The opponent could have just let me enter the government office, but he went out of his way to notify me of the danger in advance.
He probably had business with me.
I stopped my steps and looked inside the main gate where the voice came from.
"You're quite kind. Do you know you just missed the chance to earn 500 million?"
The government office lobby had a wide lobby, and at the end of the lobby, there was a corner that bent to both the left and right.
From the right corner, a man with a tall build and a bushy beard covering his lower face appeared.
It was Bang Su-hyeok.
"500 million? Ah, are you talking about the bounty Yoon Ji-ho put up."
Bang Su-hyeok hopped back and forth in a zigzag, as if avoiding puddles occasionally gathered on a sidewalk on a rainy day.
His steps were rough yet light.
Like a beast brushing through grass, he avoided danger yet had no hesitation.
He crossed the lobby and reached right in front of the main gate in an instant.
"I don't trust Yoon Ji-ho. There's no way a guy who caused that riot last night would really pay the bounty."
"For saying that, the other players were rushing in with their eyes lit up."
"I was actually about to ask you about that part. As soon as you left the elevator, the other players were talking behind your back. What did you do?"
"There was some minor conversation while waiting in front of the Game Tower."
I briefly told Bang Su-hyeok what had happened while forming the queue.
From the support fund situation to the fact that I firmly drew a line saying I wouldn't pay the support fund.
Bang Su-hyeok listened to my words and accepted the circumstances so far.
"Yoon Ji-ho, who boldly put up 500 million as a bounty, is a little better than Lee Ju-seong, who won't even give away small change... Now the players' actions make sense."
"Your name was Mr. Bang Su-hyeok, right? Su-hyeok, even if it wasn't for the bounty, there must have been many reasons to attack me. I'd like to hear the reason you specifically tried to talk."
"This game is a voting game. It's hard to see a big profit alone. Like it or not, you have no choice but to form a group."
As Lee Ik-hwan died, the current number of players decreased to 19.
Since it became an odd number, a lukewarm voting result like a draw would not come out.
If 10 people formed a group, they could definitely take the class president position.
I pointed at Bang Su-hyeok and myself once each with my index finger.
"Two people, including Su-hyeok and me. The number of people is far short of being elected as class president. Of course, that's assuming Su-hyeok is willing to be on my side."
"I've been keeping in mind that I should talk to you at least once."
"The trigger must have been me confronting Yoon Ji-ho last night."
"Right. If it wasn't for you, Yoon Ji-ho would have dominated this Money Game. Personally, I think you're more competent than Yoon Ji-ho. I'm gathering competent people."
If Park So-yul preferred a reliable personality, Bang Su-hyeok used competence as a measure of trust.
Blocking Yoon Ji-ho's plan at the gym yesterday had information collection and earning pocket money as its main purposes, but besides that, it also doubled as affinity work to make Bang Su-hyeok approach me first.
Everything was in order to copy his ability.
There was one step left until copying.
"It doesn't feel too bad that you evaluate me as competent. I also have nothing to lose by cooperating with the person who is currently 2nd in total prize money. How about we cooperate during this game, feeling as if we are interviewing each other for now?"
"An interview... You have a cautious personality."
"It's because it wouldn't be bad to have at least one speed bump to reduce accidents."
"You're right. I'm glad I tried to talk to you. Since we've formed a temporary alliance, let's go inside and have a strategic meeting."
Bang Su-hyeok turned his body 180 degrees with a serious air.
Then, contrary to the heavy atmosphere he radiated, he hopped toward the inside of the lobby on one leg.
Knowing himself that it was ridiculous, as soon as he reached the right corner inside the lobby, he defended himself.
"For your information, I wasn't playing around just now. I set up traps inside this building. To avoid the traps, you have to move as I just showed you."
"I thought it would be something like that. Because you don't seem to be the type to act ridiculously for no reason."
"Ridiculous?"
"Excuse me. I meant to say it was a witty movement, but it came out wrong."
When I corrected my statement in a brazen tone with a smile, Bang Su-hyeok stroked his bushy beard with a serious expression.
"I made it thinking that moving as if handling a code was like a spy movie... Is it not in reality?"
He was the exact same Bang Su-hyeok from the drama, who had a bold and heavy personality but occasionally showed a multifaceted side to the viewers with a loose appearance.
