[Stage 13#]

[A train is heading toward two tracks. On the right track, there are your sister Hana and your best friend Hyeon.]

My body froze, my stomach turning upside down. I could almost see a weak mist in the air, burning my skin as if it were poison. Somehow, I had the impression that "poison" was not too far away from the truth.

[On the left track there is a family with two small children.]

My eyes refused to read the last sentence, glued on the clock that still showed 00:25. Maybe if I never read that last sentence, my timer would never start.

[WILL YOU SAVE THE FAMILY?]

A voice spoke inside my head; it was so loud and raw I had to muffle a scream.

[24]

[23]

[22]

[21]

Now, I couldn't think about "me". I had to think about the most probable choice others would pick. I glanced toward the screen that showed all the cubicles, trying to count more or less how many were there. After a few seconds I had already lost count—There could be more than a hundred.

[17]

[16]

The real question was, would all those people be logical or sentimental? Would they choose to save the ones they loved or strangers? Would they be true to their feelings, or would they try to do the exact same thing I was doing? Would they be ethical—

Or would they be human?

[14]

[13]

[12]

[11]

There was also no guarantee that all those people were Korean, that they came from the same city and country as me. If I were to analyze my own people, maybe I would get closer to the real number. But when I took into consideration all the continents, countries, and cultures that could affect those people's decisions—it was impossible.

"C'mon, Eunwoo. You are better than this," my voice trembled, shaking the air around me. Even if there was no sound coming from the screen, I could swear the clock was ticking inside my ears, the sound louder with each lost second.

[9]

[8]

[7]

[6]

[5]

My hands were trembling. I had to take a guess. I could not know what the others were thinking or what they had chosen before. As the next stages progressed, I would be able to find a pattern of how they all thought and chose. But at that moment, I was left with luck.

[4]

[3]

[2]

Plain and old luck. A nervous smile escaped my lips, my voice leaving my mouth right before the clock hit zero.

"I will save Hana and Hyeon."

In the end, I chose to be human. Someone who could not bear to lose their sister and best friend over the lives of four people who meant nothing to me.

I could only hope that the others made the same choice.

The screen froze, a faint purple light blinking at a slow pace. The longer it took, the faster I could hear my heart beat against my chest, my hands sweaty.

[All votes have been counted.]

[All new Selves who chose to save the family…]

My heart stopped.

[Lost]

I almost fell on my knees when I saw the results, dark purple numbers staring back at me. Giving me hope, foolishness, or worse.

[Save the Family: 34%]

[Not Save the Family: 53%]

[Blank Votes: 13%]

Blank votes? That was probably the people who did not decide before time ran out. And I remembered quite well, the rule that explicitly said—

'You must make a choice'

The ground below my feet began to shake and immediately I turned to the other screen. It was as if I was watching a movie. Cubicles all around sank to the ground, being covered by the arena as if they had never been there. All around me, I could hear this sound—as if the earth was swallowing stones and rocks to grind and break them apart. And on each cubicle that disappeared from the screen, the arena got emptier, my own cubicle getting bigger and more spacious. Perhaps it was simply my mind playing tricks on me, but it was almost as if I was able to hear their screams. Smell their blood. It all took less than fifteen seconds at most, and just like that—

43% of us died, buried deep into the ground.

And I could've been a part of that number—all I had to do was make the wrong choice.

[Stage 14#]

The screen blinked only once, not even a second later after the last cubicle sank.

[Calculating your total points.]

[…]

[…]

[You have reached the minimum quota before Stage 11#.]

[You have unlocked a conquest! Survive the evaluation to receive your bonus points.]

[Become one of the first to reach the Top 5 to receive a reward.]

There was a rewards system as well, that was good to know. This meant that even if I was 'safe' from choosing the moral options, I could still take advantage of the choice. Which brought me to another question; was everyone aware of that fact? I could safely assume that not everyone had reached the quota for moral points—those people were obligated to choose the 'good' options if they wished to survive this evaluation. 

