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Beep!
"We are on the air!" A TV presenter spoke, and the camera recording him began to film. He took a deep breath before starting his speech. "Hello, dear viewers, welcome to your favorite high-level gaming show in the world! Other Level!" The presenter said with an enthusiastic voice, and the screen behind him changed.
"As everyone is aware, this year we had fierce competition among the competing teams, with many twists and turns in the battles of 1,000-player and 100-player teams in the Pro League!"
After his speech, the large screen behind the presenter began to display dozens of images and videos of players battling, casting their spells, and showcasing their exceptional skills with extreme coordination.
"However, despite the excellent efforts of all 36 participating teams, only two teams remain in the tournament." The announcer said with a serious tone, and two team names appeared on the screen, "The RedWolf team and the Spirit team will be competing in the finals right now. To help you better understand the two teams, we've invited an expert to tell us about them."
The presenter declared, and soon, an older Asian man in a suit entered the stage and sat on the guest couch. He began discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the two teams and which one had a better chance of winning the finals.
"So, Mr. Expert, who do you believe will win the finals?" The announcer asked, and the guest expert paused before responding, "Honestly, even though the RedWolf team is far superior in individual combat, ensuring an easy victory in the 10-player round, they will lose as soon as the Spirit team's demon commander steps in!" The expert stated, and the image of a muscular 28-year-old man appeared on the screen.
"(The Invincible General)," this is the nickname given to this man for his excellent tactics and strategies, guaranteeing victory after victory for a mediocre team like Spirit, lacking competent players!" The expert declared with conviction, even surprising the presenter.
Elsewhere, at the Spirit team's training headquarters.
Crack!
"Damn it!" A tall and handsome man threw a glass on the floor and yelled in anger as he watched the TV. Not just him, but several other players in the room gritted their teeth and cursed quietly upon hearing the expert's statement.
They were all players from the Spirit team. "Why does David always get all the credit when we work so hard!" The tall and handsome man swore again, and small voices of agreement rang out among them.
Ricardo, the tall and handsome man, despite being the commander and leader of the 10-player combat team, had always been overshadowed by David's leadership skills, especially since his team consistently had the worst performance in the 10-player matches.
As the expert mentioned, their individual skills were below the Pro League's average. However, this didn't stop the seeds of envy and hatred from growing in Ricardo's heart. He always wanted to be in the spotlight.
"Have you made the preparations for tonight?" Ricardo asked, calming down and running his hand through his hair. One of his men approached him and handed him a package with odorless white powder. "We did it, boss. This is the new Fairy drug. A few grams of it can knock a person out for 12 hours, a bit more, and even for days," his henchman said with a smile, and Ricardo smiled back before taking the powder, a wine glass, and pouring all the drug into the bottle.
"Sir, isn't this too much?" His henchman spoke a little nervously as he watched Ricardo pour all the powder at once, but Ricardo ignored him. Ricardo smiled and looked at the wine bottle. "This should knock him out long enough so he won't be able to participate in the finals tomorrow. Then, I will show my talents to the world!" Ricardo said and left the room moments later.
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"I think we can apply this strategy tomorrow, but since the maps will be random, I'll need to adapt a bit." David in his office was muttering to himself while looking at various tactic sketches he had written to face the RedWolf team tomorrow.
David was a tall guy, in good physical shape, and of average appearance, which contrasted with his brilliant mind, quick thinking, and the coldness when making decisions in moments of adrenaline.
All these characteristics made him feared as the Demon General of the Spirit, intelligent and skilled but also humble and polite. In a way, he was the idol of almost all the 100-player and 1,000-player teams.
Knock-knock.
David looked at his office door upon hearing two knocks. "Who is it?" He asked, and a cheerful and slightly drunk voice came from the other side. "Hey, David, it's me, Ricardo!" Ricardo's voice came from the other side of the door, making David give him a friendly smile and get up to open the door and let his friend in.
"Are you getting drunk the day before the finals?" David looked at Ricardo, who was a complete mess and staggering, and asked, "Hey, don't give me a lecture! We're celebrating our victory in advance!" Ricardo said, and the two remained silent for a moment before laughing like old friends.
"You never change, my friend. Come on in." David opened the door and let Ricardo, who was carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses, enter. "We've come a long way, haven't we?" David said and sat in his chair in front of Ricardo, who began pouring wine for both of them.
"It's been 10 years since we started this, right? I still remember the day
I invited you to our amateur team," Ricardo said with a smile, and David gave a smile as he remembered the past. "At that time, we didn't even have the prospect of earning a salary. If it wasn't for your insistence, I probably would never have followed this path," David said, and at that moment, Ricardo finished pouring the glasses and handed one to David.
"A toast to our success." Ricardo said, and they clinked their glasses.
Ding!
David emptied his entire glass at once and gave a slight cough before realizing that Ricardo hadn't drunk his glass. "Tired of drinking, huh?" David made a joke, but Ricardo's serious and cold look gave him a bad feeling at that moment.
"You know, I didn't want it to end like this," Ricardo said, and before David could ask anything, he felt as if his head had been struck with a sledgehammer, and his vision became blurry, causing him to fall from his chair with his hand on his chest.
"What have you done?" David squeezed out these words with incredulity as he looked at his best friend and companion of the last 15 years. He saw Ricardo give a sinister smile and then burst into maniacal laughter. "Just sleep, my friend, don't worry about tomorrow's match; I'll win it for us!" Ricardo said and looked at David, who was struggling to stay conscious, before leaving the office and locking the door.
Cough!
David coughed violently and felt his chest tightening as if his heart were going to stop. "H-help," he whispered softly, but his voice couldn't reach the door. With a thud, David's body hit the floor.
Cause of death: cardiac arrest due to excessive use of illicit substances.