Ace's POV
11:58 pm

The game should be beginning by now. I wonder how the others would be doing. Well not that it matters. How do I start?

It said the first is infinitely vast, don't know if it was hyperbolically or literally, but both seem possible at a place like this, and either way, I don't see any hope of escaping the forest.

The trees are long but they look climbable in case of any dangerous situation. The land is full of bushes and thorns, so running would be great trouble, for sure. I wonder what that Lennon brat would have been doing.

Man, I just wanna go home and study in my room, peacefully. Why am I even at a place like this? Of course because of my helpless idiotic friends. First I have to play this stupid, life-risking game, and my teammates are all those morons. They're just a burden, and I think I'd kick the bucket too soon if I stick around with them too much.

I started walking at a medium pace, toward what I thought to be the front.

Seven minutes have passed, and my legs and feet feel numb, near non-existent, in spite of being careful of the thorns, they are everywhere.

Fifteen minutes have passed. Neither I've found anything nor come across anyone or anything.

Finding myself a little out of breath, I leaned against a tree to catch some breath. This whole forest had no air and shockingly enough I felt a small wet gust of air on my left ear and the left side of my head, with a very low growling sound.

I felt like my heart stopped. My eyes trembling and my whole body shaking. Putting myself under the illusion that it would be nothing, I slowly started turning around. My body was icy, and I couldn't bring myself to turn around.

I steeled my nerves and rapidly moved, not just my neck but my whole body.

...

A long, broad, and huge animal; a lizard, no, a salamander. It had a wine-red color and various multicolored darker spots on its body. Its tail was coiled around the branches of the tree and it was clinging to the tree upside down. It had huge purple eyes, starting right at me as if it were peering at my soul. The difference between our heads wasn't anything more than 1 foot.

I was waiting for the right time to move, the right time to run, but my body wasn't listening to me. It wasn't reacting, or rather, it couldn't. I was too scared to move. Stoned. Never before in my life have I ever felt this confused and this much fear.

I noticed the creature steadily take out its leathery, spiky tongue.

Am I seriously gonna die? Wait, or is this a chance? Is this an opportunity to run? Half of its tongue is already out. Do I just have to wait for the right moment? Will it ever even come?

I was thinking when it suddenly flung its tongue towards me, and my body just instinctively reacted to it, considering it a threat probably. I was so close to it that saying 1 millisecond would be way too much time.

It didn't just fling its tongue but twitched itself on me, thankfully the jump was big enough that now I'm at a good distance from it, but it was about to start running, coming at me.

I took a long, deep breath, clenched my fists, and with my full power I started running.

I ran, trying my best to avoid stepping on any thorns. Using trees and the branches in my favor, I kept increasing my speed and changing my direction. But even so, it didn't even continue for 1 minute. Within less than a minute, it caught up to me.

But again when it jumped on me, I dropped down, leaving it at a great distance from me, giving me a chance to run again.

I breathed and started running again.

...

12:30 am

It's been 15 minutes, and I just keep repeating the process. But I'm just at my last breath. Even the Elitist Sprinters can keep running with maximum effort and fullest speed for only 6-8 minutes, and I've been going for 15 minutes, surely my speed has decreased but even so, I'm at my limit.

Plus that salamander, it's not just a dumb creature. It's getting used to my tricks. Every time it jumps on me, it's closer than the last time, and the interval between jumps is also decreasing. There's not much time until it gets me. Guess I should say my prayers now.

I was running at my nearly ended speed, the voice of that monster running behind me increased, came closer and closer and just when it was about to jump on me, I stumbled upon something coming out of a tree, it wasn't a branch. I fell and this actually saved me from that beast.

Lying down I saw that stick coming out of the tree. Wait. It can't be!?!

It's not a stick, but a sword stabbed inside the tree!

I quickly jumped up, feeling a little sense of hope, and grabbed the hilt of the sword while trying to pull it out. The salamander was running towards me, the sword is stuck hard, and just barely half of it is out. The salamander was closing up, but I decided not to run and put the very last ounce of my strength in my hands and pulled it.

At the very last moment, the sword came out and I fell, once more almost saved by falling down.

The sword was black in color and was double-bladed, with the first smaller blade separated from the bigger and the latter one. The weight was around 7kg, heavy but can be swung.

Now about killing that monster.... Sounds doable.

Almost feel like all my energy has been restored, a faint ray of hope, I finally feel like I can survive! I stood up facing towards the salamander rushing to say me. I held the sword tight, and just when it was about to jump at me, I charged at it first! Sliding down on the ground, I kept my sword up. It, due to trying to jump on me, passed straight over me and got its bottom a great, long, shallow cut, from my sword.

