There was no arena.No countdown.No alarm.
And that was what made it far more dangerous.
The remaining participants stood inside a plain white room.No display cases.No tools.No objects—only a large screen in front of them.
Some were still in shock after Ikura desuka.Empty eyes. Heavy breathing.Some sat on the floor, completely drained.
Raditya pressed his temple."Usually… they throw us straight into a game."
Kazuhiro nodded."If they don't this time… it means this is worse."
The screen suddenly lit up—silently.
ATTENTION
A new male NPC appeared.His face was friendly.Too friendly.
"Congratulations," he said gently."This time… there is no game."
Several participants exhaled in relief.Someone almost laughed.
The NPC smiled.
"But don't misunderstand."
Large text appeared on the screen:
SORE WA ZENBU DAME DESU
"That is all forbidden."
The NPC's smile vanished.
"You now live in a world flooded with information," he continued."But… not all information is true."
The screen changed rapidly. News fragments flashed one after another.
— Participant A is a traitor— The system favors Raditya— Kazuhiro lied in a previous game— One of you is not human
Whispers filled the room instantly.
"Is that true?""Did you see that just now?""Is that real or fake?"
The NPC walked slowly before them.
UNWRITTEN RULES
• No voting• No buttons• No official confirmation
"There is only one thing you must understand," he said."Hoaxes spread faster than truth."
The screen lit up again.
AMONG YOU…THERE IS AN IMPOSTOR
Blood seemed to freeze.
"Innocents," the NPC continued,"are those who know nothing."
"Impostors… are those who know the truth,yet choose to incite."
Raditya instinctively turned toward Kazuhiro.
Kazuhiro didn't look back—his eyes were watching the others.
The NPC added in a low voice:
"If an innocent believes a hoax…and spreads it…they are still considered guilty."
Several participants panicked.
"So we can't talk at all?!""What if we believe the wrong thing?!""This is a trap!"
The NPC nodded calmly.
"Correct."
Silence.
Then… chaos began.
A participant suddenly raised his voice.
"Don't you realize?" he said quickly."Raditya's always been safe. Maybe—"
"HOAX OR EVIDENCE?" another cut in.
"I heard it myself!" he snapped. "They said the system—"
Raditya stood up."Who said that?"
The participant hesitated."I–it appeared on the screen."
"We all saw the screen," Kazuhiro replied coldly."But there was no verification."
Suspicion spread.
"But what about Kazuhiro?""He's been quiet this whole time.""People who are too calm are suspicious."
Kazuhiro smiled faintly—not warmly.
"Sore wa zenbu dame desu," he said quietly."You just violated the rule."
Some froze.
The NPC clapped once.
"Interesting," he said."The first hoax has successfully spread."
The screen flickered.
WARNINGTRUST LEVEL DECREASING
A female participant began to cry.
"I don't know what's real…""I just followed along…"
The NPC turned to her.
"And that," he said,"is exactly the problem."
In a corner of the room, two participants whispered.
"I'm sure the impostor is Rizky.""Why?""He's been provoking reactions the whole time."
The whisper was heard.
Rizky turned sharply."What are you implying?"
"You're too active," one of them replied."Spreading opinions without evidence."
Rizky chuckled."Or maybe you're just afraid of being exposed."
The tension escalated.
The NPC raised one finger.
"Now listen carefully."
Everyone fell silent.
"The impostor will not be eliminated by the system."
Gasps.
"They will be eliminated…"
The NPC smiled thinly.
"By you."
At that moment, silence turned into pure terror.
No knives.No weapons.
Yet words… began to feel like bullets.
Raditya clenched his fists.
"If we accuse the wrong person—"
"—we become impostors," Kazuhiro finished.
The NPC nodded.
"For spreading falsehoods."
The screen displayed the final rules:
BELIEVING WITHOUT EVIDENCE = WRONGACCUSING WITHOUT DATA = WRONGSTAYING SILENT TOO LONG = SUSPICIOUS
There was no safe path.
The NPC slowly stepped back into the shadows.
"Congratulations," he said softly."This has already begun… since you read the first sentence."
The lights dimmed.
And one truth became clear—the most dangerous thing wasn't the impostor.
It was…someone who was convinced they were right.
Episode 7THE END