By the end of the event, Johan and Felix remained the only members remaining in what used to be Guild Carnage. All their members were dead, and their strongest weapon defected to the other candidate's party.
Nobody dared to approach the basic gym as Johan continuously took his frustration out on the punching machine. Beside him, Felix looked very serene, even if the aura surrounding him was dark. It was a joke how the dead last from the opening ceremony was now ranked first. Guild Survivors recruited almost thirty percent of the remaining survivors. Apart from Party Undead, who were wiped out by Party Freedom, who was promoted as the captains of Guild Survivors, the other four who died were simply unlucky.
Johan wasn't mad that their guild and party disbanded. He was madder at how he couldn't kill a single person with his own hands. That fight with the Seer was the only fulfilling thing he gained from this useless event.
"Be thankful that you're still breathing, and it was only a virtual reality. If you fought the way you did back there, in reality, there would be no saving you. The Seer was handicapped in virtual reality, but you still failed."
Hearing those spiteful remarks coming from the Hunter, Johan bristled. "Yeah? You were sitting duck. Whose idea was it to camp in the laundromat and snatch the kill before the boss could go on a rampage?"
At that, Felix could not retort. It was his plans that fell through so completely. In terms of preparation, Guild Survivors had it all planned out. It was as if they had insider information to work with so seamlessly. All the troublesome people were in the right places at the right time. Not even the crafty Hunter could deal with everything.
As Johan tried to rip the punching machine apart, Felix sat there on the bench, thinking about what went wrong. They still had some finances from the opening ceremony's ranking, but they wouldn't survive even a month into this battle royale if this continued. As stupid as it sounded, they might really starve to death before they can finish killing everyone.
It was amusing for the invigilators to see three very different camps after the first event. Honestly, they thought that the first event would take out more candidates. After all, not many of these top hundred candidates were smart. Some were simply strong and lucky.
Yelena and Bolt enjoyed the homemade ice cream that Zen reserved for them in the freezer in a corner. The teen was cooking up a storm earlier in the kitchen, and Guild Survivor reserved the entire cafeteria boldly for their post-celebration as they exchanged their new ranking information.
Godly Food Party was ranked first in terms of party contribution points, with Party Freedom a very far second. Everyone else simply scrambled for crumbs towards the end of the event. Many points were tied, so people received the same number of credits, and others moaned about lacking one point to get 100 more credits.
The one thing that made Guild Survivors very proud was how far along their advisor came. From rank hundred in the open ceremonies, Zen was now ranked first. That was quite the jump, and he was not the only one.
Tracer contributed greatly according to Zen and was promoted to a captain who could command other parties assigned to him by Zen. The very capable teen who looked perpetually sleep-deprived moved up fifty ranks. Many new recruits recognised him as the one who gave them tips on clearing the stage they were struggling with. Almost instantly, the low-energy teen had admirers and supporters.
Akiko wanted to transfer credits to Zen for his game highlight clip mass purchase, but Zen refused, saying that the guild master should save it for future uses. On the other hand, Liu Feng refused to spend a single credit, claiming that he was the guild's walking treasury.
Sasha would not believe that she came in second in the event's ranking despite not doing much. Oritha, Liu Feng and Akiko tied for third, and Zen did not understand how he managed to submit over ten thousand points. He merely dumped eggs into the submission station while making many Rainbow Eggs and cooking egg dishes. He never moved from the kitchen after he arrived there.
"Our strategy worked against Guild Carnage. However, I didn't think that they would disband so quickly with a complete party annihilation," Zen sighed as he watched the new guild members boast about their contribution to the event's success.
Beside him, the Amazonian did not say anything. She could roughly guess why the party was annihilated. Even though the female warrior was not in the party for long, she learned how to get along with the other three overprotective members. Zen was always a priority, and they wished to preserve that sheltered mentality. Ignorance was bliss, and she took a sip from her ginger ale.
Zen did not want to be a wet blanket. He really did not. However, he could not find it in himself to feel happy and celebrate the event's success, knowing that there were deaths involved. Of the eight who died, four might have been from the rival's side and another four from the neutral party. He might not know them personally, but the civilian in him was feeling sentimental. Did that mean that eventually, when the numbers became small enough, nobody would be using the basic rooms anymore?
On that topic, Zen felt slightly uncomfortable about moving to the Suite Room. He rather liked his basic room and asked the invigilators about it.
"It's your problem," he told them. "If the room isn't locked, the security is not guaranteed. Nameless rooms can be accessed by anyone."
Zen told Liu Feng and Akiko about wanting to remain in the basic rooms because he felt more comfortable with less luxury. However, the lack of security there was a huge concern to everyone.
"We can stay together," Sasha suggested. She did not mind accompanying Zen, but Liu Feng quickly protested.
"Men and women should not live in the same room if they are unmarried. Unlike you Russians, we Asians remain true to our culture."
Oritha watched as the initial members of Godly Food Party argued about sleeping arrangements. Wasn't this too festive for a bunch of people living on borrowed time? They could die at any moment the moment they stepped foot in this place. Why were they hosting a party instead of working to become stronger? Yet, she could not complain. The food was too delicious.
"Why don't you move in together with someone? You can slowly get used to the suite room if someone is constantly in that rank. It is easier for us as a party to work if we have rooms dedicated for discussion and guild purposes while rooming together. Saves time packing and relocating too."
Zen paled after listening to Oritha's suggestion as three pairs of heated eyes bore into the back of his head.
"As the guild master, my room should be used as a meeting room. Hence, I will room with Zen."
Sasha quickly disagreed and used Liu Feng's words from earlier to deny the Death Princess' demands. The Seer did not miss a beat and quickly staked his claim over Zen.
"It is within my duties to provide and care for my little brother. You girls can sort sleeping arrangements among yourselves. Zen, do you want to move to my room, or should I go over to your room instead?"
The cook wanted to cry. Where was his opinion in all of this?
As her party members discussed living arrangements, Oritha did not realise how her lips were curling upwards until laughter bubbled from within. How odd. These were people she should not trust. Anyone could backstab you, and she was trained to kill or be killed. Yet, why did it feel like these people would never stab her in her sleep?
Zen… yes, it must be that shorty's influence. He gave off such a harmless vibe, and a sense of normalcy that damaged individuals were attracted to like a moth to a fire.