“Where are we going?” Chris asked me, worried. He and his brother had been staying in the back with the MLP guys since getting on the bus, and unlike the last loop, he seemed a lot less inclined to adventure now that he had his brother to protect.

  “Yeah, where are we going?” I asked Panda.

  “I want to know too,” Bee said.

  “None of you have figured it out?” Panda replied.

  We all shook our heads.

  “Then I guess it’ll be a surprise,” he said.

  “Speaking of surprises,” I added, looking out the window and seeing the dark night sky. “There can’t be a lot of time left until the first event.”

  Chris frowned. “What happens if we don’t want to participate?” he asked.

  “You don’t get a choice,” I told him.

  “What’ll happen to James?” he continued.

  “He’ll be fine,” Panda said. “He’s a Wayward Minor after all, so they’ll want to protect him.”

  I repeated his words since Chris couldn’t perceive the plushie.

  “Isn’t Bee a minor too?” he asked.

  “All-Mommy told me that because of her choosing me, I am eligible to join,” Bee replied, looking pretty excited about that. I remembered how bummed she’d been about not getting her own weapon during the first event.

  Panda cringed at her nickname for the Absolute. “I think they’ll probably do the event they planned to do next.”

  “Best in Show!” Bee exclaimed. “Oh! I heard the announcement when I was on the hive ship and really wanted to join!”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Panda cautioned. “They mentioned it would take place in the Singing City. That place is infamous.”

  “Why?” I asked. Chris looked at us like we’d lost it, but then again, he was missing a lot of context from not being able to see and hear Panda.

  “It’s like a playground for the Absolutes,” Panda explained. “A sort of No Man’s Land where they all send their creations to conquer as much as they can. The ruler of the place changes all the time. It’s literally a warzone between all the Absolutes and it’ll be filled to the brim with their spawn. Given that a lot of the spawn are basically deities in their own right, that means you have a ton of factions all over the place. And all of them are fucking scary.”

  “That sounds like fun though,” I remarked.

  Bee nodded. “Like a safari for eldritch kaiju is what I’m imagining.”

  Panda frowned. “I don’t know why I even bother with you two,” he muttered, frustrated.

  “I mean, it’s not like we can not go there if they send us,” I replied.

  “Sure, but at least have some sense of self-preservation.” He sighed. “I’ll be surprised if even a hundred Players are left at the end.”

  I turned back to look at Chris. “Anyway, it’ll be fine.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  He looked like he was going to pass a kidney stone with the face he was making.

  The highway between Madeville and Castleburg was like a pipe clogged with shit, and by the time Greg managed to shove and push his way through the abandoned cars to get to our destination, night had come and gone.

  Most of our passengers had spent the night sleeping in the bunk beds, which were now inside a cavernous chamber that clearly shouldn’t be able to exist within the Humanbus, and yet somehow its strange pocket-dimensional properties enabled it.

  However, Isabella and the other guards had taken turns standing atop the bus to practice their new skills, as well as rotating in shifts on the turrets. There hadn’t been that many enemies on the roads, but that would definitely change after the first event. Still, kills with the turrets counted for levels, so we now had a decent number of people above level 3.

  Cooper had talked Isabella into helping him and the other MLP guys with leveling, but he was the only one actually awake to join in with the drills.

  When we finally reached the ‘bottomless’ hole, everyone was up and awake. A part of me couldn’t help but feel like we’d wasted a lot of valuable time just driving, but I also knew how important finding Otto was.

  “We’re here,” Panda announced as Greg rolled to a stop.

  In front of the Humanbus, seen through the windows at the front, was a massive black lake. The water was so dark that even the light of the sun didn’t reflect off its surface. As I scanned the surroundings, seeing part of the industrial area nearby and the dusty shrubbery-strewn landscape, I got the sense that I’d been here before.

  “This is where we fought the Mayor and the Red Pawn!” Bee realized. “And the CPS!”

  I blinked. “Wait, does that mean…?”

  “Yep,” Panda said. “This lake is the result of the Spin the Wheel effect you used to take out the Flayed Lady’s trap with Skippy.”

  “It’s a lot bigger now,” I remarked.

  “Yeah, well, one of the costs of invoking Nwetrou’s powers is that you create a pond that expands endlessly. Also, yes, it’s a bottomless hole that, if you manage to reach down far enough, leads directly to his domain.”

  “It’s uncomfortable being faced with the consequences of my actions,” I muttered.

  Panda sighed.

  “Otto!” Isabella screamed, running off the bus with Tanner and Tyler on her heels.

  I looked out through the window, and sure enough, at the edge of the black lake stood a human-sized otter.

  “It’s a costume,” Panda told me.

  “We have to ge—!” I started to say before my whole body froze in place.

  Messimer’s voice suddenly filled the air, and everyone around me was as stuck in place as I was.

  Although I considered trying my Wake Up trick again, I actually wanted to join the event.

  It has now been exactly one day since the GREAT GAME was initialized across all Regions. Thus, the First GAME Event must now commence.

  Considering that there are no Announcers to explain this Event, I will briefly describe it before you are transported to the venue. However, I have secured substitute Guides who will meet you before you begin, which should hopefully alleviate any issues arising from the fact that the majority of Players in this Region are significantly under-leveled for the Event.

  Now, without further ado.

  The First GAME Event is called ‘Best in Show’. Players will be required to work together as teams in order to manufacture the most powerful Monstrosity possible. Teams are created based on current proximity, meaning that you are highly likely to end up on a team with those next to you at this exact moment.

  There are three phases in the Event:

  The Collection Phase, where Players must scour the Singing City for parts and hunt its denizens for materials. Hunting other Players for materials is also highly encouraged.

  The Crafting Phase, where collected parts and materials must be combined to create a Monstrosity. Players who lack parts and materials may use this time to hunt down other Players to steal theirs. Teams without a Monstrosity at the end of this Phase are eliminated.

  The Tournament Phase, where Teams will pit their Monstrosities against each other in tournament brackets. Players may not interact with other teams or Monstrosities during this Phase. Any team whose Monstrosity is defeated before the semi-finals of their bracket will be eliminated.

  I am unable to answer many of the questions you have, but you may direct these at the substitute Guides at the venue.

  Good luck, and may the best teams win.

  As soon as the announcement ended, I was encased in darkness and fell through the floor.