In places across Dawn State, voices rose with excitement.
"Brian is incredible!" one viewer cheered, slamming a hand on the table.
"Michaelâs good, yes, but come onâyou saw that firestorm."
Others werenât so convinced.
"He ran, yes. But that takes skill too. Anyone else wouldâve been vaporized by Brian."
Back in the broadcast feed, the fog shook with new movement. Seven figures surged out of the mist, surrounding Brian.
Gasps rippled through the audience.
"Ambush!" Selene exclaimed. Her eyes widened, hands flying to her headset. "Seven Hunters at once!"
The cameras zoomed, catching Brianâs flames bursting outward as arrows streaked and blades clashed against him.
Darius whistled low, grinning.
The chat overlay on the broadcast explodedâhalf cheering for Brian to crush them, half betting heâd fall under the weight of numbers.
The commentators didnât waste time once Brian was shown fending off seven attackers at once.
Selene leaned forward, voice carrying both awe and tension.
"Look at thatâseven against one, and heâs still standing. That kind of resilience... you have to wonder. Maybe Brianâs actually the stronger one here."
Darius chuckled, spinning his pen between his fingers.
"Stronger? Hold on now. Donât forget what Michael did earlierâthree Hunters dropped in seconds. Seconds. He didnât even break a sweat."
Selene pressed her lips together, unwilling to back down.
"Fair, but look at the difference in pressure. That speaks to a different kind of strength."
Across Dawn State, the audience who watched dtge program like it was a sport erupted into arguments of their own.
"Brianâs a monster! Seven at once! Michael couldnât handle that kind of press."
"Did you miss it? Michael didnât
need
to handle seven. He eliminated three faster than anyone blinked."
"If thatâs true, why did he retreat when Brian pressured him? Strongest wouldnât need to run."
"Youâre missing the matchup. Fire counters everything Michael tried. Itâs like comparing elementsâfire burns wood, sure, but that doesnât make wood weak. Itâs just a bad clash."
The debate spiraled online too, the chat flooding with tags:
#TeamBrian
vs.
#TeamMichael
.
And thenâ
The studio fell silent when a bone spear erupted from the mist, skewering one of the mages.
Seleneâs eyes widened. "Thatâs... Michael?"
Darius barked a laugh. "The kid came back! He actually came back!"
The bone spear erupting from the mist had the commentators jolting upright.
Seleneâs hand flew to her mouth. "Thatâs... Michael? Did he actually come back for revenge?"
Darius shook his head, half laughing, half shocked. "Revenge? I donât think so. Look closelyâheâs striking the Hunters who were targeting Brian.."
The professor leaned in with a calm frown. "Interesting. If Michael was truly after Brian alone, he could have struck earlier. It seems less like vengeance... and more like strategy."
Across Dawn State, chatter spiked.
"Wait, is he saving Brian?"
"That makes no sense. Brian attacked him earlier!"
"No, no, lookâheâs targeting Brianâs attackers, not Brian himself. Maybe Michael just wants the Huntersâ points."
"So... heâs protecting Brian
by accident
? Or is it on purpose?!"
The camera zoomed back, showing the battlefield clearing of all but two figures: Michael and Brian.
Selene let out a small gasp. "If Michaelâs real target was Brian, then heâs missed his chance. He shouldâve struck when Brian was exhausted from seven-on-one."
Darius leaned back, smirking. "Yeah, looks like the kid wasted his edge. Now itâs just the two of them again, and Brian isnât going to fall that easily."
The professor adjusted his glasses. "Or perhaps..." His words trailed off, eyes narrowing at the unfolding scene.
And then it happened.
Brian hurled a fireballâand Michael vanished. Gasps tore across the studio as the feed showed him reappear above, descending like a phantom with his spear poised to strike.
The audience roared in disbelief.
"Heâhe teleported?!"
"No way! How the hell did he do that?!"
Even Seleneâs voice cracked with disbelief.
The commentators, the studio, and the millions of viewers across Dawn State fell into stunned silence, watching the spear drive clean through Brianâs chest.
*
Back in the Virtual Space
Michael, completely unaware of the uproar he had just caused outside, moved like a shadow through the mist. His spear was steady in his grip, his breathing controlled. His mind was set on only one thingâreaching the red dot that had flared earlier on his map.
But thenâ
Ding.
A cascade of panels shimmered into his vision, halting him mid-step.
[Target Eliminated]
[+10 to all stats]
[Role Suspended: Hunter]
[Temporary Switch: Freeman]
Michael blinked, his brow furrowing. The red dot he had been rushing toward vanished from the map, the overlay shifting back to the blank grid of a Freeman. His pace slowed as the realization sank in.
"So thatâs what happens..." he murmured.
Fulfill your roleâs task, and you were removed from itâreset into neutrality until the next switch. Hunters who succeeded in eliminating their Hunted didnât remain Hunters indefinitely. Once the job was complete, the role was recycled.
The panels faded, but the effect lingered in Michaelâs body. Strength, agility, vitalityâevery fiber of him felt tuned higher.
[+10 to all stats]
The systemâs prompt replayed in his mind, and despite himself, Michael allowed a small grin. That one completion was the same as hunting ten separate Hunter. A jackpot.
"Feels... good." His spear twirled once in his hand, light and responsive, before he anchored it again at his side.
"Ten Huntersâ worth of strength... from a single elimination."
The thought sent a thrill down his spine. Yet the thrill quickly hardened into focus.
Because if one Hunted like Brian could exist, others might too.
Michael exhaled slowly, mist curling from his lips. "No. Waiting wonât cut it."
If he was unlucky and the next switch placed him as the Hunted, there would be nowhere to cry about wasted chances.
Which meant the best way forward now was simple:
stack strength before the cycle reset again.
Hunters were still out there, preying on red dots. And while the Hunted acted as bait, those very Hunters were Michaelâs stepping stones.
He tapped his map interface againâit was blank now, but that didnât mean he was blind. The battlefield echoed faintly in the distance with roars of combat, flashes of skill, and the crack of steel.
All he needed to do was trace the chaos.
Michael body blurred into motion, Ghostwind Steps whispering against the stone floor of the trial ground.