Pheeeeee─
[ Game Over. Game Over. ]
As the whistle signaling the end of the game sounded, the 50 survivors were automatically transported to another location.
The word “Waiting Room” floated in large letters in the sky, in an empty gray space devoid of anything else.
Though the sudden transportation to this desolate scene should have been shocking, the 50 people could only stand there in silence, dumbfounded.
“……”
“……”
The terrible catastrophe that had just occurred.
They wondered if it had all been a dream, but.
It wasn’t.
The sensation of beating people down and pushing them to their deaths still lingered on their fingertips.
“Ah, ahhh….”
One person began to cry softly in a trembling voice.
And that triggered the others, who all either collapsed or began crying as if their strength had left them.
“I… I killed someone….”
“Uwahhh….”
“Huk, huk, huk!”
Among them were those who hyperventilated and collapsed, unable to accept the cruel reality.
“Hmph, after pushing and killing people, now what’s all this about.”
Of course, there were also those who appeared unfazed.
Like the intimidating man who had been the first to push others aside in his attempt to survive.
To him, the sight of people trembling and crying was not even worth laughing at.
After all, it seemed utterly hypocritical that they would act this way now, after killing others to save themselves.
“……”
And amidst this chaos.
Lee Yujin was blankly staring down at his hands.
One hand still retained that warmth and sensation of human contact, while the mechanical hand had gone cold, merely occupying its space.
He stared down at them both.
The recent confrontation with that man.
And when he was nearly killed, using the man’s desperate strength against him to make him fall.
‘I killed someone with my own hands.’
Was it this hand?
Or was it the mechanical one?
He wasn’t sure.
No, perhaps it didn’t matter which.
If it was the mechanical hand, would that lessen the guilt?
He felt ridiculous for having such thoughts even for a moment.
‘But I survived.’
The fortunate thing was that he didn’t suffer from guilt as long as the others did.
In the end, this was a place where some die and some survive.
If so, he was grateful to have survived.
He wouldn’t dwell long on those who died.
It might seem cold-hearted, but it was also a sign of quick adaptation.
‘More importantly, where is this place? And who was that guy?’
The man on the stage.
Like the mental transmissions when people were suddenly dying on Earth, his head throbbed with pain when that will reached him.
Plus the fact that he had burst three people’s heads when they first arrived here.
It wasn’t just connected – it was safe to say it was the work of the same being.
‘But why?’
Why indeed.
They say it’s for some game of amusement, selecting only 100 people.
Why on earth would they need to do such a thing?
What reason could there be?
It made no sense at all.
Should he just be grateful to have survived?
Or should he demand they stop this nonsense and bring everyone back to life right now?
Since they’re gods, wouldn’t that much be possible?
What should he do?
He was still confused.
But then.
Once again, that man from the stage appeared in their midst.
[ Congratulations, everyone. You’ve survived the first game. ]
When he appeared with his cheerful smile, people shouted at him through their throbbing headaches.
“W-why are you doing this to us!”
“Please! Please send us home!”
“Save us!”
They begged for their lives, trembling.
They demanded to know why he was doing this.
But the man on the stage spoke casually.
[ What do you mean? I told you it’s the gods’ entertainment, didn’t I? You just need to struggle to survive. ]
His tone suggested he genuinely couldn’t understand their concern.
At that moment, Lee Yujin understood.
Ah, there’s no need to understand them.
They don’t understand us at all either, just pushing forward with their own agenda.
From the perspective of humans, the weaker beings, they could only endure being toys in their game.
[ But don’t worry. There will be a reward. ]
Then, the man on the stage grinned and offered them a ray of hope.
[ I forgot to mention earlier, but whoever survives until the last game will be granted one wish. Any wish at all. We are omnipotent gods, after all. ]
“……”
“……”
Any wish at all, granted by an omnipotent god.
People could only keep their mouths shut at these words that didn’t quite sink in.
And they thought about it.
Any wish at all.
