"Sorry if I forgot to mention something, but contestants are not allowed to step out of the designated floor," Grumford said, scratching his head, trying to smile as if nothing was wrong.
I felt a sharp tingling sensation after the electric shock hit my body. With my vision slightly blurred, I looked at the screen. It turned out that Brant had used Anchor Seal on me, preventing me from stepping onto the 15th floor.
"What does this mean, Brant?" I asked, my voice filled with confusion. "If we work together, wouldn't we reach the 100th floor faster?"
Brant ignored my question. His eyes were instead fixed on Orian, who was calmly shaking his dice.
Orian rolled a 3 and moved to the 10th floor, where there was a dog tail symbol and an arrow pointing to 20. Without hesitation, Orian accepted it, deciding to advance to the 20th floor, which was a chest floor.
As soon as Orian stepped forward, an electric shock struck his body, and the screen displayed -1 HP reduction. Upon reaching the 20th floor, he opened the chest and found a Thief's Emblem, an item that allowed him to steal a random Support Item from another player.
Liam rolled a 3, which forced him to move down to 9, since the floor he was supposed to reach, 16, had a descending staircase symbol. Liam let out a deep sigh, feeling slightly annoyed that he had to move down again.
Victor rolled a 6 and proceeded to the 18th floor.
"Fourth round."
Brant rolled a 6 and advanced to the 26th floor. Meanwhile, my turn came, and I rolled a 5. Although I was disappointed for not landing on another chest floor, I had no choice but to move forward, stepping onto the 17th floor cautiously, keeping an eye on the screen, wary of any possible penalties.
Orian rolled a 4, advancing to the 24th floor, while Liam rolled a 4, bringing him back to 13, which had a quest symbol.
Liam received a quest requiring him to do 30 push-ups, a relatively easy challenge for him. After completing it, he obtained his second Support Item, the Position Switcher. His expression brightened, relieved after having to move down to the 9th floor earlier.
Victor rolled a 2, moving to the 20th floor, where he opened a chest containing a Life Crystal, an item that increased 2 HP.
"Fifth round."
Brant confidently rolled his dice, moving to the 29th floor, and obtained a Turn Freeze, a Support Item that allowed him to skip one chosen player's turn. Brant looked very pleased, having advanced further than the rest of us.
It was my turn. I rolled the dice with mixed emotions and got a 2. The 19th floor turned out to be another quest floor. Hoping to get my second Support Item, I stepped forward, thinking that I was bound to get lucky after missing out on the 15th floor.
The screen began randomizing the quest assigned by the VIPs, and the moment it appeared, fear gripped me. The audience and VIPs erupted into excited cheers upon seeing the quest I had received.
The quest on the screen stated that I had to cut off my left foot. I read the words repeatedly, unable to believe what I was seeing. I could only stand there, frozen, confused.
The audience's cheers grew louder.
"Are they insane?" I thought to myself.
"Ladies and gentlemen, here's the quest we've all been waiting for! Will Frey accept it?" Grumford announced enthusiastically.
"What are you thinking?! That quest is ridiculous! Of course, I refuse!" I shouted, my voice filled with frustration and disbelief.
Grumford let out a disappointed sigh. "If you refuse, you will lose 1 HP," he said flatly.
"That's fine. Losing 1 HP is far better than losing my foot," I replied firmly.
Suddenly, another electric shock surged through my body, much stronger this time. My HP decreased by 1, and the pain nearly made me collapse.
"This game is getting more dangerous. I have to be careful," I thought anxiously.
Orian confidently rolled his dice and got a 6, moving him to the 30th floor. The 30th floor had a dog's head symbol, which meant he would receive a -2 HP penalty.
Orian stepped forward with determination, but before landing on the 30th floor, he used the Position Switcher to swap places with me.
A mechanical arms emerged from the ceiling, forcibly swapping our positions, unable to escape the reality that I had been taken to the 30th floor. The moment I landed, an immense electric shock struck me, sending me crashing to the ground.
"Arggghhh!" I screamed in pain, feeling like my body was being burned by the excruciating shock.
"That's unfair!" Jessica shouted from the audience.
"Yeah, that's cheating!" my other friends echoed.
However, Orian simply grinned, unbothered by their protests.
"Everything is legal," Grumford stated calmly. "Contestants are allowed to use Support Items whenever they want. That's what makes this game so thrilling and full of surprises."
