A loud thud echoed throughout the ruined subway, the sound sharp and resonant. Haruo sidestepped just in time, narrowly avoiding the strike. Without missing a beat, he drove his foot into the front of the flat metal surface, sending it rebounding backward with a force that caught the figure behind him off guard.
The figure crumpled to the floor, unconscious, their weapon clattering beside them. Haruo leaned in, eyes narrowing as he studied the stranger's face. No recognition flickered in his mind—it was just another nameless soul caught in the chaos. Just a nobody trying to drag down other nobodies like himself.
'Oh damn free points!' Haruo thought before grabbing the persons hand to steal his points from the ring.
'Maybe going here was a good idea.'
Haruo quickly ensured the figure was marked for disqualification and stepped past without lingering. He continued on his way through the dim, crumbling subway, focused on what lay ahead.
'He ambushed me, and that's a good sign,' Haruo thought.
'He was weak, meaning he can't hunt for monsters or players, so he resorts to ambushing. Or maybe he's defending his base, which is even better. Either way, his base must be close.'
Haruo continued down the path, each step taking him deeper into the subway's eerie depths. The further he ventured, the more the surroundings shifted into something unusual.
Vegetation sprouted in strange patches, creeping up walls and through cracks in the stone. Bones, bleached and scattered, lay among odd objects that seemed out of place—tools rusted beyond recognition, fragments of pottery, and trinkets untouched by time.
Debris cluttered the area in uneven heaps. It was unlike the surface above, where everything was uniformly ruined and lifeless, devoid of greenery or remnants of the dead.
Haruo moved to the side and looked down at the railings. The rusted metal was streaked with old stains, the tracks leading into dark, silent depths. Random holes appeared, seeming to fall forever, and scattered fragments of a train lay broken along the way.
'Everything is a mess here, in the surface its just a ruined city but everything down here is just absolutely random' Haruo thought before walking straight forward.
'Not a single orb or item anywhere.'
He thought to himself, struggling to find even a single orb. He even lifted rocks and debris, desperately searching for anything, but there was nothing.
'This place feels like a part of a project that hasn't even been finished yet, or a game still in development. It's so creepy.'
'But it wouldn't make sense if they just added this here without a reason. I guess I'll keep looking. If I don't find anything in 30 minutes, I'm leaving this hellhole. It's better to get points than waste my time here if I can't even find a single thing.'
He thought to himself before stepping on something that didn't feel like a normal stone or debris. Looking down, he spotted an oddly shaped stone, its surface smooth and unusual, with a symbol engraved in the center.
The symbol on the stone was a rough spiral, with a dark gem set in the center. Tiny runic markings were etched into the stone, too small for the naked eye to make out. Luckily, Haruo's heightened vision allowed him to spot the intricate details, but even then, he couldn't make sense of the runes.
'What is this?' Haruo thought, eyeing the stone. He glanced around carefully, ensuring there was no immediate threat, before looking back at the strange symbol once more.
'Since no one's here, I think, I could probably use Oscar to scan this,' Haruo thought, considering the option. He glanced at the stone again, wondering what kind of information the scan might reveal.
He took out the Monarch-13 and began scanning the stone, the device humming softly as it processed the data.
[Error! Scanning failed!]
He frowned at the sight before dismissing the window from his sight. He looked up and sighed.
'Are the runes too small to read?' Haruo wondered.
'No, they're nano machines. That wouldn't make sense—it's literally in the name "NANO" machines.'
'I guess it makes sense since this object is... uh, I forgot the word. But just in case, let me try again, just to be sure.' He thought before scanning it once again.
[Item detail]
The sight piqued Haruo's interest as he examined it more thoroughly.
"There we go!" He exclaimed
'Oh shoot, I was too excited. I hope no one heard that. Now, let's see what the item is—' He paused as a drop of gooey water dripped in front of him. Making him a bit anxious.
'I've seen this too much to know what this is. Please don't be true,' Haruo thought, his heart sinking as he slowly looked up.
Nothing. Just the ceiling dripping unusual liquid from a crack. Haruo breathed a sigh of relief and stared back at the screen, only to be met with the sudden sight of a blade flying straight toward his face.
Haruo used his Monarch-13 to block the attack, a hint of unease crossing his face as he locked eyes with the figure. He swiftly deflected the blade and closed the distance between them, ready to react.
Haruo quickly adjusted his grip on the Monarch-13, holding it by the barrel as he struck the figure with the handle. The figure managed to weave through the blow, but they couldn't avoid the kick Haruo delivered to his abdomen abdomen. The force of the impact sent him crashing to the ground.
Haruo quickly held the monarc-13 by it's grip and pointed it to the figures head.
"Who are you? Well, I don't really need to know, but how many people are here with you?" Haruo asked, his tone steady as he watched the figure on the ground.
"None, it's just me," the figure said, her voice unmistakably feminine.
"You're a girl? Never mind that," Haruo said, narrowing his eyes. "Give me one good reason not to take all your points and disqualify you right now."
"I can tell you where my checkpoi—" Her words were cut off as Haruo delivered another kick to her abdomen, silencing her with a sharp gasp.
