--- [Alex’s perspective]
On the way back, Lucas told me his name, and I told him mine.
We walked back together, but we didn’t really speak all that much.
I’m still in disbelief over what happened…
As we walk in, Leanne congratulates us.
“Oh, you found a flag in the end, Lucas! You’re the eighth person to return. Alex, you’re the ninth. Congratulations to you both!” – Leanne
It seems Lucas stepped in a moment before me, I hope the return order doesn’t matter for the second round…
Before I’m able to finish the thought, I spot Shin sitting on a bench.
Nice, good to know he was able to find a flag too.
“Hey Shin!” – Alex
He looks towards me and waves back.
Lucas spots him.
“Oh God… So you ARE friends with him…” – Lucas
“Huh? Do you know Shin?” – Alex
Shin walks up to me and Lucas.
“Oh… Uhm… Hi.” – Shin
“Why are you guys acting so weird? What happened? Do you know each other??” – Alex
“Uhhh… It’s a long story…” – Shin
They look at each other for a few seconds.
There’s an awkward silence.
Finally, Lucas breaks it.
“Anyways, see you guys later, I guess. I’ll go get some rest before the second round starts.” – Lucas
“Alright, see you later, Lucas!” – Alex
Lucas walks off, while me and Shin head back towards the bench he was sitting on.
Wait…
Is that???
“LETT?!” – Alex
I run up to her, she’s laying on the bench next to where Shin was sitting.
“It’s just like you said, Alex. Lett was here.” – Shin
“Heyooo!” – Lett
She gets up from the bench I give her a big hug.
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“It’s so nice to see you again!” – Alex
“Yeah, it’s nice to see you too!” – Lett
“You just disappeared for so long, I was starting to get worried…” – Alex
“I was training! I had to catch up to you guys, you know?” – Lett
“Yeah, but couldn’t you have at least talked to us every once in a while? I never even saw you around.” – Alex
“Ah, yeah that’s because I was training in a special place.” – Lett
“A special place?” – Alex
“After I left you guys, I was thinking about how to go about getting stronger. Doing normal training wouldn’t be good enough to catch up with you guys in that short of a time, so I only had one option. Special Divinity Manipulation…” – Lett
“YOU LEARNED SDM?!” – Alex
“Yup! I went to the specialty finder in our guild, but they told me that that they wouldn’t help me before I reached E-rank. Apparently, it’s too hard for most F-rankers to learn SDM, so they don’t even bother.” – Lett
“Then how did you learn it? Did you do it on your own?!” – Alex
“Nono, of course not! Apparently, that rule doesn’t apply if you just nag them for long enough. Haha!” – Lett
“You were being so annoying that they decided to break their own rules?” – Shin
“Essentially yeah.” – Lett
“Wow… That’s… actually kinda impressive.” – Shin
“Show us! I want to see it!” – Alex
“Neh.” – Lett
“What? Why not?!” – Alex
“I want to keep it hidden for now. You’ll see it eventually. Probably sooner than later.” – Lett
What a tease…
“Anyways, I’ve been meaning to ask… What is up with your outfits???” – Lett
“It’s a long story… Uhm… Basically… I’m a wanted criminal now.” – Shin
“HUH?!” – Lett
--- [Lily’s perspective]
“The ninth contestant has returned. Only one flag remain.”
Ugh…
Only one left!!
I need to hurry the heck up!
I’ve fought lots of people here, but none of them posed much of a challenge.
I just need to grab them with my right hand for them to lose.
If you don’t know about my ability, then winning is almost impossible.
One wrong move, and you’ve lost.
Yet throughout all those battles, I still couldn’t find a single flag.
I run for a little while longer, then I see something interesting.
It’s a large group of people, they’re all fighting among themselves.
I’m not sure how many there are, but it looks like it could be upwards of 50 people.
It’s a huge free for all.
Why?
Could it be…?
I get a little closer to investigate, while still staying hidden.
It’s just like I thought!
There’s a flag right there.
The final flag!
It’s lying on the ground, in the middle of the crowd.
Looks like they’re all fighting for who gets it.
I’ll wait for the numbers to dwindle down before I engage.
There is no point in me jumping into a crowd of 50 people when I could just wait until someone tries to run away with it, or when there are only a couple people left.
I don’t want to fight more people than necessary.
I need to conserve my stamina for the next round.
The fight is so chaotic…
One guy tries to pick up the flag, then someone stabs them before they’re able to get away.
The stabber tries to take it themselves, but they’re knocked out before they can pick it up.
While this is happening, there are some people who are fighting in one-on-one, and others that are running around and attacking everyone in their way.
It’s such a mess…
--- [Alex’s perspective]
“Oh, by the way, you remember that bet of ours, Alex?” – Shin
Ughhhhhh…
I hoped he had forgotten about it…
After acting so cocky, I go and lose, just like that?
Aghhh…
“Yeah…” – Alex
“Heh. Well, I’ll make sure to abuse the hell out of that. Ahahaha!” – Shin
“Yeah, yeah… No need to rub it in…” – Alex
“What bet?” – Lett
“We-” – Alex
Shin interrupts me.
“We bet on who would return first. The person who lost would have to pay for the other persons food for a week.” – Shin
“Ooh… Can I join in on that bet?” – Lett
“What?” – Shin
“I came back before both of you, so I win! You guys have to pay for my food.” – Lett
“Huh?!” – Shin
Shin was acting waaaaay too smug when he told her that he won.
Time to get some payback…!
“That sounds like a great idea, Lett. Me and Shin will pay for half of your food each. Since you’re the winner, I won’t be paying for Shin’s food obviously.” – Alex
“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait… We did not agree to this!” – Shin
“You lost, Shin. Accept it.” – Lett
“Yeah Shin, just accept it.” – Alex
“Ughhhhhhhh…!” – Shin