After hearing Grumford's explanation, the expressions of my friends changed. Disappointed and worried, they fell silent, their faces showing clear despair.
"It was Liam's turn to roll the dice. However, before doing so, he pressed a button on his device, activating the Position Switcher. The same mechanical arms that had swapped my positions earlier descended once again, grabbing me and forcefully dragging me back to floor 13.
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My body felt heavy as I was moved, and once Liam landed on the 30th floor, he rolled his dice, advancing two steps to 32."
Victor rolled a 2. With a heavy heart, he could not step forward, only to be hit by a painful electric shock due to getting the same number. He clutched his head, wincing in pain.
"It really does hurt when you get shocked like this," Victor muttered, still feeling the sting of the punishment.
"Round six," Grumford announced.
Brant rolled a 5 and moved to floor 34. There, he opened a chest and found a Position Switcher.
"Another Position Switcher? This is dangerous if they plan to swap my position again," I thought, staring anxiously at the screen, my body still aching from the previous electric shocks. My HP was down to just 2 points, and fear started creeping in.
My turn came, and I rolled the dice. A 2 appeared.
"Floor 15... that means I have a chance to gain extra Life Points in this chest floor," I muttered to myself, holding onto a sliver of hope.
I moved quickly, even though my body still felt weak. After opening the chest on floor 15, I found Lucky Star, which allowed me to choose the dice number I wanted.
But that hope didn't last long. The audience erupted in cheers as I looked at the screen-Orian had stolen my Lucky Star using Thief's Emblem.
"No way," I thought, feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
Orian immediately used the Lucky Star, choosing 1 as his dice roll, bringing him to another chest floor. He opened the chest and found Life Shards, increasing his HP by 1.
"Yeah! Finally got Life Points!" he shouted, jumping in excitement, while I could only remain silent, feeling powerless.
Liam, moving slowly, advanced to floor 37 with a roll of 5, while Victor moved to floor 24 with a roll of 4.
"Round Seven," Grumford continued.
Brant rolled a 1, moving to floor 35. I rolled a 3, leading me to floor 18. Orian rolled a 6, reaching floor 26, while Liam rolled a 6, reaching floor 43. Lastly, Victor rolled a 2, moving to floor 26.
"Round Eight," Grumford's voice echoed.
Brant rolled a 1, which triggered a -1 HP penalty, keeping him on floor 35. A powerful electric shock struck him again, causing Brant to stumble in pain.
I rolled a 4, moving to floor 22.
Orian rolled a 6, suffering another electric shock that made him groan in pain.
Liam rolled a 2, reaching floor 45, while Victor rolled a 3, moving to floor 29, where he found an Immunity Charm in a chest-an item that protected him from penalties.
"Round Nine."
Brant rolled a 2, I rolled a 6, and Orian rolled a 5.
Liam rolled a 5, forcing him onto floor 50, which had a dog's head symbol. Reluctantly, Liam stepped forward, only to be struck by a powerful electric shock. His body jolted from the intense pain.
"Luckily, he doesn't have a Position Switcher. If he did, I'd be done for," I thought, fear gripping me.
I glanced at Victor, who calmly rolled his dice and got a 6, moving to floor 35.
"Round Ten."
Brant rolled a 6, I rolled a 4, Orian rolled a 6, Liam rolled a 1, and Victor rolled a 3.
"Round Eleven."
Brant rolled a 1 and moved to floor 44, which turned out to be a quest floor. The quest required him to cut off his left hand.
"I refuse," Brant said firmly, though his face paled slightly. An electric shock immediately struck him, resulting in a -1 HP penalty.
My turn came, and I rolled a 2. Floor 34 was another chest floor. Before opening the chest, I silently prayed for a good item.
This time, luck was on my side-I found Life Shards Hp + 1 and used them immediately, feeling slightly relieved.
Orian rolled a 2 and discovered a Punisher Bolt in the chest, an item that allowed him to choose a player and reduce their HP by 1 point.
Liam, who was on the highest floor among us, rolled his dice nervously and got a 5. He had to land on a quest floor again.
"Damn it! Why does this unlucky number keep appearing?" Liam groaned, clicking his tongue in frustration.
The quest displayed on the screen was to remove one of his eyes.
Without hesitation, Liam refused.
