The hatred coming off the Anakim wasn't just emotion.
It had weight.
Real weight.
The air around them grew heavy, pressing down on everything. The ground beneath their feet felt denser, harder to move on, like an invisible force was pushing down from above. Even the leaves on the trees seemed to stop moving.
It felt like gravity itself had increased.
Alex felt it immediately.
His body reacted before his thoughts could catch up.
He took a step back.
Not out of fear.
Out of instinct.
'…This pressure,' he thought, his eyes narrowing.
His shoulders felt heavier. His movements slightly slower.
'Is he doing this?'
The question came fast.
The answer wasn't clear.
'I don't know much about Anakims…'
That part bothered him.
Information mattered. Especially in a fight like this.
'I only know the basics. The system only shows level… and type of warrior.'
Nothing else.
No skills. No abilities. No warning.
Just enough to tell you what you're facing, not how to deal with it.
His gaze stayed fixed on the giant in front of him.
Then the reason surfaced again.
'Why is he so focused on me…?'
A brief pause.
Then it clicked.
'The invitation card…'
His expression didn't change, but his thoughts sharpened.
'I didn't expect them to recover that fast.'
Back then, it had been chaos. A full scramble. Everyone fighting, grabbing, taking whatever they could.
He had taken one.
From an Anakim.
Quick. Clean.
No hesitation.
'They managed to get another one… that part makes sense,' he thought.
With their size and strength, it wasn't surprising.
But this—
This wasn't just about replacing a card.
'He's holding onto it…'
The way the Anakim stared at him made it clear.
This was personal.
Alex exhaled slowly, adjusting his stance, grounding himself against the pressure.
Then, quietly, just under his breath—
"And it looks like…"
His eyes stayed locked on the giant.
"…this one might be the same guy I took it from."
Meanwhile, Isla stood behind the Anakim, its massive figure towering over him like a wall.
Just being close to it was enough to feel the difference.
The pressure in the air kept building.
Slow.
Steady.
The weight on his body increased with every passing second, like something was pressing down on his shoulders, trying to force him into the ground.
His legs tensed.
His back stiffened.
Still, he endured it.
'…Damn it…'
He lowered himself slightly, keeping his presence small, trying not to draw attention.
He shifted his position just enough to stay out of the Anakim's direct line of sight, using the broken trees and uneven ground as cover.
'If I stay hidden… maybe it won't notice me…'
A pause.
His eyes moved toward Alex.
'…and just focus on him.'
Cold thinking.
But in a situation like this, survival came first.
Meanwhile, the Anakim had already made its decision.
Its gaze locked onto Alex.
No hesitation.
No distraction.
It moved.
A single step.
Then—
Boom!
It kicked off the ground.
The force alone cracked the earth beneath its feet as its massive body shot forward.
It didn't run.
It launched.
Its body tore through the space between them, crashing straight through trees. Thick trunks snapped like dry sticks, breaking apart as the Anakim forced its way through without slowing down.
Everything in its path fell.
Alex felt it coming.
The pressure increased sharply.
His body felt heavier, slower.
He tried to move.
A step.
Too late.
The Anakim was already there.
A massive fist drove forward.
Impact.
Thud!
The punch landed square on his stomach.
Clean.
Heavy.
Alex's body bent slightly from the force before lifting completely off the ground.
For a brief second, everything went light.
Then he was airborne.
The ground pulled away from him fast. The trees below blurred as he was sent flying, his body cutting through the air and disappearing into the distance beyond the forest line.
No follow-up.
Just one punch.
And he was gone.
The Anakim stood there for a moment after the strike.
Still.
Then it turned.
Its eyes scanned the area slowly, its face tight with anger, searching.
Left.
Right.
Nothing.
It didn't sense anyone else nearby.
Its focus returned.
Forward.
Toward the direction Alex had been sent.
Without another thought, it bent its knees—
Boom!
—and leaped again, chasing after him, its massive body disappearing just as quickly as it had arrived.
Silence returned.
For a moment.
Then—
A bush nearby shook.
Once.
Twice.
Then more.
Leaves rustled as something pushed its way through from inside.
