Episode 1
August 6, 2025
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the finals of the first World Glory Championships!" the MC shouted to the colorful seas of crowds all around the Letzigrund Stadium.
"As for now, Team South Korea has scored five points ahead of Team China from the last match, but it's not over yet for the two cause up next is the Team Challenge! Let's give it up for a little announcement before we get going!"
The audience went wild as the players from both teams entered the stadium and walked to their assigned seats. Chinese and South Korean flags could be seen flying among the roaring crowds, and thousands more signs and lightsticks were twinkling among the visible darkness. If there was one word to describe the current atmosphere, it would be intense.
Meanwhile, the twelve competing players took out their keyboards and inserted their account cards. The looks of determination and fear could be seen from their eyes as they put on the headphones. With fingers on the keyboards and mouses, they were ready to face the worst that they might have to face.
Then the center screen showed the line-ups of the players from both countries.
"Each team will have six people in the Team Challenge. Five players and one substitute," the announcer explained. "The substitute will be on the map, waiting in the substitution zone. When one player is killed, the substitute can take over.
The team that killed all of their opponents will win six points. If a player breaks any league records, that player's team will be awarded extra two points!"
"Thank you for the announcement. And without further ado, let the match begin!" the MC declared.
With that, the screen changed to a live video of the players running among the snow in the fantastical desert setting, approaching closer to the center point of the map.
"Look at what both of these phenomenal teams have," commented the announcer.
"On South Korea's side, they got the legendary Seraphim and Blink of an Eye, operated by Shin Yonghwa and Kim Janghun respectively, with the rest of their team not far behind them.
For Team China, they have the god Swoksaar, operated by Yu Wenzhou. His teammates are now running past him to make their first attacks on the opponents."
The figures started to heavily clash with each other the moment they met each other. Sounds of gunshots and clanging of blades reverberated around the wasteland scene like war music. Everyone fought with all their might, minds, and hearts as they kept on clicking and tapping on their keyboards and mouses.
"Oh, oh, oh, Blink of an Eye has got China's cleric, Immovable Rock, in danger...and got him killed!" the announcer cried. "And now Vaccaria is chasing Blink of an Eye for revenge. I'm going to tell you that this is a very tight match between the two teams!"
And indeed it was a tight match. The crowd cheered louder for the players, building up the tension in everyone in the stadium. It was also no different for the players as adrenaline continued to pump inside their bodies, but they kept themselves cool and composed for the sake of the match.
The minutes went by very quickly, and so did the dropping rate of health points. As the players got killed one by one, the match got more and more heated.
And so was the fiery aura that emanated from the last Korean player standing. She bit her red lips as her grayish-brown eyes were focusing on defeating the two Chinese players that still remained. She was more than determined to keep going even though all of her teammates were down.
"Miso, you can do this!" Yonghwa cheered on from the benches.
"Yeah, Miso," Janghun joined in. "Go kick their butts!"
"Thanks Shin oppa and Janghun oppa," Miso replied before she smirked.
"But now I'll show you who's the boss gunner here, Zhou oppa," she added in Chinese as her character, Snowfire Star aimed at her approaching target - Zhou Zekai's character that went by the name Cloud Piercer.
Without saying anything in return, he ran up on the icy rocks and shot a couple of bullets at Snowfire Star, but she dodged all of them with her quick reflexes.
"Wow, finally coming out of your shell, huh?" Miso remarked mockingly. "Well, you better come back, cause you'll get wrecked soon."
Again, Zekai didn't say anything, but continued with his fight against her. They kept shooting and throwing grenades at each other for the next few minutes. But as they avoided each other's attacks, it seemed like that the battle was going nowhere. A stalemate, an endless battle until...
"Zhou oppa, there's something on your eyes," Miso gleefully pointed out, causing Zekai to pause his movements.
"Actually, no, no, no, no, I'm sorry! I mean your face. Your face is turning red!"
Zekai was as handsome as he always was, but not a single tint of redness could be seen from his face. Though flustered, he continued to press on.
"Or maybe, I tell you a secret of mine," Miso simpered while they battled some more. "Promise me that you'll spare me."
No responses came out of his lips, but his character stopped moving and his attentive face seemed to say "go on."
