Chapter 42: Notice of Publication of the Match History of the [Betting Team]
P0tnfeLee Jinsu, Choi Jaeha, Hwang Juyeon, Jung Jiho, and me.VWl
s1u6The order for entering the betting room after Yoo Hyunjae had already been decided.QdFaaB
vkFzrTI had made sure of that myself.JeJ
AKvivr2Once I finished convincing them, Hwang Juyeon began asking Lee Jinsu various questions about the games.dib
jf6owChoi Jaeha wandered around the office muttering something to himself.xBU
dvP3It was rather unsettling.SQg
lBPLJung Jiho was nice because he behaved himself.xagqYV
qd4He didn’t even try to talk to me.T5DEOa
YZmI sat comfortably beside him and reviewed the match history one more time.E6P
lRrcF[Opponent｜Hong＊＊ (50 years old, green)
Game｜Janggi
Result｜Victory
Remarks｜A rewarding match that allowed me to observe the opponent’s janggi]VEwBL
RC5fg[Opponent｜Kwon＊＊ (30 years old, black)
Game｜Rummikub
Result｜Victory
Remarks｜I hate boring opponents above all else]BtND
e8nu8a[Opponent｜Jo＊＊ (30 years old, blue)
Game｜Mercenary Chess
Result｜Victory
Remarks｜It is always amusing to watch an opponent who does not know the concept of the “■■■ Formation” construct it naturally]mQtPWP
SjPS1According to the records, approximately forty people had wagered against Do in their respective labyrinths.y31t6bU
bju0iIt was fewer people than I expected.kTZ5
2YOzFar fewer, considering the number of people who should originally have been in this building.FZ6m
Mzz7UNMost of them had probably already been on the 11th floor before the labyrinth transformation began.WDZ
LHcUocThat meant very few people had managed to survive the other floors and make it this far.VqTN
maGwQf[Opponent｜Lim＊＊ (40 years old, male)cC5
x6piY7Game｜10×10 Trap Othello
Result｜Victory
Remarks｜Why do they think they can win without losing anything?]x5ud
NYb7ga[Opponent｜Baek＊＊ (30 years old, beauty)LOmD
X1GCMhGame｜Highest Card
Result｜Draw
Remarks｜A result caused by a clash of deceptions. It was decided to change games and play an overtime match. It was fun]WPCkm
kBW[Opponent｜Baek＊＊ (30 years old, beauty)UpnLQ
xN7Game｜Blocking Backgammon
Result｜Victory
Remarks｜As a sign of respect, I compressed the opponent to fit inside a regular dodecahedron mold and preserved them]TNUXld
n2nWUI spent the time reading that fascinating match history.kxtINl
dIL2M1And then, when it was almost six in the evening…WnF9p
TwrXThe door to the betting room opened, and Do came out.TqFxix
xHNh“The match has concluded.”ETkOu
SlHsA new line appeared in the history.RWb4e
8fO058[Opponent｜Yoo＊＊ (20 years old, red)yjVL
EVUXf6Game｜38 Gwangddaeng Texas Hold’em
Result｜Victory
Remarks｜I would like to meet the creator of this game]KUF
G21Yoo Hyunjae had died.7lZ3
HEmPzWas it already the second time?BcCOSi
o4bLsHe always died whenever he became involved in events determined by probability.COHVLwA
qm8WLwHe really was an unfortunate person.YOet
sFhyo0…Though, viewed from another angle, that also meant he had never died because of a mistake of his own.3dtS
blWfZlNot even once.BjR3
r9Z“Who is my next opponent?”aTFc45M
55Y9w“I-I’m… it’s me…”nVy2sZL
unrUAJuAt Do’s question, Lee Jinsu stood up awkwardly.36Sf
TqBk3FThe contrast between the man who had lost an eye during the Happyland game and the flesh die with twenty-one eyes was rather curious.ELNG2lj
bkp36“Please win… Thank you for everything.”QAnkAOf
aOCard“Ah… yes.”ywR
KsunJAfter receiving Hwang Juyeon’s farewell, Lee Jinsu approached each of us and bowed.M70Y
8rqAJPYHe has good manners for someone on his way to death.sSj
fedyYqI also nodded slightly in farewell.yLnJKm
2kLV“Yes. Do your best.”ndOJ
