Free Web NovelRed Team headed toward the valley.
The closer they got, the clearer the sound of rushing water.
“Looks like there’s a waterfall nearby?”
Perfect. Moving along the river cut down the chance of the other teams spotting us. Our presence would be naturally masked by the roar of the falls.
“Hyung, you know which way?”
“This way.”
Seo Hyunwoo seemed to have a rough sense of where the shadows were. He led the way, and the others rolled up their pant legs and followed. But Gwak Hyeol, who still hadn’t woken up, was...
“Do you think it’s okay to haul him like this?” Yeonwoo asked.
“What’s the problem? As long as he doesn’t sink, he’ll be fine. Really, it’s fine.”
Wrapped in a sleeping bag and tied tight with rope, Gwak Hyeol floated on the water’s surface.
“It’s safer than running into the enemy unprepared. At least one hand’s free.”
If things went wrong, they could leave him and come back for him later. In green, he looked like a big leaf—pretty camouflaged, right? Yeonwoo bit her lip, unable to find a response to that bold logic.
“I don’t know....”
That might look bad for our reputation. Yeonwoo gave Gwak Hyeol a pitying look, but in the end gave up trying to protest.
“Ha. I don’t get it either.”
When Yeonwoo sighed, Roy tilted his head. Was it really that strange? He’d at least taken some precautions. He’d even asked Gye Bokji to give Gwak Hyeol a mild hallucination so he wouldn’t be shocked if he woke up—make it look like a five-star hotel while he was in the sleeping bag. It all came down to mindset. It was win-win: easier for hyung, and I got a light load.
‘A hundred times better than leaving him at base camp.’
He’d probably become bear bait there; this was more humane. As long as they kept a steady pull so he didn’t sink, nothing to worry about.
The others glanced at Gwak Hyeol bobbing in the water with conflicted expressions—better than being eaten alive, they seemed to think.
“Anyway, let’s move quickly. Forward, march!”
Roy’s prompt sent Seo Hyunwoo back to the front. Birds chirped. Water crashed over rocks. For a moment it felt like a peaceful outdoor retreat.
Then Seo Hyunwoo abruptly stopped and held up his hand for silence.
“...!”
Roy also sensed faint movement in the forest.
“Get up.”
Roy motioned to take cover, and the team silently climbed onto higher ground and hid. They hauled Gwak Hyeol up too, tucking him into some bushes.
“How many?”
“Three.”
In response to Roy’s question, Seo Hyunwoo replied tersely. Roy’s S-class senses were sharp, but he still couldn’t tell exact numbers by presence alone. It seemed only two others were feeling that far-off presence.
“Can you see them?”
Seo Hyunwoo closed his eyes as if tracking a shadow, then nodded. The participant Seo Hyunwoo was shadowing was with them.
“What about Park Inmul?”
“He’s there.”
And the queen of Blue Team. Good start. Roy beckoned, and the others quickly gathered around. freēwēbnovel.com
“Only three, and Park Inmul’s among them—we strike all at once.”
“What? That’s too—”
“Sssst.”
Roy inhaled sharply, warning them. He wasn’t exactly known for flexibility; he blocked off every protest. Spoiled kids were always like this. Roy fixed Taeeon with his gaze, offering a light rebuke.
“There’s no cowardice in survival. The one who lives ’til the end wins.”
Roy didn’t hesitate to give orders.
“So hyung shakes the ground, Yeonwoo hyung draws their attention. We isolate Park Inmul alone.”
“Okay.”
“When Yosami hyung sees them scatter, he ties them up, right?”
“Can do.”
“Then Anna nuna and Yoi hyung handle those two, and Yoil hyung pulls off Park Inmul’s name tag.”
Who knew the variety show we did in Shooting Star days would come in handy? Back then I wanted off every episode, but no challenge is wasted—my situational judgment and leadership finally paying off.
“All units, charge!”
No matter how much you fly and crawl, you can’t match second-life savvy. Umhahahat!
✧
On the screen opposite the audience seats, the live score was displayed.
Leading by a landslide was
Red Team. The number next to the team name was how many base camps they controlled. Roy had already eliminated Park Inmul of Blue Team, then the Yellow Team and White Team queens. A true unstoppable momentum. No hesitation. Victory had fully tipped to Red Team. The other teams looked hopeless by comparison.
