I was now in the room called the mining clinic to receive treatment for the injuries caused by those three workers.

  The room looked more like an old warehouse than a medical facility. Flickering neon lights cast a grim and oppressive atmosphere.

  The smell of antiseptic mixed with a sharp metallic scent, and the beds were nothing more than rusted iron frames with thin mattresses. The medical equipment looked outdated, some even dusty and seemingly rarely used.

  "Does it still hurt?" Jessica asked as she cleaned the wound on my arm.

  "It's a bit better now, thank you," I replied softly.

  "But... can this place really be called a medical clinic? From its condition, it's more like an abandoned warehouse," I muttered while observing the dust and grime-filled room.

  Jessica opened an old drawer and took out a few bottles of medicine. "At least there's still some antiseptic we can use," she said, trying to stay optimistic.

  Suddenly, she held up a small bottle with a faded label. "Look at this, Frey. It says 'Biodine,' and it's marked 'Made in UNA.' Are we actually in UNA?" she asked, confused.

  I moved closer, examining the bottle closely. "How did something like this end up here? And look, it says it was produced in 1980," I pointed at the nearly faded label.

  Jessica furrowed her brow. "Why is such an old medicine still here?"

  We both fell silent, trying to make sense of the situation. But the sound of approaching footsteps from the door broke the quiet.

  "Are you finished?" asked someone, who turned out to be the overseer. He looked at us with sharp eyes.

  "Yes, we're done," I said as I stood up.

  "Thank you for helping me, Mr...," I hesitated, unsure what to call him.

  "Just call me Shade. But if the head overseer is around, pretend I never introduced myself," he said mysteriously.

  "Alright... But can I ask you something? What is the 'Tiles of Fate' game?" I asked curiously.

  Shade looked at me for a moment before answering, "You'll find out when the game begins. It'll start 30 minutes after the 'Hunt and Survive' game is over."

  He continued, "You're expected to join the other workers after your treatment. The 'Hunt and Survive' game will start soon, and you're all required to watch. Think of it as a break."

  After giving his instructions, Shade left us.

  "'Hunt and Survive'? What's that?" Jessica asked anxiously. "Why are there so many strange games?"

  "It's better if we head out and join the others. They're probably worried," I said, trying to calm Jessica.

  We left the clinic and saw many workers, along with our friends, already gathered in a large open area. Most of them sat on the ground, waiting for something.

  "There they are!" Jessica said, waving her hand.

  "How are you feeling, Frey?" Darren asked, concerned. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you earlier."

  "Forgive us too," said one of the girls I had saved, followed by two others who also apologized.

  I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Ah, it's nothing serious. I can still eat three big plates of rice."

  Jessica immediately interjected, "Are you sure they'd give you that much?"

  "It's just a figure of speech," I replied with a small laugh.

  We all laughed together, easing the tension that had lingered earlier. Darren then said, "Come on, let's join the others."

  As I rejoined the group, I felt grateful for their concern for me.

  Suddenly, a projector turned on, displaying an image on the mine wall. What appeared on the screen left us all stunned.

  There, we saw a group of animals, mostly dogs, behaving like humans. Some sat, some cheered, and others waved banners covered in unfamiliar symbols we had never seen before.

  The most baffling part was that we could understand what they were saying.

  "How can we understand their language? Did they learn human speech?" Darren asked, confused.

  "Then where are we? And why are there animals acting like humans?" Jessica added.

  We exchanged glances, trying to comprehend this bizarre situation. But what puzzled us even more was how the other workers seemed to treat it as normal.

  "Just enjoy the show," said Victor, who suddenly appeared beside us.

  "What does all this mean, Mr. Victor?" I asked urgently.

  "Mr.? There's no need to add that to my name. Just call me Victor," he replied.

  Victor took a deep breath before answering, "We're now in Doghaven, a nation ruled by the Canidra-dogs that behave like humans. You can understand their language because of the drink you had consumed when you first arrived here."

