Chapter – 19
‘Technically it’s 2 hours and 1 minute.’
But does one extra minute really matter after 120 minutes?
[Constellation Furnace of the Universe lets out a sigh.]
[Constellation Sage Who Calls Death questions the judgment of his incarnation.]
Indirect messages from the constellations kept pouring down on me.
Even my own constellation…
– BreadMuk (mukxxx): Wendy being twice as weak as Eden… it’s amazing she can even walk.
ㄴ Tina (lulxxx): That’s why her punches are so weak and pathetic lol
– DopamineBest (dopxxx): She’s as fragile as a paper doll. Surprised she survived getting hit.
ㄴ FluffyTin (tinxxx): Our Wendy is weak and fragile, she needs protection.
They weren’t even being indirect. They were openly mocking me.
“……”
My teammates stared at me with stunned expressions after hearing my survival time.
“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not dead yet.”
I appreciate the concern, but I don’t need pity.
I forced myself to straighten my shoulders and smile.
“I’m going to survive. So you don’t need to look at me like that.”
“Th-that’s right. I’ll stay and support you too.”
“Yeah. I’ll protect you until the end.”
“That’s right! Big sis isn’t going to die. Never!”
I wasn’t going to die in a place like this.
So what if I only have about one extra hour compared to others?
What about it?
I just need to hide better.
Damn constellations… I’ll survive and crush your pride.
[All participants have entered.]
[First Gate: Forest of Evil Spirits begins.]
At the same time as my resolve, a notification appeared.
An ominous, chilling fog began spreading throughout the forest.
This was the brutal starting point of survival—the Forest of Evil Spirits.
Despite its name, the Forest of Evil Spirits was eerily quiet.
Desolate. Silent.
Even the sound of birds was absent. Only dark fog filled the woods.
[Stealth: Forest Fog is active.]
[While active, rulers’ vision is narrowed and evil spirits’ presence is reduced.]
Unlike evil spirits who could only run and not attack, the rulers had overwhelming advantages.
This fog was a device to increase the survival rate of evil spirits.
Their only lifeline.
Of course, the fog could be removed.
Artifacts with various effects were scattered throughout the forest.
Some could remove the fog temporarily.
So we had to use this early advantage before such artifacts were found.
Also, since our team arrived last, the game must have just started.
‘Early on, people usually hesitate to kill other survivors…’
If we were lucky, even if we met a ruler face-to-face, we might not die immediately.
Because deep down, everyone still recognized each other as human.
As we walked quietly to avoid other teams—
“Ah!”
Lyria tripped over a protruding stone and staggered.
Just as she was about to fall—
“Careful.”
Eden grabbed her arm.
“No matter how thick the fog is, it doesn’t block sound.”
Lyria’s face flushed slightly.
“…Okay.”
Maybe she felt embarrassed receiving help from someone she’d been arguing with.
After a moment of hesitation, Eden pulled her wrist toward him.
“Just hold my hand.”
“What? Why would I hold your hand?”
Lyria froze at his shocking solution.
“If you don’t want to, then fall again and get eaten by a ruler.”
“……”
“Actually, not just you. Everyone here would get eaten.”
Eden opened his mouth wide and made a monster face.
“Rawr.”
Lyria stared at him silently, then sighed.
“Just this once.”
Apparently she didn’t like that alternative.
She reluctantly held out her hand.
The two walked holding hands awkwardly while looking in different directions.
“Can you move a little farther away?”
“You first.”
Despite their bickering, they didn’t let go.
Watching them, I smiled softly.
We had resolved a small issue, and I was about to start walking again when—
Rustle.
A faint sound came from nearby bushes.
Too deliberate to be wind.
Too large to be a small animal.
“Shh.”
Yeriel, who was leading, stopped.
“You all heard that, right?”
Unlike his usual self, his face was tense.
Our luck really was terrible.
Meeting someone right after the game started in such a huge forest…
“We need to run—”
I was just about to tell everyone to scatter when—
“Don’t worry.”
Eden covered my mouth mid-sentence.
Purple flames were burning in his eyes.
“They seem to be in the same situation as us.”
At that moment, two figures slowly emerged from the bushes.
A boy and a girl.
Black hair. Purple eyes. Doll-like features.
They looked like mirror images of each other.
“Ah, you!”
Yeriel brightened when he saw them.
“Mister!”
The boy also dropped his guard and greeted him happily.
“You’re alive, kind mister.”
Did they know each other?
Now that I thought about it, the boy did look familiar.
“Haha, I’m glad you look well, Sylvester. These are my companions—Lyria, Eden, and Wendy.”
Following the introductions, their eyes moved one by one until they landed on me.
Ah, I remembered.
When I was searching for teammates, this boy had been with Yeriel and Zenon.
He had said he found his twin sister and left with her.
So that must be her.
“You must be Yeriel.”
The girl stepped forward shyly and bowed.
“I’m Celestine, Sylvester’s sister. I’ve heard a lot about you… thank you for helping him.”
“That’s right. If it weren’t for you, we might’ve been forced into a team with strange people.”
‘Not sure this team is much different…’
The boy muttered bitterly.
Seems Yeriel helped them out of some bad situation.
Saving them from unwanted teammates…
“Yeriel, are you good at throwing stones?”
“Pardon?”
“You know, like hitting someone’s head from far away!”
I mimed throwing a stone.
He looked at me like I was strange.
Hmm. Guess not.
With his personality, he didn’t seem like someone who’d hurt others.
Then who threw that stone back then?
“I’m Celestine, Sylvester’s sister.”
She formally introduced herself.
“It’s an honor to meet our benefactor and his companions.”
“Ahaha… I was just there. The one who really helped was Zenon.”
Yeriel awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
‘Oh?’
Zenon helped someone?
That selfish guy who looked like he didn’t even know the word “help.”
‘Unexpected.’
“By the way, where is that scary mister? Are these people his teammates?”
Sylvester asked curiously.
“Ah, well…”
Yeriel glanced at me as if asking permission.
I shook my head.
Normally I’d agree.
But right now, even chatting was a luxury.
‘Sorry to them, but we don’t have time.’
“Given the situation, maybe we should talk while moving?”
Fortunately, Yeriel understood and led the group forward.
Still, it was fortunate our first encounter was fellow evil spirits like us.
If they were rulers, we would have scattered already.
“Zenon left earlier. He’s probably somewhere in this forest…”
Yeriel suddenly stopped walking.
“Oh right. Where are your other teammates, Sylvester?”
I also suddenly realized something.
‘Come to think of it… why are only the two of them here?’
Had their teammates already been wiped out?
I hoped not.
Yeriel seemed to think the same and asked carefully:
“Did something bad happen…?”
The twins’ expressions darkened immediately.
“Well… we’ll explain once we reach somewhere safe.”
From their expressions, it was clear something serious had happened.
