In seconds, sweat soaked Jamie's clothes, his body trembling as though the air itself pressed down on him.
He stood alone, the silence of the forest suffocating—no one to look to, no one to lean on.
With a shaky hand, he pressed the ring, deactivating the glowing system screen.
But the voice—cold, mysterious, lingering like a curse—still echoed inside his head.
"Not yet!"
Jamie froze. The words cut deeper than a blade. There could only be one explanation. Something was different about him. Something special. No one would blame him for thinking that way—after all, he had saved a pregnant woman's life before ending up in this hell.
"I have to deal with 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.
A low chuckle broke the silence.
"The kid wants to fight," the first assassin sneered, brandishing a polished katana that gleamed under the pale forest light.
"So cute…" the second mocked, rolling a ninja star between his fingers. His eyes glowed with malice.
"You won't think I'm cute after I beat you," Jamie snapped back, his voice steadier than his heart.
The assassins shared a look, then laughed.
"We've been watching you, kid. Every move you've made. And not once have we seen you kill."
Jamie's eyes widened. How did they know?
"He doesn't even have a killer's face," the second added cruelly.
"No matter," the first snarled, raising his katana. "He'll die soon enough."
With a flash of steel, he lunged.
Jamie reacted instinctively—his sticks clashed against the katana, sparks flying as the impact pushed him back. His arms screamed from the force, but he twisted his stance, rolling back into balance. He countered swiftly, Kali sticks slicing through the air toward the assassin's ribs—
—but the second attacker intercepted, driving a fist into Jamie's gut.
Pain exploded in his stomach, twisting like a knife stirring his insides. His breath hitched. His knees nearly buckled.
"I can't… go out like this!" Jamie gritted his teeth, fighting the darkness creeping at the edge of his vision.
He turned just in time to see the katana arcing down toward his neck. Reflex took over. He ducked, rolling aside. The blade sliced the air where his head had been.
The assassin's eyes widened. The weak boy had dodged.
Jamie rose just as the second slammed a fist into his jaw, snapping his head sideways. Blood filled his mouth.
"He's a live one!" the first barked, excitement in his voice.
"Yeah—let's finish him quick. We need the points too!"
They moved in unison, zigzagging, weaving faster than Jamie's eyes could follow. He blocked one strike, dodged another, but their formation overwhelmed him. His arms were burning, his breath ragged.
Two blades converged—aiming straight for his throat.
And then—
A blast of force tore through the clearing. Pushing them away The assassins staggered back, eyes wide.
Bray stood a distance away, it was his fist that extended. golden energy sparking around him. His system screen shimmered faintly—the Golden Point spent for a special skill.
[Skill acquired : Elastic potential >the body can stretch and increase in size]
"How did he—?!" the assassins gasped.
"You shits are fuckin' dead!" Bray roared. Black mana surged around him like a storm, his eyes glowing white, his killing intent smothering the clearing.
The assassins attacked together, desperate. But Bray moved like a whip, attacking them from a far his blows snapping through the air, crushing their defenses.
Surprisingly he equipped his chain then lashed it out up the trees then coiling around their throats. He lifted them like ragdolls.
"You just hide and brag—you're nothing!" Bray spat.
They struggled trying to get free Pulling the chains even if it was of no use.
Even as they struggled, one assassin wheezed, "Even if we die… we're taking your friend with glasses with us."
"Alexander!" they shouted in unison.
Jamie's heart lurched.
"Yeah, that kid's gonna—"
The chain tightened. Bones cracked. Their words choked off.
Bray strangled them until their bodies went limp.
"Put them down," Jamie said sharply.
"Why do you care?" Bray snarled, eyes still glowing.
"They where human beings. someone's family. We leave them down with honor."
"They just tried to kill us !" Bray whined.
"Because they had no choice !" Jamie replied .
Bray's nostrils flared, but he obeyed, dropping the corpses into the dirt.
They didn't have time to argue. A thunderous explosion shook the forest. Smoke billowed in the distance.
"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," Bray growled.
Jamie clenched his fists.
"That guy is too clever."
His face burned into Jamie's memory like a curse.
"Lets get going!" Bray said.
A notification came on brays system but he didn't open it .
They rushed through the forest, step by step the smoke got closer but when they reached Alexander—horror of the view froze them.
A man was pinned to a tree with giant nails, blood streaming in rivers down his body. His screams had long since died.
And in front of him, wiping his hands casually with a towel, stood Alexander.
"Killed by his weapon!" Bray thought .
"Are you okay?!" Jamie demanded.
Alexander turned, calm as ever. "Yes. I am."
Jamie's breath hitched as he saw upclose the decapitated corpse nailed on the tree.
" This guy… this guy is insane!" Jamie thought.
The system chimed again:
[5 Teams have completed the mission]
[A team has been disqualified]
[3 teams ]
Alexander's system activated—an icon flashing like a stop sign.
"That's you, I guess," Jamie muttered, kicking aside the corpse.
But Alexander didn't answer. He rubbed his chin for some seconds in thought, expression calm, calculating.
"We've fallen straight into their plan," he said finally.
"What plan?" Bray barked.
"Check the time."
Bray snapped open his screen. Two minutes left.
"What the fuck?!"
"They delayed us. 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 their nothing we could see !"
"You can't ," Alexander said coolly. "I haven't even crossed with a single monster since coming here. He calculated everything."
"We can't just go empty handed Jamie, Let's go."
"we can't collect all those germs under two minutes."
"Just accept it."
"I'm so angry!" Bray punched a tree, bark shattering under his knuckles.
"For the next minute, Jamie pulled the nailed man free. Bray kept smashing trees, each strike cracking louder than the last. Alexander sat calmly, watching as if it were a play unfolding before him.
[Mission over ]
[All players left , proceed to the doors]
---
The trio appeared back in the park , eyes concetrated looking at them. Surprised as if they where hoping not to see them.
The boys found themselves in an awkward state, most of the people activated their system screens , upgrading their attributes.
I didn't take alot of time for the effects of the upgrade to get portrayed. Some had already started moving faster than normal. Stronger than normal, even muscular than normal.
Crowds gathered around the Commander, all of his group Members had upgraded stats . Indeed he was a symbol of hope for the people . The mission was a success because of him.
Among the groups, Jamie noticed a familiar face—the girl who had once slept beside him during the first night.
She lifted her hand, smiling.
"Hi!" she Mouthed.
Jamie blinked in surprise before waving back.
"Hey… how have you been."
She stepped closer, her group standing behind her.
"Great , I see you made it through. I'm glad. For a second, I thought you wouldn't."
"Why !"
"The Commander seemed quite angry with you guys !" She added .
Jamie chuckled softly, scratching the back of his head.
"No worries, we are okay "
"Stop talking to that chick and let's go !" Bray exclaimed his voice loud on purpose.
Alexander folded his arms, studying the girl's group with sharp eyes but saying nothing.
She ignored Bray's attitude and looked at Jamie warmly.
"You should come with us. My group is preparing dinner—we could talk about making an alliance ."
Jamie glanced at Bray, who was still tense, then at Alexander, whose expression gave nothing away.
"Dinner?"
"Yes. At our place. Just for today. Think of it as… a little peace before the next storm."
Jamie hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright. We'll come."