Everyone was instantly transported onto the field.
The moment the participants touched the ground, they scattered, immediately searching for the flags. Some combed through shrubs and towering bushes within the forest biome. Others shoved aside massive, lichen-covered boulders in the frigid tundra to inspect what lay beneath. A few followed the thunderous roar of a rushing waterfall deep in the rainforest biome. Some sprinted across the endless grasslands, scanning the scattered rocks for a hidden flag. Others dug through the scorching desert sands, hoping to uncover one buried below.
The search continued.
Alfred, meanwhile, found himself landing in the Forest Region. He first surveyed his immediate surroundings before lifting his gaze to the sky. When he looked up, he saw the vast floating city of Aetherhall looming overhead, its towering structures and multi-tiered districts casting a shadow that blotted out the sun.
"The Rainforest should be to the east, if I remember correctly." Alfred smirked, sliding both hands into the pockets of his gray overcoat. "I can't wait to see how this game ends."
He broke into a run in the direction he was facing, laughing loudly. He sounded like a crazy man—so much so that even he felt embarrassed to admit it—but he chose to continue anyway.
After several minutes of moving through the vast, dense oak forest, Alfred finally slowed to a stop. He sat down on a large fallen tree, taking a brief rest after the sprint and the excessive energy he had wasted laughing nonstop. During those few minutes, he had not met a single participant. Though he didn't mind if he did meet another participant—so long as it wasn't a flag player.
As he prepared to head toward the next region, a sharp notification sound suddenly echoed from above in the floating city. Then the digital holographic board appeared across the sky, displaying the words:
RED FLAG HAS BEEN FOUND
Then it immediately updated again:
BLUE FLAG HAS BEEN FOUND
GREEN FLAG HAS BEEN FOUND
"They're pretty fast at finding it," Alfred muttered, his expression beginning to turn serious. "There's no time to lose."
He started running again, now much quicker and more agile.
It was around 112:24 on the timer when Alfred heard footsteps approaching from ahead. Without thinking, he immediately dashed behind a large tree—just in time for two participants to come into view.
The pair walked casually, engrossed in conversation. One had orange-brown hair and dark skin, wearing a red jacket, camo pants, and a green backpack. In his hand was a gladius with its handle wrapped in bandages. The other was light-skinned with green hair, dressed in a dark red polo and black jeans. A slightly torn bandana rested on his forehead, and he carried a sharp short sword.
As Alfred focused on their wrists, he noticed both wore green wristbands on their right arms. He then glanced down at his own wrist and saw a pale white band—something he hadn't even realized until now.
"Does this mean they're Team Green?" Alfred wondered to himself as the two participants moved out of range.
He waited a few more seconds before slowly rising to his feet. Brushing off his overcoat, he muttered, "Let's get going."
When suddenly—
"Hey!"
Alfred looked back and saw the two green team players behind him. The one with the orange-brown hair rested his hand lightly on his stomach, and the one with green hair held tightly the handle of his short sword that was rested on his right hip.
"Well, well, well… what do we have here?"
Alfred ignored the two and was about to slowly turn around when the green-haired participant quickly placed his sharp short sword against Alfred's neck, forcing him to return to his original position.
"Eh, eh, eh," the orange-brown-haired participant said with a smirk. "Not so fast, buddy," he continued.
"Hey, isn't this the guy claiming he'll save us all?"
The two began to laugh.
"Are you an idiot? You expect us to sacrifice ourselves just so you can win?" the green-haired one replied.
"Well, I did say—" Alfred was about to respond when the short sword was pressed against his neck again, forcing him to stop talking.
"You really think Gaundfel would actually play your game? You're obviously using it as a lie so your universe can win this tournament."
"Enough!" the orange-brown-haired one shouted. "Let's get this over with! Let's kill this guy already!"
"Alright, alright! Chill out, I get it, I get it. Just wait a moment, okay?" Alfred spoke as he slowly raised both his hands, then suddenly moved them behind his hair, out of the view of the two players.
"WHAT'S THAT?!"
Alfred swiftly pointed to his left. This caused the two players to look in that direction, trying to figure out what he was pointing at.
"What? Where?" one of them asked. But when they looked more closely, there was nothing—only the same trees, bushes, and vines, along with the constant sound of the breeze.
When the two finally turned their gaze back to Alfred, they were surprised to find that he was no longer there.
"That idiot tricked us!"
They began searching for Alfred, scanning from left to right. Their eyes swept across the trees, shrubs, and uneven ground until they finally noticed patches of footprints pressed into a dirt path leading toward a bush. The soil looked freshly disturbed, its loose grains still settling. A faint scent of damp earth lingered in the air, and the soft crunch beneath their boots was the only sound breaking the quiet tension.
Immediately, they rushed to follow the footprints, careful not to step on them and cause them to disappear.
Alfred, on the other hand, had just arrived at the border between the Forest and Rainforest regions. He was forced to a stop when he realized he hadn't anticipated that the path he had taken ended in a waterfall that dropped down into the next region. The roar of the cascading water thundered in his ears, drowning out subtler sounds, while a fine mist sprayed upward.
