Morning came a lot gentler than either of them had expected.

Deon’s eyes opened, and for a few seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling above the booth, disoriented by one impossible fact.

He had slept, probably the full night, judging by the light outside.

Beside him, Hana was still curled up across the opposite booth seat, using a folded jacket as a pillow. Her breathing calm and even, one hand loosely clutching the pocket where she kept the [Basic Heal] Card.

Deon sat up slowly, rubbing a hand down his face.

How the hell did we sleep through all this?

Maybe the calming fire along with the fact that he had been running on adrenaline the entire time probably answered it.

The first thing Deon did was pull up his panel.

[Leaderboard]

[1. Deon Day — 19 Points]

[2. Martin Wells — 3 Points]

[3. Hana Jung — 2 Points]

"What?!"

He must’ve yelled out loud enough for Hana to suddenly jolt awake. "What?! What happened?!"

Deon turned the panel toward her direction even though she couldn’t read his screen. "Levi’s gone."

"Gone?"

"Zero points. Same with Jason Crowe."

She finally snapped awake, pinching her cheek to check if it was a dream. When she realized it wasn’t, she continued on.

"Wasn’t he in first place just yesterday?"

"Yeah."

Deon reopened the list twice just to be sure, but nothing changed. Both their names hovered around, listed with zero points.

Which only left one likely answer.

"He spent them," Deon muttered.

"Huh?"

"The shop," he continued, explaining. "Points disappear if you buy cards. If Levi suddenly had zero points, it means he bought something."

The fact that Levi willingly dropped off the board had all but confirmed his suspicions. That actor knows something that they don’t, and Deon needed to know what he’s hiding.

Then another thought followed right behind the first. "The real Jason Crowe is probably with Levi’s group."

Hana stared at him for a moment before nodding. But before she could say anything—

Ding!

Both of their panels flashed open at once as a red notice spread across the center.

[The First Game Has Officially Started!]

[Several locations across District 4 have now been designated as Points Of Interest.]

[All contestants must enter a POI and form a team of five members.]

[Failure to comply before the timer ends may result in elimination.]

Below it, a new clock began counting down.

00:29:59

00:29:58

Hana’s face went pale. "Elimination? Seriously?"

Deon was already on his feet, grabbing his leather jacket and slipping it on in one smooth motion. "We’re moving, now."

"What happens if we don’t make a team?"

"I don’t plan on finding out."

They tore down the barricade in seconds, shoving chairs aside and dragging the shelf away from the entrance. Morning light flooded into the café as Deon pushed the door open.

The city looked just as ruined as yesterday.

Only now there was a new sight. Blue pillars of light rose in the distance from several parts of the district, visible above rooftops like beacons: POIs.

The nearest one sat only a few blocks away. A glowing marker floated above a subway entrance.

[GHONAM STATION]

They sprinted towards the station, but even as they did, Deon realized the streets were no longer empty either. Other contestants were racing toward lights of their own, each of them understanding the same thing:

Five seats meant someone was eventually bound to get left out.

By the time they reached the station entrance, Deon slowed sharply. Three people were already inside.

The station itself had been partially cleared out, debris pushed aside to open the central platform. Bags and supplies had been gathered neatly near one wall, while the stairwell and tunnel entrances remained in clear view. Whoever arrived first clearly knew what they were doing.

But the thing that caught Deon’s eyes the most was the exact same person he’d been looking for this entire time...

Levi Knox.

Even in a ruined subway station, the actor somehow looked composed, like he was just preparing for another shoot. His white turtleneck was way cleaner than it had any right to be and his hair was loosely tied back as always.

He glanced toward the station entrance immediately as Deon and Hana approached. Levi raised one hand, stopping the others before turning fully toward the newcomers.

"Hold there."

Deon came to a stop halfway down the steps, mostly because he wanted to see what Levi would do next.

"Names."

There wasn’t any greetings or wasted words exchanged between them like Deon had suspected.

He clicked his tongue lightly. "Deon Day."

"H-Hana Jung," Hana replied from Deon’s side, but it was clear that she was nervous.

Levi’s pupil shrank as he heard the names. The actor lowered his head, bringing a hand to his chin as he thought for a brief moment.

Then he gave a small nod toward their hands. "Show me your Cards."

I knew it. He looks like he knows all about the Cards and the value they hold in this death game.

So instead, Deon decided to play a little act of his own. He stared for a second before letting out a short laugh.

"...Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Levi said calmly. "Any contestant joining this POI should be worth the slot they occupy."

"And you decided you’re the one who gets to judge that?"

"I am." Levi didn’t flinch, not even once. "If you want in, show what you bring to the team. If not, there are other POIs."

Hana glanced anxiously between them.

Deon, however, only folded his arms. "No. What are you gonna do about it?"

For the first time since they had arrived, a faint crack appeared in Levi’s composure. His eyes lingered on Deon for a second longer before turning away, sighing.

"Then find another POI."

Hana’s face went pale immediately. "W-Wait—can’t we come up with some compromise?!"

Interesting...that bastard really wasn’t bluffing. He’d really throw away two ranked contestants if they refused to fall in line.

Which means whatever’s coming up had to be dangerous enough that teamwork was key to surviving.

Just as Levi began stepping back toward the others, Deon finally spoke up.

"...I’ve got [Blade]."

He then pointed towards Hana. "She has [Basic Heal]."

Almost immediately, Levi stopped and turned to look at them once more, eyes wide.

Deon continued with a soft smirk, knowing the fish finally caught onto his hook. "Now, you get to decide, Levi Knox. Do you trust us?"

"Or not?"