Silence enveloped us, each of us lost in thoughts about the game we would face in two days. No one spoke, only the sound of breathing and the occasional rustling as someone shifted inside the cell.

  The silence was finally broken when Carla spoke, her voice soft yet filled with concern. "Are you okay? I'm Carla. What's your name?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the man sitting alone in the corner of the cell.

  The man slowly turned his head, but his long, unkempt hair partially covered his face, making it unclear whether he was truly looking at Carla or merely reacting to the sound.

  From the lifeless look in his eyes, I felt something familiar—a void I had once experienced myself after losing Marlo and failing to escape. That kind of wound never truly healed.

  Carla, with her characteristic warmth, continued trying to reach out to the man, like a mother unable to bear seeing a child alone in sadness. Eve, who had been watching, finally stepped closer.

  "You're not the only one who's traumatized or suffering here," Eve said quietly, her voice firm but not judgmental. "We've all been through it. So, it's better if we're open with each other. That way, we can understand and help one another."

  "That's right," Carla added gently. "Don't isolate yourself like this. We're here if you need help."

  Slowly, the man lifted his head, revealing dull brown eyes and dark circles that hinted at many sleepless nights. His voice was quiet, barely a whisper.

  "My name is... Nathan. But... are you really not going to leave me? Like the others?"

  Leave him? Had he been betrayed, or had he lost someone dear to him? I watched him, trying to read the hidden emotions behind his weary face.

  Carla didn’t answer with words. Instead, she pulled Nathan into a gentle yet firm embrace. "We’re here, Nathan," she whispered. "I can't make promises... but I want us to help each other. You're not alone."

  Nathan bit his lip, looking down before slowly raising his face again. A glimmer of tears finally escaped, trailing down his pale cheeks.

  Seeing that, we all exchanged small smiles. It wasn’t much, but at least it was a start.

  "You can trust us," Daniel said, trying to reassure him. "Or if you're still unsure, you can trust my mom."

  Nathan quickly wiped his tears away, as if embarrassed to show his weakness.

  "So... if you don’t mind me asking, which kingdom are you from?" Eve asked, her tone curious.

  Nathan swallowed hard before answering softly, "I'm... a survivor from the Monkey Kingdom. There, humans like us are nothing but slaves... and the women are turned into..." He gritted his teeth, as if forcing himself to swallow a bitterness he wished to forget.

  "Slaves...?" Carla looked shocked, while Eve let out a long sigh, her expression turning serious.

  "So this was Apathyra," Eve muttered. "The kingdom known for its red-light district."

  "You seem to know quite a lot about this world," Daniel commented, glancing at Eve curiously.

  "Of course," Eve replied with sarcasm. "I learned quite a bit when I was made the 'wife' of that fat bastard."

  Daniel frowned. "Wife? Who’s the fat bastard?"

  Carla gently touched Daniel’s arm. "Don’t ask about someone’s past if all it will do is make them relive old wounds."

  Hearing that, Daniel immediately fell silent, guilt crossing his face.

  "It’s fine," Eve said with a faint smile. "I just... don’t want to talk about it anymore."

  I shifted my gaze to Nathan, and my eyes immediately caught the symbol on the back of his shirt—??∑?-?. The extra symbol after the dash was something special, indicating something significant.

  "Nathan," I called out softly. "You... were one of the winners in the Monkey Kingdom’s game, weren’t you?"

  Everyone immediately turned to look at me.

  "Why are you asking that?" Eve asked, suspicious.

  I pointed at the symbol on Nathan’s back. "I’ve seen these symbols before... but he has a fifth symbol after the dash."

  Eve narrowed her eyes, just now noticing what I had. "Oh, you’re right... He has an extra symbol."

  Nathan let out a deep breath before finally nodding. "Yeah... I was one of the two winners of ‘The Collector’s Game.’"

  Daniel raised an eyebrow. "The Collector’s Game? What kind of game is that?"

  Nathan clenched his sleeve tightly, as if holding something back. "In that game... we had to run to the finish line within five minutes. The host would count to ten at a random speed. If, by the tenth count, we were still visible... we’d be shot with colored bullets. If we got hit three times..." He paused, biting his lip, then continued in a trembling voice, "We would become slaves to the monkey who shot us."

  Silence filled the room. Nathan lowered his head, his hands gripping his clothes tightly.

  "A lot must have happened..." Eve finally said, her voice softer than before. "But at least, you survived and got out of there."

  Nathan didn’t respond right away, but from the way he sighed, I could tell that a small weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

  Eve patted his shoulder gently. "Elio and I are also survivors from the Dog Kingdom. We won the ‘Hunt and Survive’ game."

  Nathan looked at us, his eyes filled with surprise—and maybe even admiration.

  Carla smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, and we haven’t introduced ourselves, have we? I’m Carla, and this is my son, Daniel."

  Daniel waved with a small smile.

  "I’m Eve," she continued. "And as I mentioned earlier, that’s Elio."

  I nodded slightly.

