The orchid mantis darted across the shattered rocks, clutching the food box in her front claws.

It wasn't small fry like Misu blocking her path anymore. Now it was Mistblade, Maple Syrup, and Wither Monarch in person.

But just like in the solo matches before, trying to hit a target barely five centimeters tall moving at super speed was easier said than done.

Those big names had their memories back, but not their stats.

In hunting form, Rita's agility far surpassed that of any current apprentice-level player.

Five of her energy bubbles had already been sliced apart by Mistblade's bizarre blade technique before she managed to slip through by the skin of her teeth, diving straight into her delivery destination—Game House 109.

That was one of the annoying parts of this game. Out of more than a thousand constantly drifting whale-clouds, you had to find the exact one tied to your order.

Verdant Windrush had just finished a round when she saw BS-Rita sprint in and instantly dashed toward her, only to meet the gazes of Maple Syrup and the others waiting outside. She turned her head slightly toward Rita and asked, "All those people chasing you?"

Without slowing down, Rita called back, "Aba Aba~" No, they're just here to pick me up from work.

Verdant Windrush: "…"

Rita delivered the food and bolted again. With [Absolute Freedom] still on cooldown, she had to rely on her legs.

Now Verdant Windrush had joined the pursuit too.

The chase line kept growing. Maple Syrup, Pine Bloom, Autumn Deer—they all had divine relics, sure. But BS-Rita had two.

She had no choice but to call for backup.

Rita drew in a deep breath and shouted, "Aba!" Lightchaser!!

The moment she called her teacher's name, the little Lightchaser sprite who'd stormed off earlier appeared right in front of her. The sprite stared at her for half a second, then rushed forward.

Mini Lightchaser and orchid mantis crossed paths midair. The glint of a drawn dagger flashed through the apprentice's vision.

The tiny cloak brushed past the mantis's antennae.

When the apprentice needed her, Lightchaser could set her anger aside—at least for a while.

The crushing pressure behind Rita vanished in an instant.

When she turned back at the doorway of the next game house, she saw a net of shadowy blades spreading behind her. Lightchaser alone had blocked the entire mob of pursuing apprentices.

She had watched Rita use [Wildfire·Rita] once, and that was enough. She'd already learned it.

With Lightchaser covering her, Rita could finally focus on deliveries for a few minutes. She even took advantage of the chaos to wipe out several of her "colleagues."

She'd later tell Deceitful Bloom that this form was perfect for food delivery under pursuit.

That earned her a loud laugh.

Fifteen minutes later, Rita reached into the Mahjong box and drew her eighth tile.

She had no clue how her delivery speed ranked—but since the other four players on her team were all dead by her hand, it didn't matter.

Victory was hers.

That's just how the workplace works.

As she was about to leave with the tile in hand, the White Bear stopped her.

Deceitful Bloom looked at her and asked, "Are you angry that I didn't stop him?"

Surprise flickered across Rita's face, but only for a moment. She wasn't startled by the question itself, but by the fact that Deceitful Bloom would ask it.

Her expression stayed calm. "Aba Aba." You're the real players. My world and I are just dust. Just apples on a tree.

Deceitful Bloom and Captain belonged to the same echelon. They were the ones who truly enjoyed the game. Players like her were no different from the apples scattered along the roadside in every adventure game—plucked, eaten, and quickly replaced.

She knew Deceitful Bloom admired her. The goddess had never hidden that. They both understood it without needing to say it aloud.

But across twenty thousand Divine Game tournaments, hundreds of thousands of players—how many apples had Deceitful Bloom admired? How many orchards had she lingered beneath?

Rita never thought she was special.

So of course she wasn't angry. You can't be disappointed by something you never expected.

If Deceitful Bloom had stopped her for a private conversation, it meant she had a way to hide it from the others.

So Rita spoke more plainly. "Aba Aba~" You have an orchard full of apples. So does Captain.

Maybe the two gods clashed over ideology—after all, that's why there were two factions. But they would never turn on each other over a single apple.

Deceitful Bloom understood what she meant. After a long silence, her voice turned soft. "I can't decide whether to call you clearheaded or cold."

Rita replied, "Aba." I've just known from the start that life is a single-player game. A one-person party.

Her simple "Aba Aba" carried an oddly profound weight. Then she turned and left.

She didn't have time to waste.

...

"How did she know Deceitful Bloom has an apple orchard?"

"How did she know Deceitful Bloom has an apple orchard?"

"How did she know Deceitful Bloom has an apple orchard?"

"Isn't it obvious? Who only likes one player?"

"Exactly. Captain can fill a whole table with the ones he favors. Deceitful Bloom can fill ten."

"But maybe she's the one golden apple."

"What does that even mean, Deceitful Bloom?"

"It means, BS-Rita—you've caught my attention."

Deceitful Bloom sighed. "...Can you all stop browsing BlueStar's forums? At least check the recent ones, not the ancient threads."

"Oh fine, then say it again properly."

"This time it's different."

"This time it's different."

"This time it's different."

Hearthsmoke dragged the chat back on track. "So why did it turn into 'golden apple'?"

The group went quiet, waiting for Deceitful Bloom's reply.

Several long minutes passed before a message appeared.

"Maybe because I realized... in her eyes, I'm just an apple too."

"Even though she recognizes you as one of her teachers?"

"She only recognizes me because my teaching has no agenda. Lightchaser and Nivalis might be her golden apples. I'm not."

"That's still different. You're a god."

"Am I? Because she clearly doesn't see it that way."

...

East Wind. North Wind. North Wind. White Dragon. White Dragon. Red Dragon. Green Dragon. Green Dragon.

Those were the eight tiles she held now.

She'd just finished reading the beginner's Mahjong guide back home, but after thinking for a long while, she still couldn't figure out what hand this was supposed to make.

She tucked them all into her dagger space and slipped into a game house she'd scouted earlier during her delivery run.

She picked games that were short, fast, and luck-dependent.

Within twenty minutes, she'd collected four more tiles—two West Winds and two South Winds.

Now she only needed one more to start the match.

Peeking outside the game house, she noticed the Lightchaser sprite and Mistblade were gone. The area was quiet.

A whale-cloud drifted by in the distance. Rita timed her movement perfectly and flashed straight into its open mouth.

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