4 A New Found Friend

'Is he joking?'

Red looked at Mark unbelievably. He couldn't believe what he just heard. 

"I guess you could say that," Red replied. A sheepish smile played at the corners of his lips. He masked the hint of laughter bubbling within him.

"No way, you're into BaBaoFan too? That's amazing!" Mark's eyes gleamed with excitement. 

After being an employee in this internet cafe 6 months ago, Mark hasn't encountered a single customer who knew any member of Blazing Faze. 

If those newbies were only playing back then, they would know how amazing Blazing Faze was and how competitive all the players were despite the teams being friends with one another. 

With the rise of new teams and players, the professional scene today was just all about teams beating up one another. 

There was no camaraderie, but rather just players wanting to win the title to brag to the other teams.

As the saying goes, "All talk, no skills."

It was so different from back then, where despite the sadness of losing, you were still happy for the winning team. And despite winning the trophy, you were still mindful that all of the teams worked hard, and bragging would be a bad thing. 

The good times ended with Blazing Faze's disbandment. 

Blazing Faze was the last champion of the annual tournament held by Rise of Dawn before a lot of teams disbanded and players retired. 

It created a new era of professional teams for the game.

Their disbandment was also the reason why the game lost almost 1 million players. It was so bad that Rise of Dawn needed to do damage control.

It just proved the impact of Blazing Faze on the people. 

No other teams were able to do that. 

"When did you become a fan of them?" Red chuckled softly, his tone laced with genuine curiosity. 

This was a conversation he hadn't experienced back then when he was still playing. 

Who knew that talking to earnest fans could be this fun? 

As if it was a topic that Mark was really excited to talk about, he couldn't stop his mouth from speaking. 

Mark told Red the whole story of how he discovered Blazing Faze, how he became a fan, and his reaction when they disbanded. 

Telling the story was a roller coaster of emotion. The passion and nostalgia in his voice painted a vivid picture of his adoration for the team. 

"You know, I miss all of their players." Mark defeatedly sighed. "They were the reason why I joined the game."

Mark knew that meeting his idols would already be impossible. Since their disbandment, he has never heard of any updates regarding the team.

The players also don't have any social media accounts to keep the fans updated. 

Mark just thought that they were o probably living their life out there, away from the limelight and the crowd.

What just saddened him the most was that people had forgotten them already, except those fans who had been really devoted since then and were waiting for the team's impossible comeback.

"Yeah. I miss them too." Red's lips curved upwards in a bittersweet smile. 

Talking to Mark, Red realized that it had been so long since he talked to his previous teammate. 

Fortunately, they haven't lost contact with each other. Occasionally, they would talk and update what was going on with their life. 

Mark also made him realize the beautiful side of the gaming industry. Who knew that they could inspire people like this?

"You're welcome to join me in this game if you want," Red openly offered.

It has been so long since he played the game with someone, too. 

When his eyes moved to the screen, he realized that he hadn't moved away from the starting village. 

He was so lost in their talk that he forgot to move his character in the game. 

Mark's grin widened. "Seriously? I'd love that!" He eagerly answered. 

When Mark realized that he was still working, he scratched the back of his head. His smile immediately dropped. 

"Wait a minute. I'll just ask my boss for a break time." Mark hurriedly stood up, hoping that his kind boss would agree to his request. 

Mark's sudden words made Red laugh out loud. 

"I'll just be here then." He answered before eyeing his screen. 

With Mark's departure, he could now focus on the game. 

Red hovered over to his account settings. He checked his profile and looked at his updated stats.

He used to be a God-ranked player— the highest on the leaderboards on top of that. 

The game's rank division was divided into 9. All of them required a certain number of exp or level to obtain. 

Stone was the lowest rank out of all of them. It was the most basic, and the rank given to all the starting players. 

Next was Iron which required 5000 exp or level 5

Warrior with 10,000 exp or level 10. 

Skilled with 25,000 exp or level 25. 

Champion with 100,000 exp or level 50. 

Master with 500,000 exp or level 100. 

Grandmaster with 1,000,000 exp or level 250. 

Legend with 5,000,000 exp or level 500. 

Celestial with 7,500,000 or level 750.

And the highest among all of them, God with a requirement of 15,000,000 exp or level 1000.

Each has its own leaderboard, showcasing the top 100 players of each rank. 

Red reminisced on his journey, recalling how he had started as a mere Stone-ranked player, learning the basics alongside fellow newcomers. 

From there, he climbed through the ranks, creating history in the game as he surpassed over 20,000.000 exp at one point.

It was an all-time record and the reason why the game's developers had to increase the level a player can achieve.

It was a record still standing strong, with no players even near it. 

However, since his departure, he had gone down 3 ranks since he hadn't played for three years. 

It was because the game resets every start of the year. A year in which they call a season. The whole map would reset, and players would go down by 1 rank and have the base exp required for the rank.

It was one of the things that made the game exciting. Every season, new villages, bosses, and dungeons were added. The whole map's layout would be slightly changed, too. 

It's what makes the game exciting. 

Red sighed deeply. He left the account's settings and started his journey. He held onto the mouse tightly and placed his fingers on the keyboard. 

"Let's go." 

Red moved his character. He was still at the starting village called "Domain's Point" as it was at the center of the map. 

The place looked like a medieval town, surrounded by trees and mountains. 

It was a place where players could trade in some items they got from killing bosses or clearing dungeons. 

It was also the area where players could freely interact and chat with one another.

You can also apply for jobs that will earn you some exp and gold coins. 

"Woah! Look at that agent. It's my first time seeing such clothes in this game!" 

"He got some rizz bro!" 

Multiple comments were made as Red walked around.

"Red!" Mark shouted in a good mood, enough for Terrence to hear. 

Mark sat back in his chair earlier and opened the computer hastily. His hands were slightly shaking with excitement. 

"Your boss agreed?" Red asked, hearing the excitement in Mark's voice.

"Yeah," Mark repeatedly nodded as he waited for the computer to open up. 

Red chuckled. He leaned against his chair and grinned. 

"Nice! Let's form a party and have an adventure."