Chapter 2

As I surveyed the surroundings, my eyes were drawn to an enormous round table capable of accommodating more than 10 people with plenty of space to spare. The room exuded a Victorian-style ambiance, adorned with lavish accessories and intricate designs. It quickly dawned on me that this was the lobby for the upcoming match.

Seated on our side of the table were the knightly beauty, Lizbeth (undoubtedly Elizabeth), KingRomel (obviously Romel), and Ozz (most likely Benny). On the opposing side sat our opponents. To the right, there was GigaChad (presumably June, given his muscular physique), accompanied by two unfamiliar individuals who seemed completely absorbed in their own world. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at their in-game names, "Dan<3Kay" and "Kay<3Dan," which only served to grate on my nerves. Please get a room, you two!

"Is my character, ok? No dissonance whatsoever?" Elizabeth broke me out of my musings.

"When I walked around town earlier, I felt completely fine. Except for the chest area. How do you even walk with these?"

I groped my own enlarged breast as if to prove my point. Feels soft actually. I might actually get used to this. Wait a second, is this considered sexual harassment or something?

"It's not that bad! But still, looking at my 3D-designed facial features and having a conversation with me at that is kinda... unnerving."

That is why you should not readily lend your account to just anyone. I hope this will be a lesson for her. What if I were a creepy, sexually harassing stalker, which I'm not, of course, then this would not end well for her?

"I don't see the problem, though; your face looks pleasing to the eye," I responded with my honest thoughts.

"Hehehe thanks," she said appreciatively.

Tsk! Not the reaction I was hoping for. I was hoping she would be caught off guard and act bashfully cute or something.

"How long is your last member going to make us wait!?"

Before I could respond further, Romel's exclamation abruptly shifted the attention of the group towards him.

"Patience, we also waited for you guys to arrive you know? Our last member is just finishing a dungeon. He will be here soon," GigaChad replied.

"What?! He's in the middle of a dungeon run when we were supposed to have a match? Those things take too long to finish!" Romel whined.

"Not for him though, he's pretty skilled," GigaChad explained.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Elizabeth narrowing her eyes. "Who exactly is your last player?" she inquired.

It's right for her to be on guard. Our opponents looked pretty confident and reassured that they would win, their ace player must be really good for them to have this much positivity.

"I suppose there's no harm in revealing it now. Our last player is Chu," GigaChad proudly announced.

Elizabeth couldn't hide her surprise. "You managed to recruit him?! I thought he only played 1v1!" she exclaimed.

"I found a way to make it work. I have my own methods," GigaChad replied smugly.

"T-that's unfair, isn't it? Chu is a ranker," Benny worriedly said.

"Really now? It's just a normal match where the loser pays for the winner's VR time cost and not a high-stakes betting game. And don't tell me you guys forgot your captain is also a ranker," GigaChad said as he looked at Elizabeth as if proving a point.

Well, that was quite shocking. I didn't expect Elizabeth to be a ranker.

In Champions of Andartha (CoA), there are two separate leaderboards for rankers. One is for team matches, and the other is for 1v1 matches. To attain the ranker title, a player must be among the top one thousand players in either the team or 1v1 leaderboard before the end of a PVP season. The player then holds the title for the whole duration of the next PVP season.

"Don't tell me you're chickening out this late in the game? It's not like it's a betting match, either. We just need a little practice in our teamplay by fighting another ranker," GigaChad taunted.

"...No, we'll continue with the match," Elizabeth firmly stated.

"Excellent. In that case, let's wait a little longer. Chu messaged me saying he's almost finished with the dungeon," GigaChad informed the group.

Curious about Chu's identity, I leaned closer to Elizabeth and whispered, "Who exactly is this Chu?"

"Chu is a 1v1 ranker in this game," Elizabeth whispered back. "He's well-known for participating in 1v1 betting matches at this VR cafe, and the impressive part is that he has never lost a single 1v1 scenario. From what I remember, he's also a second-year Student at our university."

"That is.... honestly impressive," I murmured to myself.

Those ranking leaderboards are filled with pro and tier 2 pro players and for him to place in the top one thousand on 1v1 while taking into account CoA's massive player base is an incredible feat.

"Don't worry too much though! Doesn't matter if we lose as long as we have fun!" Elizabeth reassured me with a broad smile.

I contemplated Elizabeth's perspective on finding enjoyment in matches, realizing that my own mindset had shifted over time. While winning was once the main source of fun for me, I was no longer as driven towards victory as my younger self. I nodded in response, recognizing that everyone has their unique way of finding enjoyment in the game. I didn't want to dampen Elizabeth's enthusiasm by expressing my own uncertainties.

Just then another player arrived via teleportation. He is wearing a set you would expect from a Taoist with a Longbow attached to his back and a pair of small butterfly swords to his waist. Looking at his in-game name, it reads ZiJi.

"Finally, you're here! Good to go Chu?" GigaChad asked his teammate.

"Let's just finish this fast, I have something more important to do later," ZiJi replied distantly.

Wow, how edgy. He seems to act like your typical cool guy anime protagonist or something.

"Understood... You can start whenever. My team is also ready," Elizabeth replied eagerly.

"Great! It's time for our revenge match!" GigaChad exclaimed, pressing an invisible button.

Suddenly, a timer appeared and began counting down, signaling the start of the match.

The game starts in 3.... 2..... 1....!*

---------------------------------

-Lenna's PoV-

I have always watched Liz's streams. When she plays PVP she sometimes explains the rules to her new viewers that are not all too familiar with team PVP. From what I can summarize from all the times I watched her, the basics of team PVP revolve around three main objective points on the map.

