"Hurry up, Ian, you are about to miss the interviews," Ashlyn exclaimed.

Ian looked over to see every member of his party sitting with Jason, Vince, Nexa, and Wanda at a table with a large display already running. He tossed another spoonful of potatoes on his plate, grabbed his mug, and hurried over to his spot.

Tram nudged him as he sat down and pointed to the screen where a woman he didn't recognize was walking up to the reporter.

"That's Eveline," he said, pointing at the screen. "She's an absolute nightmare to hang out with. Say anything about anyone other than her, and you signed yourself up to listen to her talk about herself for thirty minutes while also putting whoever it was you mentioned down. Even if she is attractive on the outside, she quickly fixes your misconceptions about wanting to be around her if you have to spend ten minutes with her."

"He says that from experience," Lana said, chiming in. "He went from 'damn she's fine' to a 'not even with someone else's ten foot pole' in record time." She looked over and gave Tram a smirk. "One of the few times I've been proud of you."

Tram snorted as the interview began.

"Adventurer Eveline, with such a large amount at stake, why did you feel the need to accept a fight with Second Chance's Glade Runner?" asked the woman leading the interview.

"We at Peerless will always rise up and overcome any challenge placed in front of us by those who seek to tear us down. There seems to be a fatal misunderstanding that those who were not even good enough to be recruited by lesser clans can stand up to those of us whose talent and skills were identified and cultivated from the earliest moments of our careers. Peerless has selected the best of the best and has further forged its teams by moving our best people into the positions they deserve. That is why I am currently the leader of The Conquerors—the most promising party in the clan.

"We will show that we are ready to take on all opposition, just as we are taking every fight seriously. We have the best weapons, the best training, and the best assistants evaluating every aspect of our growth. No matter what sort of tricks Glade Runner thinks she has up her sleeve, they won't work against our superior skillsets. She's way out of her league, even if we fought her one on one."

"With you being the only party from Peerless in the tournament, do you feel additional pressure going into this fight knowing that if you do lose, your entire clan will effectively be removed from the tournament?"

Eveline snorted and gave the woman a dismissive glance. "There is no pressure because a single archer that is only a few levels higher than us can't even hope to stand up to our might. She just thinks she is hot shit because she's sleeping with that fake adventurer Zero. Everyone knows that he is only doing as well as he is because he is getting help from the Faeorcen, and Peerless has its best people working to help expose his lies and show the full extent of his ineptitude.

"But Glade Runner is just another garbage adventurer who failed to make the big leagues. Everything she has accomplished is simply the result of getting carried on the backs of others, and today we are going to show her what it is like to fight against people who earned their power. Peerless is the future, and anyone who thinks they can beat us in this tournament will get shown how wrong they really are."

"That appears to be all the time we have for this interview," the woman said, looking uncomfortable as her eyes tracked something near the camera. "Thank you for this opportunity, and we hope you have a great match."

"Hey, wait a minute," Eveline said, looking angry. "We were supposed to have ten mi—"

"Ha! They just cut her off early," Ashlyn said, nudging Selenia. "Did you hear that Nia, your dad apparently is the only reason we are doing well."

"What a strange woman," she replied with a giggle. "She's going to be in for an interesting fight. I wonder how much it would hurt her ego to learn that Jen doesn't even know who she is?"

"She'd literally die," Lana replied with a giggle.

"She's probably the only person I truly despise over there," Vince said. "She enjoys making others suffer, and she has an overinflated opinion of her own skills. She uses a mace that she swings like a baseball bat. There is no finesse, she just overpowers monsters that are considerably weaker than herself. I haven't seen this Glade Runner fight yet, but I am hopeful that she will at least knock Eve down a peg."

"You're in for a real treat," Wanda said, causing Nexa to nod enthusiastically from her seat.

"She's a monster," Jason said, his voice completely serious. "She would drop me in a second, and I have over four hundred levels on her."

"Quiet down," Ashlyn said excitedly. "Here comes her interview."

Turning back to the screen, a young man was standing next to Jen in her new elven form with a couple of cards in his hand.

"Adventurer Glade Runner, we are excited to have this opportunity to interview you before your battle."

"I am thankful for this opportunity," Jen said, giving the camera a friendly smile.

"First, everyone wants to know why the sudden switch to silver hair and eyes? Don't get me wrong, everyone thinks your new color scheme looks amazing. We just wonder if there was a reason behind the change?"

"Why thank you for the compliment. I actually chose this color set because a good friend of mine has very similar colorations, and I thought they looked absolutely stunning. I think it really helps makes a powerful statement for a more powerful me," she said, flexing her arms causing both her and the interviewer to laugh.

