Chapter 2: A Direct Promotion to the Main Match?
"Looks like Team Hand Over Thoughts got penalized again in this preliminary round. Tsk, I bet they'll get crushed in the upcoming official match!"
"Still, that Player 7— named something Changsheng—was pretty decent. As a Hunter he hid till the end and even tipped off the Good Guys, but his teammates were too clueless to pick up the cue, and the werewolves still knifed him."
"Yeah, otherwise they might actually have won."
"Who cares about preliminary players—how strong can they be? Team Gun Shoots Like Dragon is dominating as usual: not only did they score again, they showed the whole server what they're made of. I think Hand Over Thoughts is in trouble; ever since their ace left they can't even reach the national finals."
After stepping out of the game-pod chamber, Wang Changsheng caught snippets of gossip everywhere.
He was now inside a colossal arena.
That chamber sat right at the arena's center.
Walking toward the lounge, he heard people pointing him out along the way.
Admittedly, this body's previous owner had loved Werewolf and been fairly skilled; the game had just ended when he transmigrated over.
His performance had been solid, earning him quite a bit of goodwill from the spectators.
"Changsheng! What took you so long?"
The moment he entered the lounge, a curly-haired guy rushed up and grabbed his arm.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Wang Changsheng blinked.
Curly wore glasses and had a few freckles.
From memory he knew this was the former owner's buddy and the team's errand boy.
"It's Sister Huang—she's putting you in the main roster for the next match!" Curly told him.
Clearly the guy saw him as a brother; his smile was genuine, though worry flickered behind it.
"What? Me?" Wang Changsheng was stunned.
Main-roster players were hand-picked through layer after layer of selection—every one an elite.
With the main match about to start, why would Sister Huang suddenly slot him in?
Sister Huang's full name was Huang Manmiao.
She was the core of Team Hand Over Thoughts, a three-time world-champion esports beauty, the coach nicknamed the stunning yet ruthless Witch Coach.
The soul of the entire squad.
He didn't think Curly would joke about it, but how had Huang Manmiao even noticed him?
He'd assumed that to become an official main-roster player
he'd still have to go through assessments.
He never expected Huang Manmiao to throw him straight into the fray.
Wang Changsheng found it hard to understand.
He looked at Curly and waited silently for an explanation.
"Well, remember Wei Dog (Wei Guo)? He jumped ship at the last minute! That leaves a hole in the main roster. You did alright in the preliminaries, so Sister Huang wants you to fill the spot," Curly explained.
"Wei Dog jumped?" Wang Changsheng raised an eyebrow. "Right before the match? How much is he paying in breach fees?"
"Whatever the amount, Team Gun Shoots Like Dragon covered it. I don't get what they see in that guy—he's mediocre at best, yet they fought to sign him," Curly muttered.
Wang Changsheng thought for a moment, then said, "Looks like Gun Shoots Like Dragon wants to finish us off for good."
Gun Shoots Like Dragon was the team ranked just above them.
If they wanted to qualify for the national finals,
they would have to knock Hand Over Thoughts out.
Now the enemy had struck first,
clearly intending to crush them in one go.
After all, substitutes only stepped in when the main roster had an emergency,
so their skill gap with the starters was huge.
By poaching the only unused starter right before the match,
Gun Shoots Like Dragon forced Huang Manmiao to pick someone from the bench.
Otherwise they wouldn't even have enough players to field a team!
And even if she pulled someone up, a rookie who'd never faced main-roster opponents would likely bleed points in the game.
"Yeah, they're downright dirty!"
Curly shook his head, then added, "But this is your chance! Didn't you always want to join the main team? Their ace is gone, and though Wei Dog was middling, now that he's left you're the only one in the reserve who can step up. Grab this opportunity!"
"Got it." Knowing Curly had his back, Wang Changsheng nodded. "Don't worry, I'll score for the team this round!"
"Attaboy! That's the spirit—who cares about odds, just give it everything! Now hurry up and get ready—you're up soon."
Because he'd only just heard, Wang Changsheng had no time to prepare; he was pulled back down the corridor.
The match transition was quick.
The stream came back online.
The chamber sat at the arena's center, giant screens plastered around it.
Everyone could watch every angle on those monitors.
Right now
Commentator Xiao Ming froze when the roster on his screen suddenly changed.
"What? Hand Over Thoughts is swapping players at the last minute! It's unbelievable! They're sending in Changsheng, who shone in the preliminaries—could this be a new tactic?"
As Commentator Xiao Ming's voice rang out,
the entire arena erupted,
the atmosphere Boiling over.
"Changsheng? Player 7 from the prelims? He played alright, but he's a sub—why would Hand Over Thoughts field a bench player in an official match?"
"Isn't this basically their last game? Sending in a reserve—are they out of their minds? Are they just handing their national-finals spot to Gun Shoots Like Dragon?"
"Who knows—hey, look, is that Changsheng? Fresh face on Hand Over Thoughts—didn't expect him to be so handsome!" (TL/N: Classic Handsome MC)
"Handsome doesn't help. He's probably the scapegoat; after this game his career's finished."
Voices buzzed throughout the arena.
In the team room Huang Manmiao clenched her teeth.
"Damn it—if the rules didn't bar coaches from playing, I'd go on myself!"
Tall and curvy, skin glowing, hair glossy, she stood fuming in front of the screen.
(TL/N: For reader convience, each chapter where a game is played will be prefaced with [Game 1, 2, 3, etc.] Enjoy!}