"Good luck—"
Rourke's words still hung in the cold air as the steel gates groaned open, their rusted hinges screeching in protest.
Immediately, the assembled contestants exploded into motion. Like a dam breaking, they surged forward, scattering into the dark maw of the abandoned prison grounds.
Boots pounded against cracked concrete, shadows stretched and flickered under the dim floodlights, as the distant sound of hurried footsteps echoed into the void.
Felix flinched as the crowd around him erupted into chaos. His round face already looked nervous and flushed, with beads of sweat prominently glistening on his forehead.
"Leo... we should—" Felix began, his voice trembling.
But Leo wasn't listening. His sharp eyes were already darting across the roof of the crumbling structures, the skeletal watchtowers, and the prison block entrances that yawned like the open jaws of some waiting beast.
Up.
His instincts screamed at him to climb, to find a vantage point—a predator's perch where he could see everything.
In this free for all hunt, height meant control. Height meant survival.
But then he looked at Felix, whose wide eyes flicked nervously across the courtyard. Felix wasn't built for climbing. He wasn't built for fighting either.
For a brief moment, their eyes met. Felix's gaze flicked toward the nearest prison block entrance—a gaping corridor shrouded in darkness.
Leo hesitated. His grip on his dagger tightened... and then he nodded.
"Lead the way."
Felix didn't wait. He turned and hurried toward the entrance, his heavy footsteps loud against the cracked tiles, a stark contrast to Leo, who followed, silent and nimble.
The two disappeared into the dark corridor and the testing ground gates immediately shut behind them for they were the last to move.
**********
The air inside the prison corridor was stale and heavy, thick with the scent of rust and decay.
For illumination, flickering fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting weak pools of pale light onto the floor, but while it illuminated some patches of the floor, most of the prison interior remained dark and dangerous.
*Crunch*
Broken glass crunched faintly underfoot as Felix led the way deeper inside, his breaths ragged and loud in the oppressive silence.
Leo followed close behind, his dagger drawn, eyes scanning every doorway, every shadow, every flicker of movement.
After several minutes of silent movement, Felix skidded to a halt at a T-junction—a crossroads of two equally long, empty corridors.
He turned back to Leo, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "H-Here. This is good. We can see anyone coming from either side. They can't sneak up on us."
Leo's sharp gaze swept over the junction. Two open lines of sight, no corners for ambushers to hide, and enough space to react if someone approached.
It wasn't the predator's perch he would've chosen—but it was smart. It was logical.
"Good choice," Leo said softly, giving Felix a small nod.
Felix let out a breath he'd been holding, his shoulders sagging slightly as he leaned against the cold concrete wall.
"You cover one passageway, I'll cover the other. If someone approaches from my side, I'll alert you," Felix said, his voice surprisingly steady despite the sweat beading on his forehead. "You just need to hold the fort down for the first hour or two. After that... I'll take care of the rest."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Take care of the rest? What does that mean? Are you planning to transform into an elite fighter after an hour or two?"
Felix grinned widely, tapping one of the jugs strapped to his belt with a sense of pride. "Exactly! Sober, I might look like this, but drunk? Drunk, I'm a menace."
Leo stared at him, unblinking.
"I'm not weak, Leo. I'm what you'd call a drunk assassin," Felix said, his grin widening. "The more I drink, the stronger I get. It usually takes me an hour or two to really get in the zone, but once I'm there—oh boy, you won't recognize me."
For a moment, Leo simply stared at Felix, his expression unreadable.
'A drunk assassin? What kind of ridiculous assassin was that?' Leo wondered, but he kept his skepticism to himself. At the very least, Felix had a plan, and that was better than nothing.
Felix leaned back slightly, crossing his arms. "What about you? What's your specialty? What clan are you from? The way you move so silently... it's not normal. You had to have been trained by someone elite, right? But I can't figure out who."
Leo's body stiffened. His grip on the dagger tightened slightly as his mind clawed at the edges of an answer.
Who was his teacher?
The question echoed in his mind, but instead of clarity, there was only pain—a sharp, blinding ache that paralyzed his thoughts. He clenched his jaw, his breath catching in his throat.
"I... I don't know. I can't remember," Leo said finally, his voice low and tight.
Felix's eyes narrowed. His earlier playful tone faded as concern crept into his expression. "What do you mean you don't know? Like... did he wear a mask while training you? Was his identity hidden or something?"
Leo shook his head slowly. "No. I just... I can't remember."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. The faint hum of flickering lights filled the silence.
"Well... it doesn't matter," Felix said, forcing a grin back onto his face, though it was weaker this time. "What matters is that you can fight, right? You can handle yourself if someone comes after us, right?"
Leo hesitated, his sharp eyes locked onto Felix's hopeful gaze. "I can try."
Felix froze. His smile faltered, and his round face grew pale. A tear welled up in the corner of his eye and slipped down his cheek.
"You're... you're joking, right? Please tell me you're messing with me. You're strong, aren't you? You were supposed to help me survive! You have mana-based skills or secret techniques, right? You... you can kill people with your abilities, right?"
Leo's reply came soft, yet unyielding "No. I don't remember having any skills."
Felix's breath hitched as his shoulders slumped, and for a brief moment, he looked utterly defeated.
The silence stretched between them, heavier than before.
But then, Felix sniffed, rubbed his face roughly with the back of his sleeve, and offered a silent prayer to his ancestors.
"We are both going to die here.... We are going to die like dogs..... beautiful dogs..... intelligent dogs" He said, as he opened a jar of his alcohol and began chugging at superhuman speeds.
"We are going to die and my ghost is going to hound you forever, Leo No Skills, in a crowd full of ruthless assassin's, you conned me into joining hands with a common man" Felix said, as Leo cracked a wide grin at his words.
It was true, right now he was no different than a common man.