Chapter 7

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The next morning the boss greeted me with an unexpected offer.

"How about a run? Because I've let myself go out of shape a little bit."

"Um," I look at the windows, where there are streams of water running outside. "Now? In the rain?"

"Yes... As for that rain, it's just water."

"Isn't it cold?" It got colder last night, and now the thermometer showed eight degrees of heat.

After staring at my doubt-filled face for a while, he gives up on the idea.

"Indeed... It's chilly..."

After this statement, I had already decided that he would not drive me to the market in this weather, but this hope was not destined to come true. I had to open my umbrella and go. However, there was a good thing about it: the streets were empty and deserted in this inclement weather, and therefore safe.

By the time I haggled, the rain was over. On the way back, unlike his past trips to get groceries for Daas, I didn't try to get back as quickly as possible. The city in the morning, especially the part of it adjacent to the sea market, was surprisingly beautiful in the pre-dawn dawn. The business district, with its skyscrapers, already glistened with its peaks, like a glacier catching the first rays of the sun. The west side, with its parks and cobwebbed pedestrian zones, was still in darkness, as if covered by a caring blanket of heaven. It is generally believed that New Geneva is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and today, on my way back, I realized for the first time that this was no empty statement at all.

Unlike the center, the southern quarters were the usual bedroom conglomerate that is typical of any metropolis. So once again I found myself in its territory, I quickly shook off the allure of beauty into which the contemplation of the central part of the city had plunged me. In addition, remembering the recent encounter with a youth gang, which occurred solely due to my inattention, I no longer wanted a repeat of such an episode. Walking around here immersed in my thoughts was a very bad idea. So, constantly turning my head, I returned to the restaurant without any incident...

Today Daas managed to cook something that I ventured to try. It was a shrimp dish that was hard to mess up, and yet my boss managed to do it. The shrimp in his version turned out to be like rubber. I never thought they could be so disgustingly cooked. Though they looked quite appetizing I couldn't eat even one. The other three dishes he completely screwed up. As a result, we had breakfast with lasagna heated in the microwave, which had been left in the fridge by Illea since yesterday. Then the boss let me go to bed but told me to come down to the hall at eleven instead of twelve, promising to pay overtime.

After only two and a half hours of sleep before work, I felt surprisingly well-rested. After taking a shower and drinking coffee, I changed my clothes and went downstairs.

As soon as I arrived in the hall, Illea immediately made me stand against the wall and straighten my posture. Had she really asked Daas to make me come an hour early for that? Nevertheless, I had no choice but to comply. The boss and Jiro were in the room with the chief and me, and they were arguing and bickering again, but in no angry way. Curiously enough, while the bartender was dressed as I was, Daas did not change his shabby overalls. Sometimes I think he never takes it off, even sleeps in it, though I know that's not true, that's the impression.

At eleven to ten, Aloya came in, changed clothes, and started helping at the stove. I immediately felt hurt that I was standing very uncomfortably. I had to squint hard to see the girl. Because as soon as I turned my head just a little bit, the chief immediately corrected me. I would get squinting so badly, and not to look at Aloya, so attractive in that kind of school uniform, was beyond me. As careful as I was to keep my gazes unnoticed, they nevertheless did not escape Illea's attention.

She caught me looking at Aloya all the time, but instead of scolding me, she smiled and winked at me. Then she began to chase the girl on minor errands so that Aloya was always in my view and always in an advantageous angle. Now she would make me get under the counter for an allegedly accidentally fallen fork, or send him to wipe the couch. In all these cases, the girl had to lean with her back to me, and given the short length of her skirt...

A quarter of an hour went by like that. Aloya was doing something, and I was blushing and peeking at her. And the chief was having a good time watching me try not to look, or at least not so obviously blush. At half-past twelve I got permission from Illea to break away from the wall, and then I was sent by Daas to do a final check of all the systems.

Since everything was set up a long time ago, after running a couple of tests, I went around all the tables. After making sure that everything was working as it should, I sat down at the table far from the boss and nearest to the entrance, pretending to work. A call from my smartphone interrupted my thoughts about the character of Illea, whose behavior was completely incomprehensible to me. Normally I don't pick up the phone when the call comes from a number I don't know. But here somehow my heart tingled, and, wondering if anything had happened to my father on the voyage, I answered the phone.

