The VIP Room of the Body Casino, entered after increasing their coins to 2772 through a method no different from fraud.
We were just offered a special gamble for VIPs by the dealer.
Russian Roulette.
The participants are two from our party.
[Oh, this game, the more you play, the more you lose. Isn't that right?]
[After giving the casino a commission, it's essentially a game of exchanging coins with each other, isn't it? Except for the fact that one of the two is guaranteed to die!]
However, for the sake of the goal, we must play this gamble.
I saw the body parts and organs hanging on the rail.
'Lee Seong-hae's body fragments are hanging there too.'
Through Russian Roulette, we must obtain enough to be identified as 'oneself' at the very least… and reassemble them.
As expected.
"I'll support first."
One person from our party immediately stepped forward. Agent Choi, his eyes gleaming.
"Agent!"
"The probability of me 'really' dying is low, and the probability of rescue is high~ If you're an agent, you should do the math."
That's right.
'From my experience, we wake up in reality and escape the moment we die in this Segwang Metropolitan City Subway.'
But the problem is.
'…Can I be 100% sure that will work this time?'
If I truly die, even with a one-in-ten-thousand chance.
It's over.
....
"I'll go first."
At that moment, Eun Haje, brushing off her clothes, stepped forward.
"…!"
"Citizen, please wait…."
"No, my courage is my specialty, you see."
And she waved the hand she had exchanged, turning back to us.
The hand she had exchanged.
"Anyway, I don't have a hand to begin with. So there's no need to search for it. It's a coin saver, you could say."
"…!"
"And you must not be the last one."
Deputy Manager Eun Haje's prosthetic hand pointed at Agent Choi.
"Huh? Oh, Citizen, no, you stepped up so coolly, don't be like that…."
I shook my head.
"Agent. You are the only one who can identify body parts."
"...!"
Agent Choi's lips moved, and he finally sighed.
"That damn Roe Deer, so smart."
Deputy Manager Eun Haje chuckled, but the tension in the air remained.
"You guys who only exchanged your ring fingers, go find your ring fingers with coins and exchange them. Don't cry later saying they don't move."
"Huh?"
"This is because your current state could affect your 'awakening'. So, let's not take unnecessary risks."
Deputy Manager Eun Haje stepped forward resolutely.
"I will play."
"...."
But.
"This is a game where one of the participating visitors is guaranteed to die. Do you really intend to play?"
Huh?
"Yes. I will play."
"…Would you like to hear the explanation of Russian Roulette again?"
"You put one bullet in the six chambers, take turns shooting yourselves, and die if you get shot. If you don't die after three consecutive shots, you get one body fragment as a reward. Is that correct?"
"Yes! And there's also a way to give up a body part to pass your turn to the opponent…."
"That's fine. No one here will use that."
"...."
And 15 minutes and 20 seconds later.
Bang!
We watched, before our eyes, Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae's head fly off....
"...."
"...."
The victor. Agent Bronze, his face pale, stood before the scene with dark eyes, suppressing his trembling hand.
Looking at the blood-soaked corpse that had fired three shots consecutively.
Click.
"Congratulations! You've won!"
This.
It's not going to work. The shock is greater than I thought.
No matter how much I try to remind myself that I'll wake up in reality, seeing someone I know die 'as planned'…
'…It's worse than a noose.'
The atmosphere froze.
"And this person here, they fired three shots consecutively and as a reward… Ah, they died."
The dealer who was counting looked at us.
"They were part of your party, weren't they? …You can receive the injury instead."
Our gazes turned back to Agent Choi.
The agent who could identify body parts, with a grim expression, stepped forward and looked at the body parts hanging on the rail.
And he chose one.
"It's a shoulder!"
"...."
A part that could be attached directly to the neck.
It was the body part we had prioritized and discussed beforehand.
Cold sweat dripped down Agent Choi's composed face.
