Deon stared at the comment for a second longer than he should’ve. The words lingered in front of him like a hand reaching out from the dark.

Helpful, maybe, but still attached to something that might drag him in the moment he grabbed it.

"What kind of information?" Deon asked, finally revealing interest, but not too much to sound obvious.

It was like talking to a used car salesman, except this time they knew they had the upper hand.

[LovesAGoodBargain: The structure of this round. I don’t know it specifically, but I have a good guess.]

There’s the hook beneath the bait, huh? I almost swam into it without realizing that it existed.

Deon glanced at the Flag planted in the center of Mihan Park, then to the people standing around it.

Ryker was talking to both twins and Jin, the meeker kids who were still trying to calm their trembling. He told them everything would be okay, and that they’d be able to get through this Round.

Hana, meanwhile, was speaking softly to Vivian, obviously curious about the relationship between her and Deon.

Vivian caught his stare from the fountain and smiled. Deon immediately looked away.

He shook his head. It wasn’t even his responsibility to keep all these people alive—in fact, he was confident that even if they all died, he would survive this Round.

If that happens, there’d be six Contestants down. And I’d be a few steps closer to getting my wish.

But...without knowing why—

"I accept."

Ding!

[Challenge Accepted]

[Requester: LovesAGoodBargain]

[Challenge: The contestant, Deon Day, must clear the [Boss] of this Round alone.]

[Restriction: No other contestants may damage the [Boss].]

[Reward: Information about the Round.]

"Okay," Deon said slowly, raising one finger even though the Viewer probably couldn’t see it. "Define damage."

[LovesAGoodBargain: Direct attacks that wound, break, pierce, burn, crush, poison, shatter, drain, or otherwise reduce the [Boss]’s combat condition.]

"...That’s a long list."

Deon stared at the challenge panel for a while longer before closing it with a thought.

"Fine," he said softly. "Just sit back and watch me clear this."

[LovesAGoodBargain: As promised.]

[LovesAGoodBargain: This will likely be a Claim-type event.]

[LovesAGoodBargain: Based on the current environment, the Flag will probably act as the central defensive point.]

"Claim-type?" Deon muttered. "What exactly does that mean?"

[LovesAGoodBargain: Zones will appear throughout Mihan Park.]

[LovesAGoodBargain: To claim a Zone, at least one person on your team must remain inside the marked area until the claim completes.]

[LovesAGoodBargain: During the claim, monsters will attack both the Zone holder and the Flag.]

Deon’s gaze moved on instinct.

The Flag was still planted in the center of the plaza, its red cloth fluttering weakly above the fountain.

"Alright, go on..."

[LovesAGoodBargain: Once the first set of Zones has been resolved, another set will likely appear.]

[LovesAGoodBargain: This process may repeat until the Round ends.]

Deon fell into a thinking pose, dropping onto one of the nearby benches that was barely upright enough to sit on.

But what was the purpose of the Zones themselves? Does claiming more Zones mean more rewards?

No...it can’t be that simple...Not for Miracle Royale standards.

He hadn’t even realized that Hana had already approached and sat next to him. She stayed silent, observing him for a bit before speaking.

"So, what’s the plan?"

"Seems like it’s gonna be some sort of capture game," Deon replied, leaning back into the bench. "Zones are gonna appear in the Park and someone has to go claim them."

"What does that mean?" she asked, tilting her head.

"It’s the same thing as last time," he glanced over to the fountain. "Defend our Flag from the monsters, but this time with the added caveat of having to spread ourselves thin."

Deon knew it was probably going to become the center of every monster’s attention. Before, it had looked like their seat. Now, it looked like a piece of meat hung from a hook.

"So..." Hana said slowly. "Some people have to stay here and protect the Flag, while others go out and stand in those Zones?"

"Mhmm."

She looked down at the [Basic Heal] Card held between her hands. "Then wouldn’t it be better to stay close to the Flag? If everyone protects it together, at least we won’t get wiped out."

"That’s the obvious answer."

"If this was just about surviving," Deon muttered, "then the Zones wouldn’t matter that much. We could just claim the closest ones, play safe, and turtle around the Flag."

"But no," he continued on. "Viewers wouldn’t like that. They don’t want seven people standing around a fountain for ten minutes while monsters politely line up to die."

