The moment the door closed behind them, Ken saw nothing except Mabushi's body collapsing onto the floor at once, gasping as if his lungs had been filled with ash. Mabushi hit the ground, his hand smacking the stone uncontrollably, his nails scraping against it with a sound that tore through the silence.
White bursts of gas escaped his mouth, along with broken, scattered words:
"Gh… ghu… d-d… m–!"
His eyes were half-open, staring into nothing, moving in restless heat, the muscles of his face trembling violently.
Ken dropped to his knees beside him, gripping his shoulder with his left hand. His voice was low, but strained with buried anger:
"Mabushi… look at me."
But Mabushi wasn't seeing anything. He kept rambling:
"…Bear… r—r… he-heart… ha… hh…"
His chest rose and fell at a dangerous speed, gas still leaking from his mouth with every gasp.
Ken clenched his teeth:
"Stop… you're inhaling what's left in your lungs. Don't do that…"
But Mabushi didn't answer. His eyes opened and closed unevenly, as if the world is splitting in front of him. He tried to lift his hand, but it dropped immediately.
Inside Ken, a single sentence passed through him:
'This… is my fault. I hesitated. I thought too much. I could've solved the riddle before the gas came out. I could've stopped him from breathing it. All of this… is on me, whether I like it or not.'
Ken focused on Mabushi's trembling features… then suddenly shouted, sharp and loud:
"Mabushi!! Don't close your eyes!!"
Mabushi forced one eye open… a slow, blurry blink, then the other eye rolled half-dead. He tried to pull in a breath, but all he drew in was another cloud of gas stuck inside his lungs.
He lifted his head a little, and managed to force out one broken word, twisted, but sharp like a stab:
"Ba…stard…"
An insult… from a dying man. Then his head dropped back, and his eyes shut completely. Ken jolted, as if struck by something invisible, and his face turned into a rigid mask of silent, suppressed fury.
He stood up abruptly and shouted with a voice that shattered his usual coldness:
"System!!! The gas leaked before the timer ended!! This is a violation of the rules!! This isn't fair!!!"
His voice echoed through the tight chamber. Barely two seconds passed before the mechanical voice rang out:
"Alert: A technical error has been detected in the timer mechanism. Gas leakage occurred before the official countdown ended."
Ken slowly clenched his fist, nails digging into his palm.
The voice continued:
"We apologize for this malfunction. Emergency medical equipment will be provided immediately to save contestant Mabushi's life."
A section of the wall split open, revealing a small metal first-aid kit, a portable oxygen cylinder, a pulse-disk meant to open the airway when attached to the neck, and a short adrenaline injector.
The voice added:
"These tools are designated for advanced suffocation cases. They must be applied within a maximum of three minutes."
Ken immediately bent down, snatched the kit, and kneeled beside Mabushi again. His expression did not show open panic… but the sharpness of his movements exposed the boiling tension inside him.
He reached toward Mabushi's neck to attach the pulse disk, but before he touched the skin, Mabushi jerked with a sudden, broken gasp, as if his lungs were exploding from the inside. His body arched sharply, his chest was rising once… twice… then falling into a dangerous slow rhythm.
His eyes opened halfway, his body shuddering. He tried to lift his hand, but it barely rose a centimeter before dropping again.
His voice slipped out, faint and fractured:
"Ai… ka…"
He tried to draw a breath, but a violent cough crushed whatever air was left inside him. A burst of thick white smoke escaped his mouth, like steam boiling from within.
Then he whispered, barely audible:
"Forgive me…"
His hand fell, and his body went still. Ken's eyes sharpened, but his expression held together with iron control. In a single motion, he tore open the first-aid kit with his teeth, opened the oxygen cylinder with his left hand, and used his right to tilt Mabushi's head to clear the airway.
'Three minutes… and I'm not even a doctor.'
He sealed the mask over Mabushi's mouth tightly and pressed the oxygen trigger.
Then he grabbed the injector, hesitating for a fraction of a second:
'Where do I inject? Heart? Arm? Damn it…'
He yelled at himself:
'Move!'
