The purple mist closed in behind me.
My resistance was almost exhausted, and I had no more in stock.
It started to burn my lungs. That's not reassuring.
I slow down and cover my nose with my overcoat.
I was having trouble breathing and my vision was blurring; on top of that, every step felt like climbing a mountain.
Am I already tired?
Shit
I slipped and lay down on one of the walkways; my breath hadn't returned and I had a very bad feeling.
Because something was wrong.
Silence
The usually noisy cube didn't vibrate, didn't move, just a simple pebble. The atmosphere was exactly the same, no one in sight.
"They are too quiet," I murmured.
After such chaos, what happens?
I jump up
The route continued to change, but more slowly. The path led straight ahead, leaving no other option.
I emerged into a narrower area. A long corridor split into three paths, with sliding doors that moved silently. Each time they closed, the paths shifted. Each time they opened, a new direction appeared.
A labyrinth that endlessly reassembles itself.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
And observe the surroundings
A figure was sitting against a wall.
BR-03.
Is he alive? How did he end up here? I didn't retrace my steps, did I?
His chest heaved. His arm hung limply, covered in dried blood. He must have woken up… then lost consciousness again.
I looked at him for a long time.
– …I don't have that time.
More….
I crouched beside him, watching his pupils. Alive. He'll die soon. Useless for the game, especially in this state.
That's when the notification appeared.
On his watch.
[LOAD GAME]
[DATA TRANSFER]
[END THE THREAT]
I frown.
– …1 million coins just to save you, I'm not that curious
Silence
The cube began to vibrate strongly.
What game are you playing?
I raised my head and scanned the surroundings; no cameras.
If I left BR-03 here, ….
"I have a better idea…" I whispered.
I stood up abruptly.
With my new winnings
The notification disappeared immediately.
But the cube vibrated again.
Slower.
A cry rang out further away.
Then another one.
Everything came from the same path
I started moving again,
without running. I quickly learned one thing: when I ran, the ground became more unstable. When I walked, it simply observed.
I followed the voices to a platform.
How great this journey is.
Metal bars surrounded a player.
A girl.
To the south there are two BR-10s.
On her knees. Disarmed. Hands raised. Her gaze went from me to the drone above her, she was panicked.
"It's a trap," she said.
– Don't move!
I stare at her for a long time.
- All right .
– But how long have you been stuck here
"For two hours, I don't know," she murmured, almost in tears.
I understand .
I pass her and continue on my way
"Wait," she said, "aren't you going to help me?"
– Yes, I'm going to go get some help
"No," she murmured, feigning sadness. "Wait, I told you it was a trap," she said more coldly.
Two figures stepped forward, emerging from the shadows.
They were armed.
They chased me away immediately.
"Him…," one of them murmured.
– The unlucky one.
The cube vibrates.
[ CONNECTION TOTAL ]
[ONE-LEVEL SUPERVISOR SYSTEM]
– for me alone, I said calmly.
They did not answer.
"Retrieve it," ordered the girl.
They hesitated.
One hesitation is all it takes.
The ground vibrated violently. A trapdoor appeared between us.
Luck is on my side
The platform tilted.
And made me slide forward
The two are propelled further, picking up the young girl in their fall.
They were trying to catch up.
BR-10 creates.
Too late.
I had disappeared down the trapdoor.
Silence.
"SHIT, YOU BUNCH OF USELESS PEOPLE!" shouted BR-10
The screens exploded with reactions.
– Why can't we see anything?
– The image is hidden!
– But do something!
BR-10 remained frozen, trembling.
"We're not going," she said simply.
They both nodded frantically and followed her.
I kept slipping down the trapdoor towards I don't know where
Again.
A red light began to illuminate the hatch.
Applause rings out.
POF!
I was thrown onto the circle.
I think I'm dead
"What happens if the murderer arrives before the victim?" asked A-09 almost above me, perfectly relaxed.
"It's my turn now," he said with a broad smile.
He burst out laughing.
– Seo Hwan, I thought you had killed him
"You should move away," I replied.
– It's not healthy to be near me.
He tilted his head.
– Oh, I had forgotten about the predictions of our clairvoyant Kim young.
The cube vibrates.
I jumped up.
– ha~.
I felt fatigue suddenly overwhelm me.
I wondered how I could pay.
The screens changed once again.
[SYNCING BOTH WATCHES]
I closed my eyes for a second.
– …So that's it.
When I reopened them, one certainty became clear.
If I continue, my team will die and I will be eliminated very quickly.
And that you really help me,
I could still hear his distant laughter.
A calm laugh. Satisfied.
The kind of laugh that foreshadows a very bad game.