I imitated Bang Su-hyeok's movement exactly and crossed the lobby by hopping on one leg.
"You said you set up traps? I didn't see the traps at all even though I looked while passing through. What kind of traps did you set up?"
Thinking it was faster to show directly, Bang Su-hyeok picked up a broom placed in the corner of the lobby.
Then, he tossed the broom from bottom to top near the main gate like throwing a lob ball.
The broom flew in a gentle parabola and fell to the floor.
Ping! Chrrrck!
At the same time, a wire snare trap jumped up.
The broom was held up in the air like prey caught in the jaws of a predator.
The broom, which swayed in the air for a moment, by the intense pressure....
Crack!
It was roughly broken in half.
It was a moment when the power of the trap was vividly revealed.
If a human foot had been caught?
As Bang Su-hyeok said, they would have been in a position where they had to wear an artificial leg.
Bang Su-hyeok listed the types of traps he installed inside the government office as if boasting.
"Snare traps, mousetraps, bear traps, net traps... I've installed about twenty of them in five or six kinds."
"Not even 30 minutes have passed yet, so there's no way you made them yourself. Are you okay? You seem to have leaked hints about your ability too easily."
"Wouldn't being caught by each other's abilities while conducting a joint front be the most 'ridiculous' thing? Much more than hopping on one leg."
"I didn't think you'd keep what I said about it being ridiculous to heart. I wasn't trying to make fun of you, so please don't be upset."
"Keep it to heart? What? I'm not that narrow-minded of a person."
"Haha, as proof that you're not a narrow-minded person, how about revealing your ability first?"
As much as I was pondering to gain Bang Su-hyeok's trust, Bang Su-hyeok was also in a position of pondering various ways to gain my trust.
He wouldn't want to look like a narrow-minded person at this time.
Since he was a person with a manly side, his true intention would be that he didn't want to lose in a battle of nerves.
Bang Su-hyeok revealed his bold personality without filter.
"My ability? It's simple. It's the ability to turn scrap metal into traps. The traps I can make vary depending on the type of scrap metal."
It was a fact without a single lie.
The Bang Su-hyeok in the drama was given the 'ability to turn scrap metal into traps'.
Snare traps from thin scrap metal like wire, launch-type penetration traps from long scrap metal like iron rods, and hunting traps called chalco from flat scrap metal like iron plates.
The traps that could be made varied greatly depending on the type of scrap metal, and since they could be applied in various ways, it was an ability with high strategic value.
Of course, Bang Su-hyeok's ability was not omnipotent.
Only 'rusty scrap metal' could be used as material.
It would have been truly broken if he could create and utilize scrap metal simply by breaking things.
However, there was a prerequisite that the material had to be rusty, and it had to be in a state where it was detached from the finished product and anyone could see it was pure scrap metal for the ability to react.
Bang Su-hyeok pulled out a loop made by rolling wire. Then he put the loop on his index finger and spoke while spinning it like handling a toy.
"The ability to turn scrap metal into traps."
The rusty wire emitted light.
The light grew with a terrifying momentum and then gradually lifted from the edges like pushing away a curtain.
In the place where the light lifted, a snare trap set equipped with sharpness remained.
"I even gave a demonstration because I thought you wouldn't believe it. I think this is enough to claim the right to hear your ability. Now it's your turn."
The Hwando I made while fighting Lee Ik-hwan earlier had already evaporated and disappeared a long time ago.
A small amount of sweat was formed on my hand, but making a small blade like a cutter knife lacked impact.
I had to prove my competence with a performance intense enough for Bang Su-hyeok to perceive me as an ally.
'Four blood bags left. Even if I use one more here, there's plenty of spare space.'
Since getting Bang Su-hyeok's ability was the same as securing a large amount of spare weapons anyway, there was no reason to hesitate.
I pulled out one small blood bag from my pocket and squeezed it tightly in my grip, bursting it at once.
The ability to turn bodily fluids into blades.
The blood soon changed into metal.
In the blink of an eye, a Hwando as smooth as if tempered by a craftsman was held in my hand.
"That ability is the ability to turn bodily fluids into blades. Usually, I utilize blood or sweat."
"Bodily fluids? Then in the bathroom, a huge amount..."
"No."
"Really?"
"Yes, no."
