The living room had transformed in the span of an hour.
Where once there were cushions and low tables, now there was nothing but a single ring of white light embedded in the floor.
They sat in a perfect circle, spaced evenly apart.
Each of them held their gadget, glowing in red tones. Cameras floated silently from the ceiling corners. A single digital clock hovered above the center of the circle, counting down in white block digits.
The stream had already started. Somewhere, the viewers were already forming opinions.
“This feels like a public execution,” Bacon PD muttered.
– I CAN’T WATCH.
– Do you think they have formed alliances already?
– Very likely.
– Is this how Zeno is going to be eliminated?
“Welcome to the Live Sacrifice,” Lucy started off.
“You will now vote every ten minutes. During the voting phase, communication is prohibited. After each round, you are free to speak. Elimination will be announced only when one value hits zero. Until then… devour, give…
…and survive.”
The timer hit 00:00:00.
A chime rang through the room. Their screens blinked.
Vote Now.
Zeno exhaled through his nose. He glanced once at Minjae. He didn’t hesitate to give and devour.
Zeno’s own gadget buzzed slightly in his palm.
DEVOUR: Billy
GIVE: Annie (+5)
He tapped quickly. Annie defended him the most during the main mission. On the other hand, Billy went to him before they started filming, saying they should take care of each other.
But Zeno heard the trio’s conversation in the kitchen when he tried to retrieve a bag of potato chips. He wasn’t upset that they wanted to eliminate him.
He was upset that Minsu had eaten the last bag for the day.
It also gave him confirmation that Billy was someone who didn’t side with anyone. As long as it was convenient for him and as long as he saved face, he would switch sides without hesitation.
Zeno didn’t want to deal with him for the next games. He also wasn’t fond of Minjae, but that guy stabbed within one’s vision.
He was an easier opponent.
The vote ended with a ding.
With that, all devices went dark.
Then Lucy’s voice returned.
“Voting has concluded.”
Then, slowly, people exhaled. Some stretched their fingers, cracking knuckles. The cameras moved around to show them the initial scores.
Zeno looked down at his screen.
Points: 190 → 160
He had lost 30. Just as he expected.
– Woah, didn’t he lose too much?
– Who went against him?
– Minjae, Minsu… and Bacon PD?
– Zeno lost the most, didn’t he?
160 → 170
+5
+5
Two people gave him some of their points.
He scanned the group quickly.
It had to be Annie, maybe Bacon PD, or Ari.
They reset the timer. 10:00 began again.
The waiting began anew.
Round two. Round three.
Each round brought the same results.
Zeno was slowly bleeding points. Drip by drip.
190. 160. 130. 100.
Always losing 30. Always gain back a small 5, maybe 10.
However, he knew it wasn’t enough.
The fourth round ended.
The silence was suffocating.
Zeno looked down.
Points: 100
Across the circle, Minjae leaned back, stretching his arms. Billy gave Minsu a little grin and a nod. They were keeping each other afloat and gifting each other points in a perfect rotation.
Zeno tilted his head to the side. He was surprised none of them had broken the alliance yet.
That was when Ari finally broke the silence.
“I want to say something,” she said. “I hope for the next round, we don’t focus on the alliances we’ve made but on giving and devouring from those who deserve it.”
Minjae smirked. “And what do you mean by that?”
“Zeno doesn’t deserve to go home,” she said.
“He’s the only one who answered all the puzzles. We would’ve been stuck in there until now if it wasn’t for him.”
– Makes sense.
– But this isn’t the game about that.
– Yeah, she’s being too emotional.
Minjae gave a small scoff.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “This is a different game. One mission doesn’t make a leader.”
Zeno looked at him, leaning against his palms. “You’re right,” he said smoothly. “It doesn’t.”
Everyone turned.
“But it does make a threat.”
Minjae arched a brow.
Zeno kept his tone calm.”And that’s what bothers you, isn’t it? I didn’t need to form alliances to win. I just… did.”
Minsu frowned. “What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying,” Zeno said, “that some people talk big, and some people do big.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“Empty cans make the loudest noise.”
Billy flinched slightly, feeling targeted.
Minjae’s expression twisted just a little.
“You calling me empty?”
“If the can fits.”
Annie choked back a laugh while Bacon PD’s eyes flickered with interest.
Before Minjae could retaliate.
00:00:00
Round 5: Begin Voting
Zeno tapped quickly.
DEVOUR: Minjae
GIVE: Ari (+5)
When the voting ended, he stared at his screen, and again, it was what he had expected. After saying those words, he would become an even bigger target for the three.
Points: 100 → 85
Lost: 30
Gained: 15
Annie stared at her screen without really seeing it. The numbers stared back at her, and she bit her lip.
What kept pulsing in her mind was the look on Zeno’s face. She had observed him when they worked for a brief moment, but coming here, she realized that he was a person with no edges.
He didn’t beg or whine. He also didn’t plead for points. He played the game. He said what he meant.
And he did all of that with confidence.
She swallowed hard.
Why did I even come here?
She’d asked herself that so many times now, she couldn’t count.
She’d told herself it was about stepping out of her shell and facing her fear of people.
For so long, she had hidden behind the screen because she was scared of judgment.
But as her eyes flicked to Zeno again, she realized something.
She hadn’t regretted coming here because of the game. She’d regretted it because she hadn’t done anything.
At least, not yet.
Zeno’s gaze swept across the circle again, stopping briefly on Minjae’s cluster.
Annie looked at the gadget in her hand.
Two more rounds, maybe three.
That’s all Zeno had left. She knew that the three were targeting him, and most likely, he was losing 30 points for each round.
Ari broke her thoughts. As the two women left, they sat next to each other.
“What to do?” Ari whispered.
“I can’t stand Minsu,” she muttered. “The way he looked down on us writers during the challenge…”
Annie nodded slightly.
Minsu had made a comment about writing being an easy job back in the Death Area, and it has stayed with the two of them since.
The timer ticked down.
Round Six.
Zeno lost another 30.
He was now at 55.
When Annie’s screen blinked for Round Seven, she didn’t hesitate.
DEVOUR: Minjae
GIVE: Zeno
Then—
DING.
“Player Eliminated.”