New Path

Ren thought for a moment, then pressed yes, instantly teleporting into a strange, empty void.

After Ren reached the void, a small glowing screen appeared, calmly explaining the rules and information in the meeting.

[System Notice: Meeting Rules]

Each participant is represented by a flag symbolizing their type.

Voice and text chat are available for communication.

 No physical interaction possible inside the meeting space.

Ren finished reading the rules, then noticed the screen shift—showing thirty-seven students had already joined the meeting.

[Participants Joined: 37]

Small flags appeared in view, each one representing a student who had accepted the invitation. They floated silently in the void, lined up like faint stars in the darkness-different colors, different shapes, but no faces.

A voice echoed from a flag bearing a math logo, calmly saying “Thank you, students, for coming. I am a Konzak school teacher. We all face unknown danger—please stay calm and don’t fight each other.” His tone carried fear and unease.

The other three teachers also made an effort to calm the students by telling them to stay united and not allow fear to control them.

But nothing worked in front of fear. The students ignored the teachers’ words, finding no strong reason to stay united. One by one, they began leaving.

The teachers got frustrated because they could no longer convince the students. In the end, the meeting ended.

The last hope had ended— No one stopped the war among friends.

Ren sat in silence after the meeting, deep in thought. The flag's symbols—math, sword, sport, music, priestess, speaker, fox, wolf, and lion—symbols burned into his memory, each one representing different character types. Ren memorized the flags carefully, knowing in the future they would decide everything—whether those students became his allies or enemies.

Ren lifted his gaze and noticed it was already night. Staring at the sky, he whispered,"So this world is real... even here, a lunar eclipse exists.” Gathering mana beneath his feet, he flew upward, gliding higher and higher until the crimson lunar eclipse revealed itself in full.The red glow painted the clouds in a strange light. A faint sound came from the distance as Ren stood there, suspended in mid-thought. Without hesitation, he moved his mana and flew toward the source as his eyes sharpened.

Deep inside a dense forest, a group of people are running forward, their faces pale with fear. Branches beating against their skin as one of them shouted desperately,

"Don't look back! Don't look back-just run straight! If they catch you, they'll eat you alive!”

Before he could finish the word, a demonic zombie wolf jumped from the shadows, dragging him into the bushes.

Breathing heavily, other survivors rushed through the trees to their carts. Holding a bag, one of them shouted, "I got it! The item is here.”

Another's voice said. “Bbb…But one of our men… the monster dragged him away…”

The leader's eyes narrowed, his voice cold. “Doesn't matter. That item is worth more than his life.”

As his words fell, pain and suffering screams echoed from the forest,the voice of their captured member. The remaining men froze, fear crawling up their spines, but the leader shouted, "Ignore it! Onto the carts”

Three carts were ready, and as they moved to sit, multiple arrows suddenly hit the horses, dropping them to the ground.

From the dark trees emerged a pack of zombie demons or wolves,snarling, their eyes glowing red. At the front, their towering alpha raised his head and let out a bone - chilling roar, granting the pack of permission to attack.

The hunters had become the hunted.

The bunches of demons and wolves charged toward the humans, their snarls growing louder as they closed the distance. Just as they reached them, a blinding bolt of lightning split the night sky, striking down upon the monsters. In an instant, the entire pack was reduced to ash, leaving only silence in their wake.

Unable to believe what they had just witnessed, the men stood in disbelief and stared at each other's faces. Then they looked up to see Ren descending slowly from the sky and landing on the ground with grace. He approached the group and calmly asked, "Do you know the nearest town?” 

A terrifying roar came out before anyone could respond. Larger and faster than the others, the alpha monster charged directly at them. When the group saw its huge size and terrifying speed, their faces turned pale.

Ren, however, only narrowed his eyes and said. “Why are you afraid? That thing? It's nothing to me..." . But In his thoughts, he compared it-"If I were still a normal human in my world, it would be like a bull charging at full speed with two deadly horns. But now... things are totally 

different.