Yet what about the people who had already reached their quota? Would they try to raise their points or simply focus on staying alive? In truth, it was foolish to believe any of us had an actual choice if we wanted to survive. This was not about morality, not anymore. This was a test to make us prove to those letters—whatever system was behind it—that we knew how to use our brains. We knew how to calculate odds and take risks, knew how to play by the rules in a canny way.

Otherwise, why tell me about my points now? If I hadn't known I had passed, it would have been more difficult to choose unless I had completely forgotten about the points rule. Yet there it was, the purple letter blinking on the white screen telling me that not only had I passed the first requirement, but I could also receive a reward if I kept it up. That information hadn't been shared by the goodness of someone's heart—it would make no sense. It was quite clear that new rules would be added, so what if those who hadn't reached their quota had received an ultimatum?

'Increase your points until Stage X#'

They would see no choice but to choose the 'good options', and that would certainly change the votes. The real question was, how many of those people were below the quota? How many of them would feel cornered enough to tilt the votes in their favor?

And which side would I choose this time?

The clock appeared on the top right of the screen again, the frozen numbers sending a shiver down my spine.

[A train is heading toward three tracks. On the right track are all of your life savings and possessions.]

[On the left track there are five strangers while in the middle there is one old woman.]

[Will you sacrifice your possessions to save the old woman's life?]

They were repeating the questions, but why? Was it to test our beliefs? But more important than that, I had to make up my mind sooner than later. Whatever that reward was, it was never a bad idea to receive prizes that early in the 'game', if that was what all of this was. A 'game'. And like a lot of games, the faster you completed the stages, the more points you earned.

[23]

[22]

[21]

Based on that question and on their announcement from earlier, it was obvious to me. They had added another rule regarding the quota, yet how many had received it? How many of those cubicles had someone like me, that had a fighting chance to enter the Top 5, and how many of them were depleted of choices? Deep down, I had a very strong guess.

[17]

[16]

[15]

[14]

It did not take that long for me to choose, hoping I had bet on the right place. My heart would not stop racing, watching as the clock got closer to 00:05 until it finally stopped, the letters disappearing from sight. The faint purple light began to pulse again, the seconds stretching as if Time itself was hoping I would have a heart attack before the results were in.

[All votes have been counted]

I held my breath.

[All new Selves that chose to sacrifice their possessions…]

My heart stopped.

[Won]

A laugh escaped my lips, my eyes reflecting the dark purple light that emanated from the numbers.

[Sacrifice Possessions: 81%]

[Let the Old Woman Die: 19%]

[Blank Votes: 0%]

I let out a long sigh, a smile spreading across my face without me even realizing it. That time it didn't take long for all 19% cubicles to disappear into the ground, my own cubicle so large I could actually walk almost four steps in every direction.

My reasoning had been correct—almost flawless, one could say. Had I always been that good? I had never even played poker before, should I have tried? Maybe I was only that good because that was a life-or-death situation, still, I could barely believe it. Either I was the luckiest man or I had been extremely under-evaluated my entire life. Perhaps both, or maybe it was simply the fact I was not my previous self. I was someone better.

I was Eunwoo. A new man, a new person. My body was better, my dreams and potential never-ending. Perhaps that was my chance to be the person, the man, I always desired to be. And then, at that time, I would be able to accomplish everything I ever wanted and more.

Yet my joy was short-lived.

As if something was reading my thoughts, the new Stage appeared.

With a new rule.

[Stage 15#]

[A train is heading toward a person. The train will not stop unless you make a sacrifice.]

[Will you sacrifice Park Eunwoo to save Hana?]

My entire body froze, not because of the question but the two sentences that shone right below it.

[A new rule has been added]

[If the answer given does not match your truthful inner voice, you will lose.]

It was as if those letters were mocking my achievements, forcing me—no, kicking me out of the pedestal as my overconfidence got the best of me after my victory.

This was not an evaluation of our morals, much less one to test our logic.

It was a sadistic way to play with our lives.