She had called him a maniac—her own big brother!
Sanya's face flushed with embarrassment. She stammered in her mind,
"Sorry, b… brother… I didn't know… you had designed the game…"
Heart Clone remained unfazed and just replied.
"Don't worry about it. I already said I'm not mad. Anyway, you can play this game. Because I'm going to completely change it. It will not just be a game—it will become something—"
Sanya's curiosity cut him off mid-sentence.
"Huh? Huh? Tell me more about it!"
Heart Clone paused, he lifted his head and gave her a flat look.
"You interrupted me. So I'm not saying anything."
Sanya shouted in her mind, half-pleading, half-frustrated,
"Brother! At least tell me a little about it!"
Silence.
No answer.
She sighed inwardly. Fine… I'll ask later.
For now, she finally had answers to her earlier questions:
How could the game pull her consciousness?
Why did the glitch only happen with her and Rudra?
The truth was simple.
It wasn't a glitch.
It was her brother.
She glanced at Rudra.
He had been nervous earlier, shoulders tense.
Now he looked relaxed again—smiling faintly, eyes distant.
Sanya realized: Big brother is probably talking to him in his mind right now… explaining things.
Then she noticed her three friends—Ruyi, Jina, and Galaxy—quietly eating from the table.
They kept stealing curious glances at her and Rudra.
Realization hit her.
She cleared her throat softly and smiled.
"Everyone… let me introduce you properly."
She pointed at Heart Clone and said, "Everyone, this is my older brother. His name is—"
She paused mid-sentence, speaking in her mind: Brother, should I tell them your real name or your game name?
His reply came instantly, calm as always: You can tell them my game name.
Understood.
Sanya continued smoothly, "His name is The Unremarkable Gravel."
The three girls blinked in unison.
Ruyi tilted her head. "The… Unremarkable Gravel?"
Galaxy stifled a laugh. "That's… an interesting name."
Jina just smiled politely, clearly unsure what to make of it.
Heart Clone—now officially introduced as The Unremarkable Gravel—gave a small nod and a faint smile, accepting the name without comment.
Sanya then turned to introduce her friends properly.
"This is Ruyi, Jina, and Galaxy."
Even though Heart Clone already knew everything about them, he still went through the formalities—nodding politely to each one, exchanging brief greetings like any normal player would.
Why the fake name instead of Returner_2?
Simple.
Solar Clone was currently playing on the main account: Returner.
If Heart Clone used Returner_2 now, and both accounts were active at the same time—both performing at god-like levels—people would notice.
They'd start asking questions:
How is Returner playing two accounts simultaneously?
Who's controlling the second one?
It would become news.
Speculation would explode.
So he changed it.
Simple. Clean. Unremarkable.
After the introductions, the group relaxed.
They chatted casually—about the game, funny moments, strategies—while finishing the remaining dishes.
Soon the table was empty.
Heart Clone said calmly,
"Let's go play a match."
Sanya nodded immediately.
She opened the queue menu, selected 11-player squad, and—following his earlier quiet instruction—turned off random matchmaking.
No strangers would join their group.
Just them.
Six players.
One squad.
Ready.
Even solo players could queue for 11-player squad matches.
Heart Clone always chose that mode.
He didn't enjoy bullying people in solo—too easy, too boring.
Only 11-player squads gave him any real thrill.
The match started.
Heart Clone played alongside Sanya and Rudra.
In the squad lobby, Ruyi, Jina, and Galaxy watched with their mouths open as Roxa dismantled opponents like swatting ants—clean, effortless kills, one after another.
They were shocked by Rudra too. His performance wasn't on Roxa's level, but he was still very good—quick reactions, smart positioning, solid aim for someone so new.
But the one who truly stunned them was Sanya's older brother.
He killed people without even looking.
He tossed a grenade in a seemingly random arc.
It landed exactly where a squad was looting—perfect radius.
All kills went to him.
He also commanded and trained the three girls in real time—calm, precise instructions:
"Ruyi, rotate left, use the ridge for cover."
"Galaxy, hold the angle.
"Jina, drop the smoke now, push on my mark."
They followed every word.
Their gameplay improved noticeably mid-match.
After the match ended, they returned to the lobby—still wrapped in slight disbelief.
But they didn't question or doubt any of the siblings.
They already understood: with the older brother's training, even they could reach that level.
He had said one sentence that lingered in their minds:
"You know, you can train your body in the game—become stronger, more flexible. It will help you play better."
They were stunned.
It meant players could physically train their game character bodies just like in real life—push-ups, sprints, endurance drills.
And they can do it without much problem.
In the game world, only the character felt fatigue or soreness.
Their real bodies stayed safe and unaffected in the real world—no exhaustion, no muscle ache.
So they had to train to become better players.
Then they played more matches—explored other modes, tested new strategies.
Finally, they all went offline.
Promising to return tomorrow.
The lobby lights dimmed gently.
Butterflies drifted slower.
And the promise of tomorrow hung in the air—quiet, bright, full of possibility.