The monster reached Ren at full speed, its massive swords swinging straight for his neck. The sharp strike came fast, deadly enough to split a huge stone into two pieces.

But Ren didn't even flinch. At the last moment, he raised his fist and delivered a simple punch to the monster's chest. The blow landed with crushing force - the beast's body shattered apart instantly, breaking into pieces that scattered across the ground.

The group members froze, their mouths wide open, shocked at what they had just seen.

After witnessing Ren's overwhelming power, the members stood frozen in shock, unable to believe their eyes. The leader quickly regained his composure and stepped forward, pointing the way. "If you go straight, you'll find some old ruins. But if you head southeast, there's a small district where people still live.” 

Ren looked  slightly. "Thank you... but tell me, why were those monsters attacking you?"

The leader's eyes shifted nervously. "N-Nothing... we are just normal travelers.”

Ren didn't look convinced. He pulled out a strange item-a balance scale. On one side lay a glowing feather. 

“"Then prove it. Who are you really?” Ren asked calmly.

The leader took a deep breath and repeated desperately. “We... We are only travelers, just passing through this forest.”

The moment he spoke, the scale tilted. The weight sank while the feather rose high.

Ren thought in mind, “So it's true... this item is no ordinary thing. An epic tool-able to reveal lies, expose motives, and uncover the true nature of people.”

Ren's eyes sharpened as the scale tipped. “You're lying," he said coldly.”

The leader's face turned pale. "W-What are you saying? We're just travelers!”

Ren stepped closer, his voice firm. "No... you're bandits. You robbed treasures from the ruins and sold them to merchants for profit.”

The group of bandits froze, fear written all over their faces as their leader struggled to answer.

The leader forced a laugh, trembling. "Y-You are joking. Am I right?”

Ren calmly lifted the glowing balance. "This scale never lies. It shows your greed and crimes.”

The bandit leader's face turned pale. One of his men panicked and ran  into the forest. Before he could take three steps, his body twisted unnaturally-crushed by an unseen force, collapsing into nothing but blood and only blood.

The others screamed and scattered, but one after another, their bodies were crushed in mid-run Within seconds.

The leader fearfully begged, “P-Please... give me mercy!”

Ren's eyes were cold, his voice detached. "I loveee hunting.”

A final crushing sound echoed. When it was over, only Ren remained standing.

Without hesitation, he approached the bandits' carts, taking the gold and stolen goods. After securing the items, he turned his look toward the ruins mentioned earlier and began walking with steady steps.

After a few minutes, Ren arrived at the ruined gates. He stood still, staring at the crumbling stone, lost in thought. ‘Should I enter... or not?’

Just then, a strange aura felt. Ren raised and slowly turned his head.

High above the sky, illuminated by the crimson moon, floated a woman. Her long red hair swayed like fire, her crimson robes gleamed in the moonlight. With one hand raised toward the blood-red moon, she looked both beautiful and terrifying, suspended in midair.

Her voice carried across the night. “Who are you?”

Ren's expression didn't change. "I don't know. Who am I? If I find an answer I will tell you. But you and I both know-we're real players. So tell me, do you need something?”

She coldly replied. "I sensed your aura from miles away. I followed it here... and what do I find? Nothing but ashes and blood. Tell me-what have you done?”

Ren's look  sharpened, his tone flat. "Mind your own business.”

Her  eyes sharpened and voice edged with challenge."Tell me what you're doing here... or I'll make you speak."

Ren finally smiled, a cold, dangerous curve of his lips. His body trembled slightly as he released his aura. A violent surge of black energy burst forth, sweeping across the ruins. The air itself warped, wind pressure exploding outward and rattling the broken stones.

In response, the woman lifted her hand, her crimson hair whipping around her face. Her own aura flared to life-brilliant and bloody red, burning like living flame. The sky seemed to tremble beneath the weight of her presence.

Black and crimson clashed in the air, colliding with invisible sparks. The ruins groaned under the crushing force of two overwhelming powers.

Both stood their ground, their eyes locked.

Two predators, one battlefield, Both ready to fight.

We finally see the first fight among players ?