(Meanwhile, on the global forums)
The common players who had just logged back into the game for the second day lost their minds as they continued watching the stream.
By now, the rankers had reached the guardian rooms after 20 grueling hours of fighting through hordes of monsters, and for the majority of players, this was the highlight of the event they had been waiting for.
The anticipation for this fight was palpable, and tens of millions of common players had gathered in the forums, eagerly following every moment as their favorite rankers prepared to face off against the feared guardians.
As the rankers stood before the massive gates, waiting for the required number of participants to arrive, the forums erupted with excitement.
PlayerOne: "Finally, it's happening! We're about to witness the real showdown. I've been glued to my screen since yesterday."
NoobSlayer: "Can you imagine what's behind those doors? The guardians must be some insane NPCs with max stats and crazy skills."
MagicBoy12: "Bruh, the rankers look exhausted. They've been at this for 20 hours non-stop. I hope they can pull this off!"
LadyAstra: "Forget that, I'm just here for the chaos. You just know at least a dozen rankers are gonna bite the dust the moment those doors open."
The excitement was contagious. Everyone wanted to see how their favorite rankers would fare against the mysterious guardians, the ultimate challenge standing between them and the event's grand prize.
The stream viewership was at an all-time high as more players tuned in, unable to resist the allure of watching the high-stakes battle unfold.
********
When the first door finally opened, revealing the guardian behind it, the shock that everyone received was unfathomable.
Skullcrusher98: "Wait, what?! Is that a fairy?!"
The camera zoomed in on PinkLotus, standing in the middle of the open green field, her ethereal beauty casting an almost magical glow.
As her delicate form was revealed, most who watched her felt their jaws drop, and comments poured in like a flood on the forums.
RealLifeHero: "Bro, that's not a guardian… that's a goddess!"
DragonSlayer: "Ain't no way. This game just created the most perfect character design ever. I'm logging off to cry in the corner."
DarkKnight45: "Forget beating her, I'd let her kill me with a smile on my face. I mean, look at her!"
SparkMage: "She's so pretty, I'm simping hard right now. I don't care if I lose all my levels, I just wanna fight her in person!"
PhoenixGirl: "I'm a straight-up girl, but even I'm speechless. How is someone allowed to look like that?! I thought this was a game, not a modeling contest."
The common players weren't just reacting to her beauty—they were mesmerized.
PinkLotus had unintentionally turned battle-hardened warriors into stammering fanboys and fangirls, and the forums reflected this newfound wave of simping.
Grown men and women who usually prided themselves on their gaming prowess were suddenly blushing and stuttering, their battle cries replaced with awkward declarations of admiration.
But then, the real shock came. PinkLotus wasn't just a beautifully crafted NPC—she was a player.
A buzzing message on the side of the stream by the developers explained the rules for this phase of the event and in the rules it was mentioned that the five players with the best battle prowess in the game were chosen to be the guardians.
A revelation that shocked many.
ShadowWalker: "Wait, what do you mean she's not an NPC?! Are you telling me one of the guardians is an actual player?!"
ZenMaster: "Brooooo, no way! That makes it so much better! She's one of us!"
The realization hit hard. The fact that PinkLotus, one of the guardians, was not a computer-generated enemy but a fellow player, flipped the dynamic of the event entirely.
What was supposed to be a showdown between elite rankers and game-controlled bosses had suddenly become a player-versus-player spectacle, with far more on the line.
The challenge was no longer just about stats—it was about skill, strategy, and experience, it was now a pure showcase of which one amongst them was the better fighter.
And as soon as the battle began, the common players watched in awe as PinkLotus obliterated the rankers with ruthless precision.
Her opening move, [Sword Tempest], left the battlefield littered with bodies, taking out 25 rankers before they even had a chance to retaliate.
DaggerKnight: "Yo, she didn't just kill them—she erased them. That [Sword Tempest] is no joke."
RogueKing: "She's slicing through them like they're made of paper. And here I thought the rankers were supposed to be the best. RIP."
Her combat efficiency was staggering. Every attack was deliberate, every move calculated.
There was no hesitation in her strikes—just cold, lethal precision and while the common players had initially swooned over her beauty, they were quickly reminded that PinkLotus was not to be underestimated.
She was a stone cold guardian and a top5 player of the game in terms of battle prowess and could not be taken lightly.
WarLord: "I take it back—there's nothing cute about her anymore. She's terrifying."
ArcaneMaster: "The way she dropped those rogues who thought they could sneak up on her? Brutal."
KnightSlayer: "This is insane! She's not just strong, she's wiping the floor with them like they're low-level mobs. How are they supposed to beat her?!"
The forum was in an uproar. While most had expected a challenge for the rankers, no one could have predicted the massacre that was unfolding before their eyes.
PinkLotus wasn't just winning—she was dominating, cutting down the rankers as though they were nothing more than practice dummies.
ShadowStalker: "I thought the rankers had this in the bag, but now I'm not so sure. She's too good."
IceQueen: "If this is how she fights, I can't wait to see what the other guardians are like…."
As PinkLotus continued her onslaught, the common players watched, transfixed.
What had started as excitement to see their favorite rankers triumph had quickly turned into awe—and a little fear—as they witnessed PinkLotus, the player-guardian, tear through the opposition with unrelenting efficiency.
The first batch of 100 rankers fell to her sword without inflicting a single point of damage, however could she keep it up as more waves of opponents poured in?
That was a question that only time could answer.