The man looked like he was about to fall, but he quickly caught his footing. He was coated in a dried layer of blood that flaked off with each jagged movement.

  But, the moment he spotted Feiyu and I, he instantly straightened his back and cleared his throat. Blue sparks flew around him, and the blood vanished. He expended stars just to look better before us.

  I scrunched my nose. I instantly disliked this man. He seemed performative—like every action was dictated by how people would perceive him.

  It’s not like I didn’t do the same thing…. I just like to think I’m a little bit more genuine, at least internally. This guy, on the other hand, carried himself like a jackass.

  “Hello,” he said, not bothering to check in on his various party members leaving the train car, some looking pristine while others appeared wrecked. “Is it only your two parties who have made it out so far?”

  I gave the biggest smile I could muster. “Yes. It looks like you did pretty well yourself.”

  I stepped up to introduce myself properly, extending a hand forward. “I’m Liu Peijin. You’ve probably met a few of my other party members.”

  He eyed my hand before finally shaking it. “Nice to meet you. You can call me Owl.”

  My mouth dropped slightly. “Like, the bird?”

  Owl let out a tight laugh. “That’s how it’s pronounced.”

  “Is it spelled like that, too?”

  “Yes.”

  “Your mom… named you ‘Owl?’”

  This time, Owl’s laugh was even louder, like he was mocking me.

  “Of course not. It’s a reference to the Bohemian Grove, though I don’t blame you if you’ve never heard of it..”

  Ummm… what now? I was certain this guy had to be a total loser now.

  “I definitely have,” I asserted cockily, already losing my calm and collected act. I crossed my fingers, hoping that Socrates would come to my rescue with a little information like he always had with the Major Arcana.

  [Observers Chat]

  Socrates: I can tell my dearest Jia Li wants me to save her.

  Socrates: Hmmm… should I do it? Jia Li has been a bit mean to me recently…

  An awkward silence extended between Owl and I.

  “Then what is it?” Owl finally asked.

  I bristled. Socrates, you bastard.

  [Observer’s Chat]

  Socrates: You have to forgive me for the messages I sent in Feiyu’s chat.

  I gave the slightest nod I could, not trying to draw Owl’s suspicion.

  Socrates: You’re so fun to mess with.

  Socrates: Bohemian Grove is an elitist group that meets in California. It’s only for the uber elite, and what they get up to is totally unknown. One of their main events happens beneath a giant owl statue, though. It’s their main symbol.

  Socrates: It’s a little bit silly. He’s probably trying to paint himself as this big leader in the apocalypse.

  I crossed my arms before Owl. “It’s the elite social club that meets in California. I just found it unbelievable to name yourself after their little mascot.”

  Owl’s eye twitched slightly before he let out a slight breath and his pleasant expression returned. By now, his entire party had left the train car. Some had to be carried out, but in all, it must have been dozens of people trailing behind. Just how many rooms would they have needed to complete?

  “I would consider it a satisfactory accomplishment to have led the largest party through the most recent arc,” Owl said. “It’s not easy looking after so many heads. Remind me again, how many party members do you have?”

  At the mention of my party, my expression instantly twisted into a scowl. “What was your hardest dungeon room? Was the last one just about getting over your massive ego?”

  Owl feigned a look of hurt, and he brought a hand to his chest. “Did something happen in your dungeon rooms? We’re all humans here, so if you ever need to talk to somebody, I’m here for you, Peijin.”

  Owl met me with the performative attitude, and it practically drove me mad. Before I could fully lose my cool, Feiyu stepped forward, gently redirecting Owl with a soft shoulder bump.

  “I’ll have Cheng take a look at your party members. You know how talented of a healer he is,” Feiyu said casually, like he and Owl had known each other for a lifetime.

  “Oh, only if Cheng is feeling up to it,” Owl reassured Feiyu. “He’s still so young. We really need to protect those younger than us. It’s only right.”

  [Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts is wowed by Disciple Owl’s righteousness.]

  [Demon Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas says Divinities are not good judges of character.]

  [Divinity Great Sage Equaling Heaven agrees and looks bored.]

