18. NOBODY

Everybody closed their eyes, turning their faces away as Stuart violently threw up. They desperately wanted to erase the sight from their minds, to pretend none of this was happening.

Breaking the fragile silence with a sharp laugh, Gomut spun the revolver once more.

SHHH… RINGG…!

The weapon whirled rapidly across the gritty stone before its momentum died. The heavy metal barrel slid to a halt, pointing directly at Soya. The handle pointed straight across at Gen.

Gen instantly leaped up from his seated position, his chest puffing out with sickening joy. He cast a slow, predatory gaze over every single woman in the room before locking his eyes onto Soya, thoroughly scanning her figure while licking his dry lips.

Soya felt a wave of intense revulsion. This short-statured man looked like an absolute goblin, grinning at her with a vile, twisted smile that made her skin crawl. It looked as though he wanted to leap across the gap, attack her, and subject her to unspeakable horrors.

But Gen didn't give her a single moment to process her fear. He leaned forward, his voice dripping with malice. “Tell me the Truth. Who do you think is the most beautiful person in this room?”

Soya’s mind raced. She had known Betheny since childhood; they had practically grown up together. To Soya, Betheny represented half of the entire world she knew—the only safe half, while the rest of the world had always been cruel to her. Betheny was the single dazzling star in her otherwise crumbled reality, lighting up the darkness.

Betheny had taken her in when she was orphaned, taught her how to dress, and nursed her back to health whenever she fell ill. Betheny was, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl in her entire world.

Without hesitation, Soya pointed across the room. “Betheny.”

Betheny offered a small, bittersweet smile from the lineup. But a second later, the words that left Gen’s mouth left them both completely shattered.

“Excellent,” Gen sneered, his eyes gleaming. “For the Dare... get me a blowjob from Betheny.”

Soya froze, the world spinning around her. What…?!

“Wh… why her?!” Soya cried out, her voice shaking violently as terror took hold. “I was the one given the dare! Why would she have to do it?!”

Soya refused to accept it. She couldn't betray Betheny—not after everything her friend had sacrificed for her. She refused to let the one shining star in her life be dragged into such repulsive, degrading ugliness because of her own misfortune. She wanted to repay Betheny with lifelong gratitude, not with public insult and violation.

Soya opened her mouth, gathering her breath to scream a furious defiance at the guards. But before a sound could leave her throat, Gen lunged forward and brutally shoved the cold metal barrel of the revolver straight into her open mouth.

Losing his patience entirely, he glared at her like an arrogant, unhinged jerk. “Don’t make me open your brain, girl. You aren’t even that beautiful, but we can still find plenty of uses for that body of yours if you push me.”

Soya was paralyzed. She was filled with an overwhelming wave of rage, sorrow, and terror, but she was entirely powerless. Tears streaming down her face, she squeezed her eyes shut, entirely accepting the cold hand of death right in front of her.

But then, a trembling voice cut through the heavy air, shattering the silence and banishing the immediate threat of death—only to replace it with a crushing sense of misery.

“I will do it,” Betheny spoken up, her teeth gritted so hard her jaw visibly shook. “For one minute. That's the rule.”

Gen grinned triumphantly, easing the pressure of the gun. In a blind fit of despair, Soya reached up, her fingers wrapping around the weapon in Gen's hand, desperately trying to pull the trigger herself to end it.

“Don’t touch that!” Gomut barked from his chair, his voice cutting through the panic. “If you pull that trigger, I will kill Betheny right alongside you.”

The realization hit Soya like a physical blow. She was trapped in a game designed to ensure she lost. If she did nothing, she lost; if she fought back or forfeited, she lost. The cold truth settled heavily in her chest—she had lost the very moment she sat down to play.

Edward forced his eyes toward the floor. He had felt terrible for Stuart, but what was happening to Betheny now was entirely unbearable to witness. He clutched his wounded thigh, entirely helpless, unable to do anything but stare at the blood-stained stone beneath him. Stuart, Quin, and Kai shared the exact same suffocating shame, while even Violet actively looked away. May remained completely silent, her head bowed.

Betheny slowly walked forward, dropping to her knees in front of Gen.

With a smug grin, Gen unfastened his shorts, letting the fabric drop silently to the floor.

….

