Evening Game

“An event?”

With the exams behind them, Ethan and Chione could return to their original plans, playing the game and going after that tower.

“Lots of rewards, and best of all, teams of two. Perfect for ya!”

Mason said as he shared his screen. Ethan scrolled through the webpage, reading through the rules and requirements. A battle royale, set in Technologia. The rewards were promoted on the screen. It was divided into two rounds, qualifications and a final event, meaning they would face the elite of the elite. He wondered if this was the true reason Fiona had sent him here.

“Alright, we’ll enter.”

The game gave out participation prizes, and while those weren’t as good as the rewards a player could get from the guild quest when spending the same amount of time, it was still decent.

“How about you? You and Calista will be going?”

Chione asked. Ethan reminded himself that only Chione could call Calista by her real name. Slipping this out would be a fatal mistake. He needed to spend extra energy in making sure that the other two didn’t know who he truly was.

“Yep. We’re rivals now.”

Mason extended a hand. Chione shook it firmly. Ethan doubted it for a moment, but realized that as FireRock, there should be no reason for him not to, so he took his hand as well. They then parted ways, each wanting to prepare for the upcoming event.

“So, the rules?”

“Free for all. You come in with nothing but beginner’s clothes. Collect weapons and armor, then fight. No revives. The final map is based on Hatasdei, but would most likely be changed and rearranged.”

Chione listened carefully as she collected the loot from a wild monster. They were in Hatasdei Northeastern Forest, a red zone, supposedly with both monsters and players alike. They hadn’t run into any players so far, however.

“In the qualifications, we need to either be top three or the two with the most kills outside those top three. Oh, and Kennard will be entering as well.”

Ethan said after looking at the message Kennard sent him.

“Better watch out, then.”

Chione stood up and scanned her surroundings, before walking toward where Ethan stood.

“You think my sister will see me if I win?”

She asked out of the blue. Ethan glanced back, the daylight piercing through the trees above him, coloring them in a mix of light and shadow.

“Who’s your sister’s name?”

“Mione. Mione Ayadi.”

Ethan pondered, trying to recall his memories. A month ago, he won a battle royale as well, albeit this one was held in Aevimedii and used the weapons available there. He remembered someone giving him the golden revolver as a reward. He remembered asking why the ‘trophy’ was a firearm, something that he couldn’t use in Aevimedii, and he also remembered that she was a girl. He could recall her face somewhat, but the issue was, he completely forgot her name, nor could he remember her answer.

“Maybe?”

A battle royale could be considered a large event in the game, so if she won this, there could be a chance that her sister would show up. Considering that he won the previous one, winning again didn’t look like as much of a task when compared to climbing the tower.

Ethan took his revolver out.

“You’re going to use ranged weapons for the event?”

“Maybe?”

Since he needed to use whatever he found in the field, unable to use his own equipment, Ethan needed to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Technologia, being the nation of technology, utilized many firearms. He could only hope that he managed to find a spear or sword, but he needed to be prepared in case all he could find was guns.

He fixed his sights on a deer that stood not far from them, blissfully unaware of its surroundings. He took a breather and stabilized his hand as best as he could. He pulled the hammer with his thumb and rested his finger on its trigger.

He then pulled the trigger.

A bullet soared through the skies, its golden skin reflecting the bright sun. As expected, his shot was off, but not by far. The bullet strayed, moving slightly leftward, hitting the deer’s neck, drilling deep into it, sending the deer down to the ground. It exploded into little shards, floating up to the clear skies. A window appeared in front of Ethan, showing him his rewards.

Chione peeked behind his shoulder, despite not being able to see it anyway. Ethan pressed the button on the bottom right, allowing Chione to look out his window.

“You’re quite accurate.”

“No. I’m aiming at its body, the middle part.”

“... You’re terribly inaccurate.”

Ethan let out a sigh.

“The golden revolver had an extremely high damage output, higher than some high-level sniper rifles.”

Ethan examined the gun in his hand, its reflective golden surface showing his face.

“Two main issues. Its bullets travel slightly slower compared to other bullets, making them easier to dodge… that is, assuming you’re going to hit anyone with it anyway.”

For Ethan, whose playstyle centered around sword fights and close engagements, it was the perfect weapon for a surprise hit.

A very disrespectful one, even.

Unhonorable, cheater, things that people who were unfortunate enough to be on the wrong side of the barrel said to him. For Ethan, this was just a game, and the golden revolver was simply a weapon, one gifted to him by the developers themselves. It would be rude to not use it.

“I wonder if they saw my playstyle…”

If they’re watching me.

Ethan returned the weapon to his inventory, switching it for his energy sword.

“Come on. I still have materials to farm.”

Ethan navigated through the dense forest, Chione following behind him. She had her handgun out, ready to hit anyone that dared to jump at them. The dense forest provided players, especially those of the assault class, an abundance of possible hiding spots.

“You’re not scared of someone taking that from you?”

“Hmm?”

“The golden revolver.”

It was one of a kind, his player name carved into the end of the barrel, as if to remind everyone about who they were facing. It was a special weapon, one that spoke of his abilities.

“... No.”

But in this game where it was take or taken from, the second he put that weapon into its slot, he was prepared to lose it. A rule of this world, to put it simply. He would rather lose and give the weapon to whoever defeated him instead of putting it in a case somewhere and letting it collect dust. The thought of someone taking it from him and putting it in their personal collection did scare him a little. It may be a three-dimensional weapon model, created from a bunch of ones and zeros, but it was still a special weapon. He wanted it to be used, so he could only pray that when the day came for him to fall in battle, whoever took it from him would continue firing like the madman he was.

He could only pray…

“Maybe you should try it sometime.”

Chione looked at his revolver with curiosity.

“Can we go to a yellow zone? I don’t want to risk it.”

“Sure.”

Together, they walked out of the forest and headed toward the closest yellow zone.