Zeno walked into their unit with a paper bag slung over one shoulder and a brand-new gaming laptop nestled securely in his other hand. The wind had tousled his hair. He still looked fresh, in contrast with Jace, who had definitely aged while coaching Zeno.
He looked at the laptop down and smirked. He was just going to use it for the tournament.
He had noticed how Eli’s old laptop had lagged so much that it could barely play a YouWatch video without buffering mid-sentence. After the tournament, Zeno planned to give this one to him.
As he stepped through the door, the smell of food greeted him immediately.
“Just in time,” Doha said from the dining table, gesturing at the food they had already laid out. “We waited a bit.”
Zeno scanned the room and frowned. “Where’s Eli?”
“He’s not here. He’s inside his unit, though,” Doha answered with a shrug. “He said he had something to do.”
Zeno’s brows drew together slightly. “Hmm.”
Minji took a seat across the table and poured some tea. “I saw his username on the livestream, though. He was watching with us,” she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Everyone was talking about you.”
Zeno pulled out his chair and sat down. “Really?”
She nodded. “You were trending. All those people online are asking if you’re any good.”
“Nope,” Zeno replied bluntly, reaching for a bowl of rice.
“Oh.” Minji blinked and then chuckled. “But then again, I haven’t seen you game before.”
Zeno reached into his bag and handed over three rectangular slips. “Here,” he said. “Tickets for Saturday. The live tournament. You guys should come.”
Doha took one, eyes widening. “Whoa. We’re definitely going, Zeno-boo!”
They began to eat, and light chatter surrounded them. Dinner ended quickly, and after washing the dishes, he stepped out into the cool night, only to stop in his tracks.
Eli was outside by the stairwell, leaning against the railing, and holding something in his hand.
Zeno narrowed his eyes as the faint scent of artificial mango and chemicals hit him.
“You know those are bad for you,” he said.
Eli flinched at the sound of his office. He had the decency to look a little guilty. “I just tried it. I’m throwing it after,” he said quickly, waving the vape and placing it back inside his pocket. He coughed once and cleared his throat.
Zeno walked over and leaned against the other side of the railing, arms folded.
“Are you stressed?” he asked.
“No. Why would you ask that?” Eli deflected, not meeting his gaze.
Zeno didn’t answer immediately. He stared out into the darkening sky before speaking. “Vices like that are usually self-soothing behaviors. It’s rarely peer pressure when someone tries it alone. So if it’s not for social reasons, then it’s likely psychological.”
Eli was silent.
“You’re trying to distract yourself,” Zeno continued. “That usually means your mind’s somewhere it shouldn’t be.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Eli said. “Studying medicine is hard, you know?” His eyes were on the horizon, but his posture was tense. Zeno was sure this had nothing to do with his studies.
His gaze narrowed. “Whatever it is you’re thinking—it’s probably not right.”
Just then, the door behind them creaked open. Minji’s voice called out, “Zeno, you forgot dessert!”
Zeno turned to her as she appeared, holding a box with a purple ribbon.
“I grabbed some taro cupcakes from the office pantry. I thought you’d like them,” she grinned.
Zeno’s face lit up, a smile tugging at his lips as he walked over. “Thanks.”
Without thinking, Minji reached up and patted his head gently. “You’ve been working hard.”
Zeno ducked slightly, his mind focused on the cupcakes.
Behind them, Eli watched the scene unfold.
He let out a long breath, muttered something under it, and the sudden, sharp slam of the unit’s front door echoed behind them.
***
The day of the Death Match Tournament had arrived.
It was trending across all social platforms before the sun even rose. The livestream lobby was open hours ahead of the actual game, and chat was already unhinged.
– omg it’s today
– I can’t breathe. I need to see if Zeno makes it.
– Pls let Daebak win. Risa is my queen!!
– I hope Zeno loses early so I can actually get tickets. They’re going to be tough to get if he stays.
– Daebak vs Moonrise finale, I’m calling it!
The death match round was only going to be a livestream. Later tonight, the tickets were going to be sold through Daebak’s website, and it was already foreseen to be a blood bath.
There were at least 10 million concurrent viewers online, coming from all around the world.
Backstage, the Daebak team gathered for their match.
“Alright, we’re first,” Phoenix said, adjusting his headset. “It’s going to be a walk in the park.”
The first match began.
Daebak vs Team Quark, a ragtag group of streamers with actual ranked experience.
Daebak was doing much better than the audience had anticipated. As expected, Oska and Phoenix were good. They’ve aired out their experience in the game, and it was true that Phoenix trained in a professional camp just a month ago.
Risa, however, was a good surprise. She was on mid lane, playing a mage, and her combo execution wasn’t bad at all.
“Oh my god, who let her cook?” the commentator exclaimed.
– RISA IS SO GOOD???
– It’s her gamer girl era.
– All of them are pretty good.
– Yeah, Phoenix is as good as Faze. Maybe, even better!
By the time they reached the final skirmish, Daebak had overwhelmed the other team.
Victory.
Next up was Moonrise vs Faze’s team, also known as ‘UnFazed.’
It was an even match at first, but once they all had their items, the UnFazed team wiped the floor with Moonrise.
– Faze is terrifying with the keyboard.
– Ian was good, too! But his teammates were mid.
– Yeah sucks. I really wanted to see them in the finals.
– Ian still looks happy, though. He’s looking at… Zeno?
– I don’t even know what to say.
After that, the two other games were conducted. An idol team from different groups who took pride in their gaming skills won against actors who had the same sentiment.
Along with that, a group of YouWatchers also won against a team of streamers that played a different game.
Now, only one match remained in the first round.
Zeno’s team.
There was some time before they were called to the stage, so Jace took the time to assess his teammates.
“Did you really practice all night?” Jace asked Zeno while they waited to be called.
Zeno nodded. “I did.”
“But you’re still going to carry.”
Jace pursed his lips. “I figured as much. You know, I can’t carry you all the way to the finals, right?”
“Yes,” Zeno responded, still without much of a worry.
Jace was worried, though. He really wanted to win the tournament.
“I wouldn’t need you to carry me in the finals anymore,” Zeno added.
“Huh?”
Zeno didn’t respond and merely opened his system panel.
[Skill Integration: Under Progress]