Chapter 37

-Elizabeth's PoV-

I had always been standoffish. I enjoy it when people watch me play and show off my skills. It is the main reason why I enjoy streaming. Above all though, I want to impress the people watching me.

However, right now, there is no one I want to impress more in the world than the girl watching me from the sidelines. I took a quick glance to see her watching me intently as I easily handled my enemies' attacks. My heart pounded like it was about to burst, my blood flowed like a gushing stream, and my adrenaline surged forth doubling my efforts in the fight.

I love this feeling. The thrill of being watched. The pleasure of showing off, especially to people whom I respect and acknowledge, makes me feel ecstatic.

"You're crazy fighting us alone, you bitch!" the enemy mage support called out.

"That's not something you should ever say to a lady," I replied jovially while dodging a stab aimed at my body by their leader.

I was not always this talkative when fighting, but somehow, I feel liberated. I feel that I can do anything as long as she is there to support me. She even promised that she would somehow handle it if I lost here. I know I can rely on her so I have nothing to worry about. All I have to do from now on is focus on playing the game I love.

I dodged another attack from RuG while countering with my own, landing a critical blow.

"Khh!"

RuG

78%

"That's payback for earlier," I chided.

He angrily stared at me, opting not to say anything.

"Oh, what's the matter, why so silent? Where is your bravado from earlier? Cat got your tongue?" I taunted.

Toxic people like him really confuse me. I can never understand his need to talk smack to us. Does it tickle his ego? Does it make him feel good belittling us? Whatever the case, this is revenge for the earlier humiliation, and with a 1v2, I will return it tenfold. I just hope they don't put my mistakes earlier in the compilation videos for the tournament that the CoA team will be making eventually for the tournament teaser.

"Tsk!"

RuG charged forward to regain momentum, I sidestepped his attack, my footwork precise, exploiting his momentum to redirect the attack. My rapier danced like an extension of my body, aiming for strategic strikes rather than sheer force, seeking openings in the enemy's aggressive onslaught.

As the fight went on, I easily parried and dodged everything RuG threw at me. Meanwhile, the force mage remained at a distance, conjuring orbs of crackling energy. Those type of skill needs a little pre-casting time and are useful for support fire. I do have to admit that they have a good synergy even if they are quite toxic. I had to constantly adapt, my focus split between evading the scimitar's slashing arcs and dodging the unpredictable bursts of magic. The mage's attacks were disorienting, forcing me to rely on reflexes and instincts honed through countless battles. Despite all that, I feel immensely positive, like everything will easily go my way as I move even quicker than ever before.

As the battle raged on, I weaved through RuG's strikes, parrying with the rapier's slender blade, each clash resonating with metallic echoes. Despite his brutal and aggressive attacks, I used my speed and finesse to keep him constantly off balance while constantly hitting him whenever I could. They have no healer so every hit counts.

RuG

51%

"Khh, stay still, you motherfucker!"

"Haha as if! I'm not as stupid as you!"

In the corner of my eyes, I saw the force mage's assaults grow more intense, pre-casting bolts of energy and creating barriers of swirling air. I instinctively adapted by utilizing the environment to my advantage. I used the pillars and debris of the old ruins to block his strikes as they were about to be cast or used my weapon skill to defensively dodge whenever I ran into a pinch.

The fight persisted, my movements free as the wind and my mind relishing the moment, enjoying every second of it.

"Tsk I'll end this farce!" the force mage growled as he attempted to cast a major spell.

Spotting an opening I immediately went for RuG since he no longer has any backup fire. I slipped past his guard which had been constantly dwindling due to our exchange and gave him a quick kick, just enough to throw him off balance. And while the mage's busy trying to cast some grand spell, I seize the opportunity to land a finishing critical blow right in his head with my trusted rapier.

"Shit!" he growled.

RuG

HP: 0%

"Sorry, better luck next qualifiers," I teased as he vanished into blue motes of light.

The force mage, realizing the fight was not in his favor, attempted to cast his final powerful spell. But I was quicker as my weapon skill had just come off cooldown, I swiftly closed the distance with a well-timed blink and delivered a decisive strike, killing the unguarded mage and ending the confrontation.

CroW

HP: 0%

"What a monster," he murmured before disappearing into blue motes of light.

Breathing heavily, I stood amidst the aftermath, relishing my victory as I grinned towards the girl standing on the sidelines watching me give my all.

She smiled back.

Your Team Won!

Congratulations!

Came the system announcement before we were brought back to the modern luxury lobby from earlier.

"The game is over. The winner, Team Paradigm," GM Rudy greeted us with an announcement of her own.

"Yes! We won our first match! Only 6 to go for today! Nice job team!" Clarence celebrated.

"Hmph, as if we even had a slight chance of losing this," Chu chided him.

