Chapter 1

  There was a vast arena as large as a city, covered with grassy hills, floating platforms, and neon lit skyscrapers streaming advertisements on all sides. 33 teams of 3 jumped, slid, and ran around- fighting to the death with guns, grenades, and various melee weapons.

  At the bottom of the ranking, as they always were, was the Loser Squad. Composed of Kal, Meri, and Vex, it was a miracle that they were still alive. A miracle that was destined to fall short.

  Kal was a young man with messy, seaweed like hair. He wore mismatched clothes and an armored chestplate that clanked with every step. Although useful against melee weapons, a chestplate had no resistance against bullets. He grit his teeth, kneeling behind a crumbling stone wall. Adjacent to him was an area that mimicked a block of a city’s downtown. Multiple skyscrapers met suburban roads, and the area almost looked fun to walk down. This area was home for the most fearsome squads-- knowing they’d get a good fight, they always dropped there. Kal peaked out for a brief second-- and with a ZIP, a bullet would fly past his ears and nick the corner of his earlobe. His ear began bleeding out onto his shirt, but the pooling blood wasn’t enough to break his muster.

  Miri, his second squad member, a freckled-faced girl with pink twin pigtails and a camo military-esque outfit, peaked over the wall and shot her submachine gun for a brief second. Not a single bullet hit, but he moment presented an opportunity to survey the area.

  “Don’t fall for the sniper trick again, Kal,” Said Miri “The wall of bullets is just a-”

  “Distraction. I know. I learned from last time, there’s a sniper on the roof.” Kal replied.

  Vex sighed. He was the only third squad member. Vex made it clear with his baggy sweatpants, camo T shirt and designer goggles that he had a better fashion sense. Despite his effort in terms of apparel, he almost always had a monotone facial expression. He adjusted the scope multiple times, aiming like he was going to shoot, but not actually shooting.

  “Vex, stop tweaking your damn scope and SHOOT SOMETHING!” Miri screamed.

  Vex had a glimmer in his eye of determination, but no interest in seeing it out.

  “It’s not the scope, Miri,” Vex muttered, adjusting his goggles. “It’s the vibe. The vibe’s off, bro.”

  Kal shook his head. If he had even a lick of aiming skill, he could take out at least one member of the two squads teaming on his. But he couldn’t shoot a bullseye from point blank- let alone a moving soldier across an entire field.

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  Out of nowhere, the bullets stopped. Through heavy breath and fearful eyes, it was clear it wasn’t an invitation to look out. In this moment of inaction, an object fell over the wall they were stationed behind. With a tink and tank, a grenade bounced and rolled into the middle of the squadron. There was a brief second that they all looked at each other--a frozen moment where Kal’s frustration, Miri’s desperation, and Vex’s nonchalant energy all were communicated to one another without words.

  Miri tried-- and for that Kal could at least give her merit. She attempted to scream, to reach out and tell everyone about the grenade. But of course, there wasn’t enough time.

  BOOM.

  Kal could never get used to the feeling of being hit by grenade. The force of the explosion ripped him apart like a doll- their torso split in half, the top portion trailing intestines. The bottom portion had become ash and crud from the flames of the explosion.

  Unfortunately for Kal, their head being intact, which meant that for about a minute they’d still perceive the reality around them. The pain was more than excruciating, it was all enveloping and torturous- for death was synonymous with suffering, and the concept of peace cannot exist in death. Vex lies on his back with his sniper rifle lying on top of him. Even in death, Vex looked like he didn’t give a shit… typical. Miri, on the contrary, had no remains other than a splash of blood on the concrete and a severed, burnt and flaming hand.

  Kal materialized back outside of the arena. There were many stands that surrounded a long entrance hallway, quite similar to a boxing event. In the front row, officials wearing Greek theatre masks watched without a word, despite the many people behind them cheering.

  Kal’s fingers dug into the sides of his head as his back tensed.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me? How could I lose to that?! Damn it!” He screamed, throwing his backpack onto the ground.

  [System Notification: Player Profile - Kai]

  [Your accuracy stat has lowered.]

  Class: Rookie Gunslinger

  Level: 1

  Stats:

  - Accuracy: 1/10

  - Agility: 4/10

  - Resilience: 5/10

  - Team Synergy: 2/10

  Passive Trait: Sniper Awareness- Ability to locate snipers even during stressful situations.

  Current Status: Pissed off.

  Kal laughed in reaction to checking the system for his stats. It couldn’t be any worse than 1/10 accuracy, even for a level 1. Shortly after, Vex materialized, walking forward without looking at Kal.

  “Vex, come on. Wait for Miri, be fair.” Kal groaned.

  “Not vibing with it, bruh. Catch up or get lost.” Vex said.

  Miri finally materialized from her teleporter. She gave Kal a meaningful hug and a pat on the back. The three walked one at a time through the hallway All-Star style, holding their finger and thumb in the shape of an L on their forehead.

  Camera’s stationed in the hallway seemed to point directly at Kal and his squadron, despite other teams exiting at the same time. The laughter of the crowd could be heard even from the hallway. Their squad, deemed “The Loser Squad” by spectators and battle royale participants alike, was destined to always be last.

  In a way, the L on their forehead was a reclamation. At least as they were being publicly mocked, they could own it with a symbol.