Currently, there are three games available for participation.
Looking at the aspects of the remaining games, every single one of them seemed formidable.
Class President Election Game - 18 people.
Human Marbles - 17 people.
Pirate Roulette - 16 people.
The number of remaining people was nine, and joy and sorrow were scheduled to be divided depending on whether the games were filled to capacity before Yoon Ji-ho stepped forward.
The announcer called out the next person over the speakers in the area.
[Mr. Kim Min-jun, please come to the front of the Game Tower.]
The gym's side door opened, and a middle-aged man with a model student style wearing glasses stepped out.
His baggy lower body, slender arms, and bulging belly informed others that he was a person who spent each day barely enduring a fierce professional life.
Since he was far from being physically strong, the players in the queue called out to the man with brightened faces.
"Mister! Come over here! You know how to play marbles, right? Wouldn't a game you have prior knowledge of be more comfortable than some mysterious game! I'm telling you to come here!"
"It'll be full if just two more people join here! You don't want to play a game with Yoon Ji-ho, do you? If only you come, there's only one person left until it's full!"
"A support fund of 3 million won if you line up for Pirate Roulette right now."
The Pirate Roulette queue, which had the smallest number, made a bold move.
A so-called 'Recruitment support fund'.
The figure who stepped forward saying he would pay the support fund was a boy in a school uniform.
A schoolgirl was standing next to the boy, and the boy and girl were tightly holding each other's hands as if encouraging one another.
The man called Kim Min-jun moved his steps toward the Pirate Roulette queue without a moment's hesitation.
"Are you really giving 3 million won? Even though I'm just lining up?"
The boy held out the Money Watch on his arm and said.
"If you can't believe it, I'll deposit 1 million won as a down payment first. I'll give you the remaining 2 million won inside the elevator."
"Usually, don't they give half as a down payment in these cases?"
"Then please play the role of a shill when coaxing the next person in line. If you do, I'll deposit 1.5 million won, which is half, as a down payment right now."
"This friend is good at business. There's no reason to refuse when free money is involved."
The other players making up the Pirate Roulette queue murmured.
It seemed to be a decision the boy made arbitrarily without consulting the other players.
The reason he was trying to block Yoon Ji-ho's participation in advance while spending his own funds was obvious.
To protect the girl he was with.
Since the girl's survival rate would hit rock bottom if they participated in the same game as Yoon Ji-ho, he was trying to exclude the risk factor even at the cost of consuming some personal funds.
I was inspired by the boy's quick decision.
'Did he apply a formula that was popular in online games? Not bad.'
In games where buffers who give buffs or healers who give heals were rare, there were often cases of calling them into a party by giving support funds to those professions.
He applied that to this queue of psychological warfare.
It was a strategy befitting a student familiar with games.
As Kim Min-jun joined the Pirate Roulette queue, the full-scale struggle for players began.
Class President Election Game - 18 people.
Human Marbles - 17 people.
Pirate Roulette - 17 people.
[Ms. Choi Yun-seo, please come to the front of the Game Tower.]
In the queues for the other two games, no one stepped forward to give support funds.
Of course, it was an amount that wouldn't be much if everyone chipped in.
However, the problem was that with ambiguous numbers like 17 or 18 people, 3 million won wouldn't be cleanly divided by N.
Since arguing over who should pay a larger amount felt tiring, not a single person brought up the idea of paying a support fund.
Meanwhile, in the Pirate Roulette queue, the boy actively engaged in soliciting customers with Kim Min-jun at the forefront.
"Come this way! We'll give you a support fund of 3 million won!"
"I also received half as a down payment earlier. It's real, so come in with peace of mind."
In that way, as they brought in three more people in a row, the Pirate Roulette game filled up its capacity first among the three remaining games.
Class President Election Game - 18 people.
Human Marbles - 20 people.
Pirate Roulette - 20 people.
Only then did the other queues start to hastily set up countermeasures as fire fell on their feet.
"At this rate, we're going to end up playing the same game as that crazy bastard Yoon Ji-ho. We have to offer a support fund too."
"Usually, shouldn't the person with extra balance pay? My balance is only 2 million won. My balance is tight enough, but do I have to give support funds to people with a lot of money too?"
"Whew, this feels like crap. Giving more opportunities to earn money to those with a high balance, and only throwing situations where it's easy to keep getting extorted to those with a low balance. They should have made the order the other way around instead."
Everyone was feeling a sense of repulsion toward the situation itself where they had to hand money to people with a lot of money while being in a position with a low balance.
An anonymous player shouted with a loud voice from somewhere in the queue.
As if they had realized a way to find out the volume of gold.
"I realized it! Doesn't it mean that people who joined later have a higher balance! Isn't it right for the person with a lot of money to bear it?"
The players in the queue all at once paid attention to the person who had joined the latest.
That was none other than me.
Since I had a history of stopping Yoon Ji-ho by spending my own funds yesterday as well, they were expecting me to rescue them by spending my own funds in the same way this time.
A few players already tried to talk me into it.
"Excuse me... was your name Mr. Lee Ju-seong? If it's not rude, may I hear how much your balance is?"
It was good that I had instilled a good image of myself through yesterday's incident, but it seemed I had also provided an opening that I might be a sucker because of it.
I almost burst into laughter seeing the players trying to treat me as a mark.
'They want to avoid Yoon Ji-ho because he's scary while causing trouble, and they're trying to exploit the person who helped them because he seems easy. This is why you shouldn't be underestimated.'
To be clear, I had no intention whatsoever of being treated like a good person inside this Money Game.
The protagonist I desired was not a role that babbled about things that sound good but are hollow, like saving the world or not losing one's humanity amidst cruelty.
