C  H  A  P  T  E  R    T  W  E  N T  Y - O  N  E
"If you don't, you'll die!"
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The big yellow doors opened, revealing the third game. There were two towers, each having its surface but not meeting each other. Meaning, that anyone could easily fall if they weren't paying attention. In front of them, the guards were lined up, each with a different number. Yi-Seo gulped when she looked up, seeing how tall the towers were.

"Welcome to the third game," the square-masked guard greeted. "This game is Tug-of-War. You will pull on a rope on that tower." This caused the team to panic. "Make your opponents fall and you win."

"Shit, we're doomed," Yi-Seo mumbled. Sang-woo turned around, seeing the horrid look on her and Gi-Hun's faces.

"See, we should've gotten more men. Trust me next time!" he scolded them.

"Not the time!" Yi-Seo whispered and shook her head.

"Now I will hold a draw to decide which team will go first. Everyone, please sit down." All the players obeyed. "I will draw for the team on the left tower."

The circle-masked guard put his hand in the box, drawing a random number. Once he grabbed a ball, they placed it in front of the players.

"Team one, stand up." They stood up, smirking and confident. "Next, I will draw for the team on the right tower."

The other circle-masked guard on the right side of the square-masked guard did the same thing and drew a random number from a yellow box.

"Team seven, please stand up."

Team seven stood up, less confident and afraid. Their reaction caused team one to be more cocky and confident. Yi-Seo looked at player 101 in disgust seeing his smirk grow even more.

"Teams one and seven will player first. Teams one and seven, please enter the towers." The guard ordered.

--

    A gun shot filled the room, causing the atmosphere to be more tense. Grunting, yelling, and cursing was heard as the teams went against each other. Yi-Seo flinched as she saw team seven struggling and slowly giving up, as if they accepted their fate. In that same moment, they lost; their bodies hanging in the middle of the air. The saw quickly cut the rope, letting all the players fall.

All the players on the bottom audibly gasped or screamed, horrified to see all the bodies fall. Yi-Seo placed her hand over her mouth, her body frozen. The robot began to announced the deaths of the players from team seven.

"I will draw for the next round. Team four."

Yi-Seo gulped and slowly stood up once she saw her team getting up. She took a deep breath, pretending to be confidant.

"Team five." They looked at team four as they got up. Both teams looked at each other face to face. "Team four and team five, please enter the towers."

Yi-Seo followed behind Sang-woo as they walked towards the tower. "Do you think we can win?" She asked.

"We can win." Sang-woo said reassuringly. "We just have to think smart about it."

Yi-Seo nodded and continued walking. She turned her head, seeing Gi-hun worried. Yi-Seo smiled at him, reassuring that they would be okay.

As the group was walking, team one was returning to their spot. Player 101 smirked once he saw team four and laughed. "What a shame. I wanted to kill you guys myself," he snickered.

"Fuck off." Yi-Seo looked at him and scoffed.

The team eventually entered the yellow elevator. Sang-Woo, Gi-hun, and Yi-Seo looked down, regretting their choice and seeing the bottom filled with blood. The doors closed, which startled caused them to look back. The elevator stared to go up, Yi-Seo quickly held onto Sang-woo's arm.

"Don't be discouraged." The Old Man spoke up. "Tug-of-war isn't just about strength."

"Then what? Can we win by talking?" Player 196 retorted.

"With Tug-of-War, you can win with just strategy and teamwork." Gi-hun and Sang-woo looked at each other.

"The only one who can save us is the Lord." A player said.

"You're barely standing, old man." Player 196 said annoyingly, "stop talking nonsense and save your strength!"

"Hey you! Stop being so damn rude." Yi-Seo defended the old man. "Let's hear him out at least."

The Old Man sent her a soft smile. "I've done my share of Tug-of-War in my hometown when I was young, and I rarely ever lost.

--

The elevator doors slid open with a heavy clang. Cold air rushed past them as the team stepped forward. Their positions were set, but their hearts pounded like war drums. The steel platform stretched before them, high above the ground, with nothing but a rope and fate deciding who would survive.

Guards moved quickly, snapping metal bracelets around their wrists, locking them to the rope. There was no way out. No second chances. Yi-Seo's hands felt cold and sweaty as she gripped the rope. She exchanged a nervous glance with Sang-woo. Across from them, the other team stood firm. Their eyes were filled with the same fear, the same desperate need to live.

Yi-Seo adjusted her grip, wedging the rope beneath her armpits. Her fingers trembled but held firm. She aligned her feet—parallel, steady—just as the Old Man had instructed.

A flag swung through the air. A gunshot rang out.

"Pull!" Gi-hun yelled, causing everyone to go into place and began pulling backwards.

With a collective grunt, Team Four yanked the rope, muscles burning as they pulled with everything they had. Their bodies arched back, their lower abdomens lifting toward the sky. The strain was unbearable. The rope burned against their skin. But it was working—Team Five staggered, their footing slipping on the steel. Their screams filled the air as they teetered on the edge of control.

"We've got them!" Yi-Seo thought, her arms shaking.

Victory was within reach—so close—until Player 194 roared, "Hold the line!"

And just like that, the tides turned.

A monstrous pull ripped through the rope, nearly jerking Yi-Seo off her feet. A cry escaped her throat as her body lurched forward. The momentum was shifting. Team Five was regaining control. They were stronger. Heavier. Ruthless.

"Do something! God damnit!" Player 212 pleaded.

Yi-Seo's mind raced, scanning for an answer. She turned to Sang-woo, panting. "Would stepping forward help?"

Sang-woo's eyes widened, realization flickering. "Listen up!" he shouted. "On my signal, take three steps forward!"

"Go forward? Are you crazy?" Player 212 shrieked.

"We have to make them trip!" Yi-Seo shouted back, her throat raw.

"That's bullshit!"

"Do you want to live?!" Yi-Seo snapped, her entire body shaking from the strain.

"Let's try it!" Gi-hun begged.

"I—I can't!" Player 212 sobbed, shaking her head.

"If you don't, you'll die!" Sang-woo thundered.

The rope groaned, metal bracelets digging deeper into their wrists. The abyss loomed beneath them, a silent promise of death.

"One!" Sang-woo screamed.

"Two!"

"Three!"

They lunged forward.

A gasp of shock erupted from the opposing team as they stumbled—just for a second—but that second was all they needed.

Gi-hun's foot slipped—his body tilted over the edge.

"Gi-hun!" Yi-Seo shrieked, reaching out, but the weight of the rope dragged her back.

"Pull!" Sang-woo ordered.

With a guttural roar, they heaved, digging their heels into the steel. The strain was unbearable, their muscles screaming, their breaths ragged. Gi-hun scrambled, kicking against the ledge, clawing his way back up. His fingers gripped the metal, his body dangling—until finally, they wrenched him back onto the platform.

No time to breathe. No time to think.

They pulled again. Harder. Ruthless.

Team Five had lost their balance—completely.

One by one, their bodies toppled forward. Their screams pierced the air as they were yanked off their feet, the weight of their own loss dragging them toward the pit below. The moment was frozen in time—faces twisted in horror, hands reaching, grasping—before the inevitable.

The saw shrieked. The rope snapped.

Silence.

Then—impact.

Yi-Seo collapsed onto the cold steel, her lungs burning as she sucked in air. Her entire body trembled, slick with sweat. The cries of the fallen still echoed in her ears.

She had survived.

For now.

But in that moment, all she wanted was food and a cold shower.

words from the author:

The marble game is coming soon... 😲 STAYED TUNED HEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHE.