Gao Yang’s heart sank. He had played Werewolf with his classmates before. He knew the implications that came with the game: among the thirteen of them, only the moderator was exempt from the risk of dying.
“Electric Mouse is right,” Vermilion Bird said in a steely voice, breaking the silence. “That’s very likely what we’re facing.”
“Maybe this is a regular game,” Chen Ying brought up, hoping against hope.
“This is a Rune Cave, not a tabletop game!” Wu Dahai shouted. “Stop fooling yourself!”
Vermilion Bird scanned the prison through the metal door of the cell. Most of them had a grave look on their faces.
She took a deep breath and shouted into the air, “Sir Zuo, what happens if we don’t play?”
“All of you,” Sir Zuo said with an old, deliberate voice, leaving no room for argument, “Shall be eliminated.”
—In a game of life and death, elimination would mean death.
“Easy for you to say! Try it then! Try to kill me now. I’d like to see you...” Wu Dahai’s taunt was cut short, and he shuddered, his face went sheet white as he collapsed to the ground in obvious pain, pressing his hands to his chest.
An intangible power seized his heart, on the verge of crushing it.
“Electric Mouse? Electric Mouse, you okay?!”
White Rabbit grabbed the metal bar and shouted, “Sir Zuo! Don’t kill him! We’ll play! We’ll play the game!”
Sir Zuo didn’t respond. Wu Dahai was already on the floor, curling into himself. His eyes were wide with despair and veins could be seen popping up on his face and neck. He couldn’t breathe.
“Electric Mouse!” Gao Yang shouted. “Take back your words!”
“I’ll...play...” It took everything for Wu Dahai to squeeze the words out. “...the game.”
Instantly, the power squeezing his heart vanished.
Wu Dahai lay prone on the ground, struggling to breathe as his chest heaved. If that went on another seven to eight seconds, he would’ve suffocated.
“Everyone is eliminated,” Sir Zuo spoke up again in the same calm, cool tone. “Or you play the game until the victors are decided.”
“You have five minutes.”
He fell silent, and so did the prison at large.
“...Don’t do anything reckless. Take some time to calm yourself.” Vermilion Bird spoke weakly. She was regretting her decisions. If she had known what would happen, she wouldn’t have said yes to X.
However, regret wouldn’t change anything.
Gao Yang stopped standing around the door like an idiot and dragged his feet to the single bed in the corner, the heavy shackles clinking as he walked.
Gradually, the clinks quieted, and the prison was plunged into a dim silence.
Gao Yang closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down.
But he couldn’t.
He had once thought that the Rune Cave was like a game. That as long as he took the time to think and did his best, he would find an optimal solution where casualties were minimized; it might even be possible for everyone to survive.
But Rune Caves were no game. They were like the real world, absurd, merciless, and followed no logic.
Sometimes things were easy. Sometimes death was inevitable. And other times people were maliciously forced to kill each other.
It all depended on luck who would get to survive.
Ha, luck.
Gao Yang took out his phone. There was no signal. The time was one o’clock in the morning.
Again, he tamped down the urge to leave a note with his phone’s memo and put his phone back into his pocket.
[Access granted.]
[You have a total of 111 Luck points.]
—Put everything into Luck. That’s the only thing I can depend on now.
[Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]
[Strength: 800 Agility: 1100]
[Willpower: 500 Charisma: 500]
[Luck: 565]
[Luck exceeds 500. Enter the inbetween state before leveling up.]
—What do you mean?
[You have made contact with the Miracle Rune Circuit.]
—Yes, and I felt an electric current entering my body. I thought it was simple energy resonation.
—Do you mean the energy will help me level up?
[There is too little energy to level up the Talent. Please acquire more.]
—Easy for you to say. I don’t have the Rune Circuit. How am I supposed to do that?
[A. Rune Circuit]
[B. Potential Breakthrough]
—Wait, I got the first one, but what do you mean by the second option? Go into more detail.
[A fragile seed dies even in a greenhouse, and a strong one sprouts even in a desert.]
—Huh, you’re even making analogies.
—Do you mean that the little energy the Miracle Rune Circuit gave me has essentially planted a seed, and if I’m strong enough, I would be able to level up?
—But what would count as being strong?
—Am I strong for not bursting out crying after kicking my pinky toe on the foot of a bed?