  Behind the duo, Owl’s party members looked incredibly relieved by Feiyu’s words, whispers spreading among them that practically worshipped Feiyu. God damnit, I would have Yang do all the PR stuff from now on. This was so frustrating.

  Cheng popped up almost instantly behind Feiyu, eagerly chatting up a storm with each patient. I whipped around, scanning for Yang across the crowd.

  “Yang! You already met a lot of the other disciples before the start of the second arc, right?”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  He rushed over and nodded. “Yup. I’ll go talk to them with Cheng,” Yang said, bowing his head slightly to me before rushing past me. Cheng didn’t mind one bit, instantly scooting over to make room for Yang and only seeming more overjoyed that he had more people to talk to.

  I side-eyed Owl, who seemed annoyed at my intrusion on his plan. If we were going to play a game of appearances, I was going to make sure I’d at least beat this guy.

  “I am impressed that you managed to bring back so many people,” I said, keeping my eyes glued on him.

  Feiyu nodded in agreement, placing a hand on Owl’s shoulder. “It really is impressive! I can’t even imagine how difficult it must have been to accomplish. You know, even though the party I’m in is so much smaller, I felt truly exhausted by the end. You’re really remarkable.”

  [Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts finds Disciple Feiyu incredibly charming!]

  [Divinity Spirit of the Jade Moon nods in agreement with the Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts.]

  [Demon Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas is swooned by Disciple Feiyu.]

  [Demon Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas also wants to earn praise from Disciple Feiyu.]

  [Divinity The One Who Fights in Front says Disciple Feiyu is much wiser than Disciple Peijin.]

  [Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts emphatically disagrees.]

  [Divinity The One Who Fights in Front rolls her eyes and goes silent.]

  [Divinity The One Who Fights in Front says Disciple Peijin needs to follow through with her promises.]

  [A handful of gods question The One Who Fights in Front about the meaning of her words.]

  [Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts slams his fist against the table, remembering the promises he made with Disciple Peijin.]

  [Divinity Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts says Disciple Peijin is incredible at keeping her word.]

  [Divinity Great Sage Equaling Heaven asks if they’ve been watching different broadcasts.]

  [Divinity Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven grunts in agreement.]

  I began sweating profusely. It wasn’t very easy to forget the promises I had made to both Athena and Archangel Michael. Not only did I have to uncover the Eternal Wish, but I was also allied with Olympus while the rest of my party was tied to Paradise. And neither of them knew about the contract I made with the other…

  It wasn’t like my hands were completely tied behind my back. After all, there were exit terms to my contracts with Athena and Archangel Michael. In the event of my death, all of the obligations would cease.

  Owl let out a sigh of relief at Feiyu’s words. “I’m just glad most of us made it back. But now that everyone is on the same page, I’m sure the next arc will be easier.”

  I perked up at his statement, and I felt a gnawing suspicion in my core. “What do you mean ‘on the same page?’” I asked nonchalantly.

  Owl’s eyes narrowed just the slightest, as if trying to find the hidden meaning among my words. “Just that there was a bit of a disconnect before. Some of us knew more than others.”

  “What more did you know compared to the others?”

  He smiled, realizing I was testing him. “This setup is pretty similar to those famous apocalypse novels, but not everyone reads those stories. Of course, those who have are equipt with a distinct advantage. Some of these events are much more predictable.”

  “Is that what makes you the ‘Owl?’ You must’ve been quite the bookworm then.”

  “Ha!” Owl laughed, and we came to the same realization at the same time. “I guess you could say that. Why? Were you also an avid reader?”

  My brow furrowed, and my expression hardened. “No. I got bored of it. A lot of it is recycled.”

  “Because that’s what sticks, right? Who doesn’t love a classic tale.” Now when Owl spoke, he had a massive grin plastered across his face, like he was utterly delighted by his revelation.

  I, on the other hand, looked terribly grim.

  Because Owl also read Surviving My First Run.

  The meaning behind his words was clear. He had read at least a chunk of Surviving My First Run, and so had other members of his party. Perhaps his entire party was made up of readers.

  I was surprised that I hadn’t bumped into more people familiar with my web novel by this point. I wasn’t that famous, but it wasn’t like my work was unknown, either. Now I knew the reason why.

