By Zephyria Leonardo jumped up from his seat. He hurriedly grabbed the brim of his hat and raised his head.
The host’s voice echoed throughout the sky and landed in various parts of the earth. The voice was so loud that the sound of the waves was drowned out, so there was no fear of not hearing it. Nevertheless, Leonardo held his breath and focused on the announcement.
Leonardo raised his eyebrows. Leaving aside the fact that there were more people than he thought, he was surprised that all 100 participants could be 500m apart.
‘The most efficient arrangement is a grid pattern, so assuming that humans are lined up one by one at the 500m ends of the horizontal and vertical lines… 10 people horizontally, 10 people vertically, a total of 100 people, one side is 4.5km. The minimum area is 20.25km^2.’
However, there was no one within a 500m radius visible now, and the coastline was not a perfect square. The actual area would be much larger than expected.
‘Tower Occupation?’
‘It’s simpler than I thought? But why can’t I see it?’
Leonardo looked around. If it was such a large plant, it would have caught his eye at once, but it was difficult to find even a similar shape. However, since the place where he was located was the coast and there was a high cliff right next to it, he had not yet checked the upper side.
It seemed that he would have to climb the cliff first when the game started. If he could just confirm the location of the tower, he could use Teleport to cut to the goal in 5 seconds.
Leonardo’s expression, which had been high-spirited, crumpled.
“A tricky plant.”
Leonardo muttered sullenly while continuing to review the rules. So, first, he had to find the small Plarinus, collect the crystals, and go to the top of the giant Plarinus faster than anyone else.
‘Nothing is easy…’
When the number of successful candidates was announced, the entire island seemed to be in turmoil for a moment. Only half of the total number of people pass. The standard was tighter than he thought. It seemed that everyone had sighed at the same time.
But the number 26 was somewhat ambiguous. He had a question, but the host only repeated the previous content once more.
After listening to the cumbersome rules about twice, he was able to memorize most of them. While Leonardo was drawing on the sandy beach with his fingers to organize them, the host explained the method of declaring abandonment of the game and the safe zone, and then read the final closing remarks.
Taang―
As soon as the formal countdown ended, a thunderous gunshot cut across the sky. At the same time, a gust of humid sea breeze blew.
In that instant, movement was detected in the bushes above the cliff. Leonardo stared blankly at the place, then relaxed his arms and took a deep breath.
“Yeah, well, when has the world ever been fair to me?”
He was used to the Leash by now. Let’s just think of it as a handicap for the strong for the sake of the others. Even if I fight with restraints, I’ll be the strongest among the 100 people in here.
Having made up his mind, Leonardo flattened the sand he was standing on.
‘I can’t use Teleport? Then I’ll just fly.’
A dry sand smell and heat haze rose from the ground he stepped on. The sea breeze met the hot wind and created an even stronger storm.
Leonardo pressed down on the hat he was wearing with one hand. Sand flew in all directions, and his feet dug deep into the ground. His short jacket fluttered, and he instantly jumped into the sky.
In fact, Leonardo was hearing about the giant Plarinus for the first time. He had often seen extra-large plants before, so he only guessed that the size would be similar. However, the giant Plarinus he actually saw was on a different level.
‘That’s a flower?’
It would be more credible to say that it was the peak of a volcanic island. The Plarinus, which he had witnessed with his own eyes as soon as he jumped over the cliff, was located at the highest point of the island. The drooping petals were draped over the jungle, supported by numerous trees. The bottom was all darkness, as if no light could penetrate it beyond being shaded.
In the center of the petals, the stamen tower stood firmly, and the inside of the bud where the bottom of the tower was embedded was filled with water like a lake. The tower itself was not very high, but because of its high altitude, clouds condensed with water vapor hung over it, so it was not clearly visible. However, the sparse hairs and unidentified mucus on the stamen were threatening. Around it, black creatures, whether birds or demon beasts, flew in groups.
‘I didn’t see any place where there could be a Portal. Is it because it hasn’t been opened yet?’
Leonardo flew quickly between the trees, recalling the appearance of the giant flower he had seen a little while ago.
The end of the stamen was blunt, and the color was a clear yellow like the petals. Since he could fly, the high location didn’t matter, but he was a little worried that there might be other devices.
‘Let’s focus on collecting the crystals first. Since there are 26 successful candidates, in the worst case, there may be around 26 crystals. If I can’t get them, I can just take them later, but if that happens, I have to check what crystals the other person has one by one, and most importantly, the biggest problem is…’
Once the Portal is opened, there is a resting period of 45 minutes after that. Even if all the crystals are collected and passed sequentially within the first 20-30 minutes, the total number of times the Portal can be opened within 360 minutes is 7 times.
If a maximum of 3 people collect one each and pass 7 times, 21 successful candidates will be produced, which means there are 5 seats left, but they have no time to open the Portal. If the remaining 5 people each collect the same color crystals and pass, 21 crystals plus 35 crystals, a total of 56 crystals will be needed… Will there really be that many crystals on this island?
