"Who?"
Ren immediately shifted into a defensive stance, his foot sliding lightly across the damp stone floor to pull his body back a few steps. His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, eyes scanning every corner of the room.
The last light of dusk spilled in from outside, stretching Ren's shadow across the ground, warped between the broken crates. The silence was so complete that even their breaths were audible.
"Calm down… it's me."
A familiar voice rose from the dark corner. A figure stepped out of the shadows...Yuzu, with a small glowing stone in hand, exhaling lightly.
"You walked way too fast. I had to run through half the market to find your trail," Yuzu said, taking a few steps closer.
Ren still didn't lower his sword. He glanced around once more, his voice dropping into a warning tone, "Still not showing yourself?"
The air in the warehouse thickened. Dust particles floated in a narrow beam of light, swirling before drifting slowly to the floor.
A chill crawled up Yuzu's spine. He quickly moved aside, pressing his back against the old wall, letting the dust cling to his clothes. Their breaths seemed swallowed by the darkness.
A faint clatter echoed, impossible to pinpoint. Ren turned sharply, the tip of his sword aiming toward the sound. The steel flashed coldly, like a threat hanging in the air.
"Probably… probably just the wind," Yuzu whispered, though he didn't believe it.
Ren didn't respond.
He stepped forward slowly, the soft thud of his boots nearly merging with the pounding in his chest.
He stopped beside a pile of wooden crates, tilting his head just slightly, and in that moment, a shadow flickered behind the curtain of dust.
Without a moment of hesitation, Ren spun and slashed through the air.
A sharp metallic ring echoed; the tip of his sword struck something hidden in the dark.
From the far corner, a figure burst out and darted away, swift as the wind, leaving behind only hurried footfalls and ragged breaths.
"Yuzu, behind you!"
Yuzu reacted on instinct, jumping back, raising his small dagger, his eyes wide as he stared into the dim corridor.
"A player," Ren murmured, narrowing his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade. "He's trying to retreat."
The shadow used a high-level stealth skill, the air around him bending, blurring almost seamlessly into the surroundings. But Ren could still feel him.
That brief clash was enough, enough for Ren to determine his movement arc, the distance, and even the shift in the air.
Ren tilted his head slightly, inhaling deeply. He loosened his stance, and then his whole body seemed to dissolve into motion, a gust of wind leaving only a faint whoosh behind.
One second later..
A loud impact shook the old vent window at the far end of the warehouse. Dust exploded beneath Ren's boots. A panicked gasp followed immediately after.
Ren turned and drove his fist into the empty air, and hit something solid.
A cry of pain escaped, and the stealth shimmer broke, revealing a young man collapsing onto the floor.
Before the player could recover, Ren twisted his wrist, the sword's tip glinting cold as it hovered beneath the man's chin. The metal's touch against skin was quiet, but terrifyingly clear.
"That's enough."
Ren's voice cut through the stillness, flat, emotionless, yet heavy enough to make the air feel suffocating. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
He inhaled slowly, pressing the blade a fraction closer, just enough for the cold edge to kiss the thin layer of skin.
The remnants of the stealth aura faded. Before Ren stood a man in his early twenties, clad in simple leather armor with smudges of dirt on his shoulders.
His eyes widened, pupils shrinking as they reflected the blade's pale light. His body trembled, stunned that in mere seconds he'd lost every advantage.
The warehouse felt heavier.
Only the faint rustle of wind through the rotten boards broke the silence. Ren held his stance, gaze steady and frighteningly calm.
Hurry… please… answer quickly.
"Speak."
Ren's voice dropped, cold and decisive. His sapphire eyes locked onto the other player, not the gaze of someone pretending to be composed, but a wintery, suffocating stare.
Even with winter's breath clinging to the world outside, the icy stillness radiating from him was harsher than last night's snowfall.
Ren understood he was at a disadvantage. Every move had to be calculated.
He had only a small window, before the man realized they were still inside a safe zone, and Ren's blade, no matter how close, couldn't draw blood.
If that happened… The threat would crumble into nothing but an awkward bluff.
Ren tightened his grip, feeling each beat of his own heart, and every labored breath from the man on the ground. One slip, one look, one word, that was all he needed.
Or perhaps… Ren thought,
If his name turned yellow the moment he attempted to harm someone, then even if he couldn't deal actual damage, every blow would still inflict physical pain.
A few punches would be enough for him to feel the limits of his own body, and the game's discipline.
