Ken: You should go.

  Max: But.. you have more health.

  Ken: And that's what I'm counting on.

  Max: Hmph.

  The idea of one player working with another was not lost on players even outside the confines of the collaborates class.

  As a result, the idea of one sacrificing oneself for the other was not lost on most players.

  It was a rarity, but in such situations, whether or not the enemy was aware of this trick was irrelevant in this case.

  After all, Ken was going to have himself and Max do the unexpected.

  It would be the less injured player sacrificing himself, not the one that was on his last legs.

  Ken: Ready?

  Max: Yeah... but... why...?

  Ken: Let's just say... I'm a believer.

  Max: Huh!?

  Ken: Just get ready.

  Rose: Max... (thinking: Those two...)

  Luke: (thinking: This is... sad?)

  Tiffany: (thinking: A video game can come with this much emotion? Really?)

  Julianne: (thinking: And now even I'm on the edge of my seat. Is this what Maxie has been playing all this time?)

  Max took a deep breath.

  In his mind, there was no truly massive need for him to receive this honour.

  Like a warrior sent off to battle, having been saved by his comrade's sacrifice. He couldn't help but feel... somewhat grateful.

  Of course, there was the immense pressure on his back, but that was irrelevant.

  Thats what he told himself.

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  That was Maximillian Hunter.

  Yes he felt the pressure, but he would not let it have him.

  Max: Ok. I got this.

  Now, in such a scenario, there was yet another question to be asked.

  What would the enemy do?

  Did the enemy expect Ken to come out?

  Absolutely.

  That would shock him, of course.

  However, that brought out another question.

  Did the enemy expect someone to come out?

  And the answer was... yes. The enemy absolutely expected that.

  And given that, one would wonder as to what the enemy's reaction would be.

  The answer?

  Ken: Once I'm out, I'll blow myself up with this grenade.

  Max: Hmph.

  Irrelevant. Because no one would see such an act coming.

  Ken was only slightly shocked to see Max so easily agree on that.

  Ken: Good.

  And then, it happened.

  Ken's character walked out of hiding, and the enemy, immediately while running, started firing several bullets while running, facing Ken's direction, pausing just for a second

  One of the many advantages of playing with a friend was being able to see your friend's screen.

  And so, Max could see his loud and clear.

  As for their opponent, running while shooting was his way of avoiding a surprise attack.

  But, as earlier stated, it was irrelevant, as Ken blew himself up immediately, leaving a cloud of smoke and a very confused player.

  The opposing character stopped for a moment, paced around for just a second, before bullets flew from the smoke and smote him, very badly. To death even.

  In short, Max took him down.

  Max: 48.

  Ken: Hmph.

  They had no other choice.

  In order to survive, one of them would have to bite the big one. And in this case, it was Ken.

  Ken: Brace yourself

  Max: Hmph.

  And, of course, there was yet another question to be asked.

  Any well seasoned player of the game Warring Dimensia 2 knew this well.

  The game was very well made, with incredible graphics and insanely realistic video and audio.

  That being said, it was a spray of bullets, not a string. And so... it could only mean one thing....

  Ken: Now the real question is, just how many players are behind that wall.

  They had seen it.

  The one guy with the gun was perhaps doing a sacrifice of his own.

  And that meant, that, most likely, their opponent was behind the same wall as the now defeated one.

  Ken: One... two.... maybe three....

  Max: Doesn't matter.

  Ken: Hmm?

  Max's eyes were fixiated on the game. He knew exactly what he wanted to do.

  After all, Ken gave him a pretty good idea.

  Max: Let's make it a 50.

  His statement slightly shocked Ken.

  Ken: Hmph. Ok then.

  Meanwhile, with those watching...

  Rose herself tightly held her mouth. The last thing she'd want would be for her to all of a sudden freak out and casue Max a loss.

  Tiffany and Luke's eyes narrowed. Somehow, a game they weren't even familiar with had captured their hearts.

  Tiffany: (thinking: Even something like a video game can fire up a competitive spirit like this...)

  And as for Max and Ken, their eyes remained on the screen.

  There was one thing that any practitioner of an art has.

  And that is knowledge of said art.

  And with that... comes knowledge of others participating in the same art.

  And with that, knowledge of what to expect from said other practitioners.

  Max and Ken knew this intrinsically.

  There was very likely an opponent back there.

  That opponent knew that one of their enemies had been defeated, but not the other.

  And also, their opponent had most likely noticed that it was Ken and not Max that had been taken down.

  So, their enemy was most definitely a little shocked, especially given Ken's performance.

  To top it all off, their enemy knew that Max knew that they were still there.

  After all, why did Max refuse to leave his hiding place?

  It was obvious to them. Max was planning something.

  So, they knew that Max knew that they were there, and Max knew that they knew that they were there.

  However, they did not, in fact know, that Max knew that they knew that Max knew that they were there.

  An obvious remark, one would think. But, not really.

  As anybody who had played any game or tried any challenge, even something as trying to finish an exam on time, one would know that it is almost certainly at the cusp of victory when things begin to truly take form, when the battle truly begins.

  If that last sentence means the difference between a good grade and potentially repeating a class, that becomes the most important sentence in the exam.

  And so it was with this.

  In this crucial moment, both players found themselves on a knife's edge.

  Max and the other player behind the screen.

  But there was only one difference between them.

  One that made the opponent fail to make the earlier stated realisation.

  Max was completely calm.

  The opponent?

  Trying to make heads and tails of what Max was planning.

  So this panicked player and Maximillian Hunter were about to face off, and in a battle of whose spirit was stronger, Max had already won.