It's been a lot of minutes. The gunshot sounds slowly vanish as time passes. It seems the danger is gone, but I know that the quieter it is, the more dangerous it should be. The game has a circular magical border called a safe area, and as time passes, it slowly becomes smaller. However, it seems the circle is moving too slowly, as if it's a new function of this world.

I only have a gun and a few bullets; all of my healing items were used up for my injury. I don't think I'll last for a long time with my lack of equipment. There are still 64 out of 100 alive, and the circle is shrinking too slowly—slower than the game should be. There are a lot of chances I might encounter one of those people.

I have no choice but to leave my hiding spot. I make sure to crouch silently down from the second floor to the first. I need to be quiet at all times; one wrong move, and I might die. Now at the door, I slowly open it.

The area is too quiet; my heart is pounding. I need to get outside, but I can still see the different bodies that died in the area, even the person in the house. If I don't do anything, I could end up like them. So, I gather my resolve and slowly walk in a crouching way.

"Bang!" a loud shot was heard behind me, followed by a "Clang," a metal sound. What happened? Then I saw a man behind me, aiming at me. It seems he hit me, but no, he unluckily hit my machete on my back, preventing the bullet. "Sh*t!" I cursed. Quickly, I hide on the outside wall of the house while he's inside as I ready my gun. Damn it, I should have hidden in the house.

He's inside the house, continuously shooting, making it hard for me to fire back. Then he stops shooting. This might be the chance. But as I try to shoot back, he charges at me strongly. We both fall to the ground, our guns flying, turning it into a battle of strength.

I swiftly pull out my machete from my back, but it turns out he also has a weapon—a menacing axe. Our weapons clash in a fierce dance of metal, sparks flying as we struggle for dominance. Each move is a test of strength and skill, the tension building with every swing. It's a chaotic symphony of clashing steel, determined grunts, and the adrenaline-fueled heartbeat of survival.

In our relentless clash, both of us missing and trying our best to win, he attacks vigorously, giving me a chance to counterattack and make his axe fly. However, he quickly kicks me in the stomach, causing my machete to fall. Once again, he rushes against me making us both fall to the ground He gains the upper hand and starts to pummel me with punches. I try to fight back, but he has the momentum. Desperately, I reach for my machete not far away, but he grabs it.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I'm sorry man, no hard feeling" he says, a sense of pride as he's about to end me. Is this the end?

Suddenly, a gunshot rings out in front. The man's body falls onto mine, blood gushing out on my face. What now? I try to push the man's body off, realizing he's the one who got shot — he's dead. Who helped me? Then I see a woman in front of me, holding a gun. She remains on guard, seemingly cautious because of me.

"Thank you," I said, raising my hands in the air. "Please don't kill me." I kept my hands raised, but she didn't pay much attention, walking straight toward me. Instead of talking, she focused on looting the dead body. "I will have this," she declared, not bothering to ask. "What?" I asked. "The loot," she answered. "Yes, you can have it all," I replied.

"You can take those bandages; I have plenty already," she said, noticing some of my injuries.

"Thank you," I replied.

"There will be no next time," she asserted.

"Yes," I answered.

"I am serious!" Suddenly, she ran straight to me, aiming a knife at my head. "You should know I can kill you easily, but I won't. You can become my shield, my meat shield," she said with a chilling certainty.

"Tssk," she expressed irritation at my actions.

"You played this game without thinking of the consequences. You should know this is a battle royale, and we need to kill each other. All you do is act like a puppy!"

I know I acted recklessly, playing solo without thinking, but I need help she needs help in order to survive. "Would it be better if we team up?" I suggest, trying to reason with her.

She grows angrier and swiftly aims the knife at my neck again. Blood starts to stir out. "How am I sure you won't aim at my back?" she questions with suspicion.

"I swear, I promise I will," I earnestly assure her. And so, seconds pass as we simply stare at each other. She sighs and leaves the question unanswered, heading inside the house.

"Hey, are you gonna stay there like that? Did you truly want to become a meat shield?" she remarks.

I smile, "Thank you! Thank you!" I'm not sure if she's agreed to us being a team, but I'm grateful to her. "So... are we a team now?" I inquire.

"We will be a team until there are two left, and if you ever backstab me or become a hindrance, I will leave you," she warns.

"Thank you, thank you again," I reply. "I swear I will keep my promise."

Know with a teammate I though that my surviving would became high since we will be fighting against solo players but the circle is truly shrinking ultra slow that it might take days. I also don't know that not only me but a lot of players decide too team up to.

Now with a teammate, I thought my chances of survival would increase, as we'd be facing solo players. However, the circle is shrinking at an incredibly slow pace, potentially taking a half of a day. I did not realize that time, not only me but many players have also decided to team up. So us teaming won't make a lot of changes to survive on this world.