Chapter 265 - Coincidental Encounter With The Academia Representative

"It's so hot! I'll get the car. Just wait for me here, Miss Sofia," Jing Jing attentively said as she looked at the sky. The sun was blazing and none of them brought an umbrella. Without waiting for Sofia's response, she hastily  dashed towards the parking area. 

Sofia could only watch Jing Jing's back and shook her head. The original Sofia was raised in the mountains of District 7. This hot weather should be nothing to her.

While watching Jing Jing's figure, a group of five male students suddenly appeared from the other side. Sofia did not notice nor paid attention to them. She looked at her emails and read some messages.

Supposedly, the teens would go in the other direction. However, they halted their steps when they recognized Sofia. 

They actually snickered at the sight of the lady. And somehow, they maliciously laughed and decided to walk in Sofia's direction.

"Yo! Isn't this the squad leader whose squad became the champion of the district tournament? Hehehe... Girl, what are you doing here?" one of the students started. His other members quickly surrounded Sofia.

Sofia turned towards the boy and could not help but wonder, 'Huh? They should have classes at this hour. What are they doing here in the bureau?' 

It was clear that both of them have the same question in their head but with different assumptions. 

At one glance she could easily tell that the boy was the leader of the group. He had the air of arrogance than the others, But, as she examined their faces closely, none of them were familiar to her. Only that, they were wearing school uniforms of her school. 

"You are right. I am the squad leader of the Chronos squad," Sofia confirmed to the boy in response to his first statement.

"Hehehe, I did recognize you correctly. The tank user called CEO UNRIVALED. Hmmn," the boy smirked and glanced at his members. All of them exchange a look that hinted trouble.

"What are you standing here?" the tallest boy among the group questioned. With his height towering over her, Sofia tilted her head and maintained a calm composure as she looked at the boy in the eye.

"I'm doing some errands here," Sofia briefly said with no trace of emotion on her face. She wanted to return the question and ask the group why they were there. However, she sensed a glint of malice in their expressions, thus, she did not want to prolong their conversation. 

Since they had recognized her, the group was undeniably gamers too. But, she has no time to entertain them. 

"Doing errands?! And what errands would that be?" another member inquired with a nasty smirk plastered on his lips. 

"Could it be that you are here to apply for sponsorship?" the leader of the group consequently asked before Sofia could speak a word.

'What sponsorship?' Sofia looked at the ground and pondered their questions. She had no idea what they were talking about. She was there for her business, not to seek sponsorship!

But, as she raised her head and looked around, another office caught her peripheral view - ACADEMIA BUILDING. The building was just several meters away from where she stood.

'Ahhh, so that is what they mean. I did not expect that the bureau and the academia is built in the same street,' Sofia secretly thought and roughly comprehended what the group was up to.

"You mean, the sponsorship from the academia?" Sofia questioned the leader. It was just her presumption that since she rejected the offer to represent the academia, the organization must have done some propaganda to recruit gamers to play under them.

"She is really here to compete with the sponsorship! HAHAHA... Too bad for you, we already got it. You are already late! We will represent the academia," the leader proudly said. He even exchanged fist bumps with his members.

"Yes! Too late! Well, the victory of your squad in the last tournament looked like it was pure beginner's luck. For the next tournament, who knows if you have a chance to even play as participants? Your squad hasn't registered yet, right?" the tallest member stated once more with an obvious mockery in his voice.

'Well, well, well...' Sofia scratched the back of her neck. 'These teens are surely energetic!' she inwardly commented while gazing at the group. 

For a long time, she just observed their expressions and did not say a word.

"Why are you silent? Ohh... I know! Are you sad that your squad did not get the chance to get the sponsorship? Hehehe, that's understandable. Your beginner's luck must have run out! You must be disappointed now! HAHAHA..." the leader continued and peals of laughter from his members followed.

