"Here it goes, my inconspicuousness..." Luca's thoughts danced fast, but the casual smile never fell off of his face. It was as if he hadn't noticed the hidden malice and wariness pointed at him.

He didn't think of himself as a leader. And he felt most comfortable being alone, scheming behind the scenes, or supporting from the rear. Even when playing MMO games while alive, he was always going for classes such as mage or a thief. However, when it came to his survival, he couldn't and wouldn't leave it in the hands of strangers.

Right now, he believed that there were two best choices for him to survive - unite all players or find a strong teammate and brave the forest for 5 days. Both of these options didn't include smothering.

"And why would that be?" Brendon's voice didn't contain even a speck of the previous pretend-friendliness. Lawrence was the slowest to join, and now he had the nerve to oppose them!

"Eh?" Luca's eyes were questioning, and his body trembled from the surprise. "Haha, I am just stating my opinion..." after a second of silence, he added, "As you said, the Jungle is too dangerous! Isn't it best for us all to join hands and survive? Do you really think you can finish off the other team smoothly?"

Seeing that no one was interrupting him, Luca's smile deepened as he elaborated, "We don't know their strength. And we can't surprise-attack them either. Unless all of the blue players are stupid, they can manage their Trackers as a team and check our positions at least once per hour. They will see us approaching long before we are close enough to catch them off guard."

With a harrumph, Brendon cleared his throat. His cold eyes returned to normal, but it was clear he was still unhappy with the cheeky newcomer. His gaze darting toward the flirty blonde lady before opening his mouth, "I see your point. However, you came late and obviously haven't experienced the true horror of this game yet." Licking his dry lips hidden beneath the bushy mustache, he stared down Luca stating with certainty, "We can't survive here for 5 days. Even if we group with the others, who we can't trust...Besides, gaining numbers won't be beneficial to us in the long term. It is already clear that finding food and water will be difficult. Yet, the more people we have, the more resources we will need to sustain the group. Similarly, a big group of players is more likely to attract the attention of hunters--"

"This depends on how we organize ourselves and how we utilize our strengths and knowledge." Luca's interruption earned him a glare. Annie was the only one with a thoughtful expression, but she still chose to remain silent.

"Look, dude," Harry's voice was hoarse because of his dry throat. "You know that one teammate died. Brendon was there and saw him being ripped apart by a giant leopard. I am sure I can deal with a human, but my knife will be useless against a true predator's teeth and claws. Are you stronger, faster, or can you perhaps hide from it? If no, then shut up and listen when the more experienced people are talking." Raf next to him just nodded his head silently.

At these words, Luca slightly narrowed his eyes. He wanted to express that the toothless and clawless could use wisdom and tools. But, before he could speak, Nadine laughed from the side. Her voice was sweet and melodious.

"Handsome man, who said we are going to fight them blindly." Nadine's alluring lips curved up, but her eyes remained cold, " We will join them as friends and stab them in the back. Furthermore, we already have the advantage as there are only 5 of them left."

In the past seven hours, the blue team lost two people while the yellow team lost only one. Even if they didn't know the exact strength of their opponents, they still had the advantage in numbers.

Noticing the resolution in these people's eyes, Luca indiscernibly shook his head. It was evident that the fear toward this environment had blinded them, stripping the last remnants of reason they had. This wasn't a matter of intelligence. Being smart and having firm determination couldn't always equal staying calm and finding the best solution to a problem. The only one who still had some sanity left was Annie, but she obviously wouldn't go that far and support him. And Luca alone was unlikely to change their minds, just accumulating their ire.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Currently, he couldn't afford to get stabbed in his sleep, nor could he skip the 3 hours of mandatory rest. Therefore he chose to take a step back. Shrugging his shoulders, he answered, " If that is what the majority wants, I shall oblige. Anyway, I was just speaking my thoughts." With his understanding, the tense atmosphere gradually returned to normal. None of these people were stupid, and everyone knew that fighting inside the team would bring no benefits.

"Ok, now that we have decided, first, we need to survive and welcome the morning. In less than 5 hours, it will be nighttime. Before that, I suggest we find water and make a shelter. Tomorrow morning we go south where the blue guys are located." Brendon clapped his hands to regain everyone's attention before giving some orders to each and every one of them.

To accomplish all tasks efficiently the team was split into groups - Luca and the short-haired Annie; Brendon and Nadine; and the muscle duo Raf and Harry. As, quenching their thirst was the top priority for the moment, the first two groups were both responsible for finding water. While the two men had to try their hands at crafting the night-defense shelter.

