Amadeus froze, every muscle coiled like a spring, his breath slow and measured. One wrong move, and they'd tear him apart—timing was everything, and the next few seconds would decide life or death. A single mistake would make him their target.
The moment Jax vanished in a flash of white light—and the three strongest advanced. Vegaz moved first.
Stretching his arms lazily, he flashed a predatory grin. "Man, I'm gonna snap in half if I stand still any longer." He strolled up to a nearby participant gripping an axe, twirling his dagger like it was a toy. Without warning, the dagger left his hand—a blur of silver burying itself inches from the participant's foot with a solid thud. The participant froze, his breath hitching. Vegaz's smile widened, sharp and dangerous. "Hey, why don't we switch? I've got a feeling I'm much better with that axe—and trust me, you don't want me using this little thing."
The participant hesitated, his knuckles whitening around the axe handle.
Vegaz's eyes darkened. His smile faded. "You don't want to switch?"
The words slithered out like a threat, and fear won. The participant handed over the axe without another word.
[Notification]
Acquired: Iron Axe (Rank E)
Across the clearing, Nienna approached a participant clutching a staff. Her eyes flicked to the mismatched sword strapped at her waist—a weapon unsuited to a mage of her caliber. She held out her hand, her voice cool and commanding. "Give it to me. In your hands, it's nothing but a stick."
The participant flinched under her gaze but still hesitated. Nienna's patience snapped. With a flick of her fingers, a burst of flame seared across the girl's hand. The staff clattered to the ground amid her cry of pain. "I told you," Nienna said coolly, picking up the staff. "It's wasted on you."
[Notification]
Acquired: Wooden Magic Staff (Rank E)
Vegaz hefted the axe, eyes gleaming with sadistic delight. He gave it a testing swing, his grin widening. "Oh yeah," he murmured. "This is gonna be fun." He sneered down at the dagger he'd discarded. "That thing? Please. It's a toothpick. But this—this is a real weapon."
A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the clearing.
All eyes snapped toward the sound. A participant lay lifeless on the ground, a dagger glinting from his chest. Above him knelt Albus, his face blank and cold as he yanked the blade free. Without hesitation, he took the fallen participant's weapon—twin daggers now gleaming with a quiet menace in his hands.
[Notification]
Acquired: Iron Dagger (Rank E)
Spinning one of the daggers lazily, Albus sighed. "Why waste time? Let's end this."
"Couldn't agree more," Vegaz said, his grin twisting into something wild and unhinged. He pointed the axe at the trembling participant who had just handed it over, his eyes glinting with dangerous amusement.
The axe flashed in a brutal arc. The participant's eyes widened in a silent, desperate plea—too late. The blade struck with a sickening crunch, splitting him cleanly in half. Blood erupted like a crimson fountain, drenching the ground. Vegaz stood amid the gore, a ragged, savage laugh ripping from his throat. He wiped a streak of blood from his cheek with his thumb, his eyes gleaming with wicked delight. "Thanks for the gift," he murmured, voice soft and dangerous. "I'll make sure it gets plenty of use."
[Notification]
You killed a LV 6 Sovereign.
Points Awarded: 0
Nienna's staff flared to life, a sphere of fire forming at its tip. She turned to the girl who had surrendered the staff, her smile cruel. "You won't be needing this anymore." The fireball launched forward, engulfing the girl in an instant. Her screams rose above the chaos, high and agonized, as flames devoured her.
[Notification]
You killed a LV 7 Sovereign.
Points Awarded: 0
"It seems we don't get points for killing other Sovereigns. What a waste," Nienna thought, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the system's display.
And then, all hell broke loose.
Screams filled the air. Blood and fire turned the clearing into a vision of hell. Some participants fought back; others ran—only to be cut down without mercy.
Albus and Vegaz tore through their prey, unstoppable. Nienna targeted those who fled, her fireballs leaving nothing but ash.
Amidst the carnage, Amadeus stayed still. As the weakest, he knew he'd be left for last.
From the sidelines, Ixer and Lexia watched in silence. Strong enough to avoid being labeled as weak, they were valuable—for now.
But while Ixer's eyes gleamed with cold calculation, Lexia's hands were clenched at her sides. She hated what the others were doing—but speaking up meant death. So she stayed quiet.
When one participant finally broke, sprinting away and screaming, "You're all insane!" Amadeus saw his chance.
He ran.
Nienna noticed them, her eyes narrowing in irritation. With a flick of her staff, fire coalesced at its tip, swirling into a sphere of molten death. The air rippled with heat as she tracked there movement.