It shrieked so loudly that I had to cover my ears. After continuing for more than 30 seconds, it stopped and came at me again. I am really sure that I can get it this time. I readied the sword and took my position, but what?

It was nowhere. I turned left, and right, and inspected some trees around me, the bushes, but it was nowhere.

All my confidence seemed to vanish. Didn't even take a split second, tch. I think I'm going crazy now.

"Where? Where the fuck did you vanish off? COME OUT" I screamed.

"COME OUT, SON OF A BITCH" I screamed again.

I kept turning around. It was nowhere. I screamed loudly while falling to my knees.

"Where the f-" My scream was interrupted. Something is coiled around my neck and is trying to suffocate me. My sword fell from my hand.

I- I can't breathe.... I was pulling that thing wrapped around my neck away from me, but it was no use. It's too hard and too slippery.

I struggled in agony, and moved my arms and legs hopelessly in vain. Really feeling like an insect, I finally gave up, and let that thing choke me...

My vision started to blur...

My whole body felt numb...

My arms and legs felt powerless...

Every part of my body felt like a dead weight...

With my hazy vision, I followed that weird thing around my neck... it was coming from a tree... No, looking closely I saw something on the tree. Like a silhouette of the monster following me.

...

WHAT?

...

"That fucker could use camouflage!?!" I cried to myself.

"So this is it huh..." I whispered as my eyes vision blurred and blackened...

...

"Hey you there-,"  "ACE." I heard someone's voice and fell to the ground.

"WAKE UP, IT'S NO TIME TO SLEEP, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING."

...

Suddenly I got back my consciousness. I jumped awake, breathing heavily. Beside me, was sitting Ariella and behind her was that blonde girl from their group, holding the sword I had.

Again that monster shrieked loudly; I covered my ears tightly. When I looked at that monster, its tongue hanging from its mouth and bleeding... Oh... They cut its tongue with my sword.

"Ariella, how are you here-" I tried to speak but she cut in " THERE'S NO TIME TO TALK, RUN." She grabbed my arm and started running, I also got up quickly and started running with her. That blonde girl also came with us.

After running for around 3-4 minutes, we all were out of breath, so we stopped at one place, and fell down breathing.

"Seems like we're far enough from it. Tell me now..." I asked.

"Yeah, we lost it." Sighed that blonde girl.

Ariella started explaining "I started running before the game even started, and 5 minutes into the game I came across her. She's Samantha," Samantha waved. "Then we came across an absolute blood-curdling monster, and while trying to get away from it, we came across you. Then she just grabbed that sword and cut that monster's tongue. She's the one that actually saved you."

"Oh, I'm thankful to you, I owe you one then," I said.

"No no don't worry about it," she replied.

"Also Ace, do you have any clue how long is this game gonna last? I definitely can't survive here for too long" Ariella cried.

"That Feind said at the start that this game will last until the moon is here. It's roughly 6 hours, and we have already passed more than one hour definitely, so it should be around 4 hours and 40-50 minutes. You both didn't even realize that, just how dumb can you both be?" Said me.

"Of course, I figured that out, I was testing you." She said while averting her eyes.

"Heh," Samantha giggled.

"Well anyway-" I was gonna say something, but then we all heard the roar of some monster. It was different from the Salamander that was chasing me. A new one huh?

"My sword," I said to Samantha. She gave it to me, then I indicated them both to follow me.

I sneaked behind the tree, from where the sound came. It was a huge tree, and all three of us were able to hide behind it. I was at the right corner, I slowly moved and tried to have a glance at the other side... I heard a scream from right behind me!?

I rapidly turned around and saw, that Samantha girl was hanging from her shirt... In the mouth of a new beast. It resembled a cock in a way, but it was a lot huger, grey in color, had big wings, and was definitely more dangerous.

"THAT'S THE MONSTER WHICH WAS AFTER US EARLIER" Ariella screamed.

What do I do, what do I do, I can't think of anything. I have this sword but what use is it of anyway? Be fast, think, ah...!

"Ariella, can you distract that thing for a minute?"

"What?"

"Just do as I say. I think I can kill it."

"What are you saying, let's just run. Who cares about her anyway? We have a chance Ace, we can run." She sobbed.

Samantha looked at her from there, crying.

"Do as you wish" I said to Ariella.

The monster was coming for us too, I jumped behind a tree, and in that group of all those trees, I made it lose sight of me.

