The sun filtered through the canopy of the Verdant Demon Forest, casting gold-streaked shadows over blood-soaked roots. But its light felt hollow—like a smile before a knife.
Rael awoke beneath a crooked tree root, sword clutched tightly in his hand. The dream still clung to the edges of his mind: a woman in white, eyes soft with sorrow, her voice barely a whisper.
> "Live… even if I can't."
He exhaled slowly. That voice—warm, familiar, and unbearably distant.
But Rael didn't believe in love.
Not anymore.
Not when it got in the way of survival.
---
He stood without a word, moving through the forest like a phantom. Every footstep was measured, every breath calculated. He wasn't just surviving—he was hunting. His point total had soared to 1,500, the highest among the remaining contestants. Liana Vale of Class B had learned that too late. Her ambush beneath the moonlight had ended in silence and steel. Her body vanished like mist, devoured by the forest—or by something worse.
Now, only three remained:
Rael (Class C): 1,500 points
Eris (Class S): 800 points
Elaria (Class A): 500 points
Two days. One forest. One title.
---
Beneath a collapsed boulder, masked by illusion flames, Elaria crouched like a predator. His fingers twitched near the hilt of his crimson blade. Sweat dripped down his brow.
He knew he couldn't face Eris in open combat. Her ice magic was far too strong.
But he didn't need power.
He needed planning.
Elaria's trap—a grid of mana-drain runes—was etched into the ground around the clearing. It had cost him nearly half his energy to set it up, crafted from dungeon blueprints stolen from his family's secret archives.
Now, all he needed… was bait.
---
Eris stepped into the clearing, her boots crushing frostbitten leaves beneath her. Bruised and weary, she scanned the trees with sharp eyes. She'd battled frost spirits the previous day, and her mana was still recovering.
Her chest rose and fell with exhaustion, but her will burned brighter than ever.
> "I have to win," she murmured. "Not for the crown. Not for fame. For my family. For honor."
She took another step—and the air shifted.
Her pulse spiked. Something was wrong.
She raised her hand to summon an Ice Lance—but nothing came. Her mana didn't respond. Her core felt… empty.
> "What—?"
Too late.
Elaria emerged from the shadows, blade already swinging.
> "Sorry, Lady Eris," he sneered. "You're too dangerous to leave alive."
Eris threw her arms up defensively, powerless.
But before the strike landed—
Clang!
A flash of steel cut through the air. Sparks exploded.
Rael stood between them, his blade locked against Elaria's. His expression was unreadable—cold and still as a winter pond.
Eris gasped. "Rael?!"
He didn't look at her.
> "You were going to stab her while she couldn't fight back," he said quietly. "Coward's work."
Elaria scowled. "Why the hell would a Class C weakling protect her?!"
Rael tilted his head slightly. In truth, the answer was simple:
> Because she's still a useful piece on the board.
But he didn't say that. Instead, he offered Eris a glance over his shoulder and said with quiet intensity:
> "Because Eris is important to me."
Her eyes widened. A blush crept across her cheeks. For a moment, she forgot her pain.
> Important? To Rael?
Rael turned back. "Stay back," he ordered.
Eris didn't move. Her face flushed, her heart racing.
---
Elaria snarled and activated his sword art—Crimson Blade, a deadly barrage of flaming arcs that shredded the air with each strike.
But Rael didn't flinch.
He moved—not with desperation, but with elegance. His stance shifted.
> Echo of the Afterlife – Third Form: Phantom Step.
The world blurred. Fire sliced empty space. Steel rang against wind.
Rael vanished.
Eris's breath caught. She'd seen Rael fight before—but never like this. His movements were beyond flawless. He wasn't dodging. He was dancing between possibilities.
Then—he reappeared behind Elaria.
Blade at his neck.
> "You never saw it," Rael whispered. "The gap between us."
Slash.
A single cut. Precise. Final.
Elaria collapsed forward, coughing blood before vanishing into shimmering particles.
Defeated.
---
Rael exhaled once and turned to Eris. He offered her a hand—but not a smile.
> "Are you alright?"
Eris nodded, unable to find her voice. She stared at him, breathless.
> "Why?" she finally whispered. "Why save me?"
He met her gaze. His expression didn't soften.
> "Because you're my friend," he said. "And I don't like watching my friends die."
Her cheeks turned red. That word—friend—felt heavier than it should've.
> He cares about me. He's not like the others… He's kind. Honest. Maybe even… gentle.
She didn't know that behind Rael's mask, her life had already been weighed and measured.
> She's useful. A tool I can sharpen further. If protecting her keeps her loyal, then so be it.
Rael tossed her a small glowing shard.
> "Elaria's points. Take them."
She caught it instinctively. Her total rose to 1,300.
Rael still led with 1,500—but in Eris's heart, something had shifted.
He had saved her. Risked himself.
And his words, his actions—they whispered of something deeper.
> Maybe… he's truly an angel from heaven, she thought.
---
That night, the forest grew quiet.
The bodies of Liana and Elaria had vanished without a trace. The instructors said nothing. Their noble families offered no complaint. Weakness, after all, had no legacy.
On a high branch, Rael sat staring at the stars. Behind him, Eris leaned against a tree, glancing at him when she thought he wasn't looking.
Only one day remained.
And Rael wasn't thinking about winning.
His hand gripped his blade.
His mind drifted back—to the voice in his dream.
> Live… even if I can't.