– I wonder what they’re going to play today.
– Zeno really has a chokehold on us, huh? I felt like I couldn’t breathe while waiting for the next episode of The Forsaken Prince then. Now, I can’t wait to watch the next episode of this.
At 5 AM in the morning, Zeno was already out and about. He didn’t want to ruin his schedule just because he was in a new environment. He had worked out, showered, eaten the breakfast the staff had provided… but even then, he couldn’t get the memory of yesterday out of his mind.
The Rennis’ scent.
He couldn’t be mistaken.
At that moment, he wasn’t just playing Lucy’s Game anymore. He was also playing another game of his own.
A Rennis had a particular scent. Newbies wouldn’t recognize it, but with Zeno’s seasoned nose, he was certain.
Someone in this house was a Rennis.
The scent was even more obvious when that certain Rennis was in distress—which was probably why Zeno had smelled it in the first place.
Annie was the closest to him, but the scent didn’t come off too strong. Still, she might be one of the seasoned ones and able to control her stress.
Was it someone he’d met before? Or someone he was meeting for the first time?
Zeno frowned, tapping his foot on the floor.
Suddenly, sirens blared across the entire house. Zeno walked casually to the living room while the rest of the contestants scrambled out of bed.
The sound was so loud they had to cover their ears.
“You’re already here?” Minsu exclaimed when he saw Zeno already sitting on the couch.
“I’m an early bird,” Zeno responded.
The sirens continued to blare as they sat on the couch. They only stopped once everyone was settled.
It was silent for a moment—and that was when everyone noticed how messy they looked compared to Zeno.
Billy, who had vowed to wake up early to get ready, failed to fulfill his promise and was now enviously eyeing Zeno.
“He tries hard, huh?” Billy muttered to himself.
“You got makeup done this early in the morning?” Minjae asked with a grimace.
Zeno used his white shirt to wipe his face, flashing his abdomen for a second, causing Ari and Annie to turn away. Then, he showed the portion of the shirt to Minjae. “I’m not wearing any.”
Minjae pursed his lips, then cursed under his breath.
“I’m envious,” Minsu slumped. “You’re naturally handsome.”
Meanwhile, Jenny still wondered what his skincare was. It has to be her products!
Oska Baek Senior, on the other hand, noted how handsome he had gotten in the time they hadn’t met. It was an absurd improvement.
However, they were quickly pulled out of their fixation on Zeno’s looks when the television turned on, revealing Lucy.
“Listen carefully.”
All ten contestants fell quiet.
“I can never get used to Lucy’s voice,” Minsu said, shaking his head.
“I swear, she’s getting creepier with every passing moment,” Jenny added, freaked out.
“Although yesterday had an elimination, today marks the first official game. Of course, there will also be an elimination.”
It had sunk into their minds once again that they were here as competitors.
“Allow me to introduce your main driving force for this game—the cash prize,” Lucy continued.
Zeno noticed how everyone perked up. It was strange. Half the people in this room had enough money to last them a lifetime—yet they still wanted it.
Zeno couldn’t blame them. He needed it too. That is, to finish his mission of earning a hundred million won in two weeks.
“Like I said, you each have your value. The prize will also be based on it. Garner 30 points and 30 million won is yours. So—the higher your value, the higher the prize.”
Minjae began calculating in his mind, then his eyes lit up with greed. He couldn’t help but smirk while glancing at the others. It just got even more fun.
“Now, let me explain the first official game. It is named Dead Sound.”
The others began speculating what kind of game it would be. But with Lucy’s next words, it became apparent that in this house, nothing was predictable.
“In the Death Area, there will be a horror house.”
A groan erupted from Minsu. Ari Bae blinked rapidly, as if she’d misheard. Minjae cracked his knuckles. Annie sat straighter. Billy Jo looked innocent. “Oh no,” he muttered. “I’m too much of a scaredy-cat for this.”
“The goal, of course, is to take as many points as possible.”
The monitors changed again—showing security camera angles of a dimly lit hallway, cracked doors hanging on broken hinges, red flickering bulbs, a doll hanging upside down by its neck in one room. Another showed a half-open fridge filled with mannequin heads.
Jenny muttered under her breath, “Is this legal?”
“Technically, it is,” Mandy said, being the lawyer in the show.
“Inside, there are ten questions—each portion will test your mind.”
Lucy continued, unfazed by the reactions.
“You may earn points by answering them correctly. You each have fifteen minutes. In those fifteen minutes, battle the fright and keep your wit. You will need both.”
The contestants exchanged wary glances.
“Listen carefully. The higher your score, the more advantageous it will be in the next rounds.”
The images on the screens flashed again—numbers glowing now, a value attached to each contestant, finally revealed from the previous ranking.
“This is the only time your value will be revealed. This is based on yesterday’s ranking.”
Bacon PD: 10
Billy: 9
Minjae: 8
Mandy: 7
Ari: 6
Jenny: 5
Minsu: 4
Annie: 3
Zeno: 2
Zeno tilted his head. Just yesterday, he had been at zero. But by eliminating Doyeon in chess, he had gained his value—but was still far behind.
“The questions vary in difficulty and in point value. They will not be repeated. It goes from one point up to ten points. Listen carefully.”
The room fell completely still. The lights flickered once more before the screen turned solid black.
Then the voice returned.
“Now, you will enter one by one. Starting with the one with the highest value.”
There was a long pause.
“Oska Baek Senior. Enter to your Death.”