"Say, is there prize money involved in this?" Red asked in confusion from his seat in the audience stands.

He didn’t get an immediate answer because everyone around him was wondering the same thing. His crew, and even the four recruits, furrowed their brows.

All of them had no choice but to come today because wherever Ashley was, they had to be with her—unless Lucian said otherwise and brought his own security team instead. Deep down, however, they had expected this to be nothing more than silly games for students and parents to bond over.

Right now, however, the atmosphere inside the court felt far too tense.

The other team was already fired up, but the blue team, where Lucian and Ashley were, was harder to read. Their team had gathered together while Lucian talked about strategy.

Red leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "I can’t believe I’m watching Black Dragon personally strategize for this game."

"I wonder what kind of strategy they even have?" Gin wondered, studying the members of their team.

Compared to the Red Team, the Blue Team had some obvious disadvantages. Most of the parents and guardians on the other side were young, while the blue team had a mix of elderly participants, a little bigger parents, and the like.

"How could they allow that granny to participate in this game, though?" Rum scrunched up his nose. "Aren’t they scared she might get a heart attack before she even finishes the race?"

Vodka’s face soured. "I feel... scared."

A moment of silence fell over them as they kept their eyes on the blue team, watching Lucian talk while everyone listened attentively. The reactions on the faces of those listening varied so much that the audience couldn’t tell what Lucian was even saying.

Meanwhile, the four recruits glanced at Red’s crew before looking back at the situation on the court.

"It hasn’t even started yet, but I already feel nervous," Nelek admitted under his breath. "It’s just a childish sack race."

"Why does it feel like the finals of a major league?" Warriyo muttered.

Rus gulped. "It’s just a game. There’s no need to make it feel like the end of the world."

Khan, on the other hand, couldn’t even say a word. All he could do was keep his eyes fixed on Ashley and then on Lucian before shaking his head.

There was no way that woman was the same person who had choked them without even lifting a hand just to force them onto her side.

They weren’t the only ones thinking that. Even the people in the audience stands—a mix of students idling around and other parents—looked confused. While everyone waited for the game to begin, an announcement suddenly echoed throughout the gymnasium.

"Announcement! Everyone, Team Pink has already conceded this game," came the voice from the speakers, making everyone turn toward the other side of the court. "However, they will participate as a cheering group instead."

"Yey~!" the children from Team Pink cheered happily.

Others chuckled at the bubbly atmosphere that group gave off. Even during the first game, Team Pink had conceded because, apparently, they needed time to change into the proper team colors.

But Red’s crew and Khan’s group looked at the children and parents from that team with blank expressions.

"When did they even have the time to change into matching outfits?" they wondered, though they didn’t dwell on it.

That team had no ambition whatsoever. Their parents were exactly the same, simply going with the flow wherever it carried them.

"As for the Blue and Red Teams, the game is about to start. Please get into position before we begin."

With that, the announcement ended, and people quickly started preparing everything for the game.

Soon, the two teams—Red and Blue—stood in a straight line.

Each participant was given a sack to step into. They had to hop their way toward a chair placed several meters away before hopping back and passing the baton they were holding.

Simple mechanics.

The twist was that both the parent and the student had to be inside the same sack. It was a test of teamwork—not just for the whole group, but for each family unit as well.

"Ready!?" The teacher facilitating the game stood between the chairs several meters away from the starting line. "Go!"

As soon as the green flag was raised, cheers erupted as the first participants began hopping forward.

"Go! Go! Go!" both teams shouted while watching the first pair race toward the chair.

The first participants on both sides were boys paired with their mothers. However, the blue team immediately showed a significant disadvantage due to the size differences between the parents and students. That disadvantage became even more obvious by the time both pairs were heading back, with the Red Team already taking the lead.

While the mother and son from the blue team panted heavily from exhaustion, the pair from the other side appeared far fitter. In no time, they reached the starting line, passed the baton, and the next participant was already on the move.

Raka smirked as he saw the first pair from the Blue Team finally pass the baton while the next player from the Red Team was already halfway through the course.

"Heh," he snickered, glancing toward the opposing side, who continued cheering loudly for their teammates. "Did they really think they could win?"

They could all be as determined as they wanted for all he cared, but Raka was already one step ahead.

Even before the foundation day had been announced, he had already contacted several parents—parents he not only got along with, but parents he knew were physically fit so they could all end up on the same team.

In his mind, it wasn’t cheating.

He was simply increasing his chances of winning these games for his son.

"Go! You can do it!" Ashley shouted, cheering for their teammate. They were only on their third player, while the other team’s fifth player was already moving forward.

"Oh no," someone from the audience muttered as the gap between the teams widened dramatically. "They’re going to lose."

Red’s crew and Khan’s team frowned slightly.

"Why did they let the bigger participants go first? Seriously, they’re too slow."

"They’re definitely going to lose, especially with an elderly participant—" he trailed off as his brows furrowed while noticing movement within the Blue Team.

The third player was a little oversized and was taking his time reaching the starting line to pass the baton. But as he got closer, the Blue Team suddenly began reshuffling.

The Blue Team’s next participant had originally been an elderly grandmother.

But now, Julius was inside the same sack with the elderly woman cradled in his arms while several children clung to his bulky physique, securing the sack tightly around him.

Raka opened and closed his mouth as he counted the children hanging onto the big man and the grandmother in his arms.

"Hey!" Raka barked. "What do you think you’re doing!?"

But his voice only echoed uselessly as the baton was passed and Julius made his first leap, almost covering half the distance between the starting line and the chair.

The moment the audience saw that massive leap from the giant man, jaws dropped everywhere.