"So…"
Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae's head, turning to look at us, asked,
"You can stop here and leave the room. What will you do?"
"...."
We had already placed our bet.
That dying in Segwang Metropolitan City means waking up outside.
So then.
"We will continue."
"Then who will bet next?"
To be continued.
I raised my hand and pulled the trigger.
Click, clack. The empty chamber made a hollow sound.
'I can't stop.'
We must fire three consecutive shots to receive a body fragment.
I didn't stop and kept pulling. Quickly, so my hands wouldn't tremble with the primal fear of survival.
Click, clack.
The next shot....
Click, clack.
"...."
Cold sweat dripped down my chin.
'I lived.'
And that means.
My opponent in the Russian Roulette game is guaranteed to die.
"…Agent Bronze."
"...."
My opponent picked up the pistol I had placed on the table and aimed it at his temple, pulling the trigger.
And.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out on the very next shot.
"...."
Death.
[Two corpses in an instant.]
"Congratulations! You've won, and for the visitor who fired three consecutive shots, the injury reward is…."
The cold sweat was chilling.
Agent Choi approached the rail with unusually quick steps and chose a body part. How many more does he need? Even if we continue, there are only five body parts we can obtain, is that enough? That is….
"Stand up."
....
"...Yes?"
"Rest."
As I looked up, I saw Section Chief Lee Ja-heon.
Section Chief Lizard quickly cleared away Agent Bronze's corpse and sat down on the sofa.
"Assign your seat to Supervisor Goat."
"…!"
Baek Sa-heon immediately turned and started running.
'That bastard.'
I ran out and grabbed him.
"Ah,"
"You know we can only leave if we die anyway."
"Fuck, what are you going to do if we actually die…!"
"Oh, so you have another way?"
"...."
"Or do you want to be trapped in this darkness alone?"
After all, it would be difficult for him to explore the subway in this world-ending disaster alone, leaving us behind.
He would either become completely contaminated, like Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae is now, or take the Euthanasia Pill and wake up in reality, risks he wouldn't need to take.
…Of course.
'…What if, even after all this, I actually die?'
That tiny probability, the doubt, made me shiver.
But I had to do it, rationally and emotionally.
A chill ran down my spine, but I didn't let go of the arm I had grabbed. In fact, letting him escape here would be a longer and more painful death.
"I'll just take the Euthanasia Pill…! Why do I have to shoot myself in the head?!"
....
"Then do so."
"Yes?"
Right.
No matter what, I can't force him to die this way. There's another option, the Euthanasia Pill.
'We weren't even companions at first.'
This isn't a matter of humanity.
…Unless I can persuade him with a reward.
"You can get double the coins you won from the slot machine."
"…!"
[Ooh!]
"Think about it. Even after spending them on games here, you'll have that much left."
No, in fact, there's a high chance you'll have over 2000 coins left….
I whispered.
"350 coins."
"...."
"You can take that much. We have to continue this project… Don't you need to think about what you'll buy with hundreds of casino coins when you enter 'next time'?"
Silence followed.
While Agent Choi chose his body part, and the sound of him persistently exchanging information with the dealer, pretending to chat, could be heard behind my head….
"…500 coins."
"Deal."
"Fuck."
Baek Sa-heon, who cursed and then flinched in surprise, returned and sat on the sofa where I was, still sweating.
"Then, let's begin."
And.
Bang!
While firing the first three shots consecutively, he died on the third.
"...."
"Congratulations!"
All that's left now is….
....
I sat back down on the sofa, facing Section Chief Lee Ja-heon. The sofa was sticky with Baek Sa-heon's blood.
"Section Chief. Can you tell, just by feel… where the live round is?"
"Impossible."
"…Yes."
I knew it, but I asked anyway. Nothing changes.
It's meaningless even if I knew.
'Ha.'
The pistol that spun on the table pointed at Section Chief Lee Ja-heon.
The designated opponent picked up the gun first.
