hotmtlnovel Chapter 631: Burnout
Chapter 631: Burnout
Chapter 631: Burnout "What, still reading people’s comments?" Bagas asked amusedly when he saw his best friend just rolling around the bed lazily, but with eyes still on the phone. "Don’t read it too much, almost everything is full of shit. Don’t get stumped by a bad comment there, you don’t even know them at all."
Sheva just grunted at the reminder, not feeling well enough to answer it properly.
It was the end of the sixth day, and they were so close to the final match of the tournament. It was a short one, indeed, as with only eight players participating, they only had seven rounds in total.
Tomorrow should be the most exciting day, the one that decides whether Sheva can lift the trophy or not. However, somehow, Sheva couldn’t really muster any spirit to survive that fateful day, just wanting to roll around on his bed and wake up comfortable after the sun was high.
"What, still thinking of the game earlier?" Bagas snorted. "Also, why in the hell are you using my phone there? Use your own, for God’s sake!" The fat boy sighed in exasperation. Honestly, he felt like he was travelling with a child right now, having to nag him every now and then to follow common sense.
"Nah... Don’t wanna..." Sheva answered lazily. "Too much concern from everybody, I get a headache from them..."
Bagas blinked in surprise, turning around and looking at his best friend concernedly. Honestly, this was the first time he saw Sheva like this in a year, as if all the spirit and motivation were sucked out of his body. This was definitely not a good sign here.
"Do you want to get in touch with Aunty? Or Claudia? Let me call them for you."
However, before Bagas could even get his phone, Sheva just shook his head. "Nah, leave me alone, man. I just want to spend the night in peace..."
Honestly, for the first time in his life, Sheva felt he was burning out right now. The thought of having to play another game tomorrow was enough to make him vomit, and if he were alone, the boy would’ve tried to run away by now.
"Maybe, I will try to get a quick draw tomorrow..." He hummed out of nowhere, startling Bagas a lot here. "I mean, Boris Gelfand is going to be desperate to get something, right? There is no way he would reject that offer. Maybe, a quick Berlin’s Defense will be enough to end this shit..."
Now, it was official. Bagas freaked out.
He had never seen Sheva so soulless right now, as if he didn’t have any will to live. Hell, even when the boy was still selling snacks on the stall last year, he still showed bustling vitality, but now... He looked more like a walking corpse, only knowing how to follow the rhythm without being able to escape from its control.
’I should’ve seen this coming, fuck!’ Bagas cursed inwardly, wanting to slam his head on the table for his stupidity. ’He isn’t like any other chess player outside! There is no way he could continue grinding over and over again with the same spirit!’
What Bagas meant by that was, unlike the others who played chess since they were child and found their love and passion there, Sheva had never experienced that joy. No, his first purpose in diving deeper into the chess community was money, something that couldn’t be hidden here.
Bagas believed that if not for Irfan’s offer, Sheva would never want to touch a chessboard again after their first encounter, opting for selling snacks on the street stall.
Hell, even at this point, he had never heard Sheva enjoying the game. No, the boy was driven by his competitiveness, seeking the thrilling feeling of winning and beating stronger opponents from all over the world.
The boy himself had never, even for once, said something about loving chess or even finding a position to be beautiful. In his mind, even the most sophisticated position on the board was probably just a means to an end, not something to be admired at all.
That was why, Bagas should’ve expected him to burnout like this after playing so many high-level games in the last couple of days.
"Eh, don’t fret too much over it, Gas." Sheva suddenly offered a weak grin, seeming to notice the boy’s distraught state. "I am just joking here, too tired to even think straight. I am sure that after a good sleep, I will be back again, and you will see me beating everyone tomorrow."
The scariest part, though, was that Bagas believed Sheva would be able to do that. Mental health was definitely not a thing for a lot of Indonesian people, especially for those who came from a not-so-rich family.
Sheva was also included in this group, since the boy believed he had to be grateful for what he had. Especially, since he himself could make so much money without having to work 9-to-5 like the other normal people. So, after getting tired and venting out his emotions right now, he would’ve been able to go back to his normal state tomorrow, acting as if nothing happened at all.
However, how much longer could the boy survive in that state? What would be the trigger to make him snap in the future?
Bagas pondered with a big frown on his face, trying to figure out what to do right now. After seeing the lifeless Sheva on the bed, he finally made a decision.
"Let’s just withdraw from the Biel Festival."
"Um?" Sheva blinked, not expecting this to come out of nowhere. "What do you mean by withdrawing? Getting an invitation to this tournament is a rare thing, right? What if we are being blacklisted in the future? Also, I still have a promise to fulfil to the others. What would I say to Devi, Anna, Claudia, and the others?"
"Nah, don’t worry about it. Let me handle the administrative task like this, and just focus on yourself." Bagas just waved off all of Sheva’s concerns. "Also, we are still going to Biel. You won’t be there to play, though, but will play a mentor-like role for them all. Just treat it as a paid vacation, what do you think?"