Elijah stirred before sunrise, the thrill of victory replaced by a new purpose. His phone glowed with the Interface prompt:
"Quest: Mentor the Next Generation."
Stats hovered at Focus 10, Stamina 1, Confidence 10, Teamwork 18. Flow and Game Sense awaited their unlock. He exhaled, feeling the weight and warmth of the system's latest challenge. Now the quest wasn't about bombs planted or headshots landed—it was about forging leaders out of rookies.
By mid-morning, Elijah logged into the streaming platform with a special banner: "Zero7's Mentorship Program – Sign Up Here." A flood of messages poured in—new accounts named MiniZero7, FreshSpawn, LilFlashbang—each eager for coaching. He set a cap: five mentees for this first workshop, enough to maintain quality.
Within an hour, the slots filled. He sent friend invites to:
"MiniZero7" (Skill: 2, Focus: 3) "AriaBlade" (Skill: 4, Focus: 4) "RotorRush" (Skill: 3, Focus: 2) "PixelMage" (Skill: 5, Focus: 5) "HexDrift" (Skill: 2, Focus: 3)
A system note flickered:
"Sub-Quest 1: Conduct Intro Mentorship Session."
That afternoon, Elijah gathered his mentees in a private Discord channel. He posted a welcome message: "Congrats on joining Zero7's Mentorship. Today we'll cover aim basics, map awareness, and team communication." They responded with excitement emojis and questions flooding in. He smiled—this was the spark of growth he craved.
He shared a custom workshop calendar:
Warm-Up Drills (20 Min) Map Walkthrough: Tower Ruins (15 Min) Live Coaching: Duo Practice (20 Min) Q&A and Feedback (15 Min)
A timer ticked down twenty minutes. Elijah launched the aim trainer and streamed his POV. He narrated: "Track the target smoothly—no jerky snaps. Keep crosshair at head level." The mentees watched on-screen reticles dance. After each demonstration, he challenged them: "Land 50 headshots in two minutes—post your scores." As responses rolled in—MiniZero7: 28, AriaBlade: 47—Elijah offered quick tips: "Mini, relax your wrist—slow down. Aria, tighten your aim corridor by 10%. Rotor, pre-aim at spawn." Mentees began to improve mid-session.
The system logged progress:
"Sub-Quest 1 Complete: Mentor Intro Session."
Reward: +1 Teamwork, +1 Confidence (Teamwork 19, Confidence 10).
Next, he loaded Tower Ruins in custom mode. The map glimmered on-screen. He guided them through key positions: the mid-catwalk, lower arches, and hidden flanks. He assigned each mentee a role: MiniZero7 as entry, AriaBlade on support, RotorRush lurk, PixelMage anchor, HexDrift scout. They ran two walkthroughs, with Elijah pausing every choke to explain: "Hex, use this smoke to block sniper sight. Pixel, hold this angle for crossfire. Rotor, watch for rotations here."
Mentees pinged the map with new confidence. Each mistake drew a gentle correction. PixelMage landed a perfect smoke line; Elijah praised it: "Exactly—cover planted corners like that." A system prompt appeared:
"Sub-Quest 2: Conduct Map Walkthrough Mentoring."
Completed instantly. Reward: +1 Focus (11).
Time for live coaching. Elijah matched them in duos: MiniZero7 with AriaBlade vs PixelMage with HexDrift; RotorRush paired with Elijah. Through the first round, he called out angles and encouraged clear comms: "Mini, push A slowly, count steps; Rotor, watch his back." They planted bombs, traded kills. Not every round was perfect—HexDrift overextended and died, PixelMage hesitated on defuse—but Elijah seized each moment to teach: "Hex, stand back and trade; Pixel, call the swing before peeking."
After ten rounds, the channel lit with growth: MiniZero7 posted, "Got my first 1-v-1 clutch!" AriaBlade cheered. Elijah felt a spark of pride. The system noted:
"Sub-Quest 3: Complete Live Duo Coaching."
Reward: +1 Teamwork (20).
In the final session, the Q&A, mentees asked about mindset and resilience. PixelMage confessed a tilt problem; Elijah shared his own burnout arc from Chapter 2: "I crashed mentally after getting kicked off a team. I learned to treat losses as data, not failures." He introduced a "Mental Reset" drill: after every loss, take 30 seconds to breathe, review one mistake, then queue again. MiniZero7 typed, "That helps." RotorRush added, "I'll use that next time I choked."
The session closed with Elijah assigning a capstone challenge: "I'll host mixed-mentor scrims next week—teams of three where one mentor pairs with two mentees. Show me you've internalized comms, utility usage, and calm under pressure." The system recognized:
"Sub-Quest 4: Host Q&A & Assign Capstone – Complete."
Reward: +1 Confidence (still 10).
As evening fell, Elijah reflected on the day's work. He flipped the Interface's desk widget: a new quest glowed,
"Quest Complete: Mentor 5 Players Through Intro Program."
Next up: the capstone scrims. He watched his mentees stream their first VOD reviews, adding his feedback. MiniZero7 landed faster headshots; HexDrift's map pings grew consistent; PixelMage practiced mental resets after each failure. Growth, he thought, was the truest victory.
A final system prompt surfaced:
"New Quest: Facilitate Mentor-Mentee Scrims."
Elijah stretched, energized by purpose rather than trophies. Tomorrow, he'd unite champions and rookies in live scrims, proving that legacy wasn't just about wins—it was about elevating others. He saved his mentor notes, closed his rig, and lay back—content that Nightfall Trio's legacy would thrive when the torch shone brightest in their successors' hands.