Leonardo Blaine shook his head. If the crystals were that abundant, then small Plarinas should be visible at least one per 1km^2. However, after flying around and surveying the area, the island was more than twice as large as his calculated estimate, but he hadn’t seen a single one of those flowers that resembled giant blossoms. Rather, there were more people running around aimlessly. Of course, he was no exception.
So, rather than hoping that the peaceful assumption from before would hold true, the scenario where 3 out of the 5 people who needed to collect 7 crystals would snatch the crystals that would allow 7 teams to pass, eliminating 21 people and allowing only themselves to pass, seemed more plausible.
He could be one of those three. But his goal was to win, not to massacre ordinary citizens who had applied just to receive a participation prize. He didn’t have a hobby of tormenting people unless they were bad guys.
While organizing his thoughts and searching for flowers, Leonardo Blaine encountered someone in the air searching for targets like him. He was about to just pass by, but it suddenly occurred to him that he needed at least one temporary collaborator to put three crystals into the seedpod.
‘Still, someone who knows how to fly would be convenient, should I ask them to come with me?’
He barely had time to contemplate when the other party stealthily approached him. He naturally reached out his hand to suggest cooperation, but wasn’t the other person raising a sledgehammer in their hand?
It was clear that they weren’t approaching with good intentions, so he clicked his tongue and hid back into the jungle. It hadn’t even been 10 minutes since it started, there was no way that guy had a crystal yet. He didn’t want to waste time on unnecessary conflict.
“Ugh―!”
While he was running away, he heard the mingled screams and shouts of two men from behind. He flinched, but only glanced back for a moment. The guy who had rushed at him seemed to be executing the ‘other way to obtain crystals without directly collecting them from the Plarinas’ that the host had mentioned.
Around the same time, a faint smell of blood wafted from not far away. A tree snapped and fell to the side.
The overview stated that combat between participants was allowed unless specifically prohibited during the match, but he was actually taken aback by the rather serious bloodshed that was unfolding from the test match.
‘Is this how it’s usually done?’
Just as he was wondering and looking around, he finally caught a sweet scent on the tip of his nose for the first time.
Leonardo Blaine, instinctively judging that it was the Plarinas crystal that was said to attract even demon beasts and beasts, immediately stopped in mid-air and slowly set foot on the ground. Even though it looked a bit pathetic, he raised his nose and chin, sniffing and walking in the direction where the sweet smell was getting stronger.
Then, sensing a subtle heat and presence, he muffled his footsteps and hid behind a thick tree. Holding his breath, he stealthily turned around and saw a bizarre shape between the densely packed tree trunks.
A purple flower that seemed to be much taller than a person. The bud was wide open, with bright yellow stamens extending like lightning rods. The source of the heat seemed to be right there.
‘What’s so big?’
It was supposed to be a small Plarinas, and compared to the massive plant in the middle of the island, it was small, but it wasn’t objectively small. It looked to be at least 2-3 meters tall. The petals had fine fluff, giving it the feel of a rug or animal hide. There were white dots on the five petals, and the bud was filled with a considerable amount of water.
At first glance, it looked like a drinking fountain that imitated the shape of a flower. That was because a creature, whether it was a demon beast or a beast, was half-hanging on the drooping petals and drinking water. Perhaps because it was a small, young individual, its ability to sense danger hadn’t developed yet, and it didn’t seem to have noticed the presence of humans.
It was hard to see clearly from a distance, but something was sparkling at the end of the stamens. Leonardo Blaine was certain that it was a crystal. He then carefully took a step while concealing his presence. He was worried that the beast might eat the crystal if he wasn’t careful, since it smelled sweet.
“That’s mine!”
At that moment, someone’s shout came from behind. At the same time, the bushes shook wildly and a troublemaker came running towards him.
Leonardo Blaine, muttering ‘Oh, shit’ with his lips, leaped towards the flower first. The startled beast raised its head from where it had buried it in the flower bud and hurriedly turned around.
It planted its front paws on the ground and powerfully kicked off, but the situation unfolded in an instant.
Gurgle, slurrrp―
Leonardo Blaine had no choice but to stop in his tracks immediately. The other participant who had been trying to overtake him and take the crystal was the same.
Crack, crunch―
The giant flower twisted its neck and swallowed the beast that had been drinking water just a moment ago in one gulp. It closed the petals that had been wide open in an instant and pushed the struggling beast’s limbs into the flower bud. Along with it, a bizarre sound of something being greedily sucked in echoed.
The freshwater contained inside flowed out between the petals and splattered onto the ground.
It was reminiscent of a greedy human drooling while voraciously swallowing food.
The petals closed in like a tulip around the stamens, entering a completely closed state. The movements of the prey struggling inside soon stopped.
The crystal hanging from the end of the stamens also disappeared inside along with it. Both the uninvited guest who had rushed in and Leonardo Blaine just stood there for a while.
The flower became quiet as if nothing had happened. It was completely still, but the bulging lower part of the petals suggested that there was prey inside.
Leonardo Blaine suddenly remembered a word from the host who had explained the rules.
His golden eyes contorted.
‘Shit… they didn’t say it would eat them.’