Kuki Shinobu had been ready to argue her case with Valerius, but before she could say another word, the player selection finished.
A wash of white light descended.
In the blink of an eye, everyone was transported into the game arena.
[The Game Arena has begun. Please have Valerius explain the rules.]
"Hold it," Kuki Shinobu snapped immediately, ignoring the system prompt as she turned on Valerius.
"You explain yourself first. What was that nonsense you said just now?"
Calling her a mom?
Was he out of his mind?
"Heh."
Valerius only smiled faintly.
"Honorary vice-leader of the Arataki Gang," he said leisurely.
"Actual full-time babysitter. Emotional support, financial cleanup, prison bail… honestly, you're more of a mom than a mom."
Shinobu froze.
She thought about it.
Daily disaster control.
Dragging Arataki Itto out of jail.
Apologizing to victims.
Fixing the gang's finances.
Cleaning up messes no one else would touch.
…Even her real parents hadn't been this involved.
"…Fair enough."
She turned around and walked back to the group, expression calm.
"…Wait, seriously?"
Jean stared in shock.
"She actually accepted that?!"
Was Valerius… not joking?
Jean didn't even have children!
"All right, all right," Valerius waved them off before anyone else could protest.
"Save the arguments for later. Rules first."
Once the rules were mentioned, everyone quieted down immediately.
Not knowing the rules in this place was how you got ruined.
Valerius led them to the window and pointed toward the open plains outside, where four identical white cottages stood in the distance.
"That's your battlefield."
"You'll be assigned to one of those four houses. Inside, you'll only have basic water supplies. I'll deliver food at fixed times each day."
"You'll form teams of two. Whichever team manages to stay inside the longest wins."
The condition was simple—almost too simple.
No puzzles.
No murder mystery.
Just endurance.
"Anything else?" someone asked.
"And are you participating this time?" Kafka added calmly.
She clearly hadn't forgotten how Valerius had quietly turned out to be the killer last round.
"No," Valerius shook his head.
"I won't participate this time. I'll only handle meals—and make a few small trades with you."
"…Trades?"
Instant wariness spread through the group.
Here it comes.
The points scam.
"Yes. Each of you starts with ten points. I'll occasionally offer trades—you can choose whether to accept."
"And one more thing. You may forfeit at any time."
"If all but one team forfeits, the remaining team wins."
"If no one forfeits, the game lasts one hundred days. After one hundred days, the team with more points wins."
"…One hundred days?"
Several faces visibly stiffened.
Even knowing that only one real-world day would pass outside the arena, staying locked in a bare room for a hundred days was no joke.
"All right," Valerius concluded.
"Rules explained. Form your teams."
They exchanged glances.
Then, without discussion, everyone quietly paired up.
There was really no choice.
Living together for up to a hundred days—mixed-gender teams would be awkward at best.
So the result was obvious.
Gepard & SundayLyney & Kamisato AyatoKuki Shinobu & JeanKafka & Himeko
Valerius stifled a laugh.
Especially that last pair.
If those two didn't clash, it would be a miracle.
The system really knew how to pick players.
"Follow me."
With teams decided, Valerius led them to the four white cottages.
"Pick any house. They're all the same. Once you enter, the game officially begins."
Since there was no difference, no one bothered comparing. Each team chose a house and stepped inside.
The moment Kafka entered, she frowned.
The room was painfully empty.
Aside from a water dispenser in the corner and two cups, there was nothing.
She checked the bathroom.
A bathtub.
Two towels.
That was it.
"…This is brutal."
Himeko sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Doing nothing every day… we'll go mad before the game ends."
Live Chat
[March 7th]: Whoa… there's literally nothing. How are they supposed to live like that?
[Trailblazer]: March, you don't get it. Himeko's living the dream—food delivered, no work.
[March 7th]: True… but somehow I'm not jealous at all.
[Qingque]: I am! I'm very jealous!
[Raiden Ei]: This kind of game exists? Why wasn't I picked?!
[Venti]: You? Could you even win?
[Nahida]: This seems like a contest of who can endure solitude the longest.
[Yae Miko]: In that case, choosing Ei would guarantee victory.
[Alhaitham]: Not necessarily. One hundred days with only one person—I don't think the Electro Archon is suited for that.
After last game, everyone had seen it.
Raiden Ei was… not exactly reliable.
[Kujou Sara]: Nonsense. If the Shogun participated, victory would be assured. Last time was an accident!
[Yae Miko]: Heh. Our Ei stayed inside the Plane of Euthymia for five hundred years. One hundred days is nothing.
The chat fell silent.
Five hundred years.
Not just Teyvat—
even the Astral Express side was stunned.
What kind of existence stayed in one place for five centuries?
And suddenly, the endurance game didn't seem so simple anymore.
To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146