In seconds, sweat soaked Jamie's clothes, darkening the fabric as it clung to his skin. His body trembled, every muscle tight as though the very air of the forest had turned heavy and was pressing down on his shoulders.
He stood alone.
The forest swallowed sound. No rustling leaves, no distant animals—only a suffocating stillness that wrapped around him like a tightening fist.
No one to look to.
No one to lean on.
With a shaky hand, he pressed the ring, activating the glowing system screen. Pale light spilled across his face, flickering in the mist curling between the trees.
But the voice—lingering like a curse—still echoed inside his head.
"Not yet!"
The words sliced through his thoughts sharper than any blade.
There could only be one explanation.
Something about him was different.
No one could blame him for thinking that way. After all, before ending up in this hell, he had saved a pregnant woman's life. Maybe fate had noticed. Maybe something had chosen him.
Or maybe he was just desperate to believe it.
"I have to handle this on my own," he muttered, forcing his trembling hands into a fighting stance.
Twin Kali sticks materialized in his grip with a flash of light, their polished surfaces gleaming faintly through the fog.
A low chuckle broke the silence.
"The kid wants to fight," the first assassin sneered from the shadows, stepping forward with a polished katana resting against his shoulder. The blade caught the pale forest light, reflecting a thin silver glow.
"So cute…" the second mocked, rolling a ninja star lazily between his fingers. His eyes gleamed with open malice.
"You won't think I'm cute after I kick your ass," Jamie snapped back, forcing his voice to stay steady even as his heart pounded violently in his chest.
The assassins shared a glance,then they laughed.
"We've been watching you kid,every move you've made since entering this mission."
The second added with a cruel smile
"And not once,have we seen you kill."
Jamie's eyes widened.
How did they know?
"I've seen a lot of killers in my days,and you kid… you seem the exact opposite."
The second continued, tilting his head as if examining prey.
"It won't matter,he'll die soon enough."
The first snarled, raising his katana.
The assassin lunged at him.
Jamie reacted instinctively. His Kali sticks snapped upward, clashing against the descending katana with a sharp metallic crack. Sparks scattered through the air as the force shoved him backward.
Pain screamed through his arms.
But he twisted his stance, boots sliding across damp soil as he forced himself back into balance. With a sharp breath, he countered—his sticks slicing toward the assassin's ribs—
—but the second attacker moved faster.
A fist slammed into Jamie's stomach.
Pain exploded through his gut like a bomb. His breath vanished instantly, his body folding as if something inside him had been crushed.
His knees nearly buckled.
"I can't… go out like this!" Jamie gritted through clenched teeth, fighting the darkness creeping at the edge of his vision.
Movement.
He turned just in time to see the katana arcing down toward his neck.
Reflex took over.
Jamie ducked and rolled across the forest floor. The blade sliced through the air where his head had been a moment earlier.
The assassin's eyes widened slightly.
The weak boy had dodged.
Jamie pushed himself up—
—and a brutal fist slammed into his jaw.
His head snapped sideways with a crack. Blood flooded his mouth instantly, metallic and warm.
"He's a live one!" the first assassin barked, excitement flashing across his face.
"Let's finish him slowly,we need the points too."
They moved together now.
Zigzagging.
Circling.
Faster than Jamie's eyes could properly track.
He blocked one strike, barely deflected another, ducked a spinning slash—but their coordination was flawless. They attacked like wolves, each covering the other.
His arms burned.
His breathing turned ragged.
Two blades flashed toward him at once.
Straight for his throat.
And then—
BOOM.
A violent blast of force ripped through the clearing like a shockwave. Wind exploded outward, scattering dirt and leaves.
The assassins staggered backward, boots carving deep lines into the soil.
Their eyes widened.
Bray stood several meters away.
His fist remained extended.
Golden energy crackled violently around his arm, sparks of light dancing across his skin. His system screen hovered beside him, glowing faintly—the Golden Point already spent.
[Skill acquired: Elastic Potential > The body can stretch and increase in size]
"How did he—?!" one assassin gasped.
"You shits are fuckin' dead!" Bray roared.
Black mana surged around him like a storm breaking loose. His eyes burned white, and the killing intent pouring from him seemed to suffocate the clearing itself.
The assassins attacked immediately, desperation flashing across their faces.
But Bray moved first.
His arm shot forward—stretching unnaturally across the distance like a whip.
His fist crashed into the first assassin's chest.
CRACK.
The man flew backward, crashing into a tree hard enough to splinter bark.
The second rushed him—
—but Bray was already moving again.
He equipped his chain.
The weapon snapped outward with terrifying speed, whipping through the air before wrapping around both assassins' throats. The metal links tightened with a vicious clank.
Bray yanked upward.
The chains lifted them off the ground like ragdolls.
"You just hide and brag—you're nothing!" Bray spat.
