Shadows in Sync

Joon-ho and Hyun-ae moved with a synergy born of mutual understanding, their partnership a stark contrast to Tae-young's lone-wolf approach. While Tae-young relied on raw instinct and individual prowess, the duo combined their skills to create a strategy that capitalized on teamwork—a rarity in assassin gameplay but not unheard of for those willing to think outside the box.

Hyun-ae, ever meticulous, took the role of bait. With her agility and subtlety, she made herself a tempting target, darting from one shadow to the next in a pattern that appeared random but was carefully calculated to flush out their quarry. Her movements drew attention, creating noise where there should have been none, subtle enough to remain believable but deliberate enough to pull attention toward her.

Joon-ho, on the other hand, held back, lurking in the periphery like a coiled spring. He tracked Hyun-ae's movements while scanning for any signs of Instructor Dong-soo. His job wasn't just to strike but to predict the instructor's response. If Instructor Dong-soo went for Hyun-ae, Joon-ho would strike from an unseen angle. If Instructor Dong-soo hadn't bitten, Joon-ho would have used the confusion to close the distance unnoticed.

The two used terrain and abilities to their advantage, mimicking a dual assassin strategy. Hyun-ae's role was similar to a decoy assassin—drawing the enemy out with calculated risk, while Joon-ho played the patient predator, ready to unleash devastating damage when the timing was perfect. This unorthodox tactic created a pincer effect, reducing Instructor Dong-soo's potential escape routes and forcing him to reveal himself.

As they moved through the virtual forest, their communication was light but efficient.

"Noise northwest," Hyun-ae whispered through the comms.

"Got it. Looping around," Joon-ho replied, his voice calm and steady.

They were hunting not just with their skills but with their minds, predicting how a seasoned assassin like Instructor Dong-soo might think. Each step they took was measured, a chess game where every piece had its purpose.

Their teamwork allowed them to cover ground efficiently, with Hyun-ae's subtle distractions keeping Instructor Dong-soo guessing and Joon-ho's patience ensuring he was always one step behind the target. It wasn't flashy, but it was precise—a calculated dance in the shadows, where trust between the two assassins made their tactics flow seamlessly.

Joon-ho and Hyun-ae crept through the dense, virtual underbrush, their eyes scanning for any sign of movement. The forest stretched endlessly in all directions, with the occasional patch of open ground or jagged rocks breaking the monotony of the terrain. The duo's meticulous teamwork began to pay off. Hyun-ae's keen observation skills caught the faintest flicker of motion to their right—a shadow moving too purposefully to be random.

"There," Hyun-ae murmured through the comms, her voice barely audible, even to Joon-ho. She gestured with a subtle tilt of her head.

Joon-ho shifted his gaze, following her line of sight. Amid the interplay of light and shadow, he caught it—a glimmer of a figure slipping between trees. His lips curved into a slight grin. Instructor Dong-soo.

Hyun-ae nodded silently, confirming his deduction. Now the hunt shifted gears. Instead of rushing headlong, they slowed their movements, synchronizing their approach. Their training kicked in, each step calculated to avoid triggering any alarm.

Hyun-ae took the lead, moving in a wide arc to the left, deliberately making subtle noises as she approached. She snapped a twig underfoot and rustled the foliage with her blade, ensuring her presence was noticed. Her actions weren't careless; they were precise enough to draw attention without screaming desperation.

Meanwhile, Joon-ho remained hidden, stalking silently through the dense foliage. He circled to flank Instructor Dong-soo from the right, using the cover of terrain to mask his presence. His breathing slowed, each inhale and exhale deliberate to avoid even the faintest sound.

Instructor Dong-soo's figure emerged more clearly now, standing atop a sloping incline that provided a strategic vantage point. The instructor's body was tense, his posture suggesting he was aware of Hyun-ae's presence but not yet of Joon-ho.

Hyun-ae pushed forward, her movements deliberate but cautious. She darted from one tree to another, always keeping her target in sight, her actions forcing Instructor Dong-soo to react. True to her strategy, she angled her pursuit to herd him subtly toward Joon-ho's concealed position.

The instructor shifted, his eyes narrowing as he took a step back, unknowingly edging closer to the ambush.

Joon-ho tightened his grip on his daggers, his muscles coiling in anticipation. He positioned himself just behind a cluster of large boulders, perfectly concealed from view. As Hyun-ae manoeuvred, the space for Instructor Dong-soo to escape shrank, funnelling him toward Joon-ho's waiting blades.

