1 -Emily?-

*Keyboard Clicking*

"We need to push mid-lane now!"

"Go, Go, GO!"

"Ignore the tank. Only the AD Carry will be up in seven seconds. We need to hurry up!"

"Tower lock!"

*Victory!*

"YES! Jc, you did it again, another MVP, hahaha."

"Yeah, if you hadn't ambushed that enemy's AD Carry, I bet we would all be crying now."

"Here Jc, thanks for carrying us again." He handed 300 Pesos (or 6 USD) to Jc. It was a significant amount of money for Jc.

Jc - "Thank you," stuffing it into his bag as he prepared to leave the internet cafe.

Pat - "You've earned it. Care to join us to eat? There's a porridge shop nearby."

Jc - "I'm good. I need to go home now, maybe next time." As he was going to the counter to pay, he heard Pat shouting that they had already paid for him.

Jc nodded at them as thanks and left the cafe.

Pat - "It's been weeks now since I saw him here playing. I still can't forget that day I saw a lifeless handsome person sitting on a gaming chair, destroying every enemy he faced in a solo queue."

"Yeah, and the next day, you told all of us to wait for him here, but he never showed up! You idiot!"

Pat - "Hahaha, how was I supposed to know? Let's go, or we might not make it if we're too late to order."

*Checking the time on his phone*

Jc - "6:21, huh. He should be home by now." Standing at the bus stop, looking at every car that passed by, lost in thought.

Bus Driver - "Kid, you're not getting in?"

Jc - "A-ah no, sir."

As the bus drove off, he still stood there for about an hour, repeatedly checking his phone, and not long after, he decided to walk home.

After a long walk, Jc stopped at a small gate to a two-story house in a squatters' area.

Getting the keys from his bag, he unlocked the gate. While locking the gate, he heard the door of their house opening, and there, his mother was looking at him with her arms crossed.

Mother - "Where have you been? It's already 10 pm. Your father was looking for you."

Jc ignored his mother, walked straight to the door up to his room without looking at her.

He immediately lay down on the bed, covering his eyes with his right arm while enduring his hunger.

*You have a text message*

He looked at his phone and saw the message.

"I will go to sleep now. There's food in the fridge. If you ever feel hungry, your father is sleeping soundly. You don't have to worry."

Looking at it for a long time, he turned off the phone and forced himself to sleep.

*Phone alarm rings*

Jc wakes up, going to the bathroom to shower, still in his uniform. After changing into a new one, he went downstairs and saw that the lights were still off. Jc was expecting it because he would always wake up at 5 am to avoid his family.

Heading straight outside, Jc planned on going to the bakery first, then the bus stop, or else he would pass out on who knows where.

*You have a call!*

After he bought a piece of bread and was eating along the way, a call came.

Jc - "Yes?"

Pat - "You free?"

Jc - "On my way."

Pat - "Don't you have class today?"

Jc - "Yes."

Pat - "... Then why did you agree?"

Jc - "Skipping class."

Pat - "...."

Jc - "Be there in 20 minutes," he hung up.

Waiting for the bus to arrive, he plugged in his earphones as he listened to the news of e-sports.

"We are sorry to announce that the legend of the e-sports world, Shaker of the XK Gaming, has retired after losing to their old rival, GoD HanD, last year in the semi-finals."

"Shaker? First time hearing it since I played a year now. Maybe that's why I only know their rival team, GoD HanD. I saw their plays many times. They really lived up to their club's name," he said to himself.

Bus Driver - "Kid, you're not getting in?"

Jc snapped out of his thoughts, realizing that the bus was already in front of him and feeling Déjà vu as he got on.

*Bell rings!*

Soon as he opens the door, he got dragged towards one of the vacant seats.

Jc - "What is it now?"

Pat - "No questions, just play. It's 1v1 this time. You will play four games with four different players this time."

Jc didn't care, logging into his account on the most popular game until now, a team-based strategy game where two teams of five powerful champions face off to destroy the other's base. This game is 'Glory Legends.'

"Welcome back, Grandpa07!"

Pat - "Pffft! Hahaha." Seeing Jc's nickname again, he couldn't contain his laughter anymore.

Jc - "Okay, you triggered me now. A thousand for every win, or else I'll just go now."

Pat - "Hahaha, okay, okay, brother is sorry."

Jc - "Tch! So whose- " Putting his headset on and was about to ask who will be his duel when an ID popped up on his screen inviting him.

Pat - "Yup, that's your first match." Pat was standing at the back of Jc, so of course, he could see what was going on the screen.

Jc - "XK Ashe? Who is that? XK Gaming?" He remembers the name from the news earlier, but hearing no reply from Pat, he just took it as some hardcore fan of the club or the real deal. But Jc didn't think much of it.

Pat, on the other hand, was grinning like a joker on the back.

:XK Ashe - Same Champion?

:Grandpa07 - Sure

(Rule of the 1v1: First to score five kills or destroy a turret will be their victory!)

"Good luck to all players! The game will start in 20 sec!"

"Defeat!"

"Damm*t! Who is he?! Why haven't we recruited him yet? Do you want to lose a gem again?" Said the man who had just lost from the game.

XK Yang (Temporary Captain: Role = Support) - "Our manager is on it already. He was the one who set up this duel arrangement to test the man's capabilities against ours, and now we only won two of the five duels. It seems like we need to double our practice, huh?"

XK clap1x (Role = Top) - "No! Don't be like that, Captain. My hand hurts already from practicing; that's why I lost."

XK Ashe (Role = Ad Carry) - "...."

XK Drunk (Role = Assassin) - "I heard from the manager that the new guy was a '

Rank Booster.'"

"That's right, that's why we are cautious about recruiting the man. 'Rank Boosters' all have one goal, and that is money! But I gave a pass on this one. Not only does he care about money, but the strong point of his plays is also his desire to surpass someone..." The one who spoke was a young woman in a black ponytail with breathtaking beauty and curves, wearing a business suit and sitting on one of the chairs, rearranging papers.

clap1x - "As expected of Boss Emily, a deep background check is a must!" He stands, saying it while clapping, not knowing the atmosphere was strange.

No one followed up a comment after clap1x for a while.

Yang - "So he is the one?"

Emily nodded slightly.

The next day

Pat - "Where are you?"

Jc - "Tomorrow."

Pat - "Tomorrow? No, you need to come here now. I want to talk to you about something, and someone wants to see you too."

Jc - "Tomorrow." He hung up as he already knows the intentions of Pat since yesterday when he got matched up with the XK Gaming pro players.

Pat - "This importa-. That arrogant brat hung up on me! After he took some money from me yesterday, he wants to run away!"

Emily - "It's fine, brother. I know where to find him."

Pat - "Where?! Let me teach that brat. I've had enough of the nice brother image."

Emily just smiled at him.

A man lay down on the grassy field next to a small tomb, looking at the clear sky. He closed his eyes for a long while until he remembered someone he wanted to forget all these years. As his eyes opened, he saw a blurry face of a woman looking at him.

Jc - "Emily?"