❖ Operation 1: "The Feast of Beasts"Time Remaining: 6 hours, 24 minutesPlayers Remaining: 1,019
Juwon didn't stop running until the screaming stopped.
Which, oddly, didn't take long.
The forest swallowed sound. It ate everything—light, breath, reason. Even his footsteps felt muffled beneath the moss. Only Jiyeon's breathing, shallow and tight beside him, reminded him that he hadn't died yet.
They ducked beneath a low branch veined with glowing fungus. The tree it belonged to curved in on itself, trunk looping like a knot, as if the forest had rewritten gravity just to watch something suffer.
Juwon dropped to a crouch beside a twisted root and exhaled slowly.
Jiyeon collapsed next to him, both hands over her mouth. She didn't speak. Smart.
She was shaking.
But she wasn't screaming.
Also smart.
❖ Passive Threat Level: LowVisibility: ReducedBeast Radius: 120m
A faint system window hovered to Juwon's left—smaller than before. Quieter. It flickered once and re-stabilized, almost like it didn't want to be seen.
He narrowed his eyes.
"…That wasn't there earlier."
Jiyeon looked over. "What does it mean? Beast… radius?"
"It's watching," Juwon muttered. "It's tracking threat zones in real time. Or trying to."
He didn't know who he meant by it. The system? Something behind it? A designer? A god?
He'd have to figure that out later.
Right now, they had no shelter. No food. No mana. And no plan beyond don't die.
A minute passed.
Then two.
Then five.
The quiet stretched too long.
Juwon stood.
"We move."
Jiyeon hesitated. "Shouldn't we wait? Until they're gone?"
He shook his head. "This place doesn't feel temporary. It's… built."
"What does that mean?"
"It means the beasts aren't the only threat."
They walked in silence.
Branches arched overhead like a cathedral of bones, casting everything in eerie half-light. Sometimes the trees pulsed—faint flashes of blue, green, or blood-red along their roots. Juwon didn't touch them.
Once, they passed a grove of fruit trees.
Glowing.
Beautiful.
Tempting.
Jiyeon slowed. Her stomach growled. "Is that—?"
❖ Warning:Consuming forbidden fruit will result in mutation.Estimated fatality rate: 89.6%
Juwon grabbed her wrist gently. "Don't even look at it."
She nodded, throat dry.
Eventually, they found what looked like an old hollow log—wide enough to crawl inside, shallow enough to see out the other side.
Juwon checked for scent trails, beast prints, mana residue.
Nothing.
It wasn't safe.
But it was less unsafe than the rest of the woods.
They crawled inside.
The log smelled like moss, rot, and iron.
Jiyeon curled into herself, wrapping her arms around her knees.
Juwon sat with his back to the entrance, eyes never leaving the treeline.
"Why are you so calm?"
It wasn't an accusation. Just a quiet, curious question, like someone asking about the weather in a burning city.
Juwon didn't answer at first.
Then: "I'm not."
Jiyeon blinked. "Could've fooled me."
He kept his eyes forward. "Fear isn't useful until after the danger passes."
A pause.
"…So you'll fall apart later?"
"Maybe."
Another silence.
Jiyeon looked away. "What if there is no later?"
Neither of them spoke again for a while.
Then came the whisper.
Faint.
Close.
"Hhhl…elp…"
Jiyeon tensed. Juwon was already moving—flat to the ground, peeking through a notch in the log.
A figure limped through the trees.
Bent.
Bloody.
Alone.
They were whispering louder now.
"Help me. Please—someone—help—"
Jiyeon started to shift, but Juwon raised a hand sharply.
Not in warning.
In realization.
"Something's wrong," he whispered. "Look at its feet."
The figure wasn't walking.
It was gliding.
Its mouth moved.
But the sound was wrong—coming before the lips formed the shapes.
A playback.
A lure.
Juwon's chest tightened. "It's not human."
He looked at the system window, hoping for a prompt. A clue. Anything.
Nothing came.
The figure drew closer.
Still whispering.
Still bleeding.
"Please… don't leave me here…"
Juwon whispered, "Don't breathe."
The thing passed them.
Didn't stop.
Didn't look down.
But Juwon felt something move in the dirt behind it.
Tiny legs.
Multiple.
The human body was a mask.
What wore it had too many limbs. And no eyes.
After it passed, Juwon checked the system again.
Still no new message.
Which meant it wasn't breaking a rule.
Which meant it was meant to be here.
Which meant the system was lying by omission.
❖ Time Remaining: 5 hours, 37 minutesPlayers Remaining: 842
Juwon stared at the numbers.
He whispered to no one:
"…How many of those things are wearing our faces?"