CHAPTER 48

"Fight!"

"Fight!"

"Fight!"

'This is it. I wish I could watch those kids' benefactors. I want to see their reaction when their candidates lose.'

Tedie was in bliss. Imagining how entertaining it was to watch the benefactor see their candidate's fight was making his hosting blood boil with excitement.

Regrettably for him, the members of the Familia remained exceedingly reticent, even when watching the games. It's a shame, as he knew they were all proud oddities who loathe losing to the point they would rather cough blood than concede a loss. There's simply no word in their vocabulary that will make them lose face and be the center of other members' entertainment, especially the big shots.

The Familia was an Organization of wealthy, distinguished oddities in the entire Diwana. And like any other organization, there is also a clear hierarchy. Everyone has their own standing, and as proud people, they desired to sit on the throne that would let them be the best—to be the governor who would rule them all.

The Torneo was done as a means to fight for it in equal standing, but there were still people who were always a step behind, and those were the most hungry for the win. It was the big shots—five Familia members who had built their foundation for years and stretched their influence within the entire Facility to snatch the leader's position someday.

And the day is nearing. If Tedie's suspicions are correct, this batch, or rather, this competition, will be the most crucial with all the five hungry beasts on the move. They chose capable candidates and would raise them with the most of their support. Making them stronger with experiments to become the best tool, a stepping stone that will lead them to the seat that they've always desired.

'Well, at least I could still watch an entertaining fight,' Tedie thought as he listened to the echoing chant of the audience.

On the large screen, the three children were in a heated atmosphere, unaware of the loud, excited cheers of the people watching them.

Hirayon momentarily felt surprised but regained his usual expression when he realized nothing was wrong with what OLN103 had said.

Every participant shares a common aspiration: to reclaim their freedom and return to a life devoid of perilous experiments and life-threatening games. Likewise, he, too, is playing the games to get back to the water territory where his father was.

"Me too. I will do my best to win," Hirayon stated.

The two looked at Hirayon, and Hirang agreed. "And I, as well. But we still don't want to fight."

"Don't you want a faster win?" The little girl inquired, her tone tinged with evident irritation. Their constant rejection was starting to get her. She couldn't fathom why the pair remained resolute in their reluctance to fight her.

"I do, but I don't want to do anything unnecessary," Hirayon answered.

"It is necessary. One day, you'll end up fighting other children."

"Then I will wait for that day," Hirayon insisted. Not backing down in front of the little girl's fiery gaze.

But OLN103 was as stubborn as him. "I will make that day today."

She raised her right leg, preparing for a swift, low kick aimed at Hirayon's head.

Seeing the quick attack, Hirayon used his arm to block the strike, exerting enough force to unbalance the little girl. He could've easily evaded the kick, but Hirang was beside him, and he would receive the blow if he dodged.

Realizing the situation, Hirang stood up and readied to attack OLN103, who stepped back, steadying herself to unleash her ability.

All three were waiting for the right moment to move, only to be stopped by an alarm-sounding bell that indicated an announcement. This time, it revealed the top ten children possessing the most Monster Cores.

1 OEM129 - 17

2 OMA38 - 15

3 ODE152 - 15

4 OWS59 - 13

5 OLN103 - 11

6 OID76 - 11

7 OLU94 - 11

8 OSZ61 - 9

9 OAR48 - 7

10 OFF134 - 7

Thirty seconds passed, and the hologram disappeared, leaving an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air as the three continued to eye each other, waiting for the one who would make the slightest move.

"You two have quite a lot of Monster Cores."

"You as well, though I expected to see more when your clothes look like that," Hirang remarked with his eyes, taking in the messy, horrific state of the girl's clothes. Her garments appeared saturated with blood, a quantity that seemed excessive unless she had sustained a significant wound. Even he and Hirayon bore only a few splashes, far from being soaked. It strongly suggested that the little girl sadistically engaged with monsters, butchering them up before they disappeared.

"Yeah, I, unfortunately, met feeble ones who had yet to kill monsters," she said, her tone dripping with disdain as she mocked the children she had slain.

"Did you kill them?" Hirayon asked, sounding more like an astonished statement rather than a question.

"Yeah, of course. Even if those cowards have nothing with them, I need to lessen the competition, right?"

"That's... cruel," Hirayon expressed, his eyes looking dark.

"Is that so? Should I have spared them?" she mused, her tone full of indifference. "Perhaps, if you fight me and I get enough Monster Cores, I won't give a second thought to other children."

"Of course you will." Hirang sarcastically remarked.

