The Survival Guide of Hell-Difficulty Characters

Creston went home afterward.

Zeke laid sprawled across the grassy field, arms folded behind his head. His eyes, dulled with boredom, watched the clouds drifted overhead as a breeze tangled his hair into a mess. He gazed through his bangs like they were fogged glass. Even when soft thuds of footfall neared him, his attention slipped through them, unconcerned.

"Zeke." Circe's voice entered one ear and out the other, "What are you doing? Did the prof kick you out of class for being obnoxious?"

He planned on ignoring her for a bit longer, but he frowned at her provocation. Really, she has a knack for annoying people. "I wasn't kicked out. I was kidnapped."

"By your d—I mean, by the marquis?" Circe exhaled, looking around, "He was lurking like a stalker. What did he want with you?"

"It wasn't just Creston, Solren was in on it too," Zeke pushed himself upright and stretched, pulling the laziness from his muscles, "They were handing me career paths. Solren wanted me to inherit the Magic Tower but the marquis planned on making me stay at Salvador as a commander."

Circe grumbled as she crossed her arms, "Must be nice, huh? Being successful and all," she kicked a nearby pebble, "Meanwhile I'm here suffering through my class. Johan had to push my stroller from start to finish."

"Speaking of," Zeke looked up, finally getting a better look at Circe. She had her hair tied in a low ponytail. Messy. Some locks had loosened from their binds and stuck to her sweaty forehead. "Where's the rest of us?"

"Johan met with Irelia on my way here, and they told me to come without them," Circe shrugged, "We have that chess tournament or whatever next, right? We'd meet them there anyway."

"Ah, right." Zeke responded without much care. Standing up, he brushed dust and grass from his coat's hem. "Let's go then. If we register early they might let us leave after we finish a few games."

Circe raised an eyebrow, concern flickering behind her gaze as she studied him, "…Are you okay? You seem kind of sluggish…did shouting at our groupmates drain your social battery?"

"No," Zeke let out a long yawn, "I'm just bored."

Circe stared at him. "You're bored? Seriously?"

"I'm having a normal school life when just a few days ago I was fighting for my life," Zeke slouched forward, arms crossed, "I feel too safe Circe. Were we freaking out over death routes for no reason? Are there even routes in the first place?"

Circe's lips opened and closed like a fish out of water. Confusion plastered clear across her face. "Zeke, did you hit your head somewhere while I was gone?"

"No," Zeke spatted, irritated, "I just had a lot of time alone with my thoughts."

"Ah, no wonder," Circe replied in a flat voice, monotonous like her expression. "You were using your brain, that's why you're acting odd."

A beat of quiet passed.

"…Hey, what if there isn't any imminent danger that we have to be wary of?" Zeke's tone shifted. Cold and serious. "What are you going to do?"

"What sort of question is that?" Circe scoffed, although her eyes betrayed a hint of nervousness—not from his words, but from his abrupt shift in demeanor. "I'd just live my life, and maybe try to find a way to return home. If that's not an option, then it's whatever."

Zeke let out a breath, "It's just…if this whole thing has a predestined route, and our options just lead to different outcomes, I was wondering if it's okay to be this relaxed."

Circe blinked. "Zeke, you do realize that the future is always uncertain no matter which world you're in, right?"

"Right, but…" Zeke bit the bottom of his lips, "I don't know…I suddenly felt anxious when I started thinking. Creston said Rowena wanted to go camping and invited me. What if me being here…adds danger to their future?"

"Then you just have to protect them," Circe sighed, yet her lips curled into a soft smile. She lightly tapped him on the chest with the back of her hand. "You're always so randomly extra, Zeke. Does it hurt for you to relax and let life give you lemons?"

For a long five seconds, Zeke stood in silence, staring at his own reflection in her resolute eyes. Eventually, he chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, you're right. I don't know what came over me, but I guess I just needed someone to tell me that it'd be fine."

"It'd be fine." Circe said, her smile growing wider, "And about that camping trip: I'm going too."

.

.

.

As soon as their feet landed on the rugged floor, a cool air struck their faces. The room echoed with the clatter of wooden pieces and hushed conversations beneath its curved ceiling. A moment later, a female student approached, a "Staff" badge pinned to her chest. She looked a little older than them—a second year.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Hello!" She beamed, gesturing behind her, "Please log your attendance before you go inside. Once done, your ID Card will automatically update who your partner will be for the first match."

The check-in process was simple: They had to write their names on a piece of paper, and the magic circle within it would do the rest.

"Who did you get?" Circe asked as she leaned closer, sneaking a peak at Zeke's ID, "Roy…Kaelis. I have no idea who that is."

"Me neither," Zeke sighed and noted the location next to his opponent's name: Table 8. "What about you? Got anyone you know?"

"Yep!" Circe flipped the card over, letting him read the name on the holographic panel: Irelia Clover. "Lucky me, I'll be seeing you on the other side then, again."

"Good luck." Zeke nodded as Circe skipped over to Table 3. It took no time for Irelia to notice her and she happily waved at them from where she sat.

Zeke made his way over to his seat, spotting who was supposedly Roy Kaelis in an instant. He had his arms and legs crossed, frowning like someone had forced him on that chair by swordpoint. One bright blue eye glared out beneath a curtain of crimson hair, sharp with irritation. He dressed like a noble swordsman fresh from the training ground—white tunic, tailored pants, every stitch made from high quality fabric.

