A player was crouched behind cover, popping healing pills. Exposed neck. Distracted by the battle noise.
I raised my crossbow, aimed from afar, and fired.
The arrow pierced his neck clean through. No one noticed—the roar of the fight swallowed the sound.
I shifted position quietly, moving to a better angle. Another two players fell silently—neck shots, one after another. No alerts. No panic.
Just then, a fourth party entered the field.
A lone player, flying low on a helicopter. He hovered above the chaos and dropped a poisonous gas canister right into the middle of the fight.
The gas spread fast. Six players with low vitality died almost instantly—coughing, collapsing, skeletons forming in the green mist.
The survivors held their breath and scattered, running in different directions.
But the helicopter player wasn't done. He opened fire from above, picking them off one by one.
I watched, anger rising. He was stealing all the kills. Only three players remained.
I acted fast.
Two quick shots—two runners down, arrows through their necks.
The last one fell to the helicopter player's bullets.
I then looked at the player in the helicopter. He still hadn't spotted me. I remained hidden while he hovered openly in the sky.
I took out my rope—now half its original length after snapping once. But it was still long enough.
I threw it upward, aiming for the helicopter's rotor blades.
The rope caught.
The helicopter lurched violently, spinning out of control.
It plummeted at full speed.
The player jumped out just in time—avoiding the explosion that followed—but the fall damage hit him hard. The blast's shockwave finished the rest.
He turned into a skeleton on impact.
Just then my surroundings suddenly changed. I was back in the lobby where I had arrived after starting the match.
All around me were clouds. Players were there too—but in their original forms, not white balls.
Not all players stayed. Some had left the match, but more than a hundred remained. That was clearly not normal.
Normally, players left after their team or they themselves were killed. They didn't want to watch the entire hour-long match as a white ball.
Of course, some stayed just to explore the continent or watch interesting players, but those were few.
But now more than a hundred stayed.
Why?
Because of a "cheat" player.
The players around were all watching me, convinced I was a cheater.
Just then, a stele rose from the ground, parting the clouds.
As the stele appeared, a blinding golden light began to fill the entire lobby.
This golden light wasn't uncomfortable. Instead, it refreshed every player. Their tension, stress, fatigue—all washed away.
This was one of the reasons players stayed until the end. Of course, it wasn't a one-time thing—it happened in every match. So most players used it once, played two to four more matches, then used it again.
On the stele, the top ten players or teams had their names carved.
At the very top was me and Ruyi's name.
"The Amethyst Roxa and Ruyi"
We also received our game points for winning the match.
Other players got nothing. Even the second-ranked player received no points.
My rank and Ruyi's rank both increased.
On the side of the stele, there were also other top ten rankings displayed: Most Kills, Best Supporter, Top Rusher, and more.
Players could see all the ranks here.
And every single one had my name at the top.
Only the Best Supporter ranking didn't have my name.
I sighed softly, murmuring, "It's understandable…"
But the main ranking was still the most important.
Just as the stele appeared, the cloud beneath me began to rise.
Ruyi rose on her own cloud beside me.
The other top nine ranks followed below us.
Our clouds ascended to the firmament.
Mine slowly transformed into a divine throne. I sat on it calmly.
The same happened with Ruyi—her throne identical to mine, at the same height.
The other top nine had thrones too, but smaller, less grand.
Their thrones floated beneath us, clearly showing the hierarchy.
The atmosphere in the lobby suddenly shifted.
Golden light poured through the clouds, warm and gentle, bathing everything in a soft glow.
Cheerful music swelled—triumphant yet peaceful—filling the air like a distant celebration.
Fireworks of violet and silver burst overhead, raining harmless sparkles that drifted down like falling stars.
Luminous butterflies swirled in joyful patterns, carrying faint echoes of applause and cheers.
Names flashed across the sky in glowing letters.
The entire lobby felt alive with victory—pure, shared joy.
I looked calm on the outside, hands resting in my lap.
But inside, I felt a small, quiet happiness.
It was my first game.
My first win.
I had experienced so much in one match—strategy, teamwork, combat, survival.
It was good.
Then I turned to Ruyi on her throne beside me.
"Ruyi, I'm going. I want to sleep now. Okay, bye."
I exited the game.
Ruyi also left shortly after.
No one knew what she was thinking.
After exiting, I lay back on my bed.
I had only planned to glance at the game… but ended up playing for almost two hours.
But well, it was worth it.
I closed my eyes and let myself fall into dreams.
Sanya's POV ends