Leo didn’t hesitate.
The moment the candidate finished speaking—
"...she’ll die before you ever reach—"
Leo blurred past him.
The masked candidate blinked in surprise.
"...Huh?"
He turned his head, watching Leo’s retreating figure disappear deeper into the forest.
"So he really—"
A thin crimson line split his neck.
His words stopped.
His pupils contracted.
"W-When..."
Blood burst from the wound.
The candidate grabbed at his throat, but blood continued pouring between his trembling fingers.
His legs gave way.
With a heavy thud, he collapsed onto the forest floor.
His eyes remained wide open until the very end.
Leo never looked back.
He raced through the forest at full speed.
There was only a single thought occupying his mind.
Lia.
Meanwhile, Lia’s eyes widened the moment a hand shot through the smoke and seized her wrist.
Without hesitation—
Click!
A hidden mechanism inside the modified arm guard around her wrist activated.
Tiny steel needles sprang outward.
They pierced deep into the man’s palm.
"ARGH!"
The masked man cried out in pain and let her go.
Lia pivoted.
A throwing knife flashed toward his throat.
Sparks erupted as the man drew his sword, barely managing to block the attack.
Lia stepped back several paces, creating distance between them.
Only then did she get a clear look at her opponent.
Candidate Number Ten.
He shook his stinging hand before smiling.
Lia’s brows furrowed.
Why...?
Every hidden weapon she carried, every dart, every needle, every blade, had been coated with paralytic poison.
Even a tiny scratch should have been enough.
Yet, the man showed no signs of paralysis.
As if reading her thoughts, he laughed.
"I know exactly what you’re thinking."
He twirled his sword.
"You’re wondering why your poison didn’t work."
A smug grin spread across his face.
"Little girl..."
"You’re still too inexperienced."
He tilted his head.
"Have you never wondered..."
"...how we managed to get explosives even though they’re forbidden during the examination?"
"Or why four candidates decided to work together?"
His smile widened.
"Did you really think we came up with all of that ourselves?"
Lia’s expression changed.
The man continued,
"We had a benefactor."
"He gave us information."
"He gave us equipment."
"And naturally..."
"...he also prepared an antidote for your poison."
Lia’s pupils shrank.
Only one name came to mind.
"...Dennis."
The man’s grin confirmed her answer.
Lia realized the situation had become far worse than she had imagined.
Without another word, she turned and ran.
"Don’t let her escape!"
The three remaining candidates burst out of the dissipating smoke.
One chased from directly behind, while the other two split apart, circling through the forest to intercept her.
Throwing knives whistled through the trees.
Arrows narrowly missed her shoulders.
A sword slashed through the trunk she had just leaped away from.
Lia continued changing direction.
Again.
And again.
And again.
She used every tree, every bush, and every patch of uneven ground as cover.
Yet, no matter where she ran, the four candidates closed the distance.
Minutes later, Lia burst out of the dense forest.
She stopped.
Before her stretched an open field covered only in knee-high grass.
Not a single tree.
Not a single boulder.
Nowhere to hide.
Her breathing became heavier.
The constant sprinting and repeated evasive maneuvers had begun draining her stamina.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
One after another, the four candidates emerged from the treeline.
This time, they spread out into a wide circle.
There was nowhere left to run.
Candidate Number Two rested his sword against his shoulder and smiled.
"Now..."
"Where exactly do you plan on escaping to?"
Another candidate spun a dagger around his finger.
"Don’t make this harder than it needs to be."
"Come quietly..."
"...and we won’t have to hurt you."
A cruel smile spread across his face.
"But if you insist on resisting..."
His grip tightened around his weapon.
"...then prepare yourself for a world of pain."
Lia sank into a low crouch.
Her cold gaze swept over the four men boxing her in.
There was no escape. The open field stripped away every advantage she had. With no trees to hide behind and no shadows to melt into, her smoke bombs and stealth tactics were useless.
She slid another dagger from her sleeve.
Now, she held a blade in each hand.
The four candidates noticed the drawn weapon. Grins spread across their faces.
Candidate Number Two chuckled.
"So..."
"You’ve finally given up on running."
Lia said nothing.
Her grip tightened on the hilts until her knuckles turned white.
Since poison wouldn’t work... she had to rely on pure skill. She drew in a deep breath and let it out in a steady stream.
Then—
"AHHH!!"
A battle cry tore from her throat.
Instead of waiting for the first strike, Lia exploded forward. She charged the nearest opponent.
The sheer aggression caught the men flat-footed.
Clang!
Her right dagger slashed for the man’s neck. He brought his sword up just in time to block the strike. Sparks showered the grass.
In that exact second—
"Now!"
Another candidate lunged from Lia’s blind side. His blade thrust toward her ribs.
Lia’s instincts screamed. She shoved off the locked blades and sprang backward.
The enemy sword sliced through empty air.
But the moment her boots hit the dirt—
A third figure stood waiting.
"So predictable."
Before Lia could pivot—
THUD!
A heavy kick slammed into the center of her back.
"Cough!"
The impact drove the air from her lungs. She went flying, tumbling head over heels across the grass.
She rolled twice, then forced herself back to her feet. Her breathing turned ragged. A sharp ache spread across her spine with every gasp of air.
The four candidates stepped closer, shrinking the circle around her. Not a single one of them had a scratch.
Lia scanned the field.
Front.
Back.
Left.
Right.
Every escape route was blocked.
The reality of the situation set in. She was trapped.
A faint smile crept onto her lips. It wasn’t born from hope. It was acceptance.
Big Brother...
Looks like I won’t be able to keep my promise.
Her fingers squeezed the twin daggers.
But...
I cannot let them capture me.
Even if I die...
I’ll drag at least one or two of them down with me.
A fierce light ignited in her eyes. Bending her knees, she prepared to launch herself into one final, desperate assault.
Right at that second—
WHOOSH!
A whistling sound cut the wind.
Candidate Number Two’s face fell.
"What—?!"
A black, kunai-like blade hurtled toward him.
Before he could blink—
SHHK!
The blade punched through his shoulder.
The steel wire attached to the weapon snapped taut, jerking his body sideways. Blood sprayed across the green grass.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
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