Dawn brought no light.
Only a sickly violet glow filtering through the barrier, staining the city in diseased shadows.
Kikoshin woke with the taste of dried blood on his lips.
His body ached, but no longer bled.
The Healing Tonic had done its work: it kept them alive, but not whole.
Around him, his team breathed raggedly.
Miojo sat against a tree, bandaging Sumo's side with strips of torn cloth.
Lucas struggled to walk, leaning on Darius, whose spine still hadn't fully healed.
Samune and Talia pored over a makeshift map on the ground.
Rioyin sharpened his knife with a stone, eyes fixed on the horizon.
"We need to move," Rioyin said, not looking at anyone. "The marked teams are already being hunted."
[SYSTEM: ELIMINATION MARK ACTIVATED]
Teams #4 to #10: Visible to all Captains.
Reward for elimination: 200 GP + Access to defeated team's inventory.
"No," Kikoshin said, pushing himself up with effort. "We're not hunters."
"Oh, no?" Rioyin stood, furious. "Then what are we? Angels? We're ranked #3! If we don't act, someone will eliminate us."
"I won't hunt humans," Kikoshin said, voice firm. "Not like this."
"Then we'll die like fools," Rioyin spat.
The silence was shattered by a distant scream.
Sharp. Desperate.
Human.
"It's from the east," Samune said. "Team #7. They're under attack."
Kikoshin hesitated.
He knew intervening meant declaring war on Viper… and they weren't ready.
But if they didn't…
What made them different?
"We go," he said. "But not to fight. To observe."
Team Ash—Team #7—was cornered in an underground parking lot.
Three Players, wounded, surrounded by Team Viper, led by a tall man with scars over his eyes and a shadow sword in hand.
"Surrender," Viper's Captain said. "Hand over your points. Maybe I'll let you live as Pawns."
"Never!" Team Ash's Captain shouted.
Viper smiled.
"Then die."
In one motion, his sword split the Captain's chest.
Heart cleaved in two.
The other two tried to flee, but shadows rose from the ground and pinned them down.
"No…" Miojo whispered, gripping Kikoshin's arm.
He didn't move.
He couldn't.
He knew stepping in meant war with Viper… and they weren't ready.
One by one, Viper plucked the devices from their wrists.
The objects dissolved into smoke, and 400 GP appeared in his account.
[TEAM ASH: ELIMINATED]
[TEAM VIPER: +400 GP]
Then, Viper looked straight at Kikoshin's hiding spot.
"I know you're there, SuYo," he said, voice icy.
"Next time… I won't be so kind."
And he vanished into the shadows.
"He saw us," Talia whispered, trembling.
"Of course he did," Rioyin said. "Because we're weak. Because we wait."
Kikoshin didn't reply.
But in his mind, a promise formed:
I won't stand still again.
Back at their shelter, the team could barely stand.
Miojo built a small fire with dry branches.
"Here," she said, handing Kikoshin a can of warm water.
He took it.
Their fingers brushed.
She didn't pull away immediately.
"Thanks," he said.
"Don't thank me," she replied, staring into the flames. "Just… don't charge a Boss alone again.
Not without saying goodbye first."
He looked at her.
Said nothing.
But nodded.
It was the most honest gesture he'd ever given her.
That night, while the others slept, Kikoshin sat on the rooftop.
He wasn't alone.
Mira appeared beside him, wrapped in a blanket.
"Thinking about them?" she asked.
"About the ones who died. About the ones I'll kill."
"You're not a killer, brother."
"Maybe I already am," he said. "Maybe the system is turning me into what it needs: an executioner."
Mira looked at him, eyes seeing beyond the barrier.
"Or maybe… you're the only one who can break the rules."
Before Kikoshin could respond, a figure descended from the sky.
Tall. Thin. Eyes glowing like embers.
The Observer.
It floated ten meters away, watching them in silence.
[ENTITY: OBSERVER]
[STATUS: NEUTRAL]
[WARNING: DO NOT INTERACT. DO NOT DEFY. ONLY OBSERVE.]
"What does it want?" Mira whispered.
The Observer raised a hand.
In the air, a symbol appeared: the broken circle… but sealed.
Then, it vanished.
Kikoshin froze.
"That symbol… it was on Dad's device."
"Then it's not just a game," Mira said.
"It's a test.
And you're the answer."
At dawn, the system issued a new alert:
[DAY 2 INITIATED.]
[NEW MISSION: TERRITORY CONTROL]
Objective: Capture and hold the Command Center (East Tower) for 1 hour.
Reward: 500 GP, Level 3 Weapons, Access to Comms System.
Warning: All teams may participate. Elimination permitted.
Rioyin smiled for the first time in days.
"Now we play dirty."
Kikoshin looked at his team.
At Miojo, already preparing fresh bandages.
At Sumo, struggling to lift a metal bar.
At Darius, gritting his teeth against the pain.
At Mira, watching him with a faith he didn't feel.
"We don't play dirty," he said.
"We play smart."
And with that, Team SuYo moved out,
knowing today wasn't about survival…
but about proving they were still human.