The event was about to begin.
Across the central plazas of countless cities within the game, players gathered in anticipation, as excited chatter filled the air.
"Blank-kun, everyone looks so fired up…"
Watching the people around her confidently boasting about the ranks they were sure to achieve, the usually proper Maple-chan felt like a lamb tossed into a den of starving wolves, her body trembling with unease.
Arthur glanced at the girl with mixed emotions. She was already intimidated before the battle had even begun, completely overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and confidence radiating from the other players.
Maybe it was because he had spent the last few days dragging her along to challenge absurdly powerful bosses, but Maple had drastically underestimated her current strength.
Poor kid.
What Arthur didn't realize, however, was thatmost of Maple's fear actually stemmed from him.
After all, anyone who constantly had a player capable of cutting down legends, someone who could tear through the most terrifying monsters with nothing but a single sword appearing before their eyes, would inevitably develop a wildly distorted sense of just how weak they really were.
Especially after Maple learned that his skill could ignore armor, her little heart never stopped trembling.
She became terrified that almost every other player might have a similar ability. If that were the case, how was a full-defense build like hers supposed to fight?
At that point, she might as well lie flat on the ground from the very start, remain completely still and silent… invisible.
Maybe that technique the big guy used in Guardians of the Galaxy would actually work here?
Of course, she never voiced these worries to Arthur. Which meant Arthur never told her that armor-piercing skills wouldn't even exist until after the next major update.
Right now, you're the most dazzling player in the entire game.
No one can kill you, except me.
After all, in the original storyline, it was Maple's absurd defense that produced truly terrifying results during the very first event.
Players complained nonstop, drowning the forums in outrage, and only then was the armor-piercing mechanic specifically introduced to nerf this walking "boss."
Back then, Maple had only been around level twenty when she participated in the event.
And now?
Maple, who had just broken past level fifty, had already stepped straight into the ranks of the game's top-tier players.
It was simply that her defense had long since surpassed anything a normal player should have.
Even if they somehow dragged in the final boss, that Octopus that i don't remember the name anymore, which had already been thoroughly killed and hadn't even respawned yet—it would probably have to admit,
"I'm not worthy."
Without the armor-piercing mechanic, Maple herself was the true final boss of this game.
After the host appeared in the sky as a small red dragon mascot and finished the introduction,the event finally began.
"All players registered for the event, please remain calm. You will soon be teleported into a special event dungeon."
"Spawn locations will be random, and teaming is strictly prohibited."
"Eliminating other players will grant ranking points."
"All items may be used during the event, including potions and traps."
"There is no death penalty. Upon death, you will be returned to the main city, where you may continue watching the event via the live broadcast above the plaza."
"Now then, let the event begin!"
The players around them were gradually wrapped in spheres of light, their bodies slowly fading as they turned transparent.
Arthur looked at Maple, who still wore a worried expression, and smiled.
"Don't worry, Maple."
"I promise to you, no one in this game can hurt you." [just me, of course 🗿]
"The chances of us spawning in the same zone are slim." [maybe?]
"So just do what we planned. Wait at the reward point and let people come to you."
"Once I'm done on my side, I'll come find you."
"Until then, keep drawing aggro and wait for me, all right?"
"Mm!"
For the first time, Maple's expression became resolute.
"It's a promise, Blank-kun."
Arthur still hadn't fully decided whether he should bring Maple into his world, or perhaps return to this dungeon more often once he conquered it… but now, he was certain of one thing.
There was nothing wrong with having a little sister, right? (...right?)
Moments later, Arthur found himself standing in a barren wasteland.
All around him, other players were already surveying the terrain, their gazes sharp and wary.
Maple was nowhere to be seen, just as expected.
Right now, however, she was the last person he needed to worry about.
Only the game's top-ranked players had qualified for this event. Many of them were pros, or at the very least well-known experts.
After all, anyone lacking confidence wouldn't willingly step into a place like this just to be crushed.
The moment the nearby players caught sight of the figure clad in white, their expressions stiffened.
Blank.