"Do you take me for a fool? A checkpoint is a team base. Once it gets destroyed or all the points are taken, the consequences affect everyone," Haruo said, his tone cold and unwavering.
He drew his blade from the mana storage and pointed it at her neck, using the flat to lift her chin. Haruo's expression shifted to one of irritation before he cut through the mask, revealing her face beneath.
She had short, purple hair and striking features, but Haruo paid no attention to her appearance. He pressed the tip of his blade against her Adam's apple, while raising the Monarch-13 to aim at her as well.
"Give me one good reason not to end this now," Haruo said, his voice flat and steady, eyes fixed on hers.
She trembled, gritting her teeth as she struggled to find a reason to avoid disqualification. A bead of sweat traced down her face, betraying her anxiety. Haruo charged his blade toward her neck, but before it could even graze her skin, she spoke.
"Wait!" she blurted out, voice cracking with urgency. Haruo paused, the blade hovering just above her skin, eyes narrowing as he waited for her to continue.
"I know where three checkpoints are! My teammate currently found the third."
Haruo returned the blade to the mana storage but kept the Monarch-13 aimed at her face, his grip steady as he watched her closely.
"How can I trust you? and what is your guys communication system?" Haruo asked
"You just have to trust me, that's the best I can do right now. As for communication, we use a skill," she said.
"Fine, I'll believe you. But if you flinch even once, I'll count that as a lie and disqualify you. Now, tell me the description of this skill—what rank, what attributes, and how it works," He demanded.
"It's called Long Reach. It's a skill that grants communication by marking someone," she explained.
"The mark appears on the palm, just by the base of the thumb, with two distinct markings. People can communicate by pressing on the mark," she explained not wavering.
"How do you communicate with it, through thoughts or out loud?" Haruo asked.
"Out loud," she replied. "And to receive this mark, you need the person with the skill to give it to you—which, in this case, is me."
Haruo narrowed his eyes, studying her closely. Her calm expression unsettled him, stirring doubt about whether she was telling the truth. After a tense moment, he placed the blade back into his mana storage and withdrew the gun from her forehead.
"Can people who don't have the mark hear your communications? For example, if I don't have the skill, would I still be able to hear what's being said?" Haruo asked.
"No."
Haruo lowered his gun and sighed, pressing his palm to his forehead. He glanced at the Monarch-13, its metallic sheen reflecting the dim light, while the weight of the moment still hung in the air.
"So... are you letting me go?" She asked.
"Be quiet. I wouldn't let my points slip away," Haruo said.
"At least try to hide it," she said.
"Why should I? The moment you tried to attack me, you were finished. Besides, even if you try to run, I'm still faster." Haruo said.
"Also, you have a job now. I'll pay you with your life," Haruo added before turning his back and making his way out of the eerie subway.
'Is this guy for real!? I could literally call my teammates and jump him right now if I wanted to. Does he even realize that?' she thought, watching him walk away.
"If you don't stand up, I'll just disqualify you and take all your points!" he shouted, continuing to move forward. She scrambled to her feet, rushing to catch up and follow him.
'What an asshole!' She thought.
She followed him, keeping her hands behind her back, uneasy.
"This wouldn't have happened if you just didn't attack me," Haruo said. "Like I once told absolutely no one, don't go picking roses just because they look nice—you might end up with one full of thorns."
As the words left his mouth, he paused, a fleeting look of realization crossing his face as if he'd just remembered something important he'd overlooked.
'I should probably check the description from earlier, since it'll be a while before we head back to the entrance,' Haruo thought, opening the window again.
[Item details]
Item Name: Decrease Stone
Item Description: The Decrease Stone causes the user to lose half of their points when destroyed. This effect is immediate and irreversible, making it a risky item to possess. Breaking it could lead to a significant loss, affecting your progress in the challenge.
"I've never seen such a useless item in my life. Why even include this in the test?" Haruo muttered before storing it away in his mana storage.
'Not only that, but she's been awfully quiet. I'll ignore it for now and wait to see what she does.' Haruo thought, keeping his focus ahead.
***
Meanwhile, Isaac finally reached the enemy checkpoint. The building was one of the largest structures around, its walls overtaken by lush vegetation, giving it an almost abandoned yet eerie feel. A bridge stretched between this building and another, the gap between them filled with a faint mist that made it harder to see what lay beyond.
Isaac hugged his short blade trembling a bit before taking a deep breath.
'I-it's so creepy!' Isaac thought, his heart racing as the silence around him grew oppressive.
His hand trembled as he pressed his finger to his ear.
"I-I'm at the location you mentioned," Isaac said.
"Are you inside the building?" Ena asked.
"No, not yet i just arrived-" Isaac said.
"THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GO INSIDE!" Ena exclaimed, making his right ear hurt.
"Okay! Okay! You don't need to shout," Isaac said, before taking a step forward into the building.
He quietly explored the first floor, his heart racing, but his skills in stealth kept him moving without a sound. Despite the fear creeping up his spine, he remained focused.
His right hand brushed each corner as he cautiously glanced into the halls, moving quietly and carefully, aware of every sound and shadow.
'No orbs on the first floor, time to move to the next,' Isaac thought.
The moment Isaac stepped onto the second floor, he spotted a participant staring directly in his direction.