He thrust the needle into the nearest muscle just above the chest, and injected the adrenaline in one shot. He fixed the pulse disk to Mabushi's neck, pressed it hard, and waited for the first breath, his hand was trembling slightly.
Ken pressed the pulse disk with force, then lowered his ear to Mabushi's chest, but the gas and the shaking made the sound too faint to hear. He tightened his lips, slid his hand to Mabushi's kimono collar… and tore the upper part open in one pull.
Mabushi's sweat-drenched chest was exposed. Ken placed his fingers over the heart area and tilted Mabushi's head further back to clear the airway. He leaned close, watching… searching for any movement, even half a beat.
For a second… there was nothing. But then… Mabushi's chest rose, just a little, barely noticeable… then fell. He breathed. He actually breathed. Ken's eyes widened slightly, and he pressed his hand to confirm. A faint pulse… unstable… but real.
Only then did Ken release a long, shaky breath… and collapse beside Mabushi. He placed a hand over his forehead, gasping.
'I almost killed him.'
The sentence hit him like a slap.
He pressed his palm against the floor, his brows drawn in harsh tension:
'Leader? What kind of leader lets one of his team choke like this? What a disgrace… to call myself one.'
And though he had never liked Mabushi, never tolerated his arrogance or shouting, seeing him suffocate in his arms lit something fierce inside his chest. But the system didn't give him even a second to process it.
The mechanical voice boomed suddenly:
"Basic breathing stability for contestant Mabushi confirmed. The next test will now begin."
Ken lifted his head sharply, as if stabbed:
"What? Are you insane?! You expect me to play while a half-dead body lies here?!"
But the mechanical voice replied with cold neutrality:
"The stage cannot be delayed. Contestants must complete the trial within the allotted time."
In that moment… Mabushi's eyelid twitched with a small tremor, then opened halfway. His vision was blurred, and he couldn't hear Ken's words clearly… the voice reached him as if from far away. Then his eye closed again, unable to stay open.
Ken looked at Mabushi lying on the ground and said:
"I'm not willing to play while dragging a burden like this. Someone on the verge of dying… will pull me straight into losing."
He pointed at him:
"If he's going to slow down my progress… then I can't protect him any further."
The mechanical voice replied with cold precision:
"According to the rules of the next game… you have the right to dispose of your teammate. The purpose of the trial: sacrifice of the self or the other… for an unknown fate."
Ken froze completely and said in a dry voice:
"What do you mean by sacrifice?"
The voice answered:
"The outcome is not predetermined. Sacrificing yourself may be a reward… or a punishment. And sacrificing your teammate may be salvation… or failure. The next stage depends on your choice. You either walk alone… or carry the burden to the end."
The system paused for a second, as if rearranging data, then said:
"Trial name: The Corridor of Ruin."
"Principle:
• The contestant advances through a long corridor.
• At the center lies a sensitive mechanism that opens the escape door when only one person passes."
The system continued:
"The presence of an unconscious person… prevents the door from opening. The presence of two conscious persons… activates the final trap. One contestant alone… guarantees passage without resistance. Hence the rule of sacrifice: proceed alone… or carry the burden and face double danger."
"If you choose to carry contestant Mabushi:
• He will receive no medical support.
• Your movement speed will drop by 60%.
• Your chances of survival will fall to less than half."
"If you abandon him:
• The corridor will open immediately.
• You will carry no additional weight.
• Your decision will be considered… a valid strategic action."
"The trial does not evaluate mercy… nor killing. It evaluates the choice itself."
Suddenly… the ground beneath Ken shook. The stone walls vanished… and the light withdrew. In their place stretched a long corridor with no visible end, its walls dark metal, lit only by dim yellow lamps.
At the end of the corridor… a low metallic sound echoed, like claws dragging across rails. Then its shadow appeared. It wasn't human. Something long… hunched… walking on four limbs, but each limb was stretched grotesquely, as if each arm was three times longer than its body. Its skin was pale gray and cracked. And its eyes… two glowing yellow points in the dark.
