Muffled noise drifted through the house. The clatter of plates echoed across the dining room as food covered the table from end to end, dishes packed so tightly there was barely space between them. Steam rose lazily from the bowls, and the rich aroma of cooked meat, spices, and pasta clung to the air, filling every corner of the residence.
The boys focused on their meal like starving wolves, determined to finish the banquet they had started.
They were cleaned up now—freshly washed, dressed in proper clothes they had found in the house, and even wearing light perfume. Compared to the blood-soaked survivors they had been just hours ago, they looked almost like normal teenagers again.
Almost.
"This is delicious!" Jamie exclaimed with genuine joy, shoveling spaghetti into his mouth as though each bite might be his last.
"Mind your manners at the table!" Alexander scolded from across the table.
"We're already dead. What's left to care about?" Jamie replied bluntly, barely slowing his eating.
For a moment the words hung heavily in the air.
"Besides," Bray muttered, pushing his plate aside and leaning back in his chair, "we don't know what the next game will be. This might be the last meal we get."
The room grew a little quieter after that.
"Don't worry. We're safe," Alexander said, though he sounded like he was trying to convince himself just as much as the others.
"Safe?,everyone hates us. The odds aren't exactly on our side!"
"Hear my plan first! don't you realize something strange?"
The others paused mid-bite.
"They say there are nine games left… but 263 people died in the first one!"
"So?"
Alexander leaned forward, fingers tapping the table slowly.
"Those numbers… they're too low."
Jamie blinked, then nodded slowly.
"He's right. It wouldn't make sense to eliminate that many players at once if nine games are still ahead."
"We just have to be careful," Alexander concluded, glancing toward the dark corners of the room as if danger might be listening from the shadows.
Then—
VROOM!
The sudden roar of an engine outside shattered the quiet.
All three boys froze.
Their hearts slammed against their ribs.
"Is that… him?"
Carefully, they crept toward the windows and pulled the curtains aside just enough to peek outside.
A long black limo had stopped in front of the property.
The door opened.
A man stepped out slowly.
His long hair moved gently in the wind, absorbing the light rather than reflecting it, giving him an oddly calm, almost ethereal presence under the afternoon sun.
"That man has class…" Bray muttered quietly, though an uneasy knot tightened in his stomach.
The man closed the limo door and began walking forward.
He crossed the fence calmly, entering the premises without hesitation.
Instead of heading straight toward them, he first walked to the empty house nearby, pausing near the entrance. His eyes scanned the surroundings with quiet focus, as though measuring every detail.
Then he turned.
And began walking toward their house.
Every step was controlled. Balanced. Intentional.
Like a martial artist walking through a training hall.
"He's coming!" Bray hissed.
The three immediately scrambled away from the window.
They threw themselves onto the couches.
"Act normal!" Alexander whispered urgently, forcing himself into a relaxed position.
Knock. Knock.
The sound made all three of them stiffen slightly.
"Yes?" Alexander called out.
The door opened.
A man stepped inside and bowed.
Not casually.
But with the precise discipline of someone trained in martial arts.
"Thank you for keeping a limo for me," he said politely.
The boys exchanged confused glances,
they hadn't done anything.
"No worries," Alexander replied awkwardly with a small smile.
"My name is Greg. If you need anything, come to me."
"I'm Alexander," he said, gesturing around the room. "That's Bray and Jamie."
Greg nodded slowly, his eyes moving across each of them, studying them in silence.
"Yeah… we'll come to you if we need anything," Alexander added.
"I have to go freshen up," Greg said calmly, already turning to leave.
"We're having lunch. You can join us if you want," Alexander offered.
"No worries. I'll cook my own."
His voice remained calm, but something about it carried a subtle weight—something disciplined and restrained.
"Bye, guys," Greg said with a small wave.
"Bye," they replied together.
He walked away without another word.
Alexander watched him go carefully.
He could tell immediately.
Greg was not an ordinary person.
He moved like someone who had trained his body his entire life.
A martial artist.
[Attention Players]
The mechanical voice suddenly echoed through the house.
Cold.
Emotionless.
Jamie felt a shiver crawl down his spine.
The next event… already?
[I hope you have refreshed your energy.]
Every system screen inside the house flickered on at once, illuminating the room with cold blue light.
A glowing map appeared across the displays.
[Follow the map to the mission post.]
[Every successful participant will receive 50 blue points >that are used to upgrade personal stats<.]
[This mission is optional. There is no penalty.]
The boys released a slow breath.
But the relief was thin.
Fragile.
Danger still lingered in the air like a shadow creeping along the walls.
"We're going, right?" Bray asked.
"You don't even need to ask," Alexander replied.
"Shouldn't we go with Greg?" Jamie suggested.
"After we finish eating, we'll go get him," Alexander said casually, though tension hid beneath his voice.
They finished the meal quickly.
Every bite now felt heavier than before.
When they knocked on Greg's door afterward, there was no answer.
"He heard the announcement," Bray said quietly. "He knows where we're going. Let's move."
They followed the glowing map on foot.
The streets gradually gave way to a wide open park.
Trees swayed violently in the wind, their branches creaking like restless bones. Leaves rustled overhead, whispering through the air.
Jamie felt the sound crawl across his skin.
