A blinding white light flared, forcing everyone to shut their eyes for a moment.When the light faded, they were no longer inside the art competition arena.
The floor had transformed into a vast hall—clean, cold, and filled with glass display cases. Inside them were various items: watches, books, food, small jewelry, toys, and strange objects whose purposes they couldn't even guess.
The atmosphere was silent.Too silent.
Raditya stood in the center of the room, instinctively counting the people around him."Our numbers… dropped again," he muttered.
The new room stretched endlessly—far too wide. A high ceiling with no clear end, glass walls on every side, and hundreds of display cases lined up neatly like a museum.
Inside them: everyday objects.Too ordinary to feel safe.
Watches.Books.Water bottles.Children's toys.Small jewelry.Snacks.And items they didn't recognize at all.
Not a single one had a price tag.
Kazuhiro stared at the nearest display case.No price. No instructions.
The silence pressed heavily against their chests.Raditya stood stiff, his eyes moving as he counted again."Our numbers… keep getting smaller," he said quietly.
Kazuhiro nodded slowly."And every game… becomes less human."
Before they could move any further, a massive screen above them lit up with a harsh burst of static.
ATTENTION, PARTICIPANTS
The words appeared large and glaring.
The same female NPC—Ayaka—emerged from the side of the room.This time, her expression was different.No smile.No playful tone.
"Welcome to the sixth game," she said flatly.
Some participants swallowed hard.Some stepped back.Some began to tremble.
Ayaka walked to one of the display cases and lifted an ordinary wristwatch.Too ordinary.
"This game is called…"
She paused, her gaze sweeping across them one by one.
"Ikura desuka?"
A few people exchanged confused looks.
"How much is it?" Ayaka continued. "That's all."
Someone let out a nervous laugh."So… we just ask the price?"
Ayaka slowly turned toward the voice. Her stare was cold."Yes. But this world does not offer second chances."
The screen changed.
NOTICETEMPORARY POINT SYSTEM → DEACTIVATED
The room erupted instantly.
"What?!""Then what are points even for?!""This is a joke, right?!"
Ayaka raised one hand, and the system silenced everyone.
"In exchange," she said softly,"THE ELIMINATION SYSTEM IS NOW ACTIVE."
Silence.Absolute silence.
A few seconds passed before new text appeared.
ELIMINATION TARGET: 10 PEOPLE
Suppressed sobs filled the room.
"Ten…?""This is insane… it's a massacre."
Raditya clenched his fists."This isn't a game anymore," he whispered to Kazuhiro."This is survival selection."
Ayaka continued without empathy.
GAME RULES
Participants may freely choose one item from a display case
Ask the system: "Ikura desuka?"
State the EXACT price
Correct answer → SAFE +1 POINT
Wrong answer → IMMEDIATE ELIMINATION
No discussion
No retries
Hesitating too long → FAILURE
A red light appeared in the corner of the screen.
ELIMINATIONS: 0 / 10
A male NPC suddenly stepped forward, as if waiting any longer would make things worse.His hand trembled as he pointed at a thin book.
"I–ikura… desuka?" His voice was barely audible.
The system responded coldly.
"Enter the price."
"F–fifty thousand…"
Seconds stretched into eternity.
WRONG
There was no scream.No blood.His body simply stopped moving—then vanished, swallowed by black shadows.
ELIMINATIONS: 1 / 10
Screams broke out.
Some participants panicked, rushing to the display cases without thinking.
"One hundred thousand!""Twenty thousand!""Thirty-five thousand!"
One safe.One safe.One wrong.
ELIMINATIONS: 3 / 10
Raditya gasped."This isn't about being smart…"
Kazuhiro scanned the room."It's about who dies first."
The pressure intensified. Some people froze, unable to choose anything at all.
The system didn't wait.
One of them was suddenly dragged into the shadows before he could even speak.
ELIMINATIONS: 4 / 10
Crying erupted.Someone dropped to their knees.Someone slammed their fist against the glass floor.
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE—!"
The fifth elimination happened over a price difference of only a few numbers.
ELIMINATIONS: 5 / 10
Raditya took a deep breath."If we wait, we die. If we guess blindly, we die."
"Instinct," Kazuhiro replied shortly.
He stepped forward, his eyes fixed on a plastic water bottle.Cheap. Common. Safe—at least it looked that way.
"Ikura desuka?"
"Price?"
Kazuhiro stated a number.
Silence.
CORRECT — SAFE+1 POINT
Raditya followed immediately. He chose a small watch. His heart nearly burst as he spoke the price.
CORRECT
Meanwhile, in another corner, two participants were eliminated almost simultaneously.
ELIMINATIONS: 7 / 10
The room felt broken. Pale faces. Ragged breathing. Pure fear.
One person hesitated too long.
ELIMINATIONS: 8 / 10
A woman stepped forward, crying, her hands shaking.
"O–one hundred and twenty…"
WRONG
ELIMINATIONS: 9 / 10
One left.
All eyes turned to the last participant, who hadn't moved since the beginning.His legs trembled as he finally stepped forward—too late.
The shadows dragged him away before a single word left his mouth.
ELIMINATIONS: 10 / 10
The red light shut off.
GAME COMPLETE
Some participants collapsed immediately.Some vomited.Some simply stared blankly at the display cases—the objects that had just killed ten people.
Ayaka appeared again.
"Congratulations," she said coldly. "You passed."
No one replied.
She continued,"This game teaches one thing."
She looked at Raditya, Kazuhiro, and the survivors.
"In this world, hesitation is a sin.And sins… are paid with life."
Light flared again.
The arena vanished.
And those who remained knew one thing for certain—this was nowhere near the end.
Episode 6THE END