The drafting phase came to an end. This signaled the start of the 4th game of the day, as well as Stratus' last chance to convince the Leopards to bring out their Korean player.

Their lineup is largely unchanged. Yuel analyzed the enemy's picks.

Once again, the Bot duo went with Seraph and Cryomancer. Those two gave Yuel and Lars some trouble last game, but unfortunately, Yuel didn't get around to banning them. There were other important bans he had to attend to first, like banning Sage for Mid.

Sage was one of the best defensive classes, so Yuel hoped to make it a little easier for Kai in Mid by removing Sage from the table. Alas, this move wasn’t very effective.

With Sage banned, Theorist simply opted for Aeromancer, yet another strong defensive class. Its range wasn’t as long as Sage’s, but it had more than enough ways to farm minions from a safe distance. In short, it was another Mid class that fit Theorist's defensive playstyle like a glove.

Meanwhile, Kai picked Sorcerer again at Yuel's request. It was a steal-pick that prevented Theorist from taking the class for herself. But ultimately. the effectiveness of this decision proved to be questionable at best.

In the end, Theorist still got herself a very defensive class, and Kai also has a class that leans more toward defense. Yuel frowned. This isn’t exactly an optimal setup for starting any attacks in Mid. Sigh.

It seemed that, once again, Kai will not get to play a key role in the team’s offense. Not only was she burdened by her “Softhearted Amazon” syndrome, but even her class favored defense over offense.

Though, maybe that’s for the better. Yuel tried to convince himself. If she’s not in the mood to attack anyway, then might as well pick something that’ll fortify her defense.

That was the line of reasoning that led him toward making Kai pick a class like Sorcerer despite the disadvantages. Even if it failed to stop Theorist from picking a defensive class, at least it reinforced the team’s defense in Mid.

Nonetheless, this put the entire team’s offense potential in an awkward spot.

Ben won't go on the offensive either because that's just not his playstyle. Yuel thought. So, that's why I had to go for such an extreme pick for myself.

Indeed, his pick was a tad peculiar for a Support. It was definitely viable enough, as proven by its occasional usage on the competitive scene, but it was very irregular and niche.

Warlock had many strong tools as a Mid Laner, but it also had very decent supporting tools as well. Some of its Invocations boosted damage, but others provided utility such as defense shredding and silencing.

And of course, there was also Warlock’s infamous ultimate. It was the very reason why many regarded Warlock as a brain-dead “click-to-win” class. And indeed, it was one of the strongest and most versatile ults in the entire game.

Not to mention, this ult doubled as another source of “stealth”, which could really help a certain phantom they had on the team.

Nia can usually sneak around unnoticed by her own power, but that's mostly in Ranked or against weaker opponents. Yuel thought. So far, she hasn't brought any notable results against the more troublesome opponents, like Taurus' Triangle and the Leopards.

Was her stealth ineffective against high-caliber players? Or, did these specific games simply have bad circumstances for her?

Either way, I can't rely on her to enable the entire team’s offense. Lars and I have to press offense harder this time around.

And, as expected, Yuel was right to worry about Nia’s reliability. The girl was fidgeting all around and her eyes darted from side to side. Even though she had already played one game on the stage today, it seemed like her nap pressed the reset button.

So, we have to wait for her to acclimate again. Yuel sighed. To make things worse, we’ve got yet another nervous fellow this time around.

Ben was pale as a sheet, he looked even worse than Nia. Was he going to be okay...?

"Relax, my dudes!" Lars called out. "Sure, we’re going up against the regional champs and stuff, but we already beat them once today. So, let's just do it again! Ezpz."

"Y-Yeah..." Ben nodded weakly.

"Regional champs..." Nia repeated. "Scary."

"Weeeelp." Lars scratched the back of his head. "That wasn't very effective, haha."

"This is never easy,” Yuel said. “We'll just have to trust them to sort things out during the game itself."

"Yep, sounds about right. There ain't nothing better than practical experience, yo!"

"You two sure got endless confidence, huh?" Kai made a face. "It's as if being on the stage doesn't affect you at all."

