The mine tunnel was dim, and its uneven floor made it impossible to pick up speed. For Yimo, a full-on shut-in, it took only a few steps before he was huffing and puffing.

The Solo Fan and the high schooler had the most stamina. The young wife was a little less fit, but she still had more stamina than Yimo.

No wonder Yimo was angry!

He knew where he fell short. He’d found a way to make up for it, only for that damn system to screw him over.

If he had Kirito’s name and Schwarzenegger’s body, wouldn’t he be unstoppable?

The mine tunnel seemed to have been designed to make escape easier. There were lots of forks, and rooms appeared along either side every so often.

At first, they’d opened a few of the rooms. What they found inside was completely beyond reason: a storeroom, a storage closet, even rooms that looked like they belonged in an ordinary home.

Aside from being a little dark, they were flawless. You’d never guess these rooms were connected to a mine tunnel.

There was one thing they all had in common, though. Even if a room had a window, it couldn’t be opened. Every room was completely sealed off.

If they went inside and the Killer blocked the door, there’d be no getting out.

“Man, are we really stuck hiding?”

“Look at the Hunter’s build. Even without the boost, none of us can outrun him. And his physical abilities are doubled, to boot.”

“This game really comes down to luck. Let’s get farther away and find a room to hide in.”

As the Solo Fan ran, his extra weight made his clothes flap with every step. He wiped away his sweat; the pressure was getting to him, too.

The other three agreed. After running for seven minutes, just as the Killer was about to be allowed to move, they finally found a slightly larger room and ducked inside. It was a factory workshop, with plenty of space.

They made it to a dim corner farther inside, among piles of steel, and sank to the floor, panting.

The Solo Fan was especially out of breath—he looked even worse than Yimo. He hurriedly said, “Everyone, the Killer will be able to move freely in less than two minutes.”

“Did any of you get that Exorcism Talisman?”

The Exorcism Talisman was the only item that could deal with the Killer, and the system assigned it at random.

The young wife and the high schooler both shook their heads. Neither of them had one.

At last, the Solo Fan looked to Yimo. Yimo was still panting. He spread his hands helplessly. “I didn’t get any special notification, and I don’t have any items.”

The Solo Fan frowned slightly, then repeated, “Everyone, if one of you got it, don’t hide it.”

“We’ve been running for seven minutes. With the Killer’s physique, he could probably reach this room in three.”

“Of course, we shouldn’t be that pessimistic. There are several forks and so many rooms. He can’t just come straight for us.”

“But… without the Exorcism Talisman, we can only wait to die.”

The Solo Fan’s expression was serious, but he looked as if he were about to cry. His voice had turned almost pleading.

But everyone, Yimo included, shook their heads again.

Smack!

The Solo Fan slapped his thigh, giving up in frustration. With a mournful look, he said, “We’re done for!”

“I noticed there was a way to beat the Killer, so I tried to get everyone to stick together.”

“If we all hid together, the Killer wouldn’t know who had the Exorcism Talisman.”

“If we worked together, then when he attacked someone, whoever had the talisman could rush in and take a hit for them. We’d finish this game easily.”

Smack! Smack! Smack!

As he spoke, the Solo Fan kept slapping his thigh. He was clearly angry, grumbling that the system had played them and blaming their terrible luck.

And he wasn’t wrong. There were only seven survivors besides the Killer, and four of them were right here—more than half the group. Yet not one of them had the Exorcism Talisman. They really had drawn the short straw!

“Big bro Solo Fan, don’t panic. Let’s wait and see.”

“We’re hiding in here. It won’t be easy for him to find us!” the high schooler said, trying to reassure him.

The young wife hid behind the high schooler and said nothing.

Yimo watched quietly for a while, then said, “Right. Let’s not be so pessimistic. Solo Fan, don’t you still have that SR card?”

“Maybe you can lead us to victory!”

Yimo had asked what kind of card it was earlier, but the Solo Fan hadn’t said. So he didn’t press him now.

The Solo Fan smiled wryly and nodded.

With the game about to begin, everyone introduced themselves at Yimo’s suggestion.

The high schooler was playing for the second time. He really was a student, currently in his second year of high school, and the youngest among them.

The young wife didn’t say much. She seemed interested only in the high schooler. This was her third game. She was a full-time housewife, and her husband was an executive at a publicly listed company.

The Solo Fan said, “I’m twenty-five, just another corporate drone. My only hobby is anime and manga. This is my third game.”

