Chapter 193: "We're all classmates, yet you attack me on sight—that really hurts our friendship~"
....
A short while later...
Seito and the Sora-Shiro siblings sat in a dejected circle, staring into space in grim silence.
Everyone's first-round challenge had been "The Rule-Breaking Game." However, aside from Seito and the siblings, every other member of their group had been matched into the same instance.
How does such a low-probability event even happen?
Being matched together was one thing, but Maple had proceeded to simply "guess" every single hidden rule through sheer intuition, leading the girls to a lightning-fast speed-run victory.
This left Seito and the two geniuses feeling utterly deflated. Was the "Luck of the Goddess" truly an unbeatable cheat code?
"Forget it."
Seito rubbed his temples. Reviewing the first round, it was clear that while the core game was the same, the specific hidden rules varied from instance to instance. Still, the survival rate in every zone seemed capped between 5 to 10 players. Since Sora and Shiro had entered individually, they hadn't been able to form a party.
"Let's just see what the second round brings."
Seito checked the event page. Many players were still struggling to finish their first-round trials. The second round was scheduled to commence in the afternoon.
"Do you think that first round was difficult?" Sora asked.
"Not really. If anything, it was a bit too simple," Seito replied.
Though the rules were hidden, as long as you identified the triggers and maintained a calm mind, clearing it was inevitable. Moreover, since it was just a game and not a "permanent death" scenario, there wasn't much psychological pressure.
"Alright, let's rest for the morning. We'll jump back in this afternoon." Seito stood up and stretched his limbs.
Without further word, the group members teleported away one by one to attend to their own business.
Time flew, and afternoon arrived.
Before the start of the second round, Seito checked the remaining player count.
[Current Event Participants: 50,000+]
The survival rate for the third event was brutally low. The vast majority of the player base had been wiped out; only a handful of clever tacticians had made it through. In some zones, the "smart" players had even gone out of their way to sabotage others to ensure their own advancement.
In a single round, the count had plummeted to just fifty thousand.
At that moment, the second round officially began. Seito and the others vanished instantly.
When he opened his eyes again, before he could even scan his surroundings, the system notification chimed.
[Round Two: The Reassembled Compass]
[Feature 1: In this round, players will be randomly spawned within a city for their trial.]
[Feature 2: All original player powers are disabled. The system will randomly issue one weapon to each player. Players will also carry Compass Fragments.]
[Feature 3: Pitfalls, assassinations, frontal assaults—this is high-IQ slaughter. If you can dream it, you can do it. In this round, only the last 10 surviving players will advance.]
[Player Count: 10,000 per instance]
"So, our original powers are sealed?"
Seito noted the player count and immediately surveyed his environment with caution. He was currently in a bedroom. The room was in shambles, looking as though it had been abandoned for decades.
Walking to the window, Seito looked out. The city outside was a chaotic mess of ruins—a literal wasteland, reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic movie.
"Hm?!"
Seito's brow furrowed, and he instinctively tilted his head.
CRASH!
A bullet shattered the glass, whistling past Seito's head and embedding itself in the back wall. He immediately locked onto the source of the shot: a Western player was perched on the roof of the building across the street.
"Heh."
With a disdainful smirk, Seito retreated into the room and pulled the curtains shut. Even if he couldn't use his in-game magic, he and the siblings hadn't become the "Top Three Global Players" by luck.
He checked his starting weapon. Seito stared at it, dumbfounded.
"An AK-47... Fire Kirin???"
Yes! Looking at the golden, dragon-scaled aesthetic of the rifle, Seito was momentarily speechless. Good lord, did this event include "Hero-tier" weapon skins? Was there a stat bonus, or was this just a cosmetic flex?
He summoned the weapon into his hands.
"Tch, just a reskin?"
Seito clicked his tongue. The weapon only had the "Infinite Ammo" trait, but he suspected every player with a firearm had that. For now, it was best to avoid direct contact with other players.
Leaving the bedroom, Seito moved through the living room. Finding nothing useful, he exited the apartment. Based on his view from the window, he estimated he was somewhere between the 10th and 15th floors.
"The police station is a no-go. I need to find other gear."
Seito rubbed his chin. The police station would definitely have the best weapons, but it was also a magnet for every player in the vicinity. For now, find a spot to hunker down.
Rat-tat-tat!
Gunfire erupted from the floor above. Hearing the noise, Seito moved swiftly toward the stairwell and began his ascent. He also confirmed his current position: the 11th floor.
As he reached the 12th floor and stepped into the hallway, a fire axe came hurtling toward him. He twisted his body, dodging the blade, and looked ahead.
"Oh, it's you two."
Seeing the familiar faces, Seito let out a smile. The two were none other than his "waifu" Asuna and her classmate Sinon (Shino Asada).
Sinon was a veteran of gun-themed games. Though she looked a bit plain in real life with her glasses, she was incredibly sharp in-game. With her short blue hair, green combat suit, and white muffler, she radiated a completely different aura.
"My, my~"
Seito approached the two girls with a playful, cheeky grin.
"We're all classmates here. Attacking me the moment you see me... that really hurts our friendship, doesn't it?"
Stopping before them, Seito chuckled and put away his Fire Kirin.
"Sorry, I didn't realize it was you," Asuna said awkwardly, gripping her rapier.
Sinon studied him with curiosity. She had seen Seito in person more than once, but this was her first time meeting him inside a game.
"It's fine." Seito waved it off and extended an invitation. "Want to party up?"
Asuna and Sinon were top-tier experts in this type of gameplay. Teaming up with them was definitely a winning move!
....
Thank you for reading.