When I woke up, there was one hour left until the time Gyoma had mentioned. After getting ready, I made my way toward the dark deserts and set out. When I reached the sent location shortly after, the structure before me resembled a Japanese village house rather than a tall building. It had a desolate atmosphere. Gyoma was sitting in front of the club; when he saw me, he waved.
"Rei, welcome! This way!"
When we entered the building together, there were loads of strange-looking people inside. If I told others they were probably members, I'd be in trouble. Everyone was staring at me intently. We continued moving toward the second hall.
"Look, Rei. The member you'll be playing against is here."
Gyoma pointed with his finger at a curly-haired, brown-eyed man with long hair and dark skin. The man was playing cards with others at a table and wasn't yet aware of my arrival. While they were playing, I heard the man I would be facing say, "Chaos is always good." I made a mental note of that.
The others who saw me arrive signaled to him. The man turned around and looked at me. He was tall and muscular. He stood up, stood before me, and began staring at me with sharp eyes. I could see a faint smirk on his face. It was as if he was sure he would win.
"So you're my opponent. Your name was Rei, right?"
"Yes. What's your name?"
"My name is Zei. Don't forget this name."
The conversation was cut short. Gyoma led us to a suitable empty area. We were in an empty hall, adjacent to a flower garden. Authorized members and some other members had come to watch the game. Gyoma told me this was a registration game, and that if I won, I could join their ranks. At the same time, this game was like a test for Zei—if he lost, he would lose his membership. Perhaps it was a more important game for him.
A slightly elderly man announced that he would be the game's referee. He set up the game from his phone and linked the system to the game. Then, a machine was brought in through the garden door on our left side. This machine was the cell regeneration machine I had seen before. The moment I saw the machine, I understood this game would be dangerous. Gyoma, seeing I wasn't very surprised, looked at me.
"So you know about this machine, Rei. You must have an interesting past. People are usually surprised."
I nodded slightly in confirmation. The elderly referee said the game invitation had been sent to our phones. We took our phones out of our pockets and accepted the invitation. Zei didn't look nervous. A small robotic camera had approached the old man—this was the system itself, it came to manage the games.
"The name of the game is the Deadly Duel Game!"
The authorized members on the side handed each of us a katana. We were both examining the swords. The robotic voice continued speaking.
"Before stating the rules, let me specify: the swords are sealed. They will not inflict a strike on a forbidden or guarded area. You will learn what I mean shortly."
RULES
"In the game, both sides have six body zones. The zones are, in order: Head, Arms, Torso, Legs, Feet, and Hands. Both arms count as one zone, and the same applies to the legs. It doesn't matter if it's right or left—both sides count as a single zone. These six zones are where you can strike your opponent with the sword."
"Before the game, each player will enter the number of strikes they can make with their sword onto a digital screen that will appear before them. The number of strikes is between one and fifteen. You cannot make more strikes than the number you have chosen. To prevent cheating, only you and the system can see the number on the digital screen."
"If your opponent correctly guesses the number of strikes you chose, you lose the game, and your opponent wins. You need to guess the number of strikes they initially chose, not the number of strikes they have remaining."
"There is a defense and an attack side; the sides switch in turns. During the first player's attack turn, the second player is on the defense side. When the first player's attack turn ends, the sides swap—this time, the attacking side becomes the defense side, and the defense side becomes the attack side. This cycle continues."
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Each turn, the system designates one of the six body zones as a forbidden zone in order. Players on the attack side cannot attack the forbidden zone. Forbidden zones start from the head and proceed in order down to the hands; when the turn where hands are forbidden ends, the cycle starts over from the head. This sequence continues."
"The player on the attack side can strike one of the opponent's six body zones with a sword strike. They are not obligated to attack; after an attack, the sides switch. A player who chooses not to attack and passes their attack turn moves to the defense side. On defense, they can select two guard zones instead of one."
