*Blop!* *Blop!* The air bubbles escaping my nostrils continued to dwindle every second I stayed in the ocean.

I could feel the salty water seeping into my mouth, ears, and nostrils.

'Is this how I die? Without seeing Sophia or Alice one last time,' Those were my last thoughts before…

*Cough* *Cough*

I suddenly found myself on land.

With my hands and knees placed on the ground, I let out the water I had inadvertently consumed before now.

I turned around to see myself alongside the big-bellied inmate and two other inmates doing the same thing I was doing.

It was daybreak, and we were currently in a forest surrounded by trees of massive height.

"The reward is all mine!!" A voice yelled out right behind me.

Surprisingly, the big-bellied inmate threw himself onto me with his hands firmly grasping around my neck.

With his massive physique, it was difficult for a tall and lanky person like myself to react against the strength of the big man.

His grip tightened around my neck, choking me to the brink of death.

-1

-1

I grabbed his hands, scratching and piercing my fingernails deep into his skin, but this only aided in increasing his tenacity.

"Haha..... You're going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to stop me," He guffawed.

A crimson liquid flowed from my point of contact on his skin, but his objective was vivid, and he didn't seem to look like relenting anytime soon.

It was hopeless, the level of strength between us was incomparable.

-1

-1

My hands were loosening their grip, my strength was dwindling as well.

-1

A red negative figure kept floating above my head, and it wasn't too difficult to assume what it meant.

'Is this the end?' I wondered in fear.

I tried to breathe, but every time I did, I could feel myself stepping closer to the afterlife.

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'This isn't working!' I released my hands from him, twisting and turning my lower limbs to try to discomfort him by any means necessary, but once again my thin build wasn't enough to do anything when compared to that of a man such as him.

I stretched both my arms apart on the floor, attempting to find any kind of weapon.

Time was ticking, and the big-bellied inmate knew this as well.

His grip tightened even more, and spittle began to stream out from the corner of my lips.

My legs frantically tried to support me one last time before both feet slumped back down lifelessly to the ground.

My body movement slowly began to stop, and my eyes slipped backward.

"..."

"Haha!!.. He is dead?... Just like that?... Haha!!"The big-bellied inmate cackled.

"I knew he looked scrawny, but man is he weak," His hands were still around my neck.

Since the game had just started, we had no means of knowing when a player was truly dead.

"How do I know if he's dead?" He asked, lowering his head to check my heart so as to know if I was still breathing.

Now, his grip loosened around my neck.

This was my chance!!

I grabbed hold of the rock I had found on the ground while posing to be dead.

And…

*Bam!!* I smashed the rock straight into his head with the last piece of strength I could muster.

At last. Air!!

*Coughs* *Coughs*

I could breathe again. I held on to my throat as I slowly began to adjust my breathing.

Not only that, but I turned to look at how the big-bellied inmate was doing.

-2

Finally!! I see a negative figure above his head this time around.

He was stunned for a few seconds, and I used that to my advantage by shoving him away from me.

"F*ck!!" He groaned, placing his hand on the side of his forehead to feel a brief piercing assault of pain.

He took a look at his palm to see it tinged in red.

His eyes became bloodshot. "You!!" He growled.

"I'm going to kill…uh?" He said, turning towards me to kill, but was surprised by how prepared I was for him.

Just before he could have a proper view of me, I grabbed a bigger rock, requiring both hands this time.

"Ahh!!" I smashed it instantly on his head with a yell.

-2

He whimpered in pain, but I offered him no chance to retaliate.

Just a few seconds ago, I was on the brink of death.

The thought of never seeing my mother and sister sprouted to my mind, but the fear of losing them overwhelmed the hopelessness I once had.

-2

-2

I repeated the smashing over and over again until…

[Ding!! Smashed!! You have killed a player. 10 damage was inflicted on Target's HP. Dropped item: 1 gold coin. You have gained 10 exp.]

"Oh!! So, I receive a notification for any kills I make. That's comforting to know," I muttered to myself.

I shifted my gaze to my rear to see the other two battling it out with one another as well.

One had pinned the other down and was choking him like a pro wrestler while the other tried to find a means of escape, just as how I did a few moments ago.

Both were too preoccupied to notice I had killed the big-bellied inmate.

I subtly approached both men from behind before…

[Ding!! Bashed!! Target was stunned to death. You have killed a player. 10 damage was inflicted on Target's HP. Dropped item: 1 gold coin. You have gained 10 exp.]

[Ding!! Smashed!! The target was bashed to death. You have killed a player. 6 damage was inflicted on Target's HP. Dropped item: 1 gold coin. You have gained 10 exp.]

I hurled at the unsightly mess I caused, then lolled on the ground with my arms and feet spread wide apart.

"I can't believe I have killed four men, and it hasn't even been a week yet," I said, wiping off the remaining bits of vomit lingering at the side of my lips.

_____

The total number of players currently in the game: 79,979.

The number of deceased players: 20.

The total number of deceased players: 21.

___

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