  Nathan still stared at us, as if he couldn’t believe that we had all gone through deadly games and were still standing here, talking to each other.

  Daniel scratched his head. "By the way, if that’s the case... what do the extra symbols on the back of your clothes mean?"

  "Maybe they’re the initials of the kingdoms," Nathan guessed, squinting as if trying to recall something. "Elio and I have a square-shaped 'D' symbol. That must be the letter D in the Latin alphabet, which means Doghaven. As for Nathan’s symbol... an inverted trident. That means... A?"

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Nathan nodded. "Apathyra. That’s the name of the Monkey Kingdom."

  Eve smirked. "I guessed right."

  Daniel, who had been listening curiously, finally asked, "Wait, how do you even know how to read those symbols?"

  Eve leaned casually against the cell wall. "When I was held captive, I found a basic alphabet book for this world. I thought it would be useful, so I actually studied it."

  I looked at her, then pointed to another symbols on Nathan’s clothing. "What about the ones on the front?"

  Eve shrugged. "They look like numbers. But I was too lazy to study them, so... I don’t know."

  We all stared at her with disappointed expressions.

  "That aside," Daniel changed the subject, "how many kingdoms actually exist in this world?"

  I glanced at Eve, expecting her to answer, but before she could speak, a different thought struck me.

  "Nathan," I turned to him. "Earlier, you said your game made you run and hide before the tenth count, right?"

  Nathan looked at me hesitantly. "Yeah?"

  "Isn't that... just like 'Red Light, Green Light'?"

  A brief silence fell over us before Eve suddenly exclaimed, "And the ‘Hunt and Survive’ game we played was like hide-and-seek. We had to hide from the guards."

  Daniel’s eyes lit up in realization. "After ‘Hunt and Survive,’ we heard about another game in prison. It was called ‘Tiles of Fate.’ The game was like a giant board of snakes and ladders, where the players themselves were the pieces."

  "So all the games in this world... are based on games we've played before?" Eve muttered.

  I nodded. "Maybe the next game will be like that too."

  Carla, who had been listening attentively, finally asked, "But... if we know the type of game, does that actually help us survive?"

  That question made us all fall silent.

  I took a deep breath. "At the very least, we can prepare better."

  Feeling guilty that the atmosphere had turned somber, Carla smiled reassuringly. "What’s important is that we face this together."

  "Of course." Eve pointed at me. "You can leave everything to Elio."

  I frowned. "Why me?"

  Seeing my confused expression, they all laughed.

  We kept talking until exhaustion slowly took over each of us. I didn’t even realize when I finally fell asleep. The last thing I remembered was Nathan’s voice—sounding much calmer than before.

  ---

  Morning arrived with the sound of heavy footsteps echoing through the corridor. We all woke up as the guards threw food into our cell—the same meal as yesterday.

  "I want to take a bath," Eve grumbled, biting into her bread.

  Daniel groaned as well. "It's been so long since I last bathed. I feel so sticky."

  "Even cold water would be fine," Eve added, stretching her arms.

  Suddenly, another set of footsteps approached. A heavy voice, laced with sarcasm, followed soon after.

  "Good morning, everyone," a high-ranking pig humanoid said as he stood before our cell. "I hope you all slept well. And I hope this food is enough to fill your stomachs."

  We stared at him blankly, without any expression.

  "Today, I’m here to register participants for tomorrow's game," he continued. "If you don’t want to participate, speak now."

  Not a single voice was heard.

  "Very well. That means everyone agrees." He grinned with satisfaction.

  Someone from another cell finally mustered the courage to ask, "What kind of game will we be playing?"

  The pig chuckled, low and guttural. “You’ll find out tomorrow. So brace yourselves… and get ready for some fun.”

  He lingered for a moment, his smile stretching wider, as if savoring their dread—then turned and walked away, his heavy footsteps fading into an eerie, pulsing silence that left only growing unease in their wake.

  I frowned. "A fun game?" Somehow, his words only gave me a bad feeling.

  We resumed eating in silence, saving our energy for tomorrow.

  Carla finally spoke, trying to reassure us. "We need to conserve our strength for what's ahead."

  Daniel turned to his mother. "What about your leg, Mom?"

  Carla smiled gently. "Don't worry. My leg is much better. I can participate tomorrow."

  We exchanged glances, unsure whether to feel relieved or even more anxious. In the other cells, the prisoners remained quiet, lost in their own thoughts.

  We spent the rest of the day chatting, trying to distract ourselves from the tension hanging in the air. Eventually, night fell.

  Without much conversation, we went to bed early—preparing for a tomorrow that might bring either hope… or despair.

  ---

  That morning, we were woken up earlier than usual and given one last meal before the game began. Even though it tasted the same as before, none of us had much appetite—our nerves clenched our stomachs, reminding us of what awaited ahead.

  After a few minutes of rest, the moment finally arrived. The guards began unlocking the cells one by one, ordering us to step outside.

  As I walked out, I finally realized just how many prisoners were being held here. There were about forty people in total. This game was bound to be a fierce battle—everyone would be fighting desperately to survive.

