The Boss Behind The Game

Much to the satisfied anticipation of the American server players, Battle Online had officially launched.

The immense popularity of the game was mind-blowing. With its three main servers combined, the game attracted 23 million players on the day it was launched.

Naraka was undoubtedly the hardest to survive for all of the players. At the current stage, none of the players could last a full ten hours. Most of them were attacked and killed by monsters as they entered.

However, this didn't discourage any of them. Instead, they began to fervently discuss in the forums about various survival techniques in blissful agony.

This was because Battle Online never let them down. Just as how it had been promoted, it topped every other game in terms of replicating reality. Its realism attracted many players and kept them deeply engaged.

Its mech growth mode also made the game more interesting as most of them grew up with sci-fi themes. Many of whom had dreamed of one day operating their own machinery as a Mech Warrior.

A debate whether the American server's mech growth mode or the other server's physical growth mode was cooler had become a hot topic on the forum. Professional players posted their own analysis and argued over them with each other.

However, a recently posted video blew everyone on the forum away. Even the older players from the original server were shocked by what they saw.

[Desperate. Help! I offended someone I shouldn't have. Is this an aim-lock cheat? Officials should investigate it!]

Author: Skywalker

Content: Honestly, it's all my fault. We attacked an elite monster because we were a big group. But we were doomed because that legendary killer targeted us. She must've used an aim-lock. Didn't you promise us that this game has no cheaters? This game has only just launched, but we already faced a cheater with aim-lock. Please watch the attached video.

In the video, a group of seven were walking among the ruins of a city, and they appeared to be hunting for their prey.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. The leader of the group, walking in front, was thrown backward and fell heavily to the ground. His mech helmet had a perfect bullet hole.

[Player Parker was killed by Player Emily! It was a headshot!]

Everyone was stunned by this notification.

They knew that even if the mech was damaged, as long as the player inside was alive, the player would still be in the game. However, this death notification meant the shot had killed the player inside the mech, with a direct shot to the head.

Just then, a cracking sound pierced through the air as another team member fell to the ground.

[Player Luke was killed by Player Emily! It was a headshot!]

Once again, a single shot had punched through the mech and killed the player inside. The sniper's unbelievable skills shocked the rest of the team.

Everyone quickly scrambled for cover.

"Jack, Harry, prepare to shoot the raider at your 2 o'clock... Chris, Robert, on me... we'll draw her out!"

Upon hearing his command, two players pulled out their own Dream Eaters and took aim.

"On my command... three… two… one, fire!"

They immediately dashed out and sprinted toward Emily's direction.

Splurt!

[Player Chris was killed by Player Emily! It was a headshot!]

As this soldier died, the two snipers who had locked their sights on Emily hiding in a ruined building, pulled their triggers at the same time.

However, she ducked, her cover shielding her from the two bullets.

Jack and Harry were nervous but stayed focused. They kept their eyes on the wall where she had hidden behind, waiting for her to reappear.

Emily's three headshots had them severely traumatized.

Meanwhile, the other team members were approaching their target. A stand-off might be an advantage for them.

As they waited, Emily's silhouette suddenly emerged for a split second before ducking back behind her cover.

Bang!

[Player Jack was killed by Player Emily! It was a headshot!]

This headshot utterly confounded the remaining sniper.

"Fuck, she must be a cheater, she's definitely hacked the game! I was just about to take a shot when her head popped out, but she'd already fired a shot. Didn't she have to aim? I want to report her!"

Harry's growl rippled over the team's chat channel. Everyone's hearts sank when they heard this.

She could hit a target 400 yards away with a single headshot, without even aiming. A cheat was the only reasonable explanation for this.

"Dammit, get her first, we'll report it later!"

Two soldiers had approached the ruined building and were climbing up the exterior wall using their lightsabers and daggers.

Meanwhile, Harry, who was waiting below, kept his eyes on Emily's position. His heart thumped wildly in anxiety.

They had seven members working together. In mere seconds, four of them had already died. His gut went cold thinking about her unbelievable sniper skills.

Then, he saw Emily's muzzle moving. Harry instantly tightened his finger around the trigger. If Emily moved a muscle, he would kill her.

Bang!

A gunshot suddenly rang out.

[Player Harry's mech is damaged. Mech compartment ejection imminent!]

"I will fucking report this, she's cheating!"

As he was ejected from the mech, Harry was in despair.

His target had shot him without even showing her head, although he never moved. He could not believe that this Emily could lock on him so precisely without aiming.

Still hurtling through the air, Harry suddenly saw Emily with a Dream Eater in her hands.

He realized Emily's rifle was tracing his body's trajectory.

Bang!

[Player Harry was killed by Player Emily! It was a headshot!]

Harry's eyes widened the moment he was shot in the head, clearly in disbelief. He was obviously falling yet he was still shot precisely in the head.

What kind of sorcery is this?

