The number in the sky continued its steady descent, glowing faintly above the forest canopy like a merciless countdown.
011,232,875
011,232,821
At the center of the clearing stood the staff.
It was embedded deep in the earth, its black shaft carved with ancient patterns that seemed to writhe when stared at too long. The air around it shimmered faintly, as if the ground itself rejected its presence.
Jhon stood directly before it.
His eyes were locked onto the weapon, unblinking.
Around him, dozens of people pretended not to watch. But they were watching. Every single one of them.
Waiting.
Waiting for him to succeed.
Waiting to kill him the moment he did.
Jhon slowly raised both hands and gripped the staff.
The instant his fingers wrapped around it, the clearing fell silent.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
He closed his eyes.
His breathing steadied. Inhale. Exhale.
The crowd shifted subtly, weapons tightening in their hands. A blade slid halfway from a sheath. A bowstring creaked softly as it was tested.
They were ready.
Jhon's grip tightened.
Then—
With a terrifying scream, he pulled with all his strength.
His muscles strained violently. Veins bulged across his arms, neck, and forehead. His face flushed red as blood rushed through him. His teeth clenched so hard it felt like they might shatter.
The earth beneath his feet cracked.
But the staff did not move.
Not even a fraction.
Not a tremor.
Not a vibration.
Nothing.
Seconds passed.
Then Jhon's strength gave out.
He released the staff and stumbled backward before collapsing onto the ground, breathing heavily. Sweat poured down his face. His hands trembled uncontrollably.
Around him, the tension dissolved.
A few people clicked their tongues in disappointment.
Some lowered their weapons.
Others smirked.
Jhon slammed his fist into the dirt.
Why… Why can't I pull it out?
"Damn it!" he shouted, his voice hoarse with frustration.
He pushed himself up and walked back toward Horikita and the Masked Man.
His expression was dark, furious—not at anyone else, but at himself.
Before he could reach them—
A figure dropped from a tree branch above.
She landed lightly beside the Masked Man, as if she weighed nothing at all.
It was the loli girl.
Her silver hammer rested casually on her shoulder, its head nearly as large as her torso. Her bright eyes gleamed with excitement.
Horikita instantly stepped forward, guard raised.
Jhon moved beside her, fists clenched despite his exhaustion.
The girl ignored them both.
She stood directly in front of the Masked Man, tilting her head slightly with a shameless grin.
"Hey kid," she said brightly. "Take my body and give me your sword. How is that? Great deal, right?"
For a moment, the world froze.
Then the clearing erupted.
"Yoo what the fuckkkkk!"
"Damn, I'm jealous!"
"What if I had that weapon?"
"If a loli like her gave me her body, I'd die for it!"
Others looked like they had just suffered spiritual devastation.
"What the hell… Huuu buwww, I wanted her…"
"Look how sexy she is. I'll kill that bastard if he accepts her offer."
The Masked Man stood completely still.
His face darkened.
Inside, however, his heart was beating like a war drum.
Her face was undeniably beautiful. Smooth skin. Bright eyes. A mischievous smile that seemed both innocent and dangerous.
For a split second, temptation flickered.
Then he crushed it.
With a cold expression and even colder tone, he replied, "Fuck off."
The words were sharp.
Blunt.
Absolute.
Inside his mind, though, another voice screamed at him.
Are you fucking insane? Do you know what you just rejected?!
The girl blinked.
Then her grin widened slightly, as if she found his rejection amusing rather than insulting.
Before she could respond, another figure burst from the forest.
A boy with glasses, panting heavily, stumbled into the clearing. He looked completely exhausted, as if he had run without stopping.
He rushed toward the girl.
"Rose! Don't leave me alone!" he gasped between breaths. "What if people kill me?"
The loli girl's name was Rose Alfard From California.
She didn't even look at him.
Her eyes remained fixed on the Masked Man's sword.
Her smile sharpened.
The clearing around the staff continued to grow crowded.
