CHAPTER 36

On the day of the second game, Savio had no choice but to inject Hirayon, the substance that could help the child's body to heal faster as he wasn't waking up. His body was so exhausted that Hirayon was dizzy and tired even after waking.

When he sat up, he glared at Savio, who avoided the child's gaze. Although the child was still feeling weak, his stare was so cold and scary that Savio was once again reminded of the manic phase incident.

Clearing his throat, Savio decided to speak, "How are you feeling?" he asked while still looking away.

"What do you think?" Hirayon fired back, seething with fury despite still feeling weak.

"Anyway, the Torneo is in two hours. Have some food so you'll have more energy."

On cue, FORT685 pushed a cart beside Hirayon's bed and removed the lid on every dish. It was three servings of delectable food with meat, fish, and vegetables. Usually, a child wouldn't be able to finish it, but Hirayon was different. Aside from exhaustion, he felt extreme hunger, like he had not eaten for weeks. He was sure the food wouldn't be enough, but he did not complain.

"You'll feel hungry. It was proven in numerous research that people who hold more than two elements have a larger appetite because they require more energy from their bodies. I'm sure the food will help," Savio explained while still looking away. He didn't even dare to glance at the child.

When Hirayon did not move and just continuously glared at Savio, FORT685 spoke. "You should eat even just a little. You'll need a lot of energy for later. You're aiming for first place, right?" FORT685 urged, earning the child's attention.

He stared at FORT685 first before looking at the food and then grabbing the closest to him. He then started eating messily without using the utensils. Savio felt significant discomfort as the child looked crazy, but he did not comment as he was already walking on thin ice.

Once done eating, Hirayon felt so much better and used the remaining time to rest. He did not talk to Savio the whole time, and even though Hirayon himself was curious about the new element he had suffered pain for, he did not ask and just gave Savio a seething glare.

When it was time, FORT685 escorted Hirayon to the arena and left him with other children.

Melodious music rang, signaling the start of the orientation before the game. Then, layers of smoke burst in the middle of the white arena.

With charismatic steps, Tedie appeared above an elevated stage and a floating microphone in front. The Bearman was wearing a suit made from velvety black fabric with a mossy green bowtie that complimented the look.

Although presentable like a composed gentleman, Tedie's fury head and large torso made the picture look odd. Instead of a host, he looked like a player who wouldn't hesitate to tear his opponents, especially with how he grins.

"Welcome, children! I'm delighted that everyone looked excited for the next game!" Tedie greeted and looked at the children happily.

Unlike the first time, the players did not run when Tedie appeared. Instead, they looked at him with determination, showing their desperation to win the second game. The time after the first game was enough to light the fire in those children's hearts. They had become more competitive and hungry for a win, which made the previous winners wary and concerned.

Even though some are oblivious to it, observant ones like Hirayon and Hirang have noticed the change in the children's attitudes.

"Are you guys ready for it?" He teased and swayed side by side, acting cutely in his massive suited body with the head of a bear.

"What's the next game?" A child asked, and Tedie smirked, revealing his canines that made him look more like a beast.

"Excited, aren't we?" he teased. "Well, I'm excited as well, so without further ado, let me introduce to you the second game, The Black Myth!"

A large hologram appeared behind the stage and in all other directions, allowing everyone, including the audience, to see it. It contains the title, instructions, and the rules of the game.

GAME: THE BLACK MYTH

INSTRUCTIONS: Find the black subject

DURATION: Three hours

RULES:

1. Find a Black Subject.

2. Use of Abilities is allowed.

3. Partnership or collaboration is permitted.

4. Stealing, fighting, and killing is allowed.

5. You can't quit the game 30 minutes after it started.

6. You can give up the game by saying, 'I quit.'

"Very simple, right?" Tedie happily said, leaving the children and the audience confused. It was indeed simple and vague at the same time.

"Any questions?" He asked and did not initiate to explain more despite seeing the puzzlement of the players.

Many children raised their hands, and Tedie pointed to a boy near the stage. "What is the Black Subject?" the little boy asked.

Tedie looked at him and shrugged, "I don't know."

The little boy frowned, and so did the other children. Tedie's answer led to more bewilderment, and even the audience's murmurs reached Tedie's ears.

"How can that be?" Another boy asked.

Tedie looked at the child who spoke. "That's just the way it is. No one knows what Black Subject you need to find. That's also why it's a Myth." He pointed out and watched how the children became more perplexed.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Then how do we know it was the right one?" A little girl voiced out all the players' concerns.

"We will only know after the game. Only the Familia members knew what the Black Subject was, so we will still have a winner at the end of the game. Any more questions?" Tedie asked, not empathizing with what the children were currently feeling. He had been hosting hundreds of games now, and this type of game that relied on the player's luck was nothing new to him.

The children expressed their worries and confusion. "Is there no clue?" OFE137 asked as he was trying to plan how he would proceed. He was the third-placed winner in the last game, and he was aiming for the top this time.

Tedie looked up and tilted his head as if thinking. This brought hope to the children until Tedie grinned, showing his canines. "None."

OFE137 grumbled and gave Tedie an annoyed look. He thought they would at least have a small clue about the black myth, but now it could be anything.

"Where would we find it?" Another child tried asking.

"I don't know. But the arena will be changed into a ruined city, so that's where you'll find it." Tedie answered and shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Will there be an announcement who holds it every 30 minutes?" Another child asked as that was what happened during the first game.

