“That’s all I have for you in the video.” Yuel paused the marathon of Nia’s failures.

“Phew.” Nia sighed in relief. Finally, all this bullying was over... or, so she thought.

“Now, onto issues I can’t show you in the video.”

There’s more!? Nia slumped in her chair. Is this torture ever going to end!? But, I better listen. Yuel is always a bully, but he says good stuff every now and then.

“First,” Yuel started. “There’s an issue that I don’t expect to resolve immediately but it’ll have to be addressed at some point: your limited pool of classes. You pretty much only play three classes at the moment”

“Four.”

“Rogue doesn’t count.”

“But, I like it.” Nia pouted.

“Yeah, you tell him!” Luke tuned in. “Rogue is awesome! One of the most satisfying classes to play against good teams. They gonna try to counter the heck out of you, but if you manage to play well anyway - you’re a legend!”

“And that’s exactly the problem,” Yuel said. “Good teams will counter you. This isn’t Ranked. We’re not playing in official matches just for practice. We need to win and that’s why Rogue is too unstable. No matter how good your Rogue is, the enemy will shut you down.”

“Nah, you’re exaggerating.” Luke waved his hand. “Lemme play Rogue against the Leopards and I’mma show ya it can work.”

“No thanks. I don’t want to give them any free wins.”

“Yikes, harsh.” Luke cracked a laugh. “You really got a beef with Rogue, doncha?”

“Not really,” Yuel said. “I just look at things objectively. Rogue is a flawed assassin. There’s a very clear limit to how far it can get you in a competitive environment. It’s sort of a ‘passable’ pick for Ranked, but it doesn’t cut it on the competitive level.”

“Whatever you say, man.” Luke shrugged.

“Anyway, back to Nia,” Yuel focused on the current victim of the match review. “As I said, it’s not an urgent problem, but you need to start considering which other classes you want to play. I doubt any of our opponents will ban all three of your classes, but it’s something that can happen.”

“I hope not,” Nia said.

“I hope so too, but that’s not all. Playing more classes means having more options. You’ll always be able to pick a class that suits the situation best, which is a very valuable advantage for a Jungler. So, make sure you start looking into other classes.”

“Ok.” Nia nodded half-heartedly. It didn’t sound like she was going to do anything about it, but at least Yuel planted the idea in her mind.

I just need to regularly nag her about it. Yuel thought. At some point, she’ll have to start taking it more seriously.

Anyway, that issue paled compared to Nia’s biggest flaw, which was a problem so big it couldn’t even be showcased in the video. Or, rather, the fact it couldn’t be captured on camera was the very reason it was so grave.

“Next,” Yuel continued. “The most concerning problem you have right now is the fact you can’t stay awake for five games.”

“Gufuu...” Nia made a weird noise and shifted her eyes away.

“As far as I’m concerned, that’s the most critical issue at the moment. If we can’t trust you to stay awake throughout the entire match, then we can’t count you for anything.”

“Guuu...” Nia’s shoulders dropped. It was a critical hit.

“Isn’t that a little too harsh?” Kai objected. “She played the first three games just fine. Most of the matches at the regionals are best-of-three anyway, so she’ll be just fine.”

“But, the finals are best-of-five, Yuel responded. “Didn’t we say we want to take the regionals? If so, we have to be able to perform during the finals too. Not to mention, all the scrimmages are going to be best-of-five.”

“Fair enough,” Kai conceded.

“I know I might sound harsh,” Yuel admitted. “But, it’s because this is a problem I’ve brought up many, many times. Even during club practice, Nia always takes at least one nap, sometimes more.”

“Zzz...” Nia was curled into a ball with her eyes closed.

“Haha!” Lars laughed. “Did she just fall asleep again? For real?”

“Truly, she’s the Phantom of Napping!” Vincent made noise.

“Nia...” Kai sighed. Even she didn’t have it in her to defend Nia at this point.

“I think she’s faking this one.” Yuel came closer and pinched the girl’s nose.

“Guh!” Nia jolted.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but it has to be said. You have to do something about your napping tendencies. We can’t rely on a player who might fall asleep at any moment.”

“Sleep is neccessary,” Nia argued. “I’ll die without it.”

