Lee Taek-gyeol and the others entered the game arena. The arena was a maze — an open-air maze with only one level, yet as large as an entire football field.
The ten-minute countdown began, and everyone looked at the maps in their hands before walking off.
Lim Sang-hwan and the others were resting outside the game arena. Just then, masked guards carried out rows of chairs. Song Zhengli stood up in confusion, while Choi Jeo-rim watched curiously.
Player 353 arrived at a corner. After checking that nobody was around, she pushed aside a box and hid the treasure box underneath it.
Taek-gyeol nervously followed the map. Halfway through, he noticed Player 146 and Player 342 fighting fiercely over a spot nearby. Having no time to care, he continued onward.
The time reached 5 minutes and 42 seconds. Some of the Hiders gradually walked out. Zhengli anxiously stared at the exit. The Hiders were arranged to sit on the chairs, while masked guards wrapped cloth around their hands and feet before locking them to the chairs.
Dieok-nyeong looked at the scene worriedly, while Park Chae-ho frowned at the chairs.
Taek-gyeol arrived at a quiet place and looked up at an exit sign hanging above. He moved the box underneath it and discovered a small drainage ditch below. He hid the treasure box inside before pushing the box back to cover it.
The hiding time ended, and Taek-gyeol was the last person to leave the arena. Zhengli immediately rushed up and asked, "Where did you hide your treasure box?"
Taek-gyeol leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Under a box beneath an exit sign. After moving the box, it's inside the little ditch."
Zhengli nodded confidently and said, "Good. Let's survive and leave here together, okay?"
Taek-gyeol nodded before hugging Zhengli.
While being dragged toward the chair, Player 353 said to Dieok-nyeong, "My name is Lee So-i."
Dieok-nyeong smiled at her.
Player 415 said to Jeo-rim, "Are you ready? I'm really nervous."
Jeo-rim smiled and replied, "No need to be nervous, brat."
Player 200, Player 93, So-i, and Taek-gyeol were all tied to chairs.
Chae-ho found Sang-hwan and said, "Let's stick together later."
After thinking for a moment, Sang-hwan nodded.
A masked guard announced:
"Seekers, please enter the arena now."
Sang-hwan, Chae-ho, Zhengli, Dieok-nyeong, Jeo-rim, and the others entered the maze.
Taek-gyeol watched Zhengli and the others disappear into the distance. His anxiety only grew stronger. Sitting beside him, So-i said, "Calm down. Leave it to fate."
Taek-gyeol turned to look at her.
The Seekers entered the arena, and the thirty-minute countdown began. Everyone split up and walked off in different directions.
Zhengli began observing the structure and layout of the maze around him.
Dieok-nyeong glanced at Sang-hwan before walking away.
Jeo-rim ran off with Player 415 closely following behind him.
Chae-ho and Sang-hwan still stood in place without moving. Chae-ho looked at Sang-hwan and said, "In the end, we still ended up together."
Sang-hwan sighed and said, "Let's go."
Sitting on the chair, Taek-gyeol looked at So-i and asked, "Why did you come here?"
So-i smiled and turned toward him. "You tell me first why you came here."
As Zhengli walked through the maze, sweat slowly formed on his forehead. He quickened his pace.
At that moment, Player 91 suddenly ran past him, startling him badly. Player 6 chased after him while panting heavily.
Looking at Zhengli, Player 6 demanded, "Why didn't you stop him? He's holding a treasure box!"
After recovering from the shock, Zhengli impatiently snapped, "How the hell was I supposed to know he had a treasure box, damn it!"
Seeing Zhengli's reaction, Player 6 nervously backed away and left.
Watching him leave, Zhengli muttered, "Damn it, wasting my time."
Then he continued walking through the maze.
Dieok-nyeong opened a box, but there was nothing inside. Frustrated and overwhelmed, she stood back up.
Sang-hwan and Chae-ho chatted while walking through the maze.
Sang-hwan said, "I've known you for a few days already. Actually… there's a secret I've been hiding from you."
Chae-ho asked curiously, "What is it?"
Sang-hwan mischievously smiled and said, "I'll tell you after we find a treasure box."
After saying that, Sang-hwan ran off.
Chae-ho laughed in exasperation and chased after him. "Tell me first before searching!"
Jeo-rim and Player 415 cautiously walked through the maze.
Jeo-rim asked, "By the way, brat, what's your name?"
