Hide and Seek (5)
Hide and Seek (5)
Crackle. Pop.
The crimson flames, feeding on the parched wood, pushed back the veil of night.
"Jane."
"Hnn...?"
Jane Moore, who had been nodding off on a roughly cut log, lifted her head with a start and wiped her mouth.
It was a somewhat sloppy sight, hard to reconcile with the image of the world's top—or rather, now second—prospect.
"Don't doze off like that. Just go inside and sleep properly."
"But then I-seul would be bored."
"Being with you isn't exactly entertaining, you know?"
"You're so mean..."
Zzzzip─
A shadow slithered up from beneath the tent right behind Jane Moore and yanked open the zipper of the tightly shut entrance.
"I'll take the night. You take the day. So go in and sleep already."
"Fine then... good night..."
Jane Moore bowed her head toward Yoon I-seul and crawled into the tent.
Click.
Closing the tent entrance, the shadow returned to its rightful place.
Crackle, snap─!!
Now alone, Yoon I-seul moved her shadows as she admired the blazing campfire. A shadow stretched out like a vine, wrapped around the thermos sitting below her, unscrewed the lid, filled it to the brim with the deep black coffee inside, and handed it to its owner.
Moistening her throat with the coffee—a subtle blend of mild bitterness and the tartness of red fruit—Yoon I-seul considered the situation.
'Highly suspicious.'
From the moment she fell through the rift and into the forest, met the adorable juniors, left the cave, and searched for a suitable new shelter, she hadn't discovered a single trace that seemed to belong to a monster.
Perhaps the monster's movements were so covert they left no trace, or perhaps it was too small to be detected.
But Yoon I-seul, who viewed herself quite objectively, rejected both possibilities.
That some monster inhabiting a mere 5th Stage Rift could evade her perception was unthinkable—impossible unless her consciousness was fading from a critical injury.
Glug, glug.
As she poured fresh coffee into the empty lid, Yoon I-seul became certain.
'There are no monsters.'
A new question then arose.
'Then what are they giving us three days to test?'
The purpose of this exam was to stabilize the surrounding area and defend a base camp for three days.
'Defend the base camp for three days. But there are no monsters.'
Jingle.
Yoon I-seul lightly tugged the silver necklace hanging around her neck.
'They said we're eliminated if this breaks.'
No matter how she thought about it, the newly added rule seemed designed solely to force the participants to keep each other in check, not to encourage fighting monsters. But nobody would be stupid enough to fight each other for no reason.
Personal relationships might cause some friction, but she didn't think any student at Arena Academy was so senseless as to fail to realize that a pointless struggle would only weaken them.
That left only one other possibility.
The participant list had been kept secret, and assembly times were staggered by team. The structure made it impossible to know who was participating beyond one's own party members.
'There must be a separate attack squad.'
Once her thoughts reached that point, deducing the attack squad's members was simpler. The seven students who originally attended the Basic Riftology lecture, including Baek Ha-na, were likely the attack squad.
This exam had graduating seniors participating. And yet they were using second-year students who had just shed their freshman status as the attack squad.
'...Not that it's hard to understand.'
She felt a bit sorry for the other five, but even without Jane Moore—currently asleep in the tent—stepping in, neutralizing them all single-handedly wasn't a particularly difficult task.
But the situation changed entirely if Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee were included in that mix.
Baek Ha-na was a monster for whom compatibility meant nothing, and Nam Seo-hee wielded lightning-attribute mana, a terrible match-up for her. Fortunately, their lack of experience made them manageable, but victory against them was far from guaranteed.
Frankly, even with a combined assault alongside Jane Moore, she didn't think she could beat Baek Ha-na.
If this were a confined stage, she would have sought a way to win by ring-out or through any other strategy...
"The location is too unfavorable."
The tall, densely packed trees functioned as walls, but they also obstructed her own vision.
Most importantly, her own position was far too disadvantaged.
If a determined enemy tried to destroy the base camp, she would never be able to stop them.
"...You never intended to accept reinforcements from the start."