"Are you trying to put me on trial?!" came from the speaker of the phone. I could hardly recognize Sensei's voice in this angry and irritated hiss. "I really thought you were a master of unconventional solutions, but you turned out to be a banal adrenaline junkie! I'm expelling you from the team and making sure the university revokes your sabbatical."

I'm sitting here and I don't understand. I don't understand anything at all! What have I done?!

"Were you even thinking with your head? There was a full moon the day before yesterday!!! What if someone saw you while we were talking and then at the Temple? You don't think about yourself but why drag me along? I specifically told you not to go through the Arch on a full moon...! I thought you were smarter than that..."

"Wait a minute. Sensei, don't hang up. Hear me out... I didn't go on a pilgrimage."

"What?!" I can tell by his intonation that he doesn't believe me.

"After our conversation, I thought a lot. But I still decided to save up for the surgery. I got a job... Coach, I work from five in the morning to midnight, with a few breaks! I just wouldn't have had time, even if such a stupid thing had crossed my mind..." His breathing, intermittent and angry, suggested that the ice of distrust had not yet been broken. "You want me to put my boss on the phone, and he'll confirm it!"

"To the boss?" Was it just me, or did I hear an exhale of relief?

"Yes, he's not far away, I can..."

"Don't... But then how?"

"What's the matter?! " What's going on with my life lately? It's turned into a bunch of ridiculous things. "Sensei, I don't understand..."

"I mean what you did in your game the day before yesterday, the replay of which was devoted almost a third of the "Game Arena" time."

"Gaming Arena?" It was only after Shin Yang's words that I realized I had missed the last episode of this program. It was a project sponsored by Avalon Games and dedicated entirely to the BAA. Of course, it wasn't broadcast on TV but it was very popular on the web among the gaming community.

"Coach, I start work before dawn and finish when the sun is long gone!" The fact that today is the first day of work on such a schedule, I prudently omit. "I don't even have time to play, let alone watch anything, everything is eaten up by work and practice. In two months I only played one game in the Diamond. And that was the day before yesterday!" I'm losing my excuses as I realize exactly what Yang said. "Replay?!"

"Yeah... So what you show out yesterday was not a consequence of the pilgrimage?"

"No, sensei! I swear before the Face of Hades!"

"So..." Yang stretched out in response. "Don't call this number, it's a burner phone, I'll throw it away. And... I'm sorry. I should have listened to you before I accused you. I acted inappropriately. I behave like a boy. I hope this incident doesn't affect our relationship..."

He's clearly uncomfortable, so when he barely hears my confused assurances that I accept his apology, he hangs up. It's a good thing no one's looking at me because this conversation is making me a little shaky. Gee, Sensei thought that my victory the day before yesterday was due to a prayer that Heard or the Face found under the shadow of the Arch. However, the end of the fight was epic, and he knows that I am not, to put it mildly, in shape. So he really could have come to that conclusion. Especially when you remember that he offered me to pass the Arch, and then the day after this conversation, he sees the replay, in which I so unusually finish the match. By the way... There seems to be no urgent work, and you can connect headphones to the touch table. Going online, I put one earphone in my ear, so that it was invisible from the counter, and went to the "Game Arena" website.

I usually check the gaming news, monitor individual branches of the BAA forum, and, of course, watch replays of the top teams in the world. "Game Arena" is a program with an emphasis on the elements of the show. Beautiful moments, analysis of tournament fights, again with a bias not so much in analytics, as in spectacle. The show is for entertainment, and yet it was the most popular show in terms of viewers. I didn't miss it before either, but this morning I just didn't have time to watch it.

It was about a quarter of an hour before the restaurant opened, so I didn't have time to see the whole show. Of course, I could have postponed the most interesting part for the evening, but my curiosity prevented me from doing so.

As always, the program was hosted by its irreplaceable host, Will Coddy. Three years ago the project he started was just an amateurish stunt, albeit a popular one. But since the Avalon Games bought out the Gaming Arena channel, it has reached a different level. It was no longer just Will, but an entire team working on the format, the pitch, the selection of clips, and the themes. That, of course, affected its quality. Even I, an experienced player, found it interesting to watch, although the main audience the project was designed for was newbies or occasional gamers.

After scrolling to the place I wanted, I turned on playback:

"As you know..." Cody's voice, from the first time you hear it, is captivating in its depth and timbre. "We review the replays you send in until Monday, as we have to prepare the clip, cut it up, and comment on it, all of which take time. But our regular viewers may remember the rare exceptions to this rule. Certainly, this week our editorial staff received many interesting game entries, and we were already preparing one of them for airing."