Sofia calmly looked at them and the people around. Surely, some passerby began to listen to their interaction. After their laughter subsided, she finally said, "Ehem! Congratulations on getting the sponsorship of the academia! Hope to see you on the battlefield. Good luck!"

"What did you say? Hope to see me on the battlefield? Hah! You can only daydream of that! I don't think your squad will even step in the elimination round," the leader spoke coldly. His face turned serious as if Sofia's carefree reaction had badly irritated him.

"Ohh, well, you are partly right. We won't step into the elimination round," Sofia agreed with a respectful tone in her voice.

"Of course, I know that you have no chance! After all, a victory out of luck does not last long! Gaming requires real skills and strategies!" the leader stated with full of enthusiasm.

Sofia smiled and softly said, "Indeed! Gaming requires real skills and strategies. Ah... But, your assumption is somehow incorrect. My squad will be in the official professional match. If you guys could manage to win the elimination round, which, I hope you will... then, we will surely meet on the battlefield."

Since the organizers of the upcoming tournament had already sent Sofia an official invitation to participate, it would allow her squad to have a direct opportunity to play against other pro players. There would be no need for them to compete in the elimination round. As long as they accept the invitation, their participation was already arranged.

"Wow! Girl, you sure like to daydream," the leader chuckled and waited for Sofia to speak up. He thought that the lady was just speaking empty words. However, his provocations did not even affect her, even a little. She just give them a nod and looked towards Jing Jing.

The car stopped just a few steps away from her. Sofia quickly hopped inside and left the group without giving further explanation.

"Where are you going? Are you nervous that you become speechless?" the leader of the group called after realizing that Sofia did not intend to continue talking with them.

"I still have important matters to attend. Good luck again," Sofia told them before she pressed the button on the side of the car door, rolling the window up.

"Are they your classmates that are engaging in business too?" Jing Jing asked while her hands rotated the steering wheel. She looked at the reflection of the teens in the side mirror for a moment before shifting her attention to the road. She pressed his foot at the gas pedal and the vehicle turned towards the main road. 

"No, they are not my classmates. Those students came from the other building, not the bureau," Sofia softly replied and placed her phone back in her pocket.

"They seemed irritated? What happened?" Jing Jing curiously inquired.

"I don't know. They wanted to have a nasty conversation maybe?" Sofia slightly giggled while remembering the faces of the group.

"Nasty conversation? I thought they are your fans," Jing Jing commented with a small smile on her lips.

"They are not my fans. They said our victory in the last tournament was just a beginner's luck," Sofia whispered.

"Bullsh*t! What nonsense. How could it be a beginner's luck? Your performance last tournament was totally great," Jing Jing quickly complimented.

"They just want to brag with their accomplishment. According to them, their squad will be representing the academia department in the next tournament. The organization was probably giving them sponsorship. They thought I was there to apply for the sponsorship too. Hehe, actually, the director of the Academia had offered me and Claire to play under them first. But, I refused him," Sofia summarized.

"So, those boys are bragging for nothing?! Hahaha. But, I wonder why you refused such opportunity?" Jing Jing giggled.

"Hmmn. If I agree to play under the organization, I'm afraid that they will substitute Clark. I want the five of us to play and win together," Sofia gently smiled.

"Clark is improving. But, his gameplay really needs his teammates to adjust with his pace," Jing Jing nodded in understanding.

"If Clark will be substituted, Claire would surely protest. It will cause conflict," Sofia expressed and suddenly imagined Claire's reaction if such a thing would happen.

"Haha, I agree," Jing Jing responded. "So, this is one of the reasons why we will register our own club, right? You don't want any members to be substituted by other players?"

"Yes. There is always someone better than us. And the clubs would usually group the experts separately to join a formidable team. Our greatest advantage is not just in the individual skills. It is our coordination and team play. Also... at least, if we are in our own club, we are free to do what we want to do.. This way, it's easier to manage our time," Sofia casually answered.