Ch.65 : The Clash Begins

Before they headed out, Eliz looked at Nic with a questioning gaze. "When exactly is this match happening?"

Nic scratched his head awkwardly. "Today."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"What?!" they all shouted in unison.

"We're not even going to practice first?" Eliz asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Lily stepped closer, her expression serious. "Can we even win? Also… who was it that challenged you?"

Nic took a deep breath. "If I'm not mistaken, it's a pro esports team. The one who called me out… was Rika."

Leona's eyes widened in shock. "Rika? From Team Immortality?"

Nic nodded. "Immortality? Maybe, that's her."

Leona sighed heavily. "I've heard about them from my dad. Team Immortality crushed every team he coached. It got to a point where he almost gave up coaching entirely."

Nia, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "Then this is going to be tough. Their competitive experience is on a whole different level."

Suddenly, a soft melody filled the air—the sweet sound of a violin playing nearby. Everyone turned to see Melody sitting on a bench, calmly playing her violin. Without pausing, she said, "It's not difficult, not as long as Nic is here."

Luna, sitting beside her, nodded. "Exactly. Has Nic ever disappointed us?"

Everyone turned to look at Nic with warm smiles.

"Haha, that's true," Vivi said, chuckling softly.

Nic couldn't help but smile. Their faith in him filled his heart with warmth.

Then he asked, "Those of you not playing—wanna come along anyway?"

In perfect sync, they all answered, "Yes!"

Raina grinned. "We hardly get to hang out with you these days, you know."

Sylvia nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We're not missing this rare chance."

Fanny raised her hand enthusiastically. "What are we waiting for?! Let's show them what Unity's made of!"

From a distance, Monica watched with a small smile. "Looks like we're going to draw a lot of attention today."

Selene agreed. "Yeah, and I think it'll be fun."

Zestia added with a grin, "I'm pretty sure the entire internet café will be filled with just us."

After organizing everything, the Unity crew headed to Rika's internet café. On the way, Leona walked beside Nic.

"I'll rent the place out for the day," she said confidently. "That way, no one will bother us."

Vivi beamed. "Nice!"

---

Meanwhile, back at the café, Kai was casually playing with his yo-yo. "Think he's actually gonna show up?"

Ethan shrugged from the couch. "Who knows? He might not even have a team. Does he look like someone who'd be on a squad?"

Across the room, Rion watched Talia, who seemed lost in thought.

"What's with your face? You sick or something?"

Talia didn't reply. Her mind was swirling with memories of Nic's playstyle. It felt familiar… but she couldn't place it. Her feelings for Nic had grown deeper without her realizing, and now, just like Rika, she was starting to think about him differently.

---

Back with Nic, as the group walked, a notification suddenly popped up.

DING!

[Talia's affection for Master Nic has reached 100%]

[Skill "One-Sided Love" activated]

[You have acquired the skill: God of Strategy]

Nic smirked. "Finally..."

They arrived at the café, a pretty sizable place. As they got closer, a few people at the entrance paused and stared in disbelief at the group of beautiful girls crowding the front.

"Whoa… is this a modeling event or something?"

"No way. This is an internet café, not an idol audition!"

Nic looked around. "I'm going to the store real quick to grab drinks. Emily, come with me."

Emily gave a playful salute. "You got it, boss!"

Leona, who hated waiting, pushed open the door and walked in first. She glanced around, impressed.

"Not bad," she muttered as she looked at the spacious, multi-floor interior.

Upstairs, Ethan turned his head as he saw her. He looked at Rika and asked, "Are they the team?"

Rika shook her head. "No. The guy I challenged is male. They must be his team."

Rion suddenly burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Don't tell me he chickened out and sent these girls in his place. What a coward!"

Kai snickered. "I thought he had guts."

Talia, however, spoke up. "I don't think so."

Rion paused. "What? Why not?"

