Another wave of numbers descended. Rita dashed to the nearest glowing digit, reached out, and snatched it the instant her hand touched the light. Without stopping, she spun the deep-blue helm and teleported toward another number that hadn’t yet been claimed.
Two shining digits now hovered above her head. She sprinted toward a third.
While running, she deactivated [Mystic Force]. Dried leaves drifted from her fingertips, and her health shot back up to ninety percent. She began alternating between [I Just Want to Improve So Badly] and [Gift of Nature], trying to steal numbers from other players while she fought for her own.
Efficiency—nothing else mattered.
The annoying part was that no matter which number she went for, nearby players would immediately form temporary alliances to stop her.
It had been this way since the Fun Match. Back then, Maple Syrup had been the primary target while the others hid behind her and played scavenger. Now that Maple Syrup had vanished, they all had to do the dirty work themselves.
Fortunately, Rita now had [Midnight Exile].
Combined with her druidic hunting form’s speed and attack boost, no one could last through a second round once she activated it. Add in [I’m Just That Idle] to accelerate her strikes with each combo, and the more opponents there were, the faster she fought.
Her only real frustration was that both of her stealing skills only worked on numbers still in their "free looting" period. Once a number solidified and was placed into someone’s Sudoku board, it became untouchable.
But she wasn’t the only one facing mob attacks.
Mistblade and Maple Syrup were getting the same treatment. Neither had activated GodDraw77, but they were both former Divine Game champions, and their presence alone reminded everyone that these were not opponents you fought fairly.
In situations , the smartest option for most players was to gang up on them—or no one would survive long enough to play.
Quex had just picked up a number when Maple Syrup’s shadow trees and spear barrage forced her backward again and again. "What are you doing? Why aren’t you going after—" She faltered mid-sentence, frustrated. "That person! You know, that
"I swear, what kind of cursed skill is this? Can you even say her name?" she demanded, glancing at Crab, who was crouched behind her, trying to heal.
Crab opened his mouth and stammered. "Yeah... that one... that person. I can’t say her name!" This update ıs available on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝙣𝙚𝙩
Down on the lower floors, Rita heard the whole exchange and smiled in pure satisfaction.
Question the Dark Lord. Understand the Dark Lord. Become the Dark Lord.
The game had been running for over an hour.
Every ten minutes, a new batch of numbers descended, and Rita managed to claim six or seven each round—that was her limit.
No one still alive was weak. She had used every trick she had.
The skills in her [Send Me the Link] cart were cycling fast—use one, lose one, gain another.
[The Wind Doesn’t Speak] stayed active nonstop, [Nemesis] had triggered at the start when she locked eyes with Maple Syrup, and [Wrathful Moon] now hung from her waist for instant access to the shadow realm.
She’d even run into JE. Before he could activate [Early Retirement]—the skill that sealed abilities—Rita used [Dark Side of the Moon] to erase him.
At one point, she even pulled out [Lucky Number].
As more players fell, fewer numbers appeared. Her acquisition speed dropped, and she knew the inevitable confrontation with Mistblade and Maple Syrup was drawing closer.
She closed her half-complete Sudoku board. Time for phase two.
Winning by sheer kills was impossible. Mistblade and Maple Syrup’s collection speed was on par with hers.
When the next wave of numbers descended, Rita went all out, collecting four before switching focus. Then she waited—stalking Maple Syrup and Mistblade from the shadows.
[Summer Snowman] had cooled down. She made another small snowman, this time sealing inside it the skill [Low-Risk Investment].
Above, Maple Syrup and Mistblade’s heads glowed like twin suns. The clusters of digits floating around them had merged into what looked like a single white orb. By her estimate, they were holding at least eight fresh numbers each—still within their looting windows. She didn’t even want to think about how many more they’d already locked in.
At this rate, they could finish their Sudoku as soon as this round ended.
Rita crouched in silence, waiting. When the ninth minute of the looting window passed halfway, she moved.
A snowman in each hand, she leapt from the fifth floor. As she fell, the sightlines aligned—third floor Maple Syrup, fourth floor Mistblade. Perfect.
She activated her combo.
[Buy One, Get Three] paired with the once-per-day [Low-Risk Investment].
She wasn’t just using [Low-Risk Investment]. She was using the Buy One, Get Three version of it. Thanks to [Crime Simulation], she still had two more uses of that replication combo in reserve.
Three simultaneous investments. One against each target’s last six hours of gains.
Gods, this wasn’t investing—this was crowdfunding.
Golden light from [Low-Risk Investment] split into three beams, streaking downward toward Maple Syrup on the third floor, Mistblade on the fourth, and NightFury on the fifth.
The three clusters of light—almost white from their combined glow—shot straight toward Rita.
Still falling, she shifted into her Orchid Mantis form, gliding downward. She brushed past Cinnabar, who was still in full battleship form blasting everything that moved on the central island.
In the next heartbeat, the three glowing orbs converged above Rita’s head. She immediately dived into the shadow world.
She had to avoid Mojie’s interception and Motor’s [Protagonist Time].
The moment she entered the shadow realm, time slowed.
The numbers condensed into solid form, descending like slow-motion snowflakes—straight into Rita’s waiting hands.
When the world snapped back to normal speed, she stuffed the numbers into her dagger’s storage and began slotting them into her Sudoku board as fast as her fingers would move.
Just like her stealing skills, [Low-Risk Investment] couldn’t grab digits whose free-looting windows had expired—but this single haul was enough to tip the scales.
One massive "investment round," and she had gained twenty-four numbers in one shot.
Dirty tricks, sure—but they paid dividends.
She filled in the blanks rapidly. Twenty-four new numbers, added to the thirty-seven she’d earned herself. Subtract three duplicates, and she was only eight numbers away from completion.
On the floors above and below, the players who had been standing near Mistblade, Maple Syrup, and NightFury were just now snapping out of their shock. They glanced at the three powerhouses and saw only slight frowns on their faces—as if puzzled that their digits had simply vanished.
Then, in eerie unison, the three lifted their heads, eyes sharp with killing intent, turning toward the nearest players.
Clearly, they had already chosen scapegoats.
"Ahhhh! Whatever that person did, it’s cursed! As if we can’t say her name, now she’s making everyone else take the blame?"
"I finally get why Maple Syrup was always chasing her down. Did she get brainwashed before too?"
"Hard to say. But looks like we can add NightFury to that list now."
"Well... Mistblade did wrong her first. It’s kind of fair payback, don’t you think?"
"Yeah, even my grandma’s heard about it."
Mistblade’s swings slowed. She stared down at the opponent she was currently pinning—Autumn Deer—and asked, genuinely confused, "Wait... who exactly did I wrong?"
If not for his stacked defense buffs, Autumn Deer would already have been sliced into glittering venison. Tears welled in his eyes as he slammed a hoof against his chest and screamed from the bottom of his soul, "ME! You wronged me!"