"Almost there," Hyun-ae whispered over the comms.

Joon-ho smirked in response, his adrenaline spiking as the moment of confrontation loomed. In his mind, the plan was perfect: Hyun-ae's persistence would drive Instructor Dong-soo into his trap, and together, they could land the first strike.

As the instructor took another step back, his retreat aligned him perfectly with Joon-ho's sights. The chase was no longer a question of if but when.

The moment was perfect—or so Joon-ho thought. He launched himself from the shadows with practised precision, his twin daggers glinting as they caught the light filtering through the virtual canopy. He closed the distance in a heartbeat, his target seemingly cornered.

Instructor Dong-soo stood there, a figure of calm amidst the chaos. His face betrayed no panic, no pressure. Even as Joon-ho lunged, the instructor didn't flinch, his expression unreadable. It was unsettling. A man with nowhere to go should at least show a flicker of hesitation, but not Instructor Dong-soo.

A split second before Joon-ho's blades reached their mark, the instructor made his move. With a subtle shift of his weight and a sudden body feint, he twisted just enough to avoid the strike. And then, from the corner of Joon-ho's vision, another figure materialized at the worst possible moment.

Clang!

Joon-ho's daggers clashed against a blade—not the instructor's, but Tae-young's. The sound rang out, sharp and grating. The force of the collision sent a shockwave through Joon-ho's hands, his grip momentarily faltering.

"Tae-young?!" Joon-ho hissed, his eyes darting to the familiar silhouette.

Tae-young's reply was a curt glare, his movements already fluid as he angled his blade for another attack. But the damage had been done—not to Instructor Dong-soo, but to their plan. The instructor seized the opportunity, slipping through Hyun-ae's follow-up strike with an agile sidestep. Before any of them could recover, he was gone again, vanishing into the shadows of the forest with practised ease.

Joon-ho gritted his teeth, his frustration boiling over.

"Tae-young! What the hell are you doing? You just ruined everything!"

Tae-young wiped his blade clean with a flick of his wrist, his expression indifferent.

"Your plan wasn't going to work anyway," he said coldly, already moving in the direction the instructor had fled.

"You could've waited, or at least communicated," Joon-ho snapped, his voice rising.

"You think the instructor will wait for a perfect team play? This isn't a team fight—it's every assassin for themselves. If you can't keep up, stay out of my way." Tae-young didn't stop.

Joon-ho clenched his fists, resisting the urge to hurl his dagger at Tae-young's back. Hyun-ae placed a hand on his shoulder, her voice calm.

"Let it go. We'll just adapt. He's not entirely wrong—this isn't a typical hunt."

But that was exactly what Instructor Dong-soo had planned all along. Watching from a concealed vantage point high above, he observed his students with sharp eyes, a small smile playing at his lips.

They're not working together, he thought. Perfect. I don't need to fight a coordinated team. It's a 1v1v2 now, and that works in my favour.

The instructor's objective was clear: avoid harm at all costs. In this scenario, sowing discord between the three students was just as effective as dodging their attacks. Tae-young's individualistic nature, Joon-ho's frustration, and Hyun-ae's attempts to mediate all played into his hands.

Without unity, the students couldn't leverage their numbers. Instead of a cohesive assault, they were splitting their attention, chasing him on their terms. And for Instructor Dong-soo, that meant he could keep slipping through the cracks, buying himself time to outmanoeuvre them all.

Below, Joon-ho and Hyun-ae regrouped, their eyes scanning the horizon as they plotted their next move. Tae-young was already a shadow in the distance, his singular pursuit unwavering.

Instructor Dong-soo adjusted his position slightly, preparing for the next phase of the chase. The students were skilled, but this was his domain. And he was about to show them just how hard it was to corner a master.

Joon-ho exhaled sharply, pushing his frustration aside as he focused on the task at hand.

"Fine," he muttered, glancing at Hyun-ae. "If we can't rely on him, then we'll just have to outsmart both of them."

Hyun-ae nodded, her expression calm but determined. Together, they moved with renewed purpose, their footsteps silent as they melted into the terrain. Above them, the virtual sky dimmed slightly, signalling the approach of the evening in the NexaRealm simulation.

Somewhere in the vast expanse of trees and shadows, their instructor waited, one step ahead, while Tae-young carved his relentless path. The hunt was far from over, and as the tension thickened, each assassin prepared to prove their worth in this dangerous game of wits and skill.