novelraw Chapter 44 : Chapter 44
Chapter 44 : Chapter 44
Chapter 44
After getting off the elevator, we passed the standing sign and entered the game site.
The interior of the game site was very cozy.
At most, it was about the size of an elementary school playground.
However, it was a dirt floor instead of a grass floor, and light-yellow soil gravel was spread out in a rectangular shape.
The pure white circles drawn as if crossing along the center of the playground were impressive.
Pure white circles drawn with a line marker.
The number of circles was twenty-nine.
Every circle was spacious enough for twenty people to enter and still have room left.
I deduced what the circles meant in connection with the game name written on the standing sign.
“All the spaces of Yutnori are spread out in a straight line. So, Straight Yutnori. Is that right?”
November was leading and guiding us when he slightly turned his head.
A short laugh escaped from inside the silver mask.
An affirmation containing the meaning of praise followed.
“As expected of the player who took down Yoon Ji-ho. You have a great eye.”
“I just guessed just in case and happened to get it right. I was lucky.”
“And you even act like a ripe grain of rice that seems ingrained in your body. I can hardly believe you are someone who drifted all the way here because of gambling debts.”
“Anyone can wake up to their aptitude through an unexpected occasion. Wouldn't the Money Game be that occasion for me?”
The impression I felt of November had a different flavor from July or August.
July had an image like a rascal, and August had an image of a formidable woman who was bold and whose emotional changes were spontaneous.
On the other hand, November had a side like a fake sales representative.
I detected November's twisted personality from the way he naturally tossed out ambiguous comments that combined praise and sarcasm while mentioning gambling debts.
On the outside, I struck up a conversation without hesitation, pretending not to be conscious of November at all.
“I made a guess by jumping to conclusions, but it's still most certain to hear the game rules directly through the announcement. When does the announcement start?”
“You sure are impatient. First, why don't you at least greet the opposing team?”
At the 12 o'clock direction of the playground, there was a group that had arrived one step ahead of us.
As November had revealed earlier, the number of people on the opposing team was ten.
As a result of observing the atmosphere of the opposing team, I could tell the reason why they had easily succeeded in everyone surviving.
Gym clothes, suits, military uniforms, shabby clothes, and so on... the outfits were diverse, and the genders and age groups were also varied.
There was only one thing the ten people on the opposing team had in common.
It was the posture they were taking.
They were standing as if in prayer, with the tips of their fingers on both hands touching, creating a triangular space between their palms.
As if offering a prayer with religious meaning.
From the fact that all ten people on the opposing team were taking the same posture, I quickly realized the inside story of everyone's survival.
“No matter how you look at it, they look like nothing but cult followers. I wonder if they ended up forming a group through proselytization within this game.”
Among the opposing team's players, there was a person who especially stood out.
While others were in their 20s to 40s, only one person was a white-haired old man in his 70s.
He was even wearing a modernized Hanbok, which is rarely seen in daily life.
The old man let out a pleasant-looking smile and politely bowed his waist at 45 degrees.
“Hello, everyone. I am happy to participate in this game together with people who have good impressions. Let's join forces and all live to escape together.”
At the point where he mentioned impressions, I could be sure that the hypothesis of a cult fit.
The white-haired old man's narrow eyes opened slightly, revealing dark brown pupils.
His eyes were smiling, but it wasn't just my imagination that it felt artificial.
I had an intuition.
That Round 4 had already begun.
“Making us play a game recklessly is not what the organization wants. They gave us time to engage in a minimal battle of wits before starting the game.”
The Money Game always tended to encourage us to move by establishing strategies.
Since one must know the opponent's tendencies to set a strategy, they provided time to engage in a brief battle of wits.
“A few people over there look familiar, but it's my first time meeting you, old man.”
“Hohoho, I moved to this island from another island this time. You are Bodhisattva Lee Ju-seong, right? You've been receiving a lot of attention since the game selection. Thanks to that, I was also able to pick up your name through the grapevine.”
“It would be unfair if only my name were known. What would your name be, old man?”
“I am Kim Ju-han.”
While engaging in a battle of wits with the leader of the opposing team, August suddenly raised her hand.
“Excuse me, Mr. Dealer? We can act freely until the announcement flows out, right?”
“As long as it's not a violent act such as attacking the opponent, you are free to rest.”
“Then may I go to the bathroom for a moment?”
“Is it the big one?”
“I'll ask you in reverse. Was that a question you threw because you definitely had to hear an answer?”
November let out a chuckling sound and walked toward the south of the playground.
While making a gesture for August to follow.
“Normally it's not allowed, but I'll provide a convenience just this once with my authority.”
As if she didn't like it, August followed November while shooting a fierce gaze.
November entered the passage leading to the elevator, then took out a card key and touched it to a machine attached right next to the elevator.
Beep!
A mechanical sound occurred and the wall that had been nothing was pushed back.
I didn't know because I had never been conscious of it, but it seemed like convenience facilities prepared for the organization members who set up the games were hidden in every game site.
While August was away, Kim Ju-han strode toward me without hesitation.
And he gently grabbed both of my hands with his wrinkled hands.
