4.

Kim Buja could say it with confidence. "This must be what it feels like to be a fish in water."

It didn't feel like a competition. It felt like playing a game again after a long time—a cheat-enabled, single-player game at that.

"Who knew one class could tip the balance this much?"

Kim Buja had finished a perfect farming run. He'd equipped the wolf-pelt armor set that dropped from the Black Wolf Leader and acquired accessories from its cave using a Secret Dungeon Compass he'd purchased from the shop. For him, this event was a gift he wished would never end. He was already level 15.

He didn't know how many hours had passed. He hunted like a madman, using the island as a testing ground for items he'd been eyeing in the Gold Shop. After all, his wallet was fully stocked with 18,000 Gold. Though he had no intention of using it all, the items he was using now were cheap goods that cost less than 10 Gold each.

It was more than enough to hunt low-level monsters, and with the 2x experience buff, leveling up was a breeze. Food wasn't an issue either. While other players had to worry about provisions, the Gold Maker could enjoy a deliciously seasoned, pre-cooked barbecue while relaxing by a campfire.

"It's all smooth sailing from here. My precious growth-type class."

He built a large fire, letting the smell of meat spread. Yet, not a single monster charged him. There weren't many black wolves left in the Forest of Black Wolves. The survivors knew. They knew the human before them was the one who had practically driven their species to extinction.

Even creatures of instinct couldn't miss the warning, not with the corpses of their kin scattered around the campfire and the barbecue sizzling over the flames, looking just like their own flesh. It was a romantic little scene amidst the chaos. He lay down on a hammock that, for some reason, even had a memory foam-like effect, and closed his eyes. He drifted off for a moment, making a wish.

'I hope there's more interesting prey a little later.'

The individual match on Hunting Island was very much to Kim Buja's liking.

* * *

Teaming is exactly what it sounds like. The word itself isn't the problem. Humans are social animals; forming groups is in their nature. Society itself is a form of teaming, compelling people to cooperate. The benefits of working together have been proven throughout history, with countless examples of tasks that are difficult alone but easy together.

It's no wonder there are so many proverbs about it. That's why teaming, a proven and efficient strategy, shines brightest when you're supposed to be alone. Naturally, it's even more effective in a battle royale. In a space where you can't trust anyone and everyone is an enemy, those enemies suddenly band together to attack you.

A 1v1 fight that might have been manageable becomes extremely disadvantageous the moment it turns into a 2v1. Of course, the event organizers had left the players' classes intact and provided monsters for growth as a way to overturn such conditions, but those advantages applied equally to the players who teamed up.

—Isn't teaming a bit scummy?

—Wow, talk about playing dirty.

—'Dirty?' Try 'smart.' It's called trust and teamwork. There are no rules against it, so what's the big deal?

For spectators, it was one of the most unpleasant and game-ruining forms of unsportsmanlike conduct. In other games, players who teamed up in modes that emphasized individual competition were often severely penalized. Nevertheless, the reason teaming was already rampant on Hunting Island before even a full day had passed was simple: there were no penalties.

In a system where winning was all that mattered, the process didn't. The system, as it had shown in the waiting room, would impose strong sanctions if a player was seen exploiting the rules. But the fact that it didn't punish players for holding hands and hunting monsters instead of killing each other meant this outcome had been anticipated. In fact, even the spectators, who initially expressed strong displeasure, quieted down after an hour or two when teaming failed to produce any significant changes. When they looked at the game objectively, it became just another element of fun.

—Honestly, it's kinda pathetic watching those nobodies team up to hunt.

—The island is so huge, it doesn't seem to be a major balance-breaker.

—Typical teamers. They probably don't even know what country their teammates are from.

The levels of the monsters scattered across the island varied wildly. To secure a foothold for growth, luck was a crucial factor. Some players used teaming to increase their odds, while others had anticipated this from the start and tried to gather at specific locations. As the players split into these factions—along with those who stubbornly went their own way—the once-simple spectacle of the island became much richer. Most importantly, spectators quickly realized that even teaming required skill.

—How are they still leveling slower than the solo players even when they're teaming?

—Lmao they're already fighting amongst themselves.

Teaming was certainly a threat to the players in the battle royale, and it offered a synergistic effect for early-game growth. But given the condition that everyone was equal yet unequal, a clear conclusion emerged.

