"Anyway, if you want to die, don't drag everyone else down with you!" Elisa snapped.
With that, she turned around and headed in the opposite direction, her group quickly following behind her without question.
Meanwhile, somewhere else on the island—
Knox continued moving through the jungle, cutting down everything in his path as if he were simply farming points.
Of course, he had already noticed that a group of students had been watching him from a distance.
At first, he had even considered playing along.
Luring them in.
Letting them think they had the advantage.
Then showing them exactly how it felt when five people ganged up on one target, only to get wiped out by that same target like in a Dota 2 match.
Unfortunately for him, they did not take the bait.
"Tch… looks like I'm not that appetizing, huh. Oh well, there are still plenty of students left to hunt anyway~" Knox said with a faint grin.
He stood alone in the clearing, the ground around him still filled with the remains of monsters and beasts he had just dealt with.
Then, in the next moment—
He disappeared.
Moving once again, searching for his next prey.
***
Not long after Knox disappeared from that clearing, deep within another part of the jungle—
A student was running.
No.
He was sprinting for his life.
His breathing was completely ragged, every step getting heavier as he forced himself forward.
"Haah… haah… haah…!"
Branches scratched his arms, vines tugged at his clothes, but he didn't dare slow down.
He didn't even look back.
Not even once.
"Monster!"
His voice broke as he shouted, panic spilling out uncontrollably.
"I-It's a monster!!"
His mind kept replaying what had just happened.
Just a few minutes ago, he had been moving with his group, carefully navigating through the jungle.
"Stay alert. Something feels off…"
"Yeah… it's way too quiet around here…"
They kept their formation tight, scanning their surroundings, trying to catch even the smallest hint of danger.
Then—
"…Huh?"
"Wait… does anyone feel like something's off with our numbers?"
"…Now that you mention it…"
"Why does it feel like someone's missing?"
They slowed down, uneasiness creeping in.
"Hey, where's Arlen? He was just behind me a second ago."
"…What do you mean just now? I didn't even notice him leaving."
"…Don't mess around like that."
Their eyes began darting in every direction, tension rising rapidly.
"Everyone stay close. Don't move carelessly."
"…This isn't funny anymore…"
Before anyone could figure out what was going on—
"—Wha?!"
One of them was suddenly yanked upward.
No warning.
No visible attacker.
His body shot into the air as if something invisible had grabbed him and pulled him away.
"HEY!"
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"
They all looked around frantically.
Above.
Around.
Behind.
But there was nothing.
No figure.
No presence.
Just trees.
And silence.
"…Where did he go?"
"…Don't tell me this is some kind of illusion…"
Panic started to spread.
"Just attack! Hit everything around us!"
"Exhaust Curse!"
"Jet-black Arrow!"
Spells were fired wildly into the surroundings.
Projectiles tore through leaves and branches, cutting through the dense jungle.
But nothing responded.
Nothing reacted.
Only the sound of their own attacks echoed back at them.
"!!!"
"…Another one's gone!"
"WHAT?!"
"RUN!"
Their formation broke instantly.
Fear took over.
And now—
The student kept running, his vision shaking from panic.
"I don't know what that thing is… but that's not human…!"
His voice trembled uncontrollably.
"I-It's a monster…!"
Somewhere within the jungle—
Unseen.
Unnoticed.
Something was watching.
The student kept running, his breath ragged, his mind already on the verge of breaking.
He didn't know where he was going.
He didn't care.
As long as he could get away. Away from that thing.
From above the dense canopy—
Hidden among the overlapping leaves and tangled branches, a faint red glow flickered for a brief moment.
Something was watching him
A pair of cold red eyes remained hidden among the trees.
Knox's figure was barely visible, completely blended into the shadows of the trees, but his crimson eyes stood out clearly in the darkness.
They followed the fleeing student without missing a single movement.
The student finally stopped.
"Hah… hah…!"
He bent forward, both hands pressing against his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.
His chest rose and fell rapidly, lungs burning from running without stopping.
"Hah… hah… am I… safe now…?" he muttered weakly.
For a moment, nothing answered him.
There was no movement, no response, only the faint rustling of leaves in the distance.
His shoulders slowly relaxed.
"…Heh… guess I lost it…"
Not far from where he stood, a large fallen tree lay across the ground, its thick trunk covered in moss.
He walked over and dropped himself onto it.
"Just… a bit of rest…"
As the figure became clearer, it was revealed to be Knox.
Or rather, Knox standing on a network of thin threads stretched between the trees.
They were almost invisible, disappearing into the surroundings unless someone knew exactly where to look.
They crisscrossed through the canopy like a web, and Knox stood on them as if they were solid ground, his balance perfectly steady.
Below, the student suddenly froze.
A chill crawled up his spine.
"…?"
He slowly lifted his head.
And looked up.
"Hii~♪"
Knox greeted him with a small smile.
For a split second, their eyes met.
Then, the student's pupils shrank.
"A—"
Before his scream could even form, a thin thread wrapped around his neck and tightened instantly.
The next moment, he was yanked upward.
Meanwhile, inside the control room—
The staff members who had been monitoring the island through multiple screens were now completely focused, their expressions tense.
Some of them were even trembling.
On the screens, they could clearly see what was happening.
Students running.
Panicking.
Disappearing one by one.
All of it happening under Knox's "hunt."
"I… I kind of feel bad for those students…" one of the staff muttered quietly.
Hearing that, a few others could only nod in agreement.
No one tried to deny it.
The scene playing out in front of them really did look more like a horror show than an evaluation.
Meanwhile—
Back to Knox.
Screams echoed faintly through the jungle from time to time.
Knox glanced at his points.
"Hm, not bad."
A small grin appeared on his face.
"Alright… next phase, I should stop hunting for now. Let the remaining students farm points and grow a little… then I'll hunt them later. Hehehe~"
He let out a soft, villain-like laugh.
Then his expression shifted slightly, becoming more thoughtful.
"But before that… I should think about how to deal with Bigkrum. Even if the one on this island is just a fake, skipping it would be a waste… my godfather Aha might get disappointed, right?"
Aha: I have a godson?!
—CRASH!!
A loud explosion echoed from somewhere on the island, the sound spreading across the forest.
Not long after, a pillar of light rose from that direction, piercing through the canopy and becoming clearly visible even from afar.
"…Found it. Bigkrum's clone."
Knox's eyes narrowed slightly.
Without hesitation, he shifted his direction and moved toward the source at full speed.
Knox arrived at the scene not long after, moving through the forest at a steady pace.
However—
There was nothing.
The place where Simon and Meilyn should have been fighting was already empty.
And Bigkrum, who was supposed to appear and interrupt the fight…
Was nowhere to be seen.
"Tch…too late."
Knox clicked his tongue lightly.
What remained was only the aftermath.
A large crater on the ground.
Traces of battle scattered around.
Signs that a clash had indeed taken place here not long ago.
But aside from that—
No people.
No undead.
Nothing.
Knox narrowed his eyes slightly, scanning the area.
Then, after a brief pause, he spoke.
"Why don't you stop hiding and come out already?"
For a moment, the forest stayed silent.
Then—
A figure slowly emerged from between the trees.
"Oh my~, I've been waiting for a while. You seemed quite busy looking for something earlier."
It was Serene Aidark.