by R. H. Tang
The guy in the front, a tall and skinny man with short-cropped hair and a pair of thick plastic glasses, offered Julian his hand.
"Hey! Thanks for taking my offer!"
"Of course."
Julian tried not to wince. It felt weird saying "of course."
They both knew that he was only here because they offered to pay him. The truth was that the whole process made Julian feel a little uncomfortable.
"How many games? Is three okay? We'll pay the same amount for each."
"Of course."
Julian licked his lips. He felt even more awkward asking for payment, but he had to do it. He loved Overdrive, but it was a little different turning it into a career. He'd probably feel the same way if he became a Fortress Master. Fortress Teams were the final test before teams qualified for the World Championship. They basically had a full-time job crushing dreams.
"I take payment beforehand, by the way."
The bespectacled man frowned.
"Beforehand? How do I know you won't just take the money and leave?"
Julian grimaced. The other man had a good point, but after getting ripped off so often, Julian wasn't willing to risk it. He'd even accepted a fifty-fifty split before, only for the other player to avoid paying the second half.
"Sorry, I had a bit too many people rip me off today. I'm not interested in anything but the full amount upfront."
He was sort of bluffing. He probably would have accepted a 50-50 split. He just didn't want to admit it immediately. He remembered that from the business class on negotiations he took last quarter. Unfortunately, Julian had gotten a C—he'd only taken the course to hang out with Tyler—but he still remembered a trick or two.
"How about a third upfront?"
Julian shook his head.
"I need all of it."
13892 started laughing awkwardly.
"Come on! What about the love of the game? You really going to take money to play a few games?"
Julian's heart sank. The other guy was trying to rip him off. Julian was only lucky that the one who'd promised $500 had stayed honest. Otherwise, he would have only had a bit over a hundred bucks to show for his hours of effort. It'd clearly been too good to be true.
Julian tried to smile as politely as possible, but the other player wasn't having any of it.
"Come on! Just play with us! This is all I can pay!"
Julian winced.
Then he frowned. Now he was just confused.
Was 13892 being honest?
If he was, taking all the money he could pay just felt like bullying. It was like the stereotype of a bigger kid taking another guy's lunch money. If you were short on cash, you shouldn't spend it getting boosted on Overdrive!
"Nah, I'm sorry. I've got stuff to do anyways."
"Come on! I want my ranking to go up! I just don't want to pay that much for it! You couldn't have seriously expected me to pay a hundred bucks a game!"
His attitude reminded Julian of Emma's constant complaints about annoying customers. Emma worked as a waitress at a small local restaurant in Florida. From the horror stories she told him, Julian could easily tell that raising people's ranks in Overdrive was probably one of the easier jobs around.
Still, it felt really awkward turning 13892 down.
"I'm good, sorry."
Julian left and removed the other man from his friend's list.
The guy made a few more half-hearted entreaties, but fortunately, he left Julian alone instead of chasing after him. If he started shouting after Julian the same way DISTINCTIONMAN50000 had, it would have caused another scene. The rush of fans last time had been so discomfiting.
This was why a Fortress Master position was such a good fit for Julian. Fortress Masters did most of their work behind the scenes, designing maps and battling the few pilots who made it to the very end. They were celebrities, but once they bought a set of Privacy Armor, they could go about their day with relatively little fan interaction. There were plenty of shy Fortress Masters like Vile. The former high school English teacher turned master crafter was considered the strongest of all the Fortress Aces. Her hideous Hemoborn Mechs overwhelmed all opposition with raw strength and power. Nobody had ever finished her Fortress and completed the bonus stage of defeating her team in a four-on-four competitive battle.
After leaving the ranked battle screen, Julian returned to the main lobby. The bright halls were packed.
It always felt like the Overdrive server got more crowded around the Selection. The Overdrive Corporation did a great job publicizing the event. Even players who hadn't played for a few years started tuning back in. Now that the game had also broken through as a significant esport, the company was getting constant favorable press coverage in traditional media.
For a moment, Julian considered playing some solo games by himself, then he shook his head and logged off.
The Overdrive world vanished to reveal his messy room. Julian removed his virtual reality headset and stretched. Then he tossed it aside and then headed for the shower. He needed to sleep as soon as possible so he'd be ready for the first day of the Selection tomorrow.
That was another lesson he'd learned from training alongside Tyler. There was no point overclocking his brain and working it into a nub. He had to be confident in his past preparation and put himself in the best mental state possible.
Julian flopped onto his bed, ready to dream of victory. Of course, it always seemed hardest to get to sleep when you told yourself you needed rest as soon as possible. Julian had greatly improved his mental state on the Overdrive server, but he still had a long way to go in real life.
6
Julian didn't like flying. Although the Overdrive Corporation kind enough to get him first-class tickets, the added amenities didn't make the process much better. It was hard not to shake away the slight unease that the whole thing was about to crash. He remembered reading once that you were more likely to die in a car crash than an airplane crash. That might have been true, but plane crashes were in the news whenever they happened. It was hard not to think of them!