I was met with the mixed faces of the enemies, all of them must have watched the battle as dead spectators. They were mostly silent and crestfallen, so much so that I felt bad for them. Joining and preparing for the qualifiers must have been hard only for us to eliminate them in their first battle. I loathe to think about what they are going through right now, but that is the spirit of competition, I have to win not only for myself but also for my team, therefore, I cannot show any mercy to my opponents.

A moment of silence later, RuG shouted in a loud voice.

"What are you guys doing!? Quit your crying! Don't be such sore losers!" RuG reprimanded his teammates.

He then went towards our team, shook my teammates' hands one by one and congratulated them; his act caused his teammates to follow suit.

As he stood next to me to shake my hand last, he stared at me with a mixed feeling of regret and awe.

"We lost completely, you're pretty good," he praised as he held out his hand.

That made me pause, and give him a double take. Is this really the same cocky person from before?

"What? We may be trash talkers but it doesn't mean we don't have any semblance of sportsmanship," he grinned.

"I guess you might be redeemable after all," I stated while begrudgingly clutching his hand tightly to give a handshake for sportsmanship's sake.

"Hahaha, don't take it personally, that's just how we play. Listen, I know it's a hard feat, but you guys have to win the tournament so that our loss will not be in vain. I want to brag to my gang that I fought the winner of the U20 tournament as a consolation for this loss so that I could say that we were supposed to be in second place if we did not get matched to you guys!" he jested.

I glanced at Kat; she was busy shaking hands with another member of the enemy team.

I gave RuG a confident smile. "Well, winning this whole tournament might not be impossible after all with teammates as good as mine!"

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

Ariadne's PoV

I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw in the match results from my phone that Yuusha, or Novo now, had won all their matches on the first day of the qualifiers.

That's good. Although it's not that much of a surprise. As long as she is on their team, they are almost impossible to beat by just any team they come across.

"Whatcha looking at, Aria'?" came a curious voice.

My longtime friend and teammate Lucielle pulled me out of my musings as I surveyed my surroundings again.

I was inside a café my best friend and I often visit. The warm and nostalgic aroma of freshly brewed coffee tickles my sense of smell. The air is alive with the murmur of conversations, the soft clinking of cups, and the occasional hiss of the espresso machine. The cozy ambiance wraps around me like a familiar embrace, instantly putting me at ease.

The walls are adorned with an eclectic mix of artwork, each piece adding its own flair to the space. Soft, ambient music drifts through the room, creating a soothing backdrop to the symphony of voices. The lighting is gentle, casting a golden hue that dances across the wooden tables and plush, overstuffed chairs.

Behind the counter, baristas clad in aprons diligently craft intricate designs atop lattes, their movements a graceful ballet of steaming milk and rich espresso. The aroma of freshly ground beans mingles with the sweet scent of pastries displayed enticingly in the glass case. This is one of our favorite spots we frequent when we want to hang out or celebrate little things.

"Nothing to be concerned about," I replied nonchalantly.

"Aw c'mon' just tell me, I didn't invite you here to the cafe to celebrate our flawless first-day quals victory just for you to ignore me," she pouted.

"Nope, not gonna tell. Why do you even want to know?"

"Jeez, I'm just concerned about our team captain you know! You seem distracted a lot lately!"

Distracted huh? I guess I have been ever since I found out that she had returned.

"I'm still giving my all at our matches, right?"

"Who knows! All of the enemies we faced so far have been so weak it was so boring! All I had to do was cast haste buff on you then you obliterate them easily! I wish we could fight someone stronger!" she whined.

"Be careful what you wish for. There might just be players beyond our current strength playing in the qualifier that we would be too hard-pressed to beat."

"You mean the rumored leader of the Round Table Guild that joined qualifier?"

"No, we won't lose to a one-man team like that easily," I declared confidently.

Well, we might lose to a different one, but thankfully, Yuusha and my team are in different brackets for the qualifier. A lucky twist of fate indeed.

Although luck might not be entirely true since the bracket is clearly biased towards high-profile players. Each participating team that the CoA higher-ups assume to be a top team gets its own bracket. A good example of it is our own. Our bracket has no notable team except for ours, Team Paragons, as we are considered to be one of the top teams joining the tournament.

I get that they want the popular and high-profile teams to duke it out in the main event instead of just the qualifier but it still rubs me the wrong way to have a preferential treatment. The only silver lining I guess is that I won't be facing her till the main event. That would be good, I want to show her how strong I've become with my teammates on a better stage than just a random qualifier match.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?"

"You were smiling earlier. Who are you thinking of?" she inquired.

"W-what are you implying! It's not like I'm thinking of anyone or anything!"

"Hmm... suspicious..." she frowned.

She contemplated for a little while before gasping loudly. "Don't tell me you finally got yourself a boyfriend?! As your partner in CoA and longtime childhood friend, I won't allow it if he doesn't pass my standards! At least let me gauge if the guy is worthy of you!" she complained.

I sighed. Although she is a reliable and strong teammate, she is sometimes a bit overbearing.