The First Kill
> [Hunter's Choice Activated: Spare or Kill?]
Ryo didn't hesitate this time.
He swung.
CRACK!
The crowbar slammed into the Hunter's skull.
A sickening crunch echoed through the ruined store.
The Hunter's body twitched—then went still.
A deep silence followed.
Haruto's breath hitched.
"…You really killed him."
Ryo exhaled, shaking the blood off his weapon.
Then, the system responded.
> [Hunter Eliminated.]
[Calculating rewards…]
A new window appeared.
---
System Reward
> [You have slain a Hunter.]
Your instincts sharpen. Your body adapts to the kill.
> [Reward: Predator's Instinct (Lv.1) → (Lv.2)]
> [New Skill Unlocked: Death Sense]
You can faintly perceive the approach of death, allowing you to react faster to life-threatening attacks.
Ryo's eyes widened.
He clenched his fist, feeling something shift inside him.
His heartbeat was calmer than before.
His breathing, smoother.
It was like his body had evolved.
Haruto was still staring at the dead Hunter.
His face was pale.
"That could've been me…"
Ryo looked at him.
He didn't respond.
Because Haruto wasn't wrong.
---
Understanding the System
Ryo crouched beside the corpse.
He searched the body.
A moment later, he found what he was looking for.
> [You have acquired: Steel Pipe (Reinforced).]
He tossed his crowbar aside.
This weapon was better.
Then, something unexpected happened.
The Hunter's body shimmered.
And disintegrated.
Haruto gasped.
"What the hell—?!"
Ryo narrowed his eyes.
So that's how the system works.
It was just like the novel.
The world didn't allow corpses to pile up.
Once a participant was eliminated, the body vanished.
It meant one thing:
This was a game.
A carefully controlled slaughter.
And right now—
He was winning.
---
The First Selection Continues
Haruto swallowed hard.
"…What now?"
Ryo stood up.
"We keep moving."
Haruto hesitated.
"But you already killed someone. You got stronger, right? Maybe we can hide until this round ends—"
Ryo shot him a look.
Haruto stopped talking.
Then Ryo spoke, his voice calm.
"If we wait, we become the hunted."
Haruto's hands trembled.
He didn't want to hear it, but he knew it was true.
The system had already labeled him as Prey.
And in this world—
Prey didn't survive long.
Haruto clenched his fists.
"…Fine. What do we do next?"
Ryo smirked.
"We find another Hunter."
Haruto blinked.
"Wait—you're not done killing?"
Ryo's Predator's Instinct pulsed.
A new presence entered his range.
A second Hunter.
And this time—
The prey was coming to them.