The players' eyes widened along with the appearance of the money.
The reason for the surprise was complex.
They were surprised once by the amount of money, and again by the manifestation of abilities, which was a phenomenon beyond common sense.
It was not unreasonable.
Even I, who knew the amount of the prize money and that July would use an ability, flinched for a moment.
A staggering 100 billion.
The pressure was different from when I looked at it knowing it was fake money during the drama filming.
The bundle of money itself exuded an aura, so to speak.
And there was a stark difference from real abilities in that various equipment and makeup were mobilized to apply CG during filming.
A thrill flowed through me as I directly witnessed someone actually using an ability.
A thrill due to fear?
No way.
The fact that I was also scheduled to be able to use unrealistic abilities made me thrill.
'In a little while, I will also be granted an ability and be able to actually use it. A real ability, not CG.'
The room stirred for a while, but January calmed the stirring by tapping the microphone head with his index finger to make a loud sound.
"Many of you must have been very surprised. The ability the dealer on our side just showcased is called Ability, and you will be able to manifest abilities if nano machines made by the organization are injected into your body."
Looking around, I saw a few players who were confused because they did not understand January's words.
Among them, a few people who looked like their mouths were itching because they wanted to ask questions were also mixed in.
However, every single person kept their mouth shut and refrained from making a voice.
The sense of intimidation exuded by January and the dealers was great enough that 200 bottom-tier lives did not dare to move their tongues carelessly.
"There will be those who understood our words, and there will be those who did not. I will tell you simply. Our organization has developed technology to create superhumans, and we will put superhumans into a limited environment to observe the progress."
To summarize in one word, it meant they wanted to obtain data through experiments.
This was also the goal for which the organization planned the Money Game.
The purpose was to collect data on how the ability develops when an ability user is put into an extreme situation, what kind of phenomena occur, and how the mental state of the ability user changes.
'The prize money feels cheap when I think of it as development costs.'
Considering that the money pharmaceutical companies spend on new drug research every year is in the trillions, it was no exaggeration to say that 100 billion won was an amount a pharmaceutical company could invest as much as it wanted.
If it was a drug that awakens superpowers rather than an ordinary medicine, it was an even cheaper bargain.
'Well, though who in the world would give 100 billion won as compensation for a clinical trial, I can't help the thought that they are stingy.'
Is there no way to rip off more, or shake the organization itself?
When my thoughts reached this point, a laugh almost popped out of my mouth.
It felt pleasant that while every player here was preoccupied with the 100 billion, I alone wanted to think about shaking the board itself.
Maybe I became conceited because of the merit of knowing the general flow.
'Let's not be conceited. Even if there is merit, it's my first time running on my own feet in a real situation. It's my first experience just like the other players. It's right to prioritize stepping up carefully one step at a time.'
January looked at the players slowly from left to right and then brought the microphone close to the bottom of his mask.
"You must still have many things you are curious about. Since it will be difficult to understand if I explain everything at once, I will pick only three people to answer questions."
Most of the players raised their hands to seize the opportunity to speak.
They were like baby birds craving the food called answers.
January put his hands behind his back and moved his head from right to left, shaking it up and down briefly.
Like a full pig contemplating whom to give a handout to.
January pointed to a boy who looked like a high school student.
"Student over there, please ask your question."
The student who was pointed out had the impression of a model student who seemed to have no connection to debt at all.
Shaggy hair, horn-rimmed glasses, an overfit school uniform tailored considering that he would grow tall, but a small and chubby physique that had not grown at all.
Next to the student stood a female student whose school uniform was of the same color, only the pants were changed to a skirt.
The two students were holding hands like lovers.
As if struggling to comfort each other's fearful feelings.
The boy asked.
"Ex, excuse me! Are there no side effects if those nano machines are injected into the body?"
"That is a good question. Side effects. It must be the part you are most worried about. According to the opinion of our research team, there is only one side effect, which is that the ability does not manifest even if the nano injection is received."
"Excuse me... even if a pregnant woman receives it?"
The moment he spoke, strength went into the hand held with the female student next to him.
January noted the hands held between the students and then nodded his head up and down confidently.
"Yes, there are no exceptions even for pregnant women."
Then he coldly cut off the first Q&A like a knife and pointed to the second person.
The second person January pointed to was a young man with a messy impression.
The young man wearing a blue training suit on the top and bottom had a thick physique that looked as if he hardly exercised, and his bowl-shaped hair was greasy, perhaps because he refrained from going out to a minimum.
"Excuse me. My debt is only 8 million won."
"Yes. I know."
"I don't need as much as 100 billion, but do I have to get my hands on 100 billion to be able to leave?"
"You've pointed out the core. This gymnasium is only a very small part of the facilities prepared for you. We have prepared a facility called a Shopping Mall separately within the site. You can purchase a ticket to return home at any time at the Shopping Mall."
People's complexions brightened at the news that mid-way withdrawal was possible.
If they didn't have to aim for 1st place unconditionally, the survival rate would increase dramatically.
The fact that the way to escape was open at any time brought them psychological stability.
Without knowing that being relieved itself is an act of lowering the mental atmospheric pressure.
"Lastly, the blue-haired young man over there. Please speak."
The man January pointed to last was a blue-haired young man wearing a nose piercing.
Unlike the previous questioners who at least maintained minimal etiquette, the piercing man was loitering and enjoying this situation itself as if it were an extension of a game.
"Masked mister, let's talk frankly. You said you would give us that thing called an ability, right? Among the abilities, is there an ability that can kill people?"
"All abilities depend on how they are used. You can save people, and you can kill people."
"Geez, you should understand at a hint. You wouldn't gather this many people and give them the same ability. I have a feeling you'll give different abilities, so let's not give someone a good ability and someone else a trivial ability. If you're going to give them, you should give a hot ability to everyone for it to be fair."