OLN103 shrugged nonchalantly. "Who knows? I can do what I want. So... let's just fight."

The little girl stepped toward Hirayon and brandished a gleaming long sword that suddenly materialized with an abrupt flash. The bright sword was made of coursing electric currents, casting an immediate light on the dim cave they were in. Its buzzing hum echoed in the space, almost electrocuting their hearing with its electrifying sound.

With her two hands holding the electric sword, OLN103 swung it toward Hirayon, directing her strike at his neck, but the latter nimbly ducked. Hirayon swiftly delivered a kick on the little girl's abdomen, creating a distance, and threw a water orb. With a slash, the orb exploded, showering the ground with a splash.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

'It didn't do anything...'

Hirayon felt troubled as his Water Orb was not strong enough to fight electricity. He even questioned if it did anything, but he calmed down and stepped a few steps back, distancing himself as far as he could.

During his training, Hirayon focused on his abilities, primarily long-ranged attacks, so he prioritized getting away from the sword's reach.

OLN103 advanced toward Hirayon but was halted by a shroud of pitch-black smoke made out of darkness itself. The young girl froze before making contact with the smoke, her danger sense ringing on high alert. Yet, the darkness seemed to possess a mind of its own.

Without giving the girl time to react, the sinister smoke moved forward, enveloping OLN103 from the waist down. She tried to slash the smoke using her electric sword, but it was like cutting into a simple cloud of smoke – utterly futile. In a blink, the shadowy haze reclaimed her feet and legs.

Though it looked harmless, akin to regular smoke, she could feel something pulling her body as if wanting to drag her down, like gravity focusing all its force on her tiny body. Its weight began subtly, but she could feel the pull getting stronger every second passed by.

Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead as she felt doom looming over her in the form of smoke. Her thoughts raced back to the memory of what had happened before, and desperation clawed her mind as she miserably sought an escape. For she knew that this time, if she let herself get devoured by the darkness, her soul would be trapped forever.

OLN103 frantically squirmed in hopes of getting away, but the darkness didn't budge, so she looked for the source.

Her head scanned the cave, ultimately locking onto the lifeless eyes of the perpetrator. Gazing at her with a frigid stare, Hirang's orbs harbored anger and resentment, which bewildered the little girl.

'I should be the one angry!'

"Let me go!" she yelled while struggling out of the dark hold.

"You never learn, huh." Hirang crossed his arms and stepped toward the girl, his expression dead and dark as the darkness element that he wields.

"I don't want to die!" OLN103 shouted in a shaky voice drenched with a desperate plea. Gone was her proud self, and it was replaced with a pitiful look that matched her features. If other people saw her, their hearts would have undoubtedly been stirred with overwhelming sympathy.

But unfortunately for her, Hirang didn't have a heart. What's more, he could see through OLN103 and knew that it was all an act performed by a professional manipulator.

"And yet you continue to kill. How does it feel to be in your victim's shoes?" He mocked and gleefully watched as the dark smoke slowly traveled upward to her chest. She couldn't even retain her ability, and the electric sword disappeared once her hands became bound.

The little girl's body trembled, her expression shifting through a myriad of emotions every second before finally reverting to the proud look she had. Looking more enraged than ever. Even death could not erase her proud upbringing, remaining resolute and haughty despite the fear.

"Bullshit!" She furiously yelled, not understanding Hirang's point.

"Since you love killing, why don't you try to be killed? For experience?"

"Let me go, you street shit!"

"What a dirty mouth you have. Are you really a princess of a wealthy family?" He mocked, staring only at the little girl as if she was the only other person in the cave.

Hirang forgot about everything. The fact that they're in the game, the reason why OLN103 was bound, and who he was with. His entire focus was on making the little girl suffer until her last breath, a cruel scene for Hirayon, who, despite knowing Hirang's cold demeanor and strange aura, saw the boy as a thoughtful person with a righteous mind.

Hirang held out his hand, his palm facing up. With a sly smirk on his face, he maintained his unwavering gaze on OLN103. Slowly, he began to close his fingers, and the cloud of darkness that was holding the little girl's body rose up, now encircling her neck. With each passing moment, the force of the malevolent darkness grew more powerful, enveloping the child entirely like an obedient servant of its wielder. OLN103 was now devoid of sensation, her thoughts consumed by the agonizing discomfort coursing through her being.

Slowly, the darkness crept to her face, covering her mouth and hushing all her cries. Her red, pitiable eyes blurred with unshed tears, begging for salvation. But when her gaze went into the face of her enemy, she felt the remaining hope and life leaving her body altogether.

