The contestants placed their ranking sheets into the box one by one.
“I can’t go home just yet,” Jenny said. “I packed way too many outfits.”
“That’s true,” Doyeon chimed. “Whatever. It’s not like I’m going to go home,” he smirked, glancing at Zeno.
– I can guess how this is going to turn out.
– Zeno’s probably going to play a game on his very first day.
– Well, he’s most likely to go home first.
“All of the votes are in,” Lucy said.
“It’s a good thing we don’t have to reveal our votes, am I right?” Minsu said, nudging Annie’s shoulder.
“Now, we will randomly choose two people to share their rankings with the group.”
That made the contestants freeze.
– Minsu spoke too soon.
– Did Lucy just come up with that? Or was it deliberate?
– I can already guess that these guys aren’t going to have an easy time.
“My servant will flash a ranking on the screen, and that person must come out with an explanation,” Lucy continued.
Mandy pursed her lips. “Is this fair?”
Doyeon smirked. “Well, the betrayals are going to be even more blatant later. Let’s not act like this is something huge.”
In the theater, Risa was already praying to the heavens.
“Please, let Zeno live,” she muttered.
Shin chuckled, glancing at her. “He doesn’t have an illness.”
“Yeah, but he has a target behind his back,” she whispered back, watching the screen with wide, sparkling eyes.
The first ranking report was shown on the screen:
1. Oska Baek Senior
2. Billy
3. Minjae
4. Mandy
5. Jenny
6. Ari
7. Minsu
8. Annie
9. Doyeon
10. Zeno
– This is how I would rank them too.
– As expected, Zeno’s in last place.
– Whose is it?
Minjae raised his hand confidently. “It’s mine,” he said, standing and walking to the front.
The others watched as he shamelessly explained the reason for his ranking.
“This is based on the algorithm I have created. This isn’t just my ranking, but my prediction of who can win the entire show.”
Zeno raised one eyebrow. Lucy did mention an algorithm during his introduction.
“Oska Baek Senior is most likely to win based on his intelligence. He’s also the richest among us, so he must have a secret. Billy has done this before, while I am the most number-based person,” he smirked. “Systematic thinking triumphs over luck any day.”
“As for the others, I just ranked you based on your intelligence and worth. Some schools are higher ranking than others, so I took that into consideration.”
He glanced at Zeno for his last statement, an excited glint in his eyes.
– This kid feels… dangerous.
– He’s the youngest, but why does he feel so competent?
– Cunning, you mean.
“I was in the military for a long time, you know?” Minsu exclaimed jokingly as Minjae sat down. “Or does my humor offset my intelligence? I’ll show you, little kid.”
The others chuckled at this. Minsu was truly a godsend for this program.
“The next ranking will now be shown,” Lucy said.
1. Ari
2. Minjae
3. Doyeon
4. Mandy
5. Jenny
6. Annie
7. Bacon PD
8. Minsu
9. Billy
10. Zeno
Ari was surprised when she saw her name in first. She didn’t even place her name that high! Somehow, she was flattered, looking around to spot the person who wrote it.
“Aww. Again?” Minsu exclaimed. “Maybe I should stop being funny.”
Billy, too, couldn’t hide his frown. He understood not being ranked first. However, after winning the first season, he didn’t expect to be ranked this low.
Minjae smirked. “Whoever did this ranking is pretty smart. I’m second.”
– This is Zeno’s second time being last.
– His fate is sealed.
– He should have voted for himself first at least.
Just then, Zeno stood from his seat and went to the front. “This is my ranking,” he revealed.
“Eh?” Annie exclaimed before she could stop herself. Ari’s cheeks reddened. Zeno ranked her first? What was the reason?
– Is he insane? Why did he rank himself last?
– At least he’s self-aware.
– I really don’t know what’s going on in this guy’s head.
– His face card is distracting as always.
“Zeno, my idol!” Minsu exclaimed. “Why did you rank us in such a way? I thought we were on the same team?”
Zeno showed a small smile. “I didn’t know you guys too well, so I just wrote it in the order we came in.”
There was a pause.
They scrutinized the ranking and realized that it was, indeed, the order they went in.
– HAHAHAHAHA
– He has everyone fooled.
– What kind of character is this?
– Has Zeno always been this adorable?
– What a prick. He’s not taking this seriously. The slot should have been given to someone more deserving than him.
– You must be fun at parties.
Yuan burst out laughing, attacking Suho who was right next to him.
“Man, Zeno is hilarious!” he exclaimed.
Zeno scrutinized their facial expressions quietly. There it was again—the air of arrogance radiating off most of them.
He already knew. Even if he placed himself first, he would end up in the bottom two ranks anyway.
Aside from the fact he was too lazy to come up with a ranking, Zeno had another reason for doing this.
“Now, the bottom two players are going to be revealed.”
Zeno didn’t even need to hear it.
“Zeno and Doyeon, please head to the death area.”
– Bye bye, Zeno.
– But I was already rooting for him!
– They need to play a game advantageous to Zeno.
– Which is? Nothing. Not a single game would work to his advantage.
“Seriously?” Doyeon exclaimed, glaring at the others. His pride couldn’t take being ranked at the bottom.
Still, he stood along with Zeno. He glanced at him once before shaking his head. “We’re in the same league?” he muttered.
“Good luck!” Minsu exclaimed, relieved that he wasn’t one of them.
Mandy smirked. “Come back in one piece.”
Annie tapped Zeno’s side with red cheeks. “Umm, have fun?”
Zeno tilted his head before nodding. Ari watched the exchange with slightly narrowed eyes. Were they close?
Meanwhile, the two made their way to the Death Area, neither of them speaking. The doors opened automatically, and they entered.
Doyeon wandered his eyes around, amazed by the scale of it all.
Then, the floor split open with a hiss. A platform rose in the center of the room, glowing red. Two names appeared on the screen above: Zeno and Doyeon.
Meanwhile, those in the Life Area watched as the screen showed the Death Area. They gasped at how big it was.
On the wall were two strange square grids, facing each other. As Zeno scrutinized it, it became clear—they were chessboards.
“We’re gonna play chess?” Doyeon said, amused while looking at the board in front of him.
Then he turned to Zeno, eyes glinting.
“Well, good luck, buddy. I beat AI chess any day.”