They'd all assumed they'd be carrying Citrine through the game, but it turned out she was the one carrying them.
Watching Citrine dominate the match, Carney grew curious about her stats and clicked onto her profile. Her match history was hidden, so he couldn't see her records—but he did spot something that nearly made him shout in surprise.
Excited, Carney pulled Citrine over and pointed at the "partnered player" section on her profile, practically bursting as he asked, "Hey, do you know this CrimsonFirst?"
Oh my god, that was *the* CrimsonFirst—the highest-ranked player in the whole game! The moment the others heard the name, they all looked over, their faces a blend of disbelief and awe.
Anyone who played *Summit Showdown* knew CrimsonFirst, the undisputed number one on the servers. In the gaming community, CrimsonFirst was basically a legend—half the player base idolized them.
Carney was one of those obsessed fans. He stared at Citrine, eyes glowing with excitement, barely daring to hope.
Finally, Citrine nodded. "Yeah, I know them."
Everyone's gaze zeroed in on her. Before anyone could bombard her with questions, Citrine added casually, "That's my main account."
"What?" Carney was sure he'd misheard. He blurted out again, "You mean—you're CrimsonFirst?"
"That's right." Citrine nodded and, to prove it, logged into her main account on the computer. The truth was undeniable.
The entire group gaped at her. Shock didn't begin to cover how they felt.
"Is there anything you *can't* do?" Sylvan finally managed, staring at Citrine as if seeing her for the first time. "Top of the class, fastest runner, and now the best gamer too?"
Carney was beside himself. "No way, you *have* to sign something for me before you go! I need to post it online—my friends will never believe I actually met my idol!" He was obsessed with CrimsonFirst, always rewatching fan-posted videos of her matches every night.
Seeing Carney cling to Citrine, Travis made a face and shoved him away. "Hey, back off. My sister's off-limits."
Now that Citrine was suddenly the most popular person in the room, Travis felt a pang of protectiveness.
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