The mysterious player who had dominated high-level discussions over the past two days. (Just to be clear, the ones mentioned here aren't Reincarnators, they're players from Maple's world.)
Some claimed they had seen him grinding mobs in the starter village just forty-eight hours ago.
Yet by the very next day, he was already leveling in the most advanced hunting grounds—, always with a Great Shield Girl who looked like nothing more than dead weight tagging along at his side.
Then, just yesterday, the server-wide announcement of the current top boss kill had sent shockwaves rippling through the entire community.
Everyone argued over which legendary pro from another game this "Blank" might be.
There was no way he could have been a nobody before this.
Yet no matter how thoroughly they combed through the rosters of famous players, no one could pin down Blank's true identity.
It was as if he had appeared out of thin air.
One thing, however, was beyond dispute... he was the most terrifying dark-horse contender in this event.
Second only to the legendary strongest player, Payne.
Even now, there was no clear consensus on whether Blank or Payne truly deserved the top spot.
All anyone knew was this:
If you ran into either of them…
Run, or gather every player nearby and take him down together.
It wasn't cowardice.
It was the respect owed to someone acknowledged as "the strongest."
As if he could sense their thoughts, Arthur's lips curved into a faint smile.
He rolled his shoulders once, loosening up.
Then, facing the tightening ring of players, he lifted his hand... not in challenge, but in invitation.
His fingers moved slowly.
A single gesture that said everything.
"Go on," he said softly. "Try."
A longsword slid free from its sheath in a clean, ringing flash.
Its edge gleamed with cold intent.
"I'll take all of you at once."
The surrounding elites, players who had clawed their way to the top through countless battles—didn't rush in blindly.
They exchanged quick glances, silently assessing the situation.
Blank's provocation wasn't enough to make them lose their heads, but it was enough to confirm one thing.
He was dangerous.
"Maintain formation," someone ordered calmly.
"Advance."
The group advanced in perfect sync, every step measured.
Great Shield Bearers formed a layered vanguard, shields overlapping as they steadily drew aggro.
Behind them, swordsmen and warriors moved with disciplined spacing, ready to rotate in and pour sustained damage onto Blank the moment an opening appeared.
Further back, archers adjusted their angles while mages calmly began their chants, mana condensing as spells took shape.
This kind of coordination was second nature to top-tier players, the same formation they used when facing raid bosses that could wipe entire parties in seconds.
And to them, Blank warranted that level of caution.
Watching their methodical approach, Arthur's smile slowly widened.
So this was how they chose to play it.
Good.
Let's open properly.
One step forward and just one swing.
"One down."
Arthur hadn't activated a single skill... just a clean, efficient slash.
The frontmost Great Shield Bearer felt the impact a heartbeat too late.
His stance collapsed, his HP vanished, and his body broke apart into data fragments, forcibly ejected from the event map.
Everyone present froze.
The battlefield's tightly wound tension snapped, then dropped into an eerie stillness.
Where was the shield?
Where did the Great Shield Bearer go?
That guy's defense was over 330.
Even without a perfect hit, an instant kill made no sense. None at all.
The damage numbers still hanging in the air, slowly fading—were something their minds refused to process.
Over two thousand damage?
No. That had to be a bug, right?
ADMIN?? HELLO?? I FOUND A WILD BUG 💀
And yet… if it wasn't—
Then what kind of monster were they actually facing?
They never got the chance to dwell on it... cause Arthur was already moving.
He surged forward and cut again.
This time, a Warrior. Still a one-hit kill.
Another body shattered into data fragments, vanishing from the event map.
The wilderness wind screamed across the wasteland, and the battlefield itself seemed to grow colder and heavier...as if a veil of desolation had settled over it.
Every player standing before Blank felt it.
Something they would carry with them for the rest of their time in this game.
It was not fear or panic.
It was despair.
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Just dropping by to let you know that the extra chapter will be released tomorrow.
Also, your beloved ShadowNameless-sensei changed his profile picture.
I know, it looks better and more handsome now, just like the readers 😌
Anyway, see ya! (I'm starting to feel like I use these words way too often in my farewells.)