10... 9... 8...
The countdown echoed like a hammer pounding into Eiden's chest. Each second was a ticking pulse between life and death.
He crouched behind a cracked concrete pillar, trying to steady his breath. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from the adrenaline surging too fast. On his wrist, the system interface glowed faintly:
> Name: Eiden
Role: Scout – Illusionist Branch
Active Skill: Phantom Clone (Creates a clone for 5 seconds)
Cooldown: 45 seconds
"An illusion... I have to use it at the right moment."
Clack!
The factory's main gate creaked open just as the countdown hit 0. Four Escapers—including Eiden—immediately scattered without a word.
No one spoke. In this world, trusting too quickly could get your whole team killed.
---
> [Main Objective: Activate 5 Energy Generators to unlock the exit gate.]
[Escapers can be chased, attacked, or captured. If all are eliminated – game over.]
Eiden sprinted toward the far corner of the factory, where flickering lights signaled a broken generator. As he knelt beside it, another cold announcement rang out:
> [The Hunter has spawned.]
A metallic scraping echoed through the factory floor. Then... silence.
Eiden's nape prickled. The Hunter was nearby.
---
Suddenly, from the left corridor, a shadow lunged. A fellow Escaper screamed—"No! Wait—!"—before being grabbed by a towering figure with a steel mask. It didn't move like a human—it glided, and its raspy voice filled the room:
> "The game... has begun."
Eiden's fingers hovered over the system screen.
> [Skill Activated: Phantom Clone]
A perfect duplicate of himself burst forth, sprinting in the opposite direction, footsteps loud and chaotic.
The Hunter snapped around instinctively and chased the sound.
"Exactly what I planned." Eiden slipped away through a side hatch, heart pounding like thunder.
---
He ran. Through rusted corridors, over broken crates, sliding into a cramped maintenance room.
Inside—a girl was frantically rewiring a generator. She glanced at Eiden, wary at first. But seeing he was unarmed, her gaze softened.
"Scout?" she asked quickly.
"Yeah." Eiden nodded. "Illusionist. Just used my skill to buy time."
She gave a thin smile—barely there, but enough to ease the tension. "Medic. Name's Lina. You wanna team up?"
"Alright. But if I get caught, don't come back for me," Eiden said firmly.
"And if I get hurt?"
He paused. Then answered, "If I'm alive, I'll help."
---
> [1 Generator Activated – Remaining: 4]
The hum of machinery kicked in—just as a monstrous roar echoed from deeper within the facility.
There would be no rest.
The real game had only just begun.
Bang!
A steel door behind them rattled violently. Eiden didn't need to look—the Hunter had changed targets. Maybe the illusion didn't hold for long, or perhaps he had realized he'd been tricked.
"Lina, work on the generator. I'll lure him away." – Eiden bolted through the side door.
"Wait—!" – she called, but he was already gone into the mist.
He knew this: every second of hesitation could mean death for all of them.
---
He sprinted through the storage wing, where flickering lights cast twisted shadows on the walls. The interface on his wrist flashed red:
> [Hunter detected – 25m]
> [Skill: Phantom Clone – 21 seconds cooldown remaining]
Too early. He couldn't use it yet.
Eiden turned into an emergency corridor, his heart thudding as heavy footsteps echoed behind him. The Hunter wasn't running—he was closing in with sheer pressure. A silent psychological assault.
---
Shhk!
A slash ripped across Eiden's left shoulder, tearing through his light armor.
HP: 100% → 78%
"Damn it..." – He gritted his teeth, rolling left and leaping over a support beam.
This Hunter wasn't a dumb AI—he was a real player. Someone who had killed before—probably more than once.
---
Finally, as Eiden burst into an abandoned warehouse, the skill came back online.
> [Skill: Phantom Clone – Ready]
"Alright... this time will be different."
Eiden stopped, pretending to gasp for air and collapse in the middle of the room.
The door opened—the Hunter stepped inside. That cold mask, blood-stained blade, and gaze that cut through all lies.
Just as he lunged—
> [Activated: Phantom Clone]
The illusion sprang up and dashed toward the far exit.
But this time, the Hunter didn't follow.
He stood still. Staring directly at the real Eiden.
"You think I'd fall for that twice?" – his voice was raspy, distorted.
Eiden's heart nearly stopped.
---
Suddenly, a loud blast echoed. From behind the Hunter, Lina appeared, stun gun in hand.
A blinding flash struck the Hunter's chest.
> [Hunter stunned – 2.0 seconds]
"Run!" – she shouted.
No need to be told twice—Eiden shot to his feet, and the two bolted out of the warehouse.
---
[2 Generators Activated – Remaining: 3]
The chase wasn't over. But now, Eiden knew one thing for sure:
> No one survives Reality Escape alone.
And no one is allowed to be weak—even those who deal only in illusions.