When it lifted its head, its bones cracked. It opened its mouth… and white steam escaped. Then… it released a distorted, high-pitched scream. The sound bounced through the entire corridor, making the lamps tremble.
The creature began moving with slow, deliberate steps… each one calculated to plant fear before the attack. Its eyes didn't lock onto Ken. They focused on Mabushi, lying motionless on the floor. The monster crouched slightly, its jaw opening at an unnatural angle… and started approaching.
Ken didn't wait a single second. He dashed toward Mabushi, bent down, grabbed him under his injured shoulder, lifted him with his left arm, and wrapped his right arm around his torso to stabilize him. The weight was heavy. Much heavier than he expected.
'60% slower…'
The creature's steps accelerated, the chase beginning. Ken shifted Mabushi's weight to his other arm, as if testing how to carry him best.
The creature drew closer, while Ken was lost in thought:
'If I run now… I'll escape easily. The system said so. One person alone… guarantees survival.'
He looked at the creature, then at the dark stretch that would end at the final door, then at Mabushi in his arms. He pushed forward with heavy strides, tightening his grip and adjusting Mabushi's position on his shoulder.
"Wake up… at least make your weight easier."
But Mabushi's head swung loosely with every step, completely unresponsive, while the creature's footsteps closed in.
'If I drop him now… I'll be lighter. The system allows it. The system encouraged it.'
He kept running. But the corridor wasn't a straight line. Suddenly… the ground beneath his left foot shook, and a narrow hole opened, almost catching his ankle. He leapt over it with difficulty, almost dropping Mabushi.
Ken shouted angrily:
"Are you made of stone?! Wake up, you bastard!"
Then a low metal barrier appeared ahead. He couldn't leap over it while carrying someone full-weight.
'A stupid trick… they want me to abandon him intentionally.'
He lifted Mabushi slightly, then with all his strength tried to vault over the barrier while dragging both their bodies. His knee slammed into the edge, and he fell with Mabushi on top of him. He scrambled up before the creature closed the gap.
Sweat dripped onto the floor. His chest tightened. In his mind, the decision was painfully clear:
'If I keep carrying him… I'll die. The goal I came here for… I won't reach any of it. Why am I protecting him anyway? I've only known him for a week. He's annoying… stupid… thinks he's smarter than everyone, and insults me every five seconds. Why should I share my end with someone like that?'
He glanced back. The creature was only three steps away. Its limbs stretched, and its jaw loosened, preparing to pounce. Ken grabbed Mabushi's shoulder tightly, his fingers digging into the flesh, then lifted him for a moment.
"If you slow me down by even one step… I become the victim. There's no benefit in saving you. And there's no logic in dragging you with me."
Ken had already made the decision. He stood on the narrow metal edge, empty space yawning below, with the creature right behind, ready to jump. He tightened his grip on Mabushi's shoulder one last time… then loosened his fingers to drop him.
But before he could release him fully… Mabushi's eyes trembled suddenly. They opened halfway, and a fractured voice crawled out of his throat:
"No… do…n't… th…row… me…"
The words were broken, weak, more like a painful moan than a sentence. They came at the exact moment Ken's fingers opened to let go. Ken froze as he watched the body slip.
Mabushi's chest rose as if gathering the last drop of consciousness, then he whispered in a barely audible breath:
"…don't… do… it…"
Mabushi fell, crashing onto the metal floor. Ken didn't look down. He turned his back and sprinted into the corridor with everything he had left… as if running from his decision before running from the creature.
But the creature didn't follow him. It stopped at Mabushi's body. It leaned over him. Its long gray tongue slid from its mouth. It tasted the air first… then dragged a wet lick across Mabushi's cheek.
Ken heard it behind him, the thick sticky sound of saliva smearing across skin.
He clenched his teeth and said to himself with harsh resolve:
'Keep going. Don't look back. Don't do this to yourself. The choice is made… it's over.'