The day of the match arrived quickly. I rode with Gilbert and the others to the tournament venue. The moment we stepped inside, a massive werewolf strode toward us. A scar ran an inch across his brow; his face was already intimidating, but paired with the crooked smile, it was downright unsettling. When I saw Gilbert greet him casually, I realized this was our final opponent—Arrowstorm Club’s captain, Brad. Because the match would be streamed live, the venue outside was packed with fans and reporters. Facing the cameras, Brad laughed boldly. “I have absolute faith in our team. Arrowstorm is going to crush Flexora Club today.” Gilbert, unfazed by the jab, leaned toward the mic when it was handed to him and asked, genuinely puzzled, “So, uh, where do we pick up the rewards after the match?” Everyone went silent. Soon, it was time to start. Sitting beside Gilbert and the others, I adjusted my headset and slipped into battle mode. Even in the drafting phase, we hit a major snag, the opposing team banned out all of Radix’s best support champions. Radix instantly panicked. “Looks like they planned this. They studied Radix’s usual picks and went straight for the jugular.” Gilbert frowned, visibly unsettled. I wasn’t worried. “It’s fine. Radix, just pick anyone; stick with me.” Wingstorm chimed in, uneasy. “Raelyn, linking champions makes you an easy target for long-range snipes. Aren’t you worried?” “Not at all; as long as we coordinate, we’ll be fine.” Radix clenched his teeth and locked in a hero. But once the game began, he died early in the first round. The other side immediately recalled to base just to mock him. “Sorry, Raelyn, I—” “It’s fine, relax.”I focused, maneuvering my mage with sharp dodges and rolls, slipping past every skill aimed at me. A well-timed spell combo wiped out one hero, then another—double kill secured. The round ended quickly; we dominated the match. “They seriously had a girl on their team? And all she knows is spamming some trash mage?” “This player is disgusting. Every time I’m about to get the kill, she swoops in and turns it around on me.” Their grumbling made me burst into laughter. Radix scowled. “Raelyn, they’re trash-talking us. Why aren’t you mad?” I arched a brow, unfazed. “They’re actually complimenting you; it means your hero annoyed them enough to matter.” Radix chuckled. “So when they said you’re just leeching with that mage, that’s praise too?” I rolled my eyes. “That just proves they’re idiots. I’m playing a mage; precision casting, long-range attacks. How is that ‘leeching’?” The other team overheard and sprang to their feet. They’d just been dealt a loss; tempers were already frayed. Now, being mocked on top of it only made them bristle more. But the break ended, and they had no choice but to sit back down and start the next round. It was best-of-three; if we won this game, it would all be over. I slipped my headset back on—and froze. Dead silence. Within seconds, everyone realized the same thing, we couldn’t hear each other at all, while the enemy side was chatting away normally. Panic flickered across our faces. But discipline kicked in. We steadied ourselves and pressed on. It was brutal. Without comms, nothing synced up; the enemy advanced fast and soon broke through to our high ground. I was the last one standing. Four of them were hammering away at our Nexus. I forced myself calm. First, I baited out their big mage skill, then sprinted back to base to heal. Seeing my low health, they chased hard. I blinked to the side, cleared a wave of minions, and let our Nexus turrets shred their frontline.Finally, I unleashed a full burst of spells—wiping them out and turning the fight. Victory was mine. Gilbert and the others erupted in cheers. By the time they respawned, they were already charging across the map, storming into the enemy base. Outnumbered, the enemy crumbled. Before their four could revive, our five pushed straight through and demolished their Nexus. Game over. Against all odds, we’d turned the tables.