Chapter Five: Reddit Starts Changing Its Tone

By the start of the second elimination week, Harbor Wolves was no longer “that North American second-tier team.” At least, not in any sentence that sounded easy anymore. Every win softened the old takes by one degree. First it was luck. Then enemy mistakes. Then maybe structure. By the end, even the most stubborn trolls had reduced themselves to the last remaining position: they played ugly, but it worked. Caleb knew better. It wasn’t ugly. It was restraint. The day before the semifinal, the official prediction numbers came out. Harbor Wolves were facing Iron Spire’s second squad, but everyone who actually watched the games knew the label was meaningless.