Chapter 35

*Ring, Ring, Ring*

I woke up to the sound of my alarm. I felt a sudden sense of urgency to get ready for school, but I remembered that today was a weekend. I relaxed for a bit, knowing that I didn’t have to prepare but my blood pumped again when I remembered why I set up my alarm in the first place.

Later today, we will be fighting the first qualifier match.

I got out of bed and did my morning routine. I had to wake up a little bit early today since our match will be at 9 p.m. and I need to focus and mentally prepare myself before the match. I ate a hearty meal and listened to relaxing music to calm my nerves.

I thought that I would not feel nervous at all since I have such capable teammates but I guess the more I knew how important this qualifier was to them, the more I'm hesitant to screw up. I don’t think we will lose in the first round but you never know what might happen in a match between two opposing teams.

Anything can happen and it would be best to prepare for the worst outcome, though at the same time, there are things you cannot control, and just do your best on whatever you can.

I heard my phone ring; it woke me out of my musings and I saw that Liz was calling. I immediately answered it.

“Liz? What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing just checking up on you 'cause you weren’t online yet,” she said with less levity in her voice, far from her usual demeanor.

Is she nervous perhaps?

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 8:47 a.m., and the assembly time for our schedule was already near. I was so engrossed in my pre-battle meditation that I almost forgot the match, how ironic it would be if I missed the match because of it. She doesn’t need to know about that blunder.

“I was just calming my nerves, I was about to go online before you called,” I threw an excuse.

“Ohh I guess this is your first tournament too so I guess it could be a bit nerve-wracking, hehe,” She laughed nervously. A clear sign she was not used to high-stakes matches like this.

“Yeah, I’ll go online now so wait for me a bit,”

“Sure, see you soon…” she said as she ended the call.

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I appeared inside a rustic wooden room near the door of the inn in the city of demons. I recall that this was the last place I went before going offline. A wave of warmth and comfort embraces me. The cozy lobby is adorned with earthy tones and charming, vintage décor. A quaint reception desk stands to one side, where a friendly innkeeper NPC offers a warm smile and a hearty welcome.

While contemplating whether to message my team or not, I immediately got an invite to a private lobby.

Game Master Rudy invited you to a private lobby, Would You like to Accept? Y/N

Game masters are administrators of the CoA community for events like this. I knew plenty of GMs that served as observers or regulators back then. I can only assume they’ve increased in numbers with the growth of CoA. I have never heard of this Game Master before but I can only be sure that they would be impartial to the rules given that it is their job in the first place and the CoA team is very picky on who they recruit.

I accepted the invitation.

*zffff

I was teleported to a modern luxury lobby that clearly is custom-made for the tournament to satisfy the younger generation. The vast expanse of the lobby is bathed in soft lighting from a picturesque chandelier, casting a warm and ethereal glow that dances across the polished marble floors.

The air is scented with a delicate, invigorating fragrance, a function that costs a lot of in-game currency, creating an atmosphere of sophistication and luxury. Sculptural works of art adorn the space, seamlessly integrated into the lobby's design. The lobby is dotted with plush seating areas where players are expected to relax and crimson-red chairs that seem to have been designed for maximum comfort and style.

I took a quick look around and saw 7 players sitting in the comfortable-looking chairs scattered around the lobby completely out of place with their medieval looks in a futuristic background. In the center of the room stands a single professional-looking Game Master wearing the customary CoA formal uniform attire.

Everybody focused their attention on the new arrival (which was unfortunately me). I saw signs of relief and even derision from the enemy team. Some of them even gave a smug look, likely because they found out my level through identify. I can’t blame them though, I’m currently only level 75.

I went to my teammates who gave me a look of acknowledgment and a quick greeting. Renz looked quite pleased at my arrival while Liz seemed uncharacteristically tense.

“Seems like there is only one person left before we can start,” the GM said in a clear feminine voice that commands attention.

I took a double take on all the players and saw that the person missing was one of ours. And why am I not surprised that our edge lord is still not here? If I was his boss, I would’ve already given him negative social points.

“Where the heck is that guy?” Renz ranted.

“He has not picked up my calls since earlier. I hope he is alright,” Liz stated apprehensively.

“It's already 9 am. What happens next?” One of the enemy players asked the GM.

