So Rowan doesn't trust me now.
Rowan wasn't a dumbass. He'd probably sent spies after me the moment I walked away.
I channeled Lumin into my eyes.
Unique Skill: Crimson Truth.
I looked down at my shadow.
Two distinct colors bled through the darkness beneath my feet.
My heart stopped.
They're already here.
I jumped back and pulled my axe. "Rogues! Come out now!"
Two figures emerged from my shadow like ghosts surfacing from still water. Their machetes were already drawn. Already gleaming.
How long had they been there? Hours? Since the meeting? Since before?
"What are you doing here?!"
"Rowan suspects you're a traitor."
"A traitor?" The word tasted wrong. "You think I'm a traitor now?"
The fuck does he mean, traitor? Rowan was already suspicious. It must have been my expression. The way I held myself. The questions I shouldn't have asked.
"You're really going to kill me based on suspicion?"
A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. Is this really the end? All because I thought Rowan was a little crazy in the head?
"Your sweating is enough evidence for our leader."
"All because I'm sweating?!"
"We've been observing you for hours, Alexandria. Even before Rowan gave the order." The rogue stepped closer. "We'll kill you. Then we'll take your position as number two."
I dropped into my stance, axe raised, waiting for them to charge.
Then—
BOOM.
The door next to us exploded inward. Wood shattered. Dust bloomed.
A man charged through the debris like a cannonball. He slammed into one of the twins mid-stride. The impact crushed him against the wall.
Not pushed. Not knocked down.
Crushed.
The body slid down the stone. Blood. Organs. Exposed bones. All of it pooling on the floor.
I couldn't move.
My body forgot how to move.
The man straightened. Dark porcelain skin. Long wild hair. Muscles like a statue of a god—carved, impossible, ancient.
He stretched. Cracked his neck. Glared at the corpse with mild annoyance.
"Fuck," he grumbled. "Who disturbed my nap?"
He turned to me.
And smiled.
"Was it you?"
My body shook. Not from cold. Not from fear.
From something deeper. Primal. The kind of terror that bypasses thought and speaks directly to the spine.
I pointed my axe at him. My hand trembled. "Who are you?!"
He stood to his full height. Shirtless. Only in his underwear. Scars crisscrossed his body like a map of old wars—each one a story, each one a warning.
"I am Zora."
What the fuck is this presence? Was he a Tank? Only a Tank could have that kind of physique. But Tanks weren't that fast. Tanks didn't move like that.
He'd killed a man with a single tackle. No weapon. No technique. Just... impact.
The remaining twin charged. Screaming. Slashed at Zora's face.
Then froze.
"No... no way!"
I activated Crimson Truth. Tried to see what had happened. Checked from a different angle.
There's no way.
Zora had caught the machete.
With his teeth.
The blade was clamped between his jaws. He hadn't flinched. Hadn't blinked. Just... caught it.
Fuck this. He's way above my level.
I turned and ran.
Behind me, the final twin screamed. Then a crunch. Then the wet sound of torn flesh.
He had to be one of the psychopaths. But he was different from Ren and Rowan. Something about him was worse. More terrifying.
He killed them because they made noise. Because they woke him up.
I burst through the medic room door.
Rela was sitting on Zain's bed, his head resting in her lap. She jumped up and grabbed her axe. "Who's there?!"
"It's me." I gasped, doubling over. "Alexandria. The double agent."
"Oh." She relaxed slightly. "The boring olive girl. What brings you here?"
I gripped the rail of a nearby bed, still fighting for breath. My body felt like it had just met an apex predator. Like I'd stared into something ancient and hungry.
"Are you okay?"
I snapped my head toward her. "I'm fine. Perfectly fine."
Two presences appeared behind the door.
Who's there?
The door creaked open. My heart pounded. I grabbed my axe, ready to swing.
Aurelia and Dominio stepped inside.
I exhaled so hard my chest ached.
Aurelia's eyes narrowed at me, then shifted to Rela. "Good. Everyone's here."
"Dominio followed Rowan," she continued. "He was tracking someone. Right now, Rowan is probably hunting down a rookie. If we join the fight, it'll be the four of us against Rowan alone."
Rowan. Alone. I'd only seen him fight briefly. But with Rela on their side? They might have a chance.
Aurelia turned to me. "What got you sweating this much?"
I strapped my axe to my back. My breathing was steadier now. My heart was calming.
"Rowan's men found me. Ambushed me. They would have attacked, but someone else killed one of them first."
Aurelia's eyes widened. Dominio crossed his arms. "Killing rookies like that... that's unprecedented. Zain killed Ren in self-defense. This man attacked immediately?"
I nodded. "He barged through the door and crushed one on impact. That wasn't normal. Not even for a rookie's strength."
"What's his name?" Dominio asked.
"Zora. That's all I know."
Dominio's eyes went wide. His mouth opened slightly. "Wait... does he have wild hair and a scarred body?"
"Yes!"
Aurelia turned to him. "Do you know him?"
"I've only heard of him." Dominio's voice was low. "He was in the Blood Dogs. A mercenary group known for their efficiency and ruthlessness."
Aurelia's expression hardened. "So a ruthless mercenary decided to become an adventurer." She shook her head. "Gods know how deadly he is."
She turned to me. "Listen, Alexandria. We need you. Desperately. Guard Zain. He's vulnerable. Rela, Dominio, and I will ambush Rowan."
I nodded, my eyes shifting back to normal.
"Be safe. Rowan is strong. You've already seen what he can do."
Aurelia nodded. "We trust you with the body of our greatest asset. Be vigilant."
"I know." I looked at Zain's bandaged form. "I'll protect him with my life."
They left. The door shut behind them.
---
I approached Zain's bed.
His condition was catastrophic.
Bandages covered him from head to toe—from his mouth to his feet, wrapped like a horror movie mummy. One of Rela's axes leaned against the wall beside him. His armor lay under the bed, destroyed. Gaping holes. Shattered plates.
He fought like a psychopath.
But I never knew this was the result.
He'd endured so much pain. Fought like a maniac. And now he lay here, helpless, while his enemies circled.
The door smashed open.
Orion and a crowd of Eighty members flooded inside.
"Alexandria?" Orion tilted his head, confused. His massive frame filled the doorway. "Did Rowan tell you about the plan?"
Plan? What plan? Was this what Rowan had been avoiding?
"What plan, Orion?"
"Rowan ordered me to lead a squadron to the medical room." He looked around. "To kill Zain." His brow furrowed. "We expected his friends to be here. But it's just you." He studied me. "Why are you here?"
Shit. Think fast. He's a dumbass. Just think of something.
"Rowan sent me as well. He told me last minute, before he left to hunt down the other players."
"Hunt down players?" Orion's face lit up. "Oh, you mean the psychopaths." He turned to the crowd. "He's doing a great service for the Eighty. For the exam."
The rookies murmured their agreement. Praised Rowan.
Is Rowan running a cult?
Orion removed his massive spiked gauntlets. "Well? What are you waiting for? Kill him."
The rookies began to cheer. Chanting.
"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"
Orion smiled proudly. "What are you waiting for, Alexandria? You're his right hand. You deserve the privilege."
"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"
The rookies cheered. Orion watched. Twenty of them. One of me.
And Zain, unconscious on the bed.
If I kill him, I betray myself. Everything I've fought for.
If I refuse, Rowan will kill me later. Orion will kill me now.
If I fight, I die. Twenty against one. No backup. No escape.
There was no good choice.
Only survival.
Shit.