“Hello~.”

Mari bowed to Noah. Noah bowed his head in return.

“Hello.”

“Since this is a running race, I dressed lightly.”

Mari wore a simple, unadorned skort and running shoes. Her hair was tied high in a ponytail. She must have brought these clothes back from our world. Last time I saw her, she wasn’t particularly fast for an S-rank runner—maybe that’s why she was sent to the forest, where obstacles slow you down.

“I see.”

“How about a ribbon? Just one?”

“As you wish.”

“Noah-ssi, I think a ribbon would suit you too. What if you tie one on your tail?”

“No, it would be cumbersome.”

“You’re S-rank after all~ It won’t hinder you. I’ve done it plenty of times. A ribbon on your horn would look pretty.”

“Thank you, but I must decline.”

Noah answered politely and took a step away from Mari. But Mari persisted, offering ribbons and frills. Honestly, I think she’d look good in them too—she sparkled in Life Game no matter what adornments she wore.

Meanwhile, the wave was nearing the forest. Riding her ice-surfboard, Yerim spun to evade Moon Hyunah’s attacks and called to me.

“Should I start shooting arrows?”

“No, they’ll steal your bow.”

Samir’s tactic only worked on Peace. Opponents could entangle you with wire, use ranged skills, or fire arrows in unison to knock you off. Perhaps Seong Hyunjae guessed I’d send Peace first.

“If Hyunah-ssi tries to shoot, snatch her bow.”

“Yes!”

Yerim led the way, but Hyunah stayed close behind. Though desert sand is looser than the swamp, water’s surface tension can support wind-walking. Thanks to wind, Moon Hyunah was also gliding across the wave like Yerim.

“Noah oppa!”

Bang! The water under the ice board detonated. Ice shards scattered as Yerim’s body was flung away at bullet-like speed. If we’d collided, both would be hurt. In a flurry, Noah’s wings unfurled. He caught Yerim inside his gentle wings, rolling her to safety.

“Run!”

Yerim quickly handed the baton to Noah. He nodded and turned to run.

“Noah-ssi, for now only use support skills and just run.”

We still didn’t know Mari’s skill. Before regression, she used Phantasm Realization to pull out Seong Hyunjae, but how exactly that applies is unclear. Noah buffed himself and dashed into the forest. Moon Hyunah arrived moments later.

“A bit late!”

“It’s fine!”

Mari stamped the ground as she received the baton. As expected, her speed wasn’t great. As an A-rank support type, her physical stats were similar to Noah’s, who even as an S-rank wasn’t the fastest runner.

“Mari-ssi’s base stats seem higher than Noah-ssi’s.”

“Mari-yang isn’t used to running.”

Seong Hyunjae said. He sat with his legs crossed on what looked like an office chair but gave off a CEO-leather-sofa vibe. I half expected to submit a report to him.

“She seemed to have no combat experience. That’s why the forest?”

“They said the princess goes to the forest.”

“Excuse me?”

What does that even mean—Sleeping Beauty? Snow White? Swan Princess’s lake was in a forest too. On screen, Mari ran with determination, but the gap between her and Noah widened. Unlike the seasoned runner Noah, she hesitated at obstacles.

“This won’t do!”

Mari sighed and stopped, then shouted.

“Everyone, please help me~!”

Smiling brightly, she extended her hands forward… What on earth is she doing? Then the forest began to move. Trees bent like greeting bows, opening a path for Mari. Opposite, toward Noah—

“Ugh!”

A great tree swung its branches down, blocking Noah’s path. Startled, Noah ducked under the unexpected obstacle.

“…What kind of skill is that?!”

“Mari-yang is the princess, after all. Forest flora and fauna always aid the princess.”

“I don’t understand a word of this!”

Noah drew his axe and cleaved the blocking trees in one sweep, but his speed inevitably slowed. Vines and undergrowth even tried to snare his ankles. With so many obstacles, a forced blessing on Mari should’ve been unusable once the forest cleared for Noah, but her path remained open.

“Mari-ssi, can you realize your desired situation with your skill?”

“It’s natural for me. I must. If you talk to me, I lose concentration!”

Mari chirped “Thank you, trees!” as she ran past and overtook Noah. Natural… So the caster must firmly believe whatever they cast is reality to activate the skill?

“…Hard to use in combat.”

“It’s hard just to cast. But if I’m attacked in this situation, the dream will strengthen.”

A princess attacked by a dragon? The forest would flip. I thought we could skip using it this time, but there was no choice.

‘Unless Seong Hyunjae gets the baton first, our chance is nearly zero.’

How to catch up to him charging ahead? He faithfully agreed to play the game properly, so he won’t slow himself for distractions. Our team had to arrive at least simultaneously, if not earlier.