—Or does not breaking down after getting trapped in a Rune Cave that forced us to kill each other count?
[Telling jokes does not constitute being strong.]
—Then what fucking counts as being strong, pray tell?
[A desperate situation often triggers great potential.]
—Right. Then I get it. It’s like how you reach level 5. The more dire the situation, the more likely I’d be able to level up.
—Alright then. That’s it for now. Let’s cross this bridge first.
[Access ends.]
Five minutes flew by, during which Gao Yang went through the best-case and worst-case scenarios in his head, his heart feeling more and more heavy.
“Time’s up,” Sir Zuo announced.
They each returned to the metal door of their respective cell. None of them said anything, their dour mood apparent.
Click.
Suddenly, the metal door before Gao Yang opened to the side. Then the same thing happened to the other twelve cells.
“Those who are participating in the game, come out. Those who are opting out, stay.”
Wu Dahai, who had been complaining the loudest, was the first to walk out of his cell. Noticing everyone’s gaze, he said bluntly, “What are you looking at me for? If I play, I at least stand some chance of surviving. It’s guaranteed death if I don’t. There’s no choice at all.”
“Ha.” X saunted out of his cell. “At least you know what’s good for you.”
In the next thirty seconds, they walked out of their cells one by one, dragging the heavy shackles with them.
Can was closest to Gao Yang. She came up to him nervously and fearfully. “Captain...”
She trailed off and lowered her head, standing as close to Gao Yang as she could.
“Don’t worry. It’s going to be fine.” Gao Yang made a weak attempt at reassuring her.
“The game commences. Please take a seat.” Sir Zuo’s voice rang again.
X took big strides to the stone chair closest to him and sat down, while the others looked around rather than immediately taking a seat.
Gao Yang didn’t miss the chance to observe the environment, either, hoping to find Sir Zuo. It would be the most optimal scenario if they could find the pride monster and kill him, which should get them out of here.
He noted that the prison was an enclosed, circular structure similar to the colosseum of Ancient Rome, only with a dome ceiling.
At the center was the circular hall with the thirteen single cells surrounding it. He saw no hiding places. It was as if Sir Zuo didn’t exist in this space at all, or at least not in physical form.
Gao Yang reluctantly gave up on the idea.
The pride monster must be powerful and well-prepared given he managed to bring them into the Rune Cave and had shown to be able to easily kill them.
Outside of Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, White Rabbit, Qing Ling, and Green Tea hadn’t taken a seat either.
Some were trying to break the dome. Some were looking for hidden rooms. Some were attempting to break the walls. However, none of them succeeded. Their Talents failed to break anything in this space.
Sir Zuo seemed to have anticipated their desperate struggle; he neither stopped them nor spoke up against them.
His silence made clear his dominance over the situation and his pride.
Finally, Gao Yang sat down on a stone chair nearby, and Can quickly took the seat beside him, worried that someone else would claim the spot.
Can knew that it was unbecoming of her to follow him around like that, but she didn’t have the luxury to care.
Before entering the Rune Cave, she had thought the game would involve a fight with monsters. Then she would at least be able to offer some help while staying safe.
Facing a game of Werewolf where they would be forced to kill each other, though, she had already accepted it as a fact that she would be the first to go.
During the past five minutes, she had been a nervous wreck and sobbed secretly.
Now, she only hoped to be closer to the person she liked before her death. Then it wouldn’t be so scary.
Gao Yang’s thoughts were much simpler.
Pushing aside the fear and despair in his heart, he quietly sat on the chair with his hands resting on the stone table, feeling the hard, cool material.
Soon, the others gave up on their fruitless struggle and took their seats.
Since it was a circular table, their order was relative with no definite starting point. Starting from Gao Yang’s right, it was Can, Ronnie, Scarlet Fox, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Chen Ying, Green Tea, Joker, Qing Ling, Wu Dahai, White Rabbit, and X.
“This is a game of Werewolf with 12 players, broken down into 4 special roles, 4 villagers, and 4 werewolves,” Sir Zuo said. “1 seer, 1 witch, 1 hunter, 1 guard, 4 villagers, 3 werewolves, and 1 white alpha.”
Gao Yang had played the game before, and he quietly went over the rules in his head.
“The rules will be explained in more detail later. The cards are drawn first.”
Swish.