"I reject this quest," he said firmly. However, a powerful electric shock immediately struck his body, causing him to collapse momentarily.
Victor, with a calm expression, rolled his dice and got a 4, bringing him to floor 42. There, a dog tail symbol appeared, allowing him to move to floor 52.
"I accept the floor jump," Victor said confidently, stepping forward without hesitation, despite knowing a penalty awaited him. The moment his foot touched the floor 52, an electric shock surged through his body. His HP dropped, leaving him with only 3 remaining.
"Twelfth Round"
Brant rolled a 4 and moved to the 48th floor. There, he opened a chest and found Reverse Gear x4, which allowed a player to move back 4 floors. However, since Brant already had 2 Support Items, he was forced to discard one.
Brant remained silent for a while, weighing his options. Finally, with a tense expression, he chose to discard Reverse Gear x4.
It was my turn. I rolled the dice and got a 2. I let out a long sigh, feeling the weight of this game growing heavier. The floor I landed on had a staircase leading down to floor 22-pulling me even deeper into despair.
Orian rolled a 3 and moved to the 42nd floor, where there was a dog's tail symbol. He refused to step on it, perhaps knowing what would happen if he did.
Now it was Liam's turn. He rolled the dice and got a 4, reaching the 60th floor, where he found Life Shards Hp +1 and used them immediately.
"Finally got some Life Shards! Guess I'm not always unlucky," Liam said, his face lighting up with rare happiness.
"Don't waste all your support items. Remember our plan," Orian reminded him in a serious tone, his eyes full of warning.
"But my HP is down to 2! Of course, I'm going to use it to stay alive!" Liam replied, sounding frustrated.
"We'll survive as long as we stick to the plan," Brant said with a cold laugh, trying to mask his tension.
"What plan are they talking about? All they've done is keep attacking me, pushing me further into a corner," I thought, confused. My body felt exhausted, and despair crept into my mind. On the other hand, Victor simply stood there calmly, his blank expression revealing nothing.
Victor stepped forward, rolled the dice, and got a 6, moving to the 58th floor.
---
"Thirteenth Round"
Brant rolled a 3, moving to the 51st floor. Without hesitation, he used Turn Freeze on me, preventing me from rolling the dice this round. I felt trapped, unable to escape.
My body felt heavy. My spirit was fading. It was as if I existed only to be their target. Every step felt further away from hope, and despair crept in deeper.
Before I could even process my emotions, another electric shock surged through my body. My HP dropped by 1, and I could feel my strength slipping away. Orian then used Punisher Bolt on me, and I could only lower my head, powerless. It was as if every last ounce of energy had been drained from me.
Orian rolled a 6 and moved to the 48th floor, where he found a chest. He opened it and obtained Immunity Charm, granting him protection from future penalties.
"Hahaha! Lady Luck is on my side!" Orian shouted with a victorious laugh.
"Nice job, Boss! We'll survive as long as we follow the plan," Liam said with a wide grin as he rolled the dice. He got a 2 and moved to the 62nd floor, choosing not to jump to the 78th floor.
Victor rolled a 1 and moved to the 59th floor.
---
"Fourteenth Round"
Brant rolled a 5 and moved to the 56th floor, where he received a quest to cut off both ears. However, Brant refused, and punishment immediately followed. He suffered a -1 HP penalty, his body trembling from the painful electric shock.
It was my turn. I rolled the dice and got a 1. The floor I landed on was the 23rd, but I chose to jump to the 35th floor, hoping to catch up with the others. However, the jump triggered an intense electric shock, burning through my body. It felt like I was being torn apart, and I nearly lost consciousness.
"It's better to keep reducing my own HP than to be killed by them," I muttered in resignation, my body growing weaker as if my life was slipping away.
I couldn't hear the audience's cheers anymore. All sounds felt distant, as if I were trapped in an empty world. My teammates kept saying something, but I couldn't make out the words. Everything felt blurry and heavy.
"Is this the end of my life? Would it be better if I just died here?" The thoughts echoed in my mind, filled with hopelessness.
I was falling far behind. Only 15 minutes remained, and there seemed to be no hope left for me.
"Forgive me, Jessica. Forgive me, Elio. I can't do this anymore." The words kept spinning in my head, sinking deep into my shattered soul.
It felt like I was drowning, and there was no one to save me.