"Nah, of course we're a little nervous too," Lars admitted. "Ain't nobody can be on a stage in front of an audience and feel zero pressure, that’s just ain’t human, dude. But, ya just gotta get used to that pressure, that’s da wae."

"Yes," Yuel agreed. "Once you come to terms with the fact that feeling pressure is part of the experience, then it becomes much easier to deal with it."

"S-So," Ben stuttered. "Is it normal to feel like your insides are twisting and that you might puke?"

"Weeeelp," Lars started. "That sounds on the extreme side for sure. Are you okay there, dude?"

"N-Not so sure, to be honest..." Ben held his stomach as he answered. An odd internal pain had been assaulting him ever since he set foot on the stage. It felt like he had to go to the toilet, except not really? It was weird and disturbing. Will he be able to actually focus on the game like this...?

"Does your stomach feel irritated?" Kai asked.

“Y-Yeah, something like that.”

"I read that it’s perfectly normal. Besides, I also…” Kai paused for a moment. “... I also sometimes feel something similar, so it’s not just you.”

"Oh, so this is normal..." Ben sighed in relief. The stomach pain was unsettling for sure, but it sounded like many people experienced the same thing. So, it’s not like Ben had some kind of special condition.

Besides, Yuel and Lars also attested that they were a little nervous despite how confident they looked. So, it seemed like experience was the key here.

So, I just have to endure it. A-After all, I'm the... the EnduringPhoenix... He felt his cheeks heating up from the mere mention of his new nickname. It was so embarrassing!

That bombastic overconfident name was coined by none other than Vincent because Ben couldn’t come up with something good himself. It was overall a positive change but it felt way over the top!

His previous nickname, Fatty, wasn't something that Ben came up with or wanted. Mike and Co. threatened him to pick that terrible IGN as part of his “repentance”.

Fortunately, after the incident was resolved, Ben was free to pick himself a new nickname. But, of course, he first had to make sure that his “friends” allowed it now.

"Nope, denied!" Larry said. "You gonna be stuck with this nick for life, khaha!"

“Yep, you gonna debut in the pro scene with that name!” James added. “Imagine they announce every player’s name out loud, and then there’s like… FATTY! HAHAHA!”

The duo laughed to no end at Ben’s expense. They probably meant no harm with these jokes, but for Ben, this was a very important matter.

Fortunately, the leader of the gang understood the true gravity of the topic.

“It gonna be embarrassing if you represent the school with that nickname,” Mike said. “So, go change it pronto.”

With permission granted, Ben consulted the club about the procedure of changing an official IGN. It turned out that ClassSoft largely discouraged the practice because they didn’t want fickle teens to keep changing their registered names every other week.

In Classmancers, a “golden name” was supposed to be special and unique, representing the player’s identity just as their real name did. Therefore, every newly submitted name underwent a reviewing process. Basically, registering a new name was supposed to be a “big deal”.

As such, Ben had to fill up a lot of papers and explain in detail why he wanted to change his nickname. And, if the supplied reasons weren’t convincing enough, then ClassSoft reserved the right to reject the appeal. It was truly quite the ordeal.

At first, the whole thing seemed so tedious that Ben simply gave up on it before he even tried. He was sure that ClassSoft will reject his application on the spot.

However, the entire club encouraged him to push forward with the request. Vincent and Yuel even volunteered to help Ben compose all the explanations as to why it was so necessary for him to change his name from Fatty.

And so, thanks to the push on the back, Ben somehow pulled through the process. But after that, a few weeks passed without a response. As time went on, Ben was more and more convinced that his application was rejected or straight-up ignored.

But, just a few weeks ago, he finally received a response and his request was approved! And so, his new IGN became… EnduringPhoenix. This nick sounded a little embarrassing in its own way, but it didn’t even begin to compare to the insult that was Fatty.

"You have endured many ordeals!" Vincent said at the time. "And in the end, you revived from the ashes and reclaimed your normal life once more! Henceforth, I dub you the EnduringPhoenix!"

Vincent's loudness was pretty much the only convincing factor in that whole suggestion. He insisted that this was the most fitting name to represent Ben's new life of freedom as a proper member of the club. And. when it was put like this, it really sounded kinda nice.