“As I look through with my mind's eye, I see the numerous things you experienced in Round 3. You don't have to worry about this game. Because fate has led you before me.”
As he got close, I could feel a peculiar smell emanating from the old man.
It had a wood scent similar to the nuance of cypress.
I had no way to distinguish whether it was an old man's scent or if he had appropriately sprayed perfume.
Including the smell, my first impression of Kim Ju-han was not on the good side.
“This old man was the cult leader of the religion that Park So-yul's mother was part of. He only appeared intermittently throughout the drama, and then suddenly rose as the main villain only when it became Season 5.”
My information about Kim Ju-han was extremely limited, but I knew at least one thing: that he would become a villain later.
In other words, his pleasant-looking impression was nothing but a facade.
Shall I try testing the waters?
I put on a blatantly fake smile that even a fool would recognize.
“Oh~ how did you know that there were many difficult things in Round 3? You're really like a fortune teller. Normally, one would fail to realize that there were twists and turns even after seeing that the number of people is three.”
I spoke in a stiff intonation as if reading a textbook, clearly conveying that my words were tossed out with sarcastic intent.
When I intentionally irritated Kim Ju-han, the remaining nine followers narrowed their brows and bared their teeth.
As if the criticism toward Kim Ju-han were criticism toward themselves.
Kim Ju-han extended his arm to the side and calmed the followers.
“I am fine. Because it is my duty and desire to save the pitiful Bodhisattvas who cannot trust humans as humans. Rather, I am just happy that an opportunity has arisen to save people who are floundering in unhappiness even today.”
The followers looked at Kim Ju-han with eyes full of emotion, as if treating him as a person of great character with a large vessel.
Singing in unison with intense exclamations was a bonus.
“Ooh~ Cult Leader. Simply light. Simply salt.”
“How can he be so full of mercy and love?”
“The path the Cult Leader walks. We will walk it together. To save the pitiful people who participated in this game, we will willingly step onto the path of thorns.”
He called me a Bodhisattva, but it was self-evident that Kim Ju-han's religion was unrelated to Buddhism.
He was probably preaching cult scriptures by patching together various religions appropriately.
Kim Ju-han and the followers were implicitly framing me as a pitiful person, but I didn't care much.
More than that, I could extract a few pieces of information through their reactions.
“This old man seems accustomed to hitting back at sarcastic remarks. And the followers' loyalty toward Kim Ju-han is at the level of concrete. They are all completely brainwashed.”
In that case, I will become the drill that breaks the concrete.
Since we were mutually engaging in a battle of wits, noise flowed out from the indoor speakers.
It was a sound forewarning of the game rule guidance.
After a moment, I could hear the game rules I had wanted to hear so much through the indoor speakers.
[From now on, we will begin Round 4 of the Money Game.]
[Game : Straight Yutnori.]
-Every player is given an opportunity to throw the Yut once per set,
-Players can move forward according to the hand that comes out from throwing the Yut.
-The team that has even one person pass the goal line first wins.
-The winning team will be distributed the 1 billion won prize money equally according to the number of people. (If 1 billion won does not fall exactly in 1/n, rounding up will be applied to the million won unit.)
Since it was a team match, it was a rule where you win even if only one person takes 1st place.
The side with a large number of people was overwhelmingly advantageous.
The opposing team could throw the Yut ten times in one round, but our team throwing the Yut three times in one round was the most we could do.
“It's a structure where those who competed more fiercely in Round 3 have to take on a disadvantage in Round 4. Is it telling us to pay the price for not cooperating? As always, it's a nasty taste.”
The disadvantage given to the side with fewer people did not stop at one thing.
-Upon arriving at a space where another player is staying, a player can choose whether or not to engage in battle.
-If you engage in battle and win against the opposing player, you acquire a ‘100 million won bonus per opponent’ and ‘the right to throw the Yut once more’.
-If it seems like you absolutely cannot win during a battle, you can surrender by paying a 100 million won fine. If you surrender, you must depart outside the Yut board and move again from the beginning.
-Joining can be chosen only for players on the same team. If joining is chosen, you can move together every time the Yut is thrown from the next turn.
-Additional rules exist for this game. Additional rules will be revealed after Set 1 ends.
The basic framework was the same as Yutnori.
From the fact that an additional opportunity to throw is given if you catch an opponent's piece, to the point that ally pieces can overlap.
This was also a rule that worked more advantageously the larger the number of people.
The more allies overlapped, the more one could press with a 1-vs-many when encountering the opposing team.
“But there aren't only disadvantages. While that team can obtain a maximum amount of 1.3 billion, we can obtain a maximum amount of 2 billion. There is a difference in the total prize money.”
The reward obtainable when overturning the underdog status was as large as the disadvantage.
That one point was positive.
In addition, the fact that the existence of additional rules was not yet disclosed would act as a variable.
While everyone recognized the rules, Kim Ju-han and I stared at each other at the same time.
As it was a simple game, strategy was very important.
Now was the time to play with one's tongue for the preliminary work that would become the foundation of each other's strategy.
The one who opened the fire first was Kim Ju-han.
“Bodhisattva Lee Ju-seong, do not be anxious just because the number of people is small. I will save you all.”