"But as you already know from the beginning of our program, yesterday I had a guest with Lex Alipov, who you all know. The captain of the Axes of the Scythians team, the reigning BAA Avalon champion, and a World Cup silver medalist. And no, we didn't drink beer or just reminisce, as many of you thought, judging by the comments. He also helped me with preparations for the broadcast. While I was editing one of the clips, he was browsing the game forum. There he found the replay that we'll show today. And not only will we show it, but Lex will do a full analysis of the game he's interested in. My preface is already too long, so I'll let our champion speak."

"Hongi, dear viewers," Lex Alipov came on the air. "I should say right away that it was not my intention to interfere in the work on the almost finished program. It so happened that, while browsing the forum, I noticed one striking detail. One of the new threads had accumulated over five hundred comments in less than a day, and this thread was in the section of gaming bugs. Having quickly grasped the essence and viewed the replay attached to the topic..."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"You said: "Sometimes people get lucky. I remember," Will interrupted him. "Also, you suggested that I watch the end of the game, and I agreed with you that yes, it's lucky. Really, many of you have had the most unbelievable experiences in your life where one player's luck throws you off your game plan and helps you win, or vice versa. Or, on the contrary, it made you lose a game you thought you had already won. But there was something about this game that got you, and you watched it again, didn't you?"

"More precisely, I watched it three times," corrects the presenter Lex.

"Then you called me again, and I looked at this replay differently, in light of your comments. And then, having secured the consent of a player of such caliber as Lex Alipov to analyze this game on the air... our team still decided to present this particular game in the "Replay of the Week" column. Back to you, Lex."

On the screen ran a replay of my game, or rather the final part, the last seconds of the battle ...

"As you and I have just seen, the Stormtrooper of the defensive team failed to shoot the Sniper of the attackers at point-blank range and caught a bullet right in the bridge of his nose." Judging by Alipov's intonation, he was not annoyed by the fact that he was constantly interrupted by Will, apparently, this manner of presentation was rehearsed in advance.

"Attentive viewers have already realized that the "Runner to Boot" weapon was taken out of action by the Sniper's first shot. Let me say at once that what you observed is not a game bug. Recall that three years ago, after a change of the game engine and improvements to the physics model the Battle Arena of Avalon was implemented with almost complete destructibility. It is now possible to shoot through thin walls, collapse the roof with an explosion, make a passage where there was none before with mines or grenades, and so on. Also, this destructibility has affected the players' weapons. But in the next patch, after numerous complaints about weapons being destroyed by grenade fragments or close explosions, the program durability of weapons was increased."

"Yes, close bursts and accidental shrapnel no longer jam your submachine gun or rifle. But a direct hit of a bullet in the barrel is still fatal for the functionality of your weapon. I think many of you have encountered this example at least once in your games. Perhaps you are asking yourself, why did we choose this particular replay, where the victory of one of the teams was due to sheer luck? Let me explain... There's undoubtedly a bit of luck in the outcome of this game, but only a fraction... Why should I think so? After watching the fight several times, I saw something that escapes me with a cursory glance. I'll try to tell you my thoughts, I'm not a great orator, but I hope you'll understand." That's an understatement on Lex's part. He's got a good voice and a good speech delivery. He probably doesn't have much experience in public speaking but he's not shy or nervous.

"Let's first look at the entire fight, and then we'll look at its key points in much more detail. The first thing worth noting is, of course, that this is a random, non-team battle in the Diamond League..."

"As you know, fights in the Diamond are not frequent guests on our program, because they are too "correct" and uninteresting to the viewer, although they are full of internal hidden tension. But believe me, this fight is an exception," the announcer inserts into the Avalon champion's monologue. "Sorry for the interruption, Lex, carry on."

"Yes, first of all, we should pay attention to all players' understanding of their role. Even the death of the attacking Jaeger is not "noobism" as it may seem. Note, if he succeeded in this pass in the first minute, and he goes into the rear of the defenders, and it could decide the outcome of the battle. Risky? Absolutely! But remember the quarterfinals of last year, when my team lost one game after our opponent made a solo raid behind the lines. Only our defense's medical calculation avoided such an outcome. Moving on..."

Thus, switching to watching on behalf of one player or another, Lex parsed almost all the main points of the match within two minutes. Almost consisted in the fact that in this general "parsing" he did not touch me or the Runner.

