The mission notification appeared the moment Reever stepped fully out of the small room.
It filled his vision, lines of text stacking one after another.
[Mission details: Hunt or be hunted.]
The words alone were enough to tighten his chest.
[This facility was previously used to experiment on insects. The insects broke through containment and destroyed the place. During the chaos, they stole valuable information on how to stop them.
Mission objective: Hunt spider ants.
The more you kill, the more points you earn.
One normal spider ant equals ten points.
One soldier spider ant equals one hundred points.
One rook or bishop spider ant equals one thousand points.
One king spider ant equals one hundred thousand points.
The queen spider ant equals one million points.
Normal spider ants are brown.
Soldier spider ants are green.
Rook spider ants are yellow.
Bishop spider ants are orange.
King spider ants are silver.
The queen spider ant is purple.]
Reever stared at the text longer than he needed to.
Spider ants.
He repeated the name in his head, trying to connect it to anything he had seen before. Nothing came up. Ants were ants. Spiders were spiders. The idea of the two mixed together felt wrong in a way he could not explain.
The system was not done.
[While hunting spider ants, search for information on how to stop them.
The information is stored in a bluish USB device and may be hidden anywhere in the facility.
Points for retrieving the information: one hundred thousand.]
Reever let out a slow breath.
So this was not just about killing.
Another mission layered on top of the first.
Before he could fully process that, another chime rang out.
[While searching for the information, be aware that some players are currently under the control of the spider ant king and queen.
Find and free them if possible.
Freed players will come under your command for the remainder of the game and will rank up with you afterward.
Each freed player is worth one thousand points.]
Reever closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Three objectives.
Kill spider ants.
Find the information.
Save controlled players.
It was typical of the system. It never liked giving simple choices. Everything had a price, and everything had consequences stacked on top of each other.
Another notification appeared, almost mockingly calm.
[This is a three-in-one mission.
Completing it will count as four out of five completed missions.
Total number of players in this mission: one hundred and fifty.
This is also the total number of players remaining in the game.
Rewards will be calculated based on points earned.
Ensure that you survive the hunt, or you will become the hunted.
Good luck.]
The notifications faded.
Silence returned, but it did not feel quiet.
Reever stood still for a moment, his thoughts heavier than his body. Three missions wrapped into one meant there was no room for mistakes. No fallback. No second chance if things went wrong.
"If I lose here," he muttered to himself, "that's it."
At least it was fair in its own twisted way. Win everything or lose everything.
He turned his head and looked at Daisy.
She was standing a few steps away, hands clasped behind her back, smiling in a way that felt unsure. Not cheerful. Just trying to look useful.
"It's not my fault," she said quickly, her voice light but strained. "That mission came straight from the system."
"I know," Reever replied. He did not sound angry.
Daisy hesitated, then leaned forward slightly. "But I can help. Just a little."
Reever raised an eyebrow, waiting.
"The information," she said. "About how to stop them. One of the kings swallowed it. Out of the seven kings roaming this place, one has the USB inside its body. If you hunt the kings, you will find it."
That was not a small hint.
Reever nodded slowly. "That helps."
He looked at her properly now. The oversized lab coat still dragged along the floor behind her. It looked too heavy for her small frame, like something meant for someone else that she was forced to carry.
"I'll head out and start the mission," he said. "When I come back, we can talk about what you said earlier. I'll think about it."
Daisy's eyes softened at that. "Then be careful," she said quietly.
Reever reached out and patted her head, gentle and brief. "Be strong while I'm gone."
She smiled, just a little.
As he turned to leave, something stopped him.
"Daisy," he said. "What rank are you?"
She froze.
For a few seconds, she did not answer. Her gaze dropped to the floor, and her fingers tightened against the fabric of her coat.
"I think," she said slowly, "I'm at grandmaster rank."
Reever turned fully toward her.
Grandmaster.
A rank that reshaped bodies. A rank that separated monsters from the rest.
"You're serious?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yes. Grandmaster."
Reever felt something bitter rise in his chest. She did not look powerful. She did not act powerful. She looked tired.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"Fourteen," Daisy replied. "I'll be fifteen next month."
That made it worse.
She spoke again, her words spilling out more quickly now, like she had been holding them in for too long.
"This place resets after every match. Everything goes back. Time loops. Or reverses. I'm not sure what to call it. I think I've been here for about two years, but time outside moves differently. Our bodies still grow, but our lives don't move forward."
Her breathing became uneven.
"I came here at this…"
She grabbed her head suddenly.
"Aagh. It hurts. It hurts again. Please make it stop."
Her voice cracked as she dropped to her knees, hands pressing against her skull.
Reever moved without thinking.
He knelt down and pulled her into a hug, holding her firmly but gently.
"Stop," he said softly. "Don't force it. You don't have to explain."
He rubbed her back in slow circles. "It's okay. Whatever rules they put on you, don't fight them."
Her breathing gradually slowed. The tension in her body eased.
After a while, she wiped her tears with her sleeve and stood up, her face pale.
"Thank you," she whispered. "This happens a lot. It's hell here. That's why I don't want to stay anymore."
Reever did not reply right away.
"I can sense another player arriving," Daisy said, her expression shifting back to something professional, though the exhaustion remained. "It's better if you leave now. Come back after the mission."
Reever nodded.
He stepped out of the lab and into the open facility grounds.
The air felt heavier here.
Then he saw the player who had just arrived.
His steps slowed.
It was the legacy descendant.
The same one who wore a suit into a battlefield.
The same one whose power cores Reever had taken earlier.
Their eyes met.
Reever exhaled quietly.
Fate had a funny way of connecting people.