Elijah awoke to the familiar ping of his phone. The system notification glowed across the screen:
"Quest: Reach Top 8 in the Online Qualifier Bracket within 12 hours."
He sat up, slurry sunlight filtering through the blinds. Last night's practice had forged Nightfall Trio into a precise machine, but qualifiers were different—pressure magnified by stakes and unfamiliar opponents. He rubbed his eyes and checked the stats on the Interface:
Focus: 7
Stamina: 2
Confidence: 9
Teamwork: 9
A small lock icon still hovered over Flow. Game Sense sat at 0, waiting in the wings of the late game. He flexed his fingers; the day to prove their drills true had arrived.
By mid-afternoon, Elijah convened the squad in their private channel. Kayzen's avatar popped up, eyes bright behind her headset; Ghostkit's neon outlines flickered as he yawned.
Zero7: Qualifier starts in 2 hours. Keep comms clear, timing tight. Voidpix: Ready. No slip-ups. Ghostkit: Let's make them regret facing us.
The system counted down in the corner of Elijah's monitor—90 minutes until the bracket opened. He spent the time reviewing their Top 8 target, cross-referencing the qualifier's format: single elimination until quarterfinals, best-of-three series thereafter. One loss and you were knocked out. No room for error.
At 6:00 PM, the qualifier lobby materialized. Thirty-two squads flashed on the bracket screen—names like Frostbite Syndicate, Code Vipers, Neon Specters. Nightfall Trio was seeded 21st based on combined rating. They were underdogs.
A bold icon hovered: "Match 1: vs GreenClay Gamers." The system flared a reminder: "Win to advance."
Their first opponent: a trio launching across Tower Ruins. Ghostkit pinged a split-B rush; Elijah tossed a flashbang over A-pillar while Kayzen sealed mid-catwalk with smoke. Despite a couple of lucky headshots from the enemy sniper, they executed their practiced strat, planting the bomb at B with 30 seconds to spare. Kayzen's coordinated strike icon glowed gold as they breached, their movement speed and damage buff sharpening every shot. Round win. 1–0.
The second round saw the enemy adapt—GreenClay pushed A aggressively. Elijah held the plaza entrance with measured crossfires, backing Ghostkit's shotgun angles as Kayzen rotated behind for a pincer. The bomb went down, but the opponents attempted a defuse. Timing their counter-flash perfectly, Elijah and Kayzen traded kills, securing 2–0 and advancing them to the Top 16.
Stats pinged: +1 Focus (8), +1 Confidence (10). Stamina dipped to 1 as adrenaline drained. The system updated the bracket.
Match 2: vs Neon Specters. This squad had a mechanical god third player with a rating of 715—far above Nightfall Trio's average. The lobby weapons loadout shuffled: StrikeLine 2 pistol start. Needing to economize their resources, they modified their approach: round one, Kayzen baited with an A-site smoke, Ghostkit lurked mid-tower with a shotgun. Elijah held B-ramp with pistols, landing two crisp headshots. They eked out the round 8–7. Confidence flickered but held at 10.
Round two drained their eco—Specters exploited every misstep, winning 8–6. Nightfall Trio reset the best-of-three. Stamina fell to 0. Elijah's chest tightened; his vision flickered. The HUD nudged him: "Stamina Low: Take a 2-minute break." He bit back panic and tabbed out, stretching and grabbing an energy bar. When he returned, Kayzen had tapped the squad chat:
Voidpix: You good? Zero7: Yeah. Focus reset. Let's close this.
Round three began on Ravenfall. The system overlaid a mental prompt: "Use Coordinated Strike to shift momentum." They pounced: Ghostkit pinged the waterfall choke as they surged through the entry. The buff blossomed around them—footsteps echoed like thunder, bullets seared through cover. They dismantled Neon Specters' defense in four seconds flat, planting the bomb and holding with textbook rotations. Victory 8–4.
Bracket updated: Nightfall Trio in Top 8. Quest complete.
A triumphant chime rang through Elijah's headset. Teamwork pinged +1 (to 10). Confidence glowed, maxed at 10. The system blinked a congratulatory message:
"Top 8 Achieved – New Quest Unlocked: Register for the In-Person LAN Qualifier."
As the lobby dissolved, Kayzen's voice crackled, quieter than usual: "That was… insane. Well done." Ghostkit added, "Best qualifier I've played." Elijah exhaled, chest pounding. "Nightfall Trio just rose from practice to podium. Tomorrow, we face LAN."
He logged off, letting darkness hush his cramped room. Outside, streetlamps flickered on—the real world waiting with fluorescent hums and sibling banter downstairs. But Elijah stayed seated, staring at the blank screen. His mind replayed clutch headshots, synchronized pings, the moment the coordinated strike ended Neon Specters' defense.
He thought of the system's next challenge: registering for an in-person LAN. The stakes—real-life crowds, sponsor scouts, broadcasted matches—loomed larger than any online lobby. His heart fluttered with excitement and dread: could they translate virtual synergy to a stadium stage?
He cracked a tentative smile. Today, Nightfall Trio had weathered its first tournament gauntlet. Tomorrow, they'd chase a dream under neon lights and roaring fans. The system waited, quest log glowing in anticipation.