  "That black drink?" I recalled the strange liquid we had consumed.

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  "Yes, that's why you can understand them. But don't ask too many questions. Just focus on the show that's about to begin," said Victor as he sipped something from his flask.

  I still had so many questions, but Victor just shook his head and said, "Figure it out for yourself. For now, just watch the game."

  A voice from a speaker echoed across the area:

  "WELCOME, ESTEEMED AUDIENCE!"

  "I AM THOMAS, YOUR HOST FOR TONIGHT'S EVENT."

  The voice belonged to an Anatolian Shepherd dog standing on a podium, holding a microphone. His face was clearly displayed on the projector screen, radiating confidence.

  As I watched the opening of the "Hunt and Survive" game, I was still struggling to process everything. But my confusion turned into shock when the camera focused on the players entering the arena. Among them, I saw someone I knew all too well-Elio.

  "Elio? That's Elio, right? Why is he there?" I shouted in disbelief.

  My friends were equally stunned, and chaos erupted among us. Some of the workers nearby began to notice our commotion.

  Victor, who had been sitting calmly, said, "So, your friend is in there. Looks like he's had a stroke of bad luck."

  I turned to Victor, still panicking. "Why is Elio there? Why isn't he with us here?" I demanded, my voice trembling with emotion.

  A worker suddenly yelled from behind, "Can you keep it down? Whether your friend is in there or not, you'd better just pray he survives."

  "Exactly," another worker chimed in. "It's not just your friend in there. We have people we know in that arena too."

  I lowered my head, trying to control myself and avoid escalating the situation. Despite my restless heart, I could only follow their advice-watch and hope that Elio would be okay.

  Victor gently patted my shoulder. "Pray for Elio, just as I'm praying for my brother, Marlo," he said, pointing at the screen where a middle-aged man stood near Elio.

  I turned to him, shocked by his words. "Marlo... is your brother?" I asked, needing confirmation.

  Victor nodded slowly, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "Yes. This isn't the time to explain everything. What's important now is that we pray for their safety," he said, his voice low and tinged with worry he tried to mask.

  I could only nod slightly, unsure of what to say. This revelation came amid chaos that had already left my mind in turmoil. Though I didn't know Marlo personally, I could feel the weight of Victor's emotions.

  We remained glued to the screen, watching with hearts full of anxiety. The game's rules, which allowed the Guardian Dogs to harm or even kill the players, made every passing second feel suffocating. All I could do now was hope that Elio-and perhaps Marlo-would survive.

  The projector screen then split into 20 sections, each showing a camera following an individual player. My focus immediately shifted to the screen displaying Elio.

  The tension grew as another screen showed a man with glasses pulling something out of his pocket-Mole Gloves.

  "There he is! So he's the one who stole the Mole Gloves! Some workers forced to play because of him are so unlucky," one worker muttered angrily.

  "How did he smuggle that in without getting caught?" another worker asked, equally furious.

  A small uproar began among the workers, blaming the man with glasses for the current situation.

  Suddenly, the sound of loud drums reverberated, signaling the movement of the Guardian Dogs.

  I could barely breathe as the camera zoomed in on one of the hooded Guardian Dogs moving slowly toward Elio's hiding spot.

  "Elio, do something quickly! That thing's heading your way!" I whispered, almost unconsciously.

  Jessica, sitting beside me, gripped my sleeve tightly. She looked terrified, even closing her eyes tightly in fear.

  The creature finally stopped right in front of the place where Elio and Marlo were hiding. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might explode. Everyone around us fell silent, holding their breath.

  But after what felt like an eternity, the creature moved on, unaware of their presence.

  "Oh my god, I thought he was going to get caught!" Darren exclaimed with relief.

  "Yeah, my heart almost jumped out of my chest," I replied. "But I'm sure Elio will survive. He's always tough in critical situations."

