Elizabeth's PoV
As we both agreed upon, June paid for our ti at the VR cafe. He even wanted to recruit Katherine for their team, but I firmly declined on her behalf. I harbored concerns about the potential negative influence of joining a team involved in betting matches at various VR cafes like June's. I want to protect Katherine from being lured into a cycle of gambling addiction.
At present, we find ourselves gathered for an after-party celebration to revel in our hard-earned victory. The atmosphere is filled with joy and camaraderie as we commorate our success together.
"Cheers!"
"Yeah!"
"Woohoo!"
"Great job guys!"
We are seated around a moderately large square table nestled in a cozy cafe/bar area within the confines of the VR cafe building. This section serves as a communal hub for players looking to unwind and take a break from intense gaming sessions. A prominent feature in the space is a sizable television screen positioned at the center, streaming various gas for entertainnt. The television is seamlessly integrated with the adjacent bar area, creating a vibrant and dynamic ambiance for patrons to enjoy while socializing and unwinding after playing VR gas.
I found myself positioned in the center of the table, with Katherine seated to my left, occupying the seat by the window corner. My best friend, Lenna, was on my right side. Across from , at the other side of the rectangular table, was Rol seated in the center, Benny situated by the window, and Raynold positioned directly in front of Lenna. Each of us had ordered a selection of pastries or food, except for Katherine, who ordered a coffee.
"Didn’t expect there to be a literal cafe here inside this VR cafe building." Katherine mused
"This area is mainly for custors of the VR cafe to relax, eat so good food, or take a break from VR gaming." I supplied.
Katherine is relaxed, taking a sip of her coffee while the others are talking about our recent ga, with Ronel mostly bragging loudly.
"Are you sure you don’t want to order any sweets?" I asked.
I said it was my treat at the cafe since I had invited her in the first place, but she insisted on paying for herself.
"Yes, I’m sure; I’m not too fond of sweets," she replied coolly.
So mature. She really gives this air of a dependable and cool adult. Very humble, too. She is probably as good as or even better, but she still doesn’t brag about her CoA skills. Not like soone I know.
"I almost killed him solo without any help! And because of , he is severely weakened, so my teammates could finish him off!" Rol bragged.
"If you had to choose an MVP in that match, that would surely be !" he added.
"We didn’t do much, though......" Beny shyly butted in.
"It is only you who didn’t do anything. I almost killed their ace. If my single slash had just connected back then, he would’ve died instantly. He has the advantage in gears, but I’m more skilled than him!" Rol exclaid.
"Hmph! We both watched the whole match and you two didn’t do anything, right Ray?" Lenna argued.
"They didn’t seem to do much, but every small contribution matters in a match," Raynold comnted in a neutral tone.
"You guys just cannot comprehend the complexity of the plays I’ve done!" Rol exclaid.
"Please don’t mind him, Katherine. He has a dical condition that makes all of the words that co right out of his mouth seem obnoxious," I sighed.
"I don’t mind, he actually seems kind of fun to be around," Katherine replied
Are we even talking about the sa person? While I was pondering, I took a bite out of my strawberry cake. On the edge of my sight, I notice Katherine looking intently at the strawberry cake.
Does she want a bite or two? Probably not. She said she doesn’t like sweets.
"By the way, Miss Katherine, where did you learn to play like that? Your movents are so good that I thought I was watching an amateur pro player.” Raynold addressed the elephant in the room.
All eyes fell on Katherine, likely eager to know the reason for her aberrance. At least control your curiosity, guys! Look at her. You guys are making her flustered.
“Oh, I... I just played a lot of VR single-player gas, so I had a lot of training,” she answered slowly.
I doubt that, though, since I heard no single-player gas had as complex skills required for gaplay as CoA does. Map awareness, stamina managent, dodging, parrying, and aerial combos are just a few examples of its complexity that no other gas have integrated into their gas. However, I might be wrong since there may have been new VR ga releases I’m not privy to, so I didn’t push the subject.
All of the others were convinced by her reasoning except Raynold, who probably reached the sa conclusion as I did.
Just as Raynold was about to ask another question, there was a sudden commotion among the other custors inside the cafe. I tried to find the cause and saw they were all looking at the cafe's TV screen. After watching it for a few seconds, I instantly knew what the commotion was about.
"Look at the screen. The Razor Gaming team is having a press conference."
"Ohh, they're interviewing Zetta? He’s your idol, right?"
"That’s Zetta 'the Duelist'?"
"Many players claim that he is unbeatable in 1v1!"
"Shhh, I can’t hear what they’re saying."
