The MAD Tournament was in full swing, with the final rounds nearing. Gok stood in the middle of the coliseum, watching as one of the most intense battles unfolded before him. The final eight players were whittling down to just a handful, and the tension was palpable.
But amidst the chaos, Gok couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. There was an oppressive weight in the air, a sense of inevitability that seemed to hang over the tournament like a storm cloud. Every time he looked up into the stands, he saw the faint glint of golden eyes watching from the shadows.
Rat.
---
The Warning
Gok's attention snapped back to the battle in front of him. The remaining competitors were pushing their limits—skills flashing, weapons clashing, strategies unfolding in real-time. But even amidst all this, Gok knew the inevitable was drawing near.
And then it happened.
A ripple passed through the entire arena, a distortion that made every player's avatar flicker for just a split second. The ground beneath their feet trembled. The sky darkened, as if the sun itself was being blotted out.
The players froze.
"W-what is this?" one of them stammered, his voice a mix of confusion and fear.
Gok's grip tightened on the Infinite Blade, but he couldn't pinpoint what was happening. The disturbance wasn't the work of any player—this was something far more powerful.
Without warning, the ground split open with a deafening roar. A massive hand, black as the void, shot up from the cracks, its fingers curling toward the sky like a predator about to strike.
"Impossible…" Gok whispered. His eyes widened in shock. This wasn't a part of the game—it was something far darker.
---
The Hand of Rat
The hand slammed down onto the arena, crushing the coliseum into rubble with terrifying ease. Buildings, players, and structures disintegrated into pixels as the hand continued to wreck everything in its path.
Gok was knocked off his feet, tumbling through the debris as the arena around him crumbled. His avatar flickered, and the connection between the real world and the game seemed to destabilize. For a brief moment, Gok's vision blurred, and he felt a presence looming over him—Rat.
Gok gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet. The Infinite Blade was still in his grasp, but this was beyond anything he had ever faced before.
The hand continued to grow, as if it was reaching out from another dimension. And then, with a cold, inhuman voice, a voice that echoed across the game world, Rat spoke.
"You think you can control the game, Gok Sun Ji? You are but a player, a pawn in a world much larger than you. And now, it is time for you to understand the true nature of the game you've been playing."
---
Rat's Revelation
The dark hand recoiled slightly, and in its place appeared Rat's form—a hooded figure with golden eyes. He stood calmly amidst the destruction, his grin wide and filled with malice.
"Look around you, Gok. Do you see what you've caused? The power you wield is not yours to control. You think you're the hero of your story, the one who bends the game to his will. But you're nothing more than a puppet, just like the rest of them."
Gok gritted his teeth, summoning all his strength. "I don't know who you are, or what you want, but I'll stop you!"
Rat's laughter echoed, mocking Gok's defiance. "You've misunderstood, Gok Sun Ji. I am not here to stop you. I am here to show you the truth. To show you that no one escapes the game. Not even you."
Rat extended his hand, and with a single, swift motion, the Infinite Blade in Gok's hand was ripped from him. The weapon flew into the air, and then—shattered.
"No!" Gok shouted, reaching for the blade that was now nothing more than a fragment of its former self. But Rat was not finished.
---
The End of the Tournament
The world around Gok seemed to bend and warp, as if time itself was distorting. Players were frozen in place, their avatars still, their screams unheard. The MAD Tournament, once a beacon of excitement and competition, had become a hollow, twisted stage for Rat's machinations.
"You were always meant to lose, Gok," Rat whispered, his golden eyes glimmering with something dark. "In this game, no one is truly in control. You can't stop what's coming."
And with that, Rat's hand reached down once more, sealing the fate of the tournament and the players who had dared to challenge fate.
Gok's avatar fell to its knees, the shattered pieces of the Infinite Blade lying around him, a symbol of his defeat. The game world trembled, and for a brief moment, Gok felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
This was no longer just a game. It was a war.
And Rat had made his move.