“Noah-ssi, stop!”

Noah halted mid-stride. Felled trees lay in a pile around him.

“Get ready.”

“Yes, Yujin-ssi.”

Noah sheathed his axe and crouched slightly. Instantly, he altered the environment: a treeless wasteland, and then—

“Catch him well!”

Gugugung! Rocks began to erupt. Upward, higher and higher, as if piercing the sky. Pillar-like stones sprouted everywhere! The only limit was area—oh, and he couldn’t create an environment beyond S-rank. Otherwise he’d just conjure an SSS-rank prison of rock around the other team.

The stone pillars shot up like bamboo shoots and stopped. Perched atop a pillar, Noah transformed. He dug his four claws into the rock and spread his wings. Then I began the count.

“3, 2, 1!”

0. Environment alteration—delete the pillar bases. Simultaneously, Noah ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) flapped his wings powerfully. I did nothing more than—

   Thud! Krrrk—

   The pillar, now without its base, tilted toward the swamp zone. It settled, then began to fall that way. Noah’s wing beats increased its speed, and soon the marsh loomed close. It wasn’t running, but going sideways still gets you to Seoul.

   “Wow, that’s cheating! It’s a relay!”

   Mari’s eyes went wide at the sight.

   “T-trees!”

   Trees extended their trunks and entangled around the pillar, trying to stop it. But the weight was immense; they could only shift it slightly.

   Thud! The pillar fell completely. It didn’t quite reach the swamp but landed not far off. Trees resumed their attempts to hinder Noah, but he was already far ahead. Mari pursued him earnestly. At the swamp entrance, the next runner appeared.

   “Oh, well.”

   Hwangrim smiled broadly as he stepped back.

   “Hello, Jin-i’s younger brother~.”

   Yuhyun watched Hwangrim silently, emotionless. In his gaze lingered a faint sense of—

   “Like some speck of dust rolling around my room.”

   As Hwangrim said, it felt like a formal duty to clean up dust. He probably bore no personal grudge against him. But that bastard had hurt me, hurt my brother. Perhaps he felt as little empathy as removing a protruding nail from furniture.

   “Yuhyun, this is a relay.”

   “Yes, hyung. I know.”

   Yuhyun held a long wooden rod—what he used when sparring young Chaos.

   “Seems like he’ll help us, so I won’t kill him.”

   “Jin-i! I babysat for free too!”

   “Thanks, but I said I won’t kill you. Enough whining.”

   Our Yuhyun is truly fair. Whether Hwangrim whined or not, Noah and Mari reached the swamp mouth. Noah chopped away vines snagging his ankles, then reached out to Yuhyun. The blue baton landed in Yuhyun’s hand. With a whirl, he spun it into the small pouch at his waist. His gaze hardened on Hwangrim.

   “Spare me!”

   Hwangrim swiftly dodged, but Yuhyun’s rod sliced the air like a whip, pursuing him.

   “Where are you going!”

   Arriving a beat too late, Mari stamped her foot at the forest boundary, unable to hand off the baton. She couldn’t leave her zone, and tossing it risked losing it.

   “Jin-i’s brother! I treated you well, you know!”

   Hwangrim leapt into the air as he shouted. His body floated skyward. A flying skill?

   “What, you brought a flying skill?”

   He wasn’t banned from using it since he’s on the other team. I muttered, and Seong Hyunjae replied.

   “It’s handy if at least one person can fly.”

   “Isn’t that leaking game details?”

   I grumbled, but if I were Hyunki, I’d have told him to bring a flying skill too. Spatial or teleportation skills are hard to copy, but flying is simply useful.

   If Hwangrim had faced someone else, he’d easily dodge and overtake. But luck was against him. Yuhyun stepped on Willow Leaves and leapt—no flight skill, but air-running ability.

   “Seriously! Jin-i, say something!”

   Avoiding Yuhyun, Hwangrim zigzagged downward. Mari followed his movements along the forest perimeter. Noah, having finished his race, watched her sympathetically.

   “You didn’t do much, at least.”

   He was relatively polite, but still complicit in kidnapping and assault.

   “In law, if a dog bites someone, the owner compensates.”

   He claimed Chohwayun was the dog’s owner. Hwangrim, who deftly used his flying skill to evade, now faced Yuhyun. Yuhyun flipped 180° in mid-air and kicked off the Willow Leaves, unleashing a downward strike like a projectile.

   Chak!

   Hwangrim twisted just enough to dodge most of the rod, but his sleeve tore and blood spurted. Just before falling into the swamp, Yuhyun spun and landed. No muddy splash—everything instantly vaporized by a burst of flame at his feet.

   Ssshhh—

   He’d used fire elemental resistance, or an item, so his clothes didn’t burn, but they were singed.

