= Hypercon | A Fantasy Story =

【 Episode 14 - Midway 】

= Recap =

As much as the contestants were frightened by the experience the night before, the contest waits for no one. They shared their thoughts when sunlight shone again. Though Izzie's plan to accuse Nova did not work as she had expected, she has inserted some suspicion towards Nova into her teammates' minds.

"Participants, you have proceeded to the third challenge!"

As the stadium roared, Davy scooped into the clear sky above, spinning his way up and flinging his arms into the air dramatically. "You are halfway done with the entirety of the contest, and it's definitely joyful news! The winner shall be decided in no time, and will be guaranteed a trip to the divine Land of Wishes!"

The contestants stood on the levitating platform, listening on. Izzie shot glances at her about-to-be teammates, this time competitive and detested rather than friendly and reassuring like how the group had usually done. Despite this being a team game, upon mentioning the Land of Wishes, you can surely tell that she wanted the win for herself; her fighting spirit has once again been lit up.

"Let us begin right now. Less saying..."

"More playing!" The excited crowd cheered after Davy.

"Before we start," The quirky, robotic voice of a HyperBot took over. It sounded more like a person with actual emotions than just a robot, which uplifted the spirits of the already cheering audience. "Let us take a look at the current scores!"

A screen projected in the air. Different animal symbols resembled each of the contestants' races.

"It seems like 99-01, 99-02 and 99-05 are tied for first place, with each having one point!"

A scowl hung on Scarlett's face as she gawked at the scoreboard. A zero was shown under the symbols of OwlRace, FoxRace, and LeopardRace. Some audiences applauded and clapped, while others either stayed silent or gave disappointing looks. Some even started arguing.

The HyperBot continued. "How strange, the usually victorious OwlRace seems to be falling behind! What will they do t-"

"Ahem." Davy gave a harsh and declaring cough, taking over again. "We should move on. How about you explain the rules?"

"Of course, Mr. Davy!" The HyperBot responded, flapping its dragonfly-like wings.

Bianca shot a side glance at Nova. The owl's gaze was filled with uncertainty, dashing around like a vigilant prey. The leopard raised a brow. What's gotten into her?

The HyperBot spun around in circles. "The game today will be 'Facility Escape!'"

The audience switched their focus onto the screen in the air as instructions appeared.

"The six contestants will work as a team and find their way out of a two-storey facility. They will start at the bottom of the building. To proceed to the upper floor, they'll have to find and activate different levers to power the elevator. If all levers on the first floor are activated, they can take the elevator to the second floor. Contestants will have to activate another set of switches once they reach the second floor. After that, they can again board the elevator and escape the facility. When that is done, they will be announced as winners, and will all be granted a point."

Chase tilted his head, disappointment in his expression. "I thought it would be more exciting than just that."

Perhaps since teamwork is more crucial in this situation, the game itself has become less competitive. And being competitive is in the griffin's nature.

"Well, that's a relief to me." Ren cut in from the side with a lilting voice. "I would rather this end quicklier."

"But wait, we are not over yet!" The HyperBot interrupted their conversation. "Only extrinsic powers are allowed for this challenge."