We transitioned to the opening stage. We both threw our katanas into the air at the same time. The pointed tip of Zei's katana touched the ground first. He would be the one to decide the starting order. Zei narrowed his eyes, thought for a short moment, and then declared he would go first.
Then, blue digital screens appeared before both of us. It asked us to enter our number of strikes—we had to choose a number between one and fifteen. After both sides thought for a short while, both sides selected their numbers. The first round of the game was about to begin.
Authorized Spectator Members
"What kind of game do you think it'll be?"
"It's hard to say, but I think the strategy in this game will be more focused on guessing the opponent's number. You can try to kill the opponent too, but it's still risky. If you count the forbidden zone and the guard zone, there will generally be four valid zones you can strike; with a pass, there will be three zones. So the situation is fifty-fifty at best. Attacking isn't extremely risky, but the low risk carries a heavy penalty—you lose the game directly. That's why, even though the odds are in their favor when attacking, if they strike the wrong zone, they lose the game immediately. I think, for this reason, rather than trying to win by killing the opponent, both sides will focus on guessing each other's numbers."
"Are you saying physical progression is harder?"
"The killing strategy isn't purely physical. Where you strike, reading which zone your opponent is guarding—it's about reading your opponent. It requires mental effort, but it's not as deep as knowing your opponent's number. There are costs to guessing incorrectly, but the cost of guessing incorrectly on the attack side is more lenient compared to the defense side. That's why I think both sides, instead of making strikes during their attack turns, will generally make their guesses during their attack turns. Not being able to strike and thus failing to gain the pass effect seems like it's not much of a problem compared to the penalty on defense."
"I see. You're right."
The first round of the game began. Zei was starting on the attack side, while Rei had started the game on the defense side. Since it was the first round, the forbidden zone was the head zone. The blue digital screen appeared before Rei again; there was a human body on the screen. It said he had to select one of the five zones.
My opponent will probably think I'm guarding the zone I fear for the most. That zone would be the torso. Since he'll think that way on purpose, I might not need to guard the torso. However, knowing that I'm thinking this, he might attack the torso. But no one would do that in the first round of the game—there's the risk of ending the game in the first round by thinking too simply. Therefore, even knowing I'd think this way, he won't be able to target the torso. The least valuable zones here could be my feet or my hands. If I lose my hands, I can't hold the katana, so my hands are strategically valuable. But because my opponent is aware that my hands are valuable, he knows I'd guard them, and so he'll also hesitate to strike my hands. At least, he'll hesitate in the first round. Normally, I could guard my feet, but I don't think my opponent will attack this round. I'll play it safe and guard my hands.
After selecting the hands as the guarded zone on the digital screen, Zei decided to use his pass right instead of attacking. The attack side passed to Rei. We had moved to the second round; the forbidden zone this time was the arms. A screen appeared before Zei, and due to the pass right, he had to select two guard zones. Zei looked at the screen, thinking.
We're in the early stages of the game. He can't take the risk of striking my head. I'll guard my torso and hands.
After Zei selected his guard zones, the decision turn passed to Rei.
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Authorized Spectator Members
"Do you think it was right for Zei to pass instead of trying his guessing right at the start?"
"It might have been partially wrong. Generally speaking, as we said, using the guessing right during the attack turn makes more sense. But making an incorrect guess on the attack side means taking a small risk. You end up with one guard instead of the two you could have had, but in return, you gain information. If a risk needs to be taken, it should be taken in these early stages. Zei seems to be playing a bit too defensively, but he might be trying to understand his opponent. He must have his own reasoning. But if we know Rei a little, he's going to gather data with his guessing right now."
"I think so too."
After thinking for a short moment, I looked at the system robot and spoke.
"I'm guessing his number is fifteen."
The robot thought for a short moment, then replied.
"Fifteen... incorrect guess! Rei must bear the penalty on the attack side. The attack side passes to Zei!"
Authorized Spectator Members
"As we thought, Rei tried his luck. So Zei's number isn't fifteen."
"The lightness of the penalty on the attack side seems intentional. If the cost were as heavy as on the defense side, no one would dare to guess, and the game would probably stay passive and end in a draw. It's good that it's like this."
"Yes, let's keep it in mind. Zei's number can't be fifteen."
Zei's Side
The attack turn is mine. Instead of attacking, if he used his, I'll use my guessing right too. He hasn't made any strikes so far, and he doesn't seem to want to play aggressively either. Maybe his number is low. Or he could be playing as if it's low while having chosen a high number. He guessed fifteen. Since he guessed fifteen, it might not be fifteen. If it were fifteen, I think he would have hesitated to guess it. But because he planned this, he might have deliberately hidden it behind fifteen to conceal it. So I'll guess fifteen as well.
Rei selected his head as the guard zone on the digital screen.
"I'm guessing fifteen."
The system robot replied.
"Fifteen... incorrect guess! Zei must bear the penalty on the attack side. The attack side passes to Rei. We are on the fourth round, forbidden zone: legs!"
Zei selected his head as his guard zone.
Rei's Side
He must have thought I was hiding behind fifteen. He's thinking in layers, not bad. The next forbidden zone is the feet. I'll keep using my guessing right; I still have my pills, after all.
I want to steer him toward the direction I want him to think.
After thinking for a short moment, I looked at the system robot and spoke.
"I'm guessing his number is one."
"One... incorrect guess! Rei will bear the penalty! The attack side passes to Zei."
Rei, on the defense side, selected his guard zone on the digital screen. The forbidden zone was the feet.
Zei's Side
He wanted to check one, I see. I'll continue in the same way as him; this way, I can proceed with minimal information.
"I'm guessing the number is one."
"One... incorrect guess! You will bear the penalty. The attack side passes to Rei. Forbidden zone: hands!"
I understand. The number he chose is neither fifteen nor one. But he's still playing passively. His number might be low, or it might be somewhere in the middle where he wants to secure himself.
I selected my guard zone on the screen; the zone I guarded was my head.
Rei's Side
The least important zone must be the legs. Even if I strike there, the flesh is thick, so he'll still be standing. This game seems to be focused on the guessing right, it seems. The strategy of trying to kill your opponent feels like a trap strategy meant to lure players in. Because of the pills, there's almost no point except for the head or heart area. But hands and arms can still be considered important, I suppose—without them, you might not be able to hold the katana. But we have two hands and two arms, so it's risky either way.
"I'm guessing his number is six."
"Six... incorrect guess! Rei will bear the penalty. Six rounds have ended, the cycle returns to the head!"
Authorized Spectator Members
"Zei probably thinks he's not leaking any information by doing exactly what Rei is doing. But I have a gut feeling that Rei, aware that he'll be imitated, is steering Zei into the thought pattern he wants. Don't you think so too?"
"Could be. We're talking about Rei, after all. He might have already figured out Zei's psychological profile by now."
"You're right."
Information Status
Rei: Rei's number cannot be 1 or 15
Zei: Zei's number cannot be 1 6 15.
Round seven is about to begin; the attack right is with Zei. The forbidden zone is the head.
No pills have been used. No strikes have been made.