Yet as soon as the words left his mouth, the pieces suddenly clicked into a theory that fit all too well.

"The Boss..." he muttered. "If there really is a Boss, then claiming the Zones must be beneficial. Maybe it gives us buffs or lowers the number of monsters that spawn."

"Or maybe..." Deon’s finger curled against the wood. "The more Zones we claim, the easier the Boss becomes."

Hana stared at him, the worry on her face deepened because she understood exactly what that meant.

"If that’s true," she said softly, "then playing safe would make the Boss harder."

"Yeah."

And because of the Challenge...the Boss would be my problem...

Damn you, bargain-loving bastard! And damn you, Deon Day, for biting the hook after already seeing it!

"Ah, whatever," Deon finally declared, standing up quickly from the bench and making his way to the center of their group. "I’ll make it work."

"Everyone! Here’s the plan!" he yelled out just as Hana caught up to him from behind.

Ryker was the first to react, raising an eyebrow as he rested the fire axe against his shoulder. "You figured something out?"

"More or less."

Mina and Nami both glanced at each other nervously, while Jin looked like he was one loud noise away from collapsing on the spot.

Vivian, meanwhile, only leaned back against the fountain, her crimson eyes following Deon like she was watching him take his turn at a talent show.

"Look, I’m going to divide us into different directions," Deon started, pointing to the empty park. "There will be certain Zones that are bound to show up."

"So your jobs are simple, " he continued. "Stand in the Zones that appear in your area and claim them."

Ryker frowned. "And the monsters?"

"They’ll attack both the person claiming the Zone and the Flag."

Jin swallowed hard. "B-Both?"

"Yeah," Deon said. "Which means this Round is designed to split us apart. If we all stay at the Flag, we lose the Zones. If everyone leaves for the Zones, we lose the Flag."

Nami’s face paled. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Balance it."

Deon pointed toward the Flag planted in the fountain plaza. "This is our heart. If it breaks, we’re probably done. So Hana stays here."

Hana blinked. "Me?"

"You’re the healer. If someone gets injured and has to retreat, they need somewhere to run back to."

"But if you get hurt—"

"I’ll come back."

Deon looked toward the twins next. "Mina, Nami. You two will be on the west side, where the entrance of Mihan Station is." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Isn’t that too dangerous for them?" Ryker complained, narrowing his eyes.

"No," Deon shook his head. "Since it’s likely the monsters will funnel from below, both their [Push] and [Pull] will be effective as disruption."

After a moment of hesitation, both twins nodded at the same time with conviction in their eyes.

"Good..." Deon turned to Ryker and Jin. "You guys are going to be on the southern Side."

Jin’s face went white. "M-Me?"

"Yeah," Deon nodded. "Your Biscuit effectively acts as a bodyguard while you’re claiming Zones. But that’s why I sent Ryker with you, just in case you get overwhelmed."

Ryker rolled his shoulders and lifted his axe with a grin. "South side, huh? Fine by me. If anything comes close, I’ll split its head open."

"Don’t get too excited," Deon said flatly. "You’re not going there to farm Points."

"If you abandon Jin just because you saw a monster worth Points, I’ll trip you into the next wave myself."

Ryker’s face twitched. "You’re kind of a bastard, you know that?"

"Yeah. That’s why you should believe me."

Deon nodded once before turning toward Vivian. She was still watching him with that faintly amused look, chin resting against the back of her hand.

"And where are we going, Little Day?"

"You’re going east and I’m going north," he said quickly. "We’ll handle both the capturing and defending."

"You expect your petite ol’ sister to do everything alone? How cruel!"

"Tch...just buy a few Levels with those Points you have and you should be good."

Vivian tilted her head. "...Levels? What’s that?"

"Huh?" Deon looked back. "You don’t know what they are?"

"Uh...no?"

For a second, Deon simply stared at her.

Does she actually not know about Levels? How’s that possible? That would mean she climbed to fifth place...

Using her Card alone.

"Vivian..."

"What?"

The timer above the Flag continued counting down.

[Preparation Phase: 00:59]

And for the first time since reuniting, Deon wondered if the most dangerous thing in Mihan Park—

Was even outside the barrier at all.