CHAPTER 345: WHAT IS WRONG WITH SHEVA?!

One hour.

That was the limit that the system gave before he passed out due to an overclocked brain. Sounds scary, indeed, but after inquiring about the system, Sheva knew that there was no harm in this process. No, it was just that his brain fell into a hibernation state, trying to recover after being overworked. At least, he would fall asleep for more than 20 hours, but other than that, no permanent harm would last inside him, which was enough to ease Sheva’s worry.

However, that didn’t mean he wanted to experience that. No, if anything, the boy was quite ambitious here, wanting to end the game as quickly as possible.

’Okay, he still has 45 minutes left on the clock here...’ The boy took another deep breath, starting to calculate inside his head. ’If I assume that he would burn all of his time, I would only have 15 minutes to use before passing out. So, this is going to be a rapid game for me. I cannot waste my time for too long, or I will be killed later. Also, I cannot allow the game to go for more than 40 moves. Once the 30-minute additional time comes, I wouldn’t have a chance to survive later. So... In one hour, within 14 moves, I need to force him to resign, or I can say goodbye to the game! Sure! I can do this!’

If this were not a formal occasion, Sheva would slap his face hard, trying to hype himself up. His head was still throbbing, and his body also started to produce more sweat. However, the effect of the 30% concentration was still there, so his mind was at its sharpest right now.

’Goddamnit! This is definitely not good!’ Sheva cursed. ’I need to start working out after this tournament is over, or I will never be able to survive for so long if I get another title. Oh, speaking of which, System, tell me, how long could I survive during the effect of the title in my current state?’ He asked the alien being inside his head.

[It is approximately two hours, Host. After that, you will pass out, and the closer you are to the limit, the worse the headache you will suffer.]

’Okay, I get it.’ Sheva nodded. ’So, a change of plan here. I need to beat him faster, or the headache would kill me later!’

Of course, there was an obvious solution here, and that was to unequip the title. Once that happened, his brain would start to slow down, and the headache would also start to disappear slowly. However, Sheva didn’t know that he could do that, and even if the boy figured it out, he wouldn’t unequip that title in this game.

No, he still had an advantage here, and the boost from the title also made him more confident in his approach. In his mind, as long as he could capitalize on everything and win the game, the headache that he suffered as a side effect would be worth it.

Right after that, Sheva started to blitz his way once again, as if it were an opening phase. Johan-Sebastian Christiansen still took about 4 to 5 minutes to make a move each turn, and yet, he did it in under one minute. Hell, sometimes, the boy just didn’t think, using his instinct to strike back the second his opponent put the piece back on the board. This made everyone frown, as even though this was Sheva’s common style, all the people who watched it found something strange here.

"What is going on here?" Medina frowned, trying to figure out the situation on the board. "I know that his playing style is fast, but he is not reckless. Instead of putting pressure on his opponent’s time, this feels like Sheva trying to end this game as quickly as possible."

"Yeah, I also think something is wrong here." Arfan couldn’t help but nod.

Bagas himself didn’t say anything, but if anyone saw it closely, they would be able to tell that the boy was biting his lips nervously, with his eyes completely locked on the screen. While the others were still confused, he, who had been friends with Sheva for so many years, could recognize precisely the current situation there.

’He closes his eyes while thinking... He has never done that before, even during the national exam! He would only close his eyes like this when he is in pain! What is going on here? Is he feeling sick or what?!’

He had half of his mind to rush into the venue and drag Sheva into the medical room to check his condition, screw the consequences. However, after thinking about it carefully, he buried that thought six feet under. No, even though he was worried, he couldn’t do that for Sheva.

This was the biggest tournament in the world, and Sheva was also in a historical run right now. Pulling him off in the middle of the game would be too cruel, and he didn’t want Sheva to regret this situation. Also, even though Bagas saw his best friend suffering there, he still trusted Sheva’s judgement. His friend was smart and had a strong self-awareness, so if he didn’t feel good, he would’ve withdrawn immediately without getting asked.

So...

’Yeah, I will trust you for now, Shev.’ Bagas muttered to himself. ’But you better make it worth it, okay?’

Back on the board, the situation was still quite complicated. The advantage was still on Sheva, yet Johan-Sebastian Christiansen was quite confident that he could hold his own ground until the end.

Sheva himself groaned weakly; the uncomfortable feeling started to take over. It was quite strange that his brain still worked sharply while also being in pain. However, the boy tried his best to ignore it, knowing that he was so close to winning this game.

’Yes, I can see it!’ Sheva clenched his fist tightly. ’The pressure on the kingside will be overwhelming, and he will want to reroute that knight to give his king a room to breathe. Once that happens, his rook on the second rank will be slow enough to support the flank, so I can strike from that direction! I get this!’