- Green Team 2 (♛Yukyeonjo)
- Black Team 1 (♛Gangjeolhee)
Green Team salvaged a bit of pride by taking out Orange Team’s queen, but the rest hadn’t even managed a proper counterattack. Crushed by Red Team’s momentum, more teams were shifting to defense. They’d realized if Red Team saw them, they were out. Even the spectators felt it.
“My kitty....”
“Tore them apart....”
Roy was just talking behind his teammates, but as leader all the credit fell to him—even the queen. She was tiny and quick; a few times she nearly got caught, yet miraculously survived every time without using her ability. Still, the crowd reaction was hotter than for anyone else—because of that face.
“Kyaaa!”
Whenever Roy’s face hit /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the main screen, the audience shrieked. But some resented the hype.
“He’s not even a fighter—why’s he doing nothing? All mouth.”
Fans were grateful enough he showed up, but some thought Roy had only risen on fame and luck. Not entirely unfounded—people questioned his fire attribute resurrection hype. Many hoped he’d finally prove himself.
Then—
KWAANG!
A deafening crash and the screen went dead.
“What’s happening?”
The crowd thought it was a simple broadcast glitch, but at the staff booth where Junseo was, the situation was different.
“What’s wrong? Why’s everything dead?”
“We—we don’t know—”
“PD! Sector 5 is shut down!”
“What’s that smoke? Is it a fire?”
The head writer muttered, and Junseo grew frantic.
“Fly a drone or tap power—get the screens back and call 119!”
Staff dashed about at his orders. Then the audio director, ashen, raised a hand.
“Sir, you’ve got to hear this...”
Junseo tore off his eyes from the dead screens and grabbed the headset. What he heard was:
[Kieeeek!]
That familiar scream. Instinctive fear wrapped around him.
“What is this?”
“It’s coming from Red Team’s audio...”
If this was what he suspected, it was a broadcast accident. He had to alert the judges quickly. He’d been relieved the three guild masters were here—when the screens came back on they flickered, revealing a grotesque shape beyond the smeared lens...
Flare!
—it vanished.
“...?”
What just passed by? All that remained was a raging inferno.
✧
The incident took us back a moment. Having just eliminated Purple Team’s queen, Red Team pressed on westward. During skirmishes, Dongyoi and Gye Bokji were eliminated, leaving eight of us. We were in first place with three points and comfortably secure. Spirits were sky-high.
“One more team out and we win, right?”
“Let’s finish it quickly.”
“No, let’s take a break now.”
Yeonwoo sank to the ground.
“I can’t go on.”
She looked drained—she’d forced out a third arrow to take down Purple Team’s queen and was completely spent. Unlike their soaring morale, the team looked ragged and in need of rest.
“Okay, let’s do that. We’re essentially first place.”
With only one elimination needed, the shoot would wrap up soon without overexertion.
“Then let’s rest somewhere safe.”
We’d earned a breather after running so hard. Taeeon frowned.
“Is there anywhere safe around here?”
Enemy teams were eyeing our backs. Where could he mean, since even base camps weren’t safe? Then Roy spoke up:
“Let’s go to the bear zone.”
“Where?”
“The bear zone!”
Roy had a knack for making nonsense sound upbeat.
“I’ve got a special bond with bears.”
Roy thought it was time to add Bear-orghini, Bear-Royce, Bear-tly, Bear-svagen to his list after Bear-seeing on the first training day. The others, recalling that chaos, were speechless. Who would rein in this lunatic... They exchanged looks and turned to Taeeon. The moment eyes met, he was tasked with a serious mission.
“If we go, I’ll show you something fun!”
“No, Roy. Calm down—”
“Many bears make us stronger!”
Roy rambled that his younger sibling loved bears almost as much as rabbits. Even stoic Seo Hyunwoo sighed softly.
“Why? You scared? Don’t worry, I’ve got methods. I’m good with animals.”
But despite his enthusiastic pitch, the team stayed cold. Just as he was revealing his dream of making a bear sanctuary...
“...?”
A faint stench drifted on the breeze.