"I actually like you from afar since you debutted. When I first saw you on television, I couldn't help, but fancy you. Your face, your fighting style, everything," Miso admitted as she got an upper hand for a while and shot his character to near death. "You may not say much, but that's what makes you all the more interesting. Zhou oppa, I hope you like me back."
The crowd immediately went silent out of shock.
Miso chuckled nervously as her face slowly warmed from her sudden confession. What had she done?
"What just happened?" the announcer wondered. "Snowfire Star just did something that I have never seen in any of the Glory matches. Is she being real here or is it just for a distraction?"
Apart from the bewildered MC, everyone began to whisper loudly among themselves about what Miso had said and the meaning.
"Did Jung Miso say that she has a crush on Zhou Zekai?"
"Is this another of Miso's tactics!? I never thought she would do this!"
"That's insane, using a love confession to defeat him? How shameless!"
Arguments and debates sprang from almost everywhere in the benches before a clear voice rang from the arena, silencing the crowds.
"You? Me? No."
It came from Zekai himself. Miso's hopeful smile faltered into a disappointed one.
"Let's end this."
Still not over with his answer, Miso returned back into the battle for the final showdown. Though her character managed to survive Zekai's attacks, the resolute look on her face was already gone. Her usually nimble fingers became stiffer as she made an attempt to escape.
Snowfire Star dashed through the cold, arid plains when spectral lines of dark energy began to chase her from not far. She glanced back, but before she could run again, the lurking strings grabbed her limbs like an octopus' tentacles. The hapless mechanic could only get a glimpse of her attacker, a warlock, before she was pulled through the menacing gate, ending her only chance for retaliation.
Miso and her teammates sighed out of disappointment as the MC announced that Team China won ahead of them by one point. After she and her teammates shook hands with the Chinese players, she walked to the bathrooms when she saw Janghun searching for her.
"Miso!" Janghun's scream echoed in the halls as he approached her.
When Janghun met her, he could see her downtrodden face. "Miso, what's wrong?"
"We lost," Miso lamented. "We tried our very best, but we still lost."
"You already did your best, Miso." Janghun gave her a weak smile. "We can win next year."
"But still, I could have done something different and killed the two guys."
"Forget about the winners. The thing is that you already have won me with your smile and hard work."
Miso giggled quietly. "Janghun oppa, you are being a cheesy friend again."
"My Miso's back to normal again. The sun's back guy-"
Miso tapped Janghun's shoulders. "Shut up. Our friends are waiting for us, so let's go."
After arriving at the team's room, Miso and Janghun met their teammates.
"Janghun, you're back!" Yonghwa spoke. "What took you so long?"
"I was looking for Miso, and here she was," Janghun replied as he and Miso went to their seats.
"Solji unnie, did I miss anything?" Miso asked her close friend and fellow teammate.
"No, Miso," Solji answered. "We're about to get started actually."
Miso smiled at Solji and sat on her seat with her bag on her lap. "Thank you."
The players got themselves ready for what Yonghwa got to say to them. But when Yonghwa was about to speak, Miso could feel her phone vibrating repeatedly from her bag. She took a quick look at who was calling her before raising her hand.
"Excuse me, Shin oppa," Miso said. "I got a call from my eomma."
"Sure," Yonghwa replied.
"Thanks, Shin oppa," Miso thanked him as she exited the room.
It was highly unusual for her eomma to call Miso at this time, and she knew that something bad must have happened as uneasiness crept behind her back. She answered the call, confirming the worst.
"Eomma, what's wrong?" Miso questioned.
"Your...your...your appa…" her eomma's voice cracked from crying "Is dead."
"Wait what? Could you say it clearer, eomma?"
"Miso, your appa is gone."
"Wh-wh-why?" Miso stared at the corridor walls in confusion.
"He got into a car accident hours ago and got into hospital, but before he...could get treated, he...was...pronounced...dead."
This time, Miso was left speechless. Silence ensued and lasted for a moment before her eomma spoke again.
"When are you going back?"
"Tomorrow. I'll see you then, eomma."
"Bye, Miso."
It was a huge loss in the championships before, and now her father was gone. Could things get any worse than this?
Hopefully not, she told herself. Because everything will get better soon.