Riley's hands wouldn't stop shaking.
He flexed his fingers inside the sleek VR gauntlets, watching calibration circles blink green along the edge of his visor. The prep room sat cold and silent around him—just the hum of ventilation and the faint, distant roar of the crowd far above.
The Realmwalker Five-Year Anniversary World Championship.
The biggest event the game had ever hosted.
He had dreamed of this moment for half a decade.
So why did it feel like his lungs were stuffed with ice?
> "Player Riley Grant, prepare for deployment."
The system voice was calm. Indifferent.
A glowing countdown materialized in his HUD:
1 minute 30 seconds.
Ninety seconds until the match.
Ninety seconds until he proved he belonged…
—or confirmed what everyone whispered behind his back.
Riley exhaled and rested a hand on the stone-colored Bindstone clipped to his belt. It pulsed faintly, and his Spirit's ghostly outline shimmered into view beside him—broad-shouldered, gorilla-shaped, plated in slabs of rough stone. Even in standby, it looked capable of ripping open the floor.
"Alright, big guy," Riley muttered. "Let's get through this."
The Brute rumbled. Amber eyes steady. Dull. Unafraid.
Must be nice.
The prep-room door slid open with a soft hiss.
A tall avatar stepped inside—dark cloak, angular armor, golden eyes beneath a simple steel circlet.
Andy Lendrim.
Top-ten ranked pro. Regional champion.
The man most people expected to win the entire tournament.
Andy gave Riley a polite nod. Not arrogant. Not mocking.
Just… impossibly confident.
"First time on the main stage?" he asked while tightening his vambrace.
Riley swallowed. "Yeah."
Andy smiled faintly. "Relax. The first match is always the hardest. Just breathe."
The kindness made Riley more nervous. He didn't want pity from a legend.
A chime sounded.
The room dissolved into swirling white light.
The ground slammed into place beneath Riley as the arena generated around him—rings of jagged stone pillars surrounding a floating platform suspended above a bottomless void.
The crowd's roar hit like a physical force.
Thousands of avatars filled the stands, cheering, chanting, waving banners. Holographic screens overhead replayed highlights of previous rounds.
> "Opening match for Bracket C!"
Spotlights swept the arena.
> "On the north side—Riley Grant, making his first-ever tournament appearance, representing Iron Flock!"
Scattered applause. Lukewarm at best.
> "And on the south side—regional champion, tournament favorite, top-ten pro—Andy Lendrim of Aetherfall!"
The arena exploded with cheers.
Aetherfall banners brightened the stands in a sea of blue and silver.
Andy gave a calm wave.
Riley forced his throat not to close.
He raised his Bindstone.
"Stoneback—let's go."
The Bindstone shattered in a burst of earthen light. Dust spiraled upward, coalescing into the hulking form of the Stoneback Brute. It slammed its fists into the arena floor, cracks webbing outward from the impact. Its rumbling roar vibrated through Riley's chest.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
> "Classic tank pick," one commentator said. "Reliable, but outdated in the current meta."
"True. Stoneback hits hard early—but pros know how to dismantle it."
Across the arena, Andy lifted his hand gently.
"Take flight—Skyrazor Wyvern."
His Bindstone shattered into brilliant azure shards. Light twisted into a long, serpentine body. Wings unfurled—razor-sharp feathers glowing with electricity.
A majestic wyvern hovered above the ground, lightning crawling between its talons.
The crowd roared approval.
Riley's stomach dropped.
Top-tier. Meta-dominant. Perfect for a pro like Andy.
This was bad.
A chime.
Riley moved instantly.
"Stoneback—forward! Boulder Rush!"
The Brute thundered ahead, dust exploding under its fists.
Andy simply pointed upward.
"Altitude."
The Wyvern shot skyward in a streak of blue-silver. Stoneback's leap clawed at empty air.
Of course.
Open with zoning.
Force him to waste initiation.
"Anchor stance—Stone Guard!"
Stone thickened over the Brute's body. A barrier of glowing orange runes snapped into place.
Andy didn't wait.
"Tempest Blades."
The Wyvern dove low, wing edges slicing the air. Dozens of wind crescents hammered the Brute's barrier—thwip-thwip-thwip—each impact shaking Riley's haptics.
Riley breathed slowly.
"Wait for it… now—Faultline!"
Stoneback smashed the ground. A crack tore through the arena floor. Jagged spikes erupted upward—
One clipped the Wyvern's wing.
The crowd gasped.
Opportunity.
"Seismic Grip!"
A gravity well exploded beneath Stoneback, dragging the Wyvern downward. It crashed onto the platform in a burst of sparks.
Riley's pulse raced.
"Seismic—"
"Skyvault."
Andy's voice was calm.
A flash of white.
The Wyvern blinked out—
—and reappeared high above in a ring of hovering sigils.
Stoneback's molten-charged fists slammed into nothing but stone, cracks rippling across the platform.
The counter was flawless.
Riley froze.
"Recover! Stoneback, brace—"
Too slow.
"Razor Descent."
The Wyvern plummeted, lightning spiraling around its body. It struck Stoneback's chest like a meteor. Riley's haptics shuddered violently.
"Back! Earth Shove—!"
Stoneback staggered, pushing the Wyvern back inches—only inches—
"Circle him," Andy commanded. "Tempest Ring."
The Wyvern spiraled in a tight loop around the Brute, unleashing a ring of slicing wind blades that chewed into the stone armor.
Riley's breathing spiked.
Think. Recover. Don't panic—
"Thunderfall."
The sky split open.
Lightning rained down, each bolt exploding across Stoneback's chest.
Riley slapped his ultimate command.
"Stoneback—Stonewall!—"
Half a cast bar.
A final bolt struck.
Stoneback shattered into dust and fading light.
Silence.
Then the arena detonated in cheers.
Riley stared at the dissolving motes of his Spirit.
His hands trembled.
His chest felt hollow.
Andy landed lightly. The Wyvern hovered behind him.
He looked at Riley—not smug. Not superior.
Just calm.
Respectful.
He nodded once.
Somehow, that hurt even more.
Because Andy wasn't saying You lost.
He was saying:
You tried. You fought.
But you weren't ready.
The arena dissolved. Riley re-spawned in the prep chamber as his HUD filled with stats he didn't want to read.
A notification pinged. Incoming message.
He closed his eyes.
He already knew what it was.
And somehow… it hurt more than the defeat.