With no other choice, he planned to fall back and search for a different route when the two participants suddenly managed to catch up, blocking his way back and cutting off his retreat.
Got it! You want it phrased simply as "had an idea". Here's the updated version:
"Hey, you're back!" Alfred shouted, carrying a slight smug edge, clearly meant to irritate the two who were visibly fuming.
The two didn't seem to take his response very lightly and immediately drew their weapons, gripping them more tightly this time.
"No more running now!"
The two slowly approached Alfred, who was now stuck at the edge of the waterfall cliff, just inches away from falling.
Suddenly, a group of four—maybe five participants wearing blue wristbands—arrived at the scene. When they saw the two green participants, they stopped mid-step and quickly drew their weapons as well.
In the blink of an eye, one of them, holding a sword and shield, dashed forward and attacked with his shield, forcing the green-haired participant to block it with his short sword. The other green participant, who had been only a meter away from Alfred, began backing away from his teammate.
When suddenly, Alfred had an idea. He smiled and, in that moment, performed a salute, though he placed his hand slightly closer to his eyes than in a natural salute. Then, with the help of gravity, he suddenly jumped into the loud, roaring waterfall below.
His actions caused both teams to stop and stare at what had just happened, but eventually, they returned to fighting each other.
---
DESERT REGION
"Hurry up! Hurry up!" Prince Vinuya shouted at the participants crouching on the hot desert sand, digging with their hands.
"Boss, I don't think the violet flag is in here," one of the large men called, massaging his almost-red hand.
Prince Vinuya immediately glanced to his side at a young man digging relentlessly in the sand. He kept brushing sweat from his forehead, the hot climate beating down on him. Despite struggling, he continued as if determined to find the Violet Flag. It was none other than Robert.
Vinuya stared at Robert for a moment before his expression suddenly twisted into anger. He stormed toward Robert, kicking him hard in the back. Robert, caught off guard, stumbled to the ground.
"Don't mess with me!" Vinuya shouted at Robert. "We've been digging for hours! Don't make a fool out of me!"
"I swear the flag is in here!" Robert yelled, slowly rising to face him.
Vinuya paused, and his calm composure slowly returned. He glanced at the participants around him. "Continue digging," he said. "We can't waste time. That violet flag will be mine."
"Got it!" one of them shouted. The entire group immediately ran toward the man's direction. But Robert didn't look and continued digging in his own area.
As the group approached, they noticed a small stick-like object protruding from the sand. Excited, they dug faster, eager to claim the flag. But when the object was finally pulled free, it was just a stick—with a snake clinging to its end. The group screamed in shock and threw it away.
Vinuya, furious, struck the balding man who had claimed to find the Violet Flag. Anyone could tell the prince was growing more impatient by the minute. Realizing this, the group returned to their stations, now more passionate than ever, digging furiously without even wiping their sweat.
Minutes passed, and they were still unsuccessful. Vinuya said nothing, only glaring at the group with disappointment. He looked up at the holographic board above, showing the four flags already found: Red, Blue, Orange, and Green. A few seconds later, the Yellow Flag was added. Vinuya smirked and laughed, but the group just lowered their heads.
"Let's continue digging for another two minutes," Vinuya commanded.
The group immediately understood and returned to digging without hesitation.
Vinuya then looked at Robert and shouted, "Hey you dig quickly!" But Robert didn't seem to hear him—or perhaps he was deliberately ignoring him. Vinuya didn't seem to mind, as he didn't follow up on the ignored call.
Two minutes later, the group was again standing beside Vinuya, dusting off their hands and waiting for the next instruction.
"Alright, let's move out. This plan of Robert's is stupid," he said, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head back and forth in frustration.
The group slowly began packing up their weapons. One of them returned to the snake, still stuck to the stick, and sliced it in half before smiling and heading back. Meanwhile, Robert continued digging as if he hadn't heard Vinuya at all.
"Robert, let's go!" one of the group shouted. Robert ignored him and kept digging.
"Hey, come on already!" another shouted. Same result—Robert stayed focused, digging.
Frustrated by Robert's stubbornness, Vinuya commanded one of his men to hand him his weapon. The man slowly passed the sword to the prince, who grabbed it quickly, nearly cutting his own man's hand.
Vinuya sprinted toward Robert, sword in hand.
"Boss! What are you doing?" the sword's owner shouted, unable to stop the impatient prince.
The tension in the air grew heavy, the desert heat making it almost suffocating. Vinuya raised his sword, about to strike, when suddenly—
"I FOUND IT!" Robert shouted, his voice a mix of excitement and terror.
He looked back and locked eyes with the prince. His eyes were wide and had clear signs of tears, and his hands trembled with fear, as if he had been listening all this time and was scared that the prince might actually take his life.
"I found it," he whispered again, quieter this time, unable to make himself any louder.
Vinuya lowered his weapon and glanced at the spot Robert had been digging. It was floating just above the sand, revealing its deep amethyst glow, as bright as a fully ripened plum under the midday sun. And there it was—the one they had been looking for: the Violet Flag.