Rita sighed. "I waited for you to reach out to with a warm heart, but since you won't, I guess I'll have to press my cold heart against your warm one instead."
"Yes," B80234615 confird before elaborating. "Most information related to ga chanics is like your own perception of ga rules. I can only answer if you ask the right questions."
That confirmation felt like a final verdict.
Rita turned her gaze toward the street ahead—the sa one they had walked down just seconds ago. Floating in the air was Potted Fortune, freshly revived and already surrounded by players.
Just like what happened to Black SpringMud Bears before…
This ga revives players at the sa location they died.
A sinking feeling settled in her chest.
Ten deaths, and you start losing God-Given Talents.
What a terrifying punishnt system.
And in the World Battlefield, the fact that she stole Winter Sea Frenzied Shark's God-Given Talent was no secret.
As the ga continued, more and more players would realize the consequences of death.
So, like Marmang-Crab, might deduce the death escalation rules through experience.
Others would figure it out through observation—by watching the costs of resurrection grow with each death.
And since revival happened on the spot, that ant—
As long as they caught her, they could farm her deaths repeatedly, until they forced Winter Sea Frenzied Shark's God-Given Talent to drop.
What if, by the tenth death, the revival cost didn't trigger [Midnight Exile]?
Then they'd kill her an eleventh ti. A twelfth ti.
Until Midnight Exile was forced out.
Right now, in this Divine Ga, she was like a rare hidden boss that only spawns during a limited-ti event.
And not even a particularly difficult one.
Rita turned to look at Marmang-Crab, who was already looking back at her.
Neither of them spoke.
There was no need to.
Marmang-Crab was definitely interested in [Midnight Exile].
It was impossible not to be.
Not just Marmang-Crab—Maple Syrup, Pine Bloom, Mistblade…
Everyone who knew about Midnight Exile wouldn't just let it go.
Yet, Marmang-Crab hadn't made a move against her.
Was it because he had only just figured out the escalating death penalties?
No. She quickly ruled that out.
During their ti in the restaurant, they had only heard Black SpringMud Bears ntion his own death penalty.
But Marmang-Crab had gone out multiple tis to farm Mischief Score.
With his strength, there was no way he hadn't killed at least two players.
And if he'd gotten two kill rewards, he must have noticed the death escalation pattern.
Was it fear of the octopus boss?
Maybe, but not entirely.
Because earlier, when Black SpringMud Bears and Pine Bloom had gone out, Marmang-Crab had been alone with her.
And even then, he hadn't attacked.
This ga didn't prevent teammates from fighting each other.
One by one, she eliminated all the wrong possibilities…
And then, she realized the truth.
These strong players didn't refrain from attacking her because they didn't want to.
They were waiting.
Waiting for her to die enough tis—and only then would they fight for her.
That way, they could minimize the number of tis they broke their own exclusive ga rules.
She was already struggling with her first-stage exclusive rule, which practically prevented her from slaughtering weaker players.
For those high-tier powerhouses, their exclusive restrictions were surely even harsher.
Rita slowly lowered her gaze to the robe she was wearing—the one Pine Bloom had given her.
This robe…
It probably wasn't just a gift.
Was it a mark? A tracking device?
She let out a sigh. "So this is what my real bad luck looks like?"
"Yes," B80234615 replied.
"I thought it'd be sothing small, like Pine Bloom choking on water."
"How do you know that was sothing small?"
"Fair point."
"Do you regret it? If you do, you can always destroy ."
"Not yet," she admitted. "But who knows about the future."
"Your honesty at critical monts is truly ruthless."
"But you don't dislike that about ." She smirked. "Neither did Nivalis."
B80234615 examined the emotion panel it was running.
It was rely a calculated conclusion, but it said, "Using 'don't dislike' is too mild. You could say 'like.'"
Rita went silent for a mont, then asked, "So… my real bad luck started the mont I took you out of the Abandoned Zone?"
If she hadn't taken B80234615, she never would've received the Snowfield Pact in ti.
And because of that, she had rushed into this ga too quickly.
Instead of her usual routine—resting for a month or more after a Divine Ga, stabilizing her power and resources before re-entering—
She had jumped into this one just half a month later.
And not just any ga.
She had entered one of the highest-level combat zones.
Looking around, that 12th-tier chef from earlier was one of the weakest players here.
Maybe Winter Sea Frenzied Shark was here, waiting for her.
Maybe every player who had ever suffered at the hands of Midnight Exile was waiting for her.
A ga with no exits. On-the-spot revivals. Death penalties that stole God-Given Talents.
This ga was like a death match between venomous creatures.
If she made one wrong move, she would fall into an abyss.
"Yes," B80234615 finally answered. "Can I ask you sothing?"
Rita sighed. "I wish you'd ask first before stabbing in the heart with your words…"
"Go ahead."
"Why aren't you afraid?"
Rita froze.
…She really wasn't afraid.
Even after analyzing her terrifying situation, her mind was focused on solutions.
What if she lost [Midnight Exile] or [One-Person Party]? How would she start over?
Would [Mont of Reversal] be enough?
Should she re-enter High Tower?
Could she exchange her less-important World Graveyards for resources?
She felt pressure. A sense of urgency.
But no fear.
"You ran a simulation on my facial expressions, didn't you?"
"Of course. Statistically speaking, you should be terrified."
Rita scoffed. "You think I care about what's 'statistically speaking'?"
B80234615 didn't let up. "You're BS's rising star. Humanity's beacon of hope. People admire you, idolize you, support you.
"The weak pin their futures on you."
"But after this ga, you might lose everything."
"Admiration will turn to mockery. Worship will beco disdain. Eclipse Vanguard will revoke all support."
"Broken hopes will breed hatred. You will fall from the top."
"Maple Syrup will look at you with disappointnt. Nivalis will never be able to raise her head in front of Lidian again. Apache might be kinder—he'll probably just tell you to focus on alchemy instead."
Rita: "…Okay, okay, that's enough."
"I analyzed your face. You really aren't scared. BS Rita, you're incredible."
"Oh, co on!"
"What?"
"I hadn't even thought about half that stuff!" Rita groaned. "And now you've just dumped it all on —look at , I'm stressed! I'm actually stressed now! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"
B80234615: "…."
B80234615: "I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Rita: "GOOD! NEITHER!"
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