  Owl probably thought that I was also a reader, just like Ruoming. He could believe that for now. The bigger variable was whether or not Owl or his party members planned on leaking the fact that this whole thing came from my novel.

  “All this abstract talk about reading is boring me,” Feiyu pouted, now swinging one arm over my shoulder and the other over Owl. “What do we think the next arc is going to be? Hopefully nothing as dreadful as the second arc. Geez, I thought I was going to go crazy in there! All those psychological dungeons are such a drab.”

  I wanted to roll my eyes. Feiyu was talking like he wasn’t constructed solely to thrive in this environment. How annoying.

  [Observers Chat]

  CactusLiver: Aww, Feiyu is still such a great character. He really plays off the situation without showing how much it affects him.

  Hedgehog1938: I know right!! That’s my protagonist!

  BeigeTowel: Feiyu and Peijin both. Aren’t they so similar?

  Nipon23: similar how… i don’t think they could be more different

  BeigeTowel: Don’t make me type up an entire essay…

  Nipon23: i take it i’m right then :)

  BeigeTowel: They’re not the same person or something, but they’re similar because they both mask how they really feel about a situation by playing it off lightly. I mean, isn’t Feiyu just trying to protect the people around him by downplaying how he feels? I think Peijin does the same to protect her party and herself.

  Nipon23: sure i guess. but feiyu comes off as charming and peijin comes off as immature

  Socrates: Immature?? She’s in the middle of an apocalypse. Wouldn’t it be difficult for anybody to save the world when they haven’t even resolved their character defects yet?

  Nipon23: LOLL i know she’s livid you just said that

  I instantly shut the blue window of the Observers Chat. The last thing I wanted to see right now was these people babbling on and on.

  I looked at Feiyu, this time not swatting his arm away. “Whatever it is, we’ll all be pitted against each other. The second arc was just scaling us up against one another, so the next one is going to actually test how we fair against one another.”

  Feiyu’s eyes widened. “Wow, you really did read a lot before the apocalypse, didn’t you, Jiejie?”

  Owl raised a brow at the address. I turned away, my cheeks pink out of embarrassment. “I’m sure you came to the same conclusion, so there’s no need to flatter me.”

  Feiyu cocked his head toward the Owl, indicating it was his turn to respond. The Owl nodded in agreement with me.

  “Of course that would be the next level. Anyone would think that. Even kids,” he began, “More importantly, I think it’ll be about the top parties going against one another. After all, there has to be a way for someone to come out on top of all these disciples. There needs to be a true leader after all.”

  For some reason, it felt like Owl was taking a jab at me, trying to show off his supreme knowledge in comparison to the god of fate and fortune.

  “Mmm, now that both of you mention it, I guess I can see that happening. I never really thought so deeply about it.” Feiyu said, pulling back as he stretched his arms in the air, his muscles flexing.

  I snorted in disbelief, and Feiyu flashed me a smile.

  “Either way,” Feiyu continued, “even if some disciple hierarchy is enforced upon us, I hope we can all remain allies. At the very end of the day, the only thing people can trust is themselves and the people around them. What use is it if we all ruin each other, especially if we’re all fighting just to survive?”

  I sighed, stepping further back as more and more train cars made it to the station and disciples began unloading by the dozens. If before there were thousands of people who survived the first arc, there were now only hundreds who survived the second. But, these people were far more formidable and hardened by what they were forced to overcome.

  I turned back to Feiyu. “Spoken like a true warrior, Feiyu. I have to say, I’m impressed. You have my heart pounding in my chest. I’m ready to jump right back in!”

  Feiyu’s expression lit up, and he let out a bright, loud laugh. It seemed like just about anything could appease him. “The first time we spoke, I thought you were quite funny, Jiejie. I’m glad that my impression of you wasn’t wrong.”

  “H-Huh?” I stammered, turning a humiliating shade of pink again. “What are you even saying? Do you hear the words coming out of your mouth right now?”

  That same arrogant, cocky expression returned to his face, and I let out a frustrated puff, turning around and waving goodbye to Feiyu and Owl. “I’ll see you all in the next arc. Best of luck. Let’s do our best to keep our parties safe.”