Reever had seen everything the golden armored man did.
If he had to describe it with one word, it would be scary.
The man moved with confidence, no wasted actions, no panic, no hesitation. Every step, every shot, every decision felt measured, as if he was following a script he had already practiced a hundred times. Watching it from concealment, Reever almost felt like he was observing a staged performance instead of a real battle.
For a moment, he was not entirely sure if he could win easily.
Of course, he could still win. That part was not in doubt. But it would take time. More effort. More attention. This was not someone who would fall over after a few cheap tricks.
"I hope that I have entertained you well," the golden armored man said, turning his head slightly. "You can come out of your hiding place and face me like a man."
His gaze stopped in Reever's direction.
Reever frowned.
"Can he see me. How can he do that," he muttered under his breath.
He stayed still.
"Maybe it's just a bluff," he thought. A common tactic. Say something confident and see if the enemy reacts.
"I know that you are wondering how I can see you," the golden man continued calmly. "I can see you clearly. And I can say that you have a good set of armor. It might even be slightly superior to mine."
Reever did not hesitate anymore.
He canceled his camouflage.
The distortion faded, and his body became visible, standing openly among the broken rocks.
The golden armored man paused for a second.
Then he laughed.
"A bot," he said. "I wonder how you managed to come this far. This is nice. I won't even have to waste effort dealing with you."
His gaze dropped to the insignia on Reever's armor.
"Well, today really is my lucky day. I can't believe I almost teamed up with a nobody to deal with a bot."
He circled slowly, eyes sharp.
"As expected of bots. The system treats them well. Rare armor. Rare weapon. An aim bot to be precise. If this thing were a real player, that weapon, with it's identity, would have been terrifying."
His thoughts ran freely, confidence overflowing.
"He's got good skills too," he continued. "If I kill it, I might get that camouflage skill. Maybe even its armor or weapon."
Greed flickered behind his visor.
Reever noticed none of it. The helmet hid everything.
Reever, on the other hand, was busy doing his own analysis.
"Prideful," he thought. "That usually means that he is strong, but not that careful."
He studied the armor again. Thick plating. Defensive build. The weapon too. The last attack had been precise. The bullet had appeared right next to the target. A clean headshot with no warning.
"A teleporting shot," Reever reasoned. "But it has limits. Skills like that aren't free, especially for Rookie ranked players."
He relaxed slightly.
"He's still a rookie. At best, he can use it a few times. Three maybe. Definitely not unlimited . Just like mine."
Reever's eyes narrowed.
"He already thinks I'm just a bot. That means he won't go all out. He'll save his trump card."
That was enough.
Reever activated his target skill quietly and waited.
The golden man cocked his weapon and fired.
To Reever, the bullet moved painfully slow. He sidestepped without effort.
Then his instincts screamed.
The bullet vanished.
It reappeared directly in front of him and slammed into his chest.
The impact echoed.
The bullet bounced off his armor and dropped to the ground.
The golden man clicked his tongue.
"Tsk. His armor really is better than mine. Even in defense."
Reever blinked.
"Was that it," he thought. "Was he testing me."
His grip tightened.
"Alright. Guess I'll stop being polite."
He marked his opponent fully.
Then he activated another skill.
Five copies of Reever appeared instantly, spreading out slightly, all identical, all aiming their weapons.
The golden man froze.
"What the hell," he cursed. "Cloning too."
His breath quickened.
"My skill locks onto a target and teleports instantly. But now which one is real."
Reever knew he had less than fifteen seconds before the clones vanished.
That was more than enough.
From the golden man's view, six Reevers raised their weapons at the same time.
His pride cracked.
For the first time, panic showed in his movements.
Reever fired.
Then he fired again, activating the target skill in the same breath.
Two shots. Less than two seconds.
"My defenses are unmatched," the golden man started to say. "Your bullets can't do any…"
The sentence never finished.
The first bullet tore through his chest.
The second struck his head.
The golden armored man fell without another sound.
Silence followed.
Reever lowered his weapon slowly.
"…That was it," he said.
He stared at the body.
"Damn it. Was that not too easy."
He sighed.
"The guy was strong. Tons of loot. Rare gear. He could've dragged this out way longer."
Reever shook his head.
"I was ready to empty my inventory on him."
He looked down at his hands.
"…I think I might be too strong for rookie matches now."
A system notification rang through the field.
[ Game finished.
Congratulations Bot 067.
You are the winner. ]
The battlefield began to dissolve.
Reever disappeared from the broken field, already wondering how much longer he could stay in this rank before the system allowed him to move on.
Rookies, after all, were starting to feel a little fragile.