The Author's POV

"hmm...am I perhaps interrupting?"

As light yellow particles flew in the air, I stared at Arnold and Amanda in the distance. Soon my eyes interlocked with Amanda's.

Noticing her situation, my brows slightly furrowed. The situation was a lot worse than I had imagined...According to my prediction, considering her skills, she should've been evenly matched against her opponents...yet why was she on the ground on the verge of losing?

Waking up from his stupor, staring at me, John flusteredly said as his mind raced.

"Y-ou, who are you?"

What's going on?

...how did he make it all the way here from the center of the map?

According to his calculations, it would've taken ten minutes to make it from there to here from the center of the map with a decent movement art...yet, not even five minutes after they ambushed Arnold's group, and reinforcements had already come?

What was going on?

Ignoring John who was currently flustered, Amanda's eyes interlocked with mine. Thereafter, without me needing to say anything, Amanda capitalized on the moment when John was distracted due to my appearance and quickly moved her head away from the tip of his spear and quickly dashed towards where her bow was located.

"You, where do you think you're going!"

Noticing Amanda's action, recollecting himself and glaring at her, John quickly raised his spear and prepared to thrust it at her exposed back.

-Kacha!

Hearing the sound of the air being split due to the spear thrust, Amanda didn't stop moving. She knew that Ren had her back...and she wasn't wrong.

-Swooosh!

Just as the spear was about to stab her right in the back, pointing in her direction from the opposite building, a translucent yellow ring quickly headed in her direction and directly stopped right before the tip of the spear.

-Clank!

A shockwave swept the surroundings as the ring came in contact with the tip of the spear. Debris and dust flew everywhere as a consequence of the impact.

Not long after, as the ring and the spear were locked in a stalemate, the ring slowly lost its luster and the spear soon broke through it...however, it was already too late.

Picking up her bow, Amanda quickly turned around. With an arrow materializing in her hand, without hesitation, she quickly pulled the string of her bow until it touched her lips before releasing it.

-Swooooosh!

Like a shooting star, the arrow coursed through the air as it hurtled in John's direction at an unimaginable speed. It was so fast that a blue line could be seen tracing the path of where the arrow traveled.

"Shit!"

Opening his eyes wide, John tried his best to evade the arrow, however, it was already too late.

Brushing past the body of the spear, the arrow quickly pierced through John's right chest area.

Thereafter, John found himself helplessly thrown all the way to the other side of the building as his body crashed against one of the walls.

Baaam—!

"Khhhhaaaa..."

As his back crashed against the wall, John couldn't help but groan out loud as spit escaped from his mouth.

blanked for a

"khhh..."

of seconds after John collided against the wall, as his mind regained some clarity, he heard the sound of

-Step! -Step!

she coldly looked at him, Amanda's brows were tightly knit. She wasn't

that she had still lost moments before. Staring at Ren standing on the opposite building to

come on time, she would've already lost. But that wasn't what made her bitter...no, what made her bitter was

had been warned beforehand of such a

least two people were going to attack her...she knew,

thought that she could win, but it seems like she was

right before her, Amanda's feet

had a lot

"I-mpossible!"

thoughts, was John's

the right, John found a tangible blue arrow puncturing his

sadness and bitterness, John found

"Cough..."

body turn into particles, coughing a couple of times, John couldn't help but

could I have lost?...Everything went according to my plan, it

should've been

was so close to beating Amanda and from there winning the whole game. He was going to be hailed as a hero right

come into fruition, appearing out of

eyes, the youth in the opposite building was currently aiding Arnold who with the help of his strange rings that stopped his spear attack previously, managed to

this, John knew

who had jet black hair and

did you make

He had to know.

know how he

perfect, yet at the very last moment, he lost. Just where

John's voice, turning my attention back towards him, I

ever heard of something called a movement

to why I

indeed the reason as to why

had predicted the opponent's decision beforehand, just when we spawned in this map, I had already told Amanda and the others the area in which they were

go to the trouble of looking for them on this enormous map as I already had an

them fighting was coming from to get an accurate location of where they

I really do have to say, our opponents weren't half bad. Although they

I was genuinely impressed.

"You-"

just as he was about to speak up, his body suddenly turned into light particles before a blue text

[You have died]

as John's body disappeared what replaced it was

-Swooosh!

and picking up the card, after a brief glance,

"Thanks"

quickly looked through the contents of the card. Shortly after, turning on my watch, I called

Zack, are

short pause,

in front of the pillar,

"Yup, it's 2041689"

[2041689?]

"Yup"