Leaving just two portions of food behind in Area 3 had only been a test—a way to spark division.

But honestly, I hadn’t expected it to work.

There were clever ones among them; they’d surely realize soon enough what I was trying to do.

The teams that left must’ve decided there was no profit in staying tied to the alliance.

So who had stayed?

Martial God was almost certain. Both Jin Cheongryong and Ao would see leaving as betrayal, unthinkable for the sake of survival.

Magica must’ve left. Rune’s a lone-wolf type, not good with cooperation.

And the other would be Dai. Ucheon seemed to have already given up on winning HAUT. They’d likely prefer to remain in the group rather than create awkward tensions by splitting away.

Well, that’s just my prediction based on their game personalities. Reality could play out differently.

Either way, it was time to move to the next stage.

“Senior, let’s go back to the others together. There’s something I need to say.”

“Are you done keeping watch?”

“Yes. It’s no longer necessary.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

I nodded, and together we returned to the safe zone.

“What do you want to talk about?” Toby asked Iris.

The two of them stood by the shimmering barrier between Areas 3 and 4.

Iris studied his face for a moment, then drew in a deep breath.

“This assignment—this dungeon survival… No, HAUT itself. I think it’s already over.”

Toby’s eyes flickered faintly.

“No matter how heavily weighted the survival tasks are, we can’t overturn the ranking. Not our team, not any of the cadets here. Compared to Gwangcheon, we’re simply lacking. It’s only been a little more than a day, but that’s enough to see it. Even united, we can’t touch their level. The gap will only widen over the next nine days.”

Toby listened in silence, eyes fixed on her. Then, in a flat voice, he spoke:

“Iris. Are you saying we should give up? You?”

The tone was even, but Iris could hear the anger beneath it.

“The best we can do is hold second place,” she said without hesitation, her words delivered like an absolute truth.

Toby opened his mouth, but Iris cut in first.

“Ordinarily, those words would’ve come from you, not me.”

His eyes widened.

“You’re the kind of person who looks only at the facts, no matter the situation. You accept them, then calmly decide what must be done. That’s your greatest strength—and what I admire most about you.”

“……”

“But right now, you’re not being yourself.”

She folded her arms.

“You’re clawing after Gwangcheon no matter the odds, success or failure be damned. That’s not smart—that’s desperation.”

For the first time, Toby realized through her words that he had changed.

“Some might say there’s nothing wrong with that. That a strong will and relentless effort are admirable. But I say it’s pathetic. Foolish.”

Her eyes sharpened.

“Striving without a proper plan, without even thinking of how to achieve it—that’s what it is.”

Toby’s shoulders trembled.

“Toby Hobbes.” Iris lowered her arms, calling his name firmly.

“You’re the sharpest, the one I trust most.”

“……”

He met her gaze, then finally spoke.

“Give me a moment to think.”

“Of course.”

She stepped back.

For nearly two minutes, he stood motionless, staring at the sea, before finally nodding to himself and turning back.

“Let’s go back, Iris.”

“Found your answer?”

He nodded again.

Seeing his calm expression, she smiled faintly.

A little later, with his two teammates, Martial God, and Ucheon gathered around, Toby spoke.

“I’m going to challenge Gwangcheon to a duel.”

“A duel?” Ao’s eyes went wide.

“What are you talking about?” Rio echoed, stunned.

“Because of their scheme, the only safe zone left in Area 4 is the one they hold. If we don’t take it, we’ll be forced back to Area 2 to survive the night.”

“That would waste a lot of time,” Ao said. “Not just food issues—if a quest requires work in Area 4, we’ll lose hours just moving back and forth. Area 3 wouldn’t be as bad, but still.”

“The longer we waste traveling, the greater Gwangcheon’s advantage,” Cheongryong muttered, frowning.

“So they planned this too?” Maria whispered.

“That’s why I’ll demand a duel over the safe zone.”

“But there are two problems,” Hayugeun said quietly. “First, why would Gwangcheon agree when they already hold the advantage? Second… can we even win?”

Toby looked at him.

“I have answers. First: they’ll agree if we put something on the line.”

He raised one finger.

“If we lose, all three of our academies will withdraw from survival.”

“What?!”

“You can’t be serious!”

“You’re insane!” Cheongryong, Ao, and Rio all burst out in protest.

“They’d never accept otherwise. And as for the second problem—whether we can win…”

Toby raised another finger.

“We can.”

He bent down and began drawing in the sand.

“I’ll propose one-on-one duels. Four rounds: their four against our four. First to three wins takes it. If it ends two-two, the victory defaults to Gwangcheon. That condition ensures they’ll accept.”

“Isn’t that still in their favor?” Jin Yuyeon asked, frowning.

“We want it in their favor. That way, they’ll say yes.”

In the sand appeared the names: Seo Yui, Meiling, Nam Yein, and Green Hair.

“Green hair? You mean Lumina?” Maria asked, incredulous.

“…For some reason, I never remember her name,” Toby muttered, scratching it out and writing Lumina properly.

“Our path to three wins looks like this.”

Everyone leaned in to see his scribbled notes:

“None of us can beat Seo Yui,” Toby said flatly.

