The world of Meadowglaze is shrouded in adventure and mystery. It is home to humans and creatures known as Meadow Ferals, who possess unique abilities. Currently, the relationship between the two species is complicated.
Humans hunt Meadow Ferals for various purposes: they are a source of food, sold for profit, used to make clothing, utilized as servants, and now even used as gamecocks. On the other hand, Meadow Ferals are territorial and prone to spreading fear. Despite this, there are still humans and Meadow Ferals who coexist in harmony and peace.
Explorers, hunters, or voyagers roam all over Meadowglaze in search of the peculiar eggs known as Mythical Meadow Feral Eggs. These eggs grant rare and extraordinary powers to whoever consumes them, so many are after them. However, despite widespread knowledge about these eggs, they are difficult to find, requiring one to navigate through the eye of a needle.
In Agysmal's case, he didn't need to go out of his way to search for an egg because when he was a toddler, his nanny accidentally fed him an unspecified Mythical Meadow Feral Egg that belonged to his uncle, who was a teenager at the time.
Now that he's in the High Periphery, using the Musk, he's slowly unlocking the powers granted by the egg that was unintentionally fed to him. However, during their tactical game, he shouldn't use it because he still lacks control over the power it holds. He's also still figuring out how to use it.
To take down opponents trying to steal their flag, he relies on shooting with an air pistol.
Gunshots echoed around them. Each team employed their own strategy to take down opponents, especially when it came to capturing flags. Although trainees were allowed to use Musk or Eggpower, they still needed to use their pistols to blacken out the colored vests of their opponents.
Thanks to Ivypom's spatial awareness, Agysmal's team had no trouble figuring out the correct path to the tower. However, their progress was slowed down as they were being pursued by both the Blue Team and the Yellow Team.
"If you run out of ammo, I can give you some of mine," Agysmal offered to Lotuslush.
"Don't worry, I've got plenty," Lotuslush replied, reloading her pistol. Lotuslush's goal was to take down the opponents who were chasing them, performing aerial stunts above the crates. "I'm not a big fan of pistols. I'd be more delighted if this was a Gatling gun."
Florchid, with her sharp vision, was repelling incoming bullets with her pistol shots. Ivypom, who knew the way, was at the front line with Daisygil. Shansai was responsible for taking care of the enemies chasing them from behind. She looked from above when Magalang came out from nowhere. Magalang was able to snatch her pistol before hitting her vest.
"Argh, I got hit! I'm no longer useful to the team!" Shansai pouted in disappointment.
"Your performance was still commendable," Magalang pointed out, then blew out the smoke from the pistol's muzzle. However, he didn't expect to be taken out of the game himself. Agysmal hit his vest to console Shansai.
"You talk too much; now you're no longer useful to your team, just like me," Shansai teased.
As Ivypom and Daisygil were about to turn a corner, they saw Erewhen's group waiting for them and immediately fired at their vests to take them out of the game.
"Sorry, girls, but we need to win," Mokonzi, the guy with pierced ears, said. "To make it up to you, I'll treat you both once we're outside High Periphery."
"It's fine," Ivypom said, looking at her blackened vest. "We let our guard down, that's why."
Meanwhile, Napoleon, hiding behind a shipping chest, got a clear shot at Florchid. After being eliminated from the game, Florchid vented her frustration by screaming at the sky. With only two players left on the Red Team, the burden of winning falls on Agysmal and Lotuslush.
The two stood back-to-back and side-by-side, keeping a watchful eye on each other. When Agysmal sensed Matrix's presence, he immediately became alert. As Matrix fired another bullet, it transformed into lightning, but Agysmal blocked it with his arm and suffered an injury. Fortunately, Lotuslush came to his aid and was able to knock Matrix down.
As they made their way to the tower, the other two groups were exchanging gunfire until only the two flag bearers were left - Comtalc and Erewhen. Despite their friendship, in this game, there are no friends to acknowledge. In the end, Erewhen knocked Comtalc down and now had both flags.
"Now, this fight is between me and that privileged man – he's a bad sight for my sore eyes," Erewhen said to Comtalc. "If I could, I'd show him what it means to be utterly defeated."
"You're really heated up against Agysmal, aren't you?" Comtalc couldn't help but simper, noticing the frustration and determination on Erewhen's face. "You're both quiet and aloof, so maybe you hate him because you see yourself in him." When Erewhen pointed his gun, Comtalc raised his hands in surrender.