A figure stumbled out.
Unsteady.
Breathing heavy.
It was Isla.
'that was close,' Isla thought as he stayed still, barely breathing. He looked toward the distance where Alex had been sent flying, his eyes narrowing.
'There is no way Alex survived that punch. That kind of hit would kill him before the wristband even reacts,' Isla concluded. There was no sympathy in him. Not even a trace. His concern shifted fast.
'Now I am alone,' he thought.
---
Meanwhile, Alex felt it.
The pain came late, but when it did, it hit deep.
It burned through his stomach like something was tearing him apart from the inside. His breath hitched. His body trembled mid-air.
'That… hurts,' he thought, his mind tightening.
But he knew. That wasn't the worst part.
He was still rising.
For a brief moment, there was nothing under him. Just air. Then gravity answered.
He began to fall.
Fast.
Alex clenched his teeth and forced his body to react. He twisted in the air, trying to control his descent, trying to reduce the damage even a little.
'Control it… just a bit…'
His body spun.
Then—
Impact.
His back slammed into a thick tree branch. The branch cracked on contact.
Snap!
His body didn't stop.
It tore through the branch and dropped lower, crashing through another.
Snap! Snap!
Each hit slowed him, but not enough.
Then—
Boom!
He hit the ground hard.
The force bounced him forward. His body rolled across the rough earth, dirt and broken leaves sticking to his skin. He tumbled again, then again, until—
Thud!
His back slammed into a thick tree trunk.
Everything stopped.
For a second, the world went quiet.
Then the system spoke.
[-10 HP]
[Total HP: 90/100]
Alex stared blankly for a moment, his chest rising and falling slowly.
'only ten…?' he thought, almost not believing it.
He could feel it. The pain was real. His body ached from the fall. His muscles screamed. But still… he was fine. Not broken. Not bleeding.
He shifted slightly.
His clothes were torn in several places. Scratches lined his arms and sides. Small marks, nothing deep.
No blood.
No open wounds.
'So this is how it works…' he thought, testing his fingers, then his arm.
They moved.
Slow, but steady.
His body was still his.
And more importantly—
He was still in the game.
On his stomach was a deep red imprint of the Anakim's fist, clear and ugly against his skin.
'the peace energy… it did its job,' Alex realised, his breath still uneven.
That was the only reason he was even conscious right now. Without it, that punch would have ended everything in one hit. No second chances.
But the relief didn't last.
It never does.
A small shadow appeared above him.
Tiny at first.
Then growing.
Fast.
Alex's eyes snapped up.
'Too fast…!'
He didn't think twice.
He pushed himself off the ground and rolled hard to the side, ignoring the pain screaming through his body.
Boom!!
A massive figure dropped from the sky.
The ground shook.
The tree behind Alex didn't stand a chance. It snapped and tore from the roots as the Anakim crashed into it, wood and dirt blasting outward.
Alex sucked in a sharp breath and steadied himself, forcing his legs to hold.
His eyes locked on the Anakim.
The giant rose slowly from a crouch, like something waking up from deep sleep, calm but dangerous.
"I knew that wouldn't kill you," the Anakim said, his voice heavy.
He stared straight at Alex.
"For you to have stopped my movement back then… you must have done something."
A pause.
Then his face hardened.
"But it doesn't matter."
His aura pressed down.
"I'm here to make sure you don't just get eliminated…"
His voice dropped.
"You don't survive it either."
Alex felt it again.
That pressure.
It dropped on him like invisible weight.
His shoulders sank slightly.
His breathing grew heavier.
'that gravity… it's back again,' Alex thought, his eyes sharpening.
'he's controlling it…'
He shifted his stance, scanning the surroundings without moving his head too much.
Trees everywhere.
Thick woods.
No clear path.
No easy escape.
'think… find a gap…'
But the Anakim didn't wait.
He moved first.
With one hand, he grabbed a nearby tree. His fingers wrapped around the trunk like it was nothing more than a stick.
Then—
Crack!
With a single pull, he ripped it straight out of the ground.
Roots snapped.
Dirt scattered.
The tree was now a weapon in his hand.