I ran through the mist with renewed urgency.

  The people that were here–me, Noah, the first guy that attacked, Pretty Boy, Redhead, and Scary Lady–counted six. That was the perfect number. If each person defeated four people on the way here, then we would have all 30 accounted for.

  The wrinkles were Noah and me. I didn’t defeat four. Noah only defeated two. With that in mind, it was possible that there were others like Noah. They would be at a disadvantage in pursuing the Chomper.

  Someone like me who could follow the trail had the advantage.

  Regarding the combat levels of the people we’ve crossed, Redhead was the only one I could really think about.

  She had a weapon that could materialize. The first guess would be to say that she held a Signature Weapon, which would imply that she was at least Level 3, if the pattern held true.

  From my deep dive on Signature Weapons, I knew that there was a sub-category of bases that were essentially two things welded together. Often, it was a shield or an armguard that had been added to provide some weird notion of defense. The disadvantage of these weapon+armor weapons was that they greatly limited possible gimmicks that could be attached.

  The wrinkle was that I got a real good look at the weapon. Her weapon lacked the Core. It was usually in the middle of the shield. Given that, I bet that the weapon was actually a God Arm. And in that case, there was a shot she was hiding a second weapon.

  She was definitely one I would need to be wary of.

  Something thumped above me. My eyes flicked up. One of the spiders leapt from one hedge pillar to the next, sailing through the mist with a grotesque sort of grace. It landed on the far pillar with a squelch and kept moving.

  It was headed in the same direction as the trail.

  I adjusted my path and snatched a torch from the nearby stand as I ran. The sound of rushed footsteps intensified. The trail I was following–a path of thick, colored smoke–was the most vibrant I had seen it so far.

  Gales tore through the space, dispersing the mist. Far ahead of me, a brown Chomper–roughly the size of a big dog darted across. Noah followed, rolling into a tumble, and then onto his feet as a blast of lightning flew overhead. Noah was chasing the Chomper.

  I Flicker Stepped to get that extra boost whenever I could. The spider was still on the hunt. I fired at it, incinerating it with a vortex of flames.

  The trail I was following corrected itself–it was taking me down the quickest path!

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  I ran, weaving between the pillars, registering everything I could. From the corner of my eye, Scary Lady emerged from mists, running in the same direction as me. We glanced at each other, and then she pointed a torch over my head. A blast of magic flew out. A moment later, it exploded and a spider screeched.

  She slid back into the mists a moment later–what a kind woman that terrifying lady was. I owed her one.

  Another blast of gusts scattered the mists.

  Noah was in my sights again, sprinting after the Chomper, vaulting a mess of thorns and vines, and dodging a whip of lightning that cracked the ground behind him.

  He didn’t slow down.

  “Keep going! Noah! Don’t give an inch!” I roared.

  The Chomper—short, brown, and twitchy like a talking dog in a haunted house—skittered on all fours, darting past pillars.

  I ran faster, flickering on each step. I figured I could get ahead of them with my boosts of speed and pin the Chomper.

  I pulled it off–thanks in part to the Chomper making the wrong turn!

  Noah was right in front of me, facing me. His eyes met mine–

  “Godforsaken Bastard–DON’T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF IT!” I roared.

  Noah corrected himself immediately. He knew it—this was the moment.

  And then I saw him stumble slightly.

  A shadow dropped down behind him. Massive. Hulking. The man was built like a wall someone tried to demolish but gave up on halfway. How could any village have produced something like him!?

  Noah must have caught sight of him and must have been thanking all of creation that he was desperately sprinting.

  “Don’t look back!” I yelled. “What you have to do hasn’t changed!”

  Noah kept his eyes on the Chomper coming toward me. I kept my eyes on Muscles.

  Long hair, knotted and wild. Eyebrows—what was left of them—were chopped up like they’d been shaved for fun and forgot halfway through. A curved metal gauntlet crowned one arm. The other hand carried a spiked club. This was the beast sprinting after Noah. He was aiming to attack.

  I surged forward, still flickering on every step. My legs were feeling a burn, but I didn’t care. I saw it all unfolding in a single flash of heightened perception:

  Noah coiled his legs and launched himself.

  The Chomper screamed and swerved.

  Muscles raised his arm to strike.

  I jumped, boosted by a Level Flicker.

  My foot caught Noah’s shoulder—he didn’t flinch, didn’t even question it.

  I vaulted over him, helping him get to the ground faster

  Muscles’ eyes widened as the air around him changed.

  I grinned.

  Noah’s voice echoed. “Thank you, Set!”

  My kick connected square in Muscles’ chest.

  …

  He didn’t need to thank me. I was in this for myself. This whole time, I was just chasing this high–

  [Divine Smite!]

  The boom of the world that came after a very specific sequence of events–pulling it off was my only goal. The golden winds erupted as the world shook and sent Muscles groaning and sliding across the grass.

  I landed, bathing in the high.

  And Noah–he landed on the Chomper and tumbled into a roll, Noah on top, the Chomper shrieking in confused protest. “I GOT IT, SET!”

  [ROUND 1 OVER]