One full day had passed since the medbay incident, and the village had not yet recovered from the tension. The scorched ruins stood as a grim reminder, and makeshift treatment tents dotted the area nearby, manned by tired healers and volunteers.
In the sky above the village, the system timer pulsed faintly:
[FINAL WAVE BEGINS IN: 03:00:00]
With every passing minute, the tension thickened. Players gathered in small groups, weapons sharpened, plans whispered, nerves exposed. Everyone knew this was the final stand—for now.
Then it came.
A low rumble echoed from the forest's edge. The earth trembled underfoot, followed by the sound of something massive pushing through trees. Birds scattered, and even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Then, from the shadows of the forest, it emerged.
A hulking figure over three meters tall, green skin stretched tight over bulging muscle. Thick bone armor strapped over its body with chains, and a monstrous axe taller than a man rested on its shoulder. One tusk was broken. One red eye gleamed with hatred.
Above its head, glowing letters burned into the air:
[WAVE BOSS: MUTATED ORC WARLORD – TIER: GOLD]
Shouts erupted. Players scrambled. Some froze, some drew weapons, others yelled commands.
Tyuri, near the village wall, gripped his short dagger. "There it is…"
Nariku stepped back instinctively. "So it's really happening…"
Nearby, Rin stood under the shadow of a tree, arms crossed. He watched the orc's entrance with an unsettling calm.
So it begins, he thought. The final wave… and the perfect chaos to test a few things.
His eyes flicked not toward the orc, but toward the players organizing defense. Every move was a piece on the board. And he was already thinking ten steps ahead.
Behind the scenes, the true game was just beginning.
The sky dimmed into hues of orange and crimson as the final wave drew closer—only three hours remained.
Atop a rocky outcrop near the watchtower, Rin Kyougi stood alone, his eyes fixated on the distant silhouette of a towering creature approaching through the forest edge. The golden glint of its armor caught the dying sunlight. A Gold Tier Orc. Powerful. Dangerous. Expected.
But that wasn't what made Rin smile faintly.
Below, shouts erupted as black smoke billowed from the supply storage. Panic spread like wildfire—literally. Hairu and the others turned in shock, momentarily breaking formation. The mission was nearly complete, and yet chaos bloomed again. Why now?
"Thirty players, get that fire under control! The rest, hold your posts!" Hairu's voice rang clear and sharp.
Rin didn't move, not yet. He watched.
Just as planned.
Kusahi had delivered.
Earlier, beneath the cloak of night, the poison-maker had confessed everything—every name etched into the plot to kill the Hero or the Villain: Kusahi himself, Makoto, Juyou, Hyuroko, and one other unknown individual who wore a silver mask. A mask Rin had seen once before… in the forest after a scouting mission with Nariku. And again, looming over the rooftops moments before Hairu was nearly assassinated.
A pattern. A symbol. A sign.
"I want you to cause as much trouble as possible," Rin had told Kusahi with that cold grin hidden beneath his borrowed face.
And trouble had come.
Rin flicked open his status window, its familiar blue glow reflecting in his eyes.
---
Name: Rin Kyougi
Age: 23
STR: 4 [Common]
END: 7 [Uncommon]
INT: 6.5 [Hero]
STA: 4 [Common]
MAGIC: 1 [Common]
MANIA: 8.5 [Hero]
Traits:
[Shadow Planner]
[???]
[???]
Mastery:
[Novice Sixth Sense: 35.16%]
[Novice Throwing Technique: 0.37%]
[Beginner Scouting: 72.26%]
[Novice Spear Technique: 12.17%]
Equipment:
[Card of Mania / Appearance: Spear]
[Mask of Deceit / Appearance: None]
[Scout Armor]
---
He smirked to himself, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes. All 3 stat points into Mania. 5 random ones mostly wasted on STR and MAGIC. But with Hero Grade's 2.5x multiplier, I still win.
8 minutes and 30 seconds of activated Mania. Enough to end a life—or several.
The fire still raged, but the Orc was waiting. The players were divided. Distracted. Just as a new layer of tension spread like a stain through the village.