"My opinion of this game, based on the review... " sums up the preliminary results of Lex. "The usual random game in Diamond. By the way, I would recommend all the players from the lower leagues to take a closer look at this game for themselves and look for what they can learn here. Including by analyzing the mistakes made by the players in this battle..." taking a sip of water, he continues. "Don't be surprised, I remember what this program is called! It was only an introduction, not my attempt to write down a game guide."

"Thank you, Lex, and I was beginning to worry," says the presenter with feigned relief.

"It's not even the finale that made such a splash on the forum and on many fansites that's really interesting. It's worthy of being called "replay of the week" for a slightly different reason... That reason is the comparison of two opposing game concepts, which are very clearly evident in the final duel! Yes, yes, no less. Consider our first hero. The offensive Sniper is CapNemo. Let's take a look at his stats. It's immediately obvious: we're looking at a very experienced player. Years of experience multiplied by a pretty decent amount of wins. But as soon as we observe his actions in battle..." Immediately a replay is launched on behalf of my character.

"How it becomes clear that he is a mediocre marksman. Yes, undoubtedly experienced and, I would even say, superbly tactically trained... Many points confirm this, but the clearest proof of my assertion is this fragment of the battle." The recording is of me retreating under the smokes.

"Most in this episode would throw one grenade to retreat, and that would be a mistake. Just two smoke in this situation, covering the four possible escape routes at once, provides the best chance of survival. This ability not to be greedy, not to be stingy comes only with very much experience or due to the kicks of the coach, I know..." Rewind the fragment to the moment of the enemy Jaeger's attack.

"And yet CapNemo, despite all his skills, understanding of the game, and knowledge of the map, plays poorly as for Diamond. How could he miss in this situation? The enemy Jaeger is only twenty meters away from him and he's busy killing others, not breaking through to the Sniper! Yes, of course, he moves, surfs, jumps uses obstacles as cover... But when has that served as a sufficient reason for Diamond's Sniper to miss in such a situation? And yet look... The railgun shot is a miss. Switching to a revolver, shot - hit. But a glancing one! CapNemo still has time for one more volley before the enemy's stealth attack rolls off, but he walks away. Why? Obviously, he's not sure he's going to make a fatality with that one shot, so he runs away. That is, we have a player who is well aware of the limits of his abilities. Consider further the actions of this player..."

For a minute or so, Alipov was either laughing my ass off, making a mockery of my blunders, or genuinely admiring my "training," setting an example of it even to many pro-players.

"Now let's move on to the second member of the final duel. The defense stormtrooper is the "Runner to Boot". Open his stats..." The player's public profile page appears on the screen.

"Yes, yes... I felt like wiping my eyes, too. But no, I see the same thing as you, my dear viewers. The Diamond League. World ranking: 7562. Victories: 511. And the date of registration of the character - thirty-four days ago. After getting over the initial shock caused by these numbers, I thought that this was a twin of one of the best players in the world. Because to get to Diamond for half a thousand in random battles is an accomplishment that even I would have a hard time repeating. Yes, that's right... In the team rankings by creating a twink and inviting friends over, I would have made it to the Diamond for 200 wins. But in random? With random allies? I'm not sure I could do something like that," Lex said after taking another sip of water.

"My expert opinion at the beginning was as follows: Runner is one of the fifty top players in the world who decided to create an alternative character. I was even curious who was hiding under that nickname, since you, dear viewers, guess I know all the players of that level... Otherwise, how else would my team have made it to the world finals? But after watching the replay three times, I've changed my mind. Look..." The replay switches to a view from the Runner's face.

"The very beginning of the battle. This is where our hero is, and, as we already know, he is going to move here." The red circle on the game map shows the end point of his route at this point in the game. "I would have taken two alternate paths," Lex marks these routes with red arrows. "But the Runner chooses a different path. Let's see. He's running... Where? It's a dead-end! Here he reaches the wall, sees the wall, turns on the jet, and flies over the obstacle." Alipov stops recording.

"But we know that behind the rubble in twenty meters the ceiling collapsed and a dead corner, interesting only by a good sniper position. What was he thinking with this maneuver?! Let us see further on." The recording continues.

"What? When he gets to the cubbyhole, he freezes, looks around, and... And... Yes?! He comes back?! He jumps back and runs in the footsteps of his allies. As a consequence, the Runner doesn't get there in time for the first encounter. And his team, playing with virtually nine men at the start of the game, despite earning first blood, completely fails the opening game. I confess, here I thought that behind the keyboard sits not the one who reached Diamond in only five hundred victories, but perhaps his little brother who learned the password? Or was it a so-called "buyer" at all? Or, to put it another way, a "professionally pumped" player. It is no secret that there are those in the BAA who offer to pump your character up to a certain league or earn some very cool achievements for a fee."