Player 415 smiled and asked back, "Why do you want to know?"
Jeo-rim lightly punched his chest and said, "Can't I just want to know?"
Player 415 covered his chest and replied, "Guess!"
Jeo-rim looked sideways at him. "Brat, are you tired of living?"
Player 415 gave a wicked grin.
The time reached 21 minutes and 46 seconds.
Taek-gyeol looked at So-i and said, "I already told you mine. Now it's your turn."
So-i smiled and asked him, "Have you ever killed someone?"
The moment he heard that, Taek-gyeol's expression froze as he stared at her blankly.
Dieok-nyeong walked around a corner just as Zhengli passed in front of her. Zhengli glanced at her before quickly leaving. His gaze frightened Dieok-nyeong enough to leave her frozen in place.
Zhengli found a pile of boxes and immediately shoved all of them aside. There wasn't a single treasure box there.
He let out a furious yet powerless sigh.
Taek-gyeol asked in confusion, "Why would you suddenly ask that?"
Just as So-i was about to answer, Player 91 was escorted out by masked guards.
The guards took the treasure box from his hands and opened it before bringing him toward the tied-up Hiders.
Taek-gyeol fearfully shut his eyes.
Player 91 was brought before Player 342.
With a twisted expression, Player 342 glared at Player 146 and shouted, "This is all your fault!"
A masked guard aimed a revolver at his head and pulled the trigger.
Bang.
Blood splattered across Player 146's face, while Player 91 trembled violently from fright.
Taek-gyeol stared at the scene as tears began streaming down his face.
So-i smiled and asked, "Are you even a man?"
The announcement echoed:
"Player 91, cleared. Player 342, eliminated."
After hearing one of his teammates had been eliminated, Jeo-rim laughed softly.
"Let them all die. The more that die, the better."
Behind him, Player 415 stared at him with sinister eyes.
The time reached 17 minutes and 19 seconds.
Sang-hwan began slowing down.
Chae-ho supported him and asked, "Are you okay?"
Sang-hwan nodded and said, "Go check whether there's a treasure box inside the box ahead."
Chae-ho walked toward the box while Sang-hwan shook his head, trying to stay conscious.
After opening it, Chae-ho discovered there was nothing inside.
After turning a corner, Zhengli suddenly spotted someone in the distance holding a treasure box. The person noticed Zhengli and immediately ran away.
Zhengli glared furiously as the figure disappeared into the distance.
So-i said to Taek-gyeol, "I once had a sixteen-year-old younger brother. After our mother died, he fought with me over the inheritance she left behind. He disturbed my work and ruined my life every single day. One day, I stood beside his bed holding a knife. By the time he lay there, blood had already covered everything. I was sent to prison. After getting out, I had nothing left. Then a man in a suit gave me a card… and that's how I ended up here."
After hearing her story, Taek-gyeol fell silent.
At that moment, Player 356 was brought before Player 200 by masked guards.
Taek-gyeol watched in shock and terror.
Bang.
Player 200 died instantly, and Taek-gyeol's emotions became even harder to control.
"Player 200, eliminated. Player 356, cleared."
At that moment, someone arrived at a corner. After checking around and confirming nobody was there, the person pushed away a box and discovered—
Dieok-nyeong's stamina was almost completely gone. She leaned against a nearby box.
Suddenly, movement came from inside.
She opened it and discovered a treasure box.
Overwhelmed with joy, she began crying tears of relief.
The time reached 10 minutes and 29 seconds.
Zhengli noticed someone rummaging through boxes. He walked over and asked with a forced smile, "Find anything?"
The person shook his head.
Zhengli lowered his head before violently kicking a box away.
The person got so frightened that he immediately ran off.
Jeo-rim and Player 415 arrived beside a large barrel.
Jeo-rim pointed at it and said, "Go check it."
Player 415 stepped forward and opened the barrel.
He paused for a moment before pulling out a treasure box.
After seeing it, Jeo-rim said, "Give it to me."
Player 415 mocked him and laughed. "Why should I give it to you?! Hahaha!"
Jeo-rim's eyes filled with murderous intent.
"You wanna die, brat?!"
Player 415 laughed loudly. "Right now, you should be the one calling me boss! Hahahaha!"
After saying that, he ran away.
Enraged, Jeo-rim lifted the barrel and hurled it toward him.
The barrel smashed into Player 415's head, knocking him onto the ground as the treasure box slipped from his hands.