Now, five members of the team were dead. Meanwhile, the remaining two Lightsaber Mech soldiers had approached the top of the ruined building.

Emily stepped forward and glanced at the two soldiers, who were less than two yards away. She pointed the muzzle, pulled the trigger, and lowered her rifle in one fluid motion.

Bang!

One soldier crumpled to the ground. It was another fatal headshot. One shot, one kill indeed.

Now, the last soldier was extremely close to Emily. Leaning onto the lightsaber in his right arm, he leaped at her, ruthlessly swinging the dagger in his left hand at her.

Emily may have been unstoppable in a long-range duel, but now he was very near her. In close combat, the Lightsaber Mech would surely be the winner.

However, he didn't expect Emily to step forward and jump from the building.

The dagger missed her shoulder. Then, the scene turned dark.

Everyone who watched the video clearly saw that as Emily jumped off the building, she spun around, took aim, and killed him with a single shot!

The video caused an uproar in the forum. Nobody could explain this god-like phenomenon, extremely certain that it was a cheat.

Forum:

Crayon_Shinchan: "Wow! The beginning was good enough, but that last instant-kill at the end - did she do that on pure instinct, or did she use a cheat? (surprised emoji)"

Watermelon_Taro: "The casual players are shocked. Is this the birth of another supremely professional player?"

Xueli_The_Strongest: "I don't know if she's a cheater but officials, please ban her. She's too scary!"

Peppa_Boar: "I'm still shaking in fear. Is this a legendary shooter in real life?"

Invincible_Loneliness: "Even I, despite having seen many professional players, am still stunned. I can't imagine how frightening she would be in real life!"

Assassin_Creed: "I guess she's an actual ace sniper or one who works for an underground organization in reality. I can't think where else she could have gotten her skills from. (shocked emoji)"

High_Ping_Warrior (Europe): "I'm frightened. She's the big boss who's put her real-life skills to use in the game. (shocked Evil King face.jpg)"

Star_Universe (Europe): "I've reported this video already, let's wait for the officials' reply. If it's not a cheat, I think she's gonna start rolling!"

Reinhardt (Europe): "It's not a bug, it's the debut of the Black Lily of Death. I'm trembling in fear. This lady is the strangest of the strange, trust me, don't mess around with her!"

Prince_Charming123 (USA): "Too scary. I just checked the Hunting Challenge Leaderboard, this fellow should be the one in first place. (picture attached)"

[Hunting Challenge Ranking. Time remaining: 6 days 12 hours and 45 minutes]:

First Place: Emily (Rechargeable Mech). Hunting Points: 3932

Second Place: Cruise (Rechargeable Mech). Hunting Points: 1321

Third Place: Evans (Lightsaber Mech). Hunting Points: 1289

Fourth Place: Katie (Lightsaber Mech). Hunting Points: 1276

...

Roasting_Chang'e_While_Hugging_Jade_Hare: "Fuck, higher than the first and second runner ups by three times! Cheater! Impossible!"

Crayon_Shinchan: "Finally, we're not alone. Now there's a big boss who will be a worthy opponent for the cheater group in our zone. Of course, Hu He the Great Demon King is excluded, he's totally clueless. (laughing emoji)"

Yechen_The_Most_Handsome: "I'm trembling. Luckily, I'm a close combat fighter. If I played against her in long-range combat, I'm sure I can't beat her even with all the luck in the world. (weak face emoji)"

Jedi_Knight: "One shot, one kill. No bullets wasted. This is the debut of a truly epic player. I look forward to the godly war between the big bosses in the Individual Skills Battle!"

Yigit (USA): "I wanna know. Even if she used the aim-lock cheat, the damage wouldn't be this high, unless she leveled up her Dream Eater with all the resources she had."

Bible_Apostle (USA) replied to Yigit: "I fear that it might be just as you thought. If I had skills like this, I would surely upgrade all my weapons and go fight all the monsters at much higher levels!"

...

Emily's performance had wowed her audience.

Whether it was any of the three servers, every player was stunned.

Even Ao Jian and his group were lost in deep thought after watching the video.

Emily's name had also made it onto the three main servers on the third day the American server launched. She was already burned into every player's memory.

Deadly! Obstacle-free sniper! Rampaging aim-lock monster! Grim reaper!

All sorts of nicknames began to emerge, and every one of them certainly proved Emily's superhuman sniper skills.

As the players waited, the officials finally made an announcement. Because of Battle Online's impeccable reputation, a few lines of explanation was enough to convince all the players.

Battle Online Official Announcement: "After deliberating over players' reports and feedback, we now officially confirm that Player Emily has not used any cheat codes. All of her sniper skills were using her personal abilities. In fact, this game is free from any cheaters, scripts, or any other hacking programs."

The official announcement evoked chaos among the players again.

This time, the bot-like player named Emily was instantly regarded as a highly Legendary Sniper.