Chapter 186: Sheva’s Weird Day
Sheva groaned weakly, somehow feeling tired after the escapade in Irfan’s house earlier. Yeah, it was already night, and he had just arrived back at home by now. The boy could still remember the crazy gazes he received from the others, and the mere thought of that scene was enough to send a shudder down his spine.
Well, not that he couldn’t blame them for their excessive reaction, though. After beating Priasmoro Novendra and Aulia Medina Warda twice in a row, the other veteran players also jumped on the boat, wanting to challenge Sheva directly. If at first, they were just there to observe Sheva’s current skill, after the boy did a very good job in beating two of the top players in this country, all of them also wanted to taste the feel of him.
Sheva himself didn’t disappoint.
Playing for about two games against each player, he managed to come out unscathed. Against Priasmoro Novendra, he managed to get one win and one draw. The same result could be said for his games against Irene and Anna. The boy also swept both Medina and Claudia with two wins in a row, and the only person he couldn’t get a win against was Susanto Megaranto, probably one of the best Indonesian chess players of all time.
However, Sheva was quite satisfied as he himself managed to force two draws in a row against the man. After all, he didn’t forget to check Master Susanto’s stats before their game, and he had the highest average compared to any other Indonesian players whom he had already met at this point.
[Name: Susanto Megaranto]
Attacking 81
Defense 74
Calculation 79
Strategy 80
Intuition 75
Time management 88
Yeah, while some of the stats had already fallen to the IM category—probably due to his old age—Master Susanto was still the best player in this country. His attacking and strategic stats were still in the GM level, and his time management skills were off the charts. It almost crossed 90 points, the threshold of the super grandmaster. It was the highest stats that Sheva had ever seen since he was granted the ability to scan his opponent’s stats, and this really caught him off guard.
True enough, in the real game, the man really showed why his time management stats were so high. He was truly a beast in a shorter time control, fighting fiercely in an attempt to kill his opponent. In two games that Sheva played against him, Master Susanto always managed to corner him to the edge of the cliff, and it was only due to his defense resourcefulness that the boy managed to come out unscathed.
It was such a close call, and even though Sheva himself was already familiar with the feeling of losing a game, the game against Master Susanto really gave him the feeling that no matter what he wanted to do, the boy wouldn’t be able to escape the chase. It was such a unique experience, something that would be engraved in his mind.
Later on, though, everyone congratulated him for this success, and when he was confused about what was going on, Claudia told Sheva about Master Susanto’s blitz rating. Sheva was astonished to learn that Master Susanto’s blitz rating was 2644, even among the top 100 players in the world.
It was such an amazing feat, especially since Master Susanto himself didn’t participate in a lot of high-ranked blitz tournaments in the world. As a player with a rating of around 2600, his biggest problem was that not a single high-ranked event would invite him, yet playing in a low-rated tournament would only hurt his rating more. That was why he only played blitz in a continental or even world-class event, such as the Asian Blitz Tournament, Asian Games, or even the World Blitz Championship.
If only he got more chances, Sheva was sure that Master Susanto’s rating could be higher than his current one.
Moreover, in blitz, Master Susanto was practically invincible among all the top Indonesian players who came to Irfan’s house earlier. Even though blitz was always volatile and unpredictable, the man managed to neutralize all the uncertainties around him, executing all the plans he set, and in the end, always came out unscathed. In total, besides Sheva, he was the only one who didn’t suffer from any defeat today.
This really humbled Sheva, who always thought that he was the best player in the country. Oh, he might not say that out loud, but inwardly, the boy always felt like the environment was so barren in this land. He still thought the same, but at least, this time, Sheva finally realized that a few strong flowers could still grow up beautifully in this country.
’Oh, well, just another lesson for me in the future.’ He muttered. As the boy let his body fall on his cramped yet comfortable bed, he couldn’t help but mutter, "Oi, system, let me check my stats."
[DING! The scan is successful!]
[Name: Adrian Sheva]
Attacking 82
Defense 70 (+1)
Calculation 77
Strategy 72
Intuition 70 (+3)
Time management 74 (+2)
[DING!]
[Notification! The host has three stats that could be upgraded! Do you want to upgrade them all?]
’Um?!’ Sheva was taken aback by this. ’How could I get that additional point?’ He just wanted to check his current stats and compare them to the other players he met today, yet the boy got an unexpected surprise here.
[The upgrade point comes from the Host’s experience today. It is calculated based on how much Host improves in that aspect. For example, the improvement on defense stats is coming from your game against Susanto Megaranto, while the intuition and time management are your reward for playing twelve blitz games in a row against top players of your country.]
’Then, what about my attacking stats? Or my calculation and strategic stats? Why didn’t it change?’ Sheva asked, wanting to press further.
[It is because the host’s statistics in those aspects didn’t change that much after today’s event. Host didn’t rely that much on them, which makes the stats stagnant.]
Sheva nodded repeatedly, starting to understand how it worked. ’So, in order to improve my statistics, I need to play against top players more while also showing a real improvement, huh? It cannot be something that I could get without effort anymore?’ He asked, trying to confirm his guess.
[Indeed, Host. That, or you can just get a reward from your mission.]
Seeing the message pop up in front of his eyes, Sheva rose from his bed instantly, somehow cursing himself for forgetting something important. Then, with his eyes lit up, the boy shouted inwardly, ’System, I finally get my mission done, right? Where is my fucking reward?!’