Silver II.
The number itself wasn't impressive.
But Nightwalker's presence had begun to change how matches felt.
Queues took longer now.
Not because fewer people were playing—but because players hesitated. Some quietly canceled matchmaking the moment they saw his name appear in recent games. Others entered with a strange mix of caution and curiosity.
Silver players weren't used to this.
They were used to chaos.
The system announcement came again.
[System] Player "Nightwalker" has achieved a Silver Tier extended win streak.
World Chat didn't explode this time.
It simmered.
"That's… still going?""Anyone actually beat him yet?""I checked. No losses.""Zero. Not even close games."
Someone posted a screenshot.
Damage taken.Objective control.Death count.
"Look at this Crusader stat line.""That's not normal play.""That's… restraint."
That word lingered.
Starguard saw it all.
She didn't say anything at first.
The party invite sat there, already accepted. She stayed quiet through the queue, fingers fidgeting, microphone occasionally picking up the sound of her adjusting her headset.
"Do you watch replays?" she asked suddenly.
"Sometimes," Daniel replied.
"Yours?" she clarified.
"No."
There was a pause.
"…Why?"
Daniel thought for a moment.
"Because I already know what I'm looking for."
Starguard didn't fully understand.
But something in his tone made her stop asking.
This match felt different from the start.
The enemy team grouped early. Rotated as a unit. Vision was cleaner. No one overextended.
"These guys are serious," someone on their team muttered.
Daniel agreed.
Not verbally.
He adjusted.
He took fewer risks. Held tighter angles. Waited longer before committing.
The first fight didn't happen until eight minutes in.
And when it did, it was deliberate.
Enemy tank stepped forward.Enemy support positioned perfectly.Enemy carry waited.
Daniel stepped into range.
The damage came instantly.
For a brief moment, Starguard's hands froze.
Then she remembered.
Predict, not react.
She healed early.
Daniel held.
The enemy saw the opening and pushed harder.
Too hard.
Daniel shifted sideways, blocking retreat paths, forcing the enemy carry to step into unfavorable terrain.
One mistake.
That was all.
The fight collapsed.
Two enemies fell. One barely escaped.
Voice chat breathed out as one.
"…That was clean."
Mid-game pressure mounted.
The enemy tried split pushes. Tried baiting fights away from objectives.
Daniel refused.
He didn't chase shadows.
He controlled space.
At one point, Starguard missed a heal.
Her heart jumped.
Daniel didn't die.
He repositioned instead.
After the fight, she whispered, "Sorry."
"You adjusted fast," Daniel replied. "That matters more."
She swallowed.
No one had ever said that to her before.
The final fight was inevitable.
Both teams knew it.
Grouped. Still. Waiting.
Daniel stepped forward.
Not because he wanted to fight.
But because not stepping forward would invite one.
The enemy hesitated.
That hesitation cracked everything.
The engage was short.
Brutal.
Decided before most Silver players even realized it had begun.
VICTORY
The lobby loaded.
No one typed immediately.
Then someone finally said it.
"This… doesn't feel like Silver."
World Chat caught up seconds later.
"That Crusader again.""Okay, I'm convinced.""That's not a smurf.""That's a pro."
Starguard stared at the chat.
Then looked at Nightwalker's profile.
"…Are you?" she asked quietly.
Daniel didn't answer right away.
The queue button pulsed.
"I'm passing through," he said finally.
She didn't know what that meant.
But for the first time since she started playing Peak Era, Starguard felt something unfamiliar.
Not excitement.
Not fear.
Distance.
And the realization that she was standing next to it.