We sat around the campfire, flames crackling softly, the smell of roasted meat drifting through the cavern. Sacha was curled up on top of my head in her tiger-cub form, tiny paws kneading my hair like I was her personal cushion. She was humming, in third person, of course.

"Papa cooks good," she purred, munching on her meat.

I smiled. As I should.

Nora ate neatly, posture perfect. Annalise ate like she was judging the food on a spiritual level. While Kent... Kent ate like a criminal eating his last meal. Typical.

We were talking about plans for tomorrow when all four of our wristbands vibrated at the same time.

We froze.

Sacha didn't. She just swayed like the world's cutest antenna.

The text flashed across my band.

[Nightly Evaluation:

Each night, teams will receive 0–10 points based on overall performance.

Test duration: 10 days.

At the end, each member of the highest-scoring team will receive 30 MILLION THALGAR.]

My jaw dropped.

Thirty. Million. Thalgar.

Me. The former street rat who once had to decide between eating bread and keeping the bread because it was my only possession.

Thirty. Million.

Meanwhile, the other three just blinked like the prize amounted to pocket change they'd left inside their third mansion.

Nora hummed softly. Kent shrugged. Annalise didn't even stop chewing.

I stared at them, offended on a spiritual level.

"Do… do none of you understand how much money that is?" I croaked.

"Not really," Nora said.

"My allowance is triple that," Kent admitted.

Annalise blinked at me. "Thirty million is small."

I clutched my chest.

I died.

I resurrected.

I died again.

Sacha patted my head. "Papa can buy so many snacks…"

I sniffed. "Yes, Sacha. Papa can."

Before I could spiral, more text scrolled.

[1st - TEAM 23 - 10 Points

Members:

Lillith Luxaria

Page Dea

Xavier Evernight

Liam Luceris]

"Of course," I muttered. "The 'We Were Born Beautiful and Talented' squad, Lillith isnt going to let this go for a long time. Great, just great"

Then...

[2nd - TEAM 7 - 10 Points

Members:

Sebastian Nekros

Kent Takeahint

Annalise Astreus

Nora von Velkaris]

I smirked. "Second place. Naturally."

Sacha threw her paws up. "Papa's team is mighty!"

The others simply nodded.

Nobles.

No reaction.

No pride.

Just… 'Of course we're excellent.'

How utterly disgusting. If I didn't personally know them and knew that they acted like idiots, I would have punched them right then and there.

Then the third place popped up.

And instantly, the noise in the surrounding quieted down to a whisper, even the fire dimmed like the universe itself was confused.

[3rd - TEAM 58 - 9 Points

Members:

Al Beback

Kent Takeahint

Hugh Jass

Paige Turner

Hugh G. Rection]

We all stared.

Silence.

Pure.

Horrified.

Silence.

"…Kent," I whispered. "Why is there another Kent?"

"I DON'T KNOW," Kent yelled, voice cracking.

I leaned closer. "Are you… sure your parents didn't lose a twin? A disappointing twin?"

"My parents don't make disappointing twins!" Kent protested.

"They made you," Annalise said calmly.

Kent nearly fell into the fire.

Nora covered her mouth, shoulders shaking. "Those names… they can't be real."

I rubbed my temples. "Who names their child Al Beback? Or Hugh Jass? Or—no. No, I refuse."

Sacha rolled onto her back on my head, kicking her little paws. "Heehee… Hugh G. Rection…"

"Yes, Sacha. I read it too." I sighed. "What kind of deranged parents look at a newborn baby and say: 'Yes. THIS is my child, Hugh G. Rection.'"

Nora wheezed. "Imagine shouting that name across a playground."

Kent buried his face in his hands. "Why do I share a list with them?!"

"Maybe it's fate," I said solemnly. "Maybe you belong with the cursed name squad."

He screamed into the fire.

Annalise murmured, "I hope they live far away."

"I hope they don't exist," Nora added.

Sacha nodded. "Sacha thinks Papa should run if they come near."

"Agreed," I said.

And just like that, we sat around the fire, one very traumatised Kent, a snickering Nora, an unbothered Annalise, one very smug and cute tiger cub, and me, the only person remotely concerned about the future of naming conventions in this world.

But hey.

We were still in second place.

And thirty million was waiting.

So for now?

Life was good.

When we were finally done eating, and after Sacha licked everyone's plates clean like a feral dishwasher, I stood up and stretched.

My joints cracked.

My dignity cracked with them.

Nora noticed instantly, of course.

Her princess radar activated.

She tilted her head, eyebrow raised. "Where are you going?"

I shrugged casually, like this wasn't the beginning of a terrible decision."Gonna explore the cave."

Kent, already halfway lying down, shot up. "Nope. Not coming. Goodnight."

He burrowed into his sleeping bag like a man fleeing responsibility.

Annalise didn't even dignify me with words.

She simply stood, turned, and disappeared into her tent like an eldritch ghost sliding behind a curtain.

I looked back at Nora.

She blinked at me.

Slowly.

Suspiciously.

"You want me to come with you?" she asked.

"Oh, absolutely," I said. Then, before she could reject me, I reached out, grabbed her wrist, and tugged her forward. "You're my torch. I'm not walking into the dark unknown alone."

SLAP.

She smacked the back of my head so hard that Sacha hissed from atop my hair like a tiny angry hat.

"Do. Not. Call me. A torch."

"But you are my light source," I protested, rubbing my skull. "It's either you or Annalise, and Annalise would set me on fire instead of anything actually dangerous."

Nora exhaled sharply princess, for "I'll forgive you because I'm patient but you're pushing it.""I'll go," she declared, chin lifting with noble dignity, "because I am a benevolent princess. Not because you dragged me."

"That's what all torches say."

SLAP #2.

We made our way toward one of the many openings deeper inside the cave.

The entrance yawned before us like the mouth of something ancient and hungry.

We stopped right at the threshold, darkness stretching endlessly ahead.

I swallowed.

Nora lit a small flame in her palm, casting a warm glow across the stone.

"Well," I said, stepping forward. "Into the unknown."

She followed at my side, muttering, "I swear, if something jumps out, I'm pushing you in front of it."

I grinned.

"Good," I said. "That's exactly why I brought you."

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