From the moment they were told to bring a waiver stating that any loss of life during the exam was their own responsibility, she had sensed something off. Chairman An Hyeon-do might be useless at his job, but no one could deny that he cared about the students more than anyone else. When she first heard he approved this exam, she assumed he had a weakness or was being blackmailed. That didn't seem to be the case.
"Well, at least the scenery isn't bad."
She could have been angry, but instead, Yoon I-seul looked up at the night sky with a more relaxed expression. She decided to enjoy this as an experience, thinking she might never get another chance to appreciate nature so peacefully inside a rift.
Wooong──
Yoon I-seul, who had been passing time sipping warm coffee and munching on biscuits, set her things aside as a faint vibration traveled through her scattered shadows. She turned her head in the direction of the disturbance.
"Ha-na?"
Rustle.
A small noise came from high up in the trees, and a figure dropped down softly.
Flick. Flick.
Landing a short distance from Yoon I-seul, Baek Ha-na shook her pointed ears and brushed the clinging leaves from her clothes.
"I thought you'd know."
"I am two years your senior, you know?"
"Ah... I didn't mean it like that."
Baek Ha-na's sharp, steely eyes softened completely. She was always infinitely weaker around people she had ties to.
"Would you like to sit for a bit?"
"Uh, well..."
At Yoon I-seul's suggestion, Baek Ha-na fidgeted with her fingers, looking troubled. It was the polar opposite of the girl who had left a fresh bruise on Idni's left eyelid.
"Fufu, it's okay."
Click.
A deep shadow climbed up Yoon I-seul's body, unfastened her silver necklace, and carried it over to Baek Ha-na.
"Now will you sit for a bit?"
"J-just for a bit..."
Having discreetly pocketed the necklace, Baek Ha-na sat down next to Yoon I-seul.
"Is hunting the students who joined the exam the objective Professor Baek assigned you?"
"...Yes."
"I see."
Baek Ha-na glanced sideways, worried she might have upset Yoon I-seul. Far from being offended, Yoon I-seul instead felt a small thrill at having her deduction proven correct.
"It's quite late. Would you like to sleep here?"
"What? Ah, no. I, uh, have to move on a pretty tight schedule..."
"That's a shame."
Zzzzip──
The tent zipper opened, and shadowy vines crept inside. A moment later, the vines emerged carrying another silver necklace.
"Here."
"Thank... you?"
With a puzzled expression, Baek Ha-na accepted the second silver necklace and placed it into a small pocket at her waist.
"Then hurry on your way."
"Ah, yes..."
Baek Ha-na, who had been wondering if she could really just leave like this, rose from her seat and carefully spoke up.
"Um, we don't have to eliminate everyone... I'll hold onto the necklace you gave me, and if I end up not needing it, I'll come back to return it."
"So there's a quota of some sort."
"Yes. A bit of a large one, though."
A gentle curve graced Yoon I-seul's normally composed eyes and lips.
"Does that have to be handled by you personally?"
"No. We just need to hit the number."
"I see. Ha-na?"
Baek Ha-na, who had been about to leave, turned her head.
"Would you like to join the Student Council?"
"The Student Council...?"
"Yes. We need to select a second-year Disciplinary Committee member, and I think you'd be perfect for it."
"Uh..."
Baek Ha-na's beautiful blue eyes wavered faintly at the sudden invitation.
"You don't have to answer right now. I'll explain in more detail once we're out of here."
"Then..."
Baek Ha-na gave a slight nod, then vanished into the darkness in an instant.
Glug-glug-glug.
Yoon I-seul was alone again, refilling the thermos lid with coffee.
"Sniffle... I-seul, if you came back in, you should close the door. The wind is freezing."
Jane Moore, in her pajamas, sniffled, her nose red from the cold, and stuck her head out through the open gap in the tent's blackout fabric.
"I was about to wake you anyway. Good timing."
"...?"
Jane Moore tilted her head at Yoon I-seul, who wore a sly, villainous smile.
"Jane."
"What?"
Yoon I-seul looked at Jane Moore, whose reddened nose was still sniffling, and asked in a low voice.
"Ever heard of a game called hide-and-seek?"