Half-conscious, Player 415 stared at Jeo-rim.
Jeo-rim coldly said, "Now you finally understand why a boss can't team up with the subordinate he trusts most."
Unwilling to accept it, Player 415 cursed, "Fuck you!"
Jeo-rim raised the barrel again and smashed it into Player 415's face.
Blood burst everywhere as Jeo-rim picked up the treasure box from the ground.
Watching more and more people die around him, Taek-gyeol was on the verge of a complete emotional breakdown.
Several people were escorted toward them by masked guards.
Taek-gyeol desperately struggled against the restraints on the chair.
One person passed in front of So-i, startling her.
When she turned her head, she realized Dieok-nyeong had also come out.
At that moment, Player 422 stood before So-i.
So-i froze.
Dieok-nyeong was brought before Player 79.
The two women simply stared at each other.
Bang. Bang.
Player 79 died before Dieok-nyeong's eyes, while So-i died beside Taek-gyeol.
Taek-gyeol cried until he had no strength left.
As Dieok-nyeong walked away, silent tears also streamed down her face.
"Player 79, eliminated. Player 353, eliminated. Player 422, cleared. Player 237, cleared."
Sang-hwan looked at Chae-ho and said, "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. Actually… I have cancer. There's no cure anymore."
Chae-ho widened his eyes in shock.
Sang-hwan smiled and said, "It's okay. Don't be sad. We have to learn to let go."
After recovering from the shock, Chae-ho smiled and replied, "Right. We have to learn to let go."
Chae-ho stepped onto a box and climbed onto the top of the maze.
He shouted loudly, "I haven't seen the outside world in so long!"
Sang-hwan smiled up at him from below.
The wind above the maze was extremely strong, and Chae-ho could barely hear anything except the sound of the wind.
Then the announcement suddenly echoed:
"A reminder: participants may not leave the boundaries of the game arena during the game."
The moment Sang-hwan heard it, his expression changed instantly.
He shouted desperately at Chae-ho, "Get down now!"
Chae-ho happily pointed into the distance, just about to say something—
Bang.
Blood splattered across Sang-hwan's face.
Chae-ho fell from the top of the maze.
Sang-hwan rushed forward and held him tightly, pressing against the wound in his abdomen.
Chae-ho looked down at his stomach before weakly pointing in a direction.
With his final breath, he whispered:
"On… the… roof…"
Sang-hwan hugged him tightly and cried out, "No, no, no! Don't die! You can't die!"
Chae-ho's hand slowly dropped.
Tears endlessly streamed from Sang-hwan's eyes.
He began screaming in grief.
"Ah! AHHH—! Chae-ho…!"
The time reached 5 minutes and 42 seconds.
Zhengli chased after someone holding a treasure box.
He crashed into a pile of boxes and fell to the ground, allowing the person to escape.
Filled with regret, Zhengli smashed apart the nearby boxes in frustration.
Jeo-rim stood before Player 197.
There was a hole through Player 197's head, with blood continuously dripping down.
"Player 64, cleared. Player 197, eliminated."
Following the direction Chae-ho pointed toward, Sang-hwan walked forward.
He looked up and spotted a treasure box on the rooftop.
He grabbed the treasure box while tears continued flowing from his eyes.
Zhengli stood up, about to leave, when he suddenly noticed an exit sign above him.
He pushed aside the box beneath it and discovered a small drainage ditch.
He stared at the ditch silently…
Holding the treasure box, Sang-hwan walked out of the maze in a daze.
After a masked guard took the treasure box from him, Sang-hwan was brought before Player 146.
Looking at the revolver aimed at him, Player 146 cursed in despair, "Fuck!"
Bang.
Taek-gyeol, already exhausted from crying, looked toward the emotionless Sang-hwan.
He leaned his head back against the chair.
There were only 26 seconds remaining.
"Player 146, eliminated. Player 258, cleared."
At that moment, Zhengli walked out holding a treasure box.
After taking the box, the masked guards slowly escorted Zhengli toward Taek-gyeol.
Beep.
"The game has ended."
Taek-gyeol stared at Zhengli in disbelief.
Zhengli kept his head raised, unable to look at him.
As the final tear rolled down Taek-gyeol's face, he whispered:
"Brother Zhengli…"
Bang.
Blood burst from Taek-gyeol's head.
Zhengli trembled violently before closing his eyes.
"Player 161, cleared. Player 45, eliminated."