As soon as I stepped into the circle in-front of me, it suddenly enlarged, while the other circles around me shrunk to accommodate for their friend's sudden area.

It made sense, considering it needed enough room for two people to fit and fight in.

Then it was Mrs. Wang's turn.

Unhesitant and with impatience in her stride, Mrs. Wang advanced in my direction, her face stern and intimidating.

[Round 1 is over.]

Immediately, eight of the 32 of the circles disappeared, and with it, my options of movement.

[Some constellations who expected an immediate fight are disappointed and bored.]

Well, they wouldn't wait long.

I nervously felt the dagger in my hand, advancing another circle forward, closer to Mrs. Wang. She stepped forward as well. There were only two circles lying diagonally in our path, but that wasn't a mode of movement in this game. At least, not for now.

Mrs. Wang was surprisingly quiet, not jeering at me like I thought she would.

[Round 2 is over.]

16 circles remaining.

Then as I stepped forward one more time -

"Go go Spy!" Christina shouted through the watching eyes on the game.

It both startled me and the other people, who looked at the source of the sudden shout.

"Win, Spy friend!" Jie Kushin joined the bandwagon, and I was soon wanting to dig a hole for myself and die in embarrassment.

Guys, you sound like guardians cheering on the kid you're taking care of!

Fortunately, I was not the only one who was going to die from embarrassment, for someone on Mrs. Wang's side couldn't hold back anymore and began shouting too.

"Go Mrs. Wang!"

As a warfare of who was louder began, I wondered how it was even appropriate at this time.

Shouts of "Crush them, Mrs. Wang!" and "Teach them a lesson, Spy!" ricocheted off the walls of the subway station, and even the constellations were hyping up due to the change in atmosphere brought on by the incarnations.

[Lily Blooming in Aquarius is rallying for incarnation 2-]

[Lily Blooming in Aquarius is prodding at Maritime War God]

[Maritime War God is waiting for what Lily Blooming in Aquarius has to say]

[Lily Blooming in Aquarius is asking if they met Incarnation 1 before.]

Ignoring the conversation between the constellations in favor of the scenario, I stared unblinkingly at Mrs. Wang who was now very close.

At this stage in the simple game, we had finally met face to face, and thus a 'Battle' would begin.

"You sure got gall to step into my circle. Any last words, brat?" Mrs. Wang finally opened her mouth to provoke me.

I didn't respond, choosing instead to lunge forward.

A miscalculation on my part, for I underestimated how much strength to use, which, coupled with my agility, propelled me more quickly than I had anticipated.

Even if Mrs. Wang didn't do anything, I was likely to overshoot out of the circle.

Also preparing to counter me, Mrs. Wang lifted up her hands to grapple me, but just like me, she was unused to the level of agility, because her movements were a beat quicker than what she was used to, and thus she did not succeed.

Fortunately, I wasn't actually planning on a confrontation, because I was aiming for the circle behind Mrs. Wang.

Four circles were left.

Because I had been the one who was 'pushed out', I lost my turn, causing Mrs. Wang to be the one who was ahead in turns.

With a focused light, Mrs. Wang pursued after me, and I ended up escaping to the only other circle now.

Once again, I had lost my turn, and it was Mrs. Wang's turn.

However, this time I planted my feet at the edge of the circle that had the shortest distance to its companion circle, my dagger raised.

Mrs. Wang looked at me like I was a clown.

"You're going to try fighting me with a sheathed dagger?" She laughed.

Well, obviously, because I wasn't here to maim anybody, but just to prevent Mrs. Wang from getting in.

So I watched instead at Mrs. Wang laughing, as this would be my highest chance of winning as of now.

Mrs. Wang might jump over my head, or around me, and as she had grappling techniques, she probably would grab me when I tried to swat her out.

Or she might face me head-on, here and now, using her grappling techniques.

Whatever the case, it still wouldn't be easy.

Still, if I could hold on for twenty seconds and prevent her from entering the circle, I would win, all according to the two rules:

- The ring that the player has moved to will not disappear until the player has departed from the circle.

and

- After twenty seconds pass and the player hasn't moved, they will lose their turn.

If Mrs. Wang was stuck between the distance of the two rings but did not enter the circle I was in after twenty seconds, the ring she departed from would disappear, and she could no longer 'move' to a circle.

In short, she would lose, and that was the plan.

Mrs. Wang made a motion, and I instantly knew she was about to leap over here.

The muscles I could see tensed up, until she left her spot, shooting forward to meet my sheathed dagger.

One of her hands stretched out to grab my dagger, and the other my arm, but I didn't let her.

Since she was airborne, she did not have a chance to change her trajectory, so instead I swiped at her stomach, dodging the hands.

The hands instantly went to her stomach to catch the dagger, and I let her do so as she grunted at the blow.

Her hands preoccupied, I kicked at her.

Mrs. Wang brought up her knee to block, but it was not my intention to hit her vulnerable part.

Before she could react, I let go of the dagger, and at the same time, my foot made contact with the knee, sending her keening into the air.

