I returned to the cell. Lie was sitting on her bed, waiting for me.
"What happened?"
"I talked with the warden about the elites."
"He calls you in a lot."
"It's because we keep winning the games. The elites like me. One of them even doubled his money betting on me."
"Did the warden tell you that?"
I nodded. "He also gave me information about the next game. It's extremely dangerous. It'll take place on an island. Participation isn't mandatory. I'm joining. You're not."
"Why? I want to come with you."
"There are things tied to my past. Wait for me until I return. Besides, I won't die from losing this one."
Lie pouted but nodded. "Why did the warden give you information?"
"Same reason."
"The elites?"
I confirmed it. I saw the situation as a reward from the elites.
Even though I had been planning to blow up the entire island, I didn't want anything to happen to Lie. There was still a humane part left in my dark personality. Valuing her was normal. Knowing I could still attach meaning to someone after everything I'd been through made me feel better.
"How have you been feeling lately?"
"I was stressed from the games. But I've felt better since the guard incident. Not joining the next game and resting will be good for me."
I nodded.
"How are you?"
"I don't really know. I just want to keep moving forward."
"It's normal not to know how you feel. I used to not know either." She grew timid and avoided eye contact. "When I was dealing with the bullies, maybe I could've gotten through it if my father had supported me. But he beat me too. My mother didn't love me."
She had studied hard to win her mother's approval, to make herself loved, but she never could satisfy her. Then she had found a little hope—she had a crush on a boy at school. But the bullies beat him up, and he transferred schools. She never saw him again. That was when she committed the massacre.
She started crying. I stroked her hair. "Calm down. You didn't do anything wrong."
She felt better when I supported her.
"I can't say much about my own past, but I learned something new thanks to the warden."
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"What?"
"The real mastermind behind everything is Akari. The girl we met in the first game. She's the one who directed Shouya, Wakamura, and Seiko. She's the one who revived them all."
Lie's tears stopped. She was stunned.
"What did she do in the first game?"
"Nothing. She was just there as an innocent, joined to observe me. She's the one Shouya called 'master.'"
"What's her goal?"
"We came from the same training facility. I defeated her, and she became obsessed with me. She built a secret cult just to come after me, raising and recruiting people who would harbor hostility toward me."
"Can a person really do that?"
"It's not impossible. During our training years, we were taught how to manipulate individuals and crowds."
"What kind of place was that?"
"I can't go into too much detail. It was a project aimed at creating the superior human. They took orphaned children and forced them through training. They discarded the ones who were useless. Akari is fixated on me because of that."
"Then how did you not recognize her in the first game?"
"She changed her hair and eye color. But I intuitively felt something was off about her. It turned out to be right."
Lie nodded. "I'm going to buy something from the store. The morning walk isn't over yet."
"I'll wait in the cell."
Before going to the store, I went to Keibo's office.
"I want to speak with the elite again."
"Why?"
"There's something I forgot to mention. A phone call will be enough."
Keibo knew that prisoners drawing the elites' interest was beneficial to the dungeon. He didn't resist. I borrowed his phone, went to the next room, and called Itsuki.
"Rei."
An excited voice. "What is it?"
"The plan is large-scale. The probability of failure is moderate. I need more game coins."
"How much?"
"A thousand. But send it in two installments of five hundred. It'll draw less suspicion."
A short silence. "Accepted. Anything else?"
"No. I'll satisfy you."
"I can't wait."
I hung up. I returned the phone to Keibo. He checked it, found nothing, and told me I could leave.
I went to the store and bought a large blank sheet of paper for twenty-five game coins and a wooden pencil for ten. I returned to the cell.
Lie saw the items and asked, "What are those for?"
"A map for the island game."
"It's blank. Are you going to draw it yourself?"
I nodded.
"How are your drawing skills?"
"Average. I'm not going to make anything too detailed."
Lie wished me luck. The morning walk ended, and we spent the rest of the day in the cell. I was tired, so I went to sleep early.
I woke up in the morning. This was the date I had been waiting for.
The guards announced the game event. Anyone from layers one through three could participate. There were rewards for winning, and losing didn't mean death. The limit was a hundred players. Everyone tried to join.
I waved at Lie. "I'm going."
"I'll be waiting for you. Good luck."
I turned and headed to the registration room. I signed up immediately. The slots were filling fast. Once the hundred-player limit was reached, they announced that we'd be taken to the island by helicopter in order. Everyone was surprised to hear it was an island. I acted surprised along with them.
Our group's turn came. We were brought to the surface and loaded onto a helicopter. An hour later, we reached the island. Everyone in the helicopter was staring out the windows at the view, excited. They hadn't seen anything like it in a long time.
I looked out through the open door of the helicopter for five seconds, taking in every part of the island. Then I turned, took out the pencil and blank paper I had brought, and within three to five minutes, drew a detailed bird's-eye view map of the island.
The people beside me saw it. "What are you doing?"
"Drawing a map."
They were stunned. The official in the front hadn't heard, but everyone in the helicopter now understood one thing: this game was going to be difficult.
The Chaos Island Game was about to begin.