“Yes, all humans would die without sleeping. But, there’s a difference between sleeping at night and taking a nap during a match.”

“Naps are also essential.”

“No, they’re not,” Yuel argued back. “You just have to get your body used to not napping. Or, if you really have to nap that badly, then train yourself to nap at other hours, like in the evening. That way, you won’t doze off during practice and matches.”

“Impossible.” Nia pouted. “It’s a biological problem.”

“No, it’s not. You can train your body to work differently”

“Gufu...” Nia took out a bar of chocolate and munched on it with rapid, but small, bites. She was like a cornered hamster eating her last meal.

“Look, I’m not trying to be mean,” Yuel said. “I understand this is easier said than done. This isn’t like learning new strategies or practicing your mechanical skill. Napping in the afternoon is probably a habit you’ve had for a long time, so I don’t expect you to fix it overnight. But, please understand that it has to be addressed.”

“Gu..........” Nia stopped munching and slowly raised her head. “I understand that, but...”

“Of course, I didn’t bring this up just to bash you. I got a couple of ideas.”

“Like what?”

“You don’t exercise regularly, do you?”

“I do exercise.”

“Really?’ Yuel was taken aback. “What kind of exercises do you do?”

“Napping exercises!” Nia declared proudly. “Watch this.” Her head dropped and her entire body relaxed in an instant. She was like a robot whose batteries ran out. “Zzz...”

“Seriously?” Yuel made a face.

“Such an amazing technique!” Vincent clapped for some reason. “To think that the Napping Phantom had mastered such a high-level technique, the Instant Nap!”

“Yo, this chick is golden!” Luke laughed. The others giggled too.

“Ahem.” Yuel cleared his throat. “That’s an impressive ability and all, but how about you also exercise ‘being awake’?”

“Zzz...”

“And, she’s not listening...” Yuel sighed deeply and pinched the girl’s nose again.

“Gunya!?” Nia jumped. “Oh, good morning.”

“It’s already noon!”

At this point, all Yuel wanted was to be released from hell. Wasn’t he supposed to be the “bad guy” here today? The one who “tortures” everybody with what he had to say?

At some point, this sleepy girl turned the tables on him. That’s some crazy skill she got. And, the scariest of all, she probably doesn’t even realize it.

“ANY. WAY.” Yuel desperately tried to wheel the conversation back on topic. “You don’t exercise, do you? And, by ‘exercise’ I mean physical exercise, not this ‘napping exercise’ nonsense. I’m talking things like jogging.”

“Nope, I don’t.”

“Okay, so I suggest you start doing that. It’ll make you more energetic.”

“What? How? I always wanna nap right after PE.”

“You’re right, exercising does tire you out. But, if you do it regularly, your body will get used to exerting that much energy and will try to meet the demand.”

“Hm?” Nia tilted her head. “I don’t get it.”

“Basically, your body will get used to spending a lot of energy on a regular basis. As a result, it’ll produce more of it and you’ll have more energy throughout the day.

“Really?” Nia eyed him with a skeptical eye. “Sounds like wizardry.”

“Not at all. I can even send you some articles about it.”

“Hmm.” Nia twisted her lips. “Sounds like a pain, though.”

“Yeah, it sure is.” Yuel smiled wryly. “I also had a hard time starting. I’m not very athletic, so I thought that jogging regularly was impossible for me. To tell the truth, I was half-dead after jogging for like 5 seconds.”

“Oh, that sounds like a world record.”

“Heh, it might as well be.” Yuel cracked a dry laugh. “But, Lars pushed me to keep trying so I stuck with it. It’s really amazing how much easier jogging became over time. Nowadays, I don’t even think much of it. It became just a routine.”

“So, you jog daily?”

“Yes, pretty much.”

“Wait,” Kai interjected. “When do you even have the time for that? When I visit you for practice, we’re stuck playing Mancers until evening.”

“Evening isn’t the end of the day,” Yuel answered plainly. “There are usually at least six hours left after that. I usually train some more with Lars, then we go jogging. Though, I only do half his distance.”

“Ya gotta get better, yo!” Lars exclaimed. “We gonna go to jogging nationals, believe it!”

“You go. I believe in you,” Yuel said. “You’ll take the competition by storm with that jogging speed that’s probably faster than my sprints.”