"But... And that conclusion turned out to be false! Watch what happens next... The death of an ally gives the Runner two flashes. He knows that there are two attack Stormtroopers nearby, in the next open corridor. So what does he do? Without a second's hesitation, he flies over that corridor at an oblique angle in a jet! Those who have used a Jetpack know that the physics model implemented in Battle Arena of Avalon is good enough to make jet-powered flight not feel like a smooth ride. The jet shakes as if you were riding a huge firecracker. To hit the target while shooting during a jet jump, you have to be a game genius!"

"Someone like you," Will cut into the vice-champion's monologue.

"You're giving me too much credit. In the time it takes for the Runner to sweep over the corridor, he has the opportunity to produce two bursts. Watch the first. Two bullets out of three hit: one in the back, one in the head! The second turn. All three hits: leg, waist, shoulder! Fatal! Could I do something like that again? Guaranteed definitely not. I would have fired both rounds at one. Because you have to turn the barrel on the second target before you even know if you hit it the first time! Sounds to me like it's more profitable to make a hundred percent minus one than to risk not hitting anyone. Follow the Runner further..."

"Here he recklessly sets himself up and finds himself in the crosshairs of the enemy. The enemy's weapon is aimed at him, and Tyra is aiming for another corridor. Notice, the Runner does not see the enemy! He looks the other way, the fact that he is detected only gives away the light on the minimap. His opponent is not a noob or novice, but a Diamond League player, so the outcome of this microduel is already a foregone conclusion? No, it isn't! Microjet to the side, and the enemy's turn goes to the left! This is only possible if the activation of the jet happened a split second before his opponent pulled the trigger. Phenomenal! But it is! The Runner reacted to one dot on the Minimap faster than the Diamond player, who had seen the enemy silhouette in his crosshairs, had time to click! Next..."

If to believe Alipov's parsing, "Runner to Boot" is the exact opposite of me. A brilliant player with phenomenal reactions and literally inhuman flair, but a complete noob! He's confused about the map. Poorly aware of the timings of both allies and enemies. Doesn't know the usual tactical ties. Almost completely ignores the actions of his team. Takes risks where he doesn't have to, and, conversely, is cautious when it is necessary to go ahead.

"And here we are close to the finale... A finale in which two opposites collide. On one side: a genius who plays only on his talent. On the other: a mediocre player in many ways, but perfectly trained and able to think with his head." This is the first time I've heard that from him, and it's still kind of a shame about that "mediocre," I'm injured!

"Honestly, if you didn't know the ending beforehand, who would you have bet on in this duel? I would have bet on the Runner. And after watching the third replay, I thought that the attackers won only by luck. But... I watched it again with our esteemed host, and we noticed something that had eluded us before. Let's see! Here's the key moment of the game! The score is nine to nine. And there's a repeat in the attackers' chat about the Runner Stormtrooper with Jett and Tyra. Note this moment: CapNemo, who had previously run to the guard observation terminal, freezes for half a second and changes his route. This is it! The key moment of the game! No firefights, no luck, no explosions. Everything was decided at that very second. A moment of insight, it's pompous but that's what I'll call it." How accurately he calculated the moment when I realized what my chance was!

"Cap is now heading for the toy store on the third floor. Knowledgeable players understand the disadvantage of this position in this situation. Yes, it's an excellent firing range, but there are only three escape routes. One is to return the same way you came, and the other two, which lead directly to the enemy! Has a player who has shown an excellent understanding of the game and knowledge of the map made such a mistake? No, I assure you, no. He understands all too well; this is the most convenient place to initiate a counter-court battle. In addition, the toy store, unlike other convenient points for sniping, is in the old part of the terminal! This, too, is a key point. This makes those who don't know the outcome of the battle smile. Fighting on the counter course? Sniper versus Stormtrooper? The Cap and the Runner? The chances of the former are nil! A minimal comparison of the play potential of these two players leaves the attacker's Sniper no chance at all. But, as it turns out, that's not what Cap is counting on! His chance lies in the weaponry of the Runner. The Tyra rifle differs from any other assault weapon in the game in having the longest barrel. A trifle? Yes, but it's what gives the assault team a chance to win... And, mind you, if the Runner had just run from Cap the rest of the game time, he would have won 100 percent. The map is too big and closed, with enough hiding places to hide from one enemy. But would you do that? You have five frags, one more, and you get the "Brilliant" achievement, which is given for killing six enemy players. And the badge will be in a diamond rim! Even I only have four of them! No, there are plenty of "shiny" ones, of course, but there are only four in the diamond cant, yes. Would you hide? As a reminder, this is not a tournament, but a regular game session for interest and rankings. I wouldn't shy away from a fight because I'd estimate my chances as nine out of ten, quite a reasonable risk for such a badge!"

