They were stupefied after Fifth told them that. They were doomed. All the dracodiles had landed on the ground. However, she wondered why the gold team told Fifth's group. She saw the gold team go down off dracodiles' backs. Fifzen and Ninezen were holding two round silver pendant necklaces. Third was holding a round gold pendant necklace. She saw a gold necklace that they hadn't gotten from Ninezen's dracodile.
*bell rings*
"Congratulations, gold team. You are the winner for Wealth Level: Stage 3, air category!"
Some shouted, applauded, and others did not care.
Second was also happy with the gold team's win, but she wondered why she seemed happy with their win. Some of them congratulated their enemy team, except for First, Third, and Fifth, who showed their faces that they were neither satisfied nor happy with the results.
"And now your scores: the silver team got 70 points from the land category while the gold team got 100 points from the air category."
They were 30 points ahead of them. She was sure that it was bad, but she didn't know its severity.
In a flash, when she looked to the front to see the four dracodiles, they disappeared like melting chocolate, but in gold and silver colors. The necklaces that Fifzen, Ninezen, and Third used to hold had also turned to sand.
Author continued, "The necklace from the air category is now gone for another restart. You will now focus on the water category."
"How can we play again if the two of us in our team died?!" Fifzen asked furiously.
The faces of the gold team turned into gloom, and the silver team frowned in confusion.
"Huh?" Fourth was puzzled and worried.
"Forzen and Sevenzen are no longer with us... A dracodile went aggressive, so Forzen fell. Sevenzen tried to help her, but they fell together. We weren't able to help them." Sixzen's explanation stunned her. "Their bodies are nowhere to be found." She sobbed and ran to Fifzen for comfort. There is a hint of grief in Fifzen's eyes.
"Two members of the gold team died." Just like when someone dies, it was just as easy for Author to say what bad had happened. It was always like this.
Forzen was a good person. Her cute face, pink curly short hair, and bangs embodied her traits. There were times when they would play different kinds of board games when they were in the castle. She taught her how to play some of those. She also shared her recipes when they cooked dinner.
Sevenzen was a close friend of Fifzen. He had long, dark hair with dreadlocks and tanned skin. They both excelled in a basketball game at level 1, stage 2. They shared the same hobbies and memories that have lasted to this day. Starting in the land category, three of the gold team's members had died.
Second didn't know if she'd consider their team fortunate, but she was grateful that their team still had nine of its members. She wished nothing but that they win all the games altogether.
She wondered if Author would do something because the gold team lacked members, making it unbalanced, so they had a greater chance of winning the next game.
"Just as I thought," First mumbled to himself, grabbing her attention. She turned to the left, where he was, and he also turned to look at her. Her eyes asked what he meant.
"Right from the start, the gold team was trying to trick us. It started when the dracodile led by Fifzen ambushed us with repetitive attacks. It was to provoke us and lure us into snatching their necklace. They planned that someone from the silver team would fall from the accident, so they would come to rescue a member from the opponent's team, as Ninezen did. As they came to help, of course, our group would come after their member. And then they would covertly steal ours while we left our beast. This method is easier than having a battle on air. After stealing ours, Ninezen's group flew away and stole our second necklace by tricking Fifth and the others, probably by saying 'Second caught in an accident,' which is partly true, but they used it as an opportunity. Fifth and others would be concerned about it, so they stopped and steadied their beast. While preoccupied with what happened, they stole our second necklace."
Was this what Fifth talked about when he said that the gold team approached them and told them that their group was in danger? But when they went to the place that the gold team claimed, they weren't present. They lied to Fifth's group to lure them to land, then suddenly stole their second necklace.
"But the conflict rose when they didn't learn how to control the beasts properly. I observed how Third manipulates the dracodile. He leans forward, backward, and sideward to control it, while the gold team controlled it in a forceful way, which made their monster aggressive, which led to an accident and the death of the two."
Second was in awe of the revelation she found out. She couldn't quite believe this, and she heard it from First. Now she knew that he was not just silent but also analyzed the people around him and his surroundings. She was more impressed with him being like this. From his explanation, she missed a lot of important details.
First loosened himself a bit. That conversation led to a heavy atmosphere. "Well, that was all hypothetical." He smiled while scratching his nape.
Hypothetical or factual, to think that the gold team had done that made her feel doubtful of them and that she might be distant from them from now on. Second was aware that all of those were part of their game strategy, but her trust in them was taking the edge off. It was true that she was greatly indebted to them because they saved her, but it seemed odd.
"Third and Fifth must've known this by now." He shrugged. "What's done is done."
She looked at Third and Fifth. Was that why they didn't celebrate the gold team's success because of their scheme?
"Be ready. Water category will begin momentarily." Then Author disappeared again.
A few minutes later, they were all shocked at what happened next.