A black camera zoomed in on Lee Hajun, who widened his eyes in awe as he watched the others boarding the carriage led by Holse.
They were filming a reaction cut.
Roy recalled the broadcast terminology that Hwang Guman and Earth had taught him as he walked alongside Kim Chan and Lee Hajun.
On top of the carriage, Lee Doha was sleepily glancing around with half-lidded eyes.
When Roy casually raised his right hand, Lee Doha raised his hand mid-air as if to return a high-five.
“I bet even the dorms will be totally different. I can’t shower with cold water, though.”
“I-I overheard the staff talking earlier… They said our Hunter abilities haven’t been evaluated yet, so this might be a temporary dorm assignment.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah. Today’s evaluation was just for vocals and dancing, so the rankings are only provisional.”
Lee Hajun eagerly shared the information he’d picked up with Roy and Kim Chan.
“Your name is Lee Hajun, right? I’m Kim Chan.”
“Nice to meet you, Chan hyung.”
Kim Chan’s eyes sparkled as he watched Lee Hajun bow so deeply his waist nearly folded in half.
“I heard you’re the youngest among the contestants this season… That’s really impressive at your age.”
“Hyung, you can speak comfortably with me.”
Unlike Roy, who rarely showed much emotion, Kim Chan had an openly friendly face.
At Kim Chan’s warm tone, Lee Hajun blushed and gave a shy smile.
“You’re seriously so cute…”
“Ugh… I-I can’t breathe…”
Kim Chan, who had a soft spot for cute things, suddenly went into full attack mode.
He pulled Lee Hajun into a tight hug, lifting him slightly off the ground.
“We’ve got a long way to go. Let’s get moving, both of you.”
Roy grabbed the back of Kim Chan’s neck and peeled him off.
By now, the other Bronze contestants were already heading toward the dorms.
Aside from the set and the path the contestants were walking along, the area was enveloped in dark navy shadows.
Only the eerie yellow eyes of wandering monsters reflected the dim light from the corridor like hanging lanterns.
“I really want to use my phone…”
All personal belongings, including phones, had been collected by the staff upon arriving on the island.
Aside from clothing and toiletries, all electronic devices and artifacts were prohibited during filming.
“Everyone, please move quickly. Once you get to your dorms, have dinner and go straight to bed.”
A staff member walking far ahead waved at Roy’s group.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t even had dinner yet. My stomach’s growling.”
They’d been so tense they hadn’t realized how hungry they were.
Kim Chan clutched his loudly growling stomach and linked arms with Roy and Lee Hajun.
BEEEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEP—!
“What the heck?!”
“Is something on fire?!”
“Ugh… So loud…”
The sky was still dark.
Suddenly, loud alarms rang out simultaneously from the dorms where the Gold, Silver, and Bronze contestants were sleeping.
[Hero! You need to wake up now!]
“Ugh…”
Roy groaned and rubbed his aching forehead into the blanket.
***
After arriving at the dorms last night, he had scarfed down a staff-provided meal box and immediately collapsed into bed.
During the war, he’d stayed up for three nights straight more than once.
But ever since arriving in this world, he’d gotten used to a surprisingly comfortable life.
“What is all this chaos…”
Roy’s room had two bunk beds pushed up against the wall.
Other contestants, also rudely awakened by the noise, blinked groggily and tried to understand what was going on.
“All contestants, please gather on the first floor within ten minutes!”
“Ten minutes?”
“How are we supposed to gather in ten minutes?!”
The cameras installed around the dorms moved like living creatures, capturing the contestants’ bewildered faces.
Roy stepped down from his bed, passing by the confused others.
He didn’t forget to pat Kim Chan and Lee Hajun on the shoulder as they rubbed the sleep from their eyes.
Clack.
The bathroom door closed behind Roy—marking the start of chaos.
“Ahhh! Roy hyung! Let’s shower together!”
“Wait your turn.”
Roy didn’t mind sharing the shower, but he definitely didn’t want to share the experience of emptying his full bladder from the night before.
While the rest of the contestants ran around like headless chickens, Roy calmly washed his face and brushed his teeth.
“Hyung, that’s just cruel…”
“Hurry up and get in.”
By the time Roy stepped out of the room’s only bathroom, five minutes had already passed since the announcement.
Kim Chan and Lee Hajun shot Roy a betrayed look before rushing into the bathroom.
Because they had arrived last, the three of them were lucky enough to get a room that was still empty.
[Hero, you’re seriously heartless. You left your own agency mates behind! That’s cold! Like, wow…!]
Earth’s voice chattered noisily in Roy’s head—whether it was a complaint or praise was anyone’s guess.
Roy, already dressed in the uniform the staff had given him the night before, left the room.
“How much time do we have left?”
“Two minutes!!”
“Are they serious, doing this at the crack of dawn?!”
The hallway was utter chaos.