—If I were gonna team up, I'd hunt down Fly first. Why are you holding hands with an enemy you have to kill in the end just to hunt monsters? Do you really think you can take down a full-grown Fly after grinding all day? Fly is already pulling 3-4 mobs at a time. You have to get him before he gets too big. Bunch of morons.

—Yeah, right. Fly is free-farming lololol.

—A few teams seem to be hunting only players, but the island is so big they're not making a dent.

Let them grow. I won't criticize them. And then, they can be sacrificed for a fully leveled-up Fly's highlight reel. Even without the public's reaction, the players on Hunting Island were all representatives of their respective countries. In other words, they were all skilled in their own right.

Not many had been taken down yet, but player deaths were beginning to pop up one by one. No matter how vast the island was, the areas where low-level players could move while avoiding high-level monsters were limited. Limited hunting grounds and a condensed player base meant that meeting was inevitable. The teaming players roamed around, banking on that. However, they naturally didn't know that a hunter was aiming for them.

* * *

[Provisional Level has increased.]

[Provisional Level has increased.]

[Provisional Level has increased.]

He had only killed four players, but his level had gone up by three. Even considering the day one blessing and the event's normalized experience, it was a huge boost. It was a blatant message from the system: the essence of the game was to kill other players and become the last one standing. Moreover, the players he'd killed were nearly ten levels below him. If he killed players of a similar level, he could expect to gain that many levels per person.

'I just want to hunt players.'

His level and stats were already ahead. His gear was solid from focusing on elite monsters, and his consumables were instantly replenished. He was confident he could win against anyone, no matter how many of them came at him. The problem, as always, was the island's vastness. Searching for the limited hunting grounds where players congregated was a waste of time.

It would be more efficient to continuously raise his level by hunting the widely distributed monsters. For now, he would hunt only the players he encountered, create a decisive gap by the third or fourth day, and then start the real game. That was the plan. Just like the spectators, Kim Buja was well aware of his class's inherent weakness in the extreme late game. He could beat down most average players.

But could he beat players on his level, or even slightly below—like Fly? He shook his head. The Gold Maker's strength lay in early-game advantages, the Gold Shop, and an accelerated growth rate. The Elemental Wizard, on the other hand, overwhelmed opponents with powerful skills and dozens of spells. He had to get Fly now, or within the next three to four days, while the disposable event items he bought with gold could still break through Fly's magic. In the end, Kim Buja was no different from the teamers. It was a race against time. The only silver lining was that he had two paths to victory.

'Either I take down Fly, or I take down this island's final boss.'

He prayed he could do at least one of the two as he took a bite of his hamburger. And his prayer was answered.

[Day 2 Curse has been granted.]

[field bosses will be summoned in certain fields on Hunting Island. The level of each field boss varies, and they will recognize and preemptively attack any player who enters their territory.]

[Time Remaining: 47 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]

In a way he had never expected.

5.

The field bosses were, true to their name, the rulers of the field. At first glance, the concept seemed similar to an elite boss. Indeed, the description didn't suggest a major difference, as elite bosses also managed a territory and led other monsters. But the difference between "elite" and "field" was immeasurably vast. It was a matter of grade.

Just as no one considered Unique and Legendary classes to be on the same level, despite both being rare, a field boss had to be compared to a dungeon boss, at the very least. No, it might even be stronger. That was the spectators' assessment.

—Whoa. How are you supposed to kill that thing?

—You could hit it all day and not even get through its fat.

A total of fifteen field bosses were summoned on the vast island. Among them, people focused on three: a level 8, a level 13, and a level 19. They figured any boss stronger than that would be impossible to kill due to the level difference and assumed most players would gather for the level 8 or 13 ones.

The spectators who had been anticipating a conflict over how to kill the two bosses—whether to cooperate or compete—gave up on that thought the moment they saw them. It was less a monster and more a walking hill. It was what it would feel like if a mountain could walk. With every step, the ground collapsed, and the surrounding terrain was torn to shreds. When they saw a level 11 player who fearlessly charged the level 8 field boss get swatted away like a piece of paper, they finally understood why the day two event was a "curse" and not a "blessing."

* * *

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