The Hooded Man

"What are you talking about?"

"It was morse code, one point is a dot, two is a line, we gotta go, Ghostdoctor just told us to run." I explained while folding the morse code translator and putting it back into my pocket.

I have no idea why would the 11th spot holder of the power levels leaderboard, Ghostdoctor send us such a questionable message through morse code.

I considered the possibility that it's a trap, but Ghostdoctor is as his name suggests, a ghost, no one sees him, he doesn't have an alliance and the only proof of his existence is his persistent application to my uncle's former alliance, Ice Age.

I know that much from the earpiece, information of the game's history is very easily obtained, all I have to do is think it and I'll have my answer.

I find the idea of this ghost of an individual collaborating with one of the most prominent alliance improbable.

Of course, the chances aren't zero, but I think it's less than the chance that Ghostdoctor's morse code message is genuine.

"Wake your brother." I said as I return indoors and rushes towards my uncle, who's still snoring.

Hmm, let's see, I have multiple different options to be used to wake my uncle up, which one would be the most appropriate.

That's trivial matter actually, we're tight on time if it's 3 minutes as informed by Ghostdoctor.

I resorted to a kick to his feet, which worked wonderfully.

"What?" He said while half awake.

"Who's Ghostdoctor?"

I can only know that much about Ghostdoctor from the earpiece.

The information I could get was the fact that he's never played a single game in two whole years, not campaign, not Endless, a complete ghost.

He's not made any connections with any alliance, positive or negative connections, he has none.

All he has is two years of relentlessly requesting a spot in the Ice Age tournament lineup, getting rejected every time he tries.

I thought since it's my uncle's former alliance, he would know something.

"Why are you asking about Ghostdoctor?" He said while rubbing his eyes to soothen the tense eye muscles.

"Just answer."

"Alright alright, he's just a player that keeps requesting to join Ice Age, doesn't even have a reason for it other than the fact that he's pretty strong.

No one knows why he's strong in the first place as far as I'm aware, no one's seen him in the training halls, not in the game lobby, not anywhere.

I don't know who he is, he just exists."

"What are the chances he helps Living Cemetery for points?"

"Zero, the dude offered a million points to our alliance once to get himself in.

We didn't let him, we weren't willing to give up our comrades, but I assure you, that guy is rich enough himself."

A million points? I just barely cracked five digits, and he's offering seven for a spot in an alliance that isn't even the strongest alliance.

"Alright, that means chances of him telling the truth is higher, he just warned us for an attack in 3 minutes, probably two now, we gotta get out."

"Huh? What?"

Next to us, Eleanor has already woken up Kenneth with light slaps and soft comforting voice, my kick seemed very harsh in comparison.

"Your key with you?" I asked.

"Yeah." Ken responds.

"Alright good, we're going."

"What? Where?" Uncle was reasonably perplexed.

"I guess...the apartment of the next person with the least sense of presence in the game, which is me."

Somehow it's me, I literally broke three records on first attempts.

But compared to my uncle, the eminent Frostbite and Eleanor, the second best player Shockwave, indeed I'm the one with the least sense of presence.

There's actually another reason why I decided my apartment is our destination during this escape. Ghostdoctor approached me, there should be higher chance he knows where I live.

"Block #111, third floor, room 037, follow me."

"Wait!"

I took out the cloak my uncle gave out of my inventory, looking like I summoned it out of thin air and donned it, pulling the hood down low obscuring not just my face but my nametag too.

Hurriedly, I scurried towards the stairs knowing that the other three is most certainly following at the back.

When I was at the stairwell descending the fourth floor of the building, I was stopped by a hand pulling my shoulder from the back.

"Footsteps below, we're using the other stairwell." Eleanor whispered.

We turned back and went across the fourth floor of the building to get to the right stairwell, now Eleanor at the front leading.

But before she reaches the right stairwell, she halted her steps.

"What's wrong?" My uncle asked.

Without a prior warning, Eleanor turned to the right and kicked a random door with frightening force.

The door burst open, the kick's impact made a loud noise that startled everyone, including the ones ascending the stairs.

"What are you doing?!" Uncle exclaims.

"We're cornered." Eleanor explains while still keeping her calm.

Clearly the kick has confirmed our presence and our desperation to escape to our friends from Living Cemetery.

The steps ascending the stairs from not only the left stairwell, but the right stairwell too, became more apparent to the point where I can notice them too.

"T-they know we're here..." Ken said with a tremulous voice, results of fear.

"In!" Eleanor commanded us to walk into the random apartment door that she had kicked open.

Ken rushed in but before me and my uncle entered, someone reached fourth floor.

"I told you! Mr. Frostbite, you messed with the wrong person!" Goddamn it, Isaac's sent? Seriously?

Behind him, a group of men dressed and masked in black were following, similar men also rose from the other stairwell, darting towards us with malicious intents.

"Run!" My uncle grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the random apartment.

I was moving very fast as I was being dragged, but I think I caught a glimpse of the inhabitant inside the apartment lying on his bed, I've never seen a more aghast face.

We followed Eleanor's footsteps, which is jumping from one balcony to another laterally.

She wasn't jumping to the balconies on the lower floors though, I'm gonna guess Ken can't perform such dangerous stunts, I couldn't either so it's a good thing she didn't start doing Jackie Chan style stunts.

Eventually we reach a dead end, the rightmost balcony of the fourth floor.

"This is the end for you! Mr. Frostbite!"

Isaac was leading the hitmen army they have sent on us, and they were only three balconies away from us now, approaching closer.

"Shit!" My uncle exclaimed, before going into a defensive stance, he's been training martial arts for a really long time already after all.

"There's no need for that, this way." Eleanor still calm as a cucumber, opens the glass door of the balcony and into the apartment.

She was thinking exactly what I was thinking, a maneuver through the balconies to shake the men off.

Now that all the men sent by Living Cemetery are concentrated on the balconies, the path we took, the main corridor should be relatively empty.

Exiting this apartment now then descending the stairs should be safe, if not having barely any obstacles.

But before my uncle could react to the fact that we're exiting the apartment room, Isaac has arrived on the balcony.

"HA!" Isaac throws a poorly calculated punch, my uncle dodged effortlessly then dropped Isaac off the balcony with swift movements.

"AHHHHHH!" Isaac even screams for help funny.

Before the second man from Living Cemetery could jump over to us from the second rightmost balcony, the glass door beside him opened, revealing a gloved hand holding a pair of scissors with a reverse edge in grip.

Weapons are ineffective outside campaign and Endless, the inhabitant of that apartment probably forgot about...

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