When Zeke sat down, Roy's expression loosened. He uncrossed his limbs and smirked. "Look who it is, I thought you'd never show up."

Zeke blinked, face blank. His mind ran a marathon in a fracture of a second and thought of the perfect response: "Who the fuck are you?"

Roy's smug facade shattered in an instant. He jerked back in surprise at his use of language. "Do you have no shame!? You're of noble blood!" A spark of disdain flickered across his eye, "Besides that, how could you not know me? I'm Roy Kaelis of House Kaelis!"

"Yeah, I can tell." Zeke rolled his eyes, "But what's that gotta do with me? Are you going to play or not?"

Roy looked like he wanted to curse at him. Politely. But he instead took a deep breath and flipped the chess board, giving Zeke the white pieces. An arrogant grin returned to Roy's lips. "Yes, yes. I'll even give you the first move, how about that? Let's see if you're really as smart as they say you are."

"Being good at chess doesn't mean shit about intelligence though." But he held his tongue and pushed a middle pawn forward. E4.

The match began.

Time Control: 5 + 3 Minutes. Five minutes for each player, and each move adds an additional three seconds to their clock.

Roy played fast, confident, slicing through the early game with mechanical precision. By move ten, he'd taken a bishop.

Students who'd finished their own matches closed in, curious at how Silas Salvador, a renowned good-for-nothing, would fare in a game of chess.

The intellectuals sighed. The arrogant ones chuckled behind the back of their hands. Only a few watched the game without bias—mainly the professors, and definitely Solren Pryce.

The Grand Magician's grin almost stabbed through his eyes.

And a few turns later, Zeke's rook slid across the board like an opened trapdoor. Every murmur went silent. The entire room leaned in with anticipation and awe. Roy wiped sweat from his forehead despite the cold runes installed in the walls.

He swallowed, fingers hovering over a piece. He changed his mind once. Twice. Then moved his own rook to capture its innocent counterpart and grinned. "You're bluffing." Ironic, since Roy's own smile had failed to mask the nervous glint behind his eyes.

Zeke exhaled through his nose, expression neutral. "If you think bluffing is an actual tactic in chess, then you should go back to checkers." His queen shot across the other side of the board to the back rank. Check.

Roy's lips twitched. He stared at the board for a second, and played his only valid move—using the earlier Rook to block the Queen.

"Checkmate." The Queen captured the Rook, ending the game with a classic back rank checkmate.

Whispers erupted from the crowd. Whatever reaction they expected from him, he gave none and took out his ID Card, watching the name of his next opponent flickered in real time.

While Roy stared at the chessboard like a toy someone forgot to rewind, Zeke stood up and walked past the crowd, bee-lining towards Table 4.

Zeke arrived first, followed by a girl from the crowd earlier. She shifted nervously as he sat down, but still forced a smile. She extended a hand. "Let's have fun, okay?"

He nodded and accepted the handshake. Finally, someone with courtesy. "Yes. Good luck."

She let out a chuckle, "Because I'll need it?"

Zeke blinked, though his face remained stoic as he replied, "Ah, that's not what I meant."

"I know." Her lips pressed into a thin line, realizing he didn't get her joke. She took a deep breath and opened the game with D4.

Zeke, now with black, decided to play D6. His plan? King's Indian Defense.

By then, Circe had finished her match, and judging by the dejected look on Irelia's face, anyone would have guessed the outcome. She stood behind Zeke and watched him play in silence, her arms crossed like a judgmental coach.

"Don't you have your next match to play?" Zeke mumbled under his breath as he waited for the girl to make her move. When she did, he responded with the usual opening line. Slow and steady.

"My opponent went to use the toilet," Circe giggled, "He must've pissed his pants knowing he's up against me."

Zeke moved a pawn, "I doubt that."

Not long after, the game ended, this time because the girl resigned after calculating for a few minutes. Zeke let out a sigh of relief. He didn't have to continue playing for another ten, twenty moves since his opponent somewhat had a decent understanding of the game.

"Although it was still the middle game. She could've tried and played anyway even if the position was disadvantageous."

Next game, Zeke went up against Johan. He showed interest in the match for once since the latter managed to win so many rounds, but soon all his expectations vanished when Johan fumbled and began blundering out of nervousness.

"Am I that scary?"

"S-Sorry…" Johan averted his eyes to the board, fidgeting with his nails beneath the table. He looked like his mother had scolded him. "I wanted to give you a good match, but I saw you play earlier and I got scared…"

"Johan, it's chess."

"I know!" He buried his face in his hands, "I'm embarrassed…I got nervous over a board game…"

The remaining games went by like a breeze. Zeke clocked out a few opponents. Some resigned after they blundered their Queens. Most ended in quick checkmates in the middle game. He had a few games where his opponent actually put up a fight and dragged it on till the end game, unfortunately for them, they'd always be too low on time to think deeply about their plays.

Circe got eliminated around half way, and the guy playing her had to face Zeke next. Revenge taken.

By the end of the tournament, only Silas Salvador stood victorious.

And all he got for his efforts? A plain silver ring and a bear hug from Solren.