"I will fire three consecutive shots."
But.
Bang!
…His head was pierced on the first shot.
"...."
"You have incredibly good luck!"
I took a breath and exhaled…
How many times has this been?
I would have been better off dying now.
"Congratulations! The deceased's injury reward is… Ah, but you can't receive the injury this time. The game is already over!"
Ah.
"So, if you die on the first shot… like now, when you're in the middle of firing three consecutive shots… the condition isn't met?"
"I suppose so?"
Wait a minute.
'Then….'
In the worst-case scenario, the body part of Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae that I just obtained might be the last one.
I looked at the three body parts I had obtained so far.
Shoulder, chest, waist.
Strangely, the body parts, which stuck together as soon as they were retrieved, didn't even form a minimal torso.
'I need to get at least the pelvis.'
Only then can it be judged as 'a surviving form of Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae', can it not?
And if the body parts lost here are reflected in my real-world state, I need at least that much to do something when I get out.
If so....
....
"Perhaps."
I raised my hand and said.
"What if we spin with two bullets loaded?"
"Ooh?"
Let's gamble with a higher risk.
And in the casino, higher risk means higher reward.
"So… if we can fire three consecutive shots with a pistol loaded with two bullets,"
I looked at the rail.
"We get two body parts."
"…!"
[This will be very interesting, friend!]
[However, wouldn't the probability of being shot before filling three shots be higher in that case?]
That's right.
Moreover, this method might not feel like it specifically increases the 'danger'. After all, the game ends when one of the two dies, so the framework hasn't changed.
If so.
"And additionally, here…."
I held back a sigh.
"The winner of the game, even after the opponent dies, must hold the remaining gun and shoot themselves at least once."
"Oh?"
"There will be at least one more bullet left. Both must risk death and pull the trigger."
In other words, madness.
[Excellent. Mr. Roe Deer! Both sides attempting this will be able to taste the thrill through active participation. Oh, if there were spectators, it would be incredibly exciting.]
[However, even in that case, both might die before filling three shots and fail to achieve the objective….]
No.
'I can achieve it.'
[Ooh.]
I have a plan.
And the dealer who heard this proposal.
"...."
As if listening to a 'decision' being made at the casino, he remained still….
"We must always provide private enjoyment in the VIP Room. I accept that variant rule. Very well!"
Phew.
'Done.'
I blinked and sat on the sofa.
And now, all that's left is….
"Oops. It's Grape and me."
Me and Agent Choi.
By the way, Ms. Go Young-eun was excluded for now due to the entrance limit, but thinking about it now….
'It's a relief.'
If she accidentally gets caught up in it, Ms. Go Young-eun would truly die.
"Ah, before we start, can we talk for a moment?"
"Yes, yes."
Agent Choi, who stood up, grabbed my shoulder and said.
"That thing earlier, it's a guaranteed way to get body parts, right?"
"…Yes."
"Okay."
Agent Choi grabbed me and turned my body towards the rail.
"Then Grape-ie, watch this carefully."
"...."
"The third is the pelvis, and… the seventh is the left arm, the fifteenth is the right arm."
Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae's body parts.
He told me this in case I died.
"Let's say we'll claim those as injury rewards."
"…Yes."
Agent Choi and I separated again and sat on our respective sofas.
And the dealer picked up the gun….
"Ah, can I choose where to load the bullets? It doesn't matter where I load them, the probability of firing is the same."
"...Yes."
…I specified the position of the bullets I wanted.
And.
"If we both die, please transfer the 'injury' and coins to the person waiting outside the VIP Room as our companion."
"...."
"Dealer-nim."
"Yes, yes."
And the order is….
Thump.
"It's me first."
"...."
"Grape-ie."
Picking up the pistol, Agent Choi said.
"Shall I try to hit it? You loaded one bullet per three shots, right?"
"…!"
"Load one, skip two, then load one again, skip two…."
