My Childhood Friend Turned Yandere in the Apocalypse

Chapter 241: Ch 241: Final Stage Experiment

[The timer will start now. Please run toward a safe spot on the board.]

That was the only warning Rin got before he saw the system ticking down and, with it, his chances of getting to safety as well.

Since he did not know what would happen to him if he stayed at the start, he decided to make a run for it and get as far as he could during the first dash.

Unfortunately, due to the distribution of the spaces, he landed on a neutral block when the timer ended.

"Is this even safe to be here? The system did not tell me much about it."

Rin brought up the system to check the rules for the neutral blocks, but as expected, there was nothing there.

He did not lower his guard and waited for the timer to start ticking down again. But that was a mistake on his part.

[Tsk, you should have a sixth sense for such things by now, Rookie. You should know that the only safe spaces on the map are the ladders. Still, you did a good job stopping before you landed on a snake.]

The system praised Rin, but he felt like he was being mocked for being stupid enough to fall for such an obvious trap.

He watched the next tile, which was a snake, and immediately noticed some movement.

Rin’s instincts kicked in, and he created a wall of ice between himself and the block, causing the snake to collide with the solid wall of ice instead of reaching him.

[Congratulations on surviving the first sudden encounter.]

[A hidden rule has been announced: Neutral blocks are zones that can turn out to be safe but can also get you attacked based on their location. Please be careful while standing in these spaces.]

The system warned him, and Rin sighed in relief at the fact that he had anticipated something like this happening.

Knowing the system, there was no way it was going to play this game fairly. It was going to try and find a way to screw everyone over...and that was exactly what it did.

[The timer will start in 4 minutes. Please do your best to survive until then.]

The system warned him before the timer started ticking down once more. Rin kept his shield up as he got attacked more and more.

The frequency of these attacks increased by the end of the countdown, but he kept his head high and ran as soon as the system gave him the signal to do so.

It was easy for Rin to keep an eye on the timer. But he also had the system’s running commentary in the background to inform him how much time he had left. It made it easy for him to keep track of things.

He managed to make it to the first safe spot thanks to the system.

[You are doing amazing, Rookie. Keep up the good work. However, don’t push yourself too hard either, alright? You need to survive this task in order to keep showing your amazing work.]

The system cheered Rin on, and he took a deep breath before he started preparing for the next stretch of the board.

He had somehow managed to overcome the first half of the board. But that was just the beginning. The real challenge had yet to come.

Once Rin understood how the game worked, it was easy for him to adopt a strategy that benefited him. And among the existing strategies, there was only one that felt usable.

For the next stretch, Rin ran as soon as the timer allowed him to and stopped in the middle even when he had time left on the clock.

He chose to sacrifice his lead for that decision, and there was a clear reason for it.

’If I cannot make it to the safe spot, then I am going to try and take the next best thing—a neutral spot that does not touch a snake. That should give me more time to prepare for any sudden attacks.’

It turned out to be the right choice, and Rin was easily able to keep the monsters in check with his abilities.

The more he used Serena’s abilities, the more he was able to make them his own.

Since the system allowed him much more freedom in how he used those powers than Serena had, Rin performed much better in comparison.

But he was sure he would have suffered much more if the system had not been there.

’It makes me realize just how hardworking everyone around me is, constantly pushing themselves harder without giving up.’

Rin sighed and ran toward the second safe spot. It was closer to the ladders, but the placement of the next two made Rin grimace.

"Ugh, getting to the next one in time will be tough, and the last one looks like a nightmare."

Rin complained.

[Don’t worry, Rookie. This system can assure you that it has made it possible for you to reach the next two safe spots. Please take advantage of this time and give the system a word of gratitude.]

Rin ignored the system and ran immediately as soon as the timer started.

"Sorry, but I have no time to praise you. How about I do that after I secure my win here?"

Rin asked as he barely made it to the next safe spot.

The snakes started to crawl out of the other tiles, and Rin flinched as he watched them collide with the barrier around his spot.

However, they were not able to make it through because of the barrier protecting him.

Rin let out a sigh of relief at the barrier’s presence. He was not sure what he would have done if it had not been there.

[Don’t get too comfortable, Rookie. This is not the end. There is still the final stretch left.]

The system interrupted his relief, and Rin felt uneasy. He was not sure why the system was saying this when he was safe...

Unless...

’Is there a trap in front of me that the system cannot tell me about? I better stay on my toes.’

Rin warned himself, and luckily for him, he did.

Because the task tried to play tricks on him.