BOOM!
The fireball struck the fleeing participant beside him, but Amadeus didn't slow down. He'd calculated the risk—Nienna couldn't cast fast enough to hit two targets in quick succession.
He entered the forest, its thick trees rising like sentinels around him, their dense foliage promising cover—and maybe a chance at survival.
A dagger hissed through the air.
It struck a tree with a heavy thud, sending splinters flying. A sharp sting flared across Amadeus's cheek. Blood trickled down, warm against the cold rush of fear.
"Missed," Albus called from behind, his voice a silken mockery.
The chase was on.
Amadeus ran, but Albus was relentless. The twin daggers slashed dangerously close, the blades singing through the air.
"Come on," Albus whispered, his voice a chilling caress. "Run faster. Make this more fun." Each swipe came closer, nicking Amadeus's clothes and skin.
When Amadeus burst from the treeline, searing pain exploded across his back as Albus's blade slashed deep, carving a burning line from shoulder to waist. Blood poured warm and fast down his skin, soaking his clothes as he staggered forward.
The forest ended abruptly at a sheer cliff. Far below, a river raged, the wind carrying its roar.
"Looks like the fun's over," Albus said, lifting his weapon.
Amadeus's mind raced. "This can't be the end."
BANG!
An arrow whizzed through the air. Albus twisted, deflecting.
"What?!"
Ixer stepped from behind a tree, lowering his bow with a careless shrug. "Oops. Guess my aim's off."
Albus's eyes narrowed in anger, his grip tightening on the dagger's hilt—but he held back. Ixer was still needed for the tutorial.
When Albus turned back, Amadeus was gone.
"Jumped?" Albus peered over the edge. "Doesn't matter. The current will finish him off."
Ixer glanced at Albus. "Should we just go?"
Albus didn't even look back as he walked toward the starting point. "If he survived the river," he said coldly, "he won't last a day in the Deep Forest."
But Amadeus wasn't dead.
The river battered him, its waves like fists.
[Notification]
40% endurance left.
"If this keeps up, I'm done," Amadeus thought.
"Stay calm," a voice echoed. The Knight's memory. "Think clearly."
Amadeus stopped struggling, his body going still to conserve energy. The cold bite of the water faded into the background as his mind sharpened with focus, every instinct screaming at him to survive.
"Think fast," the Noble's memory warned. "This river ends in a waterfall. You won't survive the drop."
A massive rock loomed ahead. "That's my chance," Amadeus thought.
He crashed into the boulder with bone-jarring force, pain detonating through his body like a thunderclap.
[Notification]
70% HP left.
But he was alive.
The water current crushed him against the boulder, the pressure threatening to drown him. But through sheer will, he forced himself to rise.
Climbing atop the rock, his body shook violently, his breath ragged and uneven. He spat blood, the taste filling his mouth as pain wracked his body.
[Notification]
50% HP left.
Just as he prepared to leap for the cliff ahead, a sudden surge of water slammed into him, triggered by a massive log breaking free upstream.
"Hold on," he told himself, gripping the rock. But before he could steady himself, a massive log slammed into his shoulder. Agony flared, and his grip faltered—he was left struggling with only one arm.
[Warning]
10% endurance left.
When the water receded, Amadeus leaped. His fingers caught the cliff's face.
He climbed, every muscle screaming in protest. His vision blurry, dark spots dancing at the edges as his endurance plummeted toward its limit.
CRACK!
The rock broke free, crashing into the raging water below. Amadeus dangled from the cliff suing only his injured arm, blood dripping from his fingertips.
[Warning]
5% endurance left.
"I can't… my arm… my endurance…"
"You don't have the right to give up!" the Knight's memory roared, his voice a thunderclap in Amadeus's mind. He wasn't alone—every memory, pushing him forward.
Driven by sheer will, Amadeus climbed, every inch a battle against the screaming agony in his arm. Blood dripped steadily from his fingers, his vision blurring as the world tilted around him. Desperation clawed at his mind, but he gritted his teeth, forcing his battered body upward. "Not yet," he thought. "I'm not dying here."
With one final surge of strength, Amadeus hauled himself over the edge, collapsing onto the grass. His vision blurred, his body battered and bloodied, every breath a ragged struggle—but he had made it.
[Warning]
0% endurance left.
The user will enter a coma state until he recovers his endurance.
As the world started to darken, the final thing he saw was
[Notification]
You Entered: The Deep Forest