"It’s just a replay, though. I watched it live."
"My dream is to beat him in a 1v1 match soday."
The die-hard fans of the pro gaming scene, seated at the tables surrounding us, filled the air with excitent and enthusiasm. Engaged in lively conversations, they animatedly discussed their favorite players.
It was a replay of the post-ga press conference of team Razor Gaming for their win yesterday. The captain and ace of team RG (Razor Gaming), Sebastian Guillau (aka Zetta), is shown on screen.
The commotion died down a bit when the press started asking their questions.
"Mr. Sebastian, what is your take about your team's coback from a 1-player deficit with a spectacular 2v3 in ga 3 of your match against team Eclipse?" A reporter said.
"The other team put all their resources into eliminating our two supports, so Flamboyant and I capitalized on their lack of MP and HP to play aggressively and not let them recover," Zetta answered confidently.
I glanced at Katherine and noticed that she seed to be deep in thought. I've already watched it, but Katherine seed entirely focused on the screen, making wonder if it was the first ti she had watched a press conference of a CoA pro league.
"Mr. Guillau, many people are asking, who do you think in the current pro league can give you the hardest challenge in a 1v1 match?" another reporter said.
"Right now, I think team Royals's ace Rance and probably team Shaolin's ace Yang can give a good fight."
"Do you think that you will be the first ever player in the history of CoA to have 2 Andartha Cup belts under your na?" A reporter asked
In the past three years since the first Andartha Cup, no one has ever achieved the feat of being the champion for the second ti, so fans of the ga would kill to see one in hopes of putting them on a pedestal and worshiping that player like a god. Fans are weird like that, I suppose, but I’m no different. I also want Zetta or one of the forr team Paragon mbers to have a repeat win since I’m a big fan of them.
The closest currently was Zetta, who won with team Paragon on the first Andartha Cup, or AC for short. His new team got only 5th place in the second AC due to the sudden disbandnt of the team Paragon due to their ace player 'Yuusha,' who had been my inspiration in playing the ga, suddenly quitting CoA. His third chance at the AC cup was the closest to anyone ever having a repeat champion, with him joining Razor Gaming(a well-known e-sports organization with many different teams in different gas) and placing 2nd, just almost winning the whole tournant. That is why all eyes are on him to win the 4th Andartha Cup that will be held this November.
"We can never know what the future holds. All I know is that my team and I team are going to do everything we can to bring ho the crown for our fans and supporters!" Zetta passionately said.
Even though I heard it already yesterday, that statent really does give the 'chills.' It makes want to support him more.
"Speaking of team, your forr teammate Tactical from team Nexus Gaming might be relegated to division 2 if they lose their match next week. What are your thoughts on that?"
Tactical is the forr captain of team 'Paragons' who is currently playing for team NG and is also Zetta's forr teammate. It breaks my heart to see all the backlash that they receive from the player base just because they keep losing their gas this season.
"As Tactical's forr teammate, I hope they get out of the slump their team is currently experiencing right now. But as a fellow player in the pro scene, I will not show any rcy if we face each other in CoA," Zetta said with determination.
"Tactical is getting relegated?" Katherine suddenly asked.
Her sudden interest surprised . Is she a fan of Tactical, by any chance? If she were, she would know their concurrent sub-par performance this pro league season.
"Sadly, yes, they haven’t been playing well since the start of the season."
"When is his team playing next? I want to see it," she inquired.
"I think their match against team Atelier is on this weekend. Oh! wanna watch it together?" I subconsciously blurted.
"S-sorry, I’m not being a bother, right? People keep telling I get overly friendly sotis." I added.
I can’t help it. I get overly enthusiastic from ti to ti, and things just co right out of my mouth unfiltered. Especially if it is CoA-related, she might think I’m too overbearing.
"…Sure, let's watch it together."
"Really! It’s a promise, right? No backing out in the last mont?" I smiled.
"Hoo? What is this? I’m hearing you two are going out on a date or sothing." Lenna playfully teased.
"Ohh, Lenna, we're just going to watch Team Nexus vs Team Atelier's match this weekend," I inford her.
"Oh, I want to join; let's watch it at Katherine's ho. I want to see where you live! And maybe we could have a sleepover?" Lenna asked, a bit hopeful.
After hesitating for a bit, Katherine replied. "I’m only renting an apartnt, so there is nothing much to see. I’m also fine with just watching the match, but no sleepovers."
"Tsk! You’re no fun," Lenna pouted.
"Can we join in too, Miss Katherine?" Raynold butted in.
