Wind screamed past his ears.
Light fractured into ribbons, each thread pulling him toward the surface of a vast floating continent—the NightSun Grid. From this height the world looked endless: five sprawling regions stitched together by rivers of light.
To the east, golden plains shimmered under twin suns.
To the north, mountains of ice speared through storm clouds.
To the west, crimson deserts breathed fire.
To the south, black forests writhed with shadows.
And at the center, a column of blinding energy rose like a heartbeat—the Core Nexus.
[Deployment complete.]
[Safety Radius active: 20 kilometers.]
[Compression Field will shrink in 06:00:00.]
Leice landed hard on a ridge of shattered stone. The impact sent dust and light scattering, but he barely felt it. The system in his head absorbed the kinetic surge, adjusting automatically.
Breakam One unfolded in his hand, shifting into a slender sword form before stabilising. Its surface glowed faintly with a pulse that matched his heartbeat.
He scanned the horizon. No sign of Yvonne or Kesha—yet. Hundreds of streaks of light rained across the landscape as other participants materialised in different zones.
So it begins.
The air tasted of metal and ozone. Far below, he spotted figures already clashing, energy flares bursting like fireworks. The first eliminations had begun within minutes.
Leice crouched beside a broken drone and pulled up his interface.
[Status Panel — Active]
Health: MAX
Stamina: MAX
Energy: Stable
Weapon Sync: 100 %
Devotion Points: ∞ (locked)
He grinned.
"Still perfect."
A low hum answered from Breakam One. Its blade trembled slightly, as if restless.
"Easy," he murmured. "We hunt smart, not loud."
He moved downhill, silent as a shadow. His movements didn't leave footprints—the system automatically erased traces to match his Resolve stat. Every step, every breath was under control.
---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*
Solar Plains — Several moments Later( inside VR time )
The sun shifted; the sky glowed amber. Columns of smoke dotted the distance.
Leice had already observed five skirmishes, learned the attack patterns of different players, and collected enough intel to map the shrinking safe zone. He hadn't revealed himself once.
He perched on the remains of a wind turbine, scanning through a holographic projection of the field. The map lines pulsed as the Compression Field began its slow inward crawl.
[Safe Zone radius: 17 kilometers.]
[Outer Zone disintegration in T-300 seconds.]
Screams echoed faintly from the outer ring—those too slow to move were consumed by dissolving light.
"Brutal," Leice muttered. "I like it."
His system pinged a minor warning.
[Multiple combatants detected within 800 meters.]
He focused the feed: three players cornering another—two women, one man. The lone figure fought clumsily but refused to yield.
The man's tag flickered briefly: Zack Sillena.
Leice froze. The name tugged at his memory—the supposed protagonist of this world.
He watched a few more seconds. Zack's sword swings were wild, desperate. Any second now, he'd fall—and that would erase the main storyline Leech remembered from the game.
That won't do.
He raised Breakam One, letting its edge dissolve into particles. The weapon reassembled as a rifle; he took aim without a sound.
Three silver shots, each tracing a perfect curve through the air.
Three opponents fell before they realised they'd been hit.
Zack staggered, breathing hard, looking around in confusion.
"W-who's there?"
Leice deactivated the rifle mode and dropped from the turbine, landing beside him.
"You're welcome."
Zack blinked, recognition dawning.
"A-are you … Leice Grape? The one from the Grape house?"
"That's what the tag says."
"But … why help me? Everyone's competing."
Leice shrugged.
"Call it curiosity. You've got potential."
[Main Hero Assisted — Progress redirected to Player: Leech Code.]
The faint system note scrolled across Leice's vision.
He smiled inwardly. Just like in the game.
"Stick close, kid. You might learn something."
Zack nodded hesitantly, clutching his plain steel blade.
Meanwhile — Northern Quadrant
Yvonne moved through the grasslands with practiced elegance, Sunflare humming at her side. The ground still shimmered from her last duel—five opponents down.
But her focus wasn't on the bodies. It was on the girl standing across the clearing, crimson hair whipping in the wind.
Kesha Billex twirled her twin guns lazily.
"Fancy meeting you so soon, princess."
Yvonne's lips curved.
"You always rush into things. That's why you lose."
"Funny," Kesha said, cocking a gun. "Last time I checked, you were the one bleeding."
Energy crackled between them, gold meeting scarlet. Around them, other players retreated instinctively—the kind of tension that promised an explosion.
EVA-9's broadcast voice echoed across the sky:
[Warning: Localised power surge detected. Combat intensity rising.]
Yvonne raised her rapier, light gathering along its edge.
"Let's end our unfinished match."
Kesha smirked.
"Fine by me. Winner takes everything."
Their weapons blurred. The clash sent shockwaves through the plains, light scattering like shattered glass.
Back to Leice
The explosion rolled across the horizon; even from kilometres away, the sky flickered gold and red.
Zack flinched.
"What was that?"
Leice glanced up, eyes narrowing.
"Two idiots proving who's louder."
He tapped his system panel.
[Power Spikes: Yvonne Grape vs Kesha Billex — Approx Distance: 12 km NE.]
"They'll draw attention," he murmured. "Perfect distraction."
Breakam One shimmered back into sword form. The blade pulsed, hungry.
"Come on, kid. Time to move before the field closes."
Zack followed, still shaken. Behind them, the world began to change—the grass shifting colour as the Compression Field advanced, erasing everything outside its glow.
[Safe Zone Update: 14 kilometers.]
Leice didn't look back.
"Keep running. In this world, standing still is the same as surrender."
Northern Quadrant — Cliffhanger
The duel between Yvonne and Kesha reached its crescendo.
Sunflare met twin guns in a storm of light; dust spiralled into the sky.
Kesha laughed mid-fight, breathless.
"You've improved!"
"And you've stopped thinking!" Yvonne shot back.
Their strikes collided once more—then a sudden wave of compression energy swept over them, forcing both to leap back. The sky turned violet.
[Warning: Zone shift in 00:05:00.]
Yvonne straightened, wiping dust from her cheek.
"Next time, Billex. I'll make sure it's final."
Kesha twirled her weapon, grin unbroken.
"Looking forward to it. Try not to die before we finish."
She vanished into the mist as the field tightened, leaving Yvonne alone amid the collapsing plain.
Leice stopped on a cliff overlooking the same horizon, the echoes of their battle faint in the distance.
Breakam One hummed, recognising familiar energy signatures.
He rested the blade on his shoulder.
"Good. Keep each other busy."
The system pulsed a new line across his vision:
[Notable Combatants Identified — Tracking Enabled.]
He looked down at Zack, who was still catching his breath.
"Welcome to the real game," Leice said quietly.
"Let's survive long enough to rewrite the rules."
The wind howled through the valley as the world's boundaries tightened once again, glowing walls of light inching closer.
[Compression Phase Two Beginning.]
And far above, within the watching halls of the Academy, Alicia Grape smiled as she viewed the feed.