Rise

Lin Feng and the Gang had managed to deal with the Moonlight Cafe, successfully defending the NetCow Cafe. Then they decided to continue on with more practice games while waiting for the next challenger to come in. But all the patrons at the NetCow Cafe were now fired up, and the excitement was palpable in the air. Even though Lin Feng and the gang were only crushing random players in what they considered to be practice games, the entire crowd pushed closer to the stage to watch and continued to cheer just as loudly as they had during the match with the Moonlight Cafe.

All of the regulars at the NetCow Cafe now understood that Lin Feng and the gang were god-tier players! There was no longer any doubt in their skills, especially not after how cleanly they stomped on the challenging team from Moonlight Cafe. That was the moment that public sentiment at the NetCow Cafe completely turned. Before, the NetCow regulars had some lingering doubts about their team. It was entirely plausible that the practice game was staged to build up hype, and that their team was playing against low ELO players on the other team. But when Lin Feng and the Gang destroyed the Moonlight Cafe’s team, those doubts were washed away.

But the victory wasn’t even the sweetest part of the whole thing for the NetCow regulars. Nor was it the best part. The thing that allowed Lin Feng and the Gang to win the hearts of everyone who visited the NetCow cafe, the real best part, was what happened after the match ended. The look of embarrassment and baby-rage on the faces of both the players from the Moonlight Cafe and the Owner was the cherry on the sundae that had been that match. The NetCow regulars savored that look, and its taste was made even sweeter by how cocky they’d been before the match kicked off. All in all, the day started out great for the NetCow regulars. Their cafe had won, and that victory was a truly sweet one!

This was a big moment for the patrons of the NetCow Cafe. They were not playing up on the stage themselves, but they were being represented by Lin Feng and the Gang. Their honor was on the line with every challenge, and the Gang was fighting for their honor! And with that line of reasoning came a slow rumbling, a thought that gained momentum through the minds and hearts of the NetCow regulars. That thought was that it was a pity that the NetCow Cafe decided to go for the Immovable Mt. Tai prize. Now that they’d recognized how powerful Lin Feng and the Gang were, they decided that it was quite possible for them to win the Conqueror prize. Easily. Just the thought of that got their blood pumping even more! But they knew, unfortunately, that such a thing was not meant to be. They were more than fine with winning the Immovable Mt. Tai prize, which they considered theirs already.

In some ways, this was better. At least, that’s what the NetCow Cafe regulars told themselves. There was real weight behind that argument too, because of one simple fact. If the NetCow Cafe’s team decided to go for the Conqueror Prize, they’d be running around challenging other internet cafes. The NetCow regulars wouldn’t all be able to follow their team and watch the matches. Some internet cafes were far away, and other customers had transportation issues. Besides, it was much more comfortable and enjoyable to stay at their regular spot and watch other teams getting wrecked.

“Hey, how come the next Challenger still isn’t here?”

“Yeah, it’s been like 20 minutes already. You’d think they’d be here by now.”

“Come on! I’m tired of waiting!”

The waiting was getting to the NetCow regulars, and they were starting to get a little stir crazy. The first best-of-three against a challenger was exciting and entertaining, but it ended a bit too quickly. Now that their bloodlust was up, they needed to see more challengers getting stomped on to satisfy their cravings!