"Sorry, boys, it’s a girls-only bonding session." Lenna mischievously said.
"I agree, two is too much already. My apartnt is not that big to accommodate more people," Katherine added.
"Humph, we don’t need you girls! We will have our own boys-only session." Rol added.
The conversation continued like that for a while. Then we eventually went ho.
________________________________________
Haahh, I’m tired. Socializing is tiring. We did win the match, though, so it was a bit fun and rewarding. I thought to myself as I approached the apartnt complex in which I was currently residing. As I entered, the ever-so-kind-looking middle-aged guard greeted again with the typical pleasantries. I bobbed my head in acknowledgnt, too tired to make small talk but not enough to forgo all of my manners. I entered the elevator along with three tenants who probably just got out of work and pushed the 8th-floor button.
I imdiately got out of the elevator after it stopped on the floor of my apartnt. I pulled out my phone from my bag and positioned it beside the lock. The lock opened after a second, signifying that I was indeed a tenant of this exact room. The key could be a card or, if you're an old antique lover, a physical key, but I chose the phone-type key since it is with all the ti.
When I opened the door, I was greeted by the lights turning on, the AC activating, and vibrant, soothing music playing as I entered. I went to the kitchen as soon as I could, ready to prepare so food. I didn't have quite the appetite earlier, so I didn't order any food. Besides, only ordering coffee would make look mature and cool. I could only hope that it had achieved its intended effect or all of that posturing was for nothing.
Spotting the familiar sight of bacon and eggs in the freezer, I instantly decided to prepare that for my al. Cooking more intricate dishes wasn't exactly in my skill set, which was a sowhat disheartening realization.
Once I finished eating, I left my kitchen utensils and plate in the sink. It dawned on that I had yet to wash the dishes and utensils from my earlier morning al, adding to the growing pile that needed attention.
"Well, I better get started; the dishes won't clean themselves," I sighed.
After completing my chores, I headed to the bathroom to indulge in a refreshing shower, allowing my mind to wander freely.
Post-shower, I ticulously dried my body, taking the extra ti to blow-dry my hair to perfection.
Thinking back to today's events, I see that I miss playing CoA. I guess you can never part with sothing you really love that easily. I have to thank Elizabeth for giving the slight push I need.
"Perhaps I can..."
Filled with a newfound sense of purpose, I retreated to my room, changing into comfortable nightwear. Nestled in the corner of the spacious room stood my trusty VR pod, a gateway to imrsive single-player VR adventures. Though slightly outdated compared to the setups at VR cafes, it remained reliable and efficient.
Donning the gear, I launched Champions of Andartha, greeted by a significant update, as I hadn't played in a while. Thanks to the swift and stable Fiber-Optic Internet connection, the massive update was downloaded in re seconds. After the update, I logged into my... no, that's not right... our account.
IGN: Yuusha
My sister's legacy. I saw her face, an exact 3D replica of her features right in front of , staring back emotionlessly. She never took my advice not to use the facial scan when creating her character.
*Warning: ntal and emotional state fluctuating. The player is advised to take a break.
A wave of intense sadness engulfed , sending my heart plumting. Despite my attempts to push the emotions aside, mories cascaded through my mind like a torrent, overwhelming completely. These mories were of soone irreplaceable: my sister, my closest confidante, and the person dearest to . The undeniable reality crashed over like a relentless wave - she was no longer a part of this world, and the realization that I would never again see or converse with her pierced my soul. The weight of this loss gnawed at from within, leaving shattered and consud by imnse grief.
*Warning: emotional state: Red
ntal state: Red
Initiating forced log out.*
I disconnected from the virtual world and returned to reality.
"Haaah, Haah, Haah!" I heaved.
Gasping for air like a fish out of the ocean, I breathed heavily, attempting to regain my composure. Suddenly, tears stread down my face, and I found myself dry-heaving uncontrollably. Removing the nerve gear, I realized my clothes were soaked from the cascade of tears that I couldn't contain. Despite my efforts to wipe them away, the tears kept flowing relentlessly.
Overco by nausea, I hurriedly left the VR pod and raced to the bathroom, where I emptied the contents of my stomach in a bout of vomiting. Seeking solace, I reached for my dication in the hope that it would alleviate even a fraction of the tornt I was experiencing.
The weight of my emotions bore down on , and the need for rest beca apparent. With a heavy heart, I settled into bed, yearning for a respite from the anguish that gripped . Hoping for a swift escape into the realm of dreams, where my troubles would vanish like a fleeting nightmare, but solace did not arrive promptly. I cried myself to sleep that night.
Reviews
All reviews (0)