*BANG!*
"Shit!" Shin exclaimed, ducking behind the log as hundreds of splinters blasted past him from the two bullets.
'Three..?' He thought, his eyes darting around rapidly as he formulated a plan against the player with the bow and two players with rifles.
His eyes widened as he heard a twig snap nearby, and he immediately switched his bow for his daggers, twirling one into a reverse grip and raising the other above his shoulder.
As the tip of the blade rose above the downed log, two bullets crashed into the log again, and the young man smirked.
He flipped the dagger around, pushing off the ground with his hands and back flipping onto the log, before kicking off with his entire strength, snapping the dead tree in two.
The two players' eyes widen in shock as they begin to fumble while reloading their rifles as the young man rapidly approaches them.
One of the riflemen pulls the chamber mechanism, raises the barrel of his gun, and points it at Shin, pulling the trigger.
Shin smirks as his body vanishes in a puff of smoke as the bullet passes through it, and the other rifleman happily exclaims, asking, "Did ya get him?"
"Urk!" The rifleman groans, falling to the ground, and the young man raises his gun, looking around frantically as sweat begins forming on his forehead.
"No. He didn't." Shin said, plunging one of the daggers into the back of the young man's chest and reaching around, grabbing his head and slit his throat.
He turned around, stepping away from the downed bodies as they vanished in a silent explosion of blue sparkles, when an arrow passed by his face, crashing into the tree beside him.
Shin flipped his dagger, catching the tip of the blade, and spun around, falling to his knee as he threw it into the darkness.
He stood up as a window appeared before him, reflecting the successful kill as he walked through the forest casually, kneeling down, and grabbed the hilt of his dagger from the soft soil.
[Task: 4/17]
'Seventeen..?' Shin thought, wondering what happened to the other two players, thinking they must have been ejected from the dungeon by one means or another.
He twirled the daggers, slipping them into their sheaths on his belt, and strolled through the forest as he searched for something to eat.
***
Lucy, Sienna, Amy, and Lauren strolled through a brightly lit forest with the harsh sun hanging overhead, casting deep shadows over the lush ground.
"Phew!" Amy loudly exclaimed, dabbing her face as she wiped the sweat away with a handkerchief. The humidity was thick and clung to their bodies.
"Sh-"Lucy started to hush her, but suddenly, the cracking of trees snapping, followed by the resounding thudding as they fell, startled and prompted the girls to stop.
They quickly dived behind a large bush, crouching next to a tree as a gigantic quadrupedal stomped past them. Shortly after, a group of players chased after it.
The girls stood up as they watched the hunters run after the fleeing beast when John rushed past them.
"John..?" Lucy muttered as she ran into the middle of the trampled path and stared out the hulking gorilla anima.
"Everything okay?" Sierra asked, approaching her as she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.
Lucy nodded as she smiled, turning to face her, thinking, 'Wasn't he supposed to go Normal..?'
"Come on!" Lauren said as she and Amy chased after the hunting party, prompting the girls to nod at one another and follow their friends.
"John!" Lucy shouted, surprising him as he turned around, sliding to a halt.
"Lucy!" He said, grinning as he rose to two feet and walked over.
"What's going on?" She asked, leaning past him as the hunters fought the humongous cornered beast.
"My boys are hunting, what does it look like?" He snorted, puffing his chest as he turned and pointed toward the battle.
"Why aren't you in Normal?" She asked, shoving his chest and glaring at him.
John explained how only twenty people entered Hard, fifty people entered Normal, and the remaining players entered Easy. This was because four of the top five entered easy, with only one entering hard, and they assumed the girls were carried.
He entered Easy and was lucky enough to land in a clearing of the forest with a dozen other players. He beat them into submission and forced them to work for him.
They have been wandering through the forest, subjugating players or killing them if they refused. He planned to spread the points across all the players, create a riot at the end, and go on a rampage and skyrocket his points.
"You're evil..." Amy said with a grin, "Can I join?"
"Amy!" Lauren exclaimed, staring at her friend incredulously, "Do you have no shame?"
"Everyone can join. Come on." John said, waving them as he turned around and ran toward the hunting party, setting up a massive camp around the defeated beast.
Amy and Lauren chased him as Lucy shook her head, sighing as she placed her hands on her hips and walked after them, leaving Sierra chewing on her lower lip, lost in thought.
***
Shin sat inside the gaps of the roots from a massive tree over him beside a small campfire with a horned rabbit roasting over it.
He left tiny gaps at the top between the roots covered with large branches covered in pine needles, concealing the fire from the outside while allowing ventilation for the fire.
He rested against a root as he inspected the system window reflecting the updated leaderboard after sleeping for a few hours.
[First Place - Shuriko (Normal): 149]
[Second Place - Malek (Easy): 123]
[Third Place - Lao Tie (Normal): 118]
[Fourth Place - John (Easy): 115]
[Fifth Place - Petra (Hard): 104]
...
[Ninth Place - Shin (Hard): 100]
[Tenth Place - Treyik (Easy): 99]
He dismissed the window, grabbed the horned rabbit, tore off a piece of meat, and ate it as he reviewed the task window, thinking only five points separated fifth and tenth place.
[Survive for 24 hours. 4/24]
[Defeat all Players. 4/12]
"Looks like that confirms I need to be the only player alive in Hard by the end..." He muttered, sighing heavily as he tossed the bone into the fire.