Battle for Life

[Remaining Lottery Uses: 0]

The black, glowing Lottery Spin spun quickly and eventually stopped at an item.

Night's Talisman

One-time use: Cloaks the user in a shadowy mist, making them invisible for 5 minutes. Movement speed is reduced, and loud noises may break the effect. Ideal for stealth or quick escapes.

Jiho smiled as he looked at the item he had received from the Lottery System. According to the System, it could only be used once, but it was invaluable in an emergency—it could save his life.

"Lost Horizon…"

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the black Lottery Spin vanished, and a dark compass materialized, spinning lightly in the air. Jiho, acting quickly before anyone else could see, grabbed it. Some people noticed and began staring at him, probably wondering if it was food.

"What is this...?" Jiho muttered as he held the black, glowing compass.

The compass was old-fashioned, about the size of a pocket watch. It only had a black needle pointing to four directions: east, west, south, and north.

But the black needle inside the compass didn't point in the usual directions. Instead, it spun wildly or pointed to an unclear location, often moving erratically. What was strange was that when Jiho held the compass, the black light inside it shone brighter than usual.

As Jiho thought about the mysterious compass, a forgotten memory suddenly came to mind. He remembered a movie he had watched as a child with his parents. The main character in that movie also had a similar compass… That character was a pirate who spent his entire life traveling freely across the seas.

If he had the chance, he would also want to live like that. Even though he couldn't remember the name of the old movie, he could never forget that character, who was his favorite.

However, the black compass in his hand didn't seem to be useful at the moment. While his mind wandered, thinking about food, the black needle on the compass just kept pointing to random places without ever stopping at anything specific.

He placed the compass and talisman into each of his pockets… Then, his gaze lifted to Kalyira, who was still watching him, curiosity etched on her face.

"What was that about?" Kalyira asked, her voice laced with confusion.

"I'm not really sure either… The system just gave me a trial reward, and this came up with it," Jiho answered without hesitation, his words coming out plainly. He didn't have the luxury of hiding what had happened. The things assigned by the Black System never seemed to align with those of the others, and that always left him questioning his own choices.

Kalyira seemed puzzled for a moment... Hadn't that man already received an item earlier? How could he possibly have received another one so soon? Yet, as her thoughts drifted back to the battle earlier that evening, she decided not to ask any questions.

Such people… weren't they different from her kind?

[Hidden Trial in Progress...]

[Food will be provided in 1 minute...]

Suddenly, a black screen window appeared, and Jiho's mind raced with thoughts. His Hunger rate would continue to rise the longer he stayed inside the safe zone. He couldn't just sit there; he had to find a way to get food.

Waiting for the system to provide food inside the safe zone was a short-term solution at best. With so many people in the safe zone, the problems would only increase as time passed, along with the Hunger rate.

So, leaving the safe zone and searching for food seemed like the real trial set by the system. However, people were reluctant to take the risk, as once they left the safe zone, they couldn't come back in.

Because of this, Jiho decided to wait and observe the situation for now.

He wasn't the only one thinking this way. Others, too, had their own thoughts. Everyone was looking at the blue screen window in front of them, occasionally glancing around their surroundings.

At that moment, a loud voice cut through the tense atmosphere.

"Everyone… listen to me!" The group leader from Valora country raised his voice, trying to make himself heard. "How about we give the food to the one who needs it the most first? I can still manage, and I hope you all can be a little patient. We can make this work…"

His words echoed, and for a brief moment, there was silence.

But before anyone could respond, a mocking laugh broke through the air.

"Why should we listen to you?" The voice came from the leader of the West Section, a burly man with a thug-like demeanor, his voice dripping with mockery. "Everyone knows the strong take what they want."

Jiho's eyes locked onto the man's, feeling the challenge in the air. He could see it in the thug-like leader's stance—he wasn't backing down.

The air between the leader of the West Section and the Valora country group leader grew tense as the two men exchanged looks, neither backing down. Just then, the system window flashed once more.

