Gaming Cafe

"Welcome to Peak Gaming Café," greeted a humanoid android as we stepped into the building.

Matt swiftly reached for the tablet at the counter, adeptly registering our gaming spots.

"How many hours shall we play?" I inquired.

"We'll start with two hours and add more later if we want to," Matt responded.

"Sure thing, yeah," I nodded in agreement.

Matt paid for our seats, and I went with the flow. I still had some cash on me, so I decided to treat us to some snacks. After all, at this retro gaming café, snacking while playing games was the cherry on top.

Once our registration was complete, Matt received the login codes on his EyePhone. We could easily fill them in when we were ready to start gaming.

As we strolled further into the café, we passed rows of gaming capsules, where avid gamers were immersed in the latest VR games.

Surprisingly, even the retro gaming section was bustling with activity as we heard voices coming from the retro gaming room.

"Wow, there are a lot of people here today," Matt remarked, equally taken aback by the bustling crowd. "Most of the front seats are already taken."

Amidst the cacophony of gamers yelling, arguing, and indulging in drinks, Matt's expression soured as he recognized someone, but he chose to ignore them.

We Inconspicuously made our way to the back of the café, in search of a quieter and more comfortable spot away from the commotion.

"I think this spot will do. Seems like we picked a busy day to play," Matt commented, apprehensive about being recognized by the person he saw earlier.

"Why's that?" I inquired.

"N-nothing, they won't bother coming all the way back here," Matt replied hesitantly. "Let's sit down and get started."

Matt pulled me to a seat, wary of drawing attention by standing around.

"What game shall we play?" I asked eagerly.

"Hmm, how about a MOBA or FPS?" Matt suggested.

"Let's try a MOBA first. What options do we have?" I queried, I always wanted to play MOBA games but wasn't allowed to.

"We've got POTA 4 and PC Legends 2," Matt replied.

"Which one is easier?" I inquired further.

"I heard PC Legends is more beginner-friendly. Let's give it a shot," Matt recommended with a grin.

We logged into the game, excited to try something new. Our first match was a blast, much more enjoyable than VR games. We even indulged in some snacks and drinks to elevate the experience to heavenly heights.

"Ah, my bad, I should've CCed him earlier," Matt apologized with a sheepish grin.

"GG," I replied, acknowledging his apology.

"Yep, GG," Matt chimed in, accepting my response.

After an hour of playing PC Legends 2, we decided to explore other games. Matt wanted to try FALOBRAND 2 so I accompanied him, but before we could start, Matt's worst fear materialized as someone called out his name just as we were about to launch the game.

"Matt! I didn't know you were here!" The person Matt had seen earlier approached him with a bright smile.

Matt's expression shifted from shock to a forced smile as he patted my thigh, signaling for me to wait as he went to greet the guy.

"Hello, Brother Ian. I didn't know you were here either," Matt greeted politely.

Ian glanced at me and asked, "Is this your friend?"

"Yes, he's my friend. He's new to retro games, it's his first time here," Matt explained.

"What game are you guys playing?" Ian inquired with curiosity.

"We just about to play FALOBRAND 2," Matt replied.

"Great! I have some friends over there, and we're planning a 5 vs 5 match. We need two more players. Why don't you two join us? What do you think?" Ian proposed with a friendly smile.

Matt hesitated, considering he knew what Ian is planning to do, but Ian reassured him, "It's fine. We accept newbies. We have two spots reserved just for you guys."

Matt finally nodded, signaling for me to follow him. Reluctantly, we joined Ian and his friends, greeted by a mix of cheers and uncomfortable glances from the other players. It was evident that they, too, were victims like us.

"Now we can have a fair 5 vs 5 match. You guys sit here, and we'll head to the other side, okay? Take this time to get to know each other," Ian instructed, leading the uncomfortable guys to our side.

"Oh also, if you guys win, we'll give you $30,000. But if you lose, you'll have to cough up the same amount. Sound fair?" Ian proposed with a mischievous grin.

"Fair!!" All of his friends screamed.

"Right, let's create the lobby and start the game," Ian quickly ask everyone to launch the game.