Gao Yang’s heart sank. He had played Werewolf with his classmates before. He knew the implications that came with the game: among the thirteen of them, only the moderator was exempt from the risk of dying.
“Electric Mouse is right,” Vermilion Bird said in a steely voice, breaking the silence. “That’s very likely what we’re facing.”
“Maybe this is a regular game,” Chen Ying brought up, hoping against hope.
“This is a Rune Cave, not a tabletop game!” Wu Dahai shouted. “Stop fooling yourself!”
Vermilion Bird scanned the prison through the metal door of the cell. Most of them had a grave look on their faces.
She took a deep breath and shouted into the air, “Sir Zuo, what happens if we don’t play?”
“All of you,” Sir Zuo said with an old, deliberate voice, leaving no room for argument, “Shall be eliminated.”
—In a game of life and death, elimination would mean death.
“Easy for you to say! Try it then! Try to kill me now. I’d like to see you...” Wu Dahai’s taunt was cut short, and he shuddered, his face went sheet white as he collapsed to the ground in obvious pain, pressing his hands to his chest.
An intangible power seized his heart, on the verge of crushing it.
“Electric Mouse? Electric Mouse, you okay?!”
White Rabbit grabbed the metal bar and shouted, “Sir Zuo! Don’t kill him! We’ll play! We’ll play the game!”
Sir Zuo didn’t respond. Wu Dahai was already on the floor, curling into himself. His eyes were wide with despair and veins could be seen popping up on his face and neck. He couldn’t breathe.
“Electric Mouse!” Gao Yang shouted. “Take back your words!”
“I’ll...play...” It took everything for Wu Dahai to squeeze the words out. “...the game.”
Instantly, the power squeezing his heart vanished.
Wu Dahai lay prone on the ground, struggling to breathe as his chest heaved. If that went on another seven to eight seconds, he would’ve suffocated.
“Everyone is eliminated,” Sir Zuo spoke up again in the same calm, cool tone. “Or you play the game until the victors are decided.”
“You have five minutes.”
He fell silent, and so did the prison at large.
“...Don’t do anything reckless. Take some time to calm yourself.” Vermilion Bird spoke weakly. She was regretting her decisions. If she had known what would happen, she wouldn’t have said yes to X.
However, regret wouldn’t change anything.
Gao Yang stopped standing around the door like an idiot and dragged his feet to the single bed in the corner, the heavy shackles clinking as he walked.
Gradually, the clinks quieted, and the prison was plunged into a dim silence.
Gao Yang closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down.
But he couldn’t.
He had once thought that the Rune Cave was like a game. That as long as he took the time to think and did his best, he would find an optimal solution where casualties were minimized; it might even be possible for everyone to survive.
But Rune Caves were no game. They were like the real world, absurd, merciless, and followed no logic.
Sometimes things were easy. Sometimes death was inevitable. And other times people were maliciously forced to kill each other.
It all depended on luck who would get to survive.
Ha, luck.
Gao Yang took out his phone. There was no signal. The time was one o’clock in the morning.
Again, he tamped down the urge to leave a note with his phone’s memo and put his phone back into his pocket.
[Access granted.]
[You have a total of 111 Luck points.]
—Put everything into Luck. That’s the only thing I can depend on now.
[Constitution: 500 Endurance: 500]
[Strength: 800 Agility: 1100]
[Willpower: 500 Charisma: 500]
[Luck: 565]
[Luck exceeds 500. Enter the inbetween state before leveling up.]
—What do you mean?
[You have made contact with the Miracle Rune Circuit.]
—Yes, and I felt an electric current entering my body. I thought it was simple energy resonation.
—Do you mean the energy will help me level up?
[There is too little energy to level up the Talent. Please acquire more.]
—Easy for you to say. I don’t have the Rune Circuit. How am I supposed to do that?
[A. Rune Circuit]
[B. Potential Breakthrough]
—Wait, I got the first one, but what do you mean by the second option? Go into more detail.
[A fragile seed dies even in a greenhouse, and a strong one sprouts even in a desert.]
—Huh, you’re even making analogies.
—Do you mean that the little energy the Miracle Rune Circuit gave me has essentially planted a seed, and if I’m strong enough, I would be able to level up?
—But what would count as being strong?
—Am I strong for not bursting out crying after kicking my pinky toe on the foot of a bed?