Just a few days of imprisonment…
And everything he'd built so far would unravel.
In Ren's mind, dozens of thoughts collided: escape routes, interrogation methods, risk levels, and the possibility of hidden allies.
Finally, the player stammered out, "I—I'm just like you… I was curious about the missing NPCs and…"
His shaky voice carried genuine fear, and Ren sensed it.
He didn't interrupt; instead, his pale eyes remained steady, silently forcing the man to continue every last detail he knew.
"T-These past few days, I was doing quests from one of the missing NPCs… but I couldn't find anywhere to turn them in…" the man stuttered, trying to keep talking.
Ren's silence felt like pressure.
The other player swallowed hard, then continued explaining, each word slipping out as if afraid of being monitored.
The way he looked at Ren cold, untouchable. In that moment, Ren resembled a doll cursed by death.
There was something terrifying there, something ready to tear apart the thin shell of calm, something capable of crushing everything if he dared make a single secretive move.
He looked away, trying to escape that gaze, but his heart kept pounding, so hard it felt like his veins were stretching inside his chest.
'Why is a monster like this showing up on the starter floor…?' he wondered, fear and confusion tangled inside him, as the image of Ren flooring him in mere seconds replayed vividly.
That moment struck him straight in the consciousness, laying bare the gap in level, technique, and perception… all of it overwhelmingly beyond him.
He had been confident after the battles on the 3rd floor, after fighting stronger monsters, thinking he could handle himself.
But now, everything felt like it was collapsing.
That level of strength… should only exist among the front-liners.
Those who first dared challenge the floor boss. Those who pushed their limits, kept advancing, never stopped.
He felt himself left behind, small and fragile, his heart hammering, each beat reminding him of helplessness and the invisible distance he could never close.
"It seems someone here isn't being honest…", Each word slipped from Ren's lips slowly, cold and razor-sharp.
The sword pressed to the player's throat instantly withdrew, then swung in a perfect arc behind Ren's back, light yet filled with force.
A metallic clang burst out at that exact moment, followed by a soft footstep. Ren tilted his head, speaking clearly:
"Am I right… impostor?"
He turned.
Yuzu? No… this one was disguised to look like him.
"Yuzu." …or rather, the one mimicking his shape. He held a short blade, his hand trembling slightly from the backlash of Ren's backward slash.
The weapon… shorter than a sword, longer than a dagger, broad enough to defy any proper name.
"I thought the rumors were true… thought you were just tagging along, leeching XP off the front-liners… didn't expect the 'Doll' to be this strong and vicious."
His voice rose suddenly, hoarse, like he'd swallowed a box of nails, carrying both awe and wariness.
"Your skill's pretty good… are you a Beta tester too…?" He probed, eyes flickering with caution.
Ren didn't answer.
He kicked the confused player on the ground, a heavy blow to the chest making him gasp in pain, unable to stand.
Ren noticed it: whenever the man talked to him, his gaze was always drifting behind… as if trying to signal someone.
But he never dared look directly into Ren's eyes, fearful, hesitant, tense to the point it felt almost tangible.
"I'm quite confident in my disguise skills, you know? But I didn't expect you to be this sharp… how did you figure it out?"
He spoke with a tone half smug, half surprised, as if boasting to himself.
Ren remained silent. His cold eyes didn't shift, didn't respond. The tension in the air compressed around them, like an invisible blade suspended overhead.
The man glanced up, toward Ren's head, his eyes probing, trying to locate the mistake.
Ren stood still, his body taut, each heartbeat reminding him to maintain absolute focus.
Only when the man's eyes landed on the yellow-colored name floating above Ren's head did he jolt, realizing everything too clearly.
"Right… of course… When you attack a player, your name turns yellow, and you can't hide it like normal… unless you use a concealment item."
He muttered, his voice dropping, tinged with guilt and embarrassment.
He forced a stiff smile, tapping his palm against his forehead, a gesture like a child who just made a mistake and tried to soothe their own awkwardness.
His eyes shimmered with a mix of surprise, curiosity, and a hint of shyness.
The space around them grew still. Ren's heart still pounded inside his chest, muscles tight with pressure and vigilance.
The disguised player stood there ashamed, cautious, staring blankly at Ren realizing that the person before him wasn't just sharp, but a threat unlike anything he had encountered.
Silence stretched on, each second heavy, emphasizing the invisible distance between them.