The days following the start of S's "Great Final Test" were, strangely enough, the calmest ones…Calm—if you ignored the screams echoing through the fortress every three or four weeks, whenever another name from the Top was called.
But never Elian.
While the others trembled, waiting to be chosen, Elian stuck to his routine. He trained every day—maybe out of habit, boredom, or just fear of standing still. He preferred to exhaust his body rather than endure the beatings from the other children.
His days followed a brutal pattern:On Level 1, he forced his body through inhuman drills—running over rusty nails, burning coals, or shattered glass; lifting weights triple his size; scaling walls smeared with tar or gasoline.On Level -1, he faced impossible problems in quantum physics, mathematics, and submolecular chemistry—equations so convoluted even the D'Alessio scholars wouldn't solve them.On Level -2, he built hundred-thousand-piece puzzles in under five minutes or cracked riddles with no answer in thirty seconds.And sometimes, a kid would drag him to Level -3 for "sparring practice."But everyone knew it wasn't training—it was a chance to pummel Elian until exhaustion. His defense was weak, his counterattacks mere spasms of desperation.
Hatred toward him grew week by week.Not only because S never chose him—but because everyone knew the Top list kept shrinking. One by one, from 1 to 10… yet never the Top 0.
When the turn came for 1305—the same boy who had beaten Elian during the first combat—he exploded with rage after S suddenly decided to rebuild the ranking."YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" he screamed at the speakers when S announced a new Top 10 right before his trial.S burst out laughing."HAHAHAHA… CRY SOMEWHERE ELSE, KID! I'LL MAKE MY LIST WHENEVER AND HOWEVER I DAMN PLEASE!"
Elian already knew—this game was never meant to be fair.
Days grew slower, duller, gray. But that calm was just the stillness before another storm.
One morning, S's voice came again through the speakers of the lab."Good morning, my little sluts!" he said cheerfully.The children flinched. Some hadn't slept in days. They just listened.
"I know your stay here has been… pleasant," he said, dripping sarcasm. "But all good things must come to an end. The final test is taking too long, and I need to free up some space—uh, I mean, free you all."
Elian lifted his head from the corner. That word—"free"—sounded more like a threat than a promise.
"Oops…" S added, feigning innocence. "Guess I shouldn't have said that! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"The metallic laughter filled every corridor.
"The final test will grant you freedom," he continued. "You'll be free to go wherever you want, do whatever you want… and most importantly, free from me."His tone shifted—darker now, festive."And because I'm such a generous god, I'll give you the right to kill each other! I HEREBY DECLARE THE KING'S GAME OPEN!"
Silence. Then murmurs."The King's Game?""What the hell is that now?""Another one of his sick jokes…"
S let the whispers build for a moment before speaking again."The rules are simple," he said, almost softly. "Each of you will have the chance to become Top 0—to earn 1317's immunity—if you manage to kill him."
Every head turned toward Elian.
"But of course," S continued in a sing-song tone, "you may also kill each other. However… I'll only allow two deaths per day. If someone kills a third person, they'll automatically become the new Top 0, losing their chance to be free."He laughed so hard the speakers crackled."And if no one dies…" he added, dragging the words like a blade, "I'll kill you all myself—one by one. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
And then, silence.
The game had begun.Thirty-six children.Thirty-five Novalyth.And one nobody.
Thirty-five corpses… and a single survivor.
Elian didn't feel fear.He knew that whoever killed him would take his cursed place as Top 0—trapped, chosen, doomed. No one would dare.And if he had to die, he preferred to be the last.
For the first time, he wanted to protect someone—not because he still believed in life, but because his own no longer belonged to him. He had lost everything, and every attempt at feeling human again had been stolen by S.He didn't hate the others. They suffered too—perhaps even more.
Silence filled the cells.And the same question echoed through every trembling mouth:
"What now?"
Because someone had to die each day.And in that place where friendship and hope no longer existed, the question was the only thing that remained.
These would be the longest, bloodiest five months in the fortress.
Thirty-six children.Thirty-five monsters with Elyth.And one boy with nothing… but his will.