The blue-haired man was quite excited at the thought that he could obtain stimulation that he could not get in daily life.
He already looked confident that he could win against anyone if everyone received equally aggressive abilities.
The players around the blue-haired man instinctively felt that the man was a possessor of a dangerous personality and stepped back one step at a time to keep their distance.
January stared at the smirking man and soon spoke.
"Actually, I was planning to grant abilities to you once this Q&A is over. In a little while, we will guide you to private rooms one by one. Everyone, you have the lottery tickets you received when you took the test, right? The grade of the ability you will receive will be determined according to the winning rank of that lottery ticket."
July had said so.
That the lottery ticket, which was a test tool, would soon become a tree where money grows.
The winning rank of the lottery ticket was the grade of the ability.
If it is 1st rank, one receives an intuitive and powerful ability, and if it is 5th rank, one receives an ability that looks weak on the surface.
At the words that the grade is divided according to luck, grumbling voices popped out from everywhere.
"It's a matter of life, and it's too much to leave it to luck."
"You guys must have distributed the lottery tickets after knowing all the winning ranks, but I don't know if that can really be called fair."
"Was there no method that everyone could accept more?"
They were people who had been overwhelmed by January's intimidation, but they burst out with complaints and dissatisfaction as soon as an issue directly related to their disadvantage came up.
To be frank, the organization held the sword hilt.
They had the ability to ignore the players' protests with force as much as they wanted.
As evidence, the remaining dealers showed meaningful preparation movements, such as light flashing through their mask eye holes or putting their hands in their pockets.
Those who were protesting at the dealers' nonchalant movements swallowed their dry saliva.
A chilly silence flowed inside the gymnasium.
However, January responded calmly as if he had expected the grumbling voices to burst out.
"For your information, we also do not know which ticket is which rank. It's because the upper management's wish is to experiment with all variables, including luck."
Next, he gave his gaze to each person who protested and spoke as if scolding them.
"And would it really be disadvantageous just because you won 5th place? For the 5th place, there would be a strategy that only the 5th place can build. Because there would be more in number than the 1st place. The organization expects you to use your abilities with ingenious ideas that only you can imagine."
The moment January gathered his breath to say something more, July stuck close to January and said suggestively.
"January, let's proceed to the next stage soon."
"Oh my, I've talked too much. I should expect your free ideas, but if I suggest a strategy, you will end up stuck in stereotypes. We will grant abilities one by one from now on. Those whose names are called, please come forward."
January turned the file pages received from July one by one and called out the players' names.
He called ten people at once, and those whose names were called stood in a line in front of the platform.
A dealer with the number '2' engraved in intaglio on the forehead of the silver mask stepped forward and guided the ten players out of the gymnasium.
In the meantime, July opened a pitch-black hole and retrieved the 100 billion worth of cash.
Immediately after the first group whose names were called left the gymnasium, January called the second group right away.
"Kim Min-jun, Lim Do-yeon, Yoon Ji-ho, Choi Yun-seo, Han Ji-a...."
If it is still maintaining the same flow as the drama, my name will be called at the end of the second group.
Sure enough, before long, my name popped out of January's mouth.
"Lee Ju-seong."
If even the order in which I was called was the same, the rank to be confirmed in a little while and the ability to be granted were bound to be the same.
It was good news for me.
Throughout participating in the filming as an extra, I had agonized alone.
This extra role dies in only 3 episodes because he doesn't know how to manifest his ability properly, but I had imagined more than thousands of times how I would have used it if it were actually me.
To think that the consideration I thought would only end in imagination would see the light in this way.
Based on what I considered at that time, I will show off utilizing the ability exquisitely.
Since I have confidence, all that remains is to put it into practice.
A dealer with the number '3' engraved on the forehead of the silver mask guided us.
"I will guide you to the separate rooms."
The dealer, who was called by the code name March, went out through the side door on the right of the gymnasium, and the ten players including me stood in a distorted line and followed March one after another.
Exiting through the side door, a pure white hallway appeared, and thick iron doors were attached at regular intervals along the left wall of the hallway.
March stood in front of the iron door at the end of the hallway and gestured to me.
"Mr. Lee Ju-seong, please enter first."
When I opened the door and entered, one desk was placed hollowly, and a woman wearing a white gown and a copper mask sat across the desk.
On the desk, there was a tablet the size of a notebook, a reader used to read the lottery ticket barcode, and a styrofoam case full of pen-type syringes.
The female doctor spread her palm high-handedly and took a gesture of asking for it.
"Ticket."
When I held out the lottery ticket, the female doctor snatched the paper and put it inside the reader.
The reader made a mechanical sound and sucked in the ticket, and a pop-up window appeared on the tablet as the ticket came out the other side of the machine.
The winning rank of my lottery ticket was marked on the pop-up window.
[Congratulations on winning 5th place. The winning code is A255DE.]
For a moment, a small snickering sound flowed out from inside the copper mask.
"A255DE. No luck at all."
It was a laugh that seemed to pity me for winning a useless ability, as she knew what ability the winning code meant.
Thanks to that, I could catch a glimpse of the cynical side underlying her professional-looking personality.
The female doctor reached out to the styrofoam case and picked out a syringe from the fifth row, that is, the very bottom of the case.
A label with the winning code written on it was attached to the surface of the syringe.
"Forearm."
When I rolled up my forearm as told, the female doctor expertly felt the blood vessel and then gave the injection.
The feeling of a foreign substance entering through the forearm was not particularly pleasant.
A moment later, when the piston reached the end of the syringe barrel.
A series of phrases flowed into my head.
[Ability install completed. Your ability is 'the ability to copy and use the abilities of people who recognize you as an ally'.]