Before Talia could answer, more girls started filing in, crowding the entrance with curious expressions. The customers inside were baffled.

"What's going on? Why are so many beauty girls showing up all of a sudden?"

"Are we being pranked?!"

Then, Rika descended from upstairs and walked toward them, arms crossed and voice cold. "Who are you all? What do you want here?"

Leona stepped forward and smiled calmly. "Before that, I'd like to rent this place for the day. I don't want anyone getting in our way."

Rika raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What do you—"

Before she could finish, Leona raised her voice to the entire room. "I'm renting this place! If you leave now, I'll refund everyone's money!"

The café went dead silent. Then—

"For real?! I'm outta here!"

"Free money just for leaving? Hell yes!"

Within seconds, customers were lining up to get their money back and leave. Rika held her head and groaned.

"Wait, wait, wait! I never agreed to let you rent the place!"

Vivi chuckled. "We know Nic."

Rika blinked at the name. "Oh… Well, that's different. But where is he?"

---

At the convenience store…

Inside the shop, Nic stood in front of the counter.

"I'd like to buy all the drinks in that fridge."

The cashier almost choked. "Huh?! All of them?!"

Nic nodded. "Yup. And I'll need the fridge, too. I'll bring it back later."

The cashier blinked. "B-but sir, the fridge—"

"No worries. Just a short borrow. I'll pay for the rental too," Nic cut in.

Emily couldn't hold back. "Nic, seriously? You're taking the fridge too?"

The cashier sighed. "Alright, if you're paying... but let me get someone to help move—"

He turned to call a colleague—only to find Nic already gone.

The man spun around and gaped. Nic was already walking out the door, fridge in hand.

Emily panicked. "Nic! You'll drop it!"

The cashier freaked out too. "Sir! Please don't hurt yourself! We can carry it for you!"

Nic smirked over his shoulder. "Don't underestimate me."

With ease, he carried the fridge outside, leaving a stunned cashier and an anxious Emily behind.

---

Back at the café…

A small crowd still lingered around the entrance when a voice rang out.

"Outta the way!"

Nic marched through the door, casually lugging the drink fridge on his shoulders.

When Emily opened the door for him, everyone inside froze.

Even Rika was speechless as Nic calmly set the fridge down with a solid thunk.

"This is your fuel for the whole day. Stay hydrated."

Lily jumped excitedly. "Kyaa! Nic, you're like Hercules! So strong!"

Ethan, watching from above, muttered, "What the hell is with this guy…"

Nic walked toward Rika. But before he could get close, Ethan came down the stairs and stood in his way with a cold stare.

Nic raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"

Rika pulled Ethan aside and huffed. "Out of the way. You're gonna lose today."

Nic chuckled softly. "Let's see about that."

He turned to the others. "Lily, Eliz, Bella, Julia—upstairs with me. Everyone else, hang out downstairs."

Rion grinned. "This is gonna be fun. I'm streaming the whole match live!"

Julia smirked. "You sure? If you lose, it'll be embarrassing."

Kai looked nervous. "Wait… if we lose, this'll go public…"

Ethan grabbed his collar. "You scared?"

Kai shoved him off. "Shut up! Let's do this!"

Lily dashed downstairs to announce the stream channel. All the girls below shouted out their support.

Talia bit her lip, heart racing. Deep down, she wanted Nic to win.

Snapping out of it, she slapped her cheeks. "Focus! I've got to win!"

---

Outside the café…

Online chatter exploded.

"Team Immortality is live again!"

"Holy crap! They're playing against a mystery team? This gonna be a massacre?"

Even official esports channels picked up the feed and started broadcasting it.

Nic sat at his station and spoke to himself.

"Zeta, activate God of Games and God of Strategy at the same time."

A digital glow lit up around him.

Ethan leaned toward Rika. "If we win, you owe me a date."

Rika rolled her eyes. "Win first. Then we'll talk."

And with that, the match began.

To be continued…