The silence after the game ended had something inhuman about it.
A very heavy, too dense silence.
As if the air itself were holding its breath.
The tortoise, now small and fragile again, waddled away from them, each step echoing like a mockery.
[NEXT PHASE IN 00:30:00]
These red numbers were not a simple reminder.
They were like a guillotine blade hanging over our heads.
Forgetting even the thousands of spectators who were watching us and whose messages were being snatched up from each other
Kim Young remained upright, motionless, almost frozen.
His eyes were fixed on nothing.
Were they calculating, searching... or rather, were they afraid of an equation they couldn't solve?
Seo-Hwan spoke, calmly, terribly calmly:
— You will speak now.
She turned her head towards him, a tight smile on her lips.
— Do you really want to play this game?
Kang-Dae clenched his fists.
— You're the one being mysterious. We're on the same team, we're all risking our lives, you knew about the key. You want that cube, you know how the rules change. You know TOO much.
Kim Young burst into nervous laughter.
— Are you all stupid or what?! You have your informant too, don't you?
A-09 was simply observing him.
— I love juicy secrets.
Jun Seo added softly:
— What's the point of all this pointless discussion?
[ 00: 20 : 34]
Kim Young's eyes hardened at the sight of me.
It wasn't the game that frightened him.
I hold his gaze.
She no longer looked at me as a rival, but as something annoying.
With furrowed brows, the corners of her lips turned downwards, and that nonchalant pose, arms crossed under her chest.
The cube, in my pocket, was vibrating faintly.
After this visit, I now knew what it would be used for.
"Very well," Kim Young whispered. "You want to understand? Listen carefully, because I won't repeat it... and it could kill you."
She took a step back, observing the scenery around them.
— I know this game.
A-09 burst into a frenzied laugh.
– Everyone knows this game, everyone knows all this fuss over such a banal revelation
– Are you sure? This game has existed for years. I always wanted to participate, but I was much too young, and it was a family game. To improve their game back then, they created the 9 cursed objects of the fantasy world. And The Cube…
She paused
The cube is the 9th one on the board; it's not supposed to be in a player's hands. It's a dangerous tool.
"A dangerous cube? Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant," L-07 breathed, applauding slightly.
Kim did not respond.
Seo-Hwan watched him without blinking.
— So it's not a cube?
She gritted her teeth.
— In the normal game, it was dangerous and affected the whole family. I don't know what its purpose is in this version, and it happened to Ki-Moon, even though we're on the same team.
She turned towards me.
…his eyes hardened.
He just shouldn't keep it.
A feeling of disgust washed over me.
She ran a hand through her hair,
— If it didn't concern me, I would have left you in this curse, we must get rid of the cube bearer, I don't want to end up killed.
Kang was speechless.
— But Ki-Moon is just… Ki-Moon.
Seo-Hwan souffla:
— it's not a loss
His gaze was icy.
A-09 sniffed, as if amused and annoyed at the same time.
— This whole story is a bit strange.
"You should mind your own business," Seo Hwan sighed.
I pursed my lips.
Kim Young suddenly started looking around her, as if she were searching for something in the air.
— On the other hand, we have a big problem. A huge problem, even.
Jun Seo raids.
- Which ?
Kim Young took a deep breath.
— The break is over
[ 00 : 00 : 00]
She whispered the following sentence:
— Another survival
There was complete silence.
Even A-09 stopped smiling.
The attention was no longer focused on me; I would have time to sort everything out.
The screens above us lit up one by one.
Sentences scrolled by.
[SITE PREPARATION]
[GAME SELECTED BY PUBLIC VOTE]
[RESULT IN PROGRESS]
Ji-yunwoo was almost resting despite the rather alarming situation.
"He's wasting our time," he murmured.