[ROUND THREE: RIDDLES]
The was tension as the words flashed across the screen.
Players shifted in their seats, their faces pale.
Riddles weren't like history or geography—there was no factual answer to memorize. If the question was tricky enough, the smallest mistake could mean instant death.
Ace swallowed hard. This was where the game would truly begin.
The first riddle popped up on his screen.
[I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?]
Ace's eyes scanned the choices:
A) A shadow
B) An echo
C) A ghost
D) A whisper
He took a deep breath. He'd seen this one before.
Answer: B) An echo.
He pressed it.
A pause.
Then—green light.
Across the arena, other screens turned green as well. But—
BOOM.
One player hadn't answered in time. His screen flashed red, and his chair exploded in a deafening blast.
Ace forced himself to keep breathing. This was their reality now.
Another player mumbled, "It's not just wrong answers… If we don't answer at all, we're still done for."
Mia exhaled sharply. "They're giving us no way out."
The screen buzzed.
[ROUND FOUR: LUCK.]
Ace froze.
Luck?
A bad feeling crept into his stomach.
The words on the screen changed:
"Pick a number between 1 and 10."
That was it. No context. No logic. Just a number.
Ace's heartbeat hammered in his chest. He didn't like this at all.
Mia looked panicked. "What the hell is this?!"
Ace had no answer.
He glanced at the choices. 1, 2, 3… all the way to 10.
Nothing to go on. No hints.
His fingers hovered over the screen.
Then, knowing he had no other choice, he pressed 7.
The screen went black.
For three seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
BOOM.
Two chairs exploded simultaneously. Two players gone in an instant.
Ace's chest tightened.
This wasn't a knowledge test anymore. This was pure cruelty.
Mia was shaking. "This isn't a quiz… it's a massacre."
Ace clenched his fists. 10 players were meant to survive.
And at this rate, the game would decide who lived—no matter what they did.
The screen flickered again.
–––––––––––
After some other rounds, 14 players remained.
[FINAL ROUND: ELIMINATION QUESTION]
The digital clock above them stopped counting down.
A deadly stillness settled over the arena.
Ace felt his chest tighten. Only a handful of players remained. He didn't dare turn his head to count how many, but the number of empty, scorched chairs around him spoke volumes.
The game was about to end—and it was about to choose the final survivors.
Mia inhaled sharply beside him. "This is it."
The screen flickered.
[FINAL ROUND RULES:
—Only 10 players will survive.
—This is the last question.
—Failure to answer correctly will result in elimination.]
Ace's grip tightened on the podium. There was no more pretending.
This was the final cut.
The screen glowed.
[THE FINAL QUESTION:]
A single sentence appeared.
"If two is company and three is a crowd, what is four?"
Ace's heart pounded.
What the hell was this question?
The choices appeared:
A) A Family
B) A Group
C) A Party
D) An Elimination
Ace froze.
An elimination?
His mind raced. The phrase "two is company, three is a crowd" was a common saying. It implied that three was too many… but what about four?
Was the answer literal? Or was it…
Ace's fingers hovered.
He glanced at Mia—her screen was still waiting for an input.
A cold realization hit him.
This wasn't just a question. It was a trap.
They weren't picking the right answer. They were picking whether or not they would live.
Ace exhaled, his pulse racing. He looked at the answers again.
Four players would be eliminated.
His stomach turned.
Then—he made his choice.
A second later—
BOOM.
The arena shook as four final chairs exploded, sending flames and debris into the air.
The screen flickered—
"10 PLAYERS REMAIN. GAME OVER."
Ace's body trembled as he looked around. The arena was silent.
The only ones left…
Were the survivors.
The game had chosen.
[WHY DID THE FOUR CHAIRS EXPLODE?]
Ace's breath was shaky as he tried to process what had just happened.
The game had started with 30 players—and now only 10 remained.
But what really happened?
His eyes darted to the giant screen above broadcasting what had happened.
The final question:
"If two is company and three is a crowd, what is four?"
The choices:
A) A Family
B) A Group
C) A Party
D) An Elimination
Ace hesitated, knowing something was off.
Then it clicked.
The game was never about testing knowledge—it was about controlling the outcome.
It needed exactly 10 survivors.
So the final question wasn't about getting the right answer. It was about choosing to survive.
Ace had chosen D) An Elimination.
And so had the other 9 survivors.
The 4 players who exploded?
They had picked the wrong option.
Because the only right answer… was understanding the game itself.
Mia let out a shaky breath beside him. "They never had a chance."
Ace clenched his jaw.
The game had decided its survivors before they even pressed a button.
THE SURVIVORS
A heavy silence hung over the arena. The burnt remains of the eliminated players' chairs still smoked, leaving behind nothing but shattered metal and ash.
Ace swallowed hard. They never stood a chance.
The giant screen above them flickered again.
"10 PLAYERS REMAIN."
Ace's eyes darted to the people around him. The survivors were all in different states of shock. Some had their hands covering their faces; others were staring at the empty seats with blank expressions.
Mia leaned against her podium, her breathing uneven. "I hate this."
Ace didn't answer. He wasn't sure what to say.
Then—the screen changed.
[CONGRATULATIONS, PLAYERS. YOU HAVE PASSED THE FIRST GAME.]
Ace tensed. First game?
The words continued.
[YOU WILL NOW BE RELOCATED TO THE SURVIVORS' DORMITORY. REST WELL. THE NEXT GAME BEGINS TOMORROW.]
Before anyone could react—
A blinding light engulfed the arena.
Ace barely had time to shield his eyes before a strange pulling sensation took over his body. It was like being yanked forward by an invisible force.
The world around him vanished.
–––––––––––
[THE SURVIVORS' DORMITORY]
When Ace's vision returned, he was no longer in the arena.
Instead, he found himself standing in a long, modern hallway. The walls were sleek and metallic and had a faint blue glow running along the edges.
The other nine survivors were scattered around, looking just as disoriented.
Mia appeared beside him, blinking rapidly. "What… just happened?"
Ace turned, taking in their new surroundings.
At the end of the hallway was a large door with a screen above it. It read:
[WELCOME, SURVIVORS. PLEASE PROCEED TO YOUR ROOMS. YOU ARE FREE TO EXPLORE THE OPEN WORLD AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE AFTER CHOOSING YOUR ROOMS.]
Ace exchanged a glance with Mia.
Whatever this place was, it looked like they were being kept here.
But the real question was…
What was coming next?