Reever walked beside Slayer with a casual confidence that made the rookie glance at him every few steps. Slayer finally gave in to curiosity.
"I am just curious Mister Reever, why did you decide to open a new account?" Slayer asked, trying to sound casual.
Inside Reever's mind, B chuckled. "He is starting to suspect your act. Even after all the stunts you pulled, he might think you are just a superfan pretending to be the legendary Reever."
Reever mentally scoffed at that, then shaped an answer that would satisfy the rookie without giving away anything strange.
"Let me explain something. I assume you are still a rookie. You probably haven't played long. Players like me, the legendary ones, we reach a point where matching with others becomes repetitive. Not boring exactly, since there are always strong players out there, but predictable."
He paused for effect, then continued.
"When you create a new account, the system places you with new players. You get to see fresh skills, unusual tactics, and sometimes incredible potential. It is how we scout for talent. Tash for example. I'm sure you know her. Best assault in our squad, second to me of course. Back in the day she was a newbie. One of my teammates found her while using a new account. That is how she joined us. So yes, that is the reason."
Reever spoke with calm authority, the kind that came from seeing too many battles and too many rookies over decades. Slayer listened with full attention. His doubts shrank immediately.
Inside, B snorted. "Not bad A. I expected you to ramble or ruin it. You were trapped in 2003 for a long time. I thought your communication skills had fossilized. But now look at you, sounding like a wise old man."
"I am old," A muttered internally. "I died at ninety. And if you add the years I have spent playing after death, with all those time jumps, I might be over a hundred. That is a lot of experience."
"Alright old man. Lower your volume. Your spit is hitting every corner of your mindscape," B complained.
Reever almost laughed physically, but his armored helmet hid any expression.
"You are part of me," A replied. "So you are just as old. You probably inherited my grumpy side. No wonder you never act normal."
B went silent, an impressive feat for a being made entirely of commentary.
They continued until the red smoke of the loot drops rose ahead.
"We are almost there. Do you want to meet your squad or stay with me?" Reever asked.
"You told me to stay near you unless I want to die. I want to level faster. If I stick with you, my rank will rise. Maybe my skills will impress you enough to get a place in your team," Slayer said.
"Good choice. You will rise through your rank easily. I might even teach you a few old moves. Things like side jumping or back sliding," Reever said.
They approached the drop zone. As expected, another squad had also arrived, hoping to loot first.
"Let me show you something. I will not finish them, I will disable them. You can take the final hits," Reever said. He lifted his weapon and prepared himself.
The enemy spotted them first. Gunfire erupted like a sudden storm.
It was a full squad, missing only one member. Probably a sniper positioned somewhere high, waiting for anyone foolish enough to expose themselves.
"Take cover Slayer. Allow your senior to handle this," Reever said.
"Again with the old man lines," B complained. "We are in a modern era. Speak like a normal person."
Reever ignored him and slid beside Slayer behind a metal barricade. Then he activated the camouflage on his armor. His entire body shimmered before fading completely into the environment.
Slayer had seen this earlier but didn't dare ask about it. He had too many theories, all of them wrong.
Reever circled behind the enemy silently. He tossed a smoke bomb. It wasn't necessary for protection, since their bullets couldn't harm him, but the spectacle was for Slayer's education.
Within the haze, Reever shot the enemies one at a time, disabling them cleanly. Confusion spread through the squad as they panicked and fired in random directions.
The sniper tried to shoot through the smoke, which helped Reever locate the exact rooftop. He aimed, fired once, and disabled the sniper. The rest of the enemies fell easily.
"Enemy please spare me. I want to rank up. I will pay you," one of them begged. Reever wished he could respond and give them one of his ancestral jokes, but the system prevented him from speaking to defeated players.
He called for Slayer instead. The rookie ran in and finished the entire squad. The drops were mediocre for Reever but wondrous for Slayer.
Slayer opened the loot drop next. Nearly every chest shimmered with mythics or legendaries. Reever's unintentional luck rubbed onto Slayer, who ended up with a mythic weapon.
"Do you want this weapon sir?" he asked respectfully.
Reever shook his head. "No need. Mine is enough."
