At this moment, Seong Gi-hun was still desperately trying to extract his Dalgona candy. He was quite lucky—having chosen the umbrella shape—so there were no other players nearby trying to snatch his.
After all, for those who picked the umbrella, everyone's progress was equally slow. It was smarter to focus on carving rather than stealing from someone else.
Gi-hun's hand trembled as he held the needle, a bead of sweat sliding off the tip of his nose and falling onto the candy. He noticed that where his sweat had landed, the candy softened faster—the edges of the pattern were thinner, melting more easily.
He raised the Dalgona to the light and suddenly realized: if he melted it from the back, the process would be much faster.
Gi-hun stopped caring about appearances and started licking the back of the candy furiously.
The other players, seeing what he was doing, looked shocked—then inspired. One by one, they began licking the backs of their candies as well.
"Number 118, successful."
"Number 79, successful."
Meanwhile, Big Sister 212 finished her star-shaped candy by heating her needle with a lighter.
The Triangle Masked Guard watching her muttered under his breath, "Damn, she's too arrogant. I really want to shoot her."
But because the rules didn't forbid players from using items they'd brought themselves, 212's method was technically allowed. She'd only kept it secret to avoid other players snatching her lighter.
She waved the finished candy in front of the guard's visor, then defiantly swallowed it whole.
Before leaving, she tossed the lighter to Player 101, who was also struggling with a star shape.
[Number 212, successful.]
Time passed, minute by minute, as the remaining players carefully carved their candies.
Meanwhile, back in the dormitory, Kang Sae-byeok asked Kai, "Hey, how did you even think of snatching other players' Dalgonas?"
Kai smiled faintly. "It's nothing. I just like being precise with my words—and even more precise with the rules."
"Aren't you afraid of breaking them?" Kang Sae-byeok asked.
"Breaking them? No," Kai said calmly. "I never break rules—I just exploit their loopholes. The rules never said we could only carve our own candy. If they dared to shoot, they'd be breaking their own principle of fairness. The people running this game wouldn't let that happen."
Kang Sae-byeok frowned. "You don't look like someone desperate enough to risk their life here. Why did you join the game?"
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Because I refuse to live an ordinary life. What about you?"
She didn't answer. Maybe she didn't trust him enough yet.
When Player 101 returned to the dorm, Kang Sae-byeok instinctively stepped behind Kai.
Kai chuckled. "If he tried to start something now, I couldn't protect you. Hell, I couldn't even beat you in a fight. But he won't attack—he's not dumb enough to test whether fighting is allowed here."
Kang Sae-byeok smirked. "So, you traded your strength for brains?"
"That's why I need to team up with you," Kai replied. "Even though you're a woman, I saw your skills on the first day—when you clashed with 101."
"Then why not team up with him?"
"Because he'd stab me in the back the first chance he got."
"And you think I wouldn't?"
"You could've killed 101 in the first game," Kai said. "But you didn't. That means you're kind."
Kang Sae-byeok blinked in surprise. "How do you know that?"
"Because I saw it. When you pulled him down, you could've waited until the doll turned its head. If it were me, I'd have done that."
Kang Sae-byeok looked taken aback, then challenged him, "And how do I know you won't backstab me?"
Kai shrugged. "You don't. But only two rounds have passed. I'd be an idiot to betray my teammate this early. At least until the sixth round, you're safe from me—unless it's life or death."
Kang Sae-byeok smiled faintly. "That's… actually reasonable."
Ten minutes later, Seong Gi-hun finally finished his candy just in time.
[Number 456, successful.]
He was the last to return to the dormitory.
The number display above the entrance flickered and changed—73 players remaining.
Kai exhaled softly. "So, another 129 people died this round."
Kang Sae-byeok teased, "If it weren't for you, maybe fewer would've died."
Kai smiled faintly. "I didn't force them to copy me. They made their own choices."
Before he could finish, Seong Gi-hun suddenly ran up and punched him in the face.
Kai fell hard. He wasn't built for brawls.
He stood up, blood trickling from his lip. "Are you out of your fucking mind?!"
Seong Gi-hun grabbed him by the collar. "You bastard—do you know how many people died because you started that chaos?"
Before Seong Gi-hun could swing again, a dagger pressed against his neck.
"Stop," Kang Sae-byeok said coldly.
Seong Gi-hun froze, glaring but slowly letting go.
Kai wiped the blood off his mouth and sneered. "I just wanted to live. My candy broke. If I didn't take that old woman's, I'd be dead. She wasn't going to win anyway. I just… helped her end it early."
Seong Gi-hun's fists tightened. "You—!"
But before he could continue, the dormitory door opened.
A group of Masked Guards entered, pushing food carts and a scoreboard.
The Square Masked Man stepped forward. "As stated before, after each game, you may vote again. Press the green circle to continue, or the red cross to stop."
Kai crossed his arms. He already knew how this would go. Most survivors wouldn't walk away now—they'd think they were special, that they could make it to the end. Classic survivor bias.
One by one, the players cast their votes.
When the tally appeared on the screen, it read: 42 circles, 31 crosses.
Among them, Kai, Cho Sang-woo, and Kang Sae-byeok had pressed the circle.
Meanwhile, Player 001, Seong Gi-hun, and Abdul Ali pressed the cross.
The Square Masked Man nodded. "Very well. According to the democratic vote, the game will continue tomorrow."
He gestured toward the carts. "Now, food will be distributed to everyone."
The Guards pulled back the cloths and began handing out meals.