Inside a bustling tall building located in the middle of the city, numerous people were seated in front of computer screens. Despite being in the office, the people wore casual and plain clothes.
"F*ck! I told you to go to the top lane so we can kill their jungle!"
"Shut the hell up. You're so loud!"
Hearing a loud and angry shout from an enclosed room, Red, who was staying outside, peeked in the door.
Inside the enclosed room, 5 people were currently playing a game in Rise of Dawn. They were in a scrim with another team, in preparation for the tournament that was set to happen in a few months.
Another man, the head coach of the team, was watching the game from a huge television located at the far right side. He was seated in the middle, opposite the player's side.
"What are they even doing?" Red sighed deeply as he caught a glimpse of the team's gameplay.
The team still continued to go to the top lane, leaving the mid lane defenseless. It was despite knowing that the other team's jungle already came back to the base to regain his hp.
Red's forehead creased. He couldn't believe that he was watching a game between professional players. With what he was seeing, their moves looked like… amateurs.
It was definitely better than normal players, but not as high as he expected.
'Am I just expecting too much?" Red thought since he hadn't played for so long until just recently.
He still wasn't familiar with the strength of the current players in the Esports scene.
Red was an employee in Mystic, an Esports Label which was the home of the team, "Mystic Ravens".
Mystic Ravens were among the 24 teams who fought for the championship in the last tournament held by Rise of Dawn.
However, their run didn't go as smoothly as the fans expected. At the end of the tournament, Mystic Ravens placed 20th out of the 24 teams. The lowest that they got after being in the competition for 3 years.
"Huh? What are they doing?"
Red's eyes widened slightly when he saw how Hubert, the team's jungler, dived into the other team's jungle area without any backup.
'That was f*cking dumb'
In an unfortunate event, Hubert encountered the other team's jungler and support.
A fight broke out, however the other members of Mystic Ravens were far away from Hubert. They couldn't back him up in time, resulting in his crucial death.
Hubert's multiple deaths since earlier resulted in the lead in exp and gold of the other team.
Mystic Ravens' continuous errors and mistakes led to their difficulty in fighting back and defending their territory afterward.
"Pst… Red, I think they're calling you inside the room."
Red became startled as he heard a familiar voice. As he looked at the side, he saw his co-worker pointing at the inside of the room.
That's when Red noticed that the coach of the team was staring at him.
Red scratched the back of his head, confused about why he was being called inside.
As far as he knew, it was normal for their company's workers to watch the players in their free time.
"Go now. Their coach was known to be strict. It would be bad to let him wait since he had been glancing at you since earlier."
Red's co-worker tilted his head to the side as he tried to get Red's attention.
Red slowly nodded. He didn't mutter any answer but instead glanced back at the inside of the room.
With a gentle knock on the door, Red silently waited for a signal from the coach. A subtle okay sign confirmed his entry, prompting him to push the door open and step inside.
"Hi there, young man."
Mystic Ravens' coach, Ken, greeted Red. His hoarse but soft voice spoke enthusiastically.
Ken was wearing thick eyeglasses, sporting a nerdy look. His brown hair was styled neatly. He has tanned skin and a well-built body.
With Red's knowledge, Ken was only nearing his 30's.
Red stepped forward, and with a smile on his face, he replied, "Hi, Coach."
Ken responded with a slight nod. "May I know your name?"
"It's Red," Red calmly answered.
"I've seen that you have been watching the players since earlier." Ken's lips curved in an upward manner.
"Yeah…" Red responded even though he couldn't quite grasp why Ken seemed to make a big deal out of it.
Hubert, the leader of the team, brought down his headset. The sudden conversation had caused a distraction to him.
"Coach, we're playing here. Can you ask that random guy to leave first?" Hubert spoke in an irritated voice.
Hubert, despite the irritation in his voice, calmly leaned against the gaming chair. He looked at Red disdainfully as if he was someone who didn't belong in the room.
It was odd for their coach to give attention to someone, and Hubert was not liking any of it.
The atmosphere grew more awkward as Ken raised his right arm in a gesture of authority. "Just play, Hubert," he commanded, his tone firm. "You're already bringing the game down. Might as well focus on playing with your teammates."
"Pft…"
Red firmly clenched his jaw as he fought the urge to laugh. It took him a lot of effort just to do so.
However, Hubert still caught Red's initial reaction. His eyes stared menacingly at Red, almost glaring.
Even though Red noticed the look being thrown at him, he remained silent. He just plainly stared back at Hubert, refusing to back down.
"Tsk," Hubert threw a fit. With a sharp movement, he grabbed his mouse once more. The annoyance was evident in his actions as he replaced his headset and resumed playing as his character resurrected.
When Red looked at the score, Hubert had a KDA of 1/4/2. Despite being the jungler, Hubert had the lowest level after dying for too many times.
Red stared back at Ken as an awkward silence ensued between the two of them.
"Why did you call me again here, Coach?" Red brought up the topic once again. His curiosity still hadn't left him.
"I have been watching you earlier. You seemed to be knowledgeable about the game with your reaction." Ken looked directly into Red's eyes.