[Time Limit: 2days 51mins 40secs.]
Ding!
Then the Runic board expanded into a bright, annoyingly enthusiastic banner hovering above every player.
[Welcome, Players!]
[Before you begin—here are the rules!]
[Rule 1: No gluttony!]
A few players exchanged looks, confused. Someone in the back muttered, "Is… gluttony illegal now?"
The board sparkled.
[There's no need to huddle like frightened sheep!
Hidden food caches are scattered throughout the labyrinth.]
[Avoid Traps, and eat wisely to gain temporary buffs strong enough to fight lurking monsters!]
A rustle of panic swept across the group the moment the word "monsters" appeared.
[The winner will be the first Player to reach the end of the labyrinth!]
A man near the center suddenly cupped his hands to the air. "HEY! WHAT ABOUT THE PRIZES?! You said there'd be rewards! Skills! You promised us!"
Everyone went quiet, an awkward silence brewed after that question. If it wasn't for the prizes, no one would want to risk their life for a game.
Then, the Runic board flickered. Its font shifted into a glitching mess.
[Promised? Prizes?]
The man's expression crumpled.
[Only those favored by the System receive skills.
If you want a shiny new ability…]
[Earn our affection!]
Fèi Míng slightly tilted his head at the system's remarks. 'Earn our affection'. It simply meant impressing the force behind the Games. Only a few had managed to do that.
The only way to get rewarded a skill, and become an Awakened— someone who gained extraordinary abilities, a superhuman surpassing human capabilities, was to earn the approval of the forces behind these games.
By making an outstanding performance.
A few players swore at the system.
[As for rewards—those will be distributed after the Game concludes!]
[Please survive long enough to claim them.]
The girl behind Fèi Míng tightened her hand into a fist. He lifted his gaze from her, to the other people around them. There were more adults than teenagers.
25 adults, 8 young looking teenagers.
Another cheerful Ding echoed, again.
[Bonus tip!]
[Players who begin with full stomachs will enjoy a delightful Head Start Buff!]
The board disappeared, leaving cold silence and thirty-three players suddenly rethinking all their life choices.
Fèi Míng's shoulders relaxed, his half-lidded eyes turned his gaze back to the girl.
The girl swallowed hard.
"…Head Start Buff?"
He had eaten.
And in a place like this, a single bite could be the difference between dying screaming… or dying slightly later.
The players were still murmuring about the buff announcement when Helena shifted closer to him. Her voice was low.
"…What's your name?"
He kept his eyes ahead, scanning the labyrinth. Others had started forming a group. "Fateless," he replied.
She clicked her tongue. "I asked for your name. Not your label or your given name by the system. Mine's Helena. Given name's Neon."
He exhaled loudly. "Fine. It's Fèi Míng."
Her brows lifted and her eyes went oval. "Oh, you're Japanese? I mean—ethnicity doesn't exist anymore b-but it's nice to see a—"
He turned his head to her. Is she dumb? His expression went blank, giving her a judgmental stare that could have explicitly read 'Are you defective in the head?'
She froze.
"Ah… not Japanese?"
"It's Chinese."
He wiped dust off his sleeve. "Just call me Fateless. It's my given name."
"Oh. Okay. Nice to meet you, Fateless." She grinned like she'd won something.
Her grin fell the moment she stared back at the labyrinth entrance. "So. How did you know we'd get a buff for eating?" She opened her system, the outline of a Bishop piece glowing faintly on the corner of her screen.
[Bonus Buffs:]
[Strength: +5
Agility: +5
Heightened Perception: +5]
He lifted his arms slightly, stretching out what little weight he had on his bones. His shirt hung off him, thin at the sleeves, collar loose. His frame was lean, a bit malnourished. His cheekbones prominent beneath his pale skin.
"It was a guess," he replied. "And my intuition was right."
She nodded once, accepting that without complaint. "So what do we do now?"
He raised a brow at her. "Didn't you just say you don't want to team up with a murderer?"
Helena's jaw ticked. Her fist dove itself in his stomach.
The impact knocked the air out of him as he folded forward, coughing, hand clamped over his midsection.
A few players paused, staring at the couple, whispering among themselves if this was a fight.
Fèi Míng straightened a moment later, pushing off his knee. He brushed dirt off his coat and tried to walk off, even when his knees were almost knocking on one another.
Helena stepped in front of him and grabbed his sleeve, yanking him back. He yelped, staggering into her arms.
Her eyes locked on his.
"Huh. You're so weak." She sounded almost disappointed.
"And you think working alone suits you? I want to survive. You want to survive. We're both thieves. That's already more trust than anyone else here gets."
She lifted her hand between them, her palm open for him to grasp.
Fèi Míng plainly stared at it.
He didn't take it. "If I accept your proposal, Neon. You know, there only gets to be one winner at the end of the day. I might betray you."
Before he could decide whether to walk away or punch her back, a different hand grabbed his arm, pulling him back.
A boy stood beside him. Light hair, almost pale blond. He had soft features, round cheeks, narrow nose, eyes the color of watered green tea. Not a hint of exhaustion on his face, even though his clothes were worn-out like everyone else's.
Fèi Míng almost compared him to a hamster.
The boy gave a quiet laugh.
"Sorry, I overheard. You two looked like you needed an extra pair of hands." He nodded toward a small cluster behind him.
Five teenagers gathered near each other, three boys, two girls, separated from the adults to form their own team. Every one of them wore guarded expressions, watching Fèi Míng with a look of disgust and disapproval.
Ah, I hate that look. He hissed beneath his breath.
"I'm building a team for the younger players," the soft blonde said. "Figured we should stick together before the adults decide we're dead weight."
His grip on Fèi Míng's arm loosened, but he didn't step away.
"I'm Kei," he introduced. "We could use someone like you. Both of you, if you want in. We have three days before us and I want to make sure we all make it out alive."
Helena stiffened.
Fèi Míng glanced from her stretched-out palm… to Kei's waiting one… then to the teenagers standing behind him.
It was clear.
With the way he looked like an unkempt wild squirrel with no basic combat skills, it was plausible this new team would take them in as useful baits.
Three days with strangers.
He stared back at Kei's harmless eyes.
If he rejected this offer, it was evident he would be painted as a tyrant, and a target for bullying. And what happened to his previous team would repeat itself.
No, he doesn't want that.
So, Fèi Míng tried smiling back. "Alright. We're in." He took his handshake.
Helena shot him a disapproving stare.
"What do you mean 'we'?!"
"You'd rather be a one-man team?"
Scoffing, she drummed her fingers at her side. "Yeah, whatever." Her gaze slowly took in Kei's overall look, narrowing down to his patched up clothes. 'I don't trust this guy.'