When Ethan Reed posted on the Official Blog, he hadn't expected it to explode this fast.
The small "QAQ" he added at the end—something Vivian Frost forced him to include—turned what should have been a normal announcement into pure chaos.
Vivian, sitting beside him, refreshed the page and immediately saw the engagement skyrocket.
Her lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Without hesitation, she tapped like and left her own comment:
"Tremble, players. I'm insanely strong!"
Within seconds, the replies flooded in.
"Master Ball capture!"
"Front row hugging the mascot!"
"My ship has officially sailed!"
"I watched Alex Hunter's stream replay. Review: highly addictive, zero resistance, life destroyed. This kid locked himself inside for a full day."
"What kind of power couple is this?!"
"I was in beta—Vivian is actually terrifying. One of the strongest tank players!"
"And Ethan? Top DPS forced to play support. What a tragedy."
Vivian scrolled through the comments like a queen reviewing her kingdom, occasionally liking a few that pleased her the most.
Only after enjoying herself did she finally put down her phone and turn toward Ethan.
"Go get Teacher Candy and Evan Cross. Tell them they're joining the team."
"I'll call Sienna."
Ethan frowned slightly.
"When did you and my sister get so close?"
Vivian lifted her chin proudly.
"Hehe~ As the sister-in-law, I sent her a few gifts. Relationships improve quickly that way."
Ethan nodded slowly.
…That explained a lot.
But before he could even move, Vivian had already dialed Sienna—and put the call on speaker.
"Sienna, did you see my post?"
"I saw it!" Sienna replied instantly. "But… my in-game friends also want me on their team."
Vivian's expression changed immediately.
"No! You're not allowed to go!"
Her voice rose, full of urgency.
"You must join me and your brother. We're missing a top sniper, and your Widowmaker is one of the only ones not afraid of Alex Hunter. Without you, we're doomed!"
Ethan watched silently as Vivian's face turned slightly red.
If this were an animated world, she would already be in chibi form, cheeks puffed, steam coming out of her head.
"Sienna! Sienna!"
Seeing the situation spiral, Ethan quietly slipped away.
He still had work to do.
---
The first person he went to find was Teacher Candy.
Inside Mooncrest Studio, she was currently recording lines for a new episode of Pokémon. Her voice echoed through the studio—clear, expressive, full of life.
Since joining Northstar Games, her career had exploded.
Role after role had pushed her into the spotlight.
In just over half a year, she achieved what most people needed years to reach.
But Ethan knew the truth—
This wasn't sudden success.
It was delayed reward.
Years of training. Years of struggle. Years of silent effort.
Now, everything was finally paying off.
Among all her works, one stood above the rest—
Her performance as female V.
That single role had brought her over 300,000 real followers.
Not bots. Not inflated numbers.
Real fans.
Real engagement.
When she posted now, replies poured in within minutes—hundreds, then thousands.
For a voice actor?
That was unbelievable.
And now, in Overwatch, she voiced D.Va.
When Ethan explained the tournament and asked if she wanted to join—
She didn't even think.
"I'm in."
Simple. Direct.
---
Next was Evan Cross.
He agreed just as quickly.
But nearby, Ryan almost lost his mind.
His expression twisted between envy and regret.
"Why not me…?" he muttered.
The answer was simple.
He was bad.
Not slightly bad.
Gold-rank bad.
And that was the end of the discussion.
---
With that, the Northstar Boss Team officially formed its core lineup.
---
The next day, the entire company exploded with excitement.
On the sixth-floor break area, employees gathered, whispering, laughing, speculating.
"Is the boss really joining the Overwatch Cup?"
"Yeah! Programming confirmed it. I also heard Vivian rejected Daniel because he's too bad. Ryan got rejected too. They're still looking for a sixth player."
Someone sighed dramatically.
"Do you think we have a chance?"
Another asked calmly, "What rank are you?"
"…Silver."
Silence.
Then—
"You're silver? Incredible. Truly elite."
Laughter erupted.
The whole company was buzzing.
Even departments unrelated to gaming were curious.
Soon, the team roster spread everywhere:
Vivian Frost. Ethan Reed. Evan Cross. Teacher Candy. Ethan's sister Sienna. One final high-level player still undecided.
And Vivian had made something very clear—
They weren't just participating.
They were aiming for Top 64 nationwide.
---
Was that realistic?
Yes.
Because their lineup… was strong.
During beta:
Vivian and Ethan had both reached Diamond.
