July adjusted his mask inside the elevator going up to the control room of the Game Tower.
The mask that had been crooked regained its correct angle and became straight.
Ding!
The door opened with an alarm sound notifying that it arrived at the top floor.
The scenery of the control room was stuffiness itself as always.
The walls were filled with giant monitors, and the cold metallic walls were dyed with the bluish monitor light that was faintly reflected.
Every time the employees wearing copper masks tapped on keyboards, numerous data were rapidly updated on the monitors, and low mechanical sounds and clicking keyboard sounds resonated regularly in the space.
"Game site 36, editing is finished. I will put it on monitor 5."
"Data collection on the circumstances of dropout is complete. Please check."
Meanwhile, the dealers wearing silver masks gathered in the center and were having a quiet discussion while watching the replay video of the 1st round reflected on the monitors.
A giant with a height of 2 meters and an inverted triangle upper body, April, who had the number 4 engraved on his mask, greeted July.
"July, you are late. We are evaluating the 1st round results. You should lend a hand too."
His way of speaking was stiff, like a man evaluated as the most straight-laced among the dealers.
Other dealers kept their distance from April, considering him a man difficult to get close to, but only July often threw risky jokes as if riding a line against April.
July did not stand between June and August, who were assigned to him, but purposely pushed May aside and stood next to April.
"Is the number of deaths in the 1st round confirmed?"
The answer was given by a female dealer named May, who felt unpleasant about her spot being taken.
Korean with a foreign accent flowed out from inside the mask engraved with 5.
"80 dead. Out of the 4.5 billion won total prize money prepared, the prize money acquired by players is 2.5 billion won."
"The number of deaths is smaller than expected."
"Maybe because it was the first game, there were many players who played it safe. That is why a lot of the prepared prize money remained."
July found it amazing that there were as many as 120 survivors.
"Since they are those who passed the participation qualification test, I thought they would move as if their leashes were undone. Unexpectedly, there are many people who feel a sense of refusal about crossing the line."
May muttered bluntly.
"While someone crosses the line frequently. Someone-ssi who is not only late but also intrudes into a place that is not even his own spot."
May tilted her body to the left, and then tilted elastically toward the right.
May's shoulder pushed July's shoulder strongly.
July's body tilted to the right due to the agile shove and lightly collided with April.
The leader of the dealers, January, captured the action placed on the extension of the mischief and lowered his voice.
"May, it seems you have already reviewed all the contents of the 1st round. Would you please tell me your opinion?"
Instead of directly pointing out the bad attitude, he was rebuking her indirectly by asking about work-related content.
May glanced at July once with a tsk.
And soon she straightened her voice and recited what she analyzed clearly.
"Currently, the average amount possessed by players is about 20 million won. 1st place is Yoon Ji-ho. He is leading alone by earning 600 million won. Following that is Bang Su-hyeok who secured 100 million won, three players who earned 80 million won, and an old man who earned a small amount of 10 million won but killed 9 people in the 1st round. I think we should pay attention to these six people."
May took a breath and paid attention to the monitor in front.
On the monitor, the scene of explosions happening in various places inside the game site was flowing.
"However, there is one part I do not understand. Yoon Ji-ho's ability is the 'ability to turn currency into bombs'. Even when he came to this island, there was no cash in Yoon Ji-ho's belongings. But in the 1st round game, he dominated the game while scattering currency all over."
Where did Yoon Ji-ho obtain cash?
The one who solved May's question was November, a dealer who had been feeling interest in Yoon Ji-ho all along.
"199 people."
"Huh? What?"
"As soon as Yoon Ji-ho received his ability, he killed one person, so we had to start the game with 199 people. That fellow is a geek, but he is not a fool."
May pondered the answer using November's words as a hint.
While pondering, she muttered to herself in her mother tongue.
Russian flowed out from inside the mask.
#$%&.
May, who finished pondering, asked November as if making a guess.
"The person he killed for fun had cash?"
"It is the opposite. He killed the person to secure cash."
"He managed to find a player who was carrying a lot of cash."
"He was lucky. Since the first player he killed happened to have a lot of cash, the victim ended up with one person. If the first victim did not have cash, the number of people who died before the start of the 1st round would have been much higher."
May raised her voice as if she could not accept November's opinion.
"That is proof that Yoon Ji-ho is not a fool? No way! He just swung it around like a crazy guy and luckily got it!"
"You cannot deny that the crazy guy moved without a single moment of hesitation to achieve his purpose. Don't they say there is only a paper-thin difference between recklessness and genius?"
"Ha, genius? It seems beautifying a crazy guy as a genius is your taste."
"If so, what kind of genius do you want? A fellow who gets beaten up and dies without any resolve would not look like a genius to you."
As the dispute between November and May grew long, other dealers also joined the discussion.
An argument unfolded, but the atmosphere was mostly agreeing on the point that Yoon Ji-ho is a prominent winning candidate.
Meanwhile, there was a person who was the only one not giving an opinion.
It was January.
January took his eyes off the monitor where the replay video was being transmitted and turned his head to the side.
In the place where January's gaze reached, there were several monitors reflecting the current situation inside the Shopping Mall.
On a certain monitor, Park So-yul, who finished purchasing a ticket at the ticket office, was being reflected.
"The player I paid attention to eventually chose to return."
Only July responded to January's monologue.
"Do you mean Park So-yul? Even though it was 2nd rank, she obtained an ability evaluated as not falling behind the ability of Yoon Ji-ho, who is 1st rank, in potential. I expected it because her personal circumstances were desperate, but it is a shame."