—Or does not breaking down after getting trapped in a Rune Cave that forced us to kill each other count?
[Telling jokes does not constitute being strong.]
—Then what fucking counts as being strong, pray tell?
[A desperate situation often triggers great potential.]
—Right. Then I get it. It’s like how you reach level 5. The more dire the situation, the more likely I’d be able to level up.
—Alright then. That’s it for now. Let’s cross this bridge first.
[Access ends.]
Five minutes flew by, during which Gao Yang went through the best-case and worst-case scenarios in his head, his heart feeling more and more heavy.
“Time’s up,” Sir Zuo announced.
They each returned to the metal door of their respective cell. None of them said anything, their dour mood apparent.
Click.
Suddenly, the metal door before Gao Yang opened to the side. Then the same thing happened to the other twelve cells.
“Those who are participating in the game, come out. Those who are opting out, stay.”
Wu Dahai, who had been complaining the loudest, was the first to walk out of his cell. Noticing everyone’s gaze, he said bluntly, “What are you looking at me for? If I play, I at least stand some chance of surviving. It’s guaranteed death if I don’t. There’s no choice at all.”
“Ha.” X saunted out of his cell. “At least you know what’s good for you.”
In the next thirty seconds, they walked out of their cells one by one, dragging the heavy shackles with them.
Can was closest to Gao Yang. She came up to him nervously and fearfully. “Captain...”
She trailed off and lowered her head, standing as close to Gao Yang as she could.
“Don’t worry. It’s going to be fine.” Gao Yang made a weak attempt at reassuring her.
“The game commences. Please take a seat.” Sir Zuo’s voice rang again.
X took big strides to the stone chair closest to him and sat down, while the others looked around rather than immediately taking a seat.
Gao Yang didn’t miss the chance to observe the environment, either, hoping to find Sir Zuo. It would be the most optimal scenario if they could find the pride monster and kill him, which should get them out of here.
He noted that the prison was an enclosed, circular structure similar to the colosseum of Ancient Rome, only with a dome ceiling.
At the center was the circular hall with the thirteen single cells surrounding it. He saw no hiding places. It was as if Sir Zuo didn’t exist in this space at all, or at least not in physical form.
Gao Yang reluctantly gave up on the idea.
The pride monster must be powerful and well-prepared given he managed to bring them into the Rune Cave and had shown to be able to easily kill them.
Outside of Gao Yang, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, White Rabbit, Qing Ling, and Green Tea hadn’t taken a seat either.
Some were trying to break the dome. Some were looking for hidden rooms. Some were attempting to break the walls. However, none of them succeeded. Their Talents failed to break anything in this space.
Sir Zuo seemed to have anticipated their desperate struggle; he neither stopped them nor spoke up against them.
His silence made clear his dominance over the situation and his pride.
Finally, Gao Yang sat down on a stone chair nearby, and Can quickly took the seat beside him, worried that someone else would claim the spot.
Can knew that it was unbecoming of her to follow him around like that, but she didn’t have the luxury to care.
Before entering the Rune Cave, she had thought the game would involve a fight with monsters. Then she would at least be able to offer some help while staying safe.
Facing a game of Werewolf where they would be forced to kill each other, though, she had already accepted it as a fact that she would be the first to go.
During the past five minutes, she had been a nervous wreck and sobbed secretly.
Now, she only hoped to be closer to the person she liked before her death. Then it wouldn’t be so scary.
Gao Yang’s thoughts were much simpler.
Pushing aside the fear and despair in his heart, he quietly sat on the chair with his hands resting on the stone table, feeling the hard, cool material.
Soon, the others gave up on their fruitless struggle and took their seats.
Since it was a circular table, their order was relative with no definite starting point. Starting from Gao Yang’s right, it was Can, Ronnie, Scarlet Fox, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Chen Ying, Green Tea, Joker, Qing Ling, Wu Dahai, White Rabbit, and X.
“This is a game of Werewolf with 12 players, broken down into 4 special roles, 4 villagers, and 4 werewolves,” Sir Zuo said. “1 seer, 1 witch, 1 hunter, 1 guard, 4 villagers, 3 werewolves, and 1 white alpha.”
Gao Yang had played the game before, and he quietly went over the rules in his head.
“The rules will be explained in more detail later. The cards are drawn first.”
Swish.
