===
Progress: 821.647/ 1.000.000
Players: 625
===
We lost almost half of our forces.
And then I saw it
One — taller, lacquered black with crimson seams glowing faintly — didn't just swing harder, it adjusted. The moment two players tried the same flanking maneuver, it pivoted, intercepted mid-motion, and shattered one of their weapons with a precise counter. Its head turned slowly, unnaturally, scanning—not like a puppet, but like something **learning**. Watching. Remembering.
"Mini Boss here!"
The player tried to roll away—too slow. The elite snatched his leg mid-escape and slammed him into the ground hard enough to rattle bones.
"Ugh"
My body moved before thought.
Its eyes—if you could call those glowing slits eyes—locked onto mine. It hurled the limp player toward me like a cannonball. I sidestepped.
"Could've caught me!"
And then 40 feet
30... 20... 15... 10
It raised a hand—**bait.**
It had learned from me, mimicked my rhythm, lured a counter.
I gave it one.
But this time—grab.
It caught my spear mid-swing, reared back for a massive haymaker.
I let go.
Dropped low. Slipped beneath the arc.
It overextended—and I helped it.
Used its momentum, let its own weight become the weapon.
My shoulder caught its gut, pivoted—**slam.**
"DID THE DEMON KING JUST—"
"YES. HE. DID."
The spear still buried in its arm.
I kicked off the ground—grabbed the shaft—
**Stab.**
Driven deeper by gravity and resolve.
I took out the spear. the usual crumbling of the dolls confirmed.
I raised flag
"Route them"
"HELL YEAH!"
"Now that's the demon king! we know"
"Incredible"
"SOMEONE CLIP THAT PLEASEE!!!"
---
And somehow, the rest of the battle went… flawlessly.
Because we're gamers.
We learn.
The moment I pulled off that throw, something clicked.
Suddenly, what was supposed to be a musou-style slaughter turned into a makeshift **wrestling game**.
People were shoulder-tossing dummies, attempting flying knees, even one guy who screamed "DRAGON FIST!" as he jumped off a ruined pillar.
**Fun.**
That's the only word for it.
Then—
In the corner of my vision, someone caught my eye.
A girl. Young.
Twin pigtails. Calm expression.
One hand holding a giant brush, the other flipping a sheet of parchment.
She was… **jotting down notes**?
"Dolls: 4 variants detected — Weak, Normal, Elite, Mini Boss."
"Unique trait: One mini boss only: black in colour, harder to take down"
"Elite requires teamwork to takedown."
===
Progress:1.000.807/ 1.000.000
Players: 367
===
Overkill?
Was the number just a target or a warning?
===
Rankings:
1. Pretender : 2554 + 2 elite + 1 corrupted
2. Sovereign : 2728 + 1 elite + 1 corrupted
3. Berzrkr : 1709 + 1 elite
4. ....
...
(1000. PersonalPassifist : 0 )
===
"The top 2... yeah can't compete with that"
"The demon king and the heroic princess, tale as old as time"
"Pacifist in a game like this? Crazy?"
"Look mom I'm top 5 in something!"
"WHAT!? I'm not even in the top 100!? Is this rigged!?"
Usually, in games like this… there's a reward screen, right?
===
Tutorial Completed
Qi Unlocked
Calculating merit...
Distributing Reward...
===
"wait Qi?"
"Oh it's wuxia? no wonder there's explosive seals!"
"Wait I can do a rxxxgan?"
"What about kamexxxx"
Total chaos.
People testing poses.
Trying to gather inner energy with deep breathing.
One guy was doing tai chi in full armor. Another was screaming into his mic.
===
Menu unlocked,
logout available...
Next wave : 02:59:54
===
"Ehhh we can't logout before?"
"What about the dead players? Please don't tell me this is one of those games…"
"Relax! We just went into spectator mode. I watched the whole thing like a movie!"
""Phew… thank god. I was lying in bed naked. This would've been a horror comedy."
Yeah.
Figures.
No one tried logging out.
They were having too much fun.
"wait... there's a streaming menu!?"
"Wait there's also auto saved memory menu!"
"BLESS THE DEVS. GIVE THE REST OF THE WORLD A CHANCE TO SEE THIS GLORY!"
"Hello guys and girls! It's Itchy here bringing you the premier of DREAMVR"
chaotic...
===
Rank 1 rewards : 1 invite
Rank 2 rewards : 1 invite
Rank 3 rewards : Nothing
===
"WHAT ?"
"Rewards are earned!"
"WHAT THE ---"
"Can we ... buy that?"
"Buy that? do you know how rich the princess of Belgium is?"
"Ah yeah we're not made of oil.."
"Then from the Demon king?"
All eyes turn on me
I was already entering the number and email of my most trusted friend.
Hope he's living his best life.
I offer no words of apology
"That just like the demon king"
"Eating a buffet in front of bunch of starving commoners"
"Long may he reign"
yap all you want.
---
Three hours passed.
Not long — but long enough for madness.
We tried everything.
Screamed out special move names, tested stances, even staged semi-PvP duels.
Nothing.
No glowing effects. No power-up surge. No anime sparkles.
"Test number 456: player magical girl (who is a guy) screamed rider kick, to only stab a man with a sword did not trigger the effect"
I see...
A girl. Sitting at the fountain. Quietly writing it all down with a giant brush.
**Dedicated.**
Thanks to her, we confirmed a few key things:
1. the fountain acts like MOBA fountains which heals us at an accelerated rate.
2. Respawn between waves changed to respawn timers.
3. bound weapon is unable to be borrowed or used by other players as it phased through
===
Wave 2 starting
Number of Enemies : 0/100.000
Number of Elites : 0/10
Number of bosses : 0/1
===
"A boss wave guys!"
"Heh! it's our time to shine! we'll get him with our combination attack!"
"Come join our legion! we shall show these wreteched dolls ROMAN's MILITARY DOMINANCE!"
Huh.
Smart.
Rotation-based formation, just like ... a walking tank?
Spear users in front, shields repurposed from dropped doll gear, switching positions like clockwork.
That one's a guild leader, for sure.
===
"Hey"
I turned toward the voice.
That familiar pull in her tone — always effortless, always dangerous.
"Sovereign."
"Sofia"
"Sofia"
A nod.
Still bratty.
Always bratty.
"I will beat your record this wave"
Something sparked in me.
That old fire. Competitive. Relentless.
"You can try"
"Heh! you haven't figure out Qi right?"
Meaning: she has.
"Not telling"
Figures.
"I'll beat you this round. "
"Like I say, you can try"
"Heh! don't come crying to me after your loss you 2nd tier chef"
"But you still liked it"
"*cough cough* I was hungry that day, and haven't eaten breakfast."
She booked out the entire restaurant for forty minutes — just so no one else would interrupt.
I just smile
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SMILE FOR! I'll WIPE THAT SMIRK OFF YOUR---"
"Madam, I'm here"
**Maria.**
Her wet nurse.
Professional maid.
Best friend.
Escape artist.
"*EEEK*!"
And just like that — she was gone in a blur of stomping boots and high-pitched fury.
"YOU DIDNT SEE THAT"
I looked aside. Said nothing.
"Y**OUUUUU!** I'LL BEAT YOU! Today's the day I finally win, and you'll eat that smirk!"
"Let's go, Maria!"
"Of course, madam."
Then vanished alongside the whirlwind named Sofia.