9 Chapter 9 - Making A Choice
Willow stared at the screen and considered each of the four heroes before her. They each had their strengths, weaknesses, and specialties— and the important of her choice here could change the her future capabilities as a whole.
If she were to pick wrong here, it could limit what she could do for a long time— as such, she had to consider each hero along with her current situation and plans.
Her gaze lingered on Layla, the marksman.
Layla's ranged abilities and high damage output made her a versatile and strong choice if she was looking for range and combat right now— as a beginner hero, she would offer solid combat capabilities and be helpful in a variety of situations.
However, the way she fought was a drawback to the current Willow.
Layla fought using a large cannon that was capable of shooting energy in various ways— by selecting her, she would gain the ability to create Layla's weapon out of energy and use it as intended.
The issue with that is simple— Hextech hasn't been invented yet.
Layla's weapon could only be explained by Hextech in terms of how it worked and looked, but since Hextech had not been invented yet, she couldn't quite explain it. This fact alone made Layla a no-go for the time being.
Not to mention, Layla wasn't of use to her at the time.
As such, she concluded that Layla wasn't the way to go and moved on to the next hero on the list— Cyclops.
Cyclops, as a mage, had great versatility as well as power. His control and magic abilities would make him a great choice in a lot of ways, not only in battle but outside of it as well.
Not to mention, by selecting Cyclops, she would gain more energy, which can be very useful if she decides to learn more about the magic and abilities of this world.
But that in itself was an issue.
Cyclops used magic; however, magic in the world of Arcane— or rather Runeterra as the realm itself was called— was considered rather special. Not every being could use magic, and a being that could was considered different compared to normal.
This went even further in Piltover.
Piltover was the city of progress. It was formed by scholars and researchers to study technology and other fields and to improve the lives of the people of the city and the world.
It was also made as a place that did not have or use magic. While they wouldn't outright say it— they didn't welcome magic users.
As such, choosing Cyclops would cause her a lot of issues that she wouldn't be able to deal with easily.
Unfortunately, she had to move on from him as well.
Next on the list was the fighter, Zilong.
Zilong was a very solid choice— he had high damage as well as a weapon that wouldn't stand out. His skills and strength would greatly help her in a battle— not only to survive in this dangerous world but also to gain more BP.
His fighting prowess would also be easier to hide— as most of his abilities are still within the realm of normalcy.
As such, he was a great choice that she would most likely have made if not for one issue—getting into a fight to begin with was difficult in her current situation.
Willow couldn't simply choose him because he was good at fighting— she first need to solve the issue of being able to get into a fight to begin with in order to gain BP.
As the Young Miss of a Council Family, it was impossible for her to just roam the streets and look for fights— not to mention fights weren't common in Piltover, to begin with.
With that reasoning in mind, she could only sigh, give up on him for the time being, and move on to the last hero.
The final hero was Natalia, the assassin.
Natalia was the hero she was thinking about choosing from the beginning. Not only was Natalia one of Willow's favorite heroes to play in the game— but her capabilities perfectly suited her current needs.
Natalia's strength lay in her speed and stealth. This made it so she could easily sneak around without being detected. Willow needed this right now because if she planned to leave the estate freely, she would need to sneak out.
Plus, Natalia wasn't weak to begin with; she had good burst damage and could be quite a danger to any unskilled fighter— if she were to use her in a fight, she would likely win even without sneaking up on them.
'Hmm.'
Willow hummed to herself as she weighed the pros and cons of each hero, finally making a decision based on what she felt was right for her current situation.
She needed a hero who could provide her with stealth to put her plans in motion, as well as some fighting capability to gain BP.
As such, she came to the final decision— Natalia would be the choice.
Natalia's abilities, versatility, and weapons would offer her a wide range of options. Her flexibility across different roles and plans would allow her to adapt to various challenges she might face.
Moreover, her familiarity with her capabilities and playstyle would help ease her into using the system effectively and help her grow accustomed to the heroes.
With her decision made, Willow chose the hero with a mental command and confirmed when asked. The greyed hero avatar suddenly glowed, and she felt a newfound power coursing through her body.
With a slight ache, she could feel her body changing to accommodate the hero's capabilities—it was not significant changes, but changes happened nonetheless.
Before she could truly indulge in and appreciate the changes that were taking place in her body, her mind was suddenly hit by a wave of fatigue, and her eyelids could no longer stay open on their own.
'It seems I stayed up too late.'
She thought to herself as her mind drifted asleep against her will in order to awaken anew tomorrow— tomorrow was a big day, after all.
In more than one way now.