Footsteps echoed through the forest as more contestants arrived, drawn by the rumor of the weapon no one could claim.
From the direction opposite the boy with glasses, two figures stepped out of the trees.
The man with the katana.
And the giant.
The giant carried the massive scythe over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing. The curved blade gleamed coldly, still faintly stained from the lake massacre earlier.
The man with the katana walked calmly beside him, his expression relaxed but his eyes alert.
Their presence alone made several people instinctively step back.
But they were not the only new arrivals.
From another direction—
Princess Zoya emerged from the forest.
She looked exactly as composed as always.
Except for one detail.
In one hand, she was dragging someone by the back collar like a sack of trash.
It was Yang Kai.
His feet barely touched the ground as she pulled him along.
His expression was completely hollow. His shoulders slumped. His eyes stared blankly at the dirt.
He looked like a man whose soul had been crushed.
Princess Zoya's two daggers hung neatly at her waist.
And in her free hand—
She carried Yang Kai's massive hammer.
The weapon looked absurdly large compared to her slim figure, but she handled it without visible effort.
Yang Kai, meanwhile, didn't even seem aware of where he was.
His mind was still trapped in a far more horrifying realization.
Ugly.
The word echoed endlessly in his thoughts.
He didn't notice the crowd.
He didn't notice the weapons.
He didn't notice the tension thick enough to suffocate.
He just walked like a depressed ghost while being dragged across the ground.
At this point, almost every weapon holder had gathered at the center of the forest.
The only one missing was Xia Niu.
Of course, plenty of other contestants were still wandering the forest killing each other.
But the strongest players—
They were here.
In the clearing.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere between Rose and the masked man had become dangerously heated.
They stood face to face.
Eyes locked.
Teeth clenched.
Both looked ready to kill the other at any second.
The air between them crackled with killing intent.
Before things could explode—
The boy with glasses suddenly jumped between them.
"Ah damn it," he groaned. "Just shut up, you two."
He pushed Rose backward slightly.
Then grabbed her arm and started dragging her away.
"Come on, stop picking fights everywhere."
At the same time, Jhon stepped in and pulled the masked man back.
"Liyo, cool down," Jhon said quietly. "We'll take care of them later."
The masked man's real name—
Liyo Griffin.
His eyes remained fixed on Rose for a moment longer before he finally turned away.
At that exact moment, movement near the staff caught everyone's attention.
The giant and the man with the katana began walking toward it.
The crowd stirred immediately.
People who had already accepted that the staff couldn't be moved suddenly felt a spark of hope.
The giant's body was monstrous.
His shoulders alone looked wider than two normal men standing side by side. His arms were thick with dense muscle, each step heavy enough to press footprints into the soil.
If anyone here could pull that weapon out—
It had to be him.
A murmur spread through the clearing.
People stepped aside instinctively, creating a path.
Eyes lit up.
Greedy smiles appeared.
They allowed the giant and the katana wielder to approach the staff without interference.
But their hands quietly moved toward their wooden weapons.
Because the moment the staff came out of the ground—
The truce would end.
And the real slaughter would begin.
The giant stopped in front of the staff rod.
The katana wielder stood beside him, watching calmly.
Around them, the crowd slowly tightened its circle.
Dozens of eyes locked onto the weapon.
Everyone was ready to move.
Behind a thick tree at the edge of the clearing, the blue-haired girl carefully peeked out.
Her fingers rested on her bow.
Her eyes gleamed with greed.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
She believed no one had noticed her.
But that belief was completely wrong.
Across the clearing—
Rose Alfard glanced briefly toward the tree.
Her sharp eyes had already spotted the hidden archer the moment she arrived.
Rose's observation skills were frightening.
Her gaze was sharper than an eagle's.
She could track people through subtle movements, breathing patterns, even the shifting of leaves.
She didn't say anything.
She just smiled slightly.
Because hidden players made the game far more interesting.