"That it does indeed!" he said after a moment. "You have become extremely popular with the new change in style, both in and out of the dungeon. It has been theorized that you may be as strong as some of the full-time members of Second Chance with your new signature skill. Do you think it will help you overcome the numerical advantage The Conquerors currently have in the upcoming fight?"

"Oh, I'm really only here for Avra," Jen said, giving him a feral grin.

"Does that mean your only goal is to take her out?" he asked.

Jen just innocently laughed for a moment before a dark smile spread across her face. "Definitely not. This isn't going to be a battle…it's going to be a slaughter. I honestly don't even know the names of anyone else in their party other than Avra, and quite frankly, I don't care. They are part of a clan that lies, cheats, and steals their way to fame. Nobody will be sad if they get removed from this competition."

"I…see," the man said, seeming to grow uncomfortable as her smile grew more bloodthirsty. "I'm actually kind of afraid to ask what you are planning on doing in there."

Jen just shook her head as the man let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Don't worry. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for the viewers. Thank you for the interview, but I am going to head to my starting portal now."

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"Oh, yes. Thank you, Glade Runner. We wish you the best in your upcoming match."

"Slaughter," she corrected with a smile as she turned and walked away.

"I think I love her," Ashlyn said, looking over at Ian. "Sorry, bro, but she's now mine. I've called dibs, and you can't have her."

Ian just shook his head as he chuckled. "As much as you all keep joking about it, I don't think she and I really jive that way. She's like a friend that I know will always have my back."

"Good," his sister replied, pointing her fork at him menacingly. "She's mine."

Everyone laughed as Ian rolled his eyes.

"Damn, look at that terrain," Tram said, pulling everyone's attention back to the screen.

The match was set in a giant clearing, roughly a football field in size, with large trees making up a forest around it. It wasn't thick enough to completely hide in, as it was possible to see quite a way in before the trees blotted everything out. The lack of undergrowth made it seem oddly unnatural compared to most forests.

"They are going to be dropped on opposite sides of the clearing," Jason said. "As soon as they land, the fight will begin. With the length, it is nearly impossible for anyone at this level to lob anything across it."

"I doubt that," Ash snorted, looking over at Jason. "Jen sold her extra pieces yesterday and picked up a new bow, an NPK M202."

"How is she even able to draw that thing?" Jason asked, his eyes wide in confusion. "She'd need something like eight thousand strength with the same amount of agility to even be able to pull it back and aim without it just flying off into lala land."

"How indeed," Lana replied with a knowing smirk. "Here they come."

The screen showed Jen appear on one side and pull out her new bow, crack her neck once on each side, before calmly drawing an arrow and releasing.

As soon as the arrow left he bow, the screen switched to The Conquerors, where Eveline stood up and pointed to the woods on their right.

"Everyone, get into the tree line so she doesn't have a cl—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence before an arrowhead burst out of the back of their tank's plate helmet three feet in front of her. The blood splashed across her face causing her to stop mid-sentence as everyone froze in shock.

"Ha! She's going to kill us all, and we fucking deserve it," Kambis said with a belly laugh. "You all better run. Misha went first, but any of us could be next."

"Run!" Eveline screamed as the tank, Misha, hit the ground.

Eveline grabbed Viska, their healer, and followed behind Avra and their swordsman, Vincent. It was only twenty yards to the tree line, and they were moving quick. Unfortunately, Vincent was in front of them when he got hit in the knee, sending him down in a painful scream. Eveline jumped over him, still dragging Viska, as a second arrow hit, cutting Vincent's pained screams short as it took him in the face.

She looked out to see Kambis still standing in the clearing, laughing like a deranged lunatic.

"Kambis, get over here now!"

"You know what they say, fuck around and find out, right?" he said laughing. "She is so far out of our league it isn't funny."

"You traitor!"

"Can't be a traitor when none of us are actually a team. Who'd want to ever work with a self-centered monster like you? I don't even care anymore, I just want out of this godforsaken clan. I'm done with all this shit. No amount of money is wo—"

An arrow took him in the head, knocking him clear off his feet like a rag doll—killing him instantly.

Eveline looked to see Viska staring at her with wide eyes filled with fear. Looking farther into the trees, she saw Avra staring back at her with dead eyes.

"This is my fault," Avra said.

"Shut up, Avra," Eveline said, getting angry. "This lady just as an overpowered bow. If we can close with her, she'll be completely powerless. I'm going to need you to cast your Holy Spear Nova when she gets close."

Viska's eyes suddenly went wide as a shadowy mist flew from behind a tree and congealed.

"Glade Ru—"

Eveline watched as blood poured out of Viska's mouth as an arrow pinned the woman to the tree, embedded so deep into her chest that only the fletchings remained visible outside of her armor. Swearing, Eveline ducked behind the tree, pulling two maces into her hands. She opened her mouth to say something when the black mist flew into the air a dozen paces away, right before Jen materialized—bow already drawn. Eveline didn't even have time to scream before she died.

