"Few more minutes! Prepare for the next one!" a voice broke the silence, drawing everyone's attention as they rose to their feet. Lin, still seated on a small rock at the edge of the [Snowy Region], surveyed the group.

  He noticed a few of them seemed hesitant to leave the region, where physical touch was entirely nullified.

  Is it really that good?

  The thought lingered in his mind. Personally, he disliked the regional restriction, feeling as though it deprived him of control over his own body. But for others, it seemed the restriction offered a reprieve. Lin guessed that those reluctant to leave might have sustained minor injuries during their trips to the center.

  For them, the region's restriction provided much-needed pain relief.

  “All right, it’s teleported. Let’s start moving,” Nolan called, his gaze locked on a bluish screen displaying a map dotted with markers. Once he confirmed the Minotaur had been teleported to the [Snowy Region], the group began their next move.

  Some stayed within the Snowy Region, while others reorganized, ensuring the required 60% before stepping into the Swamp Region.

  This marked their third jump.

  By employing this strategy, they had already burned through 20 minutes of their 75-minute target. However, slight deviations in their individual timers had emerged. Navigating to the center while Lin and Roben held back the Minotaur had shaved off roughly 25 minutes from their timers. As a result, the group's timers now ranged between 30 to 35 minutes, just at the halfway mark.

  Two more rotations.

  If they maintained this pace, they would finish by the second rotation.

  “W-what the…” Nolan suddenly stammered, his voice breaking the group's rhythm. Heads turned toward him, confusion spreading across their faces.

  “What? What’s wrong?” Sera asked sharply, rushing to his side. She glanced at his screen, her eyes widening at the map displayed there. Without hesitation, she summoned her own status window, her expression souring as it confirmed what she had seen.

  Curious and concerned, the others quickly followed suit, casting Echo and checking their maps.

  “W-where did it go?” one of them finally muttered, voicing the question on everyone's mind. Lin glanced down at his own map, his puzzled expression catching the attention of the group and amplifying their unease.

  “Dammit, what do we do now? It won’t reach us just because it used [Veil], right?” Sera asked, her gaze snapping to Ren, who was staring at his own screen. Within seconds of teleporting into the [Snowy Region], the Minotaur had activated [Veil], effectively disappearing from the map.

  But that wasn’t the worst of it.

  “There shouldn’t be any problems. Even if it’s using [Veil], it should still be forcefully teleported to the [Swamp Region] in the next five minutes. We just won’t be able to see it on the map…” Ren said, though his voice wavered near the end, betraying his lack of confidence. While his words managed to ease some of the group's nerves, not everyone seemed convinced—especially in light of Lin’s earlier cryptic warning.

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  “It’s probably trying to bait us. We should continue with the plan,” Ren added, his tone shaky, as though trying to reassure himself as much as the others. His unease, however, only served to heighten the tension. Finally, he turned to Lin, desperation plain in his eyes.

  “Is this what you meant?” he asked.

  Lin shot him a sidelong glance before responding.

  “It’s worse than I imagined,” Lin said, dispelling his blue screen with a simple hand motion. His gaze swept over the group in the [Swamp Region], their faces growing pale. The flaw Lin had hinted at earlier now seemed even graver in their minds, the weight of his words pressing heavily on them.

  Lin’s eyes flicked back to Ren as he continued. “Instead of a violent beast hunting us down, try to imagine how it would go if I was your opponent.”

  His casual remark sent a ripple of unease through the group. Some, like Kian, took Lin’s words at face value. He began stepping toward Lin, his posture seemingly relaxed, but to those familiar with martial arts, it was clear he was ready to strike at any moment.

  “You mean if you were the one hunting us down?” Ren asked, a hint of confusion in his tone as he tried to process the analogy.

  “That’s right. What do you think I would do in this situation?” Lin replied calmly.

  Ren stayed silent, his expression thoughtful, but time was not on their side.

  We might die if you don’t figure it out quickly.

  Lin thought to himself, refraining from pressing Ren further.

  Crafting a creative strategy like Ren’s and then devising a counter wasn’t something easily done under pressure. As Ren glanced between Lin and the blue screen floating before him, a sudden realization seemed to dawn on him. He looked behind, scanning everyone gathered before quickly glancing toward the various regions they occupied.

  That was fast.

  “The shortest path…” Ren muttered, his gaze snapping back to Lin with a startled expression. He repeated it aloud, more firmly this time.

  “You would take the shortest path?”

  Without waiting for Lin’s confirmation, Ren turned toward the others, his expression panicked. His anxiety spread through the group like wildfire, their faces mirroring his dread.

  “Oi, is there a problem?” Kian asked, finally reaching Ren’s side. But Ren didn’t seem to hear him, his focus locked on Lin.

  “Is it a bluff? Should we jump now?” Ren asked, his voice growing more frantic with each word. Lin didn’t respond, merely shrugging and staying silent.

  “Hey, calm down. Just explain what’s going on,” Kian said, gripping Ren’s shoulder and giving him a shake. The action seemed to jolt Ren out of his daze, calming him slightly.

  “R-right,” Ren muttered, quickly gathering his thoughts. “It might be heading for the [Swamp Region],” he said, his words sparking confusion among the group. They hadn’t expected him to say such a thing.

  “Huh? How would that help—” Kian began, then suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his expression shifting as if he had realized something. “—Ah, shit,” he cursed, pulling up his status window and glancing at the map.

  He’s smarter than he looks. Lin’s gaze briefly lingered on Kian, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. Or maybe… instinct?

  The rest of the group remained largely confused, their faces reflecting doubt and bewilderment. Meanwhile, those who understood looked visibly shaken, questioning how a mere beast could demonstrate such a level of Strategic insight.

  “I see,” Nolan muttered after a few seconds, frustration flickering across his face as he continued, “If it’s already in the region, it wouldn’t be teleported to the center.”

  His statement confirmed the group’s growing realization. Ren’s complex plan had one critical flaw—a flaw that wasn’t due to poor planning but could only be exploited by an opponent with a high level of intelligence.

  [Majority rule] — If a single region has more than 60% of the participants for more than 5 minutes, the beast will automatically spawn in the middle of that region (if it isn’t already within that region).

  The [Majority Rule] wouldn’t trigger if the Minotaur was already present in the region alongside the required 60% of participants. Instead of chasing them, if the Minotaur moved directly into the next region they planned to force it into, it would effectively bypass the [Majority Rule].

  This would allow it to continue its pursuit from wherever it entered, possibly even gaining ground on their position.

  Applying this to their current predicament, if the Minotaur entered the [Swamp Region], it wouldn’t be affected by the [Majority Rule]. Instead, it would simply resume its chase from the point of entry, potentially closing the gap between itself and the group.

  A simple miscalculation…