But of course, the plane landed safely.
Felix, a veteran of the Selection process, picked him up at the airport.
After getting invited to all four of the previous Selections, Felix eventually realized it was easier to drive down from San Francisco than to take the flight. The Overdrive Corporation paid for all your travel into Los Angeles, but you were on your own once you got there. Unless you wanted to pay for pricey ride shares every time you went out, it was easier to bring your own vehicle.
Felix beamed from ear to ear as he shouted Julian down. It was a nightmare to park and then leave again at the Los Angeles Airport, but Felix loved jumping around at the gate with the sign. He did the same thing whenever he picked up Julian from San Francisco.
"Yo! Julian! Yo!"
Felix sprinted forward to give Julian a tight hug as soon as he came into range.
"How was the first class flight?"
The large and cushioned chair had been a lot nicer than folding up into the tight seats at the back. Julian had always wondered what it'd be like to sit in the front, but it always seemed like a pointless extravagance to pay extra.
"It was fine. Never flown first class before. It was a nice experience, but you know."
Felix smirked.
"Yeah, still a flight, right?"
"Yeah."
Julian tried to avoid flying whenever he could help it. It was why Felix usually visited Julian in Chicago instead of the other way around.
"Oh man, just wait until you get to the hotel room. Never slept as well as I do during the Selection."
Felix chuckled as they made their way to the baggage carousel.
"How did you climb so quickly? You spent all your time playing with two new players and rose two hundred ranks! Plus, Emma and Tyler seem like they are seriously good! I think Tyler might even have some comments in the Database now. What did you guys do?"
F
elix was always looking for new ways to improve, and it was reflected in his ranking. Although Julian had climbed over a hundred ranks in the last few weeks, Felix was still substantially ahead of him. Julian's childhood friend was ranked in the top 150, which meant that he regularly played games with the players at the very top of the ladder. He was even invited to professional players' private in-house scrimmages.
"Well, I can't take credit for everything. Tyler is naturally pretty good at Overdrive. It sounds dumb, but I think it's because he played competitive basketball for so long. He's incredible at keeping a cool head under pressure. He's not there in terms of his control skills or game knowledge yet, but if it's a tight situation, he'll usually come through."
Felix nodded.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Even though there's nothing in common, it's still a high-pressure situation, right? If you're a clutch basketball player, you'll probably be a clutch Overdrive player too."
Tyler was definitely a clutch basketball player. Although he was only an average player at the college level, their school team had always given him the ball at the end of games. He had an almost preternatural ability to hit buzzer-beaters or make critical free throws.
"And then, Emma…"
Julian trailed off. Felix hadn't played with Emma yet, but Julian had shown his old friend videos of their games. You couldn't play ranked matches with a Guest account, so Emma couldn't participate in the competitive queues. But Julian and Felix both agreed that she was a top-tier sniper. If she ever created a main account, she'd immediately qualify for the Selection. She was that good.
"I don't know, man. She's just really good at clicking people's cockpits! I have no explanation for how good she is. She says it's because she likes using guns in real life, but I don't believe it."
Using a gun in real life seemed like it had almost no correlation to using firearms on Overdrive. That being said, Julian hadn't shot a gun before—he'd only seen it in the movies.
Maybe Emma had a point. It just looked so diametrically different!
Besides, Tyler went to the shooting range all the time, and he wasn't a particularly good shot on Overdrive.
Felix shook his head.
"That can't be it. I tried that before. Didn't help at all."
Julian let out a startled laugh. Felix was always working to improve his control skills. They were the only thing keeping him from being a top-tier professional player. He already had excellent game knowledge and fantastic communication skills.
It was just like him to go to a real-life shooting range in an attempt to improve his Overdrive play. Felix tried everything.
"The main thing was that I just changed my approach to the game. Just trying to work on all of my skills. Made sure to add more strategic thinking before going in. Spending time researching my opponents in the Database."
Julian laughed bashfully.
"You know, all the stuff you'd been telling me to do from the start."
Felix nodded excitedly. He'd been encouraging Julian to play more seriously since high school.
"But Tyler and I also started doing some drills to improve our control skills. I'll send them over to you. Maybe they can help?"
Considering that Felix had tried going to a live shooting range to improve his marksmanship, he'd probably tried every drill under the sun already, but you never knew.
Tyler created drills from a competitive basketball mindset. Competitive basketball had been around for a lot longer than competitive Overdrive. Other esports had already found success hiring coaches and sports psychologists from traditional sports. Some of them were just frauds, but most had real insights.
At the mention of Tyler's drills, Felix got so excited he pulled over the car and started taking notes.
It was a whole half hour before they started moving again, and the conversation eventually turned towards the Heaven's Boxer. Felix was just as curious about the amazing Mech as Julian was. In addition to his time practicing his skills, Felix was also a determined grinder. He had all the most essential bonus-gathering equipment, from the treasure detecting Minesweeper to the vault-busting Laser Lockpick. Bonus-gathering equipment cost a significant number of Credits without offering any combat stats in return. They effectively activated a hard mode on stages, allowing you to hamper your machine to find greater rewards.
