Chapter 32

Back then, Alaric had given her a piece of his mind, ultimately sending someone to investigate only to walk into a trap. She had then led the remaining team members in a rescue charge, turning the tables with a surprise attack on the enemy's lair. In this life, she was curious to see how Alaric would fare without her warning. Sure enough, Alaric repeated his old mistake, leading the whole team into an enemy ambush.

Seeing this familiar scenario unfold, Lemita couldn't help but smile. Typical. Soon, Alaric realized they were trapped, but it was too late. The team's rhythm was shattered. Evelina panicked, making mistake after mistake, nearly costing her teammates their lives.

Alaric led a retreat into a building. Frustrated, he exploded, "Evelina, what were you thinking? Didn't I say we all retreat? What's this, a show-off?"

Evelina, equally on edge, replied, "Alaric, I couldn't let it go. Seeing that opponent so close to defeat, I wanted the kill."

"More like serving them kills on a platter," Alaric retorted. "If you were so confident, you wouldn't have gotten trapped and put us all at risk."

Publicly berated, Evelina's pride stung. "If you hadn't led us into a trap, getting us all surrounded, none of this would have happened."

Alaric, reddening with anger, shot back, "You have the nerve to blame me when you're clearly the weak link! All that training and no improvement—what a waste of time."

Evelina, her face flushed with anger, stormed off. The room erupted. A team member leaving mid-match was a significant event. The big screen zoomed in on SkyBlaze, Alaric's displeasure evident. He had no choice but to call a timeout—each match allowed for only one.

The opposing fans murmured, already celebrating prematurely. Alaric, grim-faced, slammed his keyboard, livid. He hadn't expected Evelina to actually leave in a huff. If it were Lemira, no matter how much he yelled, she wouldn't have thrown such a tantrum.

The atmosphere grew awkward. A member of the opposing team stood, taunting, "Hey Alaric, why not just forfeit? Save yourself from a beating, and keep some dignity."

Alaric stood swiftly. "I won't give up. Sounds like you're scared of losing, that's why you're making such comments, huh?"

"Alaric, anyone can see you're going to lose, especially with a team member walking out. Weren't you the one boasting about your family team never losing?"

"What family team? Just a bunch of orphans left behind, nothing to boast about. Video games aren't about who has more kids!" Alaric's temper flared. "Watch your fricking mouth!"

"Oh? Touched a nerve? Try anything, see what happens. Orphaned trash, if your parents were alive to see this, they'd die of shame!"

Lemira, overhearing from below, felt her face go cold with anger. How dare they insult her parents? She headed straight for backstage. Alaric was forcibly restrained by his teammates, preventing a brawl that would only damage their image.