If the members managed to finish their tasks fast, they could use the rest of the time to sleep and prepare for the long night. It was best if most of them were ready to spend the whole night guarding their make-shift camp.

Actually, there were more chores one should take into account when braving the wild. For example, lighting a fire or hunting. However, in this damp environment it was impossible to secure dry wood or other easily ignitable materials. Thus the whole team decided to give up on it and concentrate their efforts on the activities they could manage. Similarly, finding food was important, but for now, they could only give it a try and not force it. According to the rules, the players wouldn't die from hunger for 48 hours. If they couldn't find food right now, they could postpone it. Hopefully, tomorrow's trip would yield some fruits or easily targeted animals.

At the same time, a distance away to the south, a tall fit man with cut features and deep black eyes was silently gazing north. He was dressed in a camouflage military uniform and tall combat boots. Leaning calmly on a tree, he had the air of an immovable fortress.

A few seconds later, he turned his gaze back to the four other humans huddled a few meters away. They were discussing the specifics for tomorrow's regrouping with the other challengers. Now that their number was reduced to five, they didn't have confidence in surviving this trial alone. And yet, most of their conversations were revolving around sneak attacks and Trojan-horse tactics. None of them had any intention to happily hold hands and stay five days in this Jungle.

Looking at this scene, the man clicked his tongue. "Like a bunch of rats," he thought, disappointment flashing over his face. He was sick of such boring people - selfish, weak, and ignorant. He found their naivety pitiful. Yes, perhaps, they could over-power the other team, but what would be the price? Did they believe that they won't sustain casualties in the process? How many of them would survive in the end?

With his back leaning against the damp bark, he snickered. The smothering path seemed like an enticing shortcut. It was even more so after the players experienced some struggles and witnessed the death of a few colleagues. However, how could the game be so simple!

When they first entered this challenge, everyone was scattered and needed at least a few hours before managing to regroup with their team. Why was that so? It was clearly to scare the players silly by forcing them to face the Jungle alone. After that, the idea of spending 5 full days here would be terrifying enough to push them toward the smothering path.

Not only that, but both teams were located quite far away from each other. This was so that the teams could not meet too soon. Both sides would have to experience the night while still exhausted from their track and before managing to collect the maximum number of players. If his speculation was correct, tonight, the teams would face some adversities. Perhaps, leading to a few more deaths.

Then in such a state with reduced numbers, the players would be fully convinced that the only way left was to kill. Killing a few humans was certainly easier compared to braving the unknown dangers for five days. The Tracker made it simple to find your opponents, while the Scout could be used to sell false information. Maybe they could trick a few people by sending them toward a dangerous area marked as prosperous. Finally, finishing off the rest would be a child's game.

Nevertheless, he didn't believe that this path was the correct choice.

First, both sides should be similar when it came to their strength. Most of these people had no fighting skills prior, and they had cleared only two challenges earning a limited number of trump cards. The confrontation they planned would lead to a mutual annihilation, with just a few injured survivors at best.

Second, it was unlikely for the Jungle's inhabitants to patiently wait for them to finish their brawl. The rules stated that the residents of this Rainforest would be indifferent or hostile. Would they initiate an attack when the challengers were tired and weak from infights?

Third, the smothering path itself was a trap.

"2) Smother - Annihilate the opponent's team.

All challengers from the victorious team, who participate in the smothering of the weeds and survive..."

There were two keywords - annihilate and participate. Annihilating meant that even if a single person from the opposing team survived, the challengers could not complete the smothering. Similarly, participation probably referred to getting the kill. It was likely that only people who dealt a finishing blow would be accountable as real smotherers. Of course, this point was only his speculation. He couldn't be sure until one team annihilated the other. Finally,...

"This 1 hour after getting the Nature's Embrace," the man's deep voice was muffled, and it didn't garner anyone's attention. He wasn't absolutely sure what this implied, but he had a bad feeling. His intuition had saved him countless times before, and this time wouldn't be any different. Even if he could easily defeat these noobs, he still chose to believe in his hunch and not go for the smothering path.

"The Empress wouldn't want to see an easy game. She desires a thrilling adventure," muttering this, the man slipped away between the shadows. He couldn't rely on this bunch of incompetent fools. In the next few hours, he had to sleep and prepare for the upcoming nightfall.