Chapter 134

Meanwhile, Roy was retracing his steps, heading down the left fork he had passed earlier.

If one path is a trap, the other is more likely to be real.

If this one turned out to be a trap too, I’ll head out and give Junseo a piece of my mind.

Roy tossed a pebble into the air and caught it as he walked, projecting an air of ease—though inside he was thinking seriously.

It’s not perfect yet, but handling fire itself isn’t difficult anymore.

Still, there were obvious limits. An area-of-effect skill wasn’t万能. Though he’d safely blocked the narrow passage with flames just now, that only worked thanks to the cave’s confined space. In an open area, many fiends would simply dodge the fire and advance. The self-defense techniques he’d learned at school didn’t suit his style—he wanted to use his spear.

Well, of course—it’s unarmed combat training.

Elemental Awakeners weren’t bound to a weapon. As long as they were alive and had stamina, they could create any weapon. Yet most Awakeners stuck to a signature weapon; lose it, and they were defenseless. The school’s self-defense curriculum prepared anyone to protect themselves in such inevitable circumstances.

Once I’m back, I’ll look into a spear-fighting academy.

For now, all he could do was swing or throw—and that wasn’t enough. Roy continued forward, unaware of events outside, until he reached a dead end.

“......”

What the—? A fakeout?

After all that walking, it’s a dead end?

Are you kidding me, training me like a stray dog?!

Nobody told me to go find my teammates. They just said survive by avoiding fiends.

Yet he’d volunteered—and Roy’s indignation began to burn.

“Iiiik!”

Chap!

Roy slapped his forehead with a loud smack. He inhaled deeply, exhaling to calm his rage. This was maddening!

He faced a serious dilemma: turning back toward the right path felt bleak, yet waiting here for his teammates would shatter his pride. To shed his current image, he needed a spectacular feat.

Alright! I’ve decided.

High risk, high return. Though those fiends just now seemed well over fifty...

If I charge in and die, our team’s toast—but...!

I believe in myself.

He possessed an unlocked skill: “24-Hour Furnace.” An area effect so intense he’d hesitated to use it—yet perhaps this was the perfect chance to test its power.

After all, this is a virtual space. Whatever havoc I wreak here is fine, right?

Unlike the second survival, no mountains would burn and no one would be hurt—there was only him in this space. Now “Gaslighting” and “Possession by Coin” could take a back seat! Roy’s heart pounded at the thought of finally using a true skill.

“Alright, let’s go!”

He turned exuberantly and backtracked toward the fork.

✧

Meanwhile, every team except Team 1 was struggling. Team 8 suffered an early elimination when a separated member was killed. Teams 6 and 7 fought desperately, but with more than half rendered combat-incapable, their endurance was unlikely. Eliminated contestants were spat back through the blue gate—returning to reality.

“Ahhh! A fiend!”

“Yaaah!”

“Die! Die! Die!”

Some lost consciousness or experienced severe mental disorientation; they were subdued by Minguk or handed to Eun-seong for emergency care. Those not mentally compromised returned relatively unscathed.

“Such a shame. It was so close.”

“We bet on who’d die first for tonight’s drinks—guess we lost.”

Their faces showed resignation rather than relief. After a while of lamenting, they turned to the screens. First, each checked their team’s status. Then, as usual, they began glancing at other teams—and at the sight of Roy, their reactions were unanimous astonishment.

“Crazy.”

“Is he nuts? Psycho?”

“Where’s he going?”

“Wow. I thought he was just a freak...”

Those isolated alone hid and waited for teammates, but the lunatic in Zone 2 approached the fiends instead of fleeing. Watching that, they all muttered:

“A suicide show?”

“Gone in a second.”

“That team wiped out because of one bad pick.”

Even during practice he’d at least conjured a flaming spear to fake a swing; now he seemed out of stamina and weaponless. Of course, the survivors didn’t know Roy had just held off a fiend horde. Meanwhile, on screen, Roy strode purposefully until he halted before a section of wall blackened by scorch.

“Why is that so charred?”

“Must be fire marks.”

“I don’t care—just bring on the fiends.”

“He looks totally freaked.”

They’d felt cheated by an early death but found live commentary entertaining—mocking him from the elimination seats. In contrast, the judges’ stand was frosty.

“He’s going to cause trouble.”

Bella exchanged a knowing smile with Eun-seong.

“Why look at me?”

“Seems you two are close.”

“We’re not.”

Eun-seong loathed those who abused their powers; Roy—frequent visitor to the Awakened Hospital—was the worst. Seeing him smirk, Eun-seong braced for a disaster. Where did this kid spring from, constantly on his mind? The pressure was maddening.

As all eyes fixed on Roy, he stopped, stretched, then produced a fiery spear from his fingertips—displaying it as if to say, Look at this.

“Oh? That’s a red stick.”

“You going to slice a fiend with that?”

They still sneered. Roy casually twirled the spear, warmed up his wrist, and stepped forward. Soon he reached the corner where the fiend horde had first attacked. One turn and he’d be in their territory.

Roy inhaled deeply, his face set in determination, then coolly rounded the corner. A playful curl touched his lips as he drove the spear’s tip forcefully into the ground.

Thunk!

“......!”

He’d exuded utter confidence that something spectacular would happen. Yet—astonishingly—nothing did. After a brief silence, laughs erupted throughout the auditorium, thanks to Roy’s self-sacrifice.

“Ha ha ha!”

“Hah! I knew it.”

“Come on, Roy~”

Laughter echoed from both elimination and audience seats.

키에에에엑!

Meanwhile, the fiend horde that spotted Roy charged ferociously—perhaps remembering his earlier provocation—far more aggressive. Startled by the unexpected scene, Roy’s face drained of color. He yanked the spear from the ground, poised to turn—

쿠구구궁-

—but the floor beneath him shimmered as heat haze rose. Zheojajeok—puddles of water splashed as the once-soggy ground dried and began to crack. Something stirred beneath the earth.

“What the—what’s happening?”

Where once there had been uproarious laughter, now a heavy hush reigned. The fiends advancing on Roy stumbled into the widening fissures.

끼에에에엑!

Just having their feet trapped, they shrieked in agony. As questions surged, a boiling roar rose—then crimson flames burst from the chasm: lava.

“Eek!”

“Gasp!”

Roaring lava engulfed the fiends, and the flames spread in an instant, consuming even those on the periphery. Screams and terror ran wild—true hell unfolded before their eyes.

“......!”

All held their breath, unable to avert their gaze from Team 1’s crimson-lit screen. Even Hojin and Han-gyeol, who’d argued about sponsorship, watched in stunned silence. The furious flames leapt as if to break through the screen. The lava feasted on fiends, then—its victims consumed—slowed and subsided.

The fiends’ pitiful cries ceased. Only the crackle of dying embers filled the void.

“.......”

Though the ordeal had ended, the auditorium remained heavy with silence. The inferno left no trace—only Roy’s lone shadow stretched long across the empty space. At his command, the spear released into sparks and drifted away. Roy slowly turned around. Sweat-soaked, he brushed back his hair and looked straight into the camera.

Haah... haah...

Gasping for air in the oxygen-thin space, he appeared as captivatingly lethal as an idol at the end of a music show.