From atop the crates, Erewhen observed the movements of the two. He followed their actions and, finding the perfect timing, emerged and took down Lotuslush.
The two engaged in a heated stare-down, but Agysmal didn't feel like he had done anything to offend Erewhen. He accepted that others might think he's arrogant, but he didn't take it to heart since it wasn't true. When he looked at Erewhen, the latter suddenly grinned, but it seemed vile to Agysmal.
When Erewhen finally opened the eye that had been closed for so long, he was jolted to see tears of blood streaming down, as if he were crying blood. His eyeball was an unusual light red color with a strange symbol marked on it, and even from a distance, Agysmal could see what Erewhen saw. He saw himself, jolted through Erewhen's eye. Suddenly, he felt himself falling.
"What's happening?" Agysmal wondered aloud as he fell, with distorted crates, boxes, and chests following suit, hurtling toward him. He jammed the flagpole into the cement, lodging it firmly, and managed to grab hold of it. As he hung from the flagpole, the world suddenly shifted on its axis—everything turned upside down. The sky, the air, and even the Meadow Ferals flying around him became distorted, and the objects nearby turned into warped images.
Agysmal felt dizzy from the shifting axis of the world, but what astonished him was that Erewhen remained standing, seemingly unfazed.
"This must be his power," he muttered, growing dizzier by the moment—until he saw Erewhen walking toward him along the pole he was clinging to. Erewhen calmly stepped on Agysmal's hands, which were gripping the pole. Agysmal cried out in pain, feeling as if his hands were about to be crushed.
Erewhen watched as Agysmal writhed in pain from his actions. When he noticed Agysmal beginning to gather Musk, he stepped off his hands. Unable to endure the pain any longer, Agysmal let go and fell to the ground.
As he plummeted, Erewhen's pistol was already trained on him. The moment the bullet struck his vest, Erewhen seized the flag from their team. Agysmal felt a searing pain in his back as he slammed onto the concrete, but he struggled to stand as Lotuslush rushed toward him, concern etched on her face.
"What happened to you?" Lotuslush asked, supporting him. "You suddenly fell. You seem to be having trouble moving—that's how Erewhen managed to take the flag from you."
"Is that so?" Agysmal replied, uncertain, as the experience had felt completely different to him. Both of them looked up at the tower, where horns blared and confetti burst into the air.
"And the winner of our tactics game today is none other than the Blue Team!" Sir Antonof announced.
As the Blue Team cheered for their victory, he looked up from below the tower and saw Erewhen casting him a careless glance and a vile smile. It sparked a growing resentment within him—resentment toward Erewhen's very existence. He felt an urge to smash Erewhen's face into the ground and bury it, just to show him that the person he was messing with was no ordinary individual.
Agysmal was jolted awake by Comtalc shaking him. He sat up quickly, his mind racing with thoughts of a fire breaking out in their dormitory.
"We have a rest day!" Comtalc exclaimed excitedly.
Agysmal just shook his head, lay back down, and pulled the blanket over himself.
"Since we don't have training today, that means we can leave High Periphery."
At those words, Agysmal sat up again. He didn't look excited—his face remained expressionless—but he wanted to visit Beardman's grave. He had questions for the hermit.
After bathing, Agysmal dressed in commoner clothes. When he looked in the mirror, he felt a bit disoriented because he had grown accustomed to wearing manslayer-style attire, but now he looked clean and innocent.
"Look at us, we're so innocent," he heard Comtalc say as he stood beside him, checking his own reflection.
"Yeah, that's true," Agysmal agreed. "We don't exactly look like killers." But suddenly, a pang of sadness washed over him as he remembered what he had done to his brother. He stared at his open palms, the same hands that had taken Revictor's life.
When he headed to the corridor, he found other trainees getting ready for their rest day, all dressed in commoner clothes to blend in with ordinary people outside.
However, upon reaching the Lobby of Doors, he was disappointed to find that the door leading out of Volition Abode was restricted, meaning he couldn't visit Beardman's grave. Only certain doors could be opened.
"Looks like that's a sign you should come with us," Comtalc said, making Agysmal turn to him. Comtalc even put his arm around Agysmal's shoulders.
When Agysmal turned around, he saw the other trainees' eager faces, all wanting him to join their outing. He cracked a slight smile and nodded in agreement.