325 The Phantom Sanctuary

[Congratulations Jake Wilderth for being one of the 187 participants still in the running after having survived 1 month 26 days 3 hours 18 minutes and 17 seconds in the Sanctuary Bubble.]

[20M points for being first place in the Player Rankings.]

Jake, like many other Players, was surprised to hear the artificial voice they hadn't experienced since the beginning of the third round. If his memory served him right, the Battle Royale was not supposed to end until the 100 finalists had been determined.

The fact that the rewards were distributed in advance meant that the Sanctuary Bubble made a clear distinction between the third trial and what was to follow. By giving them their rewards now, the underlying message was that they could now die at any moment and that strength alone would not be enough. Hence the premature rewards.

By being first in the third trial, Jake was at least guaranteed an exceptional rating, even if he died shamefully in the next second.