Pretending to be something you're not never ends well.

In the end, Serpent Eyes departed in frustration.

Cassius resumed his hunt for elk and wild boar, his points rising rapidly and delighting him. In no time, he widened the gap between fourth and fifth place, nearly surpassing the second place contender.

A sharp crack rang out—a shot fired. An elk fell instantly. Cassius strode forward to process his kill, claiming another ten points. The numbers in the upper right corner leapt from one hundred fifteen to one hundred twenty-five, decisively overtaking Hunter Four’s one hundred twenty-three points and propelling Cassius into second place, just behind Hunter Five’s one hundred forty-two.

Cassius stood and pocketed his score card. In the distance, a figure watched him from afar. Number Six’s expression was complicated—the hunting rifle that Cassius now wielded should have been hers. In a sense, it was a kind of betrayal.

As time passed, the forest almost entirely became the hunting ground of Cassius and Hunter Five. Wild boars and elk were felled one after another, their points climbing swiftly.

A shot rang out—Cassius felled a wild boar. He slipped his score card into a specially designed pouch containing an electronic device to record his points. The organizers received updates in real time.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker blared. A voice announced, "Hunter Seven’s points have surpassed two hundred!"

"Repeat! Hunter Seven’s points have surpassed two hundred!"

It seemed the organizers would not make it easy for Cassius to win the game. Having a powerful firearm was an advantage, but it came with drawbacks. Whenever someone reached a round hundred, the organizers announced it to all hunters.

Thus, that hunter became a target. When they reached Area C, someone might not be able to resist taking action—perhaps even two or three joining forces.

This posed a significant threat to Cassius.

But Shunan paid it no mind. He had already uncovered everything there was to know about the other eight competitors.

What was there to fear?

Moments later, the loudspeaker sounded again.

"Hunter Five’s points have surpassed two hundred!"

"Repeat! Hunter Five’s points have surpassed two hundred!"

Someone else was sharing the heat.

Over the next ten minutes, more announcements came. The remaining hunters all reached two hundred points.

Elsewhere in the forest, a meeting was underway.

"I’m sincere—no need to be nervous," said a man with exceptionally sharp eyes, setting down his rifle and addressing the dark-skinned woman across from him.

"What do you want?" Number Eight asked warily. She kept her gun raised, remaining cautious.

"You heard the announcements, didn’t you? I’m the second-to-last, you’re the last. Don’t you think we should team up?" Hunter Three spoke confidently.

"You must sense the gap—Seven and Five reached two hundred points much faster than the others! If this goes on, we won’t win!"

He shifted tone.

"I imagine we’ve all signed contracts with the corporations behind us. If we finish with disgraceful rankings, even if we make it back alive, we’ll be slaughtered..."

"But if someone dies, they become stepping stones for us. We can take their rifles, claim their points! Maybe not first place, but certainly a respectable ranking..."

"What do you think?"

Number Eight unconsciously lowered her gun, clearly swayed by Hunter Three’s argument.

"So... what should we do?"

"First, find another person—three moving together!"

Ten minutes later, Number Four joined them. His ability was instant acceleration, tripling his reaction speed beyond normal human limits. The group was a gathering of underdogs, each among the last three in ranking.

"So, what’s the plan?" Number Four asked, turning to Eagle Eyes with the same question Number Eight had posed.

"It’s simple. Head straight for Area C!"

"Once we reach Area C, the loudspeaker will announce it. We’ll set an ambush at a key passage and take down whoever comes through! Preferably someone highly ranked—otherwise, if the news gets out and they hide, it’ll be trouble..."

"Agreed," Number Four said after a moment of deliberation.

Elsewhere, Serpent Eyes was trailing his prey from afar, the mark of Poison Sight firmly branded. He could track the general location of the marked target.

Once the target left Area B and entered Area C, Serpent Eyes would follow and strike. He relished this thrill of hunting.

Serpent Eyes fired a shot, hitting an elk. After a relentless pursuit, he secured another ten points.

Just then, the loudspeaker echoed through the woods.

"Contestant Eight has entered Area C."

"Repeat, Contestant Eight..."

"The last one?" Serpent Eyes pictured a dark-skinned face in his mind.

"Quick, but this gives me an opportunity!" He turned to his left.

His prey began moving rapidly.

Reloading, Serpent Eyes hurried after.

With each announcement, the other hunters moved toward Area C. They had lingered long enough in the current area, and prey had grown scarce.

It was time to hunt fiercer beasts in Area C...

Cassius likewise quickened his pace, moving swiftly toward Area C. Shunan watched the scenery on the screen racing past.

Walking the narrow path, Cassius pressed onward.

Suddenly, the screen’s edge glowed a faint red.

Jessica’s pendant activated.

Passive 2: Danger Sense—Invisible forces, those who love you, always watch over you, protecting you.

It was a warning—danger was approaching.

Shunan immediately became alert, sharpening his focus.

Cassius slowed his steps, eyes scanning his surroundings. His boots crunched dry leaves beneath them.

A soft rustling—branches shook.

Something was coming!

He raised his rifle, every sense taut.

Yet nothing happened...

Cassius dashed into the brush on the right, spotting in the distance a tiger slipping away. Its powerful frame and regal stride radiated dominance.

"So you think you can just walk away after provoking me?" Shunan had never seen a tiger in his life—now he wanted to try his hand at hunting one.

Cassius lunged forward in pursuit.

Elsewhere, along another forest path—

Hunter Two hurried onward, bandaged arm gripping his rifle, muscles bulging and solid.

Suddenly, someone sprang from behind a tree, firing a shot. The bullet whistled through the air.

Thud! Like a drumbeat.

The bullet grazed Hunter Two, only scraping some skin. His whole body seemed to swell, muscles knotted and exaggerated, veins bulging blue along his strong arms.

His fortress ability had activated.

"A sneak attack? Nice try, kid!"

Hunter Two grinned, his face thick with muscle. His white teeth glinted in the sunlight, sending chills through any onlooker.

Whoosh—a blurred figure appeared, raising a gun for another shot, but again, the muscles absorbed the impact.

"Ambushes won’t work! Now it’s my turn!"

Hunter Two’s eyes bulged in fury as he raised his rifle.

A slender silhouette lifted her hand.

Ping! The world turned white.

"Ah!" Hunter Two screamed.

Bang! A violent shot echoed.

Hunter Two’s corpse fell to the ground.

Three figures gathered around.

"The times have changed..."

"Eyes wide as bronze bells—if you won’t be blinded, who will?"

"Heh... playing tough never ends well..."