The countdown continued.
47 minutes.
Kikoshin looked at his current team: Sumo, Miojo, Rioyin, Samune, and Talia.
Five.
He needed five more.
"We can't enter the Game without a full team," Kikoshin said, leaning against the building's wall. "The system is clear: if we start with fewer than ten, we're dead before we even begin."
"And how do you know who the Players are?" Talia asked, arms crossed. "Not everyone has that… visible blue mark."
"The system shows me," Kikoshin said, tapping his wrist device. "But only when I'm close."
[SYSTEM: NEW PLAYERS DETECTED WITHIN 500M RADIUS]
- PLAYER #6: LUCAS "DOC" MARES (POTENTIAL ROLE: MEDIC)
- PLAYER #7: ELI "GHOST" CHEN (POTENTIAL ROLE: INFILTRATOR)
- PLAYER #8: NIA ROJAS (POTENTIAL ROLE: TACTICAL SUPPORT)
- PLAYER #9: DARIUS KANE (POTENTIAL ROLE: HEAVY TANK)
- PLAYER #10: MIRA SUYO (POTENTIAL ROLE: BLOOD BOND – SPECIAL UNIT)
Kikoshin froze.
"Mira…" he whispered.
"Your sister?" Sumo asked. "She's here?"
"She shouldn't be," Kikoshin said, heart pounding. "I told her to stay home."
"Then the system brought her," Samune said coolly. "Or she was already inside the Game before you."
Kikoshin didn't want to dwell on that now.
"Let's go. Five people. Five minutes."
Player #6: Lucas "Doc" Mares
They found him in the downtown mobile clinic, tending to a woman with a deep gash on her leg.
Lucas was a final-year med student, glasses cracked, hands steady.
"You're a Player?" Kikoshin asked.
Lucas looked at his own wrist, where a faint blue mark glowed.
"I felt like… I had to help. Like something was pushing me."
"We need a medic," Kikoshin said. "Will you join us?"
Lucas nodded without hesitation.
"If it saves lives, I'm in."
[PLAYER LUCAS ADDED. TEAM: 6/10]
Player #7: Eli "Ghost" Chen
He was on the rooftop of the mall, scanning the city through binoculars.
Silent. Agile. Dressed in dark clothing, backpack full of tools.
"I don't like people," he said when Kikoshin found him. "But I hate whatever put that barrier up even more."
"You're Infiltration," Kikoshin said. "You can move us unseen. Join us?"
Eli gave a faint smile.
"Only if you don't ask me to talk much."
[PLAYER ELI ADDED. TEAM: 7/10]
Player #8: Nia Rojas
She was organizing a group of civilians in the library, handing out water and blankets.
Former student council president. Calm voice. Eyes that missed nothing.
"I knew you'd come," she said when she saw Kikoshin. "The system showed me your name."
"Can you coordinate the team in combat?" he asked.
"I can make sure everyone knows what to do before they even think it," Nia said. "I'm Tactical Support."
[PLAYER NIA ADDED. TEAM: 8/10]
Player #9: Darius Kane
A two-meter giant, ex-football player, now working construction.
He was using a steel door as an improvised shield against the panicked crowd.
"You the Captain?" he boomed when he saw Kikoshin.
"Yes."
"Then you need a wall," Darius said. "I'm your wall."
[PLAYER DARIUS ADDED. TEAM: 9/10]
Player #10: Mira SuYo
They found her in the park.
Sitting on a bench.
With a device identical to Kikoshin's on her wrist.
"Mira… what are you doing here?" Kikoshin asked, voice trembling.
"The system called me before it called you," she said, eerily calm. "It told me you'd need someone to remind you why you fight."
"Are you a Player?"
"I'm more than that," Mira said. "I'm your Blood Bond. If you die, I die. If I fall… you lose your humanity."
Kikoshin didn't know what to say.
But the system spoke for him:
[PLAYER MIRA SUYO ADDED. TEAM: 10/10]
[TEAM SYNCHRONIZATION INITIATED.]
Suddenly, Kikoshin's device glowed brightly.
A new interface appeared:
[ROLE ASSIGNMENT – CONFIRM YOUR TEAM]
Kikoshin touched the screen.
A list of his ten members.
Next to each name, a field to assign their official role.
He knew exactly what to do.
Sumo → Secondary Tank (Resilience, close protection)Darius → Primary Wall (Damage absorption, zone defense)Rioyin → Assassin (Critical damage, target elimination)Eli → Infiltrator (Recon, ambushes)Miojo → Primary Healer (Healing, vital support)Lucas → Field Medic (Critical wounds, stabilization)Talia → Hacker (System interference, digital tracking)Samune → Strategist (Planning, threat prediction)Nia → Coordinator (Team synergy, combat commands)Mira → Blood Bond (Special Unit – passive effect: +15% team resistance while alive)
As he confirmed, each member felt a warmth in their chest.
Their devices synced with Kikoshin's.
An invisible thread bound them together.
"What was that?" Miojo asked, awed.
"Now we're one body," Samune said. "If one falls, we all feel it."
Kikoshin looked at his full team for the first time.
They weren't heroes.
They were a med student, a hacker, a 14-year-old girl, a giant, a quiet boy, a rival, a genius, a leader, a ghost, and his best friend.
But together…
they might survive.
[TEAM "SUOYO" REGISTERED.]
[BASE LEVEL: 1]
[SYNCHRONIZATION: 78%]
[FIRST MISSION: AVAILABLE AT 00:00]
The sky darkened further.
The barrier pulsed.
The air grew thick.
"What's happening?" Darius asked.
"The Game…" Kikoshin said, staring at his device.
"Is about to begin."
[TIME REMAINING: 00:00:10… 00:00:09… 00:00:08…]
The team instinctively closed ranks.
Miojo grabbed Sumo's hand.
Rioyin pulled out a switchblade.
Mira stood beside Kikoshin, unafraid.
[…00:00:03… 00:00:02… 00:00:01…]
Kikoshin closed his eyes.
Took a deep breath.
And whispered:
"Get ready."
[GAME START IN: —]
Silence.
Then…
a pulse of energy swept through the city.
Lights died.
Screams ceased.
And in every Player's mind, a voice echoed:
"Welcome to the Game. Survive."
Kikoshin opened his eyes.
And in front of him, in the darkness of the park,
something began to move.The countdown continued.
47 minutes.
Kikoshin looked at his current team: Sumo, Miojo, Rioyin, Samune, and Talia.
Five.
He needed five more.
"We can't enter the Game without a full team," Kikoshin said, leaning against the building's wall. "The system is clear: if we start with fewer than ten, we're dead before we even begin."
"And how do you know who the Players are?" Talia asked, arms crossed. "Not everyone has that… visible blue mark."
"The system shows me," Kikoshin said, tapping his wrist device. "But only when I'm close."
[SYSTEM: NEW PLAYERS DETECTED WITHIN 500M RADIUS]
- PLAYER #6: LUCAS "DOC" MARES (POTENTIAL ROLE: MEDIC)
- PLAYER #7: ELI "GHOST" CHEN (POTENTIAL ROLE: INFILTRATOR)
- PLAYER #8: NIA ROJAS (POTENTIAL ROLE: TACTICAL SUPPORT)
- PLAYER #9: DARIUS KANE (POTENTIAL ROLE: HEAVY TANK)
- PLAYER #10: MIRA SUYO (POTENTIAL ROLE: BLOOD BOND – SPECIAL UNIT)
Kikoshin froze.
"Mira…" he whispered.
"Your sister?" Sumo asked. "She's here?"
"She shouldn't be," Kikoshin said, heart pounding. "I told her to stay home."
"Then the system brought her," Samune said coolly. "Or she was already inside the Game before you."
Kikoshin didn't want to dwell on that now.
"Let's go. Five people. Five minutes."
Player #6: Lucas "Doc" Mares
They found him in the downtown mobile clinic, tending to a woman with a deep gash on her leg.
Lucas was a final-year med student, glasses cracked, hands steady.
"You're a Player?" Kikoshin asked.
Lucas looked at his own wrist, where a faint blue mark glowed.
"I felt like… I had to help. Like something was pushing me."
"We need a medic," Kikoshin said. "Will you join us?"
Lucas nodded without hesitation.
"If it saves lives, I'm in."
[PLAYER LUCAS ADDED. TEAM: 6/10]
Player #7: Eli "Ghost" Chen
He was on the rooftop of the mall, scanning the city through binoculars.
Silent. Agile. Dressed in dark clothing, backpack full of tools.
"I don't like people," he said when Kikoshin found him. "But I hate whatever put that barrier up even more."
"You're Infiltration," Kikoshin said. "You can move us unseen. Join us?"
Eli gave a faint smile.
"Only if you don't ask me to talk much."
[PLAYER ELI ADDED. TEAM: 7/10]
Player #8: Nia Rojas
She was organizing a group of civilians in the library, handing out water and blankets.
Former student council president. Calm voice. Eyes that missed nothing.
"I knew you'd come," she said when she saw Kikoshin. "The system showed me your name."
"Can you coordinate the team in combat?" he asked.
"I can make sure everyone knows what to do before they even think it," Nia said. "I'm Tactical Support."
[PLAYER NIA ADDED. TEAM: 8/10]
Player #9: Darius Kane
A two-meter giant, ex-football player, now working construction.
He was using a steel door as an improvised shield against the panicked crowd.
"You the Captain?" he boomed when he saw Kikoshin.
"Yes."
"Then you need a wall," Darius said. "I'm your wall."
[PLAYER DARIUS ADDED. TEAM: 9/10]
Player #10: Mira SuYo
They found her in the park.
Sitting on a bench.
With a device identical to Kikoshin's on her wrist.
"Mira… what are you doing here?" Kikoshin asked, voice trembling.
"The system called me before it called you," she said, eerily calm. "It told me you'd need someone to remind you why you fight."
"Are you a Player?"
"I'm more than that," Mira said. "I'm your Blood Bond. If you die, I die. If I fall… you lose your humanity."
Kikoshin didn't know what to say.
But the system spoke for him:
[PLAYER MIRA SUYO ADDED. TEAM: 10/10]
[TEAM SYNCHRONIZATION INITIATED.]
Suddenly, Kikoshin's device glowed brightly.
A new interface appeared:
[ROLE ASSIGNMENT – CONFIRM YOUR TEAM]
Kikoshin touched the screen.
A list of his ten members.
Next to each name, a field to assign their official role.
He knew exactly what to do.
Sumo → Secondary Tank (Resilience, close protection)Darius → Primary Wall (Damage absorption, zone defense)Rioyin → Assassin (Critical damage, target elimination)Eli → Infiltrator (Recon, ambushes)Miojo → Primary Healer (Healing, vital support)Lucas → Field Medic (Critical wounds, stabilization)Talia → Hacker (System interference, digital tracking)Samune → Strategist (Planning, threat prediction)Nia → Coordinator (Team synergy, combat commands)Mira → Blood Bond (Special Unit – passive effect: +15% team resistance while alive)
As he confirmed, each member felt a warmth in their chest.
Their devices synced with Kikoshin's.
An invisible thread bound them together.
"What was that?" Miojo asked, awed.
"Now we're one body," Samune said. "If one falls, we all feel it."
Kikoshin looked at his full team for the first time.
They weren't heroes.
They were a med student, a hacker, a 14-year-old girl, a giant, a quiet boy, a rival, a genius, a leader, a ghost, and his best friend.
But together…
they might survive.
[TEAM "SUOYO" REGISTERED.]
[BASE LEVEL: 1]
[SYNCHRONIZATION: 78%]
[FIRST MISSION: AVAILABLE AT 00:00]
The sky darkened further.
The barrier pulsed.
The air grew thick.
"What's happening?" Darius asked.
"The Game…" Kikoshin said, staring at his device.
"Is about to begin."
[TIME REMAINING: 00:00:10… 00:00:09… 00:00:08…]
The team instinctively closed ranks.
Miojo grabbed Sumo's hand.
Rioyin pulled out a switchblade.
Mira stood beside Kikoshin, unafraid.
[…00:00:03… 00:00:02… 00:00:01…]
Kikoshin closed his eyes.
Took a deep breath.
And whispered:
"Get ready."
[GAME START IN: —]
Silence.
Then…
a pulse of energy swept through the city.
Lights died.
Screams ceased.
And in every Player's mind, a voice echoed:
"Welcome to the Game. Survive."
Kikoshin opened his eyes.
And in front of him, in the darkness of the park,
something began to move.