"It is a regrettable thing. When a fellow named Lee Ju-seong copied Park So-yul's ability, I thought it would become more interesting from now on."
Since the people who possessed abilities with high potential increased to two, they thought the data they could obtain would also be doubled.
But Park So-yul chose to return.
In the Safety House, they were scheduled to perform an ability removal procedure on the returnees.
The disappearance of Park So-yul's ability meant that the ability copied by Lee Ju-seong would also disappear together.
January swallowed his regret and asked for July's personal opinion.
"July, how about Mr. Lee Ju-seong whom you were paying attention to? In the Cops and Robbers game, he seemed to have stood out more than Park So-yul."
July shook his head instead of answering.
The loose mask tightening strap shook, and the mask tilted at a crooked angle.
"I also watched from beginning to end, but I did not receive an impression that Mr. Lee Ju-seong achieved some noteworthy result."
"Do you want to say he survived because he was lucky?"
"He survived because Park So-yul has a more gentle personality than she looks; if it were someone else, they would have cut Lee Ju-seong with a single sword as soon as they met."
"Hmm, that makes sense."
January listened to July's opinion and nodded in the sense of agreeing.
January had no way of knowing that a crescent-like smirk lingered inside the mask engraved with the number 7.
July smirked while holding his breath as he secretly gazed at a specific monitor.
Lee Ju-seong, he was a material whose unpredictability stood out since I first met him.
I'm looking forward to which direction that unpredictability will bounce.
On the screen July was gazing at, the situation inside the medical facility was being reflected.
Inside the consultation room, a Female Doctor wearing a copper mask was facing a player.
The person being examined was none other than Lee Ju-seong.
I, Lee Ju-seong, showed a look of being glad as I entered the consultation room.
"Wow, I see you here again. Thank you before the 1st round."
As I showed a sign of being glad, the Female Doctor sitting across the desk emitted a cold air.
Inside the copper mask's eye holes, there was plenty of a sign of looking down.
"I have never done anything to be thanked for. There is no reason for me to hear a tone of being glad from you either."
A voice that was cold as could be, as if telling me to realize my insignificance.
I, Lee Ju-seong, smiled slightly as if that coldness was rather interesting.
"Do not be so cold. I was able to survive thanks to the hint you threw while giving me the injection."
"Hint? I do not think I said anything special to you."
"As soon as you heard my ability identification code, you said I had no luck. That one word saved me."
Whether she did not expect to receive a greeting of gratitude, a falsetto was slightly mixed into the Female Doctor's voice.
"What?"
"Thanks to the words that I had no luck, I snapped out of it and was able to face reality. Thanks to that, I was able to copy the ability to turn bodily fluids into blades."
I, Lee Ju-seong, slowly reached out both hands while wearing a world-class soft smile.
Sincere gratitude, personal feelings, pure goodwill.
I acted by mixing various emotions in a golden ratio and wrapped the Female Doctor's right hand with both of my hands.
At the same time, I added a word.
"Doctor, you are the savior of my life."
The Female Doctor swept down the forehead part of the mask with her left hand and let out a sigh.
"Stop the attempt to be funny and tell me the symptoms first."
"Will you be angry if I tell you I just came to say thank you?"
"Do you want to be overcharged for medical fees more than double others? I wonder if you can still have a grateful heart toward me then."
"I would be very sad because the opportunity to come see you twice would be reduced to once."
The Female Doctor let out a small laugh as if it was absurd.
It was a very minute sound, but I, Lee Ju-seong, did not miss that smile.
"Half was a joke. The real business is separate. By any chance, can you draw my blood and divide it into blood bags?"
As I conveyed the idea I came up with without any addition or subtraction, the Female Doctor showed personal interest in me.
"For a dummy who goes around with debt, you came up with a brilliant idea? You mean you need a tool to use the copied ability anytime?"
"Yes, because I cannot make a wound on my body every time I need blood."
There was a limit to the performance that could be exerted with sweat or saliva.
Therefore, blood, which could make the most intense and high-mass blades with a small amount, was essential.
If I used blood bags, I would be able to carry blood safely and hygienically.
The Female Doctor pulled out her right hand that was covered by both of my hands and said as she took out her cell phone from her pocket.
"I do not have the machine needed for blood donation, but I can draw it out with a syringe. And I have to find out from now on if there are remaining blood bags. Wait a moment."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"I only provide convenience worth the medical fee. Do not expect more than that."
She contacted me with her cell phone, and after a few seconds passed, she received a reply and informed me of the result.
"A reply came that there are many extra blood bags. That's good. Congratulations on being able to realize your idea."
"If I draw blood like donating blood, I would be able to harvest about 300ml. I would be grateful if you could divide the drawn blood into six small blood bags of 50ml each."
"How picky."
"While I am being picky, let me add one more requirement. By any chance, can you make time after work?"
The Female Doctor moved her gaze that was fixed on the cell phone and stared at me blankly.
It was a gesture as if asking silently, In your position...?
Surprisingly, for me, it was a word thrown with sincerity.
Although the meaning is a little different from what the Female Doctor accepted.
"Hahaha, I asked in a tone that leaves room for misunderstanding. I mean I want to buy your time."
The Female Doctor initially held a thin laugh, but soon she gazed at me with eyes sparkling interestingly.
"You buy my time? Wake up from your dream. Keep the delusions to yourself."
"It is a proposal, not a delusion."
I, Lee Ju-seong, added while tapping the Money Watch on my wrist with my index finger.
"How much will it be?"
On the Money Watch screen, 70 million won, the amount earned in the 1st round, was marked.