I stared at the prompt, the golden letters hanging in the air. [CONSUME SKILL BOOK? THIS ACTION IS PERMANENT.] There was no hesitation. I needed every advantage I could get. The coming storm would not wait for me to be ready.
"Yes," I thought, focusing on the book with all my will.
The book in my hands dissolved into a cascade of golden light. The light flowed into my chest, a warm and powerful energy that was the complete opposite of the painful forced recovery. It felt like pure information being downloaded directly into my soul. My HUD flashed with a new notification.
[UNIQUE SKILL LEARNED: REACTIVE PLATING (PASSIVE)]
A description appeared below it.
[When taking a single instance of damage that exceeds 30% of your max HP, a temporary energy shield materializes around you. The shield absorbs 50% of all incoming damage for 5 seconds. This effect can only activate once per match.]
It was a second chance. A lifesaver. It was the system's apology for letting me die. If I had this skill before, Viper's first shot would not have been fatal. The thought gave me a small, precious sense of security. It was a shield against the impossible.
Next, the skill points. I had five of them. A treasure. I opened my skill tree, the familiar diagram appearing in my vision. I needed to be smarter. More versatile. I could not just be a shotgun rusher or a sniper. I had to be both.
I spent the points with careful precision.
One point went into the Tactical tree. I unlocked the next skill in the Acoustic Sensor line. [GHOST (LVL 1) - Your footsteps are now 20% quieter.]. A simple, powerful upgrade. The quieter I was, the longer I would live.
Two points went into the Survival tree. I upgraded my healing skill. [FAST HEAL (LVL 2) - Med-Syringe usage is now 50% faster.]. Then, I unlocked the skill right after it. [ADRENALINE RUSH (LVL 1) - After eliminating an enemy, gain a 10% speed boost for 3 seconds.]. It was an aggressive skill, designed for players who pushed forward after a kill. It was a perfect fit for my shotgun style.
I had two points left. A new branch had appeared on my skill tree, unlocked when I acquired the Phantom rifle. It was called the [MARKSMAN] tree. It was time to stop relying on luck with my sniping.
I put my last two points there. I unlocked [QUICK SCOPE (LVL 1) - Time to look through your scope is reduced by 25%.] and [STEADY HAND (LVL 1) - Weapon sway is permanently reduced.]. These skills would make the Phantom feel less like a heavy, alien machine and more like an extension of my own body. I was becoming a hybrid, a deadly threat at any range.
Finally, there was the armor. I looked at the [Ouroboros Alpha Chest piece]. The beautiful, menacing piece of legendary gear. It felt strange, wearing the symbol of my greatest enemies. But my default armor was weak and torn. Survival was more important than pride.
I equipped it. My old, battered vest dissolved into light, and the new chest piece materialized around me. It was heavier, but it fit perfectly. The black plating felt incredibly strong, and the red lights on the chest pulsed with a soft, steady rhythm, like a slow, predatory heartbeat. And right in the center, the silver symbol of the serpent and the gear gleamed. To survive, I had to wear the skin of the snake. The irony was not lost on me.
As I finished my upgrades, more players began to arrive in the Safe Zone. One by one, they teleported in, their matches complete. They stopped when they saw me.
They stared.
First, they saw the massive, golden MVP crate slowly fading out of existence behind me. Then, they saw the legendary Ouroboros chest piece I was wearing. Their eyes went wide. They started whispering. I could not hear the words, but I could see my name on their lips. "Leo."
News traveled fast in this world. The story of my fight with Viper, of my impossible victory, it had already spread. I was no longer an anonymous player hiding in the crowd. I was a spectacle. A legend.
Some players looked at me with awe. Others looked at me with raw fear. But a few, the ones with the hungry, predatory eyes, they looked at me with pure greed. They did not see a hero or a monster. They only saw the valuable loot I carried. I was the Marked Man.
Anya stood up. She had been watching me, her expression unreadable. Now, she took a deliberate step away from me, creating distance between us. "My work here is done," she said, her voice formal and cool. "You're on your own now, Leo. The center of attention is a lonely place."
She looked me in the eye. "Remember what I said. Trust no one."
She turned and walked to a different corner of the Safe Zone, leaving me completely alone, standing in the middle of the room with the eyes of every player locked on me.
The loud, deep alarm sounded again, signaling the end of our brief peace.
[NEXT MATCH BEGINS IN: 60 SECONDS.]
The tension in the room skyrocketed. Every player checked their gear one last time. I felt a dozen pairs of eyes on me, wondering. Would they be on my team, or against me?
The match details appeared on my HUD.
[MATCH TYPE: VIP ASSASSINATION]
My heart sank. In this mode, one player on each team was designated the VIP. The only objective was to kill the enemy VIP while protecting your own. It was a game of hunting and hiding.
I pulled up the player lobby list, my hands suddenly cold. I scanned the Red Team roster. My eyes immediately found the Ouroboros members. Their old leader, Viper, was gone. At the top of their faction list was a new name: "Hydra." This had to be their new leader.
Then, I scanned the roster for my own team. Blue Team. My blood ran cold.
There, on my own team list, was a player with the Ouroboros serpent-and-gear symbol glowing next to their name. A player named "Kain."
There was a traitor on my team. A snake in the grass.
A final notification appeared, the most important one of all. It designated the VIPs for the match. I held my breath.
[RED TEAM VIP: HYDRA]
[BLUE TEAM VIP: LEO]
Of course. It had to be me. I was the target. The system itself had marked me for death.
I looked across the Safe Zone. I saw a player in the corner detach himself from the Ouroboros group. He was wearing the same symbol as them, but he was walking towards my side of the room. Towards the Blue Team spawn area. It was Kain. He looked right at me, and a slow, cruel smile spread across his face.
The enemy was not just in front of me. They were standing right beside me.