One week had passed since Nixon, Nostradamus, and Sukishi arrived in the city.
For the first few days, everything had appeared peaceful. Merchants sold their goods, children played in the streets, and the citizens continued their ordinary lives.
But on the seventh day, everything changed.
Nixon walked through the streets with Sukishi when he noticed something strange.
The marketplace was almost empty.
Several shops had closed. Merchants argued with customers, while hungry citizens gathered around the remaining food stalls.
Then Nixon witnessed a man snatching a loaf of bread from a merchant and running away.
"HEY! STOP HIM!" the merchant shouted.
Nobody moved to help.
Instead, another citizen seized an opportunity to steal food from an unattended stall.
Within minutes, arguments broke out across the marketplace.
People were hungry.
And hunger was turning them against one another.
Nixon stared in disbelief.
"What happened to this city?"
Sukishi's expression became serious.
"Something has gone wrong with their food supply."
Before they could investigate further, screams erupted from another street.
Two citizens were fighting over a bag of grain. Others gathered around them, desperate to obtain whatever food remained.
The situation was deteriorating rapidly.
Some citizens began stealing from their neighbors. Others attacked people they suspected of hoarding supplies. Fear spread through the city as ordinary people became increasingly desperate to feed themselves and their families.
Nixon clenched his fists.
"We have to do something!"
Sukishi looked around.
"Doing what? We don't even know why the food supply has collapsed."
Meanwhile, back at the motel, Nostradamus stood beside the window.
He watched the chaos below.
A family argued over a few pieces of bread. A merchant hurriedly locked his doors. Several people searched through discarded goods, hoping to find something edible.
Nostradamus sighed.
"How troublesome."
He rested one hand against the window frame.
"Only a week, and the entire city is already falling apart."
He watched another group of citizens begin fighting over supplies.
Then he breathed out slowly.
"Time to solve everybody's problems again."
He raised his hand.
SNAP!
For an instant, nothing appeared to happen.
Then the outcome changed.
Across the city, the food shortage came to an end. The conditions responsible for the crisis were resolved, and the desperate struggle for survival began to disappear.
The citizens who had been fighting stopped.
Merchants returned to their stalls. People who had been searching desperately for food found that their immediate needs were met. The panic subsided, and the city gradually returned to its usual state.
There were no monster attacks.
No new crisis emerged.
And the people of the city were no longer driven into desperation by the food shortage.
Nostradamus lowered his hand.
"There. Another problem resolved."
He turned away from the window and walked toward the table.
For him, it had been a relatively simple solution.
For countless other players, however, the same challenge had proved disastrous.
Across the different cities, players had struggled to understand what was happening. Some tried to organize food distribution. Others negotiated with local leaders, searched for alternative supplies, or investigated the reasons behind the shortages.
A few succeeded through intelligence, careful planning, cooperation, and effective resource management.
But many others failed.
Some players became consumed by panic and desperation. Others attempted to solve every problem through violence, only to create even greater difficulties. Some abandoned their cities, hoping to escape the crisis elsewhere, but the rules of the competition meant that abandoning their assigned city counted as failure.
Players who could not solve their problems—or who abandoned their cities—were eliminated from the competition, and many died as a result.
The challenge had revealed an uncomfortable truth.
Not every player possessed a power capable of changing the outcome of a crisis.
Some had to rely on their intelligence.
Others needed teamwork.
And some simply could not adapt quickly enough.
Nixon returned to the motel and found Nostradamus sitting comfortably at the table.
He stared at him.
"Did you solve the city's problem?"
Nostradamus took a sip of his drink.
"Naturally."
Nixon looked out the window.
The streets had returned to normal. The merchants were working again, and the citizens appeared peaceful.
"You solved everything just like that?"
"More or less."
Nixon shook his head.
"You make it sound so easy."
"My dear fellow, the difficulty of a problem depends partly on the resources available to the person solving it."
Sukishi entered the room.
"He's right about that much. We survived this crisis because we had someone capable of resolving it."
Nixon looked down.
"But what about the other players? Some of them must have died trying to solve their cities' problems."
Nostradamus's expression remained calm.
"Undoubtedly."
"Doesn't that bother you?"
Nostradamus looked at him.
"Of course, it is unfortunate. But I cannot personally solve every problem in every city."
Nixon fell silent.
For once, he couldn't argue with that answer.
Even Nostradamus had limitations. His ability could influence possible outcomes, but it did not grant him unlimited control over every person, every event, or the entire game itself.
He had saved his own team's city.
He had not saved everyone.
Suddenly, a system notification appeared before them.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
PHASE TWO: CITY SURVIVAL — COMPLETE.
Duration: 7 days.
Team status: SURVIVED.
City condition: STABLE.
Competition status: COMPLETED.
Players who failed to resolve their city's problems or abandoned their assigned cities have been eliminated.
Nixon stared at the notification.
"Seven days... It was supposed to last fifty."
Sukishi nodded.
"Looks like the announcer has decided to end the challenge early."
Nostradamus stood up and straightened his clothes.
"Then we should prepare for whatever comes next."
Before Nixon could respond, a familiar voice echoed throughout the city.
"ATTENTION, PLAYERS!"
The Ultimate Announcer had returned.
A massive display appeared before the remaining competitors, showing the masked figure standing before a dark background.
"CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE WHO SURVIVED THE SECOND PHASE!"
The announcer paused.
"Many of you failed. Some of you abandoned your responsibilities. Others discovered that intelligence, cooperation, and adaptability are just as important as combat abilities."
The display changed.
"BUT YOUR SURVIVAL DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE MASTERED THIS GAME!"
Nixon looked at Sukishi.
"What now?"
The announcer continued.
"PREPARE YOURSELVES. THE NEXT COMPETITION WILL BEGIN SHORTLY."
Nostradamus smiled faintly.
"Excellent."
Nixon stared at him.
"Why are you excited?! We don't even know what the next competition is!"
"My dear Nixon, uncertainty is hardly a reason to become miserable."
Sukishi laughed.
"He's got a point."
Nixon sighed.
"I really am stuck with you two."
The screen went dark.
The next competition was about to begin.
And although Nostradamus had once again solved his team's immediate problem, the larger mystery remained unanswered.
Who had created this game?
Why were the players being forced to compete?
And what would happen when they finally encountered a challenge that even Nostradamus could not resolve?
END OF CHAPTER 10.