The trap of Course 1—or perhaps the device that offered opportunity—the Destiny Card.

Along with a notification window, a massive deck of cards materialized before my eyes.

The moment a single card was drawn, a notification popped up in front of Yoo Harang.

[Acquired ‘Wings of Swiftness’! Flight special ability activated for 30 minutes!]

In an instant, translucent wings sprouted from Yoo Harang’s back.

It was an item capable of clearing Course 1 in a single bound.

The host’s excited voice rang out from a nearby speaker.

[The competitors are each acquiring their items! Yoo Harang, the current leader, has obtained a flight special ability! And Seo Kangrim……!]

I stared at the single card spread out before me.

Watching it, I laughed inwardly.

Just as I thought—I really have no luck.

[Acquired the Deserted Island Card!]

Of all things, the Deserted Island card.

Just before the card activated, I urgently shouted toward Yoo Harang.

“Yoo Harang, link up with Shin Sooa right away!”

“What? Seo Gang……!”

Yoo Harang’s voice was cut off in an instant, and a different landscape unfolded before my eyes.

As I landed on the ground, sand crunched lightly beneath my feet.

Looking around, I found myself on a small sand island surrounded by sea on all sides.

Of course, it wasn’t an actual island.

The beach and the sea were nothing more than a set.

I had simply been dropped into a different zone, but that alone was penalty enough.

[The strong favorite to win, Seo Kangrim! His destination has been set to the Deserted Island, leaving the outcome of this race completely unpredictable!]

[Roll the dice every 10 minutes, and if you roll a certain number, you can escape the Deserted Island. Trust your luck!]

True to the host’s words, if I were lucky, I could get out in just ten minutes.

But I knew better than anyone.

The last thing I could trust in my life was my own luck.

Besides, I couldn’t afford to wait even ten minutes.

I stepped off the small sand island and set foot into the sea.

The moment I stepped into the shallow water, a sharp warning blared.

[You have left the designated area!]

[Please wait on the Deserted Island until the time limit expires!]

I ignored the blaring warning and pressed forward.

My reflection shimmered on the surface of the blue sea.

Then, at some point, my reflection on the water turned crimson.

[Confirmed that the target has left the designated area!]

[A penalty is being applied!]

The sea turned blood-red and began to shudder.

As if vomiting something up, shapes began to emerge from beneath the surface.

-Kkeureok, kkeureok…….

Before I knew it, massive forms had risen like reefs to block my path.

They were demon beasts with transparent innards visible through their bodies.

-Keureureung……!

With their beast-like forms and fully visible internal organs, they cut an intimidating figure.

The warning message rang out once more.

[Return to the designated area!]

[Return to the designated area!]

[Return to the designated…….]

-Chwaaaaak!

The Seven-Blade Sword cleaved through the sea.

The demon beasts, which had been standing blankly for a moment, collapsed as they spilled out all the liquid inside them like blood gushing from a wound.

Water splashed across my face like blood.

Whether there was a penalty or not, I just had to deal with it and move on.

The host shouted with an exhilarated voice.

[Seo Kangrim! He’s forcibly escaping the Deserted Island!]

I ran across the sea like a madman.

Demon beasts were spawning ahead, as if waiting for me.

It was all for broadcast anyway—not truly designed to kill participants.

-Seogeok!

After cutting down the last demon beast, I pushed through a door and dove inside.

Emerging on the other side, I saw a colorful landscape in pastel tones.

It seemed I had returned to the original course.

How were things progressing now?

I looked up at a monitor drone hovering nearby.

On it, I could see Shin Sooa sprinting at full speed.

[Shin Sooa is currently in the lead! Close behind her is Shin Ara in pursuit……!]

I had expected Shin Ara to participate, but I never imagined they’d already be in close combat.

Given that neither Shin Sooa nor Shin Ara was visible from where I stood, I figured I was somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Fierce battles were breaking out among the frontrunners, but the fighting wasn’t limited to the top ranks alone.

-Kwaang!

A participant who had taken a punch came crashing down right in front of me.

People were exchanging blows even as they ran forward.

Intense combat was supposedly forbidden, yet everyone was fighting tooth and nail.

But that was just a waste of time.

Avoiding fights as much as possible and pressing forward was the best strategy.

I activated ‘Hidden One’ and focused solely on dodging people as I ran.

However, it wasn’t long before I had no choice but to come to a halt.

[You have entered Course 2!]

What lay before me was a wide river.

Dozens of boats floated upon it.

As I approached the dock, a message appeared.

[When 5 people form a team and board a boat, operation will begin.]

The start of Course 2.

Course 2 was a naval battle—you had to race on a boat.

Moreover, it wasn’t an individual event but a team event.

Because of that, the area around the dock was in complete chaos.

“Damn it! With you, that makes five. Get on already!”

“You attacked my ally and now you have the nerve? I’d rather be eliminated than ride with you!”

