Chapter 135

Roy, breathing heavily into the camera, slowly lowered his head.

His mind spun and his whole body felt as heavy as lead.

The lava’s roar had consumed every last oxygen molecule in the air, leaving him barely able to draw breath.

“Haah... haah...”

On top of that, the relentless heat surrounded him. Heat was his kryptonite, and it was rapidly draining the last of his energy. In fact, he considered it a miracle he was still standing—his body had clearly reached its limit.

‘Ugh... this is killing me...!’

He felt so weak he was on the verge of vomiting. Without the camera rolling, he would’ve collapsed long ago. Still, he stood firm—there was no way he’d play dead after all that effort. Above all, he didn’t want anyone to discover that using this skill rendered him combat-incapacitated for a time. If he collapsed here, he’d be revealing his greatest weakness.

Stifling the nausea, Roy took a tentative step forward. As the horde of Blood Fiends thinned, a door—previously hidden by their mass—came into view.

‘A door.’

All he had to do was open it and get out. But then an unexpected problem struck: the oxygen in the air must’ve run out, because his vision blurred and drowsiness began to overtake him.

“Phew...”

Roy shook his head vigorously, trying desperately to clear his mind. He pinched his thigh until it hurt, bit down on his lip until it bled, and gritted his teeth against the fatigue. Yet standing before the door, anxiety crept in. What if there were more Blood Fiends on the other side?

‘That’d be it for me.’

Roy glanced back. The drone was still trailing him without a scratch. What was that thing made of, that it was more durable than a person? Unwanted thoughts flickered through his mind, but he forced himself to blink and focus.

‘No. Victory is mine.’

His luck had never betrayed him... mostly. Roy steeled himself: if he was going to die, he’d go out with courage. Just as he reached to push the door—

Kiiiiiik—

The heavy stone door began to move on its own.

“?!”

Roy stumbled back as the door slid inward. Summoning his remaining strength, he formed his spear... or rather, his stick. The very red stick the eliminated contestants had mocked.

‘Damn it.’

At least five presences waited beyond the threshold. The one saving grace: as the door opened, a rush of cool air swept in. The sudden relief helped clear his fogged mind. And then, through the crack—

“...?”

“Hey?!”

Not Blood Fiends, but his teammates appeared. Team One pointed their weapons at each other, both sides tensed, expecting fiends to emerge. When they recognized one another, an awkward silence fell. Taeon and the others were startled to see Roy soaked and bedraggled; Roy was equally taken aback by their muddy, disheveled state.

Roy was the first to break the silence.

“Look at you guys. Yoil’s okay... he’s not dead, right?”

“And who the hell would say that?!” Taeon snapped, eyeing Roy’s condition. Roy glanced at himself in turn.

‘I’m fine... why would he—

I just fought two hundred to one, and I’m basically spotless except for being drenched in sweat.’

“Seriously, I’m totally fine?”

His bravado took over despite his exhaustion. To his relief, Anna let out a laugh of relief.

“You went through hell too, huh? Yoil was exhausted, so we put him out for a bit. But why is it so damn hot in here?”

It seemed Yoil hadn’t fallen asleep voluntarily. He was slumped on Hyunwoo’s back, a bluish bruise visible on his neck—Anna’s handiwork, Roy sensed at once.

“Yeah... this is worse than a sauna.”

“Cough.”

At Yeonwoo’s remark, Roy began to choke.

“I don’t feel any Fiends. Hyunwoo, what about you?”

Anna’s question drew a silent shake of Hyunwoo’s head—no fiend presences. Hearing it was finally over, Yeonwoo cheered and rushed to Yoil’s side.

“Finally! Should we wake Ham?”

“Yeah. Wake him up.”

Given Anna’s permission, Yeonwoo gleefully slapped Yoil’s cheek.

Slap slap!

Was there a hint of feeling behind that motion?

“Ham! Ham, wake up! It’s over!”

“Mmm....”