“Sorry. I lied about how many games I’d played earlier to get everyone together. Let’s do our best from here on out.”

He sounded sincere.

Yimo gave a brief introduction, too. But he lied about how many games he’d played and didn’t say this was his first.

At last, the countdown ended.

The Killer… was free to move.

As soon as the Killer’s movement restriction was lifted, everyone instinctively fell silent, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Time ticked by in the dim factory, in a corner piled high with steel. Everyone wore a grave expression.

Time dragged so slowly, it felt like a year passed each day.

The young wife seemed to dislike the Solo Fan. She pulled the high schooler into a gap between the piles of steel, hiding them well.

The Solo Fan gave a wry smile and crouched with Yimo around the corner from the passage they’d just come through.

Yimo leaned against the steel. Its cold seeped through his short sleeves, into his skin and down to his heart.

He was certain this was all real. As he kept thinking about what had happened, his expression grew more and more serious.

Yimo was getting stuck in a mental loop, unable to understand why he’d been dragged into this game.

Could people really die here?

He didn’t understand. But how could he prove it?

He couldn’t exactly risk his own life just to find out!

Yimo admitted it: he didn’t want to die. He couldn’t do it.

“Hey, bro. First game?”

“Don’t be nervous. Just relax.”

“Fate decides life and death. Fortune’s up to heaven!”

Just then, the Solo Fan, crouched beside him, patted Yimo on the shoulder.

Yimo turned and saw the Solo Fan forcing a smile. Somehow, it looked even worse than crying.

The Solo Fan told him to relax, but he didn’t seem capable of doing it himself.

“How… did you figure that out?” Yimo asked, lowering his voice, a little surprised.

The Solo Fan grinned and pointed at Yimo’s feet. “Who shows up to a Death Game wearing slippers?”

“So either you’re some hidden big shot, or you’re a newbie with nerves of steel.”

“I’m right, aren’t I, bro?”

Yimo was surprised by the Solo Fan’s powers of observation. Their surroundings were dim, and Yimo had deliberately stood in the darkest spot. How would an ordinary person even notice what shoes he was wearing?

The Solo Fan explained, “Well, I’m a shut-in who barely talks to anyone. That naturally makes me a little more observant.”

“I almost died in both of my first two games. I only made it out because I got lucky, so I’ve been doing my best to get stronger.”

Yimo glanced at the Solo Fan and smiled. “I’m glad it was you I ran into.”

The Solo Fan thumped his chest. “Hey, what are you saying? We’re fellow anime fans, after all!”

“If you want to thank me, join me in being a Solo Fan of Shui Chixing!”

“Haha, if we really get out of here, the first thing I’ll do is subscribe to Shui Chixing!”

The Solo Fan was talking about the virtual streamer printed on his vest: a twin-tailed anime loli.

Yimo glanced at the design on his shirt and gave an awkward smile. “Definitely…”

Yimo had barely gotten the words out when the system’s announcement made the Solo Fan burst out laughing.

『The Killer struck a player carrying the Exorcism Talisman. The Killer has died.』

The System Loli’s cute voice echoed in Yimo’s mind. He didn’t know whether he should join the Solo Fan in laughing with joy.

After all, he still couldn’t believe they’d won right at the start, just like that.

And he couldn’t understand how badly the players who’d been through games wanted to win.

“Hey, hey, hey! Bro, remember to subscribe to Shui Chixing when we get out! She streams on the Kaki site!”

“Sure, sure, we won! We racked up so many points this time!!!”

“This is basically a free…”

But just as the Solo Fan was shouting with joy, the system spoke again—and his laughter died away…

『Grudges can’t be cleansed with just one Exorcism Talisman.』

『Fall Guys. Every death creates a Fall Guy.』

『He, too, was once just a survivor…』

『A new Killer has been born…』

If they’d opened the game rules at that moment, they would’ve seen that…

The previously unrevealed fifth rule had appeared.

『5. When the Killer dies, the survivor who caused the Killer’s death becomes the new Killer. Whenever a player dies, the Exorcism Talisman is automatically reassigned at random to a surviving player.』

As the Solo Fan wondered aloud who had killed the Killer, Yimo quietly opened the game rules and saw the newly revealed fifth rule.

Then he looked at the Solo Fan beside him, and a chill crept through him.

Rules like these… this was nothing but a gu-raising game…

He remembered the four words listed under the game type.

This really was a survival game—a game where only one could survive, and that one would be a ghost…