Everyone was in turmoil, having been told to suddenly form teams after fighting moments ago.

Some were even dragging unconscious people they had forcibly knocked out.

So, what should I do now?

I had considered sticking with the Flying Tiger Sect members since it was a team event, but we were seven.

It was obvious we’d be split up no matter what, so I had separated from them first.

I was mulling over whether to knock out about four people and load them on when I sensed a presence behind me.

“E-Excuse me…….”

I turned around to find several unfamiliar faces standing there.

One man spoke up hesitantly.

“Um……. You’re Seo Kangrim, right?”

“That’s right, but…”

“Th-Thank goodness! We’ve been looking for you!”

They’d been looking for me?

They hadn’t come to attack—rather, they seemed genuinely relieved to see me.

“If you don’t mind, would you like to ride on the same boat as us?”

There were four of them—exactly the number I needed.

I wondered why they would approach me specifically, but the answer became clear when I saw their name tags.

“You’re all Rat zodiac too?”

Their name tags bore the same rat as mine.

The man beamed and nodded at my words.

“That’s right! We’ve been gathering Rat zodiac participants to form an alliance, and we were looking for you, Seo Kangrim.”

“Why me?”

“We’re weak. We can’t win first place ourselves, but we want to help you win and make the Rat zodiac victorious.”

One of the features of the Twelve Zodiac Race was that even strangers could become allies, and even companions could become enemies.

It was structured so that even the weak could earn rewards if they formed alliances well.

I studied them quietly, then nodded.

“Understood.”

“Thank you! We’ll support you to the best of our ability!”

They were thrilled and immediately boarded the boat.

As I embarked last, lights began to illuminate the boat.

[Confirmed 5 passengers! Setting sail!]

At the same time, the boat began to move slowly.

The large sail caught the wind and glided forward.

The speed wasn’t particularly fast.

This boat was designed to accelerate using magic power as fuel.

I spoke to one of them.

“It seems like this thing accelerates when you pour magic power into it.”

“Does it? As expected from Seo Kangrim……!”

“So why don’t you try pouring some in first.”

“Excuse me?”

The man’s face was one of bewilderment.

I crossed my arms and looked at him.

“Weren’t you planning to make me win? Then you should save my magic power.”

“W-Well, I suppose so. Then I’ll go ahead and pour some in.”

He approached the magic power injection device with a somewhat reluctant expression.

Placing his hand on the device, he poured in his magic power, and the boat’s speed increased slightly.

He withdrew his hand with a tired face.

“It’s gotten quite a bit faster now. I think this should be enough…….”

-Teoreok!

I grabbed his hand and pinned it back onto the magic absorption device.

He looked up at me in alarm.

“W-What…….”

“Your complexion still looks fine. I think you can charge a bit more magic power.”

Checking his Fortune Window, I could see he still had plenty of magic power left.

If they were going to help me, they needed to do it properly.

[Magic power charging has begun!]

“Ugh, ugh……!”

He stood frozen in bewilderment, unable to bring himself to pull his hand away.

I only released my grip after draining all of his magic power.

The speed had increased, but it still wasn’t enough.

I turned to look at the rest of them.

“Everyone, pour in your magic power.”

“Us too?”

“You said you’d make me win, didn’t you?”

They eventually placed their hands on the magic absorption device.

Partly because I was holding them there semi-forcibly.

With all four of them pouring in their magic power, the boat began to surge forward as if its motor had caught fire.

“Thanks to you, the speed has picked up nicely.”

The people whose magic power had been depleted lay sprawled on the floor, looking at me with resentful eyes.

I ignored their gazes and looked ahead.

The boats that had been leading were slowly coming into view.

It was about to begin.

I pulled one of the collapsed men to his feet.

He stared at me with a bewildered expression.

“Thank you for your help. But I think it’s about time we parted ways.”

“What?”

-Cheombyeong!

“Aaaagh!”

The moment I finished speaking, I shoved him over the side of the boat.

He was instantly swept away by the current.

The others scrambled to their feet in shock.

“S-Seo Kangrim! What is the meaning of this……!”

“What are you doing?! We came here to help you!”

They poured out their resentment toward me.

I grabbed another one nearby and hauled him to his feet.

“But you all lied, didn’t you?”

“What did we lie about……!”

“You’re not really Rat zodiac, are you?”

He tried to say something, but without waiting for an answer, I hurled him overboard as well.

The remaining two spoke up in horror.

“We really are Rat zodiac! L-Look at our name tags……!”

“Those are stolen from other people. I remember they’re different from the name tags you originally received.”

“……!”

A trick that had frequently surfaced in the Twelve Zodiac Race during my past life.

There were quite a few people who stole others’ name tags, disguised their zodiac sign, and then stabbed fellow participants in the back.

However, it seemed they hadn’t anticipated being on the receiving end of a betrayal themselves.

I smiled coldly at them.

“Thanks to you, the magic power charge went well.”