Soya’s eyes were completely bloodshot, staring blankly ahead.

Nobody said a single word. No one offered a voice of acknowledgement, nor did anyone dare whisper a word of sympathy toward Betheny. It was as if everyone in the room had collectively agreed to deny the reality of the last sixty seconds, pretending those agonizing moments simply didn't exist in this world.

But Gen’s raucous, mocking shout shattered their fragile denial the moment the minute expired.

“You are a fantastic lady!” Gen laughed hysterically, pulling his clothes back up. “Next time, I’ll bring my friends along for you all. Then maybe we can have a threesome... maybe a foursome! Ahahaha!”

Betheny finally collapsed entirely, burying her face in her hands as she wept silently against the cold floor.

Nobody moved to console her. What could they possibly say? Every single person left alive in that room was a coward. Some had watched out of sheer morbid paralysis, while others had kept their eyes glued to the floor out of a desperate fear of death. And some had to live with the agonizing knowledge that they were the very reason it had happened.

Suddenly, Gomut’s booming voice drowned out the sound of Betheny’s muffled sobs. He extended his hand, pointing unceremoniously at the next three targets in the lineup.

“You! You! And You! You’re up next.”

He was pointing directly at Violet, Edward, and Quin.

Edward slowly pushed himself up, dragging his injured leg as he limped heavily toward the circle. Violet stepped forward calmly, taking her place across from Dan, while Quin silently sat down directly in front of Gen. Seeing that all three of them had taken their places without a single complaint, Gomut turned his head to Gen with a mocking smile.

“Are you having fun now, Gen?”

Gen nodded eagerly, a sick grin plastered across his face. “Yes, boss! It’s beautiful. Next round, it’s definitely going to be the girl with the purple hair. Absolutely.”

Amused by Gen's enthusiasm, Gomut flicked his wrist and sent the revolver into a fresh spin.

SHHH… RINGG…!

The gun whirled across the stone, wobbled, and clicked to a halt, pointing harmlessly sideways into the empty space between them.

Without a word, Gomut reached down and spun it a second time.

SHHH… RINGG…!

The metallic ring echoed off the walls as the weapon blurred, slowed down, and finally rattled to a stop. This time, the barrel pointed dead center at Edward, while the handle faced directly toward Gomut.

Gen burst into a loud, mocking laugh. “Boss, your luck is absolute dogshit! Ahahaha!”

Gomut didn't seem bothered by the tease. He merely locked his cold, analytical eyes onto Edward's face, waiting.

Edward didn't hesitate for a single second. Keeping his tone entirely firm and direct, he asked his question immediately. “Tell me the truth: how long does it take for a person to reach Sia County from this exact location?”

Gomut’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “You still hold onto the pathetic hope of escaping us?”

Edward remained dead silent, staring back without blinking.

“Delusional,” Gomut chuckled, his voice dropping into a flat drone. “It would take a full week by any standard means of transportation. And in your current state, soldier, you might not even be able to walk there at all.”

Edward immediately retorted, his anger flaring. “You’re lying! Just yesterday we were at the local bar. Even if we calculate an extra day for detours, it should only be two days in total. We are incredibly close to the county!”

Gomut let out a low, dark chuckle. Without warning, he raised his right hand. With three quick, whispered vocal chants, a small, vibrant orb of pure fire manifested out of thin air, dancing directly above his palm. He pointed to the flickering flame with his left hand, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction.

“We travel with the help of this. Now... give me my dare.”

Edward’s eyes widened slightly, the realization crashing down on him as he stared at the unnatural heat. He mumbled softly under his breath, “Magic…”

Regaining his composure, Edward pressed forward with his dare. “I dare you to completely grant immunity to one person from executing their dare, whenever I choose to call it in.”

Gomut accepted the condition without a second thought, completely unfazed. “Fine. Let’s continue.”

Edward was a little surprised but he didn’t argue at all.

With a swift flick of his fingers, Gomut sent the revolver into its third and final spin of the round.

SHHH… RINGG…!

The heavy iron weapon whirled across the floor, its metallic scraping sound filling the silent room until it began to wobble, losing its momentum. It clicked, slid a final inch, and locked into place.

The barrel was pointing directly at Violet.

The handle was pointing straight at Gen.