Should a protagonist absolutely be ethical and deliver a moral lesson?
Works that come out that way are those smeared with PC.
Rather than dying as a good person, I would survive in a role that coolly laughs it off and tramples back even if I get cursed at.
I waved my hand perfunctorily as if shooing away a fly.
"Does Yoon Ji-ho seem scary while I seem easy?"
The murmuring noise was broken by a moment of silence at the words I spat out bluntly.
I tilted my head slightly and indifferently scanned the gazes that were leaning on me.
Then, I raised the corners of my mouth slightly and laughed lowly.
"If you don't have money, you just have to use someone else's? You seem to have forgotten the reason why you came to a hellish place like this."
As soon as my words ended, the expressions of the people were distorted in an instant.
Those who realized they had messed with something wrong and were gauging my reaction.
Those who regretted doing something unnecessary.
Different expressions crossed one after another.
"No, that's... I didn't mean it that way..."
The player who spoke up tried to hesitate and make an excuse, but I spread my palm and cut that off.
"In the end, you're trying to avoid participating in the same game as Yoon Ji-ho by using my money, aren't you. Just because you're stingy with a mere 3 million won. I don't care if I play the same game as Yoon Ji-ho."
A moment later, someone among the people who were gauging reactions muttered lowly.
"I was just asking for help one more time like yesterday, but I don't know why he takes it so twistedly."
At those words, others began to whisper as if in agreement.
"Stopping Yoon Ji-ho yesterday must have been a show anyway. To show off."
"Kids like that always act all high and mighty and then get stabbed in the back later."
Gloomy mutterings familiar to the ears.
A crowd that flocked together while attributing their own incompetence to others' faults.
Even after hearing their words, I lightly shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, if you want to think like that, think as you please. Instead, please, I'd like you to be quiet. My ears are stinging."
Only then did the people who were about to say more hesitate.
It wasn't because they were scared, but because my attitude of not wanting to waste any more time was clear.
As I firmly drew a line, their servile eyes immediately turned back toward each other.
'I don't care whether they regard me as an enemy or not. They are faint-hearted people who won't even be able to unite among themselves anyway. The abilities those people have are also only useless abilities even if I copy them.'
I leisurely kept my spot at the end of the queue and crossed my arms.
The number of remaining players was steadily decreasing even while a disturbance was occurring inside the queue.
[Mr. James, Mr. Heo Cheon-gyu, Mr. Son Seok-yong. Please gather in front of the Game Tower.]
Whether three out of the top five had the same balance, they were called at the same time.
Whether the three had stayed at the hotel yesterday, they appeared from beyond the Hall, passed through the lobby, and entered the schoolyard.
Since they slept at the hotel, they must have rested better than those who slept in the gym.
However, the complexions of the three players who actually entered the schoolyard turned pale white.
"Height 180cm, small scars on the right hand, two-block with bangs swept to the left..."
The three players scanned the players belonging to the queues while muttering the physical characteristics of a specific person.
But listening closely, they were familiar characteristics.
The height, the location of the scars, and the hairstyle.
Huh? That's me?
Soon after, the gazes of the three players stayed on me.
After discovering me, the three players exchanged glances and then flocked to the next queue.
As if they were people who were forced to stand in a line at a specific place under someone's coercion.
Due to that, the business strategy the players prepared was rendered useless, and the fates of each game were decided in an instant.
Class President Election Game - 18 people.
Human Marbles - 20 people.
Pirate Roulette - 20 people.
Remaining players were two, and the remaining spots were two spots in the Class President Election Game.
In other words, it was the moment Yoon Ji-ho's participation in the Class President Election Game was confirmed.
I instantly saw through the meaning contained behind the monologue that the person named James had let slip.
'Yoon Ji-ho, that guy pulled a stunt to participate in the same game as me. He probably threatened those three people that he would kill them if they participated in the Class President Election Game.'
It seemed that getting hit by me yesterday and losing 100 million was incredibly frustrating for him.
But you made a mistake, Yoon Ji-ho.
Thanks to you pulling a stunt to participate in the same game as me, a person who will be helpful to me ended up participating together.
[Mr. Bang Su-hyeok, Mr. Yoon Ji-ho, since there is only one option left, we will proceed immediately. Both of you, please come to the front of the Game Tower.]
The two remaining players came in at once.
Bang Su-hyeok and Yoon Ji-ho.
Befitting a person who requires a large number of competent colleagues, Bang Su-hyeok observed me carefully with interested eyes.
On the other hand, as if he would pay back yesterday's humiliation twofold, Yoon Ji-ho was blatantly shooting an animosity mixed with madness toward me.
"Hi, Lee Ju-seong? Did you expect that you would be able to escape from me? Too bad~."
It was Yoon Ji-ho, shaking his head from side to side like a madman and sticking his tongue out long.
He was expecting me to be scared in advance.
I was not someone who would fall for a trick.
While the people started boarding starting from the first in order as the elevator door opened, I muttered with a snort.
"You've saved me the trouble of seeking you out first, Yoon Ji-ho. I'll thank you in advance."
Amidst the tense battle of nerves, all participants of the Class President Election Game boarded the elevator.
This time, to prevent disputes in a confined room, a dealer boarded together.
The person in charge of guiding the Class President Election Game was April, with the number '4' engraved on the mask.
As April pressed the floor button, the elevator gradually gained speed and went up to the upper floor.
While the box carrying us was gradually ascending, a mechanical sound flowed from the indoor speaker.
The content was the rules of the Class President Election Game.
This time, the intention was to announce the rules in advance during the move.
[Welcome, players participating in the Class President Election Game.]
[Before moving to the game site, we will first guide you through the total prize money and rules.]
[The total prize money for this game is 1.5 billion won.]