Toby’s words earned a firm nod from Iris, while Cheongryong’s face darkened.

But no one argued.

“So the match against Seo Yui is a throwaway,” Toby continued. “Nam Yein, on the other hand, is a guaranteed win for us. He’s already used up his items in both the solo and team battles. And Meiling—”

He circled her name in the sand.

“When it comes to magic users versus melee specialists, the advantage always lies with melee. From the last spar, as long as we’re cautious about her black flames, we can win up close. That makes it 2 to 1 in our favor.”

“Then the problem is Lumina,” Ao said, glancing at the crossed-out scribbles next to her name. “With the rule being to strike the mark on the opponent’s back, how can we beat someone who can vanish completely?”

“Think of it the other way,” Toby replied. “Because of that rule, she will rely on stealth. And that was the bait. Invisibility is lethal against someone who doesn’t know about it, but once the information is out, it can be countered.”

He looked at Ao.

“Lumina is skilled, yes. But her actual ability isn’t that strong. I learned that when I fought her during the team match. Even my clumsy strikes landed once. She’s also the nervous type—when pressured, she pours out killing intent and goes straight for vital spots. Once you know that, she becomes much easier to read.”

Iris, Cheongryong, and Ao’s eyes sharpened.

“Lumina’s entire strength is stealth,” Toby went on. “But Iris, Cheongryong, Ao—you three are our best melee fighters. With your gifts active, even against her invisibility, you have the edge.”

“Fine. That settles three of us,” Iris said. “But who’s the fourth?”

“Ha Yugeun.”

“…Me?” Yugeun blinked in surprise.

Toby nodded.

“You’ve fought Lumina before. And with your golem summons, you can turn any match into a numbers game. Outside those three, you’re our best bet.”

“…Alright. I’ll do it.”

Straightening his back, Toby scanned their faces.

“If anyone has doubts or a different opinion, say it now. The condition is that if we lose, we withdraw from survival entirely.”

The Martial God and Ucheon cadets exchanged looks with their teammates.

“…Maybe this really is the only way to beat Gwangcheon,” Ao admitted.

“Yeah. Even if we lose, it’ll be an experience,” Rio said with a shrug.

“Thanks for trusting me,” Toby said. “Now, let’s head for Gwangcheon’s safe zone.”

“I know where it is,” Rio added. “Rune told me.”

“Then lead the way.”

“Got it.” Rio grinned.

With only three academies left, the alliance left the beach and entered the forest.

They had barely gone far when—

BOOOOM!

A deafening blast split the air.

Every cadet froze. They all knew that sound.

The same one that had marked the beginning of survival yesterday.

“The Flame Prison Orb!”

“That’s Meiling’s magic!”

“Who’s she fighting?”

As the others whispered in shock, cold sweat slid down Toby’s back.

“No… No, if that’s the case—” He turned sharply. “Iris! Get up the tree, now! Check the surroundings!”

Without hesitation, Iris sprang to the tallest tree, leaping her way up. At the top, she swept her gaze across the landscape.

“…Tch.” Her face twisted.

“It’s the boss! They’ve killed the Area 4 boss!”

The cadets’ eyes went wide.

Toby realized his fears were right. His knees gave out, and he slumped to the ground.

“Toby?!” Rio rushed to him, alarmed.

But then he froze.

Toby, usually unreadable, let out a hollow laugh.

“Why… why are you laughing?!” Maria demanded, panicked.

“…Ah.” Yugeun’s lips parted.

“What is it? Yugeun, what do you know?” Maria pressed.

Sweat beading on his face, Yugeun answered heavily.

“…Our entire plan is ruined.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because Gwangcheon will be moving into Area 5.”

Maria tilted her head, blank with confusion.

“And that’s bad why?”

“It means they’ve abandoned this place,” Iris said, now back on the ground. “They’ll establish a new safe zone in Area 5.”

“Wait… So isn’t that good for us?” Maria said. “Wasn’t our whole plan to force them out and take this safe zone?”

“Gwangcheon already ruined the rest,” Yugeun said grimly.

Just then, Rio suddenly bolted.

“Rio!? Where are you going?!” Maria shouted after him.

But he didn’t answer.

Moments later, he stopped dead.

“…Ha.” Like Toby earlier, he laughed emptily.

Before him lay what had once been a spring—now nothing but a moss-colored swamp of poison.

“With this, all points from the Area 1 through Area 4 bosses are ours,” Meiling said cheerfully.

“Exactly,” I replied, glancing around.

We were no longer on the main island, but on the shore of a daughter islet—Area 5 of Bottle Island.

Right now, they must be staring at the last ruined safe zone, feeling that hollowness set in.

Now Area 4 had no sanctuaries left to drive off monsters at night.

To reach Area 5, one had to defeat the Area 4 boss. But it wouldn’t respawn for four days.

No need to linger with enemies nearby. With time, they’ll fall on their own anyway.

Destroying the safe zones was just a way to hasten that collapse.

The wings of hope torn away, sending them plunging into a sea of despair.

Nothing breaks a person faster.

(End of Chapter)