Chapter 279 - A Box Of Tea

"Boss DEATH, how about talking to WINS again about how to defeat the Chronos squad? It seems like he knows more about the Chronos squad... more than what he was telling to us earlier?" Lifeless_Combo suggested.

"It had been so long that I see him play. I just don't understand why he is giving such importance to that squad. It is my first time seeing WINS acted like this. Even the other known squad does not receive this kind of regard from him," DEATH expressed and exhaled loudly.

"Imagine, if we will follow such gameplay... we will be a laughingstock by the other pro players! Heck, even noobs already know that damage dealers must be targeted first! Why should we waste our skills to target a tank when there is a mage or marksman that we can chase and slay? Ridiculous!" Extinction said and forcefully scratched his head.

"I agree. That strategy is not effective. I'll see if WINS has another strategy. I'll be back," DEATH stated and stood from his seat. He strode out of the training room and went to the left path.

The E-Sports Club that handled them was one of the grandest in terms of accommodating pro players. The club owned an estate and every squad that signed a contract with them had their separate villas within. Even though they were in the same location, the privacy and convenience of the squads were highly regarded.

Villas could be considered as the pro players' official residence as long as their contract is active. And every appointed squad leader was responsible for taking care of their member as well as the entire building.

After five minutes of walking, DEATH stopped at the doorstep of the villa owned FAB_Gamers Squad. The design of the building was identical to his Slayer_Gods Villa. But, just like the jackets they wore, the only difference was their squad name and the logo of their group that was plastered on the door.

DEATH took out a box of expensive cigarettes from the pocket of his jacket. He then pressed the doorbell on the side of the door.

Less than a minute and the door was pulled open from the inside. WINS looked surprised seeing DEATH on his doorstep. "What's up?" he asked.

"I need your explanation. At least, you owe me one this time," DEATH stated with not a hint of emotion on his face. He opened the box of cigarettes but WINS raised a hand to stop him.

"I'm trying to stop smoking. Come in," WINS invited him.

"Huh? Your place turned into a no-smoking zone? I need to smoke or else I can't concentrate," DEATH frowned and stepped inside. He continued to grab a stick of cigarette from the box and fished out his lighter.

WINS raised his eyebrow and give him a stern look. "I'm serious. I am trying to stop smoking. No one smokes in my villa anymore."

"I can't concentrate with out this! D*mn! Since when did you have that kind of change?" DEATH grumbled in annoyance. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip to the cigarette.

"Then, I'll ask you to go out," WINS smirked.

"Tsk! I hate that smug look on your face! Fine! Not gonna smoke!" DEATH conceded and place the cigarette box back in his pocket. "To think that it was you who influenced me to smoke in the first place. Now, you are actually acting like this!" he added.

"Are you here to talk about the past?" WINS asked. He went to the dining area and opened one cabinet. DEATH casually followed him behind.

"Do you want tea?" WINS offered.

"TEA!? WTF!!! I have never imagined that a day would come when you will offer me a cup of tea! WINS... the heck is happening to you these days?!" DEATH wrinkled his face, feeling repulsed by the idea of drinking tea and the complete change to the person he was once considered a close friend. 'Was.' His eyes went to the dining table and realized that there were indeed teacups at the center.

"Well, I've been chatting with a certain someone. And she told me that once health is compromised... before I know it, the money that I saved for years will vanish in a blink of an eye. And I also realized that I wouldn't want to have a lung transplant because I stubbornly kept on smoking. So, I switched to drinking tea. It's the same difference in terms of bitterness. You can concentrate by drinking tea. Try it," WINS explained with a gentle smile on his face. 

Surprisingly, the entire cabinet that he just opened was filled with boxes and boxes of tea. DEATH's eyes widened after he saw the number of boxes in there.

"Here, I'll give you one box. Bring it to your villa. If you need more, I'll sell these boxes," WINS stated and pushed the box near DEATH. The boy absentmindedly accepted the box and looked very conflicted.

"You are selling tea?" DEATH asked in disbelief.

"Only to you, hahaha" WINS chuckled and pull a chair for them to take a seat. "Have a sit."

The other members of the FAB_Gamers Squad were live streaming. But, they only finished one match stopped their streams after they saw who visited their place. They secretly peeked at the two squad leaders in the dining area through the CCTV monitor.

"Guys, did you know? There was a famous MMORPG before. The guild DEATH WINS was the top leaderboard in the global ranking," the first member to navigate the CCTV monitor stated.

"I was playing that MMORPG too. DEATH WINS Guild is damn OP! I've always wanted to join them. But, they suddenly vanish. No one can defeat that guild even in cross-server guild wars before," the second member supplied.

"Those two were founders of that guild. Boss WINS and squad leader DEATH. It was said that they are best buddies before they joined the E-sports club. But because they play the same marksman role as the main character in the 5 v 5, the club had to assign them a separate squad for a balanced lineup. And then their rivalry started to emerge," the first member whispered while looking at the interaction of two leaders in the monitor.

"I think they are still friends... even though there is awkwardness in their position as squad leaders. Look, they are still using their in-game names which means they can't let go of their gaming memories together. And boss WINS even took the initiative to give DEATH a strategy for the tournament," another member speculated.

While these members continued to watch at the monitor, WINS suddenly tilted his face and looked at the camera. With his action, the members lurking and were watching on the monitor instantly docked their heads as if they wanted to hide. 

Then, after a while, the members stifled their laughter because of how silly their reaction was.

Their squad leader was just looking at the camera. But, they had a momentary feeling that he was directly staring at them through the monitor!

Just as they started to relax, a stern voice of WINS resounded all over the place.

"GO BACK TO YOUR STREAM! WHOEVER GOT THE LEAST GIFTS FROM FANS TONIGHT WILL DUST THE VILLA!"

Everyone quickly scrambled their feet and return to their seats. 

"My gosh! How did boss WINS know that we are watching him?"

"He is just so perceptive! Turn on your camera and mic! Let's ask for gifts! I don't want to clean!"

In just a matter of minutes, the members hastily took their phones and resumed their streams.