Chapter 103 - Stage Fright

'Since when did this friend become so good at speaking? Even in oral recitation in our class, she sucks! But now, where did she get this kind of confidence!?' Claire who was listening behind Sofia almost dropped her jaw in disbelief. She stared at Sofia's back for a long time and began to remember about the past things that they reacted when speaking in public. 

'Sofia had really changed into a different person! Even the way she spoke! That is not the same Sofia that I knew before!' Claire continued to ponder.

"Claire, Sofia is a good public speaker. She is not nervous or anything! Meanwhile, I can feel my entire legs getting mushy! What the heck... I want to know how she is not nervous right now!" Joey mumbled to them. He gently tapped his legs to emphasize that he felt slightly numb on her legs.

"Yes, I also noticed that right now! I also wonder how she do it!" Claire supported while crossing her arms in her chests.

"You mean, Sofia is not always like this?" Clark inquired.

"Yeah, Sofia is not this confident before. But maybe because we are the champion and this gave her the adrenaline rush to speak in public easily," Claire stated.

Meanwhile, the host on the other side was clapping his hands loudly. He was grinning from ear to ear until Sofia stopped talking on the microphone.

"Excellent! That was a great message from the squad leader of the Chronos squad! Wow! This teen is so smart! Gamers must take her words at heart!" the host exclaimed after Sofia finished her speech. 

Everyone admired how meaningful Sofia had delivered her speech. It gained approval especially from the veterans who were also worried as to how the younger generations spent their time playing. Oftentimes, it was no longer healthy!

"Sof, I don't know what to say in front of the audience! What should I say?" Claire sheepishly whispered to Sofia while the host continued to speak his praises. She was very anxious about how she would deliver her speech as Sofia had been so thorough with what she had said to the crowd!

"Ah, it was a speech for the squad leader, Claire. We members will just say a few introductions to ourselves. Come, let's go together!" Clark initiated and pulled Claire at the center.

"Alright! Let's just go together!" Joey who was slightly nervous also pushed Stephen and the four of them formed a line on the stage.

"Now that we are finished listening to the Chronos squad leader, let's hear to the four members of their team!" the host easily introduced after realizing that the four went forward together.

"Hi, I am Joey! I am the support user of the Chronos squad, Lethal Prey!" Joey made his quick speech, then, he quickly moved his feet backward and joined Sofia. 

On the audience side, Joey's fans blushed and admired him after he introduced his role...

"The support user is so cute! I am a support user too!" one female wearing a sexy dress mumbled. She was holding a camera  on her hand and was also doing a live coverage for her own social media followers.

The man looked up and accidentally stared at the camera making the girl giggle more.

"He is really cute, guys! I am not sure if he is single or not. But if he is single, I will not hesitate to be in a relationship with this cutie!" the female boldly declared. It was not clear if she had done it for the sake of her publicity or if she genuinely liked Joey.

This public declaration of feeling was not knew and most of the influencers on their social media do it for the sake of gaining more popularity.

On the stage, Joey appeared so proud that he was able to finish his introduction in just a few sentences. He was just relieved!

"What?" Sofia looked at Joey who was grinning on her side.

"Damn, I don't know but I'm so shy right now! I have never thought this is how it feels to speak in front of a large crowd!" Joey chuckled and tried his best to maintain his composure.

This was not his first time to face a crowd of people for he used to play the basketball tournament. However, it was his first time speaking in front of the crowd. Thus, he had lost control of his stage fright!

"You did well!" Sofia stated and the two exchange a hi-five.

"Thanks, Sof! It's the hardest thing that I have done so far! And I don't think Stephen likes speaking on a crowd like this one too." Joey muttered and took a deep breath. He knew that just like him, Stephen had no experience in facing the crowd.

"Ahh, there is always a first time for everything! He will do just as fine as you! There is nothing to worry about," Sofia nodded while watching Stephen gripping the microphone stand. 

The man did make a dramatic pause and hesitated for a few breaths. Even if the man was visibly nervous, Sofia just observed him. She knew that Stephen must conquer this fear on his own.

"I am Stephen, the marksman user of the Chronos squad. Thank you for your support," Stephen finally said and he slightly bowed. Then, he instantly dashed back to Joey and Sofia. It was as if he really had a skill that allowed him to move quickly.

"Wow, you have made it! What a great introduction!" Joey playfully teased Stephen with a smirk on his face.

"TSK!" Stephen could only click his tongue. He did not bother arguing with Joey for he was indeed nervous! He could feel the hot burning sensation on his face and ears. He knew that he was blushing!

'Ah, the developing stage of teenagers! I must teach this youngsters how to speak in public. They need to learn it once we started to do our endorsements,' Sofia mentally noted. She was also imagining about the future of their group.

"It's mind-blowing, right?" Sofia joined those who had finished their vaccine and checked their welfare.

"Its really scary to stand and speak in front!" Joey bitterly expressed.

She did not expect that her team would feel too anxious. But still, she knew that this was a normal reaction. Especially for those who only focus on playing the game. Their social skills outside the virtual world would really be different.

"Well done," Sofia said and offered a smile at Stephen but the man only rolled his eyes.

"Hahaha, now you are actually rolling your eyes! That is some confidence!" Sofia added.

"You are good at this, Sof. You must teach us how to maintain our confidence in speaking in a large crowd!" Stephen stated.

"Hehehe, you'll be like me in no time. Stand straight and pretend that no one is in front of you. Then, you'll be fine to speak what is in your heart and mind," Sofia shared.

"That's impossible! How can we pretend when these people are not here? That is so hard to do!" Joey lamented.

"All you have to do is speak. And then, you'll realize that it is actually easier than you thought! Later, we will have our press conference and interview, I'll make you the speaker" Sofia said.

"Nah, what should we do if we are the speakers later? We have not prepared any speech! It is better if you speak to them, Sof! We are not really good at this kind of thing!" Joey shook his head in disagreement.

"You haven't tried it but you are already judging yourself? Aren't you a bit harsh on your own ability?" Sofia smirked trying to challenge the two.

"But, we have no prepared speech! It would be very embarrassing!" Stephen argued.

"There is no need for you to prepare a speech. You'll just have to share your experience with the team and what you have learned during this tournament," Sofia answered.

"Ohh, if you say so! Then we will do that later," the two finally agreed before they looked at the two teammates.

"Hi everyone! Good evening!" Claire greeted with full of enthusiasm in her voice. She then let Clark took over the microphone.

"Hello, guys! I am Clark, the mage user of the Chronos squad. Amateur Mage," Clark simply stated with a casual tone. 

"Alright! Thank you for all the introduction, the Chronos squad players!" the host immediately acknowledges and was ready to give the prizes to them.

However, before he could start speaking the speech that he had been preparing for the champions, a man on the crowed yelled, completely interrupting what he was about to say.

"Hey, we need an introduction to our goddess! Give us introduction, the assassin user!"

"That's right! The assassin user did not introduce herself first!"

"Prize later. Let us hear the user of Almighty Killer!"

The crowd began to demand for Claire's information. The large screen also automatically displayed the highlights of Claire's assassin and her gameplay which forced the host to call Claire back to the original post.