GWYThough, being a passive suicidal person, I didn’t really expect him to play particularly well.2B5
QEQa7sAIt was advice given with the best intentions possible.0H17x
GkTAxJudging from the records, Do did not seem to like unmotivated opponents very much.sG6nsPX
gGpHe probably would not have a pleasant ending.k9bfZU5
OozMWell.6Bw4
2JPTHe can figure it out himself.L5e4W
xtX9a“Enter.”4E5X
AR8V6aThe door to the betting room closed.Esn
NL959***9hssa2R
16O“The match has concluded.”ksEa
PcZAnother line appeared in the history.WBQCFl0
8BQoV[Opponent｜Lee＊＊ (30 years old, khaki)Zv6W
VmYlLGame｜Muk-jji-ppa
Result｜Victory
Remarks｜After 913 draws, he finally showed a slight desire to keep living]aGl3cZ
MKuI covered my mouth the moment I read the remark.KfF
jkID3D8So that was what they had been doing for more than twenty minutes.qhQq
bnaaEDo had deliberately been playing with Lee Jinsu, forcing draw after draw, and the moment he detected even the slightest desire to live, he immediately defeated him.A8ox
0tmizJHow unpleasant.cvKkN3
vH00“You may enter.”MgT7m
xCR1Z“Then… I’m going, Hwang Juyeon. See you later, Mr. Seon Yuhan. Jiho, see you outside.”VOHj
kwtChoi Jaeha said his goodbyes after taking a deep breath.q8yJom
jW4“Yes. Have a goo—I mean, do well.”smWl5q
l5aIf luck and skill were on his side, I would probably never see this accountant again.h0N
inrAg9I did not believe that Choi Jaeha was destined to lose one hundred percent.XKw
6LKDo could not even begin a game that guaranteed his absolute victory.l9B
FAnsIThat would not be a wager.AOF
hjlnUvqFor a game to exist, the human side had to have at least a 1% chance of winning.Wli34z
i3j4wAAs I said goodbye to Choi Jaeha, I picked up a book from an abandoned desk.PmFwyJ
SgaMkdIt seemed to be some kind of self-help book.k7ohGeg
jsDeemq“Mm… Mr. Seon Yuhan. Are you sure you’re okay? Don’t you feel any discomfort? Anything different from usual?”95X72
AG7q2n“No, nothing in particular.”NF2
Z8SUxErHwang Juyeon looked at my hands and began worrying unnecessarily.L4hjYBo
cqxgZ“By the way, Hwang Juyeon. When you get out of here, what’s the first thing you want to do?”mVWvUq
q29dBdI thought she might be nervous, so I changed the subject to her to distract her.BEbUD
reucnUDAnd while we passed the time talking, the door to the betting room opened again.bPtZ6x
mkkB9“The match has concluded.”bzQrM4P
Fe6R[Opponent｜Choi＊＊ (30 years old, drunk)TqLJPy
ALKNFGame｜Monopolized Yutnori
Result｜Victory
Remarks｜Particularly vulnerable to psychological games; made mistakes early on by confusing them with deception tactics]3YLXVW8
Gw5muhiThat’s true.8c4qoOu
wF2emD4He was a person who had difficulty hiding his emotions.SIkqUGE
vkT“Then I’m off. Jiho, when we get out of here, we all have to meet up with your mom, okay? And Mr. Seon Yuhan. You know I’m truly grateful to you, right? You were always the one who took the first step and handled everything. I’m sure you’ll get out too.”3jfkZ
9abtq“Yes. Be careful and… good luck.”XJSPU
Wq2khX6Once again, time continued to pass.q975
ofultoJung Jiho remained the same polite and kind child as always.amJU1Th
VNvYZvS“The match has concluded.”zQu
G8MDz[Opponent｜Hwang＊＊ (30 years old, jade)eppxdi
EQcGame｜Heads-Up Poker
Result｜Victory
Remarks｜Her hand skills were interesting]gHJPMtZ
AQdAjS“Jiho. It’s time to go.”UZLtO
zHBENow she can’t even look adults in the eyes?ONSCWkc
Owt8“Yes. Goodbye.”Vg9Y
XB5fAW2It felt as though time was moving slowly.Y13
vbDEverything was quiet.vCBn1
q3aPeaceful.t3deI
qVFjCIt had been so long since I had been alone for such a long time that it almost felt like a new experience.a9nLl
