The Bloodstained Floor

The air was heavy with the scent of death.

Ryo couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

He had been focusing on his own survival, on learning the rules of the game, on killing or being killed. But in the back of his mind, the others—the people he had met earlier—had been left behind.

Takeshi. The mother and son. The old man.

They hadn't been part of his immediate survival strategy, but he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that they were still out there.

The woman Hunter, still by his side, had been talking about future strategies, but Ryo was already losing focus.

"We need to keep moving, Ryo," the woman said, noticing his distraction. "We don't have time to babysit everyone else—"

Ryo cut her off, his voice low but firm. "I need to check on something."

Before she could respond, he was already heading toward the exit, his pace quickening.

---

The Path to the Other Survivors

Haruto followed closely behind, his nervousness palpable.

"Ryo, you're not seriously thinking about going after them, are you?" he asked.

Ryo didn't answer immediately, his mind elsewhere.

Takeshi, the mother, the son, the old man.

They had to be fine. They had to be.

But deep down, he felt the weight of dread sinking into his stomach.

He couldn't explain why, but he knew—something had happened.

Something terrible.

---

Arriving at the Scene

The building they had taken refuge in was quiet now. Too quiet.

Ryo led the way through the front door, his eyes scanning the dim interior. The faint sound of footsteps echoed in the distance—nothing unusual.

But then, as he turned the corner, his heart stopped.

The blood.

It covered the floor in thick, dark pools.

The room was silent, save for the muffled sound of something dripping onto the floor.

Ryo's eyes darted from one body to another, his mind struggling to process the scene.

There, sprawled across the floor, were the bodies of Takeshi, the mother, and the old man.

They were motionless, their faces frozen in expressions of sheer terror.

The son lay near them, eyes wide open, as though he hadn't been able to escape the nightmare that had overtaken them.

The blood was everywhere, pooling in the corners of the room, staining the walls.

It was clear.

They had been slaughtered.

---

The Aftermath

Ryo felt a coldness wash over him. He didn't move at first, standing in the doorway, staring at the gruesome scene.

Haruto was the first to speak, his voice barely a whisper. "W-what happened here?"

Ryo didn't respond.

He couldn't.

He wasn't sure what to think anymore.

Had they been betrayed? Or was this the work of the game itself?

The woman Hunter stepped forward, scanning the bodies with cold, calculating eyes. "Whoever did this…" She paused, her tone heavy with disdain. "They didn't leave anything alive."

Ryo's gaze turned toward her. "You think it was another Hunter?"

The woman didn't look at him. Instead, she crouched down beside Takeshi's body, her hand brushing over the bloodstained floor.

"It's possible." She glanced at Ryo, her eyes narrowing. "Or maybe something even worse."

Her voice lingered in the air, and Ryo felt his blood run cold.

---

The System's Response

As Ryo stepped closer to the bodies, his eyes flicked to the system window that suddenly popped up in his view.

> [Survivor Status Updated.]

You have encountered the aftermath of a failed alliance.

> [System Warning: Survivor Count Decreased.]

Ryo's grip tightened on the steel pipe in his hand. The game wasn't done with them yet.

But the more pressing question was—who did this?

Had it been another Hunter, or was something else watching them?

---

A Terrifying Thought

The woman stood up, wiping her hands on her pants, her gaze locked on the bodies.

"You know, Ryo… you should've taken me up on my offer sooner." She turned to him. "If you hadn't been so busy with your little survival game, this might not have happened."

Ryo's eyes flashed with anger, but he held it in check.

"I didn't ask for your help."

"True," she said, unphased. "But now, you're alone."

Haruto's voice broke the tension. "Wait… you're not saying—"

The woman glanced at Haruto, her expression unreadable. "I'm saying that in a game like this, alliances don't matter. In the end, it's about who gets to the top first."

Her words hung in the air, but Ryo didn't let them distract him.

The bodies on the floor—their deaths—had to mean something.

Ryo's mind began to race.

---

The Mystery Deepens

Ryo turned back to the bodies, his mind searching for clues.

What could have caused this?

The wounds didn't match those of a typical Hunter—there was no clean precision. These had been brutal, unrefined, like something driven by savage rage.

And then it hit him—

A beast.

Something far worse than a Hunter.

Something out of control.

Ryo's instincts told him to run, to get out of there.

But he couldn't. Not yet.

Not until he knew the truth.

---

To Be Continued…