“I said wake up!”

Yeonwoo shouted into his ear, and Yoil bolted upright.

“Ah! Hyun... a Fiend...!”

“Stop talking nonsense. It’s over—get up and let’s move.”

“Damn... you almost gave me a heart attack, asshole!”

Yoil rubbed his neck irritably, still frowning from the shock that felled him. Sensing the tension, Taeon quickly changed the subject.

“Yoil, can you move?”

“Yeah, I... guess.”

“We just need Roy. We don’t know how long we’ve been delayed, so hurry.”

“Got it.”

Yoil glanced at Anna. Though he’d been little help, he seemed to ask whether it really warranted knocking him out.

“Sorry. I misjudged. Want me to hit you back?”

“No thanks,” Yoil grumbled, averting his gaze. He’d never raise a hand against a woman, no matter how angry.

Contrary to Taeon’s worries, the awkwardness dissolved swiftly.

“So we just need Roy. Come here.”

Yoil beckoned, but Roy shook his head.

“I can’t run. How am I supposed to keep up with you?”

Had his stamina been intact, he might’ve managed. But now, merely standing felt like a feat. Should he have faked it more convincingly...?

As Roy groped for an answer, Hyunwoo asked:

“Why?”

“Why? Because I’m exhausted, obviously.”

The question hung in the air for a moment.

“Ah, we don’t have time! Come on!”

“Ugh, Roy, you’re such a slowpoke.”

“Want to die?”

Caught in Yoil’s icy stare, Roy pouted and gave in.

“Am I really being carried?”

“Just hop on.”

Yoil assumed Roy had faced something brutal—sweat like that could only come from hellish exertion. She offered her back without hesitation.

“Yes! Finally!”

Roy leaped and clung to Yoil’s back.

“I’ll go first. Watch for me outside.”

With that, Yoil sprinted toward the cavern’s blue portal.

Whish—

The whoosh of wind—

“Ahhh!”

Roy’s scream echoed like a reverberation through the tunnel.

✧

The moment Dong Yoil plunged through the blue gate, a blinding light flooded his vision. He instinctively blinked. When he opened his eyes, he was in a packed auditorium, faces of audience members, staff, and contestants before him.

But something felt off—the silence was uncanny.

‘Have they already decided all the Final Round teams?’

Sensing the same thought, Yoil’s body stiffened.

“Hey.”

Roy tapped his shoulder, as if asking to be set down. Yoil bent low, and Roy put his feet on the floor—but the sudden dizziness made him stagger.

“Whoa...!”

“You okay?”

Yoil caught him just in time. Roy blinked away the haze and pointed at the blue gate.

“Dude, I think my soul’s still stuck back there.”

Yoil took it as a joke and chuckled, patting Roy’s head. But Roy was serious. If he’d known about this side effect, he’d have asked not to be carried. The sensation of riding an unearthly vehicle left him disoriented.

Anyway, Roy shook himself and faced Han-gyeol.

“Did we miss anything?”

His question shattered the auditorium’s heavy hush.

“And now, the first team to advance to the Final Round is... Team One!” Han-gyeol announced into the microphone, and the screen behind him flashed Team One’s profiles.

“Congratulations to the first team to pass the Third Survival: Team One!”

As the fanfare blared, the audience erupted in cheers and applause.

“Waaaaah!”

No surprises there. Roy finally smiled brightly and high-fived Yoil. Taeon, Anna, Yeonwoo, and Hyunwoo, having just arrived, joined them. The crowd roared for their outstanding performance.

Then someone in the audience began to chant Roy’s name.

“I-roi! I-roi!”

The chant spread until the entire hall resounded with it.

“I-roi! I-roi! I-roi!”

It felt like a stage performance. Roy hadn’t expected this reaction—but that only made it more exhilarating.

“What the hell did you pull off?” someone whispered.

Unlike those watching from outside, the team itself had no clue what just happened. Roy’s plan had been a smashing success.