That meant bringing someone back to life.
Restoring Earth to its original state.
Even becoming an omnipotent god oneself.
Everything was possible.
After all, to these beings, this was just entertainment.
Whether humans were revived or went extinct, it was all the same to them.
After becoming an omnipotent god.
After reviving everyone, becoming the apex of humanity was also possible.
At that moment, several faces were etched not with fear and resentment, but with a sinister desire.
“……”
And Lee Yujin quietly pondered.
‘They’ll grant any wish….’
What would his wish be?
He thought about it for a moment.
While survival was the top priority for now, achieving that goal would eventually lead to the position where he could make a wish.
When he reached that point, what wish would he make?
Immense wealth?
Extraordinary supernatural powers?
Absolute authority?
The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.
None of these would mean anything without humanity.
Then should he wish to revive all of humanity who had died?
‘But then… what would change?’
The world would remain the same.
The wealth gap would keep growing, and he would remain in poverty, repeating meaningless daily tasks just to stay alive.
Would that have any meaning?
Could that even be called living?
‘Maybe I should become a god and create a new humanity instead….’
The thought occurred to him suddenly, but he shook his head.
‘Right now, survival is what matters. I have to survive somehow.’
He didn’t want to die.
So he would survive this game no matter what.
By any means necessary.
These hands had already killed someone.
What was there to fear besides the pain of death?
‘Yes, survival is key. I’ll think about the rest later.’
Just as he was organizing his thoughts.
The man on the stage spoke again.
[ Now then, shall we talk about the second game? ]
“…!!”
“Heek…!”
The second game.
It was time for those horrific moments to begin again.
Hmm, granting wishes…
This wasn’t part of my plan at all.
Did the gods just add this on their own whim?
Well, having that kind of motivation is good, I suppose.
If it were just about survival, people might lose their desperation halfway through, and some might even want to die.
After all, there were those who lost their loved ones and wanted to die because of that.
This will be excellent motivation for such people.
They’ll think about surviving somehow to bring back their family, lovers, and friends.
By the way, Lee Yujin…
I wonder how long this one will last?
I’m quite curious.
Surely this one won’t become the protagonist of this universe just because of the name?
I’m starting to suspect I might be unconsciously making all the protagonists of this world have “Jin” in their names.
Well, who knows.
They’ve survived so far, but who knows what will happen later.
They might even fall in the second game.
Now then, shall we see what’s been prepared for the second game?
[ The second game is… Mafia Game! ]
Huh? Mafia Game?
Could it be the Mafia Game I know?
[ This is borrowed from your human games. It looked fun. ]
As they explained the rules, it was indeed the Mafia Game I knew.
Split into Mafia and Citizen teams, where Mafia kills citizens at night while citizens deduce and vote to execute the Mafia during the day.
Of course, it won’t be an ordinary Mafia Game.
Not when it’s made by gods.
[ The Mafia must actually kill people. They’ll be given special murder weapons that leave no evidence after the kill. And the Citizens with special abilities can use them like actual superpowers. We’ll grant them that power. ]
In simple terms, it’s a real-life version of the Mafia Game.
A battle between actual murderous Mafia and Citizens.
And the victory conditions are the same as other Mafia Games.
Mafia wins when the number of surviving citizens becomes less than the number of Mafia.
Citizens win when they eliminate all the Mafia.
[ However, there’s one difference. ]
Oh, so it’s not over yet?
[ Citizens who are dead at the time of victory remain dead. Also, even if the Mafia achieves their victory condition, any citizens who survived until then stay alive. That’s what’s different. ]
Oho, so that’s how it is.
It’s a crucial point that citizens can die even in victory, and some can survive even in defeat.
After all, the fundamental premise of this game is ‘survival.’
[ Of course, since that leaves no merit for the Mafia, the winning team will receive benefits in the next game. How about it? Sounds fun, right? ]
He said that with a smile, but not a single survivor smiled along with him.