In professional eSports, misfiring skills is a cardinal sin.
Juniper pursed her lips, her gaze drifting over to the Digital Sabers'' side of the stage. The opposing team members were all smiles, their faces radiating a blend of confidence and provocation. They were skilled, no doubt, butpared to the Neverfall Navigators, they were still a step behind.
"Pathetic," she thought. "You think you''re so great? I bet none of your previous wins were clean."
If it were a fair fight, Digital Sabers would never be able to take down a powerhouse like Neverfall Navigators.
"What the hell!" Qadir couldn''t help but curse, his fists clenched tight. "These
bastards from Batonia are ying dirty! Who swaps out a yer in the first round?"
The sudden substitution threw off the rhythm Neverfall Navigators had just established.
"If you''re not happy with it, you''re free to swap yers too," the captain of Digital Sabers taunted with a smirk.
The faces of the Neverfall Navigators'' members darkened. The two yers who had been training with them couldn''t make it to the venue, and the avable substitutes just weren''t on the same level. For them, swapping a yer would be suicide.
Fifty minutester, the first round ended. Digital Sabers took the win.
Juniper stood with her arms crossed, her face a thunderous mask. The pressure around her was suffocating.
Soon after, the second round began. Having figured out the new yer''s strategy, Neverfall Navigators quickly adjusted their pace. Ten minutes in, they seized the initiative, nearly causing the Digital Sabers'' yers to lose theirposure. "That''s the team Demon trained, all right. They''ve won two championships; they''re not going to be thrown off so easily."
"Digital Sabers is just disgusting. The live chat is tearing them apart."
"Don''t get toofortable. Did you see yer 3''s face? Something''s wrong."
"Yeah, he looks terrible! There were rumors his old injury red up and he needed surgery. But he''s pushing through the pain to defend the team''s honor!"
"Ever since Demon left, Neverfall Navigators has been under a lot of scrutiny. If they lose this tournament, the bacsh will be brutal."
"If only Demon could be here," a fanmented. "He only retired from the spotlight,
he never officially left the team, so he''s eligible to y. He''s got the skills, and besides... he''s Demon."
The crowd buzzed with anxious spection, no one daring to guess the final
oue.
Amid the intense discussion, the second round concluded with a victory for Neverfall Navigators.
It was a best-of-five series, and now the score was tied, one to one.
The third round began.
Unsurprisingly, Digital Sabers, still
smarting from theirst defeat, resorted to more dirty tricks. Midway through, they imed an equipment malfunction, demanding a technical pause. When the match resumed, they had changed tactics, relentlessly targeting yer 3. To defend himself, he had no choice but to ignore the pain in his Hand and fight back with everything he'' had. But because his rhythm was off, his team lost by a narrow margin.
Three grueling hours had passed. yer 3''s hand injury had worsened, and his forehead was beaded with sweat from the pain.
Could he even continue?
As worry rippled through the crowd, the fourth round began. It was clear his injury had red up. yer 3''s fingers were so stiff he could barely mariage the keyboard Digital Sabers saw their chance and pressed their advantage, advancing relentlessly. Soon, Neverfall Navigators'' death count began to climb, nearly resulting in a full team wipe.
"This looks bad for Neverfall Navigators!" the spectators murmured, their voices hoarse with tension.
"If they could just swap in someone of equal skill for yer 3, they might have a chance."
"He looks awful. His hands are shaking."
"If he keeps ying like this, he''ll permanently damage his hand."
Just as the chatter reached a fever pitch, Neverfall Navigators called for a timeout. In an instant, everyone''s heart was in their throat, wondering what it meant. Were they forfeiting Or did they have another solution?