock into the air and catch it lazily. The crowd, once roaring with excitement, quieted slightly in confusion.

Then, without warning, Ren used Stone Fling.

The tiny stone shot through the air, striking Apple squarely on the forehead with a dull thunk.

It did almost no damage.

Apple blinked.

For the first time in the fight, she looked genuinely baffled.

"What was that for?" she asked, smirking slightly as she rubbed the spot where the stone had hit her.

But before she could finish her sentence—

Thud!

Another stone hit her, this time on the cheek. Again, barely any damage. But this time, the entire arena erupted in laughter. Even some of the commentators chuckled in disbelief.

Apple's eyes narrowed.

"What… are you doing?"

Apple's Perspective:

Apple had fought countless Thieves. She had countered every trick in the book, adapted to every feint, and mastered the art of anticipating their movements.

But this? This wasn't an advanced technique. It wasn't even a technique. This was nonsense.

A novice skill? Stone Fling?

She burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! Have you finally cracked under pressure? I thought you were—"

Thud!

Another stone, this time right on her nose.

Apple's laughter died instantly. Her smirk disappeared.

Now, she was annoyed.

"You little—"

Her fingers tightened on her bow. She fired a quick shot, forcing Ren to duck. She followed up with another, and another, unleashing her signature Triple Shot to put an end to whatever nonsense he was trying to pull.

The match, which had been a fast-paced melee showdown, suddenly shifted into a long-range battle.

Ren didn't hesitate. He dashed left, then right, dodging the arrows that zipped past him. But Apple was relentless. Within seconds, she had created a storm of arrows, covering every possible escape route.

A normal Thief would have been overwhelmed.

But Ren wasn't normal.

The Dance Against Death

The sheer number of arrows was insane. In less than a minute, Apple had fired hundreds. It was like trying to survive in a rainstorm where every drop could kill you.

Ren ducked under a piercing arrow, twisted to avoid another, then barely managed to sidestep a deadly Piercing Shot aimed at his heart. His health bar flashed red—he had taken a grazing hit on his shoulder. He was running out of time.

Apple, seeing this, smirked.

"In a few more seconds, you'll be done," she called out. Her voice was confident, certain.

But then—

Thud!

Another stone.

Right between her eyes.

Apple's smirk twitched. "Is that all you've got?"

Then, suddenly—

Everything went black.

The roaring of the crowd vanished. The battlefield disappeared. The lights, the movement, the arrows—all gone.

Apple's heart skipped a beat.

She had been blinded.

"What… What did you do?!"

A chill ran down her spine as realization hit her.

Stone Fling: Flings a stone at a single target to inflict 50 fixed Neutral property damage. It has a 5% chance of leaving the target stunned or blind.

Checkmate

Apple immediately tried to retreat, but she felt the cold wall press against her back.

Her instincts screamed at her to move, to dodge—but her back was already against the wall. There was nowhere to go.

Her heart pounded.

No. No, no, no— She listened carefully, straining to hear Ren's movements.

Swift footsteps.

She raised her arms, blocking a strike—

But another attack came from the opposite direction. Then another. And another.

Double Attack.

Again.

Twelve devastating blows in rapid succession.

She gritted her teeth, trying to endure the relentless barrage, but without her vision, she was helpless. Each strike sent her health bar plummeting lower and lower.

Then, with one final, brutal slash—

Apple's HP plummeted to zero.

The crowd erupted into pure chaos.

The announcer's voice boomed over the speakers, nearly drowned out by the deafening cheers.

"APPLE HAS BEEN DEFEATED! CROWD WINS THE FINALS!"

The Aftermath

Apple stood still, her character downed and frozen in place as the defeat screen flashed before her.

For a moment, she said nothing.

Then, she exhaled sharply and let out a soft chuckle.

She took off her headset, running a hand through her silver hair.

"That little bastard," she muttered under her breath, a small grin creeping onto her lips.

Across the battlefield, Ren smirked, leaning back in his chair as his friends erupted in victory cries behind him.

He had done it.

He had beaten the Invi Killer.

And for the first time in a long time—Apple had lost.

Silence.

For a long moment, there was no sound except the distant hum of the arena's magical energy field.

Then—

The crowd exploded.

Cheers, gasps, shouts of disbelief. The Invi Killer had fallen. The undefeated archer who had dismantled every Thief before her—

Had been taken down by a rock.

Ren wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, standing over Apple's fallen form. He let out a breathless chuckle. "Well, that worked."

From the audience, one of his friends screamed, "BRO, DID YOU JUST KILL HER WITH A PEBBLE?!"

Another player in the crowd whispered, "No way. That—That's the first time Apple's ever lost to a Thief."

A stunned silence washed over the spectators as they all slowly realized one thing.

This wasn't just a fluke.