The assassins clawed at the chains desperately, pulling, twisting, trying to break free even though it was clearly useless.
Even while choking, one of them wheezed out a ragged laugh.
"Even if we die… we're taking your friend with glasses with us."
Bray froze.
Jamie's stomach dropped.
"Alexander!" they shouted at the same time.
"Yeah… that kid's gonna—"
The chain tightened violently.
Bones cracked.
Their voices cut off instantly.
Bray strangled them until their bodies finally went limp.
The forest fell silent again.
"Put them down," Jamie said sharply.
"Why do you care?" Bray snarled, his glowing eyes still burning with rage.
"They were human beings,someone's family. We leave them to die with honor."
"They just tried to kill us!"
"Because they had no choice!" Jamie shot back.
Bray's nostrils flared.
But after a tense moment, he obeyed.
The corpses hit the ground with a dull thud.
They didn't have time to argue.
BOOM.
A thunderous explosion echoed somewhere deeper in the forest. Smoke rose above the treetops like a dark signal.
"Alexander…" Bray muttered, his voice cracking. "Don't die on me."
A cold system chime rang in their ears.
[Attention players]
[Two teams finished the mission.]
[Four teams have been disqualified.]
[9 teams left]
"That many?!" Jamie gasped.
"There's no doubt,the soldier guy has a hand in this."
Jamie clenched his fists.
"That guy looks too clever."
His face burned into Jamie's memory like a curse.
"Let's get going!"
A notification flashed across Bray's system screen, but he ignored it.
They sprinted through the forest.
Step by step, the smoke grew thicker.
But when they reached Alexander—
Both of them froze.
A man was pinned to a tree with enormous iron nails. Blood streamed down the bark in thick rivers, soaking the ground beneath him.
His screams had long since stopped.
And in front of the corpse, calmly wiping his hands with a towel, stood Alexander.
"Killed by his weapon," Bray thought.
"Are you okay?!" Jamie demanded.
Alexander turned.
Perfectly calm.
"I am."
Jamie's breath caught as he looked closer at the nailed corpse.
"This guy… this guy is insane," Jamie thought.
The system chimed again.
[5 Teams have completed the mission]
[A team has been disqualified]
[2 teams left]
Alexander's system activated—an icon flashing like a warning sign.
"That's you, I guess," Jamie muttered, kicking the corpse aside.
But Alexander didn't respond.
He rubbed his chin slowly, deep in thought.
"We've fallen straight into their plan," he said finally.
"What plan?" Bray barked.
"Check the time."
Bray opened his screen.
Two minutes left.
"What the fuck?!"
"They delayed us," Alexander said calmly. "They didn't want us to get the points. While we wasted time fighting them, they upgraded."
"And we didn't."
"Shit!" Bray shouted. "Is there nothing we can do?!"
"You can't,i haven't even encountered a single monster since entering this area."
"He calculated everything."
"We can't just go empty-handed. Jamie, let's go."
"We can't collect all those gems in two minutes."
"Just accept it."
"I'm so angry!" Bray punched a tree, shattering bark beneath his knuckles.
For the next minute, Jamie pulled the nailed man free from the tree. Bray kept smashing trees, each strike echoing through the forest.
Alexander simply sat on a fallen log, watching them quietly—as though observing a play.
[Mission over]
[All players left, proceed to the doors]
The trio appeared back in the park.
Eyes turned toward them immediately.
Surprise spread through the crowd—as if many of them had expected the boys not to return.
The boys stood awkwardly as most of the players opened their system screens, upgrading their attributes.
It didn't take long for the effects to appear.
Some began moving faster than normal.
Others flexed with sudden bursts of strength.
A few even looked visibly more muscular.
Crowds gathered around the Commander. All of his group members had upgraded stats.
To the others, he had become a symbol of hope.
The mission had been a success because of him.
Among the groups, Jamie noticed a familiar face—the girl who had slept beside him during the first night.
She raised her hand and smiled.
"Hi," she mouthed.
Jamie blinked before raising his hand in return.
"Hey… how have you been?"
She stepped closer, her group lingering behind her.
"Great. I see you made it through. I'm glad."
"For a second, I thought you wouldn't."
"Really?"
"The Commander seemed quite angry with you guys," she added.
Jamie chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
"No worries. We're okay."
"Stop talking to that chick and let's go!" Bray shouted loudly on purpose.
Alexander folded his arms, quietly studying the girl's group.
She ignored Bray completely and looked back at Jamie.
"You should come with us," she said warmly. "My group is preparing dinner. We could talk about forming an alliance."
Jamie glanced at Bray—still tense.
Then at Alexander, whose expression remained unreadable.
"Dinner?"
"Yes," she said with a gentle smile. "At our place. Just for today."
"Think of it as… a little peace before the next storm."
Jamie hesitated.
Then he nodded.
"Alright."
"We'll come."