Contestants, eyes still crusty with sleep and dressed in identical uniforms, rushed frantically toward the first floor.
The dormitory building was just one structure.
The only differences were the floors assigned by rank and the interior decorations.
Regardless of whether they were Gold, Silver, or Bronze rank, all the participants scrambled in a panic.
“Are you all crawling here? You’ve got 30 seconds left!”
“Aaaah—!”
The front of the dorm was packed with people on their knees, catching their breath.
Calm individuals like Roy, who stood upright, were rare enough to count on one hand.
On the first floor, Kim Hanbom stood on a platform as tall as a person, wearing a bright red cap.
Yesterday, during the evaluations, he had sat silently like a statue.
As someone ranked in the top 10 among Korean Hunters, he radiated an overwhelming sense of authority.
Just his presence alone made the air on the first floor feel heavy.
It was the imposing aura befitting an S-Rank Hunter.
“…5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Close the barricade.”
The remaining thirty seconds passed in a flash.
Kim Chan and Lee Hajun barely made it to the first floor in time, breathing heavily as they looked at Roy with pitiful eyes.
Roy simply turned his head to the side.
Clack, clack, clack.
Staff members dressed in jet-black outfits, like Kim Hanbom, stepped forward and drove man-sized shields into the ground in front of the gasping participants.
“N-no, wait…!”
Roughly 70 participants had made it inside the barricade.
About 30 were left standing outside, screaming in despair.
“Doha hyung, what do we do…”
Even Lee Doha, known for sleeping a lot, stood across from Roy.
Kim Chan stomped his feet in frustration and looked at Doha, who blinked slowly like a dazed cow.
The staff weren’t playing around.
There had to be a reason they’d gathered everyone at dawn.
“Twenty-eight people have been disqualified.”
Kim Hanbom instantly counted the participants standing outside the barricade.
“Those of you who didn’t make it in time, follow the staff over there.”
Some participants bit their lips hard.
Others had water dripping from their faces—either sweat or tears.
“We will now begin the Hunter Ability Evaluation.”
A wave of murmurs spread through the group.
While everyone had assumed today would involve evaluations—especially since yesterday was focused on dance and vocal skills—no one expected it to start this early in the morning.
“From this moment on, you must rescue the twenty-eight disqualified participants.”
A flash of confusion crossed the participants’ faces.
The survival game had officially begun—at the crack of dawn.
“The rules are simple. Somewhere on the island, the disqualified participants are tied up. Your task is to rescue them and bring them back here.”
“B-but there are monsters…”
Kim Hanbom never said the captives were in safe zones.
The participants exchanged meaningful glances with those they knew.
None of them had leveled up yet, but combat capabilities varied widely depending on one’s class.
Generally, those with swordsman-type classes had better combat potential.
“However, remember this—each of you must act alone. From this point forward, you may freely use your Hunter abilities.”
“We’re screwed…”
That rule shattered any plans to form teams and overcome the mission together.
“You’re free to attack, but if you attack another participant, you will be immediately disqualified. The monsters are your only enemies.”
Once the mission started, the pressure of competition could easily push people into attacking each other, whether they intended to or not.
Most wore innocent expressions now, but once things got heated, their true nature would be revealed.
“We will provide weapons. Please receive one from the staff.”
A staff member wheeled out a cart loaded with daggers.
“All the teeth are gone on these…”
“They’re still usable at Level 0. Probably give you a +1 to attack power.”
Someone with a bit of knowledge said this, and everyone’s expressions turned grim.
“That’s correct. These are ‘Beginner’s Daggers.’ But don’t worry—we’ve placed the disqualified participants only in areas with Level 1 monsters, keeping your safety in mind.”
“That’s a relief…”
The gloomy expressions lightened a little.
Level 1 monsters were manageable with a Beginner’s Dagger.
“You just have to say ‘Equip Item,’ hyung.”
Kim Chan explained the item command to Roy, who was holding the dagger awkwardly.
“Equip Item.”
Roy repeated the words, and a translucent window popped up in front of him.
[Name: Hwang Roy]
[Age: 22]
[Class: Spirit Summoner]
[Level: 0]
[Rank: ?]
[Physical Stats: ?]
[Magic Power: ?]
[Equipped Item: Beginner’s Dagger (+1 Attack)]
He gave the dagger a few experimental swings.
It had a satisfying weight, and a dull ache crept into his wrist from the lack of strength.
“Oh, hyung, you’re pretty good at swinging that thing.”
Impressed, Kim Chan let out a soft whistle as he fiddled with his own dagger.
Roy glanced at Kim Chan and Lee Hajun, who were gripping their daggers awkwardly, and showed them the proper way to hold it.
“Is everyone ready? Then—move out now!”
As soon as each participant had received a dagger, Kim Hanbom gave the signal to begin.
At that very moment, Roy kicked off the ground and dashed in the same direction as the others.
Now this is interesting