HyxIJrR“The match has concluded.”wW8
ak8cNTH[Opponent｜Jung＊＊ (7 years old, lead)S5P
kn1oKk7Game｜Dice Blackjack
Result｜Victory
Remarks｜?]ZvQ0Ca
SDH4rvZAfter reading even that entry, I closed the folder.smDBw
BZFj4j“You.”uRPXuV
uagNNtDo’s eyes stared down at me from above.xMrh
bm68“You won’t be able to face me.”xW8eDNY
b5JXiLFor some reason, that voice no longer seemed as captivating as before.Cku3Ay
jOQB“So you really can recognize me.”Xh4YUw
1Hgta“Even if you wagered your life, it would not be enough to exchange for a simple handkerchief. On the other hand, even if you offered this entire labyrinth, it would still be insufficient to pay the price of your freedom.”k7j49
BpC5dK6“That much?”17MjW
NEQcZ7O“You’re asking me? The scales are inside you.”TMw4G
dn1v3HU“Let’s not talk about scales. I have trauma related to them.”gK27G06
hwQu0Do let out a mocking laugh and began spinning slowly.EKRi
7txd“Now leave. It will be considered that you have forfeited the match, and you will lose a future opportunity for good fortune.”uGO1pmQ
jsnocnIf I left the Strategic Planning Department on the 11th floor without wagering against Do, it was guaranteed that some unfortunate event would occur later.T8MK
i6byrAnd apparently, the severity of that misfortune was completely random.pQeqvf
8EC“But you’re the one who wouldn’t let me participate. Isn’t it unfair to impose a mandatory disadvantage on me?”jgjq
GKm0UE“In the wager called life, you possess the advantage of ignoring death. That restores the balance.”s4uN
QdFCc“I don’t exactly consider that an advantage, but whatever.”E7EyV6Z
ZtpFVZI opened the self-help book I had picked up earlier, placed a finger against one of its thin pages, and…d0mTVU
YaKi3g2Sshk.RGE
xK6JSlid it.jQ5
bCArR“Ah.”vlFqMA1
s7WvnA sharp pain pierced my pinky finger for an instant.oyWNB
mAZZSThat was the conclusion I had reached after thinking during the entire time the others had been wagering.jQ0jPE
oBaVIf I couldn’t avoid the misfortune that was approaching…JhjqgqG
LqnXLWouldn’t it be enough to deliberately trigger an unfortunate event under my own control?Cz8EB
wX67wgG“I cut myself.”L65v2D3
OnVqrRunning a sheet of paper across your finger does not always cause a cut.mvI
np5VMI had been experimenting while I waited.uig2F84
JXIBQFChanging the angle, the speed, and even the moisture on my hands.0Dnb
V9mhEven under the same conditions, the results were not always the same.WSWEV
A9qKPaThat was why I concluded that whether or not I cut myself on the paper depended, at least in part, on luck.ff66t
4cV1“It’s a shame you can’t wager against me. It would have been a truly interesting match.”u9JKcV
p5iNDo stared at the small drop of blood that had formed on my finger before looking away.X9j
4DOvu“Right now, you are participating in a wager that repeats forever. Just because this time it landed on an odd number does not mean the next time will also be odd. Do not forget that the essence of wagers lies in their unpredictability.”fziJdJ
5wqfVaThe fact that he warned me in that way meant…SHoz9F
5ZWThat cutting my finger with paper was not a perfect solution that would always work.21aZEd
HBCBut at least it sounded as if, this time, it had worked.Z2vkH
kGJP9K“Yes. Take care.”LIV
OaWUqC0I immediately left the office of the Future Strategy & Budget Planning Team, where that flesh gambler had established his territory.NlMiS
qfks5**apfDDv
A7I14. Do Not Bet If You Are Not Confident You Can WinUXgRZWg
dZT**8KkYzRi
8ZJ14GThe heavy metal emergency exit door opened with a crash.Rkc9g