They headed back to their hover bike, ready to continue the hunt.
But then a system notification appeared in front of Reever.
[System recovery at seventy percent.
Estimated return time: two earth days.]
Reever froze as the message blinked across his visor. His fingers tightened around the hover bike's handlebars. B reacted first.
" Looks like the repairs are going faster than expected. At this rate, you might go home before you finish showing off." B said.
" Do not ruin this moment. I am thinking." A replied.
Slayer, who had already climbed onto the back of the hover bike, leaned forward nervously.
" You… you okay, sir? You went quiet all of a sudden."
Reever cleared his throat, though the armor filtered it into something more robotic than human.
" I am fine. Just got a system ping. My network is finally stable for a while. We can travel properly now."
He had no intention of explaining further. Not yet. Slayer already looked at him like he was riding behind a legendary war hero. No need to add cosmic time-traveling system anomalies to the boy's mental burden.
" Stable network? So… your malfunction is almost fixed? How many issues did you have?" Slayer asked.
" Temporary fix. Enough to keep talking. Do not rely on it too much." Reever answered smoothly.
B snorted inside his head. " You are twisting the truth so hard it is starting to squeal."
A ignored him and started the hover bike.
Slayer held onto the rear handle as the engines hummed. " Where do we go now, sir?"
" Hunting. The map is still full and we have loot to collect, giants to slay, and rookies to terrify." Reever said.
" You do know that the giants you are referring to are just other players." B said.
" Giants in spirit. Weak giants, but giants nonetheless." A countered.
The bike lifted off the ground and shot forward in a streak of blue light. Grass bent beneath the force of the engines and the world blurred into streaks of motion.
" Sir, does your major account also use hover bikes this well?" Slayer shouted through the wind.
" My major account can do better than this. Hover bikes, snowboards, jets, cars, tanks… anything with wheels or engines. If it moves, I master it. If it flies, I perfect it. If it explodes, I ride it anyway." Reever replied proudly.
" You are really leaning into this god-mode reputation." B said.
" It is not god-mode if it is true." A replied.
Slayer laughed awkwardly. " You sound exactly like the real Reever."
A flicked the hover bike sideways, drifting around a boulder in a way that sent dust spiraling into the air.
" That is because I am him." he said.
Slayer nodded quickly. " Yes, yes! That is what I meant. You carry the energy."
B muttered again. " He is still suspicious. Give him something to chew on."
" Slayer," Reever said suddenly. " Did you ever see the clip where I cleared an entire squad using only a knife?"
Slayer's eyes widened. " You… you mean the legendary Melee Wipe? Everyone knows that clip!"
" That was not even the best one. The best one never reached the internet. Only my team saw it. Want to hear about it?" Reever asked.
Slayer practically bounced on the seat. " Tell me! Tell me!"
" Later. Once we find our next targets. A good story should be shared at the right moment." Reever said.
" You just do not remember the details, do you?" B teased.
" Silence, grumpy old version of me." A replied.
The hover bike soared over a ridge and descended toward a cluster of abandoned houses. Smoke trails curled upward — evidence of recent fighting.
" We have company." Reever said calmly.
Slayer tightened his grip. " A whole squad?"
" Two squads. They are fighting each other. We will join the chaos." Reever said. " Stay behind me until I tell you to kill."
" Y-yes, sir."
Reever parked the hover bike behind a cement wall. Gunshots cracked through the air. He leaned forward, checking angles.
" Time to introduce chaos." he said.
" Just do not break the map." B warned.
" No promises." A replied.
He activated his cloak again, the edges of his armor dissolving into the air.
Slayer watched, speechless.
Reever whispered through the comms. " Slayer… prepare yourself. When I finish, you clean up. And remember, this is modern combat. No ancient sayings, no mythical blessings. Here, we speak with bullets."
B groaned. " Finally. Progress."
Reever vanished completely, slipping into the battlefield like a phantom ready to ruin everyone's day.
And somewhere behind his visor, beneath the humor and pride, he was thinking about the message still glowing faintly in the corner of his vision.
System recovery at seventy percent.
Two days until he was dragged back home.
Two days left to enjoy this era's chaos.
Two days left to play.