He said this while looking at me.
"Then, no matter the firing order… once a live round is fired, the next two will be empty."
That's right.
"Then… if I get shot, Grape will definitely succeed in the 3-shot sequence and get the body part."
Of course.
Whichever it is, the last shot will be a live round.
"We will both die for sure."
....
"See you later."
Bang!
Agent Choi died on the second shot.
"Congratulations! You've won."
"...."
Blood splattered on the sofa.
Blood and corpses filled the floor and the sofa.
"Would you like to rest a bit before proceeding with 'Winner's Russian Roulette'? Or…."
"Dolphin-nim."
I was sure of it from the game just now.
I turned my head to look at Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae's head.
....
No.
"You actually knew, didn't you?"
"Yes?"
Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae, herself.
"You allowed this variant rule knowing that, didn't you?"
"...."
"If I can choose where to load the bullets, then the winner shooting themselves is meaningless."
I continued.
"Because you can choose a spot where you are guaranteed to survive based on the bullet placement."
The dealer couldn't possibly not know this.
The fact that he 'pretended not to know' and allowed it….
Means it was the choice of a different consciousness than the dealer.
"Did Dolphin-nim give me a break?"
"...."
I had felt something was strange from the start.
'You kept urging me to leave here….'
·This is a game where one of the participating visitors is guaranteed to die. Do you really intend to play?
That was an inappropriate statement for a dealer.
'Within the bounds of the casino's rules,' he passively, subtly, tried to persuade people to leave this room.
Then, if…
"Perhaps you were given some kind of treatment, and became a dealer with a partially preserved consciousness? In order to search for any possible chance of survival, without dying."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't you have some consciousness remaining, Dolphin-nim?"
"...."
"So you saw me adjusting the bullet order as a way to survive until the end and gave me a break…."
"Visitor, you have been found to have manipulated the variant rule with your statement."
Ah.
"This is cheating in the casino. You must return the injuries you received while playing Russian Roulette and leave the VIP Room."
"...."
"Leave immediately. Or we will take action."
I looked at the 'injury' from the Russian Roulette.
The body fragments that had automatically connected.
'…If there is a consciousness, I thought I might be able to persuade it, and make it attach those body parts myself.'
It seems impossible given the circumstances.
'…Then.'
"Just a moment."
And pretending to turn back….
I lunged at the dealer.
"…!"
And I started to tear off Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae's head.
"Ugh,"
I felt a gruesome sensation from my hands, as if I had never done something so horrifying.
The sound of cracking, the sound of ill-fitting body parts tearing off, the sound of the dealer's strong body breaking my ribs, the dealer's grip biting my hand, the dealer reaching for a document….
But, if I don't do it this way, I might not get another chance.
"Huuup!"
I finally tore off the head.
And immediately… I attached it to the body fragment I had already obtained as an injury reward.
"…!"
This was done on the assumption that if the VIP Room is truly a private space, the dealer's dispatch would be slightly delayed.
'It's irreversible.'
Soon, this casino will repossess my body, just as it did the long-term missing persons.
Then, since it's come to this.
"Gasp."
I went to the rail and, with my blood-soaked hands, took out a few Body Fragments that were assigned earlier to Deputy Lee Seong-hae and urgently attached them to Deputy Lee Seong-hae.
And then.
I forced the Euthanasia Pill into that mouth.
"…!"
I pinched her nose and mouth shut, making her swallow. By the time I confirmed that, I sensed movement outside the VIP Room.
The sound of someone detecting 'property damage' approaching.
"Gasp."
I immediately grabbed the pistol on the table.
And, and….
Click, click.
After two dry fires, the bullet shot my head.
"...."
Why does my head hurt so much?
Being shot might have affected my real body…
But I soon realized that wasn't the case.
Because.
"...!"
I was still in a human body.
And.
"Gasp."
Ms. Go Young-eun.
Was running, carrying me*.
To the subway station.