kXvB4WAfter briefly searching the 11th-floor corridor and finding nothing relevant, I headed directly down to the floor below.dXDoO
ImdYL“Floor 15…”VuOtK
PbvJ0XF[15th Floor｜Shingye Daily, Moment O’Clock]wQTB5M
hsYWhile recording the order of the floors in my diary, I reviewed the information.0zG
VtAa8Shingye Daily was a mid-sized newspaper.kIB
Sc2yxZgAnd Moment O’Clock? What kind of company was that?eH9c
u8Gvjn5It sounded familiar.EeMb3kT
xqJ6XS6[Moment O’Clock｜moment o’clock]DRelLf
F8pHiozAs I looked directly at the company plaque, I saw the name written in an elegant, clean typeface.Zxf4M4
jzmbv“Hmm.”E4uOD
8TdYThe moment I opened the door and stepped inside, I stopped at the sight that spread out before me.LfIs
rP7uTo begin with, there were two human corpses lying on the dark office floor.ASw
Y4jxe87A young woman.T4y
iEgNhAnd a middle-aged man.7keyih
Qpc1vPThe woman lay on her back staring at the ceiling.CZXjmqU
Z5eVCfYAn open bottle of hand sanitizer lay beside her head.fppH
xUiWhitish vomit could be seen around her mouth and on the floor.Ddcx9
t5ijShe appeared to have died after drinking hand sanitizer.mqLW70I
BhwBut what stood out most was the way she was dressed.gfbqD
N3KTX6Bleached blonde hair.NLKQmw1
7ZQA black skirt with two sides of dramatically different lengths.7Fnma
LeU9kLong black boots.heqQS
jURA completely free style, as if no dress code existed.DOoPnT
zgPdQ1v“Ah.”OPW
YO3PI remembered.RFW
jm6Moment O’Clock.4pwI
BSLIt was a multi-brand online store specializing in clothing and accessories.On8tu
jXh5dvBLee Nahyun.nlXgfSo
7uSGQyAssistant Manager of the Merchandising Team at Moment O’Clock.BzDP9g
eiVIz3NAfter checking her ID, I turned my gaze toward the middle-aged man.vT6PRW0
m0Za3CHe wore a dull suit that contrasted completely with the woman’s appearance.tqlGyX
6Pl5I read the employee badge hanging around his neck.O5NBEmG
Wi6Kim Youngho.ytr41p
zGa7Head of the Society Team at Shingye Daily.93V
T1mAnd in the mouth of that man, who lay curled on his side…nJrb0J
fiXmjA necktie?BUQmLCr
IzJ8gStrangely, the necktie protruded from his mouth.SBQaVv
3QXkAnd judging by the color of his face, the cause of death appeared to be suffocation.oAB4U
ZtDf6HHe had probably choked while trying to swallow it.w2Y
IE5But the strangest thing of all was something else.7axW
bRfid6Beside each corpse stood a mannequin positioned in exactly the same pose as the body.v2eXX5
BBbEGAs though it were mocking them.TF6
VTB157Then.guF5L
qVjUwClick.aDxo
5dgbIOThe door to the storage room at the back of the office opened.BCcKrJD
R5VzbZAnd a white mannequin walked out.qGiV
MeRC4cIt advanced toward me without making the slightest sound and stopped to my left.pmDq
7tIjuAt first, my body shuddered reflexively.i06I2ge
6ZUXBut only for an instant.oT5jM07
hFeFlENow all I felt was curiosity.pcove
ze4sCSeeing a mannequin move on its own was no longer particularly frightening.29Dd
Zh8Even now, formulas calculating my weight piece by piece still appeared in my mind.EnVL
4gmJiI could still hear the sound of my bones being cut one by one.sJMEg
GwsqAnd the smell of blood that had soaked my clothes still seemed to brush against my nose.zQDD0Wm
g9Ik3tPerhaps it helped that I had seen those crash-test mannequins in the parking garage during the previous loop.stEQ
ztX6LDriven by curiosity, I extended a hand to touch it…xWl1Y
xZZI“Ah. It’s imitating me.”GIbAE
kwWchThe mannequin also extended its left hand.cJqTfNV
tkkY0The same posture.EUrv
agxXaThe same direction.pEYQ
nyyG2WBAs though it were copying me.He75B
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!