Teacher Candy ended in Platinum—but anyone who understood the game knew her real skill was higher. Her Lúcio gameplay was easily Diamond level.
The problem?
Support players depended too much on teammates.
A healer couldn't carry everything alone.
If a support had to handle healing, damage, and objectives—
Then what were the other roles even doing?
So while her rank said Platinum, her true level didn't.
Evan Cross was also Platinum—already impressive.
And then—
Sienna.
A true monster.
Her reaction speed. Her aim. Her game sense.
All terrifying.
During beta, she reached Grandmaster, standing among the top players.
That meant—
With Sienna leading, this team had real potential.
---
But then—
Everything changed.
That afternoon, Daniel walked out of Vivian's office.
His expression was stiff.
Frustrated.
Unconvinced.
Half an hour later—
The news spread.
Daniel was forming his own team.
He refused to accept being labeled "bad."
"What do you mean I'm bad?!" he argued loudly. "I helped build this game! If Ethan is the father, then I'm the adoptive father!"
He wasn't letting it go.
So he decided—
If he couldn't join Vivian's team…
He would beat it.
---
Daniel began recruiting immediately.
Inside Northstar Games, there were many hidden talents.
Beta access had allowed employees to train early.
Some of them were incredibly strong.
Daniel planned to gather them.
Form a team.
And challenge the boss directly.
But—
His first recruitment attempt failed.
"Sorry, I already promised Ryan," someone said awkwardly.
Daniel froze.
"…What?"
"He invited me earlier."
Daniel stood there, speechless.
Even Ryan had started building a team.
---
By 3 PM—
Chaos.
Pure chaos.
Departments began forming teams one after another.
Animation team.
Mooncrest team.
Music team.
Even the audio department joined.
Northstar's top singer entered the competition.
Jason Cole from the fifth floor joined too—bringing with him a veteran FPS player who had reached Grandmaster during beta.
When Ethan and Vivian heard this—
They both went silent.
Then Ethan sighed.
"…Should we just let everyone participate?"
Vivian smiled.
"Let's call it team building."
---
Approval granted.
And that changed everything.
Once the company-wide email was sent—
There were no limits anymore.
Teams formed rapidly.
By evening—
Nearly twenty Northstar teams were registered.
---
When the outside world found out—
Chaos spread online.
"Twenty teams? Are they serious?"
"Is this a tournament or company training?!"
"Are they going to rig it?"
Doubt grew.
Speculation spread.
Even some loyal players started questioning things.
---
Then—
The matches began.
---
And reality hit hard.
On the first night—seven Northstar teams were eliminated instantly.
Second round—
Twelve more teams lost.
By the end of the first session—
Only four teams had clean records.
The rest struggled.
Some barely survived.
Some collapsed completely.
---
Players began uploading match footage.
And everything changed.
---
Especially when they saw—
The Northstar Boss Team.
---
"Who is this sniper?!"
"This Widowmaker is insane!"
"She grapples mid-air and lands headshots instantly!"
"Besides Alex Hunter, I've never seen anything like this!"
Then—
Ethan's Tracer.
Fast. Precise. Deadly.
His movement was flawless.
His timing brutal.
"His distance control is insane!"
"Headshots nonstop!"
"Too clean!"
Then—
Teacher Candy's Lúcio.
Sliding across walls endlessly.
Never touching the ground.
Perfect support timing.
And Vivian—
Her Reinhardt dominated the battlefield.
Aggressive pushes.
Perfect shielding.
Unbreakable presence.
---
This wasn't luck.
This wasn't rigging.
This was skill.
---
At 10 PM—
Northstar released an official list of all participating teams.
Every team carried the company name.
Every team had official certification.
No hiding.
No tricks.
That single move silenced the remaining doubts.
---
And the Boss Team roster revealed something else—
The sniper was Sienna.
---
Instant explosion.
"Sienna?!"
"Ethan's sister?!"
"I have her photo!"
"Brother-in-law, I like your sister!"
The internet shifted again.
From doubt—
To excitement.
As days passed—
Northstar teams fell one by one.
Second day—three eliminated.
Third day—two more.
Fourth day—half gone.
Fifth day—heavy losses.
By the second round—
Only three teams remained.
Northstar Boss Team.
Mooncrest Team.
Nanshan Team.
---
At that moment—
No one questioned the competition anymore.
Because if it was rigged—
Why did so many Northstar teams fail?
The truth was clear.
Only the strong survived.
And these three teams?
They were truly strong.
--------------------------------
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