Brian instinctively dodged the strike and took three steps backward. He stared fearfully at the kid who had attacked him. The other children rushed toward him in coordinated movements, as if trained to kill. The sight genuinely terrified Brian.
Then a kick came flying toward one of the assailants, sending him sprawling. The girl dodged another strike aimed at her vitals. Brian barely saw it—her hands moved too fast—but the knife slashed across the boy's throat. With a twist, she ripped it open, blood gushing and splattering across her face. Brian and the two other kids in blue froze in awe.
The two boys immediately realized the girl was dangerous and well-trained. They needed to deal with the weak target first, so they focused on Brian. Understanding their thoughts, he took a step back, glanced at the girl, and then turned to run. There was no remorse in abandoning her; from the way she fought, it was clear she was stronger than him. The two boys gave chase.
The girl, on Brian's side, looked down at the twitching, lifeless body. She wiped the blood from her face and eyed the three who were distancing themselves. I need to lower the numbers, she thought, gripping her dagger tightly. Her legs bent, muscles taut and contracted, and she surged forward at high speed.
"Huff!" Brian realized how weak his body was. His stamina was pitiful. He cursed silently as he sensed incoming danger, dodging just in time while sliding and rolling away from a flying dagger. Another dagger whistled past his cheek, leaving a thin line of red as small droplets of blood trickled down. The danger was real—Brian could feel it in his bones. For the first time, he understood how children could become monsters.
The two boys circled him, moving cautiously, intending to attack simultaneously. But before they could strike, a sharp blade passed one of them. He looked behind and cursed, seeing his friend collapse with a dagger buried in his neck. Brian, kneeling on the floor, swallowed hard. That blade could have hit him.
The remaining boy roared and rushed at the girl with a punch. She dodged and leapt like a snake, her legs striking him off guard. She grabbed his throat and threw him down, dragging his arm with a sickening crack. The boy bit his lip, suppressing a scream—it could attract more attention. He stood, glaring furiously at her. The girl rolled, looking up with a smirk. In moments, she strangled him to death.
She stood and walked toward Brian, who immediately felt the tense aura of blood. He took a step back. She passed him, extracting her dagger from the other boy's neck, checking the bodies, and taking their supplies. Brian drew a deep breath and cautiously approached.
"Hi, my name is—" swoosh
Brian didn't realize what had happened. His body rotated in the air before landing with a thud. The girl climbed onto him, pressing a knife to his throat.
"The fact you're still alive is mainly because you're wearing the same color as me," she said coldly. "We don't have the right to kill a party member."
Brian remained silent, gulping at her glowing purple eyes.
"…Wait, you know the rules of the game?" he asked.
Her expression didn't change. "Hide and seek. What else do you need to understand about it?"
Brian's eyes twitched. "Yeah, the version I know doesn't involve knives and stabbing."
She stared into his eyes before standing up. "What's your name?"
Brian massaged his neck and looked up. "Brian," he said.
"Glory," she replied before walking away.
Brian didn't follow. An important rule in hide-and-seek was to always move alone. Seeing her go, he had no intention of tagging along—especially if she was crazy. Glory had the same thought. If Brian had tried to follow her, she would have killed him. Seeing him stay put, she simply walked away.
Brian looked around and picked another direction in the labyrinth, immediately running. He needed a place to hide.
DING.
Brian looked up as an announcement sounded.
Among the 2,375 infant participants, 456 had already met their demise. Brian felt bitter over the losses but couldn't afford compassion—he didn't want to end up on the kill count himself. The announcement continued: "Terrain changing—"
Brian slowed as walls shifted, doors appearing, and strange flying cubes hovered in the air. A sharp sound signaled a door opening, revealing a disturbing scene: five boys ganging up on a small child. She had a swollen face and a sharp gash on her waist but was still fighting back. Fury surged in Brian. Without thinking of his own safety, he rushed forward.
"Stop that!" he roared.
The attackers turned toward him—and the wounded child—all sharing the same thought: What is this idiot doing?
Meanwhile, Glory took advantage of the floating cubes to gain altitude, surveying the labyrinth. She spotted a group of blue preparing to ambush two red-clad boys searching for a hiding spot. She sharpened her blade, ready to strike again.