Hirang was cold. Emotionless. Indifferent. He doesn't care what will happen to the little girl, even if she drops dead. However, his callous resolve was destroyed by warm hands from the only kid that he deemed a friend.

Hirayon's hand clasped Hirang's arm; a rush of warmth coursed through him, and his emotions swelled up. It reminded him of who he was with and what Hirayon strongly believed.

"Don't kill her," Hirayon spoke. His words were brimming with finality, and his eyes reflected a strange determination.

Hirayon looked at Hirang with earnest eyes. Though his face remained uncaring, his eyes conveyed what he truly felt.

"Is that kindness or stupidity?" Hirang asked with a low tone, mirroring the dark look that he was trying to contain.

"What do you mean?"

Hirang let out an exasperated sigh. "He tried to kill you."

"She did, but I'm fine," Hirayon remarked, not comprehending the gravity of Hirang's concern.

"I don't understand you," Hirang mumbled.

"I just don't want to see a dead body."

Hirang took his time to think, and when he realized his action might cast a negative impression, he backed down. "Fine."

Hirang let her go and turned around.

Once the dark smoke vanished, OLN103 weakly fell on the floor, her hands clutching her chest, gasping for air. Her breath came in ragged, heavy gulps, and her eyes bore a vacant, dazed expression. She was already at the death's door. OLN103 couldn't fathom that a mere street rat had caused her to feel such fear.

Her eyes darted to the two children walking away from her, looking unbothered by her present state, a disheveled mess of bloodied garments and lingering trauma. A voice in her head continued to echo a refrain: 'Why? Why me?' she struggled to find an answer, but no words came to mind.

With questions flooding her brain, her dazed eyes focused, but her mind blanked out. The fear and experience of knocking on death froze her rational, and before she could even realize what she was about to do, her body acted on her will.

With a dazed, miserable look, she stood up, stepped forward, and stabbed her electric sword toward Hirayon. It was only inches away from his back when Hirayon's intuition kicked in, and there he knew he would be pierced by the sword.

Sensing something amiss, Hirang looked back only to see the little girl brandishing her sword. His widened eyes met Hirayon's calm orbs, and before he could wield the darkness, the ground shook.

Consecutive explosions erupted all over the labyrinth, and every player, including the three, struggled to remain balanced and stay on the ground.

Out of all the tremors that Hirayon had felt, this was the most excessive and earth-shattering, literally. And it saved his life.

With the girl's weakened state, she was easily thrown to the side, and her head collided with the wall.

The ground beneath them split and fractured, setting off a chain reaction of cracks across the floor.

Before he could even grasp the magnitude of the catastrophe they were facing, the rocks on the ceiling tumbled down, and the two boys stumbled to evade the stones on the unsteady, shaking ground beneath their feet.

However, that wasn't the end of it. Another explosion shook the entire labyrinth, surpassing the last in extent. Suddenly, a horde of monsters emerged from left and right, sprinting frantically and surging toward the two, leaving them no time to brace the onslaught.

Cornered and with no escape in sight, Hirang and Hirayon attempted to use their abilities, but their efforts were thwarted by yet another explosion, this time occurring nearby. They were subjected to the shockwave that followed, giving them a first-class experience with its devastating impact.

One of the cave walls broke, and what welcomed them was a surge of water looking for space to go.

In no time, everything was submerged, and Hirayon finally calmed down. Surrounded by cold water, he felt his mind clearing despite the unfavorable situation they were in. It's ironic as the water worsened the case for all but not for him.

Although the dim cave, now filled with water, became extremely dark, he looked for Hirang with his enhanced sight. He tried his best to look for him despite the rubble, but he couldn't see where he was. So Hirayon concentrated and focused on all the aura surrounding him.

With complete urgency, he swam where he felt Hirang's aura and eventually saw a kid with white hair being swept by the currents along with the rocks. His eyes were closed, and it looked like he had lost consciousness after the wall shattered.

Hirayon scanned his surroundings in an attempt to locate the young girl but met with no success. He wanted to give it more time, but he had to consider that, unlike himself, Hirang couldn't breathe underwater. He was sure that Hirang would drown in the few minutes that he wanted to take.

With a heavy heart burdened by the little girl, Hirayon swam quickly, utilizing the current to carry them. He didn't know where the waters would take them, and he paid no care whether they were moving farther away from the exit. The only thing on his mind was that Hirang needed air, or this water-filled labyrinth would become his grave.

R E H I L I Y A