Matt noticed my concern about the money, and he quickly reassured me, knowing that I might be worried like the other players. "It's okay, just have fun. I'll pay for you if we lose," he said, trying to ease my anxieties.

On the other hand, Augustus seemed unfazed by the monetary stakes.

"The infamous Ian Chen, a young master from the Chen Family, was known for his extravagant spending and violent behavior. My father had warned me to stay away from him to avoid trouble.'

"Okay, but we can still try to win though," Augustus said nonchalantly, displaying his confidence.

One of the players whispered to me in-game, urging me to keep my voice down to avoid drawing attention. "There's no way we can win. They have insurance with them. Miki, one of their team members, is a former Top FALOBRAND 2 player."

The other players in the party-chat chimed in with their worries and fears. Some regretted coming to play games that day, while others pleaded for help to escape the dire situation.

"I heard that one of you guys is his old friend. Can you help us get out of here? We don't have that huge amount of money to gamble for a game," One of our teammates chatted in-game, pleadingly.

One of the girls even tried to flirt with Matt, hoping to persuade him to pay for her as well. "Big brother, please save me too. I'll do anything you ask if you help me."

"Please, If you don't, they'll surely kill me," she pleaded, her desperation palpable.

Matt hesitated, torn between sympathy and practicality. But he eventually typed in, "I wish I could help, but I can't."

The girl's hope instantly turned into despair, and I felt a pang of sadness for her. Trying to lift their spirits, I said, "We can still win, and we'll get a huge amount of money."

"Brother, why are you so confident? Are you a former pro player or something?" one of the players asked, curious about my self-assuredness.

"I'm not a pro player, but I've played this game before," Augustus replied with a sense of assurance.

Matt, who saw the chat, was puzzled, knowing that Augustus had never played FALOBRAND 2 before.

Unbeknownst to him, Augustus was confident because he had played the game in his previous life during his time in the army.

With his superior and friends in the army, all of whom were avid fans of FALOBRAND 2, Augustus found himself reluctantly drawn into the game. However, to his surprise, he quickly got into the groove..

'It's been a while since I played this game; I should warm up for a bit,'

Augustus chatted in the lobby, exuding confidence. "Let me try the game out in the firing range," he said, pretending to be new to the game.

The others nodded in agreement, "Good idea, everyone should go warm up so there's no excuse when you lose." As they headed to the firing range to warm up, Augustus focused on getting his controls and mouse sensitivity just right.

"I've always had a knack for this," Augustus thought to himself as he quickly got into the rhythm. "Oh, this character hasn't been nerfed yet. I should definitely use this agent later."

With his warm-up complete, Augustus was ready for the game to begin. "I should let them win a few rounds before I show my true skills," he strategized, his eyes gleaming with determination.

As soon as everyone was done warming up, the game started.

From Agent selection, you can see that everyone here is not newbies in FALOBRAND 2, the only newbie here is Matt, who's clearly new to FPS and the abilities of the agents,' Augustus observed, sizing up the competition.

"The Vault map, huh? Perfect for Nyx to lurk and slay enemies," Augustus mused, mentally plotting his moves.

"Matt choose Nova, she's a newbie-friendly agent and quite useful on this map,"

"Okay I'll do my best," Matt responded confidently, oozing with self-assurance.

The others seemed less confident, with no one opting for the Combatant role. Instead, they ended up with two Guardians, one Initiator, a Smoker with me as Nyx the only Combatant on the team.

"Not a bad lineup, as they can play safe and prevent the opponents from breaching," Augustus thought to himself, unfazed by the lack of confidence in his teammates. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'll take care of them myself."

Little did they know, Augustus had a secret up his sleeve, a cheat he hadn't revealed yet. As the round started and they took on the role of defenders, the opponents rushed in blindly to a site, checking corners or waiting for their smoker to smoke the site.

Despite their hasty rush, our defenders fell one by one, unable to secure a single kill. The second round played out similarly, as did the third.

"Save this round. Everyone grab shotguns and camp in the corner. Just one kill is enough," Augustus advised, his confidence unwavering.

Following Augustus' lead, the team hunkered down in the corner, shotguns ready. As the opponents charged in once again, this time two of them fell to a single shotgun blast. Granted, two of our defenders also lost their lives in the process.

