Survive Until the End couldn't block or disable "Spotlight Entrance" or "I Bring My Own BGM."
This was almost certainly a counter-strategy—skills deliberately acquired by Emerald Crane Gale and Ghost·Sang Cup after the last round, all to neutralize her shapeshifting abilities.
Rita canceled her Animagus form and locked eyes with the players surrounding her. Her gaze landed on the one closest.
The seahorse gave her a full-body scan. "Throwing a concert now?"
Rita answered smoothly, "Well, since you're here, wanna be my opening act?"
Even while dodging a barrage of incoming skills, her mouth never rested. Trash talk came as naturally to her as breathing.
As she spoke, Rita flung her Star Pirate Ship onto the ground and jumped in without hesitation.
Running or not made little difference at this point. Every player with a craving for Cat's Ideal was gunning for her. Verdant Whisper · Windrush had clearly named the relic just to stir up the mob.
She slammed the accelerator. The ship blasted off as Rita tore through the maze's paths, trying to think of a plan.
All the players nearby gave chase.
Her ship was blazing fast—game-reward-tier fast. The seahorse barely kept up even after popping multiple movement skills.
"C'mon, give me a ride!" it shouted.
It tried jumping onto the vehicle but got juked by Rita's sudden turn. On top of that, she had a layer of electric web wrapped around the exterior.
Rita didn't even spare it a glance. "You planning to lift my debuffs or fight the others for me? You that kind of helpful little seahorse?"
Mainly, it was because MarmangCrab had been spamming its inbox, demanding it drop all other maze objectives and focus solely on Cat's Ideal.
Word-for-word: "You MUST get Cat's Ideal. Forget every other player. Follow BS-Rita everywhere. Whatever game she plays next, you play it too."
Rita tossed the seahorse a question. "So... Cat's Ideal is that famous?"
At the same time, she messaged her assistant:
"What is Cat's Ideal? Why do all the high-rank players seem to know about it?"
That's when the seahorse shrieked like it had won the lottery. "Wait—you don't even know what it is?!"
B8017913's reply echoed calmly in her mind:
"I have a suggestion: it's better if you never find out."
The moment she heard that, Rita cast Phantom Shift—but it was too late.
The seahorse's voice reached her first. For someone who normally talked endless garbage, it suddenly spoke with razor-sharp precision, slicing straight to the truth with a single word:
You have learned about the term 'Divine Relic'.
Rita's body blinked into another corner of the maze.
But the spotlight and background music quickly drew in the players again.
Still fleeing in her ship, she growled at the system: "I didn't know! I never heard of it! It's just a word, I've heard a million BS terms. I had no clue what it really meant! Don't force it on me!"
But the damage was done.
The seahorse had already relayed the info to MarmangCrab, who promptly dropped the bomb in global chat.
[Marmang·Crab]: She didn't even know what it was.
[Verdant Whisper · Windrush]: Impossible! I thought so too at first, but her reaction back then didn't look like someone clueless.
[Marmang·Crab]: Don't believe me then. Anyone in March Maze, give her a crash course!
The top players didn't spill the details publicly, but that didn't stop them from explaining everything offline.
A small pack of players now flanked Rita's ship as it roared through the maze, still glowing with music and spotlights.
She looked like a queen on a world tour, and the entourage was more than she ever had in her C-list celebrity days.
"I swear," she muttered, "if people hear about this, they'll say I'm putting on airs."
They didn't get it, but didn't press. No one attacked her—instead, they patiently began to explain in Owl language what Divine Relics were.
She had no choice but to listen. Her Regular Savings mana pool was down to 219%. Unless she permanently avoided every player in the maze, she couldn't escape this forced lecture.
She was already dreading what she'd hear.
"Cat's Ideal is a Divine Relic," one of them began.
"When you don't know it's a Divine Relic, it functions like a high-grade item or artifact. But once you know... the Divine Relic traits unlock."
"Divine Relics don't bind. They can't be lost or stolen. But if the wielder dies to another player—even with resurrection abilities—the relic WILL drop. The killer becomes the new owner."
Rita gasped. "Holy crap. It's not Cat's Ideal, it's the Cat's Evil Wand!"
Nobody understood her old meme, but the lecture continued.
"When entering the World Battlefield, whether or not a grave exists, the Divine Relic will follow you into the Divine Game."
"If a Divine Relic leaves its previous owner, its level drops by one in six Starsea days. The new owner has to level it back up."
You have now acquired knowledge of the 'Divine Relic' concept and learned that Cat's Ideal is one such relic. Its Divine Relic traits are now unlocked. It will be reissued at the next item refresh interval.
Rita mentally screamed:
"Then give me back the rewards I already used! REFUND! REFUND! REFUND!"
This news completely shattered many of her previous assumptions about Cat's Ideal and Verdant Whisper · Windrush.
No wonder Windrush hadn't used her countless high-tier items to return the relic—Rita assumed she didn't have a forced-return item. In reality, it was impossible to return a Divine Relic.
No wonder no one believed Rita had "sent it away." You simply couldn't.
The only mistake Windrush made… was underestimating Rita's ignorance. She'd assumed Rita already knew what Divine Relics were.
But now, that gap was gone.
The knowledge of Divine Relics was passed down only by word of mouth. For those who didn't know, it was better they stayed in the dark—because the moment they learned, they joined the hunt.
And if you owned one?
She ran it all by B8017913 again.
"So? Is that all of it? Any false info or missing details?"
"More or less. Divine Relics are formed from the divine power and abilities of dead gods. They can take the form of tools, artifacts, or gear. Most players have only heard the names of a few—they've never seen one, much less owned one."
"Technically, killing isn't the only way to obtain one. But in the Divine Game, death is the most common way to determine win or loss. In certain events, like the Ferris Wheel, a direct, fair victory can also win you the relic. You essentially beat Verdant Whisper · Windrush head-on—and not just once."