Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

The tavern was filled with smoke, and the sound of lively conversation mingled with the clinking of glasses and music playing in the background. The tables were filled with groups of people laughing, drinking, and eating, and the aroma of delicious food permeated the atmosphere, even though the tavern was old-fashioned.

However, one table in particular suddenly attracted more attention than the others. This table was occupied by a small group of mages, and after a brief confusion and a peace agreement, the dozens of tavern patrons that night could not take their eyes off them.

Kaizen sat in the middle of this conspicuous group, facing the tielfling, and inquired with a smile:

"Before we start, how about we at least tell each other our names?"

"All right. My name is Kaste, and yours?"

"My name is Kaizen."

"Huh. What an unusual name, Kaizen. What part of town are you from?"

"That's none of your business. I just wanted to know the name of the person I'm going to defeat so I can brag about it later, but I have no intention of becoming your friend."

Kaizen's words made the tiefling smile more vehemently than ever.

The conversations around them were heated and the laughter frequent, and it was clear even to the tables in the far corner of the tavern that they were betting on something.

The spectators of the upcoming match between Kaizen and Kaste were arguing about which of the two was more likely to win, and since they could not all agree, they were betting on it. Their eyes sparkled with excitement, as did the piles of gold coins piling up on the tables of the bookies.

Some women were also present, laughing and cheering for their favorite, which, strangely enough, was the Tielfling, despite its bizarre horns.

Suddenly, the drow's loud voice echoed through the tavern:

"Bring the cups!" He ordered.

All eyes turned to the table where Kaizen was sitting, and a tense silence fell. The pretty waitress from before walked over to the tavernkeeper's bar and, making her way through a crowd of onlookers, walked over to Psyker's table with the tray filled with cups of the same strange liquid as before.

The game they were about to play was simple, and she had already explained it to Kaizen. One cup would be placed in the middle of the table where Kaizen and Kaste sat each round, and the first person to grab the cup would have the option of drinking the liquid, which would count as two points, or throwing the liquid at their opponent, which would count as one point. The game would end when one of the two players forfeited, or when the cups on the tray ran out.

Faces around the table would contort in anticipation as the first cup was placed on the table. The men patted each other anxiously on the back, and the women watched intently.

The tiefling looked into the psyker's eyes and said with a wry smile:

"Good luck, you'll need it."

"Don't count on it." Kaizen said, smiling with a closed mouth.

Kaizen watched intently as the cup was placed in the center of the table. Though he had never participated in such a game before, he seemed calm and confident on the outside, which was annoying to the Tiefling.

With his hands shaking slightly, Kaste waited for the starting signal, ready to grab the cup as soon as he had the chance. The other mages around the table watched anxiously, some betting on Kaizen's chances, others on Kaste.

Finally, the drow signaled for the round to begin by slamming his hand down on the table, and the two competitors rushed for the cup. Kaste felt his heart race as he tried to grab it, but Kaizen's right hand reached for the mug much faster and lifted it, hurling the liquid directly into the tiefling's face.

The liquid hit Kaste with surprising force, and he felt his skin burn as the pungent odor of the green drink entered his nostrils. He blinked quickly, trying to recover as Kaizen laughed triumphantly.

"One point for me!" Kaizen shouted, raising his cup in celebration.

At that moment, it was clear that he was not the kind of selfless person who would choose to drink rather than defile his opponent. Kaizen did not care how wet Kaste would be at the end of the wager, and this captivated everyone in the tavern, who laughed out loud and celebrated.

"I knew the boy had balls!"

"But he should have been drinking, two points are better than one!"

"He's confident he'll win, that's what it means!"

"Humiliating an opponent is the basics I expect from this game!"

The crowd chattered loudly.

Kaste wiped his face with the sleeve of his robe, feeling the sting slowly fade. He looked at Kaizen with determination, knowing that there was still a lot of play ahead.

The next round would soon begin, and Kaste was focused on winning this time. As the drow slammed a hand down on the table once more, the tiefling dove toward the cup with impressive speed, catching it before Kaizen could react, or so he thought. Before he could process the information that it wasn't him who had grabbed the mug, his face had turned completely green again.

"Another point for me!" Kaizen shouted, raising the cup triumphantly as before.

The mages around the table shouted in delight as Kaizen smiled.

As the match progressed, the atmosphere in the tavern grew more excited, with the patrons cheering and shouting. As the rounds progressed, however, it became clear that Kaizen was much faster than the Tiefling. In fact, everyone noticed how unusually fast Kaizen was for a mage. His hand would move like a hawk toward the cup as soon as the tiefling's hand touched the table, and most people could barely notice this fast movement even if they were paying attention.

At the end of the game, when the cups on the tray were gone, the score was exactly nine to zero. Kaizen had won nine rounds in a row, scoring a single point each time, and as a result, the Tiefling was completely soaked and very angry.

"One more." Kaste said, gritting his teeth. He still had not come to terms with his defeat.

The Psyker looked at Kaste with an evil smile and a reassuring look. "You were brave to challenge me, now be brave and keep your word. I am still willing to listen to your amazing story."

The drow mage who had been Kaste's companion, still a little drunk, touched his shoulder and said:

"You lost, you have to admit that. You're good at this game, but you can't be the best forever. Stop being boring and let's tell the boy our story, he has earned the right to hear it".

Kaste looked away, took a deep breath and nodded. "All right, I lost."

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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