More than twenty-five players had already gathered in the clearing.
Among them was the girl who had awakened near Jamie earlier.
She noticed him immediately.
Her eyes lowered shyly.
But there was fear there too.
The Commander spotted them as soon as they arrived.
A slow smirk crept across his face.
"Well, well… look who decided to show up."
His voice dripped with mockery.
"Where's your long-haired friend? Did you eliminate him already to thin the competition?"
Cruel laughter spread through the crowd.
Bray's eyes narrowed.
His voice cut through the noise like sharpened steel.
"Maybe you should mind your own business instead of assuming the worst about everyone."
The Commander's smirk twitched.
Then hardened.
"Careful, boy," he said coldly. "Words can get you killed just as fast as a blade."
"Then I'm lucky my words can't betray me the way you betray your teammates."
[Attention Players!]
The mechanical voice returned, slicing through the tension.
[In groups of two, collect emeralds dropped when you kill random monsters.]
[Collect 10 emeralds in under 15 minutes to win.]
[Only one rule exists: this mission must be carried out entirely as two people.]
[If your teammate becomes unable to continue, the duo will be immediately disqualified.]
Jamie felt his stomach tighten.
Duos…
We're three.
"You two team up. I'll find someone else," Alexander said quietly. "Even if there's no death penalty… something about this mission feels wrong."
The two nodded.
Then a tall muscular man stepped forward.
His chest puffed slightly.
A forced smile stretched across his face.
"Let's team up, glasses," he said.
Alexander adjusted his glasses calmly.
"No problem. I'm Alexander."
"I'm Arnold."
Their hands shook briefly.
But Alexander noticed something.
A flicker in Arnold's eyes.
Cold.
Calculating.
Predatory.
I'll kill you at the first chance I get, Arnold thought.
Suddenly—
Fifteen massive doors appeared in the clearing.
They rose from the ground like silent iron giants.
A strange metallic tension filled the air.
[All duos are advised to proceed to the doors.]
Alexander and Arnold exchanged a short nod.
"See you soon," they said.
Then they stepped toward separate doors.
The mission had begun.
The forest swallowed them immediately.
Mist curled around towering trees, their thick trunks disappearing into shadow above. The ground was damp, soft with fallen leaves.
Every step sounded louder than it should.
The silence pressed down like a weight.
Their hearts hammered as they scanned the forest for monsters.
Finally Bray broke the silence.
"I know it's personal… but why don't you talk much?"
Jamie kept his eyes on the forest floor.
"Ever since I came here… I feel different. I don't know why. I think I just need time to adapt."
Bray snorted softly.
"You're a mama's boy. Took the easy route through life."
Jamie nodded calmly.
"Yeah. I am."
"I didn't mean that as a compliment."
"I don't care. I loved my mother."
Bray's expression shifted slightly.
"Keep her in your memories," he said quietly. "Some of us never met ours."
"Sorry."
"It's not a big deal."
Then—
WHISTLE!
A massive sharpened log tore through the mist like a missile.
CRASH!
It slammed into Bray with brutal force.
His body twisted violently before being launched into a distant cluster of trees.
"BRAY!!"
Jamie's scream tore through the forest.
"Bullseye," a cold voice called from above.
"W-who are you?!" Jamie shouted desperately.
"We are the Black Market's greatest assassins."
Another voice echoed from the opposite side.
Steel rang as twin blades clashed together.
Jamie's mind raced.
A high school student had no chance against trained killers.
He had to run.
Now.
"Let's see what twenty points in speed can do!"
His body moved instantly.
He burst forward like a bullet.
Sand erupted behind him, swirling into a thick cloud that obscured his escape.
Through the mist he could see shapes moving.
Fast.
Silent.
Predatory.
"I like it when they run," one assassin murmured.
Jamie sprinted toward the direction Alexander had gone.
He had memorized the doors earlier.
He knew exactly where to go.
But suddenly—
THUD.
His chest slammed into something immovable.
Bark scraped across his shoulders.
Jamie stumbled backward, gasping.
Before him stood a massive uprooted tree.
Its twisted roots clawed into the sky like skeletal hands.
Dirt crumbled from the tangled mass.
Branches stretched outward like jagged spears.
Jamie's eyes widened.
That tree…
It wasn't there before.
Realization hit him instantly.
They knew where I would run.
Rustling came from every direction.
The assassins stepped from the mist slowly.
One leaned against a branch lazily.
A katana rested against his shoulder.
The other spun a ninja star between his fingers.
Their smiles were sharp.
Cruel.
"You feel that?" the first assassin said softly.
"The rabbit finally in the snare."
[Kali Sticks]
Weapons materialized in their hands.
Jamie's grip tightened around his own.
Sweat slicked his palms.
His heart pounded violently.
He wasn't running anymore.
He was trapped.
The forest felt smaller.
The uprooted tree behind him no longer looked like an obstacle.
It looked like a cage.
"No choice left…" Jamie whispered.
"I need a special skill."
The interface flickered to life before his eyes.
Its pale glow cut through the dark forest.
Then—
A voice whispered inside his head.
"Don't do it… not yet, darling."
The female voice sounded playful.
Sweet.
And deeply unsettling.
Jamie's entire body went rigid.