The Author's POV

"This place is fine"

Entering one of the abandoned buildings with Zack, I made sure to scan the perimeter to see if anybody was there before setting up camp.

After settling down, still standing, Zack looked at me in confusion as he asked.

"What do we do now?"

In all honesty, if not for everyone following his orders, Zack would've never have let someone like Ren order him around.

...he really was tempted to just leave and do as he wished, but since it would incur the wrath of the other team members, he decided against doing so.

Glancing at Zack from the corner of my eye and reading his thoughts, I briefly responded to him before turning my attention back towards the distance.

"Nothing yet, our turn has yet to come"

From the very beginning, I could tell he was dissatisfied with me. However, unfortunately for him, I really didn't care.

...in the first place, who told him that he had to do as I said?

Inwardly shaking my head and turning my attention back towards the city, I carefully observed the city from the building I was on. For now, everything was calm and quiet, however, I knew that things would soon change...

Placing my hand on my chin, squinting my eyes as I stared into the distance, I fell into deep thought.

According to my deduction, whoever was going to target Jin was not definitely not going to be the code holder.

With how skilled Jin was, sending their code holder to fight against him would be suicide and may prove to be fruitless.

Thus it was safe to assume that whoever was going to target Jin was definitely not going to be the code holder.

Preferably, I would hope that they send more than one person to pursue him as that would cut off a lot of possibilities, but even one was enough. Couldn't be too greedy.

...now, with that set, I needed to figure something out.

Was the code holder going to hide or was he/she going to blend with the rest just like what I had done with Arnold?

Thinking thus far, glancing at my watch, I immediately dialed a number.

Fortunately, we were allowed to communicate with each other during the game as both teams were given access to a communication device in the form of a watch. It couldn't do anything else apart from that, but it saved a lot of time.

"Jin can you hear me?"

...

-Swooosh!

Stealthily moving around the abandoned houses, Jin quietly scanned the perimeter. Thereafter, like a cat, Jin kept moving forward without making any sound. Fast and stealthily.

can you hear

Jin arrived on top of one of the buildings, suddenly

slight frown appeared on Jin's face before it

of

-Yes

yourself so that

his eyes, Jin didn't respond immediately. Thereafter, understanding the intent behind

-Understood

[Alright perf-]

-Click!

of the buildings. Thereafter, he jumped from one building to the other. As

to how others thought he would,

Ren's plan, Jin would've originally done the mission

match him in a fight? He was that confident

-Swoosh! -Swoosh!

Jin moved from one building to the other, he suddenly felt an extremely repulsive feeling well inside of his body. His mind couldn't help but start drifting away from the trials as a result. Shortly after, recalling something, Jin's fist clenched

think he was following someone

the proud son of the Horton family, was following someone

"How repulsive"

the words that subconsciously came out of his mouth as he kept

his life had he ever had someone order him around. Never. If not for the fact that

as his thoughts paused there, Ren's face appeared in Jin's mind. More specifically, the cold and emotionless eyes back

that moment. Nor will he ever

day where he truly felt powerless for the first time in

Ren, that moment back in

be too conceited as there was always someone better than

lost didn't mean he feared Ren. No, that innate pride that had been engraved deeply into his body since birth couldn't

a

Pathetic.

wasn't as

"huuuu..."

Jin accelerated as he

since that fateful day in Hollberg, Jin

it Kevin, Amanda,

longer cared for

too fixated on the idea of comparing himself to others rather

the others, something that he would've never done before, Jin couldn't help but mutter to

"...How disgusting"

this over with. The feeling of working with other people rather than just himself repulsed him to the max. The only reason he was doing this was because he believed that he could learn something from Ren...however as he moved around the buildings, Jin couldn't help but feel like that was the

a bait help him in anyway shape

"Damn it"

increased his pace even more as he overbearingly moved around the infrastructures around him. Staring at his surroundings as

attract the attention of the others, that's