Underranked

Streamer Mode

Zed wasn’t exactly the social type.

Shy. Nonchalant. A little too quiet for someone his age, but he was content that way. His world revolved around two things: academics and gaming—particularly Call of Duty: Mobile.

He was a university student by day, a lowkey ranked warrior by night.

And while he never said it aloud, CODM was where he felt most alive.

There was something about slipping into that digital battlefield, headset on, controller in hand, crosshairs steady. It was an escape. A space where no one cared how you looked, how you dressed, or if you stumbled over your words. In the game, skill talked louder than personality ever could.

Zed had a tight online circle: Mike, Arthur, and the rest of the squad he met through random matches and Discord calls. They were loud, chaotic, often reckless—but in all the best ways. They made jokes, cursed out enemies, and raged at campers, but they always had each other’s backs.

Despite never meeting in real life, they felt like real friends.

Zed wasn’t exactly comfortable around girls. He’d never had a girlfriend—NGSB (No Girlfriend Since Birth), as Mike always teased. It was a running joke in their group. He'd laugh along, even if the truth of it stung a little sometimes.

One rainy afternoon after class, just as Zed got back to his small dorm, a message from Mike popped up:

> Mike:

"Bro, tara ranked. Si Arthur online, kulang kami isa."

> Arthur:

"May dinagdag akong player. Di ko pa kabisado, pero solid daw."

Zed hesitated. He didn’t like playing with strangers. Especially when there was a chance it might be a girl. That always made things awkward—he’d overthink, underperform, or worse, stay dead silent the whole match.

Still, he joined.

The lobby loaded. Four players. Three familiar names. One stood out.

StreamerMode.

The user was in “silent mode”—name masked, no avatar, no bio. Gender unknown. Zed felt a flicker of unease.

Mike’s voice rang out, excited. “Okay, bet. MVP gets 500 GCash from me. Let’s go.”

The match started.

Right from the get-go, something was off—in a good way. StreamerMode was... impressive. Precision aim. Smooth strafes. Tactical flanks. The kind of gameplay that made even Mike, who rarely praised anyone, curse in awe.

“Who the hell is this?” Arthur said between laughs.

“Lods siya, bes,” Mike added, impressed.

The match ended. Scoreboard flashed.

MVP: StreamerMode.

Mike kept his word and sent the 500. No complaints.

Arthur chimed in, “Pwede ka ba sa GC namin? Solid ka eh.”

Then came the question no one could resist.

> Mike:

“Boss, girl ka ba or boy?”

There was a moment of silence.

Then, through the private lobby chat, a voice came through. Soft. Confident. Slightly amused.

“Hmm. Secret.”