The forest was eerily quiet, the night air thick with tension. The flames from the GM Boss’s earlier rampage still flickered in the distance, casting long, twisting shadows across the charred landscape. Amidst this desolation, Kurogiri moved with a predator’s grace, his twin daggers gleaming ominously in the dim light. The last remnants of his group were on edge, their eyes darting around as if expecting death to strike at any moment.
A swordsman, trembling in fear and disbelief, confronted Kurogiri. "What are you doing?! Why?!"
Kurogiri’s smile was cold and calculated, his eyes glinting with malice. "Just as I suspected, there’s no punishment for PK."
A warrior, standing a short distance away, shouted back, desperation in his voice. "That’s a lie! The GM was clear about that—you’ll be eliminated!"
Kurogiri began to approach the warrior, his movements slow and deliberate, each step measured to induce maximum dread. "Eliminated? I think the GM was very clear… it’s only against the rules if he sees it."
He was close now, almost within striking distance. In a flash, Kurogiri moved, slicing the warrior’s neck with surgical precision as he passed by. The warrior spun around, trying to catch his assailant, but Kurogiri was already behind him, striking again—this time with several quick, disabling cuts. The warrior’s health bar depleted rapidly, and before he could react, he was teleported out of the game, his avatar dissolving into light.
Kurogiri didn’t bother hiding his contempt. "Don’t worry, you’re not the first, and you certainly won’t be the last. Now, could you just disappear quickly? I have other participants to eliminate."
Enraged, the remaining swordsman roared, "You bastard traitor!" He charged at Kurogiri, his sword raised to strike. But before he could close the distance, three gunshots echoed through the forest. The swordsman staggered, his momentum faltering as bullets from Nagareboshi’s rifle found their mark. Kurogiri turned and delivered a final, decisive slash, causing the swordsman to vanish, teleported out of the event.
Now only the warrior remained, and he quickly found himself surrounded by Kurogiri and Nagareboshi.
The warrior raised his shield, blocking the onslaught of bullets and deflecting Kurogiri’s daggers with well-practiced movements. Kurogiri and Nagareboshi paused, a silent understanding passing between them as they sheathed their weapons.
"Giving up already?" the warrior taunted, emboldened by his successful defense. "I won’t show you any mercy!"
With a wicked grin, Kurogiri remained perfectly still as the warrior slashed across his chest. The attack connected, but no visible damage was done—just a slight drop in Kurogiri’s health bar, which he ignored completely.
"Bye bye," Kurogiri said with a malicious smile, waving mockingly at the warrior. "Cheer for me in the city."
The warrior’s confidence shattered as he instinctively glanced over his shoulder. There, emerging from the darkness, was the GM Boss, having witnessed the attack. The GM Boss raised two fingers, pointing them at the warrior before gesturing upward. In an instant, the warrior was teleported away, eliminated from the event.
"Run!" Kurogiri shouted, and he and Nagareboshi bolted into the forest, vanishing into the shadows as the GM Boss began to cast another spell.
The once-great forest was now ablaze, with the flames forcing players from their hiding spots. The fire was steadily consuming the available space, creating a gauntlet of flames that pushed players closer to the center of the map.
----------------------------------------
Back at the edge of the forest city, the remaining players were clustered near the only exit, desperately counting down the seconds until the area became unsafe.
"Is that… is that the GM?" one of the mages stammered, pointing toward the distant figure of the GM Boss.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
The crowd collectively turned to see the GM Boss approaching, his staff crackling with dark energy.
An assassin in the group quickly assessed the situation. "Just scatter. He can’t chase all of us at once… It’s every man for himself now."
A nearby warrior, gripping his shield tightly, protested. "Hey! That’s not fair—I don’t have any mobility skills. If we work together, we can take him down!"
The assassin sneered. "That’s not my problem. Good luck to whoever wants to fight that thing."
As the GM Boss neared, he stopped and plunged his staff into the ground. With a dramatic motion, he raised it, creating a narrow corridor that blocked off the city’s sides, leaving only one way out—through him. Behind the GM Boss, a dark throne materialized, and he casually seated himself, waiting for the safe zone to expire.
"What the hell? That’s cheating!" the assassin yelled, his earlier confidence wavering.