Rin's smile faded slightly, replaced by cold calculation. He turned away from the smoke.
The real game begins now.
The countdown ticked away.
1:00
Everything slowed. Not just the clock, but the world itself.
The wind stilled. The distant chatter dulled into a low hum. Even the torches flickered slower, their flames stretching unnaturally long.
0:45… 0:30… 0:15…
Rin stood atop one of the taller rooftops in the village, arms crossed, eyes sharp as blades. From his vantage point, the world below was like a miniature war-table—pieces falling into place, unaware of the hands moving them.
0:05… 0:04… 0:03… 0:02… 0:01…
Final Wave: Initiated
The earth shook.
A ripple of energy burst out from the outer forest like a pressure wave, and then—monsters.
Over a hundred goblins poured from the tree line like a black tide, shrieking, armed, blood-hungry. And behind them came the towering Orc, golden-tier, its heavy breath visible in the air as it roared. The sound sent a shockwave across the field.
Hairu, standing in front of the command building, raised her hand high.
"Shields up! Archers—FIRE!! Magicians, begin your incantations! Natsuro, stay with the wounded and monitor the rear flank!"
Her voice rang with command, cutting through the chaos like a blade.
At the back, Natsuro raised a flag, signaling the support teams to fall into defensive formation. He barked orders with uncharacteristic authority, his usual quiet demeanor replaced by calm precision.
It was war.
Around 300 players—swordsmen, archers, magicians, and defenders—collided with the horde. Screams, steel, and spells lit up the battlefield. Arrows arced through the sky, fireballs exploded in vibrant crimson, and the clashing of blades rang like bells.
It was beautiful. In a twisted, strategic sense.
Rin watched quietly, the flames and lightning below reflected in his cold eyes.
Like ants.
Then he felt it.
A presence.
He didn't need to look to know. The silver-masked man stood beside him—silent, unmoving, also watching. As though this battle wasn't just survival.
But entertainment.
Neither spoke. Neither moved.
Two predators watching prey in different stages of struggle—one smiling behind a mask, the other behind a face.
"Marvellous," Rin finally whispered, the word light, almost reverent.
And the war raged below them.
As fire danced across the battlefield and goblins screamed their battle cries, a different kind of conversation unfolded far above.
The man in the silver mask finally spoke, his voice calm, almost amused.
"We have the same taste… but different roles."
His mask bore an exaggerated grin—frozen in place, mocking the chaos below.
Rin didn't turn to face him. He simply smiled, his expression as serene as ever.
"Yeah," he said softly. "We love controlling things from the shadows. I'm the villain in this tale… and you, you're just observing."
The masked man gave a slight nod, as if in agreement. His presence was steady, like a ghost that had always been there.
"This is my first time watching a tutorial level," the man said. "I've lived inside the tower all my life."
Rin's eyes flicked to the battle, then back ahead.
"It's okay. Watch all you want. Enjoy the show."
---
Far from the rooftop, in the newly set-up medbay, Kusahi stood still in the corner. The distant sounds of battle didn't reach him. It was quiet here.
Iryosuki was asleep—somehow, even in all this madness. The man could sleep through a dragon fight, probably.
Kusahi didn't move. He only waited.
The Silver Fang token around his neck—given to him by Rin, the true masked one—began to glow faintly.
A soft light pulsed.
Kusahi looked at it, then at his interface. A prompt appeared before him:
---
Use [Escape the Mission] card?
>[Yes] [No]
---
He pressed [Yes].
In an instant, his presence faded. No light. No noise. Just gone.
Kusahi, the poison herbalist, had vanished from the first floor.
Freed.
No more tutorial. No more village. No more war.
Back on the battlefield, Tyuri led the charge with fierce determination, blade slicing through goblin after goblin. Beside him, Aiko loosed arrows with practiced grace, Nori stood firm with sword and shield, and Nariku fought with quiet focus, back-to-back with his allies.
They were a unit—defending, pushing forward, surviving.
But above them… two players did nothing.
Rin and the silver-masked man stood on the rooftop, watching, smiling.
Enjoying the chaos.
Like gods above a gameboard.
And the show had only just begun.