Although someone could hit their skill cap in Overdrive, the parts cap was effectively infinite. The Overdrive Corporation rarely released blatantly overpowered machines like the Heaven's Boxer, but new parts often had potent synergies with old staples. There were always unique advantages for veteran grinders like Felix to discover.
"Sadly, there was no response. Tigger didn't say anything. I think Brandon was right. It just got deleted."
It felt terrible lying to Felix, but Tigger had clearly asked Julian to stay quiet.
Felix grimaced.
"That's a shame. It would have been way easier for you to qualify if you had an overpowered Mech."
Julian shrugged.
"To be honest, it's not that bad. The lessons I learned were much more important, you know?"
He shook his head.
"Man. Just playing with Tigger and his kids taught me a lot. About how I needed to change my approach and stuff."
Felix beamed.
"You've changed, man. Or, evolved rather. I always knew you could be this good. Next up is the top hundred. I think you can break in there easy."
"Wow, really?"
Felix had been trying to break into the top hundred for the last two years, failing over and over again. It seemed like he was stuck at the 120-130 range. For him to say that Julian could do it easily was an enormous compliment.
"Yeah, easy. You're already there in terms of your control skills."
Felix paused for a moment, a frown on his face. Then he forced the words out.
"Don't get too discouraged if you struggle here, though. There's a lot of crazy players at the Selection."
Julian nodded seriously.
"Yeah. I'm aware."
Only the top hundred or so ranking pros were considered true candidates for the Selection, and on top of that, there were always professional players or seasoned grinders—who had the skills but didn't spend their time playing ranked games—who threw their hats into the ring.
Despite Julian's confidence in his newfound skills, he was a clear underdog. In the past, he always got discouraged by setbacks. After losing to Dynamic and failing to qualify for last year's Selection, Julian had almost quit trying to break into competitive Overdrive.
Half an hour later, they finally arrived at the Overdrive headquarters. Although the building was only a short distance from the airport, the traffic was a killer. The entire building was being completely remodeled.
Once upon a time, the Overdrive headquarters had been a nondescript office inside a business park. As the game grew in popularity, The Mechanical King had quickly bought up the entire lot.
Now he was tearing it apart and rebuilding it in his desired image.
He wanted a giant spaceship with a statue of himself at the helm. There would be a giant overarching sign that talked to players as they entered.
Save for a grand dome-like stadium in the center, most of the park had been reduced to rubble. The enormous sign loomed over the parking lot, boasting that they were about to enter THE OVERDRIVE WORLD HEADQUARTERS. Unfortunately, it seemed like the speaking feature was still a work in progress.
"HELL."
"HELL."
"HELL."
"HELL."
Julian laughed.
The sign couldn't quite make it to hello yet. It was a good thing that the Selection was only available for players above the age of sixteen. Otherwise, there might have been some angry parents. Felix tried his best not to snicker.
"He'll probably turn it off for when the reporters arrive tomorrow."
"Hey, at least the dome looks incredible."
The massive Overdrive battle dome was
almost the same size as a professional sporting arena. The entire structure was covered in glistening white glass. To Julian's surprise, the seats were luxurious sofas rather than the traditional plain plastic chairs. At the very center was a rotating stage with four different battle boxes.
The boxes consisted of two soundproof booths linked by a glowing stage that projected the battle for outside spectators. Rather than the traditional control boards, the competitors sat inside spherical pods that provided a completely immersive experience. It was just like sitting inside the cockpit of a real Mech. Julian had heard that the newly developed rigs responded to your commands instantaneously. Julian had packed his equipment so he could play in the hotel room, but they'd been explicitly told not to bring their gear to the stadium. All the equipment they used for the Selection would be state-of-the-art peripherals provided by the Overdrive Corporation.
A grin burst onto Julian's face, and he felt his blood pumping faster. He'd been playing on his beat-up control board since high school. He couldn't wait to see what it'd feel like on top-quality equipment.
Felix stepped out of his car and stretched. There was already a substantial line inside, much of them lugging around heavy suitcases. Because Felix had wisely brought his own vehicle, he and Julian could leave their stuff in the car. There were only a few other cars inside the lot. Most of the contestants probably lived too far away to drive.
The two friends entered the line behind a tall man with dark brown hair and hollowed out cheeks. He was nearly as tall as Felix, who was six foot four. His height and thinness granted him a vaguely skeletal appearance.
When Julian and Felix lined up behind him, the man's gray eyes briefly narrowed.
"Ummm…."
Combined with his rather angry expression, his forceful accent startled Julian into taking a step back. After watching a ton of action films, Julian realized he inadvertently—and unfairly—associated Russian accents with villainy. All of a sudden, the other man burst into a sudden grin of recognition.
"Felix? Are you Felix?"
"Yeah!"
Felix frowned as the other man pointed at his chest. He had no idea who the other man was.