"By the curator," Ian whispered as the display switched back to Jen as she walked past the tree, giving her a clear view of Avra. Seeing Jen standing in front of her with an arrow ready to draw, she dropped to her knees and looked down at the ground.

"You're here to punish me for what I did to Ian, aren't you?" Avra said woodenly.

"Ian is a big boy and can take care of himself," she replied with a scoff. "I'm actually here for a different reason, one that you shouldn't need explained to you, but I feel that you need to understand. You've hurt so many more people than Ian."

Avra didn't say anything, just stared at the ground with her hair falling around her face.

"Let me tell you a story," Jen continued in a quiet voice. It was just above a whisper, and Ian suddenly realized everyone who had been cheering and whistling a moment ago had become completely silent. Even the kitchen crew had stopped working and were watching the screens.

"There was a girl named Jennifer Vickers. She grew up with her mother, just the two of them. They didn't have much, but they had each other and a modest life. When she was sixteen, her mother started dating a man who was everything her mother had always wanted in a partner. He was smart, funny, and caring. He had a good job, and he made her feel special.

"They got married six months later, and everything was perfect…for about two months. When he drank," Jen sighed as she shook her head, her features suddenly looked like she was remembering something painful. "When he drank, he would get angry. It started with him just yelling at her mom, but it wasn't long before things escalated. So, Jennifer did what she thought she had to do and went to the police.

"Unfortunately, the police took a few statements but ultimately just returned her home. Her attempt to help didn't fix anything. Rather, it just made her stepfather angrier, and he began to take his aggression out on his stepdaughter as well. She had learned that day that there wasn't anyone who would help her, so she tried to spend as little time at home as possible.

"For nearly a year, she put up with him beating her and her mother, until one day she had finally had enough. He had just punched her mother in the stomach when Jennifer lost it. She didn't remember grabbing the kitchen knife, but she found herself holding the handle with the blade stuck in his side. She tried to pull her mom away, thinking that her stepdad couldn't do anything to her because he was dying—because she naively thought that was what happened when you stabbed someone, right? Her mistake cost her everything."

Nobody in the entire cafeteria was breathing as they watched the tears stream down Jen's face as she canceled her elven form and looked down at the woman in front of her. Avra was no longer looking at the ground but staring at the woman in front of her, a look of terror on her face.

"My mother pushed me out of the way as my stepfather tried to stab me with the same knife I had used on him. As the blade went into her back, I remember her eyes going wide as she looked right into mine. The last image I have of my mother is her mouthing the word 'run' and pushing me away." Jen paused to take a deep breath. "And run I did.

"I made it out the door and onto the street before my stepfather caught up to me. He knocked me down and hit me over and over again, and just when I knew I was going to die, two of our neighbors dragged him off of me. The last things I remember from that night were the sounds of sirens and sharp pain coursing through my body.

"I didn't wake up for four days. When I finally came too, I was told that I had undergone half a dozen surgeries, and I was expected to make a decent recovery…but my mom wasn't there. The police later told me the knife got stuck in her back, which was probably the only reason I'm still alive today…but for quite a while, I wished I hadn't survived. There are times, when I'm alone, that I still wish I had joined my mother."

Jen looked down at Avra and met her eyes. She stared at them for a second before shaking her head in disgust.

"But you, you asked why I am here today? My scars may have healed when I hit my first milestone, but I can still feel them," she screamed, as her hand left her bow string and she touched her own cheek as if tracing something. "I still see them on my face and etched into my skin when I look in the mirror. I see my misshapen cheeks and nose, my missing teeth, the slackened side of my face where the nerve damage was too severe for me to feel, let alone smile.

"Even if you didn't realize it, your actions have hurt so many others just like me. You profited from your lies by taking advantage of a group of people who struggle every day just to find the strength to keep moving. We will always remember what happened to us—it's literally something we live with every day." Jen took a sharp breath. "Hopefully, something you never have to deal with."

Avra's face was covered in tears as she looked into the eyes of the woman standing over her.

"Avra, unlike the others…right now I really do want to hurt you. Which is why I'd prefer if you didn't force me to," Jen said through clenched teeth. "Please, Beth, forfeit the match."

Avra nodded her head as she took in a ragged breath.

"I forfeit," she whispered quietly, causing her body to disappear from the screen.

Jen's lip quivered for a moment before she, too, disappeared.

"We need to go," Wanda said, putting her cup and napkins on her tray, standing up with Nexa.

"We got the trays," Ian said, standing up to help. "Reach out and let us know if there is anything any of us can do."

With grateful nods, both of the women ran out of the cafeteria.

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