Chapter 186

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Cordelia’s message pinged through to her adversary,“I’m not looking to apologize, just to settle the score.”

Cordelia was the kind of person who generally couldn’t care less about most things. If Sweethearthad just thrown some shade her way, it would’ve rolled right off her back. But a direct hit? That gotunder her skin.

To the uninitiated, it’s just a game, right? Why not just switch accounts? But to a true gamer, theirhandle is a badge of honor.

Cordelia’s account was a month’s worth of hard graft, rising from a newbie to a top–tier player,hoarding skins, gems, runes, and the like. There was emotional investment there.

When Sweetheart saw the message, she let out a derisive snort. “No apology, how do you proposewe resolve this?”

LearnLover shot back, “Let’s settle it in the game one–on–one, winner takes all. If I win, youapologize. If you win, I’ll ditch the account.”

One–on–one meant a duel, player versus player.

A smile flickered across Sweetheart’s face. “Which hero will you use? I’m not all–powerful, youknow. If you use your best hero and beat me, that’s no true victory. I won’t stoop to that.”

LearnLover replied simply, “You choose.”

Sweetheart read the message aloud, and the chat went wild with mockery.

–“Haha, does she not know Sweetheart is dubbed the ‘Midlane Monarch?”

–“I’ve seen people seek their doom, but never quite like this!”

–“Is she rushing to her own funeral? I checked her account; she’s only been playing a month,mostly duo with Jungler, coasting on support wins!”

–“Sweetheart’s support might not be as good, but in a duel? Sit back and watch her crush thenewbie!”

Sweetheart chuckled, “Well, you said it. Alright then, let’s take it to midlane.”

She named her midlane character of choice. But Cordelia’s response was unexpected, “Give metwo minutes to familiarize myself with this hero’s abilities.”

Sweetheart broadcast the chat to her live stream, and the viewers erupted in laughter.

–“I dunno why, but I kinda think she’s cool!”

“Wake up, mate! She’ll be crying in a minute!”

–“Certified student, but probably elementary level!!”

“I just took a peek, she’s never played that hero before, this is hilarious.”

Merry could see the chat and was fuming, “Sweetheart’s stream is a dumpster fire. Doesn’t theplatform care? My stream got shut down after one report. They definitely play favorites!”

Cordelia ignored her, scrutinizing her chosen hero’s skills and stats.

She hadn’t played this one before, but she was a fast learner. One glance and she had the gist ofhow to handle it.

Two minutes later, “Sweetheart” popped up in Cordelia’s game invites. Accepting, she was usheredinto the 13.30 duel arena “Sweetheart” was a streaming sensation, revered for both looks and skill–female pros were rare,and her midiane prowess had won over many a male gamer Confidence oozed from Sweetheart. The truth was, she wasn’t the one playing.

Backed by a streaming platform, they were hyping her as the eSports belle of the ball, Chosen forher sweet voice and flirty demeanor, her popularity was sky–high–though her gaming?Outsourced.

Every session, she’d bow over her phone, but it was all for show. A pro gamer from the clubhandled the actual gameplay. So how could she lose?

On stream, Sweetheart’s dulcet tones filled the air. “Nothing thrills me more than handing downjustice. Today, I’ll have her begging for mercy, questioning her whole life!”

With a coy smile, she continued, “That’s just how I roll–straight–talking, vengeful. Tempt my man,use him to climb the ranks? Today, she’ll learn that actions have consequences!”

“Showtime!” she declared, and on–screen, Sweetheart’s hero lunged forward, a flurry of abilitiesdropping Cordelia’s health to near zero.

The game announced Sweetheart has slain Learner!

Sweetheart laughed, “Oh dear, she didn’t even try to dodge. Must’ve been stunned by my combo.”

The chat erupted with “lol“.

In this tower defense game, death was but an obstacle–as long as the towers stood, the game wason. But in a duel, it was another story.

Seven minutes without a tower down meant the duel was decided by kills.

One kill up. Sweetheart had a clear advantage.

Seconds after respawning, Cordelia stepped out only to be met with another assault from Sweetheart–another quick kill!

Sweetheart has slain Learner, again!

Sweetheart sighed theatrically, “I’m starting to think she’s actually an elementary schooler. Doesn’teven know how to dodge?”

Now two minutes and two deaths in, Sweetheart had all but won.

Feeling cocky, she teased, “Time for a victory dance.”

As Cordelia’s hero lay defeated, Sweetheart positioned her character over the fallen body andtaunted with a flower–scattering effect–a deeply humiliating gesture in–game..

The chat was in stitches, egging her on:

–“Do it again!”

-Isn’t that a bit much?”

-Learner crossed Sweetheart first, fooling Jungler into duoing. This is justified payback!”

1 The stage was set for a showdown, but in this virtual arena, it was more than just a game–it was abattle for pride.

Sweetheart saw the comments and blurted out, “I’m just so darn mad, sorry about that.”

Though she was apologizing, her actions didn’t pause for a second.

Tel:13:31 Merry had been glued to the livestream, and at this point, she was fuming. “Damn! That’s way out ofline! It’s just a game, for crying out loud. There’s no need to humiliate someone like that!”

She turned to Cordelia, worry etched on her face, “Lia, maybe you should just bail out. Say yourinternet was lagging or something.”

“No need.” Cordelia stared at her phone’s darkened screen for a moment, and once her characterrespawned, the corners of her lips curled up ever so slightly, “I’ve got it now.”

Every hero has their own set of skills and combos, and if you haven’t played them, you’re sure to beout of your depth.

Cordelia had been taken down twice, but each time she was just sizing up her opponent, watchinghow LearnLover wielded that hero. Now, she had graduated!

In the chat of the livestream, Sweetheart chuckled, “This is getting boring. Let’s wrap this up.”

She shot a knowing glance to the pro gamer beside her, and he nodded in acknowledgment.

Just as Cordelia charged out from the tower again, the pro unleashed another flurry of combos.

Sweetheart chimed in with a smirk, “Watch how I take you down for a triple kill!”

But the moment the action unfolded on screen, she froze in disbelief!