"Absolutely!" Will Coddy shares his opinion. "I would have done the same thing."

"Exactly. That's why we immediately dismiss all the negativity poured out on the Runner by his team after the fight. That's what any of them would have done. But back to the denouement. In the first collision, Cap legally misses the target coming on the jete. It's clear from the subsequent actions that he didn't expect to hit. His goal was to impose the right place of battle on his opponent. And not just any particular point on the map, but a place with a certain set of characteristics. This set includes a narrow corridor, concrete, impenetrable by "Tyra" walls, and right angles of turns and intersections. And this is exactly what is found only in the old part of the terminal! The depth of Cap's calculation... It's staggering! No less than Runner's reaction and instincts. But back to the replay. The second encounter. Cap is late with his shot, and the Runner shows us a repetition of his trick, dodging what seemed to be a guaranteed death on the side flurry of the jetpack. That's it? Gg wp2?"

"Everyone involved in the duel understands: the Railgun is on reload. One shot from the revolver does not kill the Stormtrooper, unless it hits the bridge of the nose, of course, and even two bullets out of three from Tyra hitting the Sniper ends the game. The finale? But it's not. Watch what Cap does. No, not the fact that he jumps back around the corner and gets the Cougar, that's all that's called for. Look at the way he stands up and where he's aiming! He doesn't raise the barrel to head level, which means he's not hoping to make a fatality. And that's right, if the enemy comes at him sideways instead of strafing, Cap will get two bullets in his side before he has a vulnerable point of the enemy in his sights. So he's not counting on a shot like that. His plan is different. Yes, yes, you know what I mean, don't you? Exactly. Getting hit in the barrel of the Tyra isn't luck. It's a calculation! The result of a perfectly executed plan! A plan that came to the Sniper's mind the very moment he saw the mention of "Tyra" in the chat room for the second time! Watch." The screen shows a frame-by-frame unfolding of the battle.

"The Runner can not shorten the distance on the jet, he just activated it, escaping from the tracer railgun, and his jet is on cooldown. Jumping from the corner is to knock down the sight, and there's no need, he is well aware that in this situation he will kill the enemy guaranteed if he does not fidget. In my opinion, this is probably the only moment in the battle when the Runner is tactically correct! And paradoxically, this is what leads to his defeat. Once again, let's switch, to CapNemo. Only by accepting that the shot is not accidental do you begin to see and understand... The player models are the same height, the weapons are always displayed at the same level and it is at the height of this level that the Sniper points his weapon. The first thing we see is a shadow. I'm sure Cap has his finger on the left mouse button ready for an instant reaction! Look further, the barrel of the Tyra just appears as a shot follows immediately!..! I've measured the time of the appearance of the barrel and the moment of the shot are fifty-seven milliseconds apart, taking into account that Cap's ping is seventeen... But such reactions don't happen to people, and if this sniper had such data, he would have been number one in the world ranking long ago with his understanding of the game! The conclusion is that the player was shooting from the shadows!" In fact, I was reacting on instinct at this point and pulled the trigger before I saw the barrel, mindful of my injury.

"It's awesome! Isn't it?! Obviously, this outcome is largely an accident, too many things could have gone wrong and gone wrong because of a dozen little things. Nevertheless, to deny that it is, if I may say so, "prepared coincidence," is impossible! Two different players, two approaches to the game collided in the final duel of the match: talent or preparation, reaction or calculation, instinct or plan? Which was more important to win? You know, I'm grateful to CapNemo that the duel ended that way! It proves that BAA isn't just a "pee-pee", "bang-bang-bang" game, but one in which strategy is just as important as a reaction, ping, and FPS!..!"

I couldn't finish the program, the alarm clock beeped two minutes after twelve. I turned down the viewing window, hid the earpiece, got up from the table, and, fixing my kimono, stood in front of Aloya, who was already ready to open the restaurant.

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