The Red Gate rumbled.

The moment it slammed shut behind them, the entire floor shifted. Yukian stumbled slightly as a deep mechanical whirring filled the air.

It wasn't a gate.

It was an elevator.

The walls trembled, and before she could react—

The floor dropped.

Her stomach lurched as the elevator began descending. The air grew heavier, the dim red glow overhead flickering against the steel walls.

A deep silence settled over the five survivors.

Yukian let out a slow breath, forcing herself to stay still. Her heart was still racing from their escape, but this wasn't the time to show weakness.

A voice broke the silence.

"So, looks like we're the lucky ones."

She turned toward the speaker—a boy, slightly older than her, with sharp gray eyes and neatly styled black hair. He stood with his arms crossed, his expression cool and unreadable.

"Guess we should introduce ourselves, huh?" He tilted his head slightly. "Since we're all still breathing."

The girl beside him sighed dramatically, flipping her short, honey-blonde hair over her shoulder. Her green eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked around.

"Well, aren't you eager? Fine, I'll go first. The name's Rika. Don't slow me down, alright?"

Yukian studied her carefully. She seemed confident. Maybe too confident.

The second boy stretched his arms, yawning. His light brown hair was messy, his jacket slightly unzipped like he couldn't be bothered to fix it. His voice was lazy, carefree.

"I'm Takashi. Nice to meet ya. Let's not die, yeah?"

Yukian clenched her fists slightly. He's too relaxed. Does he not care?

Then, all eyes turned to her.

She hesitated. I don't want to do this. But refusing to speak would only make her stand out more.

"Yukian," she said flatly. "That's it."

Rika raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No hobbies? No fun facts?"

Yukian didn't answer.

Rika smirked. "Okaaay then, Miss Mysterious."

Finally, Shuntaro leaned back against the elevator wall, his blue hood still up, shadowing his sharp blue eyes. He gave an easy, almost lazy grin.

"Shuntaro," he said smoothly. "And before you ask, no, I'm not single."

Rika rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Of course, we get stuck with a flirt."

Takashi chuckled. "Better than getting stuck with a psychopath."

The elevator suddenly shook.

A mechanical ding echoed through the air.

Then—

The doors slid open.

A wave of cold air rushed in.

Yukian stepped forward, her eyes widening slightly.

They had descended into a massive, abandoned city.

The skyscrapers loomed over them, windows shattered and broken. The streets were cracked, signs rusted, streetlights flickering weakly.

A new message blinked on their phones.

"Welcome to the Second Stage."
"The next trial will begin shortly."
"Prepare for the next challenge."

Yukian's stomach twisted.

They had survived the first game.

The cold wind swept through the abandoned city as the elevator doors slid open.

Yukian stepped out, her eyes widening.

The Red Gate hadn't just dropped them off alone.

They weren't the only survivors.

At least 50 players stood scattered across the crumbling street. Some looked exhausted. Some were whispering in frantic voices. Others were just staring, their expressions blank and unreadable.

The air was thick with tension.

Then—

A sudden beep echoed from their phones.

Yukian's stomach tightened.

"Welcome to the Second Stage."
"The next trial is about to begin."

A deep, robotic voice boomed from unseen speakers.

"GAME: PASS THE BOMB."

A loud click rang through the air.

All at once, the players' wristbands glowed.

Then—one player's phone let out a loud, echoing alarm.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

A random man in the crowd froze.

His wristband was glowing bright red.

Then—

A giant countdown appeared in the sky.

40:00

The game had begun.

The robotic voice continued.

"RULES:"
"One player starts with the bomb."
"You must pass it to another player by making direct contact—tap them, punch them, anything works."
"Each time the bomb is passed, it resets the timer for that player."
"At the end of 40 minutes, the player holding the bomb will be eliminated."
"There is no limit to how many times you can receive the bomb."
"NO HIDING. NO REFUSING. NO MERCY."

A dead silence fell over the group.

Then—

The man with the bomb MOVED.

Screams erupted as players scattered in all directions.

The hunt had begun.

The city exploded into panic.

Screams rang through the air as players scattered, shoving, sprinting, tripping over each other to escape the one holding the bomb.

Yukian barely avoided getting knocked over as people rushed past her, the ground trembling under so many frantic footsteps.

The red countdown in the sky ticked down.

39:43

Somewhere in the madness, a man let out a desperate shout.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE—!"

BEEP!

A second later, the sound of someone else's alarm went off.

The bomb had been passed.

The moment the new target realized, they screamed and ran.

Yukian ducked into a narrow alley, pressing herself against the wall, trying to catch her breath. This is insane.

And then—she saw him.

Shuntaro.

He stood casually on top of an old vending machine, watching the chaos with a lazy smirk. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his blue hoodie, his posture relaxed like he wasn't in a life-or-death game.

Yukian narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?"

Shuntaro tilted his head, his piercing blue eyes glinting with amusement. "Enjoying the show."

Yukian clenched her fists. He's treating this like a game.

Then—

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Yukian's head snapped toward the noise.

A player with the bomb had just turned the corner.

And he was sprinting straight for Shuntaro.

Shuntaro barely reacted.

He sighed. "Tch. Guess break time's over."

The player lunged toward him.

Shuntaro moved.

In one fluid motion, he jumped off the vending machine, flipping mid-air, and landed lightly on his feet just as the attacker crashed into it.

Yukian's eyes widened. He's fast.

Shuntaro turned to her, still smirking. "You coming, sweetheart?"

Yukian didn't hesitate.

She ran.