[Food materializing...]

As food appeared in the center, most people raced to grab it, trying to outpace each other. No one paid attention to the battle between the two group leaders anymore.

A small group, including Jiho, watched the situation quietly, observing carefully.

This time, the amount of food that appeared was larger than before, enough to feed at least five people. Because of this, the battle wasn't like the previous ones, where one person took all the food and it was over. Worse still, everyone was feeling the growing hunger and pain, and no one was willing to back down.

Jiho glanced at Kalyira, who stood still, her gaze fixed on the chaos unfolding before them. "Kalyira… aren't you going to grab some food?" he asked.

She shook her head slightly, her expression calm. "I'll pass. I don't want to fight over scraps."

Jiho let out a small breath. "You'll starve if you keep avoiding..."

Kalyira chuckled. "Maybe. But I'd rather not take a punch to the face for half a piece of bread." Her eyes flicked toward the frenzied mob, where people were already throwing fists and elbows.

Jiho stared at her for a moment before huffing out a quiet laugh.

Just then, a loud scream pierced through the air, pulling their attention back to the battlefield over food.

The scream was raw, filled with agony. Jiho's eyes snapped toward the source just in time to see a man crumple to the ground, clutching his side where blood was already pooling.

A dagger gleamed in the hands of a desperate survivor, his face twisted in desperation. "Stay back! This is mine!" he shrieked, brandishing the weapon at anyone who dared approach.

Chaos erupted instantly. The weak were shoved aside, and only the desperate and ruthless remained in the fight. Fists flew, bodies slammed into each other, and weapons clashed over scraps of food. People trampled over the fallen, each second growing bloodier as survival instincts took over.

Jiho and Kalyira stood at a distance, watching silently.

"They've lost it," Kalyira murmured, her arms crossed as she observed the brawl with a cold gaze. "Is food really worth dying for?"

Jiho didn't answer immediately. Based on his estimation, the current situation was only just beginning. The hunger would only get worse as time passed.

A few moments later, the battle ended. Some lay unconscious or groaning on the ground, while the victors clutched whatever food they managed to grab. The strong took everything, and the weak were left with nothing.

The Valora group leader, once full of hope, now stood silent, his shoulders slumped and his eyes empty. It was clear—he had given up.

The West Section leader, a burly man, grinned as he surveyed the food his people had claimed. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction, caring little for anyone else's struggle. For him, strength was all that mattered.

Jiho exhaled and turned his gaze beyond the safe zone's borders. The world outside was vast, unknown, and filled with danger—but also opportunity. If he stayed here, he'd be trapped in this endless struggle. But outside…

He glanced at Kalyira. "I'm thinking of going outside the safe zone... What do you think?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? After seeing that madness, you want to step into something worse?"

"Staying here will only make our hunger rate increase, and we'll end up like those people from before... There are monsters outside the safe zone, but at least we still have a chance... Besides, I think if we leave the safe zone, our hunger rate won't keep rising like it would if we stayed here…"

"Is there really no other way...?" Kalyira sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I just feel like leaving the safe zone and risking it is too dangerous."

Jiho shook his head and replied...

"Think about it... Every trial we've survived, we've had to risk our lives. Do you really think we'll succeed in the third trial just by sitting quietly in the safe zone?"

Jiho's words made sense, and Kalyira didn't know how to respond. The reality was clear: wherever they were, they needed to fight to survive. Staying in the safe zone, with the hunger rate rising, would only weaken them further, and if they waited until they couldn't move, leaving would make things worse.

If she joined Jiho now, her chances of survival would be higher, and she might even receive a better reward from the system. With that thought, she finally decided to agree.

"Fine... But if we die out there, I'll haunt you..."

Jiho smirked. "Deal."

With that, the two of them stepped beyond the boundary of the safe zone.

They started walking slowly toward the east section, leaving the safe zone without anyone noticing. As they focused on the path ahead, they didn't realize someone was watching them from around a corner.

End - 19