   “Ouch!”

   Hwangrim grimaced and flew toward Mari. Mari thrust out the baton-hand.

   “Grab it and run!”

   “I’d love to, princess.”

   Hwangrim took the baton and began crossing the swamp. Yuhyun wouldn’t let him go easy. Whoosh—the rod cut through the air again. Without adept flight skill, instant aerial movements are slower than ground running. Hwangrim danced across swamp rocks, narrowly evading the rod. With a crack, wind slapped his face.

   “Even though we’re both S-rank, try harder. If my brother gets hurt, you die.”

   “You’re not even standard S-rank!”

   He knew Yuhyun’s true nature as a young changeling. No surprise, given his contract with a Transcendent.

   “Besides, you’re coddled most of all!”

   “Our Yuhyun’s grown tall, haven’t you? You were shorter in China. You’re almost 190 cm.”

   He might already be past 190. I hope he reaches mid-190s—there are many over two meters in the West. Taller than Seong Hyunjae. At this speed, it could happen.

   I shook the maraca cheering “Go, Yuhyun!” Watching Hwangrim tumble was entertaining too.

   ‘Time to gauge his stats.’

   He’s neither friend nor foe, and who knows what he’ll do. From how he dodges Yuhyun’s bare attempts, he must be stronger than most S-ranks.

   Flare—

   Flames spread, consuming the swamp ground. Every step threatened to vanish under scorching fire.

   “Speak with words, please! Little brother!”

   Ssshhh—the rod scraped Hwangrim’s side, tearing his clothes again. Hwangrim leapt, avoiding the burning ground. His sleeves charred but didn’t ignite.

   “No words left.”

   Yuhyun said coldly, then swung his foot at Hwangrim’s head. Hwangrim nearly fell backward but rolled to evade, sparks flying.

   “You’re going easy on him.”

   From the flames alone, he’d have had light burns. Since we helped him, it wasn’t worth killing, so just a warning.

   “The owner meets the dog’s level.”

   “And he keeps to that line well.”

   If they fought properly, Hwangrim would likely die. Yuhyun had no reason to hold back.

   While trading blows, Hwangrim pressed on toward the city zone. They must pass the baton to finish. They’d passed halfway through the swamp when the fifth runners appeared.

   “Hello, civil servant!”

   Riette greeted Director Song cheerfully. He nodded politely. As expected, Director Song was the last runner—most seasoned in urban combat.

   “Wait!”

   Hwangrim gasped and splashed into the remaining swamp. As the city neared, Yuhyun’s attacks intensified.

   “Hyung, I’ll break your legs and leave. You might have high-grade potions, but you’ll be delayed.”

   “Do it. We don’t know what lies ahead, so finish it cleanly.”

   If it got urgent, we might even use Hwangrim’s aid to heal him, so keep it simple. Yuhyun swung the rod like a crescent, but Hwangrim drew a metal staff and parried it. The wooden rod cracked on the staff; flying splinters were caught by Yuhyun’s other hand and thrown back at Hwangrim.

   Crack!

   A splinter grazed Hwangrim’s leg—a non-serious injury for an S-rank. Then Yuhyun pulled out the sash from his robe and slashed. The sash wrapped around Hwangrim’s staff. With a thud, Hwangrim’s foot stuck in the swamp. Yuhyun planted himself on firm ground, tugging the sash taut.

   “Wow, you’re strong.”

   Hwangrim feigned a pitiful look. It wouldn’t fool Yuhyun.

   “I’ll count to ten and then chase you. See? I treated you well—carried you when you were hurt, fed you, sang you lullabies.”

   What nonsense. Instead of replying, Yuhyun tensed his arm on the sash. Cre-aaak—the metal staff bent. Hwangrim frowned, then his grip slipped.

   One side relaxed, and the staff snapped back toward Yuhyun. He spun and pulled the sash into a circle. The staff, ensnared, arced and plunged back toward its owner.

   Thud!

   It skimmed Hwangrim’s leg and embedded in the ground. He dodged well, but again—

   Ping!

   The other half of the broken rod shot from Yuhyun’s sleeve. Hwangrim howled, hopping on one foot in pain.

   “Wow, I thought you ditched it!”

   I hadn’t noticed the rod hidden in his sleeve. Hwangrim retrieved his staff awkwardly as Yuhyun turned and ran on Willow Leaves.

   “Hwangrim, you look terrible.”

   I remarked, and Hwangrim smiled wryly.

   “I tried going easy, but no luck~ I even pulled out a proper weapon. How embarrassing.”

   He never revealed his combat skills. A slippery one. After using a potion to heal, Hwangrim flew off toward the city. Seeing Yuhyun approach, Riette raised her arm.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep