51 Ploy - I

 'Where-?!'

Amidst the sprawling maze, Nick's thoughts raced as he carefully surveyed his surroundings.

Solitude hung heavy in the air, and he couldn't shake the initial shock and anxiety that had gripped him upon awakening in this bewildering maze. His calls for help had gone unanswered, leaving him with a gnawing sense of unease.

Aware that his rank made him a target, Nick decided to cease calling out for his friends. In this perilous game, the wrong word or a misplaced trust could be lethal. He knew he had to navigate this maze alone, hoping to rendezvous with his companions while avoiding potential threats.

'I-I can do this!' After a considerable time spent regaining his composure, Nick resolved to forge ahead, driven by the desperate need to reunite with his friends. So he moved cautiously, darting wary glances around each corner to avoid any chance encounters with other candidates.

But the sheer size of the maze weighed on him. How would he ever locate his friends in this seemingly endless maze? With each step, his anxiety and nervousness deepened.

Facing other candidates was a daunting prospect for him. Despite his heightened physical prowess from the Orbs, he lacked the resolve to confront fellow humans, let alone engage in combat.

As the path ahead branched into two, Nick adhered to his cautious approach. Peering from behind a corner, he assessed the situation, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. But this time, something was different.

'S-Shit, t-there are two people a-ahead!' he thought urgently, spotting two silhouettes not far from his location, both marked by tags above their heads.

'C-Calm down...' Struggling to stay calm, Nick suppressed the sound of his breathing, acutely aware that even the faintest noise could give away his presence.

He crouched in silence beside the wall, patiently waiting for the strangers to move elsewhere.

Their conversation reached his ears, and he strained to listen, hoping to glean some insight into his predicament.

"Why did you bring me here?" one of the figures asked.

"I had something very important to tell you," came the enigmatic reply.

Nick listened intently, his heart pounding in the stillness of the maze. He wondered that maybe these strangers held secrets that might offer some clues to the mysterious test in which he was entangled.

As Nick huddled behind the corner, his heart raced with tension, yet he couldn't tear his gaze away from the two strangers with swords, who appeared to be evenly matched in height and build, each carrying a weapon.

'T-They have w-weapons too!' Nick thought, his anxiety surging. The realization that these two individuals were armed added a significant layer of danger to the situation.

He contemplated his options, ready to make a hasty escape if they advanced toward his hiding spot.

Nick held his spear tightly, his knuckles turning white, but he knew that with his introverted state, taking on two seemingly strong adversaries was not a viable choice.

'Calm down... They'll go away soon!' Nick whispered to himself, trying to steady his rapidly beating heart. He kept his focus on the two strangers, hoping they would depart and leave him undisturbed.

As he continued to eavesdrop, Nick's ears caught bits of their conversation.

The annoyed-looking guy seemed to be the one who was brought here by the other person, and their discussion was taking a sinister turn.

"What was it so necessary that you dragged me all the way here?" the annoyed one inquired, his irritation evident.

The other individual, Jean, appeared anxious as he responded, "I know you might find it hard to believe it, but please listen to me patiently. Our captain is trying to kill us!"

"What!? Are you kidding me? Aren't we friends, who survived together!?" Jacob exclaimed, clearly shocked.

Jean quickly silenced him, urging caution, "Shush! Jacob, please lower your voice unless you want someone to hear us!"

Jacob's disbelief lingered, and he pressed further, "Why will he do that? There is no gain in killing us!"

Jean explained with a hushed urgency, "No, I am afraid there is. I have seen the leaderboard, and I know getting into the top is to kill a Ranker, but I doubt it would be easy looking at their insane kill counts. But there is also another way."

Jacob leaned in, curiosity piqued, "What way?"

"Kill the bottom ones and steal their kill counts to become the Rankers!" Jean revealed, shocking not only Jacob but also Nick, who was listening intently.

"Shit, I knew something was off about him since the beginning when he gathered all of us!" Jacob muttered, his trust in their captain evidently shaken.

"Should we run away?" Jean suggested.

"No, Jean, where can we even go?" Jacob reasoned, their voices barely above a whisper.

Then, Jean beckoned Jacob closer, wanting to share another revelation privately.

As the conversation continued, Nick remained hidden, realizing that he had unwittingly stumbled upon a perilous conspiracy within their own team.

'W-What the heck were they talking about!?' Nick's mind raced with confusion and disbelief.

He knew that people would try anything to climb the rankings, but the revelation that some would go as far as targeting their fellow friends left him stunned and reminding him again, how treacherous this place is.

"AHHHH!!!"

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air, jolting Nick from his thoughts. He immediately turned around, his heart pounding with fear and apprehension.

"Why…?" Jean looked at Jacob in agony and shock.

"Humph. Did you think I didn't know about this?"

"What…?"

Instead of replying, Jacob took out a weapon from his companion's sleeves.

"You hid this well. I bet you were planning to use this to kill me earlier, right!?" Jacob angrily threw the dagger aside, which his friend hid.

"Please… forgive me…." Realizing his plan failed and death was steadily coming, Jean felt panic and dread.

"Forgive you so that you can backstab me again? Haha! Don't worry; our captain will also follow your lead." Jacob laughed as he saw him fall due to excess blood loss.

Nick watched in horror as Jean's life was mercilessly taken by Jacob, his own teammate, all for the sake of kill-counts.

The sight of a fellow participant dying at the hands of another human, not a Dead Walker, shook Nick to his core.

'W-What...' As he trembled with fear and disbelief, he couldn't fathom how someone could betray their own comrades for personal gain. Nick had always valued loyalty, honesty, and friendship, and this gruesome act of treachery was something he couldn't easily digest.

But Nick knew he couldn't let this traumatic experience paralyze him. He had to stay strong, not just for his sake but also for his sick mother who was fighting her own battle.

'Mom....' Whenever anxiety threatened to overwhelm him, he would think of his mother's resilience and the sacrifices she had made for him, finding strength in her example.

After taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart, Nick slowly rose to his feet and left the place quietly without alerting Jacob.

His body still quivered with nervousness, but he steeled himself and continued on his path, determined to find his friends in this treacherous maze.

******

"Where are we going, Dean?"

"I don't know. But sitting here won't help us either way, Rosy."

Dean and Rosy, a boy and a girl respectively, pressed on in their exploration of the maze. Their unique feature was the complete coverage of their faces and bodies in black, concealing their identities.

What set them apart even further was Dean's imposing build and the presence of a long sword on his back, a surprising fact considering he held the Rank #7.

"I wonder if those two are alright..." Rosy expressed her concern.

"You don't have to worry. Billy is strong; he will take care of Marcus."

Rosy's apprehension stemmed from their other companion. Earlier, they had encountered two individuals who had hostile intentions, but they got eliminated after Dean swiftly defeated them.

"If you hadn't been here, I might have died earlier..." Rosy gratefully acknowledged Dean.

"Don't worry. For now, let's focus on our objective and search for them as soon as possible."

"Sigh... I wonder how long I have to live with this stinky black blood! I wish our nightmare would just end," Rosy sighed, her gaze fixed on her blackened appearance.

"Why are you saying that? Those monster's black blood saved us from being detected from them! If it weren't for this, none of us would have survived!"

"Sigh. I know... but you, brute, would never understand a girl's heart..."

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing!"

*********

'R-Run! Faster!' Nick's internal voice screamed as sweat poured down his face.

He had been running for several minutes with two people behind. Unbelievably, one of his pursuers was Jacob, the same person who had brutally murdered his friend.

"Shit! Catch him!"

"I know! We can't let him get away!"

Everything had been relatively calm until just a few minutes ago when Nick, cautiously navigating the maze, stumbled upon his worst enemy.