  Their expressions varied. Some looked excited, as if they couldn’t wait to face the challenge. Others were terrified, their faces pale and bodies trembling. Some prayed, their lips moving silently as they whispered their final hopes. But among them, there was one person who was smiling—a smile whose meaning was hard to decipher.

  As my eyes scanned the crowd, I unintentionally locked gazes with the smiling person. His stare was piercing, filled with an eerie calmness—his smile felt menacing, as if he could devour me the moment I let my guard down.

  A chill ran down my spine. I quickly averted my gaze, but something about him felt… off. His face—it seemed familiar. I had seen him before, but where?

  There was no time to think further. The line of prisoners began moving, guided by armed guards watching us from all sides. We were led into a large hall that resembled a selection chamber.

  Inside the room, dozens of doors lined the walls.

  On the left side, 33 doors were tightly arranged, almost blending into the wall. In the center, 34 doors stood in a wider formation, directly facing the entrance. On the right side, another 33 doors were lined up similarly, creating an unsettling sense of symmetry.

  Above each door, symbols similar to the ones on our backs were displayed. On the ceiling, large screens hung on four sides, showing the same symbols found on the doors. Dim lighting from above cast faint shadows on the floor, amplifying the tense atmosphere in the room.

  Eve, standing beside me, suddenly spoke in a panicked tone. "Why are there number symbols I haven't learned yet?" she muttered, her eyes scanning the rows of doors anxiously.

  I sighed and nudged her lightly. "See? This is why you shouldn’t study half-heartedly," I teased.

  Eve shot me a glare. "You’ve never been in my position, have you? I was treated like a slave, like an animal! How could I possibly have the mood to study more?" she snapped, irritated.

  Carla, Daniel, and Nathan chuckled softly, amused by Eve's spontaneous frustration.

  But the mood shifted instantly when someone suddenly draped an arm around Nathan’s shoulders from behind.

  "Yo, Nathan. I didn’t expect you to get along with such a pretty girl."

  I turned around and immediately recognized the man—the one who had given me a bad feeling earlier. His smile was the same as before: thin and cold.

  Nathan stiffened instantly. His shoulders slumped, and his head lowered under visible pressure.

  Daniel, noticing Nathan’s reaction, tried to ask politely, "Are you Nathan’s friend?"

  The man let out a short chuckle, then patted Nathan’s shoulder roughly. "Of course. I’m his best friend. In fact, the two of us managed to survive the previous game together, didn’t we, Nathan?"

  His tone sounded friendly, but there was something pressing beneath it. His eyes flicked toward Nathan as if demanding confirmation.

  "I... yeah, that’s right," Nathan stammered.

  From his reaction, I could tell immediately—this man was not someone to be trusted.

  He looked to be around 25 years old, with a buzz cut. A large tattoo was faintly visible on his neck, partially hidden by his collar. His pale skin bore scratch marks on his arms and neck. His body was lean but muscular, giving off the impression of someone who had been in plenty of fights.

  The man shifted his gaze to Eve, stepping closer with a widening smirk. "Beautiful," he murmured, his voice lower but laced with pressure. "Are you sure you want to stick with them? I can guarantee your safety... if you choose the right side."

  Eve stepped away with a disgusted expression. "Sorry, I already have a team," she said flatly.

  The man chuckled softly. "They might not win, you know?" he said casually. "But if you change your mind, come find me."

  Before leaving, he casually ran a finger across Eve’s face, making her instinctively recoil with a look of utter revulsion.

  "Good luck to all of you," he added, waving his hand before walking away.

  As he moved, his body leaned slightly forward, his posture relaxed yet intimidating. The other prisoners instinctively made way for him, stepping aside as if they didn’t want to cross paths with him. On his back, a symbol was visible: ????-?.?.

  I narrowed my eyes, studying the numbers. Why is there a symbol matching ours after the dash? I wondered, my curiosity growing.

  "Nathan, are you okay?" Carla asked softly, concern clear in her voice as she watched Nathan remain silent after the man’s approach.

  Daniel frowned, looking in the direction the man had walked away. "I feel like I’ve seen him before… but where?"

  "Yeah, he feels really familiar," Eve added, as if trying to dig up a buried memory.

  Their words confirmed one thing—it wasn’t just me who felt like we had seen that man before. Even Daniel and Eve sensed the same familiarity.

  Nathan finally let out a slow breath. "Don’t worry, I’m fine. We should focus on this game," he said, trying to erase the concern from our faces.

  Bzzt—

  A sudden microphone buzz echoed through the room, making everyone jolt.

  "WELCOME, EVERYONE. DUE TO THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS EXCEEDING THE GAME’S CAPACITY, WE WILL BE HOLDING AN ADDITIONAL GAME TO REDUCE THE PLAYER COUNT."

  "THE ELIMINATION ROUND WILL NOW BEGIN."

  My heart pounded faster. All eyes turned toward the doors surrounding the room.

  Curiosity and anxiety weighed on us.

  What kind of game were we about to face?