“Alright, I’ll do it! Nationals, here I cooooooome!”

These guys... Kai couldn’t believe it. Not only do they continue training after I leave, but they also exercise on top of that? Do they even have a life?

“Say, just wondering,” Kai started. “Do you guys even have any free time?”

“Yes, of course,” Yuel answered. “I usually have a couple of hours after all that.”

“And, let me guess,” Kai said. “You spend them on researching Mancers some more?”

“Sometimes. But, unless we have something important coming up, I usually do other things.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t mind answering, but we’re going on a tangent here,” Yuel said. “What’s with the sudden interest? We’re still in the middle of reviewing Nia, remember?”

“Oh, yeah. You’re right.” Kai shifted her eyes away. Curiosity got the better of her. After learning that Yuel and Lars also exercising after a full day of training, it made Kai realize she was being naive.

All this time, she used her guitar practice as an excuse to practice Classmancers less. She didn’t talk about it much with other people, but she definitely used it as an excuse for herself.

“I got such a serious hobby in addition to Mancers, so I don’t have time to practice Mancers all day. I need some free time too.” Kai always came up with lame excuses like that whenever she considered extending her training regime.

But, Yuel and Lars made no excuses. They trained longer and harder than Kai ever did, and they also regularly exercised on top of that. Exercising was a healthy activity in general, but it also must’ve contributed to their amazing performance in Classmancers. And, it was also a rather “serious” regular activity, almost as serious as Kai’s guitar lessons.

So, in the end, it turned out Kai had nothing on these guys. If Yuel and Lars could achieve all that every single day, then there was no reason why Kai shouldn’t work just as hard.

I guess that’s why I wanna know what they do in their “free time”. Kai smiled wryly. If it’s any more stuff related to Mancers, I gonna might cry.

“If I may,” Vincent interjected. “Discussing Chessmaster and Gunz’s daily schedules is, in fact, very important! And, it’s 100% relevant to the topic at hand.”

“How so?” Yuel asked.

“I believe everybody here agrees that you two stand above the rest when it comes to your Classmancers skill, am I right?” Vincent turned to the others for affirmation. Luke and Nia nodded immediately, but Kai just chewed her lips and looked away.

“Well yeah, they’re pretty good,” Kai answered against her will. She didn’t want to admit it so openly, but she understood where Vincent was going with this so she played along. And well, I guess it IS true. All this time, I thought the skill gap between us wasn’t that big. But, that scrimmage showed me how wrong I was. These guys are something else.

“Ergo!” Vincent continued. “I believe it’ll be beneficial for us all to hear what’s the daily schedules of our two stars. At the moment, you two seem like geniuses playing at a level unattainable for us mortals. However! If we hear more about how hard you work every day, it shall give us a clearer idea of how much we have to work in order to catch up. In other words, it will motivate everybody to train even harder!”

“I see...” Yuel decided to play along. Honestly, Vincent’s excuse sounded like that of a desperate journalist trying to get an interview.

Nevertheless, there was no harm in discussing this topic some more. It may indeed motivate the other club members to work harder. Also, if anybody in the club thought that Yuel and Lars reached their current level just by being “geniuses”, then this was a good opportunity to destroy that false impression.

“There isn’t a whole lot to add, though.” Yuel simply rehashed the things he said previously.

He and Lars trained until evening every day, except for the rare occasions when one of them was busy. After practice was over, they jogged together for a while. Yuel was always the first one to call it quits but Lars continued running some more after that, with increased speed to boot.

“Heh, that’s a real sports monster for ya,” Luke joked.

“It’s just a routine from my basketball days,” Lars said. “It keeps my concentration at 200% at all times, yo!”

“Expect for when you need to study,” Yuel pointed out. Everybody chuckled.

“Anyway,” Yuel continued the overview. “After I finish jogging, I have some free time.”

“And, what is it you do during these free hours?” Vincent inquired. “Studying?”

“Yeah, sometimes there’s homework, but I usually finish most of it in school. I work on it during lunch breaks and during other classes.”

“Huh, not bad.” Kai smiled wryly. I wish I had that level of motivation. I usually postpone all that crap until the last moment.

“So,” Vincent continued. “If not homework, what else do you do in your free time?”