"Three versus three now. I'll wait for them to enter. If they get one, I'll seal the deal," Augustus thought, his eyes blazing with determination as he prepared to make his move.

Augustus patiently waited for his teammates to make their move, holding back his own firepower as he watched them struggle with shotguns against the enemy's long-range attacks.

'Yep, I'll purposely die then.'

As next round starts, I'll start to go serious now.

"Okay, those of you confident in your aim, go for the normal guns. Matt, if you're not feeling so sure, go ahead and grab shotgun, get the expensive one this time. Maybe you'll get lucky this time," Augustus advised, his eyes gleaming with determination.

Now, while others are not noticing, Augustus envelops his mind and eyes with Qi, heightening his senses and reflexes.

In the army, this is the training I do with my superior to train my reflexes to lightning speed, to the point where this game cannot be used as training anymore.

It's indeed a huge shame, as this game is fun and it's the only excuse we have to play games during training.

I should be able to replicate a 10 milliseconds reaction time if I try to focus.

[You have learned 'Qi Senses']

[1000 Points Earned]

This is considered a skill?

Now everything is extremely slow in my eyes, but so is my own movement. I need to minimize my movements and have perfect crosshair placement, so I can just tap whenever the enemy's head enters my crosshair.

"First kill."

"Second kill."

"Third kill."

Augustus pushed forward, catching the enemies off guard with their knives out. With the help of his Qi-enhanced senses, he swiftly dispatched them, leaving only two opponents on the other side. They tried to shoot through the walls, but Augustus easily evaded their attacks, taking advantage of his teammates' push.

"Fourth kill."

"Fifth kill."

"Woah, August, I didn't know you were this good. Have you played this game before? When and where? No wonder you wanted to play retro games with me, just to show off," Matt chuckled, impressed by Augustus' skill and enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the game, one of the opponents couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"That guy's good, what the hell?" Miki exclaimed in awe.

"Miki, what do you think of him? Can you defeat him?" Ian asked, his curiosity piqued by Augustus' extraordinary performance.

"He probably just got lucky. I'll try get him next time," Miki responded confidently, not willing to admit defeat.

"Alright, we'll enter for you, and you trade us," Ian said, strategizing with his team.

"Got it," Miki replied, preparing for the next round.

As Ian's group regrouped and played more strategically, using their skills such as blinds and drones, Augustus remained unfazed. His quick reaction time allowed him to easily avoid the blinds, and the opponents could only gather information on his whereabouts.

Even with all their efforts, Augustus continued to dominate, easily taking down their team without mercy. He couldn't help but smile cheekily, imagining the money he would win from this bet. Thirty thousand dollars would go a long way in buying the things he needed.

As multiple rounds passed, and Augustus continued to outperform his opponents, Ian's team grew suspicious and accused him of cheating.

"He's pre-firing us the moment we come into view. He must be cheating. Someone go and check him out," Ian ordered, frustrated by Augustus' seemingly inhuman reflexes.

Five of them spectated Augustus, but found no evidence of cheating. They couldn't detect any devices or hidden tricks.

"We can't find anything. He's not cheating, Ian," one of them reported back with disappointment.

"What? How is he not cheating? It's clear that he's cheating. Unless he's a martial artist, there's no way he could react this fast," Ian exclaimed in disbelief.

"Wait... There's no way a kid as young as him is a martial artist, is there?" Ian wondered, using his cultivated Qi to sense Augustus' energy levels. To his surprise, he detected that Augustus was indeed a martial artist, and at a much higher level than himself.

"Who did Matt befriend? Is he some young master that I don't know of?" Ian mused, impressed by Augustus' skills.

"Qi Refinement at such a young age. He's not at even at early Qi Refinement Realm, judging by how dense his Qi is, he's at least level 5 or above."

"On top of that, his control is even better than my big sister. How did Matt befriend someone like him?" Ian was speechless at what he's seeing.

Realizing that there was no point in continuing the game, Ian instructed Miki to give up and let Augustus' team win. The game ended with a lopsided score of 2-13 in Augustus' favor.

"Matt, can you introduce me to your brother?" Ian asked, eager to learn more about Augustus.