The arena loaded differently this time. No trees. No fog. No shadows to melt into.Just an endless plain of shimmering grass, stretching out in every direction beneath a pale, artificial sky. The horizon itself looked painted—flat, motionless, unreal.
And for the first time, the enemies weren't hidden.
Forty bots stood scattered across the field, glinting under the soft white light. Each of them hummed faintly, weapons primed, their targeting optics blinking in unison. Reever's gaze swept the line and stopped when he saw a familiar insignia—BOT 097. The same Kill Bot that had destroyed him before.
Beside it stood another giant—broad, silver-plated, the unmistakable form of a Tank Bot.
The mission text scrolled across his vision.
[ Mission: Eliminate all enemies.
90% headshots required. ]
[ Reward: Instant Level-Up to Rookie IV. ]
He exhaled slowly. "Forty against one. Cute."
The Crossfire-44 vibrated faintly in his grip, almost eager. Its energy coils pulsed like veins beneath the barrel, ready to unleash hell.
The countdown began.
3... 2... 1...
The plains exploded into chaos.
Bullets screamed through the air like swarms of hornets. The lower-tier bots fired wildly—erratic, clumsy, their weapons jerking from recoil they couldn't compensate for. Reever darted forward, rolling through the tall grass, firing short, disciplined bursts.
Every trigger pull was clean. Every headshot precise.One. Two. Five. Ten.
The bots dropped like digital mannequins, collapsing into fragments of dissolving light.
At the center of the chaos, the Tank Bot stood unmoved. Bullets pinged off its armor with harmless sparks, the heavy plates barely dented. It didn't even bother to dodge, as though the idea of being hurt was beneath it.
Across the field, Bot 097 watched the slaughter silently, red optics pulsing. It raised its rifle occasionally, firing a few half-hearted bursts—not to hit, but to taunt. Clear the trash first, its movements seemed to say. Then come for me.
Reever ignored it. His focus narrowed, his breathing steady despite having no lungs. He slid low, pivoted, fired—each motion a memory from a human life long gone.
[ 38 Kills. ]
Only two remained.
He sighted the Tank Bot first. Its massive arm shifted, and with a hiss of vapor, a silver spear materialized—long, brutal, and humming with energy.
The bot hurled it.
Reever barely dodged, twisting sideways as the spear ripped through the air and grazed his left arm. His HUD flared red; the burn mark smoked faintly.
"Too close."
The Tank Bot summoned another spear, faster than before. It launched again—lightning quick, almost sentient in its aim. Reever ducked, the weapon missing his head by an inch before burying itself deep into the ground, leaving molten cracks around the impact.
Alright. Enough defense. Time to end it.
He pulled a flash grenade from his inventory—a leftover from his previous mission. With a flick of his wrist, he lobbed it high. The device burst midair in a blinding white flare.
The Tank Bot froze, blinded.
"Perfect."
Reever took aim—not to kill, but to manipulate. He sent a curved shot ricocheting off the Tank Bot's shoulder. The damage was minimal, but the reaction was instant. The blinded bot turned and hurled a spear in the direction of the sound—right toward Bot 097.
The Kill Bot tried to dodge. It was fast, but not fast enough. The spear pierced its leg clean through, sparks spraying like blood.
Reever smirked. "Bots don't do teamwork. Let's see you two figure this out."
As expected, the Kill Bot retaliated, spraying plasma rounds toward the Tank. The Tank answered with a barrage of spears, impaling the ground in fury. Their attacks collided, shredding the field until the Tank's systems overloaded. Its body glowed violently—then exploded in a burst of white light.
[ Enemy eliminated. 39 Kills. ]
Now, only one remained.
The two stood across the open plain—BOT 067 and BOT 097, aim and kill, predator and predator. The digital wind rustled through the grass, carrying the faint hum of power from both rifles.
Reever raised his weapon. His Crossfire's coils glowed bright blue, humming with restrained energy. The Kill Bot mirrored him, limping slightly but still deadly.
For a second, no one moved.
Then Reever fired.
Bolts of plasma tore through the air, striking true. The Kill Bot staggered as its shoulder shattered, sparks spitting from the wound. Another hit tore through its chest plate, denting the armor. Its gun spun out of its grasp and skidded across the dirt.
Reever stepped forward, tightening his grip, ready to finish it—
But the Kill Bot suddenly lunged, faster than thought.
"No—"
He remembered too late. Kill Bots self-destruct when cornered.
The red core on 097's chest began to pulse violently. A high-pitched hum filled the air.
Then came the explosion.
A flash of blinding light engulfed the entire field, shockwaves rippling through the data-space like a storm. When the light faded, the once-flat plain was scorched black.
Reever staggered through the smoke, his armor half-cracked, one arm hanging uselessly. His HUD blinked erratically, damage reports flooding the screen.
But he was alive.
He turned back toward the smoking crater where Bot 097 had stood. Nothing remained but molten fragments dissolving into light.
"Damn," he muttered. "Sacrificed my armor for the win. Kill Bots are the worst."
He chuckled under his breath—a sound equal parts relief and exhaustion—just as the system's voice returned, clean and emotionless.
[ Mission Complete. ]
[ Processing combat results... ]
The world dimmed around him, the open plains fading into streams of code.
[ Performance Grade: SS+ ]
[ Reward Chest Generated. ]
A golden chest materialized before him, hovering above the cracked ground like an offering from the gods of the machine.
He approached, crouching as the system displayed the new message:
[ Due to mission completion, you have leveled up. ]
[ You can now view your stats in the bot Status Window. ]
For the first time since his death, something close to excitement sparked within him.
Reever let out a slow breath, smiling faintly. "Finally. Progress."
The chest pulsed, waiting for his touch.
And as his hand reached forward, the air rippled again—another world already beginning to load around him.
He whispered to himself, voice low and steady.
"Let's see what I've become."