"Okay,” Juniper nodded. "You can go back to your duties. I''ll find my way back on my own."


    "Of course." The manager handed Juniper a staff pass with both hands. “This will make it easier for you to get around. And here''s my business card. Feel free to call anytime."


    "Got it." After the manager left, Juniper slipped the card into her pocket, put on the staff pass, and instead of heading to the restroom, she walked deeper backstage.


    Security backstage was tight, but with the pass, she moved around without any issues. After a short walk, she found herself standing in front of the lounge for the Oceania team, Shadow Titans.


    You had to hand it to the Schwartz Group; they really spared no expense. To ensure this tournament outshone those in other host countries and brought prestige to Orient Country, the facilities were top-notch. The lounge was massive and fully equipped with high-end gaming setups for thepetitors to practice on before their matches.


    "Their number two yer likes to approach from the left side of the brush. You intercept him there, catch him off guard."


    Hearing the conversation, Juniper paused and peered inside.


    Although she couldn''t see their screens, she could tell from their hand movements and coordination that they were a formidable opponent. No wonder the online consensus was that Neverfall Navigators would lose this year. Shadow Titans was strong, but their rhythm felt chaotic.


    She didn''t linger, continuing down the hall until she stopped outside the Neverfall Navigators'' lounge. Their team was also practicing. Two years had passed, but this was the first time she''d seen them in person since.


    Yep, they were still as scruffy as ever.


    "You need to coordinate with me!” the marksman, yer 1, yelled into his headset, his fingers ttering loudly on the keyboard. "Left side, left side!"


    "I know," the mage replied, his brow furrowed. His hand movements were a beat too slow. They were trying to coordinate, but their synergy was off.


    Juniper pressed her lips together, her eyes scanning the other yers'' techniques. After watching for a few minutes, she couldn''t help but speak up. "You''re too impulsive."


    At the sound of her voice, all five yers turned in unison to see a young woman in


    a hat and mask staring intently at them from the doorway.


    "What did you say?" their captain, code-named MystiCat, asked, looking confused.


    "I said you''re too impulsive. It leaves


    you open to attack," Juniper said,


    taking a step forward into the


    doorway. Her gaze swept over them. you tried swapping the


    " f?r yers o


    positions two, and


    five?"


    yers one, two, and five? The team members exchanged nces, looking at their formation and then back at Juniper. Swapping them around... actually seemed like it would work better.


    "Also," Juniper continued, "everyone


    knows yer Three has a hand


    injury. By putting him in the back during team fights, you''re basically painting a target on him, telling the enemy he''s your weakest linband an easy kill."


    ?


    "So what''s the alternative? Put him on the front line to get ughtered?" Mysticat retorted with a smirk. Art least this girl knew something about the game, which was the only reason they were humoring her. But clearly, she didn''t know much.


    Cóntent


    "Exactly,” Juniper shot back without hesitation. "You should push yer Three forward precisely because the enemy expects you to protect him. It''ll throw off their strategy and bait them into your attack range."


    The five yers fell silent. Wait a minute. What this girl was saying... was actually starting to make a lot of sense.


    "Who are you?" MystiCat asked, sizing her up. He was sure he''d never seen her before.