Recovering amidst the uptime in her airborne space, Mrs. Wang righted herself and quickly unsheathed the dagger.

The blade glinted under the light, causing tears to spring up in my eyes, but I forced them open as gravity pulled Mrs. Wang back down.

Her blade pointed straight downward, and a fraction before contact, I slid to the left, and then intended to push her back.

Catching that, Mrs. Wang awkwardly switched into a horizontal slice, but as her skill with the dagger was below mine, I ducked under easily.

Both my hands shot out as quick as lightning and without control over strength, sending Mrs. Wang flying back.

Her pointed dagger ripped my sleeve, drawing a line of blood on my skin.

Perhaps because of my increased physique, the wound wasn't very deep.

Having been forced back into the other circle, Mrs. Wang sucked in a deep breath and cracked her stiff bones.

"Uh, looks like I underestimated you, kid." 

As she slowly let out that breath, Mrs. Wang leisurely stretching ceased.

With a speed and strength that surpassed before, my naked eyes struggled to keep on her figure that exploded toward me.

Oh crap-

My heart skipped a beat in a fluster, not knowing what to do with a limited fighting experience.

I hastily brought my guard, but that was a fatal mistake when encountering a grappler such as Mrs. Wang.

-Ba-bump-

Just before her fingers graced the edge of my arm, a shocking notification rang out.

[Incarnation 2 has not moved for twenty seconds. Their turn is hereby forfeited.]

Before both of our dazzled expressions, looking at each other in a sudden mutual bafflement incurring tact, moments before impact, the circle behind Mrs. Wang lost its luster, dimming in such a fashion that was lost into outermost reaches.

[Last Survivor: Incarnation 1]

Just as the winner was announced, Mrs. Wang's hand reached my arm, and she twisted it, swiftly subduing my movements.

"Ow!" I shouted out, collapsing to the floor.

Sweat popped out on my forehead as I strained against the painful hold. As soon as I wanted to shout out a punishment using my authority, Mrs. Wang had foreseen the action, shoving my face into the ground.

The situation progressed before anyone had the chance to react.

"Sui Yuan, check the body!" Mrs. Wang shouted to another lady in the crowd.

To the alarm of Jie Kushin and Christina, a rather stout lady suddenly stood up with her jaw clenched.

A feeling as if the world slowed down played out, and the only person capable of moving at normal speed was that stout lady.

Even the ever-alert Cho Youngran's muzzle was turning slowly.

A series of neuron connections fired through my brain as sudden understanding took place.

She waited for this chance to steal the flag!

My body, suppressed by some strange force despite my mind being clear, refused to move out of the way at my commands.

Thankfully, there seemed to be some restrictions on this strange stigma or skill, for the stout lady was unable to move with a high level of agility. She resembled a person running without the current superhuman system.

Still, she would get here quickly even if we both were a ways away from the crowd of people.

Move! Move goshdarnit! 

But as my body shook ever so slowly, I felt despair clamp its way onto my back, weighing it down with the weight of boulders.

I should have foreseen this, but I was too focused on the game, too caught up in the moment.

To this day, I haven't learned this lesson.

I couldn't break free from Mrs. Wang's hold because her strength stat was far above mine, and I couldn't move quickly enough because my agility was not high enough in this plane.

Even If I give up on this flag here, we'll have a chance.

But did we?

Purely looking at the chances, there was no telling we could take over another station like this one. Additionally...

We're already residents of this station! If the flag lands in their hands, our freedom will be forcefully detained.

A flash of white signaling my panic erupted in my brain.

Oh, screw this...

I bemoaned.

[Strength lv. 6 --> Strength lv. 20]

[Agility lv. 20 --> Agility lv. 40]

[Your Agility is approaching the limit of the scenario!]

[A total of 10 200 coins has been used]

A large chunk of my coins that I was saving up was used over these...stats...and I already regretted doing so.

Good thing was, I could now move at a normal speed as well.

Just as the stout lady reached me, I broke free of Mrs. Wang's hold, who continued to move in a slow manner.

Without thinking about it in such a dire situation, I punched the stout lady who had bent down.

Her eyes rolled white as her head was hit to the side, and then she passed out.

Like the spell had dispersed, a bullet passed through where the stout lady had been, the sound of a bullet being fired at the ground causing a mini panic through the other members of the station.

"Ah, augh!" I hopped up and down, clutching my throbbing hand.

Just how high was that stout lady's physique stat?!

"You-!" Mrs. Wang shouted.

Blowing on my fist like it would make the pain disappear, I kicked Mrs. Wang in the meantime in a panic when she stood up like she was about to continue the scuffle.

Perhaps I also hit Mrs. Wang too hard, for she too passed out into oblivion.

Many of Mrs. Wang's advocates grew as quiet as wooden chickens after that. It helped stabilize law and order.

Still, I had leftover fears at the fact that I almost lost the flag, and compromised the group's future.

The chill lingered, like a ghost that had a vice grip, leaving me to new doubts.

Could I really take over that Tyrant King's station even with help?