“Online chess, usually.”

“As expected from the Chessmaster!”

Huh. Kai made a face. That doesn’t sound like the daily life of a middle schooler at all... 

“Hold it right there!” Vincent exclaimed all of a sudden. “Are you not an honor student as well?”

“If you’re asking about my grades, then yes, they’re good,” Yuel answered plainly.

“Then, pray tell, where in that packed schedule do you even get the time to study? Are you operating during the Dark Hour!?”

“I’m not sure what that is, but I don’t actually study that much.” Yuel shrugged. “I memorize most things just by listening in class. I only have to review material when there’s an upcoming exam. Though, even then, I try to do it at school as much as possible.”

“This bruh is legit a machine.” Luke cracked a laugh.

“Right?” Lars agreed. “Dude is like a pro player at playing school. Somebody better be paying him a salary, haha.”

“I agree,” Yuel said. “You should be paying me for helping you with your studies all the time.”

“Hey, I didn’t ask for that kind of help.”

“Oh, so you’re saying you’re fine with failing all subjects other than PE?”

“Weeeeelp, that’s...”

“Don’t forget that getting into Ivy High demands a decent score and yours is only halfway there.”

“I’m very sorry. Please continue tutoring me, teach.” Lars joined his hands together and bowed, worshiping the god of academics.

“Good, good,” Yuel nodded in satisfaction.

“So...” Kai turned to Lars now. “What do you do in that free time?”

“All sorts of stuff,” Lars said. “Sometimes, I go play some basket with dad and his pals. Other times, I just watch TV and stuff. Ya know, fun stuff.”

This sounds more normal than Yuel. Kai nodded. He still trains more than I do, but at least Lars doesn’t forget to have fun in his free time.

“Oh!” Lars suddenly remembered. “I also practice my main classes for an hour or two before bed.”

More practice!? Kai roared internally. Just what is wrong with these guys...

“So,” Vincent started. “I take it you finish all your homework in school as well?”

“Homework? The heck is that?” Lars laughed it off.

“Aye, that’s my guy!” Luke high-fived Lars.

“That’s not something to celebrate,” Yuel criticized. “I understand that homework usually comes across as boring and I also question the efficiency of this entire system. But, at least it gives you a reason to review the material on your own every now and then. In my experience, self-study like this is a great way to improve at any subject.”

“Dang, who let a teacher into the club? Eject him, guys!” Luke laughed and the others chuckled along. In the end, it didn’t seem like anybody took Yuel’s words too seriously, but that was fine. Most kids this age only thought of homework as a chore, so that kind of reaction was to be expected.

“So,” Vincent summarized. “I believe we got a clear image of our stars’ daily routines. No doubt, it is filled with much blood and sweat. However! It is thanks to this routine that they had ascended to a higher plane of existence and gained skills that rival professionals!”

“Heck yeah!” Lars pumped a fist. “We’re ready to debut at the pro scene at any time, yo!”

“I don’t think we’re ready just yet,” Yuel objected. “But yes, we do train a lot. I hope nobody here was thinking we just picked up Classmancers one day and immediately became this good. If you want to get better, you have to train hard, that’s how things work.” He directed these words mainly at Nia, who was the original topic before this little side trip.

“Oh.” Nia blinked in surprise. “So, you’re not aliens from planet Mancers?”

“Definitely not,” Yuel said. “We’re humans, just like you. I know it might not sound the most convincing coming from me considering I’m already at this level, but trust me, everybody had countless flaws when they were starting out, even Lars and me. What’s important is to notice your flaws as early as possible so you can start working on them.”

“Reasonable.” Nia nodded. It seemed like discussing Yuel’s schedule really helped a little. At least, Nia seemed more agreeable than before.

“So,” Yuel continued. “You should start exercising.”

“Nope.”

“Eh...?”

“Sounds like a pain.” Nia puffed her cheeks. “Don’t wanna.”

This girl... Yuel felt like collapsing in defeat but he held himself together. Okay, fine. I know it’s hard to convince an unathletic person to start jogging. I’m a living example of that myself, so I’ll give her some time. Little by little, I’ll keep nagging her until she folds. 

And so, Nia’s part in the match review came to an end. Next in line was arguably an even greater troublemaker...