The holographic screen flickered before her, casting a dim blue glow over the small, sterile room.

Yukian's heart pounded.

"Your Role: The Overseer."

She frowned. Overseer?

A second message appeared beneath it.

"Your ability: Once per round, you may access the security cameras. You may watch one location of your choice for 30 seconds."

Her stomach twisted.

So I can't see everything... but I can catch people in the act.

A final message flashed.

"DO NOT REVEAL YOUR ROLE. TRUST NO ONE."

A soft beep.

The door to her room slid open.

Yukian exhaled slowly.

She had a role.

She had one chance per round to use it wisely.

Yukian stepped into the main hall, her posture tense.

The room was circular, metallic, and sterile, with bright overhead lights casting long shadows across the floor. A massive screen flickered at the front, displaying the words:

"PHANTOM'S GAMBIT: 12 PLAYERS REMAIN."

Ten others stood around the room, the last survivors of the second game.

She recognized Shuntaro immediately—leaning lazily against a metal railing, blue hood up, arms crossed, a smirk playing on his lips.

But the rest?

All strangers.

A deep beep echoed, signaling the meeting was about to begin.

A robotic voice boomed overhead.

"WELCOME TO THE PHANTOM'S GAMBIT."
"INTRODUCTIONS ARE RECOMMENDED BEFORE STRATEGIZING."

Yukian's eyes scanned the room.

One by one, the survivors spoke.

The Remaining Players:

Renji – A tall, muscular man with spiky silver hair and deep-set brown eyes. His arms were covered in burn scars, and his voice was low and gruff. "If you're weak, you won't last long."

Sayaka – A serious-looking woman with jet-black hair tied in a high ponytail. She wore fingerless gloves, her cold gray eyes assessing everyone sharply. "Don't waste my time with small talk."

Itsuki – A quiet, lanky boy with messy dark green hair. He had a nervous energy, his eyes darting to every exit. "I-I just don't wanna die, okay?"

Mikio – A cocky guy with neatly trimmed dark brown hair and silver-rimmed glasses. His sharp smirk never faded. "Smart people will make it out. The rest of you? Maybe not."

Haruka – A short girl with long light brown hair and round, wide amber eyes. She looked way too innocent for a game like this. "I believe we can work together! Right...?"

Souta – A bored-looking young man with light blue-dyed hair and half-lidded eyes. He yawned as he spoke. "Let's just get this over with, yeah?"

Nagi – A well-built guy with reddish-orange hair and dark freckles. His deep voice carried confidence. "As long as we don't panic, we can survive this."

Emiko – A tall, intimidating woman with short, slicked-back dark purple hair. Her gaze was unreadable. "I won't tolerate fools."

Tetsuya – A slim but sharp-eyed young man with grayish-black hair and a lazy smirk. He rolled a toothpick in his mouth as he spoke. "All I care about is not getting killed. Simple, yeah?"

Ami – A shy girl with wavy chestnut-colored hair and large green eyes. She kept wringing her hands nervously. "I... I just wanna go home."

Sayaka crossed her arms. ". The Phantoms could be anyone."

Haruka's expression fell. "But... we have to work together!"

Renji let out a short laugh. "That's how people get killed."

Yukian remained silent. She could already feel it—distrust was settling in.

And the game hadn't even started yet.

A heavy silence settled over the group.

Yukian exhaled, then slowly turned her head—

Toward the security cameras mounted on the ceiling.

She narrowed her eyes.

The game master had spoken before. They were watching.

She took a step forward, tilting her head slightly.

Then, in a calm but firm voice, she spoke.

"Hey."

The other players stopped arguing, turning toward her.

Yukian kept her gaze locked onto the camera lens.

"You haven't told us how many of us will make it out of here."

The words hung in the air.

A deep, mechanical beep echoed through the room.

Then—

The robotic voice finally responded.

"THE FINAL NUMBER OF SURVIVORS... HAS NOT BEEN DECIDED."

Yukian's breath caught.

The rest of the players tensed.

Mikio's smirk faded. Sayaka's fists tightened. Even Shuntaro, who had been watching lazily from the side, raised an eyebrow.

"What does that mean?" Renji asked, his tone sharp.

"THE NUMBER OF WINNERS WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE GAME'S FINAL CONDITIONS."

Ami's face turned pale. "S-So... what if only one person is supposed to survive?"

No response.

The screen in the center of the room flickered.

A countdown appeared.

"THE GAME BEGINS IN 5 MINUTES."

Yukian swallowed hard.

They had their answer.

And it was worse than anything she had imagined.