  Victor chuckled softly. "Hahaha, I didn't expect Marlo to survive thanks to your friend. That kid's amazing," he said, nodding in approval.

  I could only mumble, "What can I do? All I can do is watch my friend fight in this life-and-death game."

  Jessica turned to me, trying to calm me down. "Frey, let's just keep praying for Elio's safety."

  I nodded, attempting to steady my emotions. Darren and the others seemed to agree. There was nothing else we could do but hope.

  The tension eased slightly when the screen showed Elio and Marlo cleverly saving someone by using the situation to trap one of the Guardian Dogs in a mud pit. Spontaneous cheers erupted from the workers, including us.

  "That was incredible! They managed to save that person and escape!" one of the workers exclaimed enthusiastically.

  I smiled faintly, though my heart was still far from calm. "I'm sure Elio will make it to the end," I thought, trying to reassure myself.

  The brief relief was abruptly shattered when we saw the person saved by Elio and Marlo become a victim, losing their life at the hands of the creature.

  The tension escalated as the game timer ticked down to five minutes, with only five players remaining, shown across the five active screens.

  I watched as the remaining players hid in various ways. One woman concealed herself among a pile of corpses, a burly man climbed a tree and hid among the branches, and the man with glasses dug into the ground to bury himself. Only Elio and Marlo kept running, trying to evade the relentless Guardian Dogs.

  "Why doesn't Elio just hide until the time runs out?" Darren asked anxiously.

  "They're hunting dogs; their sense of smell is incredibly sharp. With only five players left, they'll search more thoroughly," I explained, my eyes glued to the screen.

  The tension reached its peak as two Guardian Dogs began chasing Elio and Marlo. But what shocked us all was when Marlo suddenly pushed Elio into a mud pit, diverting the Guardian Dogs' attention toward himself.

  On the screen, we saw Marlo sprinting with all his strength, trying to escape the creatures. But his run came to an end when he was cornered by three Guardian Dogs. His expression was one of resignation as he collapsed to the ground, clutching a photo tightly in his hand.

  He gazed at the photo with deep sorrow, tears streaming down his face. In mere seconds, one of the Guardian Dogs slashed him, ending everything.

  I turned to look at Victor, whose face was a mix of grief and fury. Losing his brother was clearly a devastating blow.

  Now only four players remained on the screen. On Elio's screen, he was shown struggling to climb out of the mud pit, only to freeze as the hooded Guardian Dog appeared and blocked his path.

  "Is Elio going to die too?" I wondered, holding my breath. My body felt weak, unable to utter a single word.

  Suddenly, the sound of loud drums echoed, signaling the game's end. Yet the tension didn't ease. The hooded Guardian Dog remained in front of Elio, pointing its sword at him.

  Moments later, instead of killing him, the creature struck Elio hard.

  "The game's over! Why is it still hitting him?" I shouted angrily.

  "That's normal. They're hunting dogs. Failing to kill their prey must have frustrated them," one of the workers said calmly.

  I clenched my fists. "Even so, that's unacceptable!"

  "The important thing is that Elio is still alive," Darren said in a relieved tone. "Thank goodness our prayers were answered."

  I shared his relief, knowing that Elio had survived. However, the mood grew somber again as I watched Victor walk away, his face heavy with sorrow. Losing his brother was a heartbreaking loss for him, and I didn't know what to say to comfort him.

  Though my heart ached for Marlo's death, I was grateful Elio was still alive.

  The sudden sound of a door opening interrupted my thoughts. Shade the overseer entered the area with firm steps, delivering an announcement.

  "Players registered for the Tiles of Fate game, please prepare yourselves," he said in a monotone voice.

  I froze. The relief I had just felt vanished in an instant. I remembered that I was one of the participants forced to join the next game.

  Cheers erupted from the workers around us. They seemed excited, as if watching these deadly games was the entertainment they eagerly awaited.

  My heart began pounding once more. Fear and anxiety crept in again.