The return to the Colosseum was greeted by a silence so heavy it felt suffocating. On the massive scoreboard suspended above the arena, my name sat at the very top, glowing with a cold, indisputable light.
[Current Rank: 1st — Team Hunter: 535 Kills]
Lysandria stood frozen in the center of the hall, her eyes wide as she stared at the numbers that defied all royal logic. Beside her, the Prince was trembling, his face a contorted mask of rage.
"Damn it!" he roared, his voice cracking against the stone pillars. "That bastard… he made our hard work look like child's play! How can a nobody harvest five hundred souls in a single beat?"
Aeldir and their team leader—a man I didn't recognize—stepped forward to console the princess, whispering promises of crushing the "variable" in the next round. I walked past them without a glance. To me, their arrogance was just background noise in a much more dangerous frequency.
The War of Evernight had ended, and the system granted a period of rest. My team, now fully recovered and sharpened by a night of quiet preparation, stayed back to finalize our gear. I, however, had a debt of suspicion to pay.
I headed to the store interface first. I spent 500 of my 1,000 coins on a high-tier map of the next zone. I held the remaining 500; the skills currently for sale were flashy and hollow. I wouldn't waste my resources on "system-grade" trash when I knew the weight of what was coming.
At dawn, I returned to the Colosseum's spectator stands. I stood before a specific seat where I had sensed a hidden gaze during my previous fight. Closing my eyes, I performed a Reverse Draconic Mana Suppression. I forced my mana outward, using it like a sonar pulse to pull hidden traces from the stone.
The air shimmered. A faint, sickeningly familiar mana signature appeared on the seat. It was an exact match to my own—a trace of power that felt like a reflection in a dark mirror. Someone had been sitting here, watching me with a power that felt like it belonged to my own soul.
I vanished into the shadows of the corridor, hiding my presence and filling my eyes with mana to sharpen my sight. I waited.
Finally, a figure approached. They were wrapped in a heavy, simple winter cloak that covered them from head to toe, leaving only their eyes visible. My instincts flared—Blood Manipulator? Mind Weaver? I didn't wait for a sign. I lunged from the darkness, my blade aimed precisely at their throat.
I never reached them.
I hit the floor face-first, my momentum completely neutralized. I looked back—a small, unassuming herb had sprouted from the floor, wrapping around my ankle like a serpent of iron.
"May I know you?"
The figure lowered their hood. It was a blonde Forest Spirit with green eyes and a smile that seemed capable of healing the world—but to me, it felt like a winter frost.
"Not likely," I growled, my voice raspy as I struggled against the root. "Release me."
"Why try to assassinate me?" she asked softly, her curiosity feeling genuine and deadly at once.
"I was checking if you were the person I was looking for," I replied coldly. "Turns out, I was wrong."
She released the root, watching it wither back into the stone. "I am only here because a stranger told me to check if a hair had dropped here. They said it was important for tracking in the next round."
I scanned the floor. There was no hair. I looked toward the entry gates and the corridors; they were empty. It was a phantom lead. Someone had used this girl as a vessel to deliver a message: I can touch your team, and I can track you wherever you go.
I didn't give her my name. I turned and disappeared into the dark corridors, my mind racing. There was a Mastermind on the board—someone far more vigilant and calculating than any "Royal" prince.
When I reached my team, the blue mission screen flickered into existence, casting a cold, digital glow over our faces.
[ MISSION: THE CRYSTAL MINE ]
[ DIFFICULTY: NONE ]
[ TIME: 2 HOURS ]
"Difficulty: None?" Eron muttered, his hand tightening on his bowstring.
"Don't let it fool you," I said, my voice echoing in the quiet room. "If the system says there's no difficulty, it means the danger isn't something the system is capable of measuring. Stay sharp."
[ 30 Minutes until Force Teleportation. ]
The countdown began. We stood ready, but as the clock ticked down, I knew we weren't just entering a mine. We were entering a cage designed by someone who knew exactly how I breathed.