The blinding light of teleportation faded, and Haku materialized in an instant.
Without hesitation, he moved. His hand grabbed Mey firmly, pulling her close. He took a single step back, positioning her behind him in a protective stance. His arm shielded her trembling frame as his sharp eyes locked onto the towering figure in front of them.
The Crazy Guy stood a meter away, a wild grin spread across his face as he tilted his head.
"Hahaha! You got a deathwish or something?" his voice booming with mockery.
Haku's expression remained cold and focused. He raised his free hand, stretching it outward, palm open.
"Stop. Wait,"
The Crazy Guy blinked, his grin widening.
"Huh? Wait for what? You think I'm scared of you, kid?"
Haku's eyes darted briefly around the room, analyzing. White, sterile walls with no windows. One large metal door ahead. The faint hum of the glowing walls filled the air, giving the space an eerie, lifeless atmosphere.
He looked back at the Crazy Guy, his tone sharp and deliberate.
"If you kill me now, you'll regret it."
The Crazy Guy tilted his head further, his grin turning into a sneer.
"Regret it? Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"
"You can kill me," Haku began, his voice steady and measured. "You're stronger, I wouldn't stand a chance against you. But if you do, you'll be walking through that door alone."
As if on cue, a sudden, piercing scream echoed from behind the metal door, sharp and guttural. The sound sliced through the room, making Mey flinch violently against Haku. Even the Crazy Guy's grin faltered for a split second as his eyes darted toward the door.
"What the hell was that hahaha?" the Crazy Guy muttered, annoyance creeping into his voice.
"I don't know," Haku continued, his voice unwavering.
"And that's the problem. You and I don't know what's waiting for us. None of us do. But it's obvious—it's dangerous. And if you waste time killing me now, you'll be taking a risk you don't need to."
The Crazy Guy stared at him, his wild eyes narrowing as he processed the words. His grin twitched, but he didn't move.
Haku pressed on, his tone unchanging.
"I'm not saying you need me. But if we work together, we both have a better shot at surviving. That's all I'm asking."
The Crazy Guy's fists clenched briefly, his posture tense. After a long moment, his lips curled into a crooked grin.
Before he could respond, three neon-pink weapons materialized along the walls with a faint hum, catching his attention immediately. His grin widened as he strode toward the glowing pistols.
"Well, well," he muttered, grabbing one of the weapons.
He turned it over in his massive hand, spinning it casually before suddenly raising it and aiming it directly at Haku.
"Alright," the Crazy Guy said, his voice dripping with playful menace.
"I'll spare you for now. But if you piss me off even once…"
He paused, his grin widening. "…you're done. Got it?"
Haku didn't respond. He gave a single, nonchalant nod, exhaling quietly through his mouth. The air between them seemed to settle, though the tension still hung like a knife's edge.
Without another word, Haku turned and walked toward the wall where the neon-pink weapons were displayed. He stopped in front of them, studying the pistols for a brief moment. They glowed intensely, the vibrant pink almost too bright for the stark, sterile room.
What the hell? he thought.
These look insane. Neon pink? Really? They're like something out of a bad sci-fi movie.
He tilted his head slightly, noting the sleek, compact design that reminded him of a Glock 18.
The absurdity of their appearance contrasted sharply with the deadly situation they were in.
Breaking from his thoughts, he grabbed one of the pistols. Then, without turning, he called out over his shoulder.
"Here."
With a smooth, nonchalant motion, he tossed the pistol toward Mey. She flinched slightly but managed to catch it with both hands, her wide eyes darting between the weapon and Haku.
The door slid open with a metallic hiss, revealing a glowing sign above it:
Stage 1
Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆
0/3 Player
Haku narrowed his eyes, stepping into the room alongside Mey, who clung to the pistol he'd tossed her earlier. The Crazy Guy followed close behind, his grin wide and unsettling.
"What is this?" Haku muttered, stepping further into the room. His sharp gaze locked onto the massive holograms ahead.
"Are those… scorpions?" Mey asked hesitantly, clutching her neon-pink pistol tightly.
"They're huge," the Crazy Guy said with a dark chuckle. "Like freaking cows. Hahaha, what the hell is this?"
As the group moved deeper into the room, the scorpions leapt and skittered with unnatural precision. Their metallic forms glinted under the artificial light, each movement eerily lifelike.
"What the hell are these things supposed to be?" Mey whispered, her voice shaky.
"Who cares?" the Crazy Guy sneered, gripping his weapon tightly. "They're just holograms. Nothing to worry about."
Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed through the room, clear and emotionless:
System:
Shoot the Targets. Remaining: 100.
A translucent barrier appeared in front of them, separating the group from the scorpions.
Haku raised his weapon, his sharp eyes narrowing as he analyzed the situation. "Looks like this is just a warm-up… or some kind of aim test," he muttered.
The scorpions leapt through the air, darting back and forth like unpredictable NPCs, their movements erratic and unsettling.
Haku steadied his aim, his sharp eyes tracking one of the creatures. He fired a single shot, hitting it cleanly and shattering it mid-leap.
99/100 Remaining.
Haku glanced at Mey and motioned toward the scorpions. "Your turn," he said calmly.
Mey hesitated for a moment, gripping her neon-pink pistol tightly. Taking a deep breath, she raised it, aimed, and fired.
Her first shot struck the target perfectly, shattering another scorpion.
Haku thought to himself, Was that… luck?
Before he could say anything, Mey fired again. Another perfect hit. And then another.
Haku narrowed his eyes, watching as Mey continued to shoot down the scorpions with ease. Each shot was precise, flawless, as if she'd been doing this her whole life.
"Damn," he muttered under his breath, raising his pistol to join her.
