At Chess Palace, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement. It was a hub where players gathered for daily one-on-one, mini and grand tournaments, with games running all day long. Players could enter and compete all day long, with matches ranging from casual games to high-stakes battles.
As Tyrone, Lucas, Axcel, and the three bosses entered, Axcel led the way, familiar with the labyrinthine halls of the Chess Palace. “This is the one-on-one battle hall,” Axcel explained as they walked through the first area, where players faced off in intense individual matches. “Over there is the mini chess battle section,” he continued, pointing to a room filled with smaller tables and quicker games. “And finally, the grand tournament hall,” he said, gesturing towards a large, bustling room where the most prestigious matches were held.
They paused at the grand tournament hall, where a final match was underway. The crowd murmured with speculation about the outcome, as one player seemed to have a clear advantage.
“Looks like that player has it in the bag,” someone in the crowd commented, nodding towards the player who seemed to be leading.
“Yeah, everyone thinks he’s got the upper hand,” another agreed, eyes glued to the intense game unfolding before them.
Lucas, however, quietly remarked, “The underdog will win.”
Those who overheard him scoffed, dismissing his prediction. “You don’t know anything about chess,” they taunted, but Lucas ignored them, his eyes fixed on the screen displaying the match.
Moments later, the unexpected happened-the underdog turned the game around and won. The room erupted in disbelief, with whispers and shouts of astonishment filling the air. People searched for Lucas, eager to understand how he had foreseen the outcome, but he was already gone.
As Lucas and his group continued their descent into the depths of the Chess Palace, Axcel couldn’t help but praise Lucas’s foresight. “Mr. Lucio, your ability to predict the result was remarkable,” he said, clearly impressed by Lucas’s keen insight.
As they reached a booth, Axcel began explaining again. “This is where you register,” he said. “You can sign up as a player, place bets, or even do both if you want.”
Lucas, feeling impatient with the low stakes, asked, “How do we get into the underground chess?”
Axcel replied, “You need to become a champion three times in the grand tournament to qualify as a player there.”
Lucas nodded, “So, I have to register for the grand tournament for three days before I can enter the underground?”
“Exactly, Mr. Lucio,” Axcel confirmed.
Lucas nodded again, “Alright, let’s start today. It’s still early, so let’s aim for the first championship now.”
Axcel reassured him, “Don’t worry. Tomorrow, you’ll face today’s champions, and on the third day, you’ll compete against tomorrow’s champions. On the first day, twelve people will become champions, six on the second day, and on the third day, it’s do or die-a one-on-one, best of two when only two players remain.”
Lucas nodded, “Let’s get started then.”
With that, Lucas registered as player Lucio and waited for his schedule. While waiting, he sat in the player’s waiting area, observing the new registrants who would likely be his opponents.
One of them, a rather unpleasant-looking man-overweight and unkempt-sat in front of Lucas, eyeing him up and down as if sizing him up. “New here?” the man sneered. “If I were you, I’d back out before you embarrass yourself and get knocked out in the first round.”
Lucas responded sarcastically, “Oh, it’s terrifying to think about being embarrassed. But if anyone’s going to be embarrassed here, it’s probably not me.”
The man, irritated, pointed at himself, “Are you saying it won’t be me?”
Lucas shrugged and looked around as if searching for something, clearly mocking the man.
Understanding the taunt, the man angrily declared, “I’ll beat you if we face off in the bracket later.”
Lucas, unfazed, waved dismissively, “Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving his hand as if shooing away a bad smell.
The man was about to say more when an announcement interrupted him. The new players were added to the list, and the announcer declared that the next new round was about to begin. Everyone looked up at the large screen displaying the tournament bracket.
The man grinned when he saw that he wouldn’t face Lucas until the second game, assuming they both won their first matches. “Well, well, so your name’s Lucio,” he sneered. “We’ll meet in the second game if you win your first. I’ll be waiting.”
Lucas waved him off dismissively, “Don’t worry about me. Focus on whether you’ll even make it to the second game.”
The man laughed confidently, “Oh, I’ll make it for sure. This is my tenth time here, and I always win,” he boasted.
Lucas nodded, “Oh, really? Then why are you still here? Don’t tell me you only win the first game?” he teased, flashing a mocking smile.
“You!” the man pointed at Lucas, momentarily lost for words because Lucas’s jab hit home-he had never made it past the semi-finals, let alone become a champion. He smirked, “I’ll be watching for you later,” he said before walking off to the venue.
The other players followed, heading to the hall where the tournament would take place. Meanwhile, in the betting area, people began placing their bets. Tyrone casually placed a half-billion bet on Lucas, as it was both the minimum and maximum wager per player. The rule was simple: “Your player, your bet.” Since Tyrone was Lucas’s designated bettor, only he could place bets on Lucas, and the same applied to other players.
Whoever’s player became the champion would receive 80% of the total bets, while 20% would go to Chess Palace for charity. However, Axcel knew that the charity was just a front.
As the first game kicked off, excitement filled the hall. The big screen showed the tournament bracket, highlighting who would move on to the next round.
Lucas’s match was up, and people started paying attention. “Isn’t he the guy who said the underdog would win earlier?” someone asked.
“Yeah, that’s him,” another replied, curious. “So, his name is Lucio,” they noted, eager to watch his game.
During the match, Lucas played with calm and precision. His opponent struggled to keep up as Lucas made smooth, strategic moves, winning without breaking a sweat.
The crowd was amazed, watching in disbelief at how easily Lucas won. “He’s really good,” someone whispered, impressed.
“Maybe his opponent was just new, and that’s why he won so easily,” another suggested.
After just a few minutes, the first game concluded, and the screen quickly updated to show the bracket for the second game. Someone pointed at the screen, “Look, it’s Lucio versus Mr. Peter.”
Another person laughed, “Looks like Mr. Peter, or should I say Mr. Repeater, might finally make it to the third game this time,” they chuckled.
Lucas made his way to the table, where his next match was set to take place. Sitting across from him was the man he had spoken to earlier. The man grinned, “Now, I’m going to embarrass you,” he said confidently.
Lucas nodded, not really interested in talking. At the signal from the match official, the game began. The unpleasant man smiled oddly and made the first move.