The Game Master stilled for a second, likely looking at the in-game clock, then continued to articulate in a cordial but imposing manner.

“If a player has not arrived at the allotted time slot, we will wait for 10 minutes. If the player still has not yet arrived when the grace period is up, then the team he or she is in will be disqualified,” the GM responded professionally.

Come on Chu, leave your Edgeville early for once! Your edgy citizens can handle themselves without you lording over them all the time!

The guy who gave me a derisive look earlier stood up. He wears a bullet-riddled, patchwork coat. Beneath the coat, a vest shows signs of battle damage. A torn shirt completes the look he is opting for, a clear sign of it being a custom-crafted equipment set. He then gave us a derisively smug look before speaking out loud.

“Why do we even bother wasting time here? That guy clearly chickened out knowing that they have no chance of winning because they have an under leveled teammate. Even if their last member shows up, do you think they have a chance against us with that kind of handicap? I know you’re a busy person GM so just rule the game in our favor already and be done with it!” He said in a demanding tone.

I identified him.

RuGHp: 100%Mp: 100%

Lvl: 95

Guild: Cosmic Pirates

Duel wr: Hidden

Wins: HiddenMatches: Hidden

Team Rank matches wr: Hidden

1v1 Rank matches wr: Hidden

Wins: Hidden Matches: Hidden

id#:***********

Introduction:

Oh, he’s hiding his PVP stats. A good strategy since we cannot pinpoint his strengths and weaknesses. Liz suggested that the team also do the same but I mostly convinced them to keep it as it is since it would be an intimidating factor to show that our team has 2 rankers. It is also a good tactic to show that I had almost zero ranked and team matches in my stats. It will likely throw them out of their assumptions for a better chance to outplay them.

I identified their whole team and it’s the same. The only important information I could glean from it was their name, which is nothing beneficial to us. They really are determined to win this qualifier since they are covering all their bases for potential disadvantages. My respect for them is gradually increasing, except for the trash-talking strategy though. That is clearly not my cup of tea.

Chu arrived. Upon his arrival, I saw looks of discomfort from the other team. This is likely due to the fact that we have 2 rankers in our team, which is pretty rare for a nonprofessional e-sports team. Seems like our strategy paid off. This will be a good blow to their morale. As Tactical always says whenever he gathers information on our enemy, ‘The battle starts even before the fight begins’.

“RuG, it’s another ranker,” I heard one of his teammates whisper.

“There's nothing to be scared of, it's basically 3v4, and we have no chance of losing,” their leader RuG rallied them to keep their morale.

I commend him for his leadership. He is doing his best to keep their team's confidence high. Disparaging the enemy team is one good tactic for keeping their spirits up since having high morale in matches can improve a team’s chances of victory, although it’s not a tactic I would use. He might have plenty of tournament experiences due to his bearing and actions so far or he might just be a proud toxic narcissist. Although I think it’s a combination of both.

I looked at Liz. She on the other hand is uncharacteristically silent. This does not bode well for our morale seeing our ace like this, but I don’t know how to give her assurance since I'm not good at those. I wish Tactical was here, that guy always knows what to say in every situation.

“Now that we are all here, the battle will start momentarily. I will act as a witness to the outcome of this qualifier match. I also have full autonomy to disqualify players as I see fit therefore, I advise you to comply with my suggestions and regulations. I also have the full authority to record the matches as stated in the terms and conditions you all agreed to upon signing into the qualifiers. This match will also be live-streamed on our official site as are all of the matches for the qualifiers. The videos will be used as proof of the match results and the records may be used in the promotion of the game as the CoA Team sees fit,” she stated in a practiced tone.

I already heard most of it last time I entered the AC so this is nothing new to me. However, the promotion made me a little apprehensive about the match as it was not in the rules of the last qualifiers I joined.

“Any questions before we start?” she asked as she looked at each of us.

“Let’s just get this over with already, it's only the first round and we still have plenty of teams to beat,” their leader, RuG, stated confidently.

The GM nodded to both our team leaders before she spoke in a voice that had the most emotion I had heard since the gathering of both teams.

“Then, the first round of the qualifiers, Team Paradigm versus Team Rugged Pirates, officially starts!”