When I cut off his words at once as he was about to mention urination, Bang Su-hyeok clicked his tongue with a dissatisfied expression.
He seemed to dislike that the means much easier to procure than blood or sweat were blocked.
I thought that everyone who encountered this ability thought the same thing.
Did revealing our abilities play a decisive role in building trust with each other?
Not the ability I revealed on the surface, but my real ability activated.
[Bang Su-hyeok perceives you as an ally.]
[Copied Bang Su-hyeok's ability.]
['Ability to turn scrap metal into traps' obtained.]
[This ability can only be used while Bang Su-hyeok perceives you as an ally.]
I succeeded in copying Bang Su-hyeok's ability.
However, although I succeeded in copying the abilities of all the players inside the gym yesterday, the abilities were erased after a few seconds.
In other words, this copy ability can achieve copying smoothly, but it was difficult to maintain the copied ability.
Bang Su-hyeok's ability was a protagonist-level broken ability.
So to maintain it, I needed to instill in Bang Su-hyeok the perception that it would be beneficial to keep going together in the future.
I must not cling to Bang Su-hyeok. I have to make Bang Su-hyeok cling to me.
I set up my own equation in my heart and acted out a confident appearance.
"Su-hyeok, I just thought of a good plan. Before we have the first election, the immediate goal is to secure as many allies as possible, right?"
"Right. It would be better if they were competent players, since we're gathering them anyway."
"Let's use the fact that 500 million is on my head to our advantage."
Bang Su-hyeok showed great interest in the keyword "use to our advantage".
As proof, his brown pupils contracted and added depth.
"A little more specific."
I spread my arms wide as if the entire government office were my stage.
"You said you installed a significant number of traps inside this government office. Wouldn't someone who can penetrate the traps be competent enough?"
Whether he understood what I wanted to say, a smile dwelled on Bang Su-hyeok's face, which had been stoic throughout.
It was a cheerful smile as if enjoying this situation.
"Acting as interviewers toward players who are obsessed with 500 million. That sounds fun. Let's give it a try."
***
35 minutes left until the first election.
In the vicinity of the 1 o'clock direction corresponding to the northeast of the game site, six players were acting together.
They set out to hunt Lee Ju-seong with a light heart as if they were going rabbit hunting, but as time passed, cracks were forming among the six players.
"Now what are we going to do? It's fine that the six of us agreed to share and eat the 500 million. But we missed Lee Ju-seong, who is the target. At this rate, we're going to miss the bounty."
"Is the bounty the problem right now? There were six of us, but we only managed to gather three ballot papers. Forget the bounty or whatever, we're going to end up paying the fine."
"Let's do this. No matter what, we can't pay the fine, can we? So how about we put off hunting Lee Ju-seong and secure ballot papers first?"
5 minutes left until the hint telling the location of the ballot papers arrived.
If they were lucky and secured three more ballot papers, they could lessen the worry of paying the fine.
But when they were about to start the work of securing ballot papers, another problem occurred.
"Wait, whom are you guys going to vote for during the first vote?"
"Yeah. We gathered with the goal of bounty hunting; we didn't think about what comes after. Since it turned out like this, let's make it clear whether we're going to be one team including the class president vote."
"Let's say we move with one heart and one mind for the election. Then whom are we going to elect as class president?"
They had formed a temporary alliance thinking they could hunt Lee Ju-seong quickly in the beginning.
But since things went wrong from the start, there were many things to consider.
While they were only gauging each other's reactions and couldn't make a clear decision.
One person opened their eyes wide.
The player pointed toward the 3 o'clock direction of the game site and shouted.
"Ah! Ahh! Over there! 500 million!"
The players responded sensitively to the word 500 million and snapped their heads around.
In the place where their gaze reached, there was a crudely built 2-story government office.
On the 3-step stairs connected to the government office main gate, a man with his bangs swept to the left was sitting.
Sitting with both arms on his knees, his exhaustion was clearly evident to anyone.
The man raised his hollow face and discovered the group of six, then opened his eyes wide as if terrified and entered the government office.
He's running away because he feels a crisis!
It was the common opinion of the six players.
Who would refuse this opportunity when the 500 million won bundle of cash is in poor condition.
The moment they thought now was the chance, the six players' eyes flipped at the same time.
"This bastard, we caught you! Catch him quickly!"