Ben didn't have any good ideas for a nickname anyway, so he ended up going with Vincent's suggestion. It seemed like an alright idea at the time, but the truth dawned on him a few hours after submitting the request…

Doesn’t this name sound kind of pompous? Ben shuddered. I think I should've gone for something a little subtler…

Alas, there was no going back on that decision. From henceforth, Ben was known as EnduringPhoenix!

Aaaaaah, just thinking about it makes me embarrassed… Nonetheless, he was now obligated to live up to this bombastic nickname, so he had to do his best!

I mean, I've really endured quite a lot over the past year. Ben thought. I always told myself that I deserved it for my sin, but it was really too much. Even now, I still can't believe I managed to endure all of it.

During that dark episode of his life, it seemed unlikely that Ben will ever be able to become a proper member of the club. He missed way too many practice sessions to be considered a legitimate club member. In fact, it wouldn’t have been strange for Kai to outright kick him out of the club.

And yet, here he was, playing as part of the first-string on the competitive stage. Furthermore, the team entrusted him with the major responsibility of being Vincent’s temporary replacement.

I-I have to do my best! Ben gulped. If we lose here then it'll be 1-3, which is like losing the entire scrim! N-No pressure...

Ben was thrown right into the deep waters with this sub. Frankly, a part of him even wanted to run away. This setup was way too stressful!

But, he couldn't just quit. He was also a member of Stratus, a competitive player like everybody else. So, he was obligated to see this through.

Not to mention, he wasn’t the only one feeling anxious here. As Kai said, everybody felt pressure to some degree or another. So, after coming this far, Ben had no choice but to conquer this irksome feeling and push forward!

If I survived that "bullying" so to speak, then I should be able to live through this pressure as well. I-It's nothing to me! Yes, nothing at all...

As his confidence was wavering back and forth, a loud shout exploded from the audience.

"HEY BEN!" Somebody yelled. "GO GET THEM!"

"YEAH!"

"YOU SHOW 'EM!"

A trio was shouting at the top of their lungs from the audience. The referee shot them a glare but they didn’t care in the slightest.

"THESE GUYS ARE NOTHING!"

"YEAH, THEY CAN'T EVEN BEAT MEMES!"

“TOTAL SCRUBS!”

Despite the distance, Ben recognized the trio at a glance: Mike, Larry, and James. His old friends were all here!

T-They didn't tell me they were coming! Ben jumped in his seat. Mike did mention he'll be watching how my "career" develops, but I didn't think he meant it literally...

This only piled further pressure on Ben. He now had to live up both to the club’s expectations and to the high standards of his former friends. And, there was also the rest of the audience as well, which will surely be disappointed if Ben performs worse than Vincent. It was so stressful!

But, it's not all bad. Ben found himself smiling amidst the tense situation. Maybe I'm starting to understand a little what it means to “get used to the pressure”.

The fact Mike and Co. were here put extra pressure on Ben but it didn't feel bad, not at all. In fact, it injected Ben with a renewed sense of confidence!

In the past, that very same trio claimed that Ben had no chance of ever playing competitively. And yet, now they were here, cheering on him and saying he had the game in the bag. This was the greatest 180 in the history of 180s!

S-Somehow, I really start feeling like I might be able to pull this off! Ben looked at his shaky palms, then placed them against his plump cheeks. BAM! He smacked himself from both sides at once!

Admittedly, the sound was a little louder than he expected, but that was fine. The high volume only further reinforced how big of a deal all of this was for him.

At long last, Ben was here, playing on the competitive stage. And, the friends he "betrayed" in order to get here were finally coming to terms with his actions. Not only that, but they even cheered for him!

Now, I can play without feeling any guilt. Ben nodded. L-Let's do this!

With that determination, Ben started off his debut match. Was he going to live up to everybody's expectations? Could he serve as an adequate replacement for Vincent against AbsoluteChallenger?

Honesty, he wasn't too sure what will be the answers to these questions. But, there was one thing he did know: he’ll work as hard as humanly possible to turn all of them into a loud, confident "YES!".