Mission to Survive

Chapter Thirteen: The Law of Survival

No sooner had the last vibrations of light faded from the weapon cabinet than the giant screen hanging in the sky lit up again, cutting through the temporary silence with a smooth yet dry voice:

[Second Mission: Survive for Three Days]

[Full Use of Weapons Permitted]

[Elimination of Other Students Permitted]

Silence spread throughout the forest.

No one made a sound. No, no one even dared to make a sound.

Even the rustling of the trees seemed to retreat in shame under the weight of that last statement.

The words were heavy. Terrifying. Shocking.

No academy—none—would ask its students to kill each other.

The very air changed.

As if the forest sensed what was happening, its faint warmth turned into a silent, biting cold that brushed against our necks.

The looks in everyone's eyes shifted. All gazes became more alert, more rigid.

We were no longer training comrades. We had become targets.

Fear of death?

No, not really.

The academy hadn't put our lives at stake—only our "consciousness." Our physical bodies were still in the circles they'd told us to stand in before the test began.

But the fear of pain, of failure, of defeat... that was more than enough.

Even though no one could truly die in this forest, the pain here was just like reality. In other words, recklessly fighting everything in sight was a bad idea.

I glanced at Mary.

She was staring at the screen, her expression frozen, but her eyes were moving rapidly behind that calm facade, calculating probabilities like she always did.

Her fingers lightly brushed the hilt of her black sword.

"So, what do you think, handsome? Should we kill them all?"

She said it with eerie calm, as if asking for my opinion on the weather.

I smiled inwardly. This woman is truly insane.

I sighed.

"I told you, my name is Kim. And also… no, we won't kill them. What's the point of killing students who don't have any points yet?"

My voice was low, neutral—maybe I was afraid of drawing unnecessary attention.

I wasn't ready to abandon my goals and risk failing the test.

"We need to reach a safe zone… quickly. Staying here with everyone is dangerous."

Mary raised an eyebrow, a half-smirk appearing on her face.

"Finally decided to take the lead, huh?"

I stared at her for a long moment. Was this really the time for jokes?

"This isn't the time for games, Mary."

She shrugged lightly, then nodded. "Alright, let's go."

We moved quickly, careful to avoid open paths.

We weren't alone. I could feel eyes watching us from afar, hidden behind thick tree trunks. No one trusted anyone, and no one fired the first shot. Not yet.

I pulled up the digital map from my wrist device.

A small hill about two kilometers away. An elevated position, exposed on one side but offering a wide view. The best option right now.

That was my explanation to Mary, but there was something else I wanted in that place.

When I told Mary my plan, she agreed immediately.

No questions, no hesitation.

She was always the first to assess risks, and before I could even finish, she'd already determined, like me, that this location was our only logical choice.

As we moved, we didn't speak.

Both of us knew the rules. Sound kills.

The path was littered with dry leaves, and some branches cracked annoyingly under our footsteps.

With every sound, my nerves grew more tense.

And then, suddenly, the unexpected happened.

A strange-looking monster emerged from the bushes.

It was about two meters tall, covered in dark, purplish scales, its red eyes glowing in a terrifying, hollow way—as if the echoes of its victims were trapped in its throat.

Its appearance?

Like that disgusting slime monster from horror movies, but worse.

Its smell... a mix of rotting flesh and moldy herbs. I almost vomited.

Damn, why is this simulation so realistic that it even replicates smells?

It snarled and lunged with frightening speed.

I didn't move. My body froze for a second.

But Mary didn't wait for me.

She leaped in front of me with acrobatic grace.

Her black sword rose, then fell with astonishing speed.

One strike, then another, then a third. Each slash was precise, vicious, elegant.

Even iron wouldn't withstand such relentless blows.

The monster's body split in half and collapsed.

Only seconds had passed, and the sticky blood was already pooling on the ground.

Mary looked at me sharply, her breathing quick but steady.

"Hide, Kim! More are coming!"

I hadn't seen them at first because of the dense tree branches, but when I focused, I spotted seven more monsters hiding in the trees.

I moved immediately.

And hid behind the nearest rock.

Seven more monsters were crawling toward us.

All of them had the same disgusting appearance.

Their heavy breathing could be heard before their bodies fully emerged.

They joined together. Now, they weren't just individual monsters. They were a pack.

Mary attacked without hesitation, moving as if following a memorized map.

She killed three of them with incredible skill, each strike landing a step ahead of the monsters.

Despite the terror, I couldn't help but think:

Damn, why are all the girls in this game so overpowered?

But then I suddenly noticed one monster sneaking up behind her.

This one was different. It moved silently, its face devoid of snarling.

It was only a meter away from her.

Its claws rose, aiming straight for her neck.

Mary tried to turn, but there wasn't enough time.

She raised her arm to shield herself, bracing for the pain...

But nothing happened.

Instead...

A sharp gunshot tore through the air, and fragments of the monster's skull exploded outward.

Its head... shattered.

Mary turned slightly, her body tense, her breathing ragged.

Her eyes met mine.

It was me.

The pistol in my hand was still smoking.

I stood right behind her, staring at her steadily.

"I don't mind if people think I'm handsome... or even kind."

I took a step forward, my voice low but confident.

"But the one thing I can't stand... is being seen as weak."

For a moment, I saw her shiver.

Then she raised her eyebrows and smiled beautifully.

"Well... you weren't just a pretty face after all."

I don't know what she's thinking, but maybe she was scared of me.

Hahaha, I didn't know I had such intimidating charisma.

"Alright, I need you to handle the one on the right. I'll take care of the rest."

"Fine."

I didn't argue about why she gave me only one monster while she took three—because I knew she was many times stronger than me.

We returned to the fight.

Four monsters remained, and we moved in astonishing sync.

As if we'd trained for this together.

"Behind you!"

I shouted when one of them got close to Mary.

She spun instantly, her sword slicing the monster in half.

"Do you think that disgusting trick would work on me twice?"

Moments later, it was all over.

We were breathing heavily, our clothes stained with blood.

But we were still alive.

"We need to move now," I said, reloading my weapon.

"The nearest cave is this way. It'll be the best place to hide before nightfall."

We set off again.

The path to the cave wasn't easy. The ground was slippery, and branches kept snagging our clothes.

But we didn't stop.

Finally, we arrived.

The hidden piece I wanted to obtain in this test.

Mary gasped as we stepped inside.

"No way... this is a cave?!"

As for me, a small smile crept onto my lips despite myself.

Because inside... was something unbelievable.

"What is this thing?"

I could only laugh in my mind.

"This... is my favorite place in the game."

If anyone else had reached it...

I might have lost my mind.

But now, it was right in front of me.

To be continued.....

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Author's Notes:

Hello, dear readers! Honestly, I've been writing two other novels alongside this one, which is why the chapters have been a bit short. So, I've decided to pause the other two to focus on this story. From now on, expect chapters of 1500–2000 words daily.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart (●♡∀♡)