I was expecting the leader to try killing me the moment I came up. I took out my gun, ready to fight.
But when I emerged, I saw the leader had already been killed. He was now a skeleton, lying still on the floor. I didn't know how he died—there was no one else here, and no traps had triggered nearby. Only a rope was wrapped around his neck.
There was no killing notification in the game—only the kill count updated. My kills were now 4.
That meant this person was killed by me.
But how?
Just then, a white ball emerged from the skeleton. I didn't mute him this time.
I asked, "Hey, how did you get yourself killed?"
The white ball stared at me like he was seeing a monster for the first time. He shouted,
"You!!!! You really don't know how you killed me?"
I nodded, asking again.
He stared at me with full anger, then took a deep breath, calming himself. "This is just a game," he muttered, before continuing.
"You pulled the rope so hard that it broke my neck. Are you a monster or what? How can you even capture my neck from this distance? Were you a cowboy in your real life—?"
Before he could say more, I muted him.
I wasn't fully safe yet. Poisonous gas still corroded my vitality slowly. And there was one last player left. I had to kill him too. He had gone in another direction—I could find him.
Just then, Ruyi's voice came into my mind.
Roxa, are you still inside? I saw many traps activating just now—are you okay? Tell me.
I answered calmly.
Yes, I'm okay. I'm not hurt. I'm coming out just after killing this last player.
But Ruyi sounded stunned.
Wait… so that leader is killed… and he was killed by you?
Yes. He's dead, and the player outside was also killed by me. Only one last person remains. I'll come after killing—
Ruyi interrupted, voice full of excitement.
Wow, Roxa! You're incredible! We managed to kill a three-player team in such a short time. I can't believe it—I think it's a dream!
I was confused. What was she talking about? There was still one last player left—
Then it hit me.
I said slowly,
"So… you killed the last person."
Ruyi nodded happily in my mind.
Yes! He was coming outside. He didn't have a gun. When I saw him, I shot. My aim wasn't perfect—it hit his leg instead of his head where I was aiming. But he still died. His vitality was already low. Hahaha!
I smiled to myself.
I began walking out of the house, slowly dragging the leader's skeleton behind me with the rope still in my hand.
After coming outside, I met up with Ruyi near the house entrance. She looked relieved.
I uses some healing pills and restore my vitality.
Then we began looting the skeletons of those three players.
I handed the shotgun to Ruyi—she needed it more than I did. I also gave her several other items: extra ammo, a couple of bandages, and a light saber. She accepted everything gratefully, eyes wide.
Then I noticed the storage pouch of the second player—the one Ruyi had killed. It held several arrows. I took them all, adding them to my own pouch.
Ruyi looked at me and said, "Now we have good loot. Let's go to Kila Island. But we have to be quick. The zone shrinking starts 10 minutes after we descend. We've already used 8 minutes, so we need to reach the island and return early—otherwise our healing pills will all be gone."
I agreed.
We stepped onto my flying sword. I focused, and it lifted smoothly into the air, carrying both of us toward the distant island.
There were other ways to cross the ocean—boats, ships, helicopters, even submarines—but we would have to find their symbols first.
Boat symbols were easiest to spot, mostly along coastal areas. But boats weren't a good option. I glanced at the ocean in the distance—big and small tides rolled across the surface. A normal boat would be smashed apart. We'd end up swimming, which was dangerous if the shrinking zone caught us.
Ships were better, but rare. Finding their symbols took time we didn't have.
Submarines? Their symbols were hidden underwater—almost impossible to locate without diving gear or luck.
There was one special boat—extremely rare. Only 10 players had ever found it, according to records. It could fly. Fragile by default, but with top-level boosting stones, it became quite durable. A flying boat would have been perfect.
But we didn't have time to search for it.
The flying sword was faster and safer for now.
One more thing about the ocean: it held plenty of loot, but the game was so realistic that players had to surface for air from time to time. If you stayed underwater too long, your vitality would drop to zero. There was a rare item—a water breathing bead—that created a shield around the player, allowing longer dives. But it lasted only 20 minutes, and the shield was fragile. A single shot from any weapon could shatter it.
Ruyi and I crossed the ocean quickly. The island rose ahead—Kila Island, massive and rugged, even bigger than our Dark Haven Fortress. It made sense; this was no fortress. It was a wild, untamed landmass.
We landed softly on a rocky beach. The air smelled of salt and pine. I scanned the surroundings—my senses sharp, able to see and hear far beyond normal limits.
No one.
No footsteps in the sand. No distant gunfire. No rustle of movement. The beach was empty, the nearby trees silent.
I turned to Ruyi.
"There seems to be no player here yet. We can loot without much worry."