The sound was faint at first—just the one word echoed inside of the gym hall.

"Hey."

But it had the sense of power in it. The kind that made people fear.

Arthur's head moved first. His eyes were sharp and unreadable, locked onto the voice's source. Maya's body suddenly stiffened, her hand froze mid-motion, and her eyes widened slightly as she looked towards the main door—a flicker of recognition and disbelief passing through her mind.

Ryan noticed Maya's expressions immediately as his voice came low. "Maya, are you okay?"

She didn't answer back, her eyes locked onto the voice's source. She was staring at the main door as if there was some kind of ghost standing there.

Then the figure stepped forward, steps low.

The doors creaked open wider, and the light of the hallway spilled in. The man who entered inside walked in with the calm confidence of someone who didn't need the validation of someone—who didn't have to prove anything.

His hair was dark and slightly tousled, and his face was clean, with a sharp jawline like it had been carved from stone. His long black jacket swayed lightly with every step he took to be closer to them, and the faint squeak of his leather gloves echoed softly in the silence.

He smiled faintly as if he was trying to fake something—the smile was not warm or kind—but in a way that made the room feel smaller, like he was trying to look down on them.

"Yo," the man said casually, his tone almost too relaxed.

Arthur looked at him, eyes locked onto his face as his voice came out flat. "Why are you here, Kai?"

Ryan blinked as he heard Arthur say the name of the guy who just walked in. 'Kai?'

Kai looked at Arthur; his expression was unreadable. "He sent me here for something."

Arthur's voice was calm, but it carried an edge. "I asked why, not who."

Kai's smirk widened slightly, just enough to look cocky. "To clear the target," he said slowly, as if it was a joke that he understood. "The one who's holding supplies for our crew." He said as his gaze shifted towards Ryan.

Ryan's stomach dropped; a drop of sweat rolled down his temple to his cheek. 'I'm cooked.'

Arthur's eyes narrowed down a bit. "You think you can touch him?" Arthur said, his voice low as his gaze was fixated onto Kai.

He didn't reply back with words. But Kai's answer came in the form of action. He tightened the hook of his gloves, the leather tightening around his knuckles with a small creak.

He didn't look up from his hands, but he moved. There were no warning signs, no hesitation in it. Just the raw speed.

He shot forward like lightning towards Ryan—one moment he was near the door, and the next he was already in front of Ryan's face. He flexed his fist as it came swinging towards Ryan, cutting through the air with enough force to make the floor vibrate.

Ryan's body suddenly froze in one position; his legs didn't listen to him, and his instincts were screaming at him to jump sideways. His heart started to slam next to his ribs, beating faster than a bullet train.

[DING!]

Host! Dodge immediately! You will die if that connects!

A bright red text box flashed before his eyes.

[Emergency Quest: SURVIVE THE ENEMY.]

[Objective: Stay alive.]

[Reward: ???]

Ryan's pulse spiked, and blood pressure suddenly started rising up. 'Survive? What do you mean survive this guy? He's already in front of me.' That single word tore through his thoughts. He shut his eyes closed, waiting for the impact to land on his face, clearly not trying to defend at all—he had accepted his fate.

But instead of pain, there was a pause of silence—a different kind of sound echoed inside of the gym hall. A heavy impact, like a car door slamming shut with great force.

Ryan slowly opened his eyes, hands were in front of his eyes, and saw Arthur, who was in front of him, standing in between them, guard up as he blocked the attack of Kai.

Arthur had caught Kai's punch. Just simply caught it, no blocking, nothing—his hand clamped tight around Kai's wrist, muscles tensed but face was calm, and veins were visible on Arthur's forearm. The veins on his forearms pulsed slightly under the pressure.

Kai's jaw tightened as his voice came. "Don't step into it, Arthur. We don't have any harsh feelings with you."

Arthur's voice came quiet yet deadly. "Then don't touch my friend."

Ryan froze as he heard the words that Arthur spoke just now. 'Friend.'

The word hit harder than any punch could. For a moment, he forgot that he was currently in danger and was getting hunted. His chest tightened for reasons that he didn't fully understand.

The voice of the system echoed inside of his mind again.

[Host, focus. This is not the time for emotional reflection.

Kai smirked faintly. "Friend of yours, huh? You've gone soft now, Arthur. Haven't ever thought that I would hear those words from your mouth."

Before Arthur could reply to him, Maya's body moved on instinct. She dashed forward—swift and graceful, with her ponytail snapping behind her back. She spun on her heel, launching a 360-degree roundhouse kick straight towards Kai's head.

The air cracked with her speed—but Kai moved like water. His arm came up before Maya could notice it—catching her leg mid-spin. His grip was firm but effortless.

"Nice try, Maya," he said lightly, then twisted.

Maya's balance broke in just a single second; she hit the mat hard. A soft grunt left her lips as her back made connection with the ground; the impact of it echoed through the gym.

"Maya!" Ryan shouted as he stepped forward to her.

Arthur didn't give Kai time to adjust back. He slammed a sharp jab at Kai's ribs, forcing him to release the leg of Maya. Kai stepped back a bit and blocked the punch with his forearm.

But the punch was strong enough to send the shockwaves to his bones. Kai's expression finally turned serious for the first time in this whole interaction.

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