Run to the North

"Rule number one: Killing other participants is not allowed!"

The announcer continued, "The judging panel will be monitoring what's happening closely, and we will watch everything from here. Failure to abide by the rules may result in disqualification."

"Rule number two: Do everything you must to survive without breaking the first rule! Take note, you might be harmed or end up dead during the survival test, so you must take this seriously. If you cannot risk your life, you might as well take your exit now before it commences."

"For those who find themselves in a hopeless situation and believe they can't get out alive, while you are in the venue, just raise your hand with four fingers up in the air, and it will signal that you are surrendering. You will be immediately removed from the venue."

Vince took note of everything that had been said.

He looked ahead and met Raine's gaze, who was sitting with the city chief.

Raine gave him a small yet reassuring smile, as if she knew everything would be alright because she had trust in his capabilities.

Vince didn't know what to expect inside the portal, but he couldn't back out now.

He wouldn't dare.

Not because it would be embarrassing to do so, but because deep down, he trusted himself as well. After all, he had been trained by the captain and vice-captain of the city guardians! So, why would he back down? That would be an insult to his trainers.

Soon, the time had come.

Participants stepped into the portals. Some looked eager to see what awaited them, while others showed apprehension, knowing that passing the second round wouldn't be easy.

Vince finally stepped into the portal.

In an instant, he found himself in the middle of a forest.

He was all alone and couldn't see the other participants, so he assumed the forest was vast and they had been dropped in different parts of it.

He looked around and noticed the sunlight and which direction it was coming from.

It was morning, and the sun was rising in the east. Standing with the sun on his right made it easy to figure out where north was.

He was about to start running but paused halfway through his stride.

He took a moment to examine his surroundings. The forest was eerily quiet; the wind was soft and gentle, and the tranquility of the area remained largely undisturbed.

Despite how peaceful the forest seemed, Vince knew there must be traps ahead.

His lips curled slightly, and once his mind was relaxed and focused, he started running.

There wasn't time to waste, so he couldn't afford a casual stroll.

A few meters into his run, it began.

A swinging log came flying toward him, and with his fast reflexes, he managed to dodge it in time.

He didn't have time to check every step he took, so instead of being careful to avoid triggering traps, Vince decided to leap and dodge while on the run.

It wasn't the most convenient method, but at least he was saving time. Besides, he found it more fun this way.

As he continued to run, darts fired from hidden holes in tree trunks, swinging logs appeared everywhere, shifting rocks tried to squeeze the life out of him, and other traps emerged.

Pitfall traps were easy to avoid because even from a distance, Vince could smell the difference between the scents of the ground and those from belowground, allowing him to identify which parts of the ground to avoid.

The surface scent was influenced by external factors like wind, rain, plants, animals, and decaying organic matter, creating a mixture of smells often dominated by fresh or decaying vegetation, dirt, and organic debris.

Beneath the surface, the soil retained more moisture, affecting decomposition. Organic matter buried under the ground gave off deeper, earthier scents as it broke down more slowly due to limited oxygen exposure.

Dart-throwing traps weren't hard to dodge either.

Vince's senses were highly alert, and since it was daytime, his eyesight functioned at its best.

Changes in air pressure or faint whistling sounds could indicate an impending dart release, which is why he noticed every time darts flew toward him.

Compared to his speed a month ago, after a month of training, he had become faster, more flexible, and more agile, improving his overall physical condition.

He continued running in the same direction, all while dodging traps.

Then he heard something.

'What is this?'

It started as a faint sound, like a soft hum in the wind.

As he navigated deeper into the forest, the sound grew louder until Vince could finally discern what it was. It was a calm lullaby sung by a sweet, unfamiliar female voice, soothing to the ears.

'Are they giving us background music while we're trying to survive out here?'

Vince smirked, finding his own thought ridiculous.

'If that's the case, they should have at least used upbeat music to boost morale.'

Nonetheless, he found the sweet lullaby enjoyable, even while running for his life.

BOOM!

Vince's body was thrown, and he hit a trunk as a swinging log passed by. He groaned and sat up, holding his stomach where he had been hit.

He looked down, relieved to see that his stomach wasn't torn.

What had just happened? He had been alert and successfully dodging all sorts of traps for the past thirty minutes. But this time, he hadn't seen or heard the swinging log coming; it seemed to have appeared next to him suddenly.

Another swinging log came hurtling toward Vince, which he only noticed when it hit the trunk he was leaning against. He quickly rolled to the ground and took cover behind the next trunk, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Earlier, it had been easy to dodge the traps because he could feel and hear the slight changes in the environment. The swinging logs produced faint sounds that his heightened senses could detect.

But now, it was different.

He could barely notice anything.

Vince got up and moved forward, but his pace was slower this time. He had to be more cautious because the traps had become barely noticeable.

While running, his gaze kept darting around, looking for potential threats.

The lullaby continued to play in the background.

Vince was hit by another swinging log and almost struck by darts fired from a trunk, but he managed to take cover behind a rock.

'Damn.'

He stepped away from the rock once the darts stopped flying.

Vince's eyes narrowed as he listened to the lullaby.

His body felt a little heavier now compared to how it had felt in the past thirty minutes, which slowed him down, and he could barely sense the traps around him.

It was then it dawned on him.

"Fucking lullaby…"