"Calm down!" a hunter urged. "We’ll all go at once. He can’t stop all of us at the same time."
The assassin gritted his teeth. "There’s no other choice. We’ll have to fight."
The warrior from earlier couldn’t help but shoot a glare at the assassin. "Now you want to fight? I thought it was every man for himself."
"That was before…" the assassin muttered, frustration evident in his voice.
The safe zone finally expired, and the mass of players surged forward, charging at the GM Boss. The Boss rose from his throne with a casual grace, pointing his staff at the oncoming horde. A massive ice spike began to form, rapidly growing until it almost filled the entire corridor, forcing the lead warrior to drop his shield and sword in sheer disbelief.
"This is so broken…" the warrior muttered, staring in horror as the ice spike rushed toward him.
----------------------------------------
In the northern part of the forest, Hayato remained perched on his branch, watching the chaos from a distance. A notification appeared on his screen: 30 players remaining.
"It’s going faster than I expected," Hayato noted, his voice tinged with boredom. He had spent the last hour patiently waiting, his position perfect for observing without being detected. Every movement of the other players, every tactical decision they made, was carefully analyzed and stored away for future use.
Time passed slowly. Another notification popped up: 20 players remaining.
Hayato sighed, shifting restlessly on the branch. "Ugh… now it’s dragging on."
He had been playing cautiously, biding his time. I know this is a cowardly strategy, but I just need to win… Hayato thought, his mind a whirl of conflicting emotions. Who am I kidding? I want to fight…
----------------------------------------
Elsewhere in the forest, a mage crouched behind a bush, nervously watching the GM Boss as he unleashed random fire spells across the area. The mage’s heart raced as he struggled to stay hidden, but suddenly, a hard shove from behind sent him sprawling into the open.
The GM Boss immediately noticed the movement and launched a barrage of fireballs, obliterating the mage before returning to his patrol.
Kurogiri, who had been the one to push the mage, smirked. "One less."
Not far away, TAKASH1, the top-ranked player, witnessed the scene and frowned in disgust. He watched as Kurogiri continued through the forest, but suddenly, TAKASH1 blocked his path, glaring at him with fury.
Kurogiri’s expression shifted to one of feigned innocence. "How can I assist the mighty top-ranked player?"
TAKASH1 didn’t respond, his silence conveying a deadly intent as an ominous aura surrounded him.
Kurogiri raised his hands in a show of surrender, his voice smooth and conciliatory. "Come on now, conflicts like this are pointless, especially in a situation like this. Why don’t we work together to overcome this challenge?"
He extended his hand toward TAKASH1, who remained motionless, his expression hardening.
"Like you ‘helped’ that mage just now?" TAKASH1 finally spoke, his voice cold.
Kurogiri chuckled, though his eyes remained sharp. "Ah, you saw that… What a shame… Was he a friend of yours?"
"No," TAKASH1 replied curtly.
Kurogiri’s smile widened. "I see, I see. So you’re one of those types… the kind I hate the most."
Without warning, Kurogiri flicked his wrists, sending two daggers hurtling toward TAKASH1 in quick succession. TAKASH1 deftly dodged the first and blocked the second with his shield, then charged forward, ready to strike. But before he could close the distance, Nagareboshi emerged from the shadows, flanking TAKASH1 and firing her rifle. Kurogiri noticed the maneuver and moved in sync, aiming to strike in tandem with her shot.
At the last moment, TAKASH1 raised his shield, blocking the bullet and twisting his body to parry a dagger aimed at his neck. The second dagger glanced off his armor as he prepared to counterattack. TAKASH1 then lunged at Kurogiri, who narrowly avoided the blow by leaping backward. The ricocheted bullet struck the branch where Hayato was perched, snapping it.
Hayato landed on the ground, perfectly balanced, his expression a mix of irritation and readiness. The sudden appearance of a new contender caught the attention of all three combatants, who turned to face him.
The air was thick with tension as Hayato’s eyes met those of TAKASH1, Kurogiri, and Nagareboshi. For a brief moment, the only sound was the crackling of distant flames as the forest continued to burn. Then, slowly, the corners of Hayato’s lips curled into a smile—he had been hiding long enough.