"Before the turn begins, the player on the defense side selects one of their body zones on the digital screen that cannot be struck. You cannot select the forbidden zone as your guard zone. If the attacking side strikes the guarded zone of the defending player, or the forbidden zone, they instantly lose the game. Since the sword is sealed, even if you lose, no damage will come to that zone of yours, don't worry. And as I said, if you pass on the attack side, you can select not one but two guard zones on the defense side—don't forget."
"Your guessing rights are unlimited. However, if you make an incorrect guess on the attack side, your attack turn ends, and since you didn't attack, you cannot gain the pass advantage. Your guessing right continues."
"If you make an incorrect guess on the defense side, when your attack turn comes, you cannot use your pass right and are forced to strike your opponent. If you have no strikes remaining, you lose the game because you cannot make the forced strike. Your guessing right continues."
"Both sides will have three special healing pills each. The special healing pill rapidly heals wounds."
"If one side kills the other, they win the game directly. Before the game starts, we will register your cells to the machine—meaning the person who dies will be reborn in the machine, don't worry."
"If no one wins after both sides have exhausted their number of strikes, the game ends in a draw."
"Players can withdraw from the game during the game if they wish."
"Before the game begins, both sides will throw their katana into the air. The side whose katana's pointed tip touches the ground first earns the right to decide whether to go first or second in the game."
"Those are the rules. If you wish to reread the rules, you can check them on your phone."
As I listened to the rules, my face gradually became more emotionless and indifferent. When I found myself immersed in the game, I felt I had to act like my other self. He was actually stronger than me. He had nothing he was attached to, nothing he赋予意义 to. He was devoid of emotions. Even though I had defeated him, I felt he was stronger than me.
Authorized Spectator Members
"Look, Rei's face is different compared to the previous game. Why is that?"
"I heard his friends were kidnapped after the game, and what's more, it was related to his own mistake. That actually explains everything."
"How so?"
"Rei internalized the clone he defeated as his third self. When these things happened to him because of his own mistake, he thought he had to become like him too. This is actually a survival mechanism."
"There are several stages to madness. A person who takes pleasure in danger is first-degree insane. But someone even more insane than that is a person who remains indifferent in the face of danger. When he saw that his clone was attached to nothing and was emotionless, this demeanor of his became etched into his mind. He wanted to become second-degree insane like him."
"This madness allows you to disregard everything you value and act completely emotionless and strategic. When there's nothing you value, you can even see what kind of mad strategy is at play—because with nothing left to value, danger holds no meaning for you. It allows you to see the opportunities behind the danger. Uncertainty itself is dangerous, but the greatest opportunities are born within uncertainty."
"When Rei saw himself in the clone like this, after what he'd been through, he internalized this state. During the game, he's trying to forget everything he values and become entirely strategic. In fact, he values the things he cares about so much that he's willing to disregard them for their sake. This is called surpassing oneself."
"So is Rei experiencing a personality disorder or an identity crisis?"
"No, not exactly. Rei knows who he is, and these things aren't different personalities. On the contrary, these are the facets that make up the new Rei's personality."
"Rei has three facets. The first is the Rei who values his friends but is also strategic—emotional, but able to hide his emotions and think logically. His second facet is the Rei who takes pleasure in uncertainty, becoming reckless in the face of danger—we can understand this from the strategy he formed after learning the rule in the previous game. And his newly formed third facet is the Rei who erases everything he to, focuses solely on winning, is entirely strategic, and instead of going mad in danger, simply remains indifferent."
"So Rei's personality has changed again. There's a new Rei before us now—we're going to witness his new self. I would have wanted our man to win, but after what Rei has been through, I don't think he can beat him. Rei has become so insane that he's formed a self for whom every kind of situation is meaningless and indifferent."
"This is the pinnacle of madness. Instead of going mad in any kind of danger, simply remaining indifferent—that is madness itself. I've got goosebumps already!"