Tedie smiled and shook his head. "Nope, but you don't have to worry about time. You can always check it by thinking, 'Time check,' the timer will appear as a hologram. You can try it now."

The players, including Hirayon, did what Tedie said, and a timer set to three hours appeared before him.

"Are we allowed to hold onto numerous black subjects?" A child near Hirayon asked.

"You can, but you must touch it at the end of the game, or else it will not count," Tedie reminded.

After that, the children got quiet. They still had frowns on their faces as they were all trying so hard to think about the black subject and mentally list the things they would collect. Contrary to that, Hirayon had no thoughts of anything. He was still feeling tired and would prefer a good rest rather than anything. He didn't know why, but he was feeling sleepy and sluggish. He even wants to just lay on the floor and sleep.

"Times up! You will now be teleported." Tedie announced, and everyone vanished simultaneously.

The next moment the children opened their eyes, they found themselves in an abandoned city. It was eerily quiet, and the whole place looked like it had faced a calamity and was buried and forgotten for a long time. Buildings are barely standing and crashed. Roads broken and full of grass, moss and vines cover most of the walls, and the air shouts eerie and barren. It was the perfect portrayal of a forgotten city.

Hirayon was teleported in the middle of slanted glass buildings. Some were buried, while others still stood tall. Most windows were broken or covered by leafy vines, but with a glance, Hirayon could imagine how the buildings were if it was in their previous glory. He could tell it was a technologically advanced place, or at least when people inhabited it.

Although Hirayon was curious about what caused the city to be left in ruins, he dismissed everything, even being in awe. Instead, he looked for a place, a bedroom, or simply a safe place to rest.

He entered a slanted building not far from him and sprinted to look for stairs, but he couldn't find one. Not giving up, Hirayon looked for a way toward the second floor and found a hole in the ceiling just beside a wall. He then used the vines on the wall to climb up. Ignoring the debris and remains, he looked for a vacant room and luckily found one that looked like a clinic. On the far end corner beside the vine-covered glass window was a rusty old bed covered with dusty and moldy covers.

Hirayon walked toward it without hesitation and removed the blanket full of dust and mold. Even though the bed still looked dirty, Hirayon dismissed it as he was used to such a dirty and unhygienic environment. He used to live in a cave, after all.

Lying down, the bed squeaked and made a breaking sound. The child thought it would break, but when nothing happened after a few seconds, Hirayon closed his eyes and immediately drifted asleep. Forgetting about the game and the black subject and just succumbing to the sluggishness he was feeling.

"You got to be kidding me?" Savio muttered as he watched Hirayon with bewilderment. He observed the child earnestly from the moment he was teleported until Hirayon closed his eyes to sleep. He couldn't believe that Hirayon just laid down and slept like there was no game or time limit. He even thought the child was rebelling because of the experiment and had decided not to participate in the game.

'Is there a side effect? But that's impossible. I even gave him a healing substance, which should've brought him in good shape.'

"Why, what's wrong?" Trainer Ryper asked, and his eyes drifted to where the individual videos of the players were. He instantly realized where Savio was looking—Hirayon's video showing the child peacefully sleeping inside a room.

"Is he sleeping?" Ryper asked, amused at the situation.

Many kids have already been wandering in the city, frantically looking for anything black, yet one child was sleeping soundly without any care in the world.

"Why is he sleeping?" Ryper asked again with a chuckle.

"Who the hell knows." Savio refuted angrily and glared at the video. He was also ransacking his brain for a reason, and the only plausible explanation was the new element caused this.

He wanted to check Hirayon's body and scan it for any irregularities, but that was impossible through the screen. He could only do that after the game, but he was sure earlier that Hirayon was fine. Still, he listed possible reasons for now and did not remove his sight from Hirayon's video. He was adamant to check anything amiss and intently watched even though Hirayon only slept.

At the same time, Hirayon's benefactor, Aurelius, looked at the screen with confusion and a clear, displeased frown. The temperature in the room was dropping every second, and no one dared even to make the slightest sound. His servant and middle-aged secretary kept quiet, trying not to upset him more.

"Why is he sleeping?" Aurelius asked, his voice deeper compared to his usual tone.

"I- I don't have any idea, my lord."

"Contact his trainer immediately. Do it now!" he roared, and his secretary immediately ran out of the room, leaving the poor servant trembling from the Aura Pressure Aurelius was unconsciously emitting. He dared not look up and kept his eyes on the white floor.

In a similar situation, those who had watched Hirayon in his previous game were also confused. Some think he was confident; that was why he was sleeping first, but some also got annoyed that Hirayon did not take the game seriously, especially for those who had given their votes to the child.

"Host! Why is OWS59 sleeping?"

"Was he really sleeping?"

"What happened? Was there something that made him sleep?"

Bugged by constant remarks from the audience, Tedie expressed his thoughts.

"I also wish I knew why he was sleeping, but we had to admit, the games are becoming interesting because of player OWS59, aren't they? This makes me wonder what odd thing he will do later that could help him turn the game around. What do you guys think?" Tedie commented and even floated towards the audience, pointing his microphone to oddities who gave him different responses. Some have clearly put their hopes on the child and kept being positive about the situation, but most are mad and were questioning Hirayon's actions.

"For now, let's move on to other contestants. It looks like OIZ54 has already secured two black objects. It's a broken smartphone and a black drinking cup. Do you think one of these is the Black Myth? I'm excited to know!"

After thirty minutes, almost all children possess at least one black object. The only exception was Hirayon, who was still sleeping inside a room.

R E H I L I Y A