Dawn-Cicada closed the battlefield chat with a complicated expression. Every time she watched these players talk, she felt her IQ drop just from observing.

She dug her left heel into the ground, using the force to twist her body sideways even though she had no control over the right half. Her left hand snapped backward, and the Vine coiled around her wrist shot out, surging in length.

While narrowly dodging an incoming skill, the Vine lashed toward the hunter behind her—a pure white unicorn.

Dawn-Cicada immediately recognized the creature. They had both participated in Card Swap.

Moonlight Marsh's headmaster, Wrong Answer.

But that didn't mean Wrong Answer remembered her.

No one remembered that Moonlight Marsh once had a slow, unremarkable student named Cicada-Bearer…

Not once had her name appeared in Worm Tavern's information.

No matter how many times life restarted, she couldn't escape this curse. She bloomed late, accumulated slowly, always one step behind. She had never basked in youthful brilliance.

The little Mechanoid Y1122 standing on the other end of the antenna reacted quickly.

But just from that brief exchange, Dawn-Cicada already knew—Y1122's stats couldn't beat Wrong Answer's.

And this shared body situation, with two minds controlling one unit, severely weakened both of them.

This was their first real clash against a hunter in this match.

They couldn't win. With no access to their own skills and only half their usual battle strength, she simply couldn't beat Wrong Answer.

And judging by the kill notifications ever since the game began, not a single hunter had been defeated so far.

Dawn-Cicada and Y1122 exchanged a silent agreement—run.

A shadow streaked across her peripheral vision.

Someone was charging toward her at terrifying speed—black hair snapping wildly in the wind, clad in silver heavy armor, a black cloak streaming behind, wielding a massive sword half her own height. Killing intent poured off her in waves.

God! Draw! 7! 7!

She had never seen this version of GodDraw77 before—fully unleashed, a heavy-armored warrior.

The person who reminded everyone of spring lakes and winter bonfires, the person associated with sunshine on a flock of sheep grazing the endless plains… was now an embodiment of blood and death.

Dawn-Cicada barked, "Skill two!"

Y1122 immediately activated the second skill of Dawn-Cicada's Player Relic, Far Beacon. In an instant, the two vanished.

Their bodies blinked out just as the massive blade came crashing down.

Ash Cinders and Wrong Answer shared a brief glance, then split up, continuing their hunt.

As the minutes passed, the frequency of kill notifications finally slowed.

Rita and Y128 had just used Romantic Tourist to slip away from Asao's pursuit. They crouched on the treetop of a massive tree that happened to hold a charging station. Y128 was recharging.

Their situation was complicated. They had a life bar, but also energy—a hybrid of stamina and mana.

Damage reduced their health, but movement, skill use, and combat all drained energy.

Only thirty minutes into the match, Y128's energy had already dropped below thirty percent. Fortunately, charging was fast; two minutes was enough for a full refill.

By now, every player understood. The game might be called a Battle Royale, but for them—the Divine Game players—there was really only one mechanic: run.

The "kill" belonged to the hunters.

Not a single player had managed to defeat a hunter.

With partial control over the body and only Player Relic skills at their disposal, they could not overcome the elite fighters from Arisentna.

Not even emotional gambits worked—they couldn't see the Divine Game players, only the Mechanoids. So bargaining, pleading, or recognition were all pointless.

The battlefield chat was a mess of complaints, most of which quickly derailed.

[Lania KaiaFat Goose]: Ash Cinders almost chopped me in half. I'm heartbroken. Truly heartbroken!

[FuryGear]: Valena almost stabbed me! Isn't she an art teacher? Why can a paintbrush pierce people?!

[Yet OrangePomango]: Turns out back when Verdant-Mojie and I stole ore from the Deepsea Mines, the teacher wasn't even going all out when she chased us…

[TingoJE]: I studied beneath Lake Glacier for years and never thought my teachers were that strong. Why are they all monsters when they get serious?!

BS-Rita: Isn't Asao a butterfly? How can she turn into a human!

[MarmangCrab]: She's just like your Moonlight Marsh's Ash Cinders—a druid. She just prefers the dusk-butterfly form.

[Tiger EarQuex]: I heard Asao is Ash Cinders' guardian or something.

[Sakura Orange White]: But for some reason, their relationship seems really strained.

[MarmangCrab]: You sound like you know something.

BS-Rita: That's my teacher's private life. How could I possibly tell you?

[Sakura Orange White]: …I hate you.

[Tiger EarQuex]: Don't let me see you. I WILL kill you.

BS-Rita: Get in line. Dawn-Cicada is ahead of you.

[Dawn-Cicada]: Who's ahead of me?

[Dawn-Cicada]: I always take first place.

BS-Rita: Funny, when you were at Moonlight Marsh ranking last, you never said that.

[Dawn-Cicada]: Once I shatter Lania Kaia, I'm coming for BS-.

BS-Rita: Look at you getting angry! Lania Kaia, rest in peace ∠(°ゝ°)

[Lania KaiaFat Goose]: …I honestly don't know what to say anymore.

…

At the thirty-seventh minute, a notification stunned every player.

[Player Verdant-Windrush has slain hunter Riverstream. The invasion sequence of "Verdant-" is now "Winter Sea" → "Verdant-." Verdant- has earned a one-time chance to redraw their invading world. The result is random and will be announced.]

["Winter Sea" has been replaced with "Ground Cage."]

Rita's breath stalled for a full heartbeat.

A chance… to change the invading world?

A chance to change the invading world.

She knew Ground Cage. It was only slightly stronger than BS-, a mere one-star world currently being invaded by the two-star world Sky Kite.

Now, Verdant-'s updated invasion sequence was:

Sky Kite → Ground Cage → Verdant-.

Ground Cage invading a four-star world like Verdant- was impossible.

Even if Sky Kite destroyed Ground Cage, it still wouldn't dare invade Verdant-.

This single change had just bought Verdant- ten, maybe dozens of years of breathing room.

But it was random…

A true gamble.

Still—

How did Verdant-Windrush manage to kill a hunter?

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