Behind them, the Crazy Guy burst into a fit of laughter, his booming voice echoing through the room. "Hahaha! This is amazing!" he yelled, spamming one shot after another with reckless abandon.
He didn't hit a single target, but he didn't care. His maniacal laughter only grew louder as he kept firing without pause.
Together, Haku and Mey methodically took down one scorpion after another, their focus unwavering.
98/100 Remaining.
97/100 Remaining.
Meanwhile, the Crazy Guy kept spamming shots, his laughter filling the room as bullets flew wildly past the targets.
As the scorpions continued to leap and dart around the room, Haku and Mey's combined efforts steadily brought the numbers down.
50/100 Remaining.
The Crazy Guy finally lowered his weapon, his grin stretching even wider as he glanced at Haku and Mey. His mind raced, his thoughts dark.
This is way too easy… That little punk tricked me. Their aim is too good, and they've both got guns. If I strike now, it's too risky.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter, his voice echoing maniacally across the room. Without any context, he screamed, "Then later… hahaha, then later!"
Haku and Mey both paused for a brief moment, their heads turning toward him in sync, their expressions silently asking, What the hell? They then exchanged a quick glance with each other, equally confused, before shrugging it off and resuming their focus on shooting the scorpions.
Haku and Mey worked seamlessly, their shots precise as they continued to bring down the scorpions.
20/100 Remaining.
Mey's breathing was steady now, her initial fear replaced by focus and determination. "Almost done," she muttered, glancing at Haku as they kept firing.
0/100 Remaining.
The room fell silent as the last scorpion shattered into fragments, disappearing into thin air. The system's mechanical voice echoed again:
Stage 1 Complete.
Haku lowered his pistol, his sharp eyes sweeping the room for any immediate threats. That was too easy... he thought, glancing at Mey's weapon. Especially with her aim. It felt like child's play.
The door slid open, leading to a large hallway. On the side they entered from, there were 33 doors—the ones everyone had come out of earlier. On the opposite side, there were only 10 doors now, each glowing faintly. Above them, a display read:
Stage 2
0/10 Players
Haku and Mey stepped into the hallway, cautiously scanning their surroundings. More players began to emerge from the 33 doors behind them, their faces pale and expressions shaken.
Some glanced at the glowing doors ahead, hesitation etched into their features. Others whispered nervously among themselves, the tension in the air thick enough to cut.
Among the crowd, Haku noticed one of his former bullies from school. The boy's face turned ghostly white as his eyes locked onto Haku's group.
"How… how is he still alive?" the bully muttered under his breath, trembling slightly. "How did Haku, of all people, make it through that? And why didn't that massive, brutal psycho kill him?"
The Crazy Guy shoved Haku and Mey forward, his massive hand almost sending them stumbling. "Move it," he growled. "We're going into this one. Don't just stand around looking dumb."
Haku steadied himself and glanced back briefly, but said nothing. Mey followed silently, gripping her pistol tighter.
The three entered a plain, white room, its walls completely featureless except for another door on the far side. The second door remained firmly shut, unresponsive to any attempts to open it.
Faint murmurs could be heard from outside, echoing through the walls. It was clear the other players were forming larger teams of ten, working together to enter the other doors. However, their door remained avoided—no one wanted to risk being stuck in the same room as the Crazy Guy.
The room remained silent, save for the muffled sounds of players organizing outside. After a few minutes, the door behind them opened again, and six terrified players stepped inside.
Their faces were pale, their movements hesitant as they entered the room. Each of them froze the moment they saw the Crazy Prison Guy leaning casually against the wall, his sharp gaze cutting into them like a predator watching prey.
No one dared to speak. The six new players huddled together near the opposite wall, their eyes darting nervously between the Crazy Guy, Haku, and Mey.
Haku glanced at Mey, noticing that while she still seemed tense, her trembling had stopped. Her eyes briefly met his before dropping to the floor, as though trying to avoid his gaze. A moment later, she looked back up, her expression calmer but still uncertain.
Haku broke eye contact first, exhaling quietly as he turned his attention back to the closed door ahead.
After what felt like an eternity, the far door slid open with a mechanical hiss.
100/100 Remaining.
The system's voice echoed once again, cold and emotionless, signaling the next stage.
The players hesitated, their eyes glued to the now-open door. A strange scent wafted into the room—fresh, earthy, and completely out of place compared to the sterile environments they'd been in before.
As the door slid open, the sunlight was strong and golden, lighting up a breathtaking scene of rolling green hills and a sparkling river that wound gently through the land.
Haku stepped forward cautiously, his sharp gaze cutting through the dimly lit path ahead. "Let's go," he said calmly, motioning for Mey to follow.
"Whoa…" someone muttered, breaking the silence as the group stepped forward. Wildflowers swayed in the breeze, and scattered trees dotted the vibrant, open landscape, making it feel almost unreal.
As the group took their first cautious steps into the open landscape, Haku took a deep breath, the scent of flowers and fresh grass filling his lungs. "This… is unreal," he said, his voice quieter than usual.
Mey nodded beside him, her gaze drifting across the vibrant hills. "It's beautiful…" she murmured, her voice soft and filled with wonder.
Behind them, the Crazy Guy let out a loud, triumphant laugh. "HAHAHA! This is amazing!" he shouted, spinning in place like a ballerina. Without warning, he dropped to his knees, ripped out a handful of grass, and shoved it into his mouth with a manic grin. "Even the grass tastes good!" he exclaimed between chews.
Haku and Mey exchanged a quick, bewildered glance before returning their attention to the field ahead.
As the group admired the surreal beauty of the landscape, their attention was suddenly drawn to movement in the distance.
From the far edge of the field, dark shapes emerged, dozens of them.