I started climbing a tree. After reaching the top, I looked at the situation. Ariella was cornered, almost about to be eaten by it, Samantha still hanging from its mouth.

If this doesn't work we'll all end up dead. Thinking that I threw a big rock that I picked up earlier, a little bigger than my hand, with my full strength, and screamed with the loudest voice known to humanity: "I'M HERE, DEGRADED BIRD"

...

The Rock didn't reach the spot I aimed for, but still, it did the job. The Rock landed at its foot, don't think it even made that thing flinch but was enough to get its attention. Or maybe it was my scream? Well, whatever. It's coming at me now.

It left Ariella right there and started running towards me. Samantha is still in its mouth.

I took a few steps back, a deep breath, sword ready, and with iron-clad resolve, I ran and jumped at it.

It opened its mouth and growled. I was gonna aim for the head but I changed the plan and grabbed Samantha's arm. Half of her body was in its throat, both my legs on either side of its mouth, preventing it to close its mouth, and Samantha causing suffocation.

It started moving its neck wildly, and in confusion, it hit its head on a tree, making Samantha hop out of its mouth. I lost my grip on her arm and she went out of its mouth on a tree. I also slipped and was falling, but I grabbed onto its feather and hung.

It was running and jumping randomly. Made it hard to climb but I reached the head. It was trying to attack me with its wings but couldn't reach me. It tried to fly too but couldn't for too long and too high.

Finally, when I got the chance, I jumped from its head and stabbed the sword deep in its eye, now hanging on the sword.

Again it started moving its head randomly due to the pain. I almost fell but grabbed the sword from its blade. My hand is bleeding and it moved its head so close to the tree that my leg bumped against it. I feel like my bone cracked.

Getting tired, it put its chin on the branch of a tree to rest. This was my chance.

I quickly climbed on its head, and on the back of the head, I stabbed the sword completely and went sliding down, lacerating its back deeply, and to the very end.

It shrieked, once again, but didn't move.

I thought it would run away after this, but it didn't and just keep screaming, so I started climbing it from its back. It was easier at it was already tilted.

I carefully climbed down its body and stopped at around what I thought to be the heart.

From my left hand, I was hanging, and from my right hand, I took out my sword and stabbed it there. Not even half of it went inside and it collided with something!? Could it be... It's heart?

I tried to force the sword in even more, but that's when it started moving again, ferociously.

I almost lost my grip again, I tried to force the sword in, but it grabbed me...

Grabbed me and started pulling me away!

I seized the sword with all my strength, but it started coming off too!? No! Not when I was so close, WHY!?

Just when I was about to lose all my hope, Samantha jumped from the tree, right on its hand, and hung. From her pocket, she took out the torch given to us, which was made of hard metal, and she stabbed it in its hand!?

She broke the torch from one of its ends and made it sharp enough to be stabbed. Finally some help.

"YOU CAN DO IT ACE. FINISH IT" She screamed.

Its hand seemed to be sensitive and it left me after getting stabbed, but also threw her from that height.

"I will" I replied.

Now was my chance, I, with all my strength, thrust that sword until it completely pierced its heart!

The monster cried and roared from pain, but at last, it fell down and fell asleep; eternal sleep.

I stood back up and took out the sword from its body, and jumped off its rotting corpse.

"Finally. We're even now," I said to Samantha that was sitting there waiting for me. We both turned and stared at  Ariella standing away from us.

She broke into tears, ran, and hugged Samantha saying "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I was just so scared I couldn't think of anything else."

"It's okay, we're all safe now, and that's all that matters." She replied.

"What do you mean it's okay? She was totally normal, and she was fully gonna abandon you. At this point, I, despite being your old friend can't fully trust you anymore."

"But, wait hear me out ACE" She cried as I got up saying "It's no use arguing, let's all just go"

As I walked I stepped over something, upon checking, it was broken glass, probably from her torch.

Samantha cheered her up a little and they both got up too, standing beside me, they asked where should we head now.

"Let's see, we came from that direction, so now we should probably-" suddenly terror took over my whole body, I froze, my eyes wide opened and I felt like I could perish, and so did the other 2 too probably, as we heard a soft growl from behind us, and I saw 2 big purple circles, 2 big purple eyes gleam in the reflection of the glass around my foot in this darkness, in this dread of night, shined two orbs as it brought upon us, our doom, our termination, our curtains, and our demise.

"Seems like my scream from back then and all that ruckus brought an uninvited guest too heh," I said as I smiled upon my own mishap.