LOGINThe tension between them reaches its boiling point. Sparks from Loki’s fingers begin licking against the skin of Kael’s arm.My body tenses instantly. I’m terrified a fight is about to break out in the middle of this forest. Even Fredrick and Damian immediately go on alert.But Kael doesn’t move. His eyes stay locked on Loki’s icy, dagger-sharp gaze.“You threatening me, wolf?” Loki hisses, his voice trembling with restrained anger. “After I save your asses?”“I appreciate your help. But that doesn’t give you the right to touch my teammate.” Kael’s voice is low and flat, but full of authority. “Not even once.”Loki lets out a short mocking laugh. His free hand clenches, ready to unleash a close-range fire attack.Suddenly, Fredrick steps between them. He places a hand on Kael’s shoulder and gestures for Loki to calm down. I guess Chief doesn’t want this situation to turn into a bloodbath between the Strains.“We’re in the middle of a death game, not some contest to show off power. Lok
The wind roars violently in my ears as gravity pulls me down. My heart feels like it stops beating, and I can’t breathe!The ground below looks like a massive yellow field ready to crush every bone in my body. I shut my eyes, waiting for the impact to end everything.Suddenly, a hard jolt slams into my stomach. The air is forced out of my lungs.“Hold on, idiot!” a very familiar voice shouts.I open my eyes, and my body is no longer falling freely through the sky.Damian, in his sleek bird form, grips my stomach and chest with his claws. He lowers our altitude quickly. His wings shake violently under the weight of my body.“Damian! We’re going to crash!”“Shut up or I’ll drop you right now!!” Damian snaps harshly.We dive sharply toward the ground. Damian is already exhausted from avoiding the prehistoric birds’ attacks, which still chase us. He doesn’t land smoothly. We’re still several feet above the ground when he releases me.My body crashes into the sharp, tall grass. I slam into
One of the prehistoric birds dives sharply toward Ash. Fredrick tries throwing a mass of earth at it, but the creature is too agile. It twists away and slashes Ash’s shoulder with its massive claws.“Ash!!” I scream.I try to move forward, but Kael holds me back.“Don’t panic! Stay beside me!” Kael growls.How can I not panic? My friend is bleeding just a few feet away from us. There’s no way I can stand still and leave Ash in danger!“Ash is hurt! She could die, Kael!” I shout desperately.“I told you not to panic! We can get out of this if we work together and stay calm!”“To hell with staying calm!! My friend needs me!”I yank myself free from Kael and run toward Ash.Dozens of screeches echo from every direction. They’re no longer attacking from one side only. The prehistoric birds begin surrounding us. They fly low through the tall grass, revealing razor-sharp wing edges.We’re trapped in the middle of an open field with nowhere to hide.“Damian! Fly and distract them!” Fredrick
The moment we entered the forest area, and each team split off, my heart started pounding harder. My feet followed my teammates, trying not to make any noise.My eyes glanced at the baton in my hand, and once again regret crept in… why didn’t I learn how to use another weapon? What could this baton possibly do against prehistoric creatures?We entered a forest with suffocating air. The deeper we went, the hotter it became. Even though the trees were dense enough to block out most of the sunlight.“It feels like we’re going in circles.” Fredrick stopped and looked around. “You guys notice that?”Kael only glanced at him briefly without stopping. “Keep walking.”No one dared argue with Kael.First, he had an incredibly sharp sense of smell. Maybe he could detect tracks if we were walking the same route again. Second, he had instincts.I lost track of how long we’d been walking, but my legs were aching badly. Eventually, the trees began to thin out. Sunlight slipped through the gaps in t
I walked out of the training room, passing other participants who were rushing toward the dining hall. Curious, I followed them, walking along the pedestrian path without hurrying.The digital announcement board was no longer showing static numbers like it had for the past few days. My heart dropped when I saw the words “Phase Two.”Below it was a list of names, one group consisting of five people. I only focused on finding my name, with whom?Team 5Fredrick Truman – Earth Channeler, Kael Mason – Wolf Shifter, Ash Lehtonen – Aqua Channeler, Damian Bellamy – Avian Shifter, Maddie Lytwin – Unidentified.My eyes widened. Fate was playing with me.At the moment, I was afraid to be near Kael because of our earlier argument. I had to be on the same team with him? Not to mention Damian, who clearly showed his hostility toward me.Great, oh… great!There was a light nudge on my shoulder. When I turned, Fredrick was already beside me.“We’re on the same team,” he said with a smile.“Yeah, I’l
I flinched and stumbled forward, almost falling. When I turned around, I met a pair of dim golden eyes staring at me sharply.“K-Kael…” My tongue suddenly went numb.I didn’t even know what I wanted to say to him. My own stupid determination had brought me here, yet the moment Kael stood in front of me, everything in my head just vanished. His scent alone made my thoughts go numb.I kept thinking about that erotic dream with Kael—how real it felt. And it shouldn’t even be my concern. The arena and the game should be my priority.“What are you looking for here? Something? Or someone?” Kael asked in a low voice.I should’ve just said I was looking for a new baton. End of conversation. Safe. Simple.But no… I wanted more than that. Because after this, I might not get another chance to talk to Kael in a “calm” situation.“I’m looking for you,” I said, forcing the words out.Kael didn’t move. He just stared at me like a predator watching its prey. Silence stretched between us.This wasn’t
Tall trees with wide, dark-green leaves stretched out ahead. The forest canopy grew denser, darker, cold and damp. “Phase One. Tropical Forest.” The robotic voice was flat, emotionless, yet it sent a chill straight down my spine. Out of the entire Radon team, I was the only one tre
Dragging Kael’s body to the infirmary made my bones and muscles scream in pain. Still, I forced myself forward, supporting him every step of the way. Kael grunted, struggling to steady his increasingly unbalanced steps.A sharp acidic smell rose from the deep wound in his abdomen, even though Kael
Sweat dripped from my forehead onto the floor as I knelt there, completely drained. I’d been training nonstop since yesterday—from the crack of dawn until midnight—until my palms were raw and my whole body felt crushed.Along with that, my spirit and energy started to crumble. No matter how hard I
“What were you thinking you’re doing?! Move!” one of my attackers barked.Kael’s scoff cut through the air. “Three against one. Doesn’t that sound a little pathetic for Strains?”I felt the heavy intimidation rolling off Kael’s deep voice. Not only was I frozen, but the men in front of me had gone