Beep… beep…
The third generator lit up with a soft chime in the system feed. Though still panting, a small smile tugged at Eiden's lips.
> [3 Generators Activated – Remaining: 2]
Lina ran beside him, sweat soaking through her short black hair. "You're... still breathing?"
"Seems like it. Nice shot back there."
"Next time, don't play the hero. This isn't some damn action movie."
---
They ducked into an abandoned surveillance room. Cracked walls. Broken screens. But safe—at least for a moment.
Eiden looked at his shoulder. The gash was deep, blood seeping through his light armor. It didn't hurt much—yet it wouldn't stop bleeding.
"Let me see." – Lina pulled out a medkit, quickly wrapping the wound. "You've lost blood. Run any more and you'll pass out."
> [Healing in progress… +15% HP]
> [Total HP: 93%]
---
Meanwhile, Eiden's interface flickered with a side panel:
> [Skill Progression – Scout – Illusionist]
– Illusion Skill Used: +30
– Successful Escape: +1
– Timed Activation: +1
→ Progress to next skill: 14%
He squinted. "Need 100% to unlock the next skill…"
"If you're alive, there's always a chance," Lina replied, pulling him up.
---
As they left the control room, a scratching noise echoed from a side corridor.
Grrraaakk…
Both froze, hiding in the shadows and holding their breath.
A dark figure emerged—not the Hunter. Another Escaper. A woman in medical gear, her arm covered in blood. Behind her, a long trail of red and...
A feral roar.
Another Hunter.
"No way…" Lina whispered. "This map... has two Hunters?"
---
Eiden clenched his fists. The system hadn't warned them. No alert. No signal.
He looked at Lina. Their eyes met—dead serious.
> Reality Escape isn't a fair game.
It's a survival arena—where rules can shift at any moment.
"We have to pull back," Lina whispered, her hand resting on the hilt of her stun knife.
"No." Eiden shook his head. "If we leave her, she's dead."
"And if you go out there, we both might be too."
---
The medic stumbled, barely staying upright in the middle of the hallway. Behind her, a thunderous clang echoed—an enormous shadow stepped into view, wielding a massive warhammer.
Not the same Hunter as before.
An urgent alert flashed red across Eiden's interface:
> [Hunter Detected: "Reaper" – Approaching Zone]
[Status: Aggressive – Targeting Weakened Players]
"Damn it…" Eiden hissed. There was no more time to hesitate.
---
He darted out from hiding and activated his skill.
> [Skill Activated: Illusory Double]
A clone of Eiden sprang forth, sprinting in the opposite direction down the hallway. As predicted, Reaper's attention snapped toward the illusion and he gave chase.
Eiden slid to the medic's side.
"You still conscious?"
"...I… I don't want to die…"
"Then stand. Hold on to my shoulder."
---
Lina burst from cover, throwing a stun knife behind them to delay any pursuit. The trio moved fast toward the northern sector of the map—where a digital gate now pulsed on the minimap.
> [Fourth Generator Activated – Remaining: 1]
> [Escape Signal Detected – Exit Gate Location Revealed]
---
As they neared the central factory hub, the terrain opened up—fewer obstacles, fewer hiding spots.
Way more dangerous.
"Can we open the gate yet?" Eiden asked.
"We need all five generators online," Lina replied. "We're still missing one."
"I'll go."
The medic spoke up, her voice trembling.
"I'm… a Medic. Still got a heal left… I want to help… before it's too late."
---
Eiden didn't say anything. He stared at her for a beat… and then nodded.
"Head west. There's a tech bay—likely a generator there."
Lina handed her a small medshot.
The group split up—because they had no other choice if they wanted to live.
---
Then, suddenly, the system's voice echoed in all their feeds—cold, emotionless:
> [Boost Mode Activated – All Hunters gain +10% movement speed for the next 3 minutes.]
Eiden froze.
Time had just turned against them.
The sound of footsteps pounded from afar.
Eiden turned his head. Not from one direction... but two.
Two dark figures emerged from the branching corridors. One of them—Stalker, the very Hunter who had nearly caught him in the previous match. Eyes glowing a ghostly purple, body melting into the shadows, footsteps silent.
The other—Reaper—was still chasing the illusion, but he had begun to slow down, realizing he had been tricked.
> [Illusion has dissipated.]
[Hunter adjusting target.]
---
On the minimap, the red marker shifted—Reaper was turning around.
Eiden clenched his jaw.
Three minutes of Hunter boost had just begun, but his teammates were scattered.
If the Medic got ambushed, if the final generator wasn't powered up... everything would end here.
A cold wind swept through the hallway, carrying with it a faint swish—the unmistakable sound of Stalker vanishing into stealth.
Eiden tightened his fists.
"All right…" he muttered. "If it's a game you want… then I'm done hiding."
And then, he stepped out of cover.