The first is the Top Orb, located at the highest point of the map. The second is the Middle Orb, situated at the center of the game map. Lastly, there is the Bottom Orb, which is self-explanatory in its positioning.

The main goal in a team match is to capture all three of these Orbs. There are three potential winning conditions to consider.

The first condition is when a team successfully captures all three of the Orbs (Top, Middle, and Bottom). In this case, the capturing team instantly wins, regardless of the statuses or positions of the individual players.

The second condition is when a team completely eliminates all members of the opposing team. If your team manages to eliminate all enemy players, you secure a victory. Conversely, if your own team is wiped out by the enemy, it results in a loss.

The third condition involves the passage of time. If the match reaches the 50-minute mark, the team with the most captured objectives at that point wins. For example, if your team has captured 2 Orbs and the opposing team has only captured 1, you emerge as the winner when the time runs out. In the rare scenario where both teams have one Orb each or no Orbs captured, the game ends in a draw.

These are the fundamental rules that I understand, but there are many more specific details that I am not yet familiar with. As I contemplated this, Raynold's sudden voice caught my attention, breaking my train of thought.

"Didn't expect a 1v1 ranker to be on June's team," Raynold commented as he looked at one of the TV screens specifically set up for viewers in the VR cafe.

We were currently in a dedicated lobby area where viewers could watch matches or catch up on gaming-related news while placing orders. The manager had anticipated the match between Liz's team and June's team, so he had arranged for it to be broadcast to the viewers. Liz had a considerable fan base among the players here, and this match served as both entertainment and promotion for the VR cafe, known for hosting betting matches among CoA players.

"A ranker?" I inquired, seeking clarification.

Raynold nodded in response. "Chu Xiaolong, also known as ZiJi in-game. He holds a global ranking of 921 in the 1v1 matches leaderboard."

I was taken aback by Chu's impressive ranking. "He's that skilled!? I recall Liz mentioning that her own ranking is 970. Does that mean Chu is considered better than her?"

Having heard Liz mention her ranking of 970 during her streams, I understood that achieving such a ranking was a remarkable accomplishment, even for someone like me who wasn't familiar with CoA. The fact that Chu held a higher rank indicated his exceptional abilities in the game.

"Liz's ranking of 970 in team matches this season may be lower than Chu's ranking in 1v1, but that doesn't necessarily mean she is weaker. Team matches require teamwork, coordination, synergy, and strategic thinking, while 1v1 battles focus more on technical skills and predicting opponents' moves. It's a different dynamic and skillset altogether, so it's hard to determine who has the advantage solely based on rankings," Raynold helpfully explained.

I also think that way. Liz always says in her stream that she mostly plays team matches because she enjoys it so much more compared to 1v1. But whenever her viewers convinced her to play 1v1 ranked matches via donation or persuasion, I haven't seen her lose a single time.

"It's quite hard to believe, though, that Liz can play on even ground with male players," I mused.

"Hmm, I think it's not that out of the norm. There has been a debate going on that female players have the advantage vs male players in CoA, and with the rising popularity of VR technology, its not rare for it to attract many more female players, some having immense potential."

"Oh Really?" That got me interested.

Raynold nodded in affirmation, continuing his explanation. "That's right. Female players often have an advantage in terms of flexibility and balance due to their innate body type and lower center of gravity. This makes them more skilled in dodging, which is crucial in PVP matches. While males might have the advantage of physical strength and robustness in real life, it doesn't necessarily apply to VR games like CoA. In virtual reality, players can simply increase their stats and acquire better gear to offset any physical disadvantages. In fact, being larger in size can even be a disadvantage as it makes them more vulnerable to enemy attacks due to their increased hitboxes," he explains in some gaming jargon I don't quite understand.

"But if that's true, why is the pro scene still dominated by male players?" I said nonetheless.

"In my opinion, it is more of a mindset kind of thing. Generally, men tend to be more competitive than women, though there are always exceptions. Have you heard of Yuusha 'the Untouchable'?" Raynold asked conspiratorially.

"Hmmm, I think I heard of her. Liz always says she's her inspiration in playing CoA."

If I recall correctly, she was the ace of Team Paragon, the first-ever team to win the Andartha Cup tournament.

"Liz and most female players started playing CoA because of her. The publicity team of CoA advertised the highlights of their final matches to promote the game to the female player base, which was a brilliant move on their part. One could argue that she had a big impact on the drastic increase of the CoA player base throughout the years. Some of her diehard fans even argue that she is the greatest player of all time. Considering her iconic 1v3 at the very first Andartha Cup finals, I wouldn't be too surprised people think that way." he enthusiastically added.

"But she's not part of the professional scene anymore, is she?" I inquired.

Raynold's expression turned solemn as he shook his head. "No, she suddenly quit playing CoA. No one knows the reason behind her decision, not even her former teammates. Since the first Andartha Cup was an online tournament, the CoA community doesn't even have a clear picture of what she looks like. The event didn't have a grand venue or the same level of publicity that we see in today's LAN events."

I couldn't help but feel disappointed. It would have been exciting to support Yuusha if she were still competing in the professional league.

"...So, who do you think will come out as the victor?" I asked Raynold, curious about his prediction.

"It's difficult to say. The outcome will ultimately depend on who can make a greater impact in the matches, whether it's Liz or Chu," Raynold gave out his honest thoughts.

As Raynold and I were engrossed in our conversation, one of the TV screens caught our attention as it began a countdown. It displayed the match between Liz's team and June's team, who were ready to commence.

"Ohh, it's starting!" I exclaimed, feeling a surge of excitement and anticipation in the air.

In that moment, both teams were swiftly transported to their respective starting positions at the back ends of the map, signaling the start of the battle.