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Chapter 237
Chapter 237
Cordelia picked up gaming strategies like a champ. After only a couple of glances, she had already mastered Karl's combo moves. She leaned towards her computer screen, eyes locked and loaded.
Karl launched a series of attacks, but Cordelia, as though she had seen it coming from miles away, dodged perfectly.
Karl was fuming, "Dodging again? Are you even playing?"
He surged forward, his temper flaring more with each step. In-game, Cordelia turned around sharply. With a calm voice, she declared, "Game on!"
Karl had just used up his skills, leaving him vulnerable. Cordelia seized the moment, teleporting behind him, and gave him the fright of his life. Then, without missing a beat, she unleashed her ultimate move right in his face!
Her fingers danced across the keyboard, outpacing Karl's earlier performance. Her moves were faster, her strikes more accurate... She blocked his retreat, leaving him no chance to escape. It was a flawless comeback from the brink of defeat!
From the sidelines, Floyd squinted, admiring her skill. Cordelia's gameplay reminded him of the legends of the old-school arcade heroes, the ones who ruled the gaming world before e-sports became a thing. He thought, if only those arcade legends had taken to e-sports...
Floyd glanced at Everard, who was nonchalantly watching Cordelia, and then looked away.
Just then, the game announced a kill!
EW Club, Karl has slain EW Club, Learner!!
Floyd blinked in disbelief, as did Cordelia, her eyes widening in shock.
What just happened?
Why did her character freeze right when she launched her ultimate move?
Victory and defeat can hinge on a split second. Her ultimate move didn't execute, and Karl, the seasoned pro, seized the moment to land a killing blow on her low-health character.
Cordelia blinked, a bit... embarrassed. This was supposed to be her moment of glory, and yet...
It dawned on Floyd that the keyboard, which seemed outdated and barely responsive to Cordelia's lightning-fast inputs, was likely at fault.
Karl, after securing the kill, stretched his wrists and gave Cordelia a smug look. "Rushing to your own tower might have saved you, but teleporting behind me? That was a death wish. Did you mess up your teleport direction?"
Cordelia: "..."
Would anyone believe her if she said her keyboard lagged?
The others, not having paid close attention to the speed of her keystrokes, missed out on her impressive performance, leaving only Floyd who had caught every detail. Floyd smirked to himself. Speaking up for Cordelia might only make the team resist her more. The only solution was— "One more game."
Without further explanation, Cordelia turned to Floyd, "Got another keyboard?"
There were spare, unopened keyboards upstairs. Before Floyd could respond, Everard chimed in, "Yes, it's already prepared for you." Right after, someone knocked on the door. The club's caretaker called out, "Who is it?"
"Delivery."
Upon receiving the package, the caretaker commented, “Cordelia's delivery. The delivery guy was quite handsome, with such a presence. It's a shame he's not in showbiz."
Meanwhile, Everard's phone buzzed with a message from Calvert Wallace: [Boss, I don't mind being your courier, but why wouldn't you let me in? I haven't seen Lia in ages. Why can't I see her?]
Everard glanced at the message, replying leisurely as Cordelia opened her package: [She's my protégé. What's it to you?] Calvert: ?
Why didn't he say that when asking for the favor?!
"Gorgeous!" Cordelia unveiled a cherry-pink keyboard, its compact and attractive design perfect for her.
While Cordelia admired its
aesthetics, Floyd recognized it as a
custom-made piece from a
renowned tech company, known for its superior responsiveness. In the entire EW Club, only he had splurged on such a custom keyboard.
Catching Everard's gaze, he saw the usually stoic Mr. Watkins looking rather tender as he said, "Glad you like it."
Cordelia: "...Love it."Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
As she was about to plug it in, Karl taunted, "Don't tell me you think you lost because of the keyboard? Blaming lag would be more believable!" He settled back down, "Newbies often blame lag when they mess up."
Cordelia: "..."
Karl was about to continue when the team's strategist interrupted, "Here, have some water," handing him a glass and nodding towards his phone. Karl scoffed, checking his phone to find a flurry of messages in the team chat:
Mid Laner Waller: [Ease up on the newbie, Karl! Let her win one, will ya?]
Top Laner: [Karl, let it be. We can't fight the power of money.]
Even the injured ADC added, [We did our best, that's all that matters.]
Karl texted back, [But I didn't want you guys to lose because of me.]
Support Clay: [This year's championship's a lost cause
anyway. The new management said they're trying out rookies this season. It's to protect you, Karl. The whole inte blames the rookie for dragging us down, but we know it's us holding you back. Train hard and win it back for us next season.]
Karl's eyes welled up, his fists clenched tight, remembering the glory days when they were untouchable champions, and he, along with the other rookies, looked up to them from the training camps.
Karl's dream was to stand among the legends, but now... the whole inte was throwing them under the bus, claiming they had lost their edge. It wasn't a matter of losing their edge; they were genuinely struggling.
No one cared that Clay's arm injury prevented him from training for long periods... Waller's shoulder was held together by two steel pins, and the previous shooter had shattered his hand bones, making it impossible for him to game ever again.
All anyone focused on was who won the match, who messed up their moves, who failed to keep up in the team fights, leading to defeat...
Karl wanted his brothers in arms to retire with their heads held high, even if it meant winning just one more game in the group stage! But that seemed like a tall order now.
Frustrated, he punched the desk, blaming his lack of strength and experience. Just then, he heard a woman's voice say, "I'm ready, let's continue."