Season 3: Chapter 11: Surrender (2)
Could there be better words to describe how Class 5 felt other than utter devastation? All this was shockingly the work of just one person.
"Argh..."
"Ouch..."
Although no one had died, numerous students writhed and groaned on the floor.
'That was just his mercy.'
Kim Mango knew it wasn't because the opponent couldn't kill or lacked the ability to kill. It just wasn’t necessary to take their lives yet. Killing still involved too many risks. Who knew how witnessing a murder could affect the other students' psyches?
More than anything, they simply had no need to kill. Class 5 would naturally drop out of the challenge while caring for the remaining injured.
In war, the wounded were more feared than the dead. They were effectively as good as dead already.
'No, they're even worse off.'
Kim Mango eventually raised both hands slowly.
"I surrender."
It was a complete defeat. He didn't even feel like trying again.
"That was fun."
— That was quick.
— Good game~
— Yeah, take care~
He left those words behind and logged out.
***
"Ah, is this a challenge surrender, Kim Mango?" the caster asked, somewhat taken aback.
"So you're just surrendering like this?"
Screech.
The capsules of the Class 5 players opened one after another. They had left the game completely.
"Such a quick decision!"
—As expected of the strategist lol.
— At the speed of light for real.
— His judgment was really quick. He should’ve just ran after seeing Almond's face lol.
"Now, Class 1 hasn't given up the game yet even though they were almost annihilated. However, Class 5 gave up immediately?"
"Yes, that's right."
"This seems like a regrettable decision, doesn't it? What do you think, commentator?"
"To be honest, I understand! I wouldn't want to play the game either!"
— Lol.
— I would hate the game too!
— But giving up midway is a bit… lol
"Ah. Is that so? But all the kids are still alive. Couldn't they make a comeback?"
"No. The fight was actually already won by Class 5 before."
"That's right."
"Until suddenly, that nut appeared."
— So true, lol.
— Nuts, lol.
"Yes! They were winning the fight until suddenly one guy showed up saying, 'I came to end this war.' Then, he really ended everything! Would you feel like playing the game again after that? If they meet again, they'll just be massacred again. Right?"
"Ah, so as soon as you meet Almond, you're going to lose?"
"That's right! Just by encountering him! There's no causality! You just feel powerless!"
— Lol.
— Natural disaster level.
— He's right lol.
— Now that you mention it, it makes sense.
"But they are all still alive. Couldn't something have been done?"
"Ah! Mr. caster! It wasn't because Almond couldn't kill them that he let them live."
"Oh..."
"Almond didn’t kill them so the kids could suffer more from their injuries! Survive if you must! That's what's happening now!"
"That's right. If they could survive after caring for so many kids... it might be possible!"
"They would be lucky to survive. Most are likely to end up losing their minds out of frustration!"
"The road ahead was a thorny path. And Class 1 is in the same situation, right?"
The broadcast camera showed Class 1. The curtains were all torn up because they were being used to make bandages.
The children looked exhausted. They had not eaten properly and hardly slept. Depression was setting in as their friends died one by one.
"Look. Class 1 encountered the monster called Almond even before Class 5. That's why they ended up like this earlier than anyone else."
"Maybe they would have a higher chance in the challenge if they had met twenty special zombies instead."
— Lol.
— "(Survival from) Almond"
— Lol, a major disaster lol.
"Anyway! What I want to say is! At least Class 1 is still sharpening their knives! Look at this perseverance! This is true sportsmanship..."
"Wait a minute."
The camera started showing Almond again and the commentator noticed something odd. Almond's movements looked strange.
"Almond... is going to the snack bar?"
"Really? After retaking the bathroom, he’s going to the snack bar? Can he go there?"
Almond wasn’t heading to the bathroom, but back to the snack bar and taking all his classmates with him.
"It's still closed, right? No, wasn't this whole mess because the snack bar door was closed to begin with?"
It wasn't just that the door was closed. A barricade had been put up behind it. However—
"Is there a way... to remove that barricade... Ehh?!"
Thanks to the observer, the broadcasting team realized that someone was surprisingly behind the snack bar door.
"We missed this?"
***
They stood in front of the basement stairs leading to the snack bar.
"What. It's closed again."
"Why did you want us to come here? I'm scared."
The students grumbled. They had followed because Almond asked them, but the door was still firmly closed.
Almond pointed to the floor by the fire door.
"First, eat this."
Surprisingly, several pieces of bread and chocolate bars were lying on the floor!
"Are you crazy!"
The children's eyes widened. They had been starving for two days. Suddenly, bread and chocolate appeared on the floor?! It didn't make sense. There hadn't been anything there before.
"What's this? How did this happen?"
"I... I think I saw this in the Bible. Food just falling from the sky..."
Dae-Hyeok rushed over, eyes rolling back as he scrambled to grab the food.
"Is, is this real? Real... bread?" he asked and had already stuffed it in his mouth.
What if it was fake bread?
"Damn it, this pig bastard! You should give us some too!"
"You crazy..."
The kids, who hadn't even glimpsed food for nearly two days, rushed forward while fuming angrily.
"Ah, damn it! What about mine!? What about mine?! Did you eat it all?!"
The chocolate bars on the floor vanished in an instant. Those who arrived late had to settle for admiring the wrappers.
"Ah. Isn't this too much!?" just as someone seriously objected—
Thunk.
"!"
More chocolate bars popped out from the punctured door handle. Suddenly, the fire door turned into a vending machine.
Even amid their hunger, the children stopped dumbfoundedly.
"What, what's this? Who is it?"
"Isn't this poisoned?"
Then, they heard a familiar and irritating voice.
"Hey. Stop causing a ruckus. Line up properly and take your turn."
The children's eyes widened again.
"WTF, is that Ahn Gyung-Hoon?"
"The real class president?"
"Wow."
— Lol, class president.
— Wow, isn't that the obsessive compulsive disorder class president?!
— The line villain.
— He was the class president??? lol.
— OCD lol lol lol.
The person on the other side of the fire door was none other than the class president.
"Yeah. I'll open it soon. Just wait a bit while eating this. Someone made this barricade like a madman..."
Screech.
The sound of him moving the barricade echoed loudly.
Meanwhile, Bubblegum approached and asked, "Wait. If the class president is here... does that mean Tako is here too?"
The surprised Bubblegum approached Almond.
"Yes."
It was true. The person who gave Almond the chocolate bar when he was about to collapse halfway down the basement stairs was Takoyaki.
"He gave me chocolate and even a vitamin drink when I was half-unconscious on the basement stairs."
"Wow, but how did he recognize your voice? You hardly spoke."
"I know right?"
Almond also found it curious.
He only shouted for the other students to go up the basement stairway and groaned before he was about to faint. Tako actually noticed it was him and helped him.
"Hey! It's almost cleared! We’re opening it soon!"
Could it be the class president? He did seem like a slightly smart character.
"We, we're saved now..."
"I never thought I'd be glad to hear Ahn Gyung-Hoon’s voice."
"Phew. What a relief."
Anyhow, their other classmates had cleared the route to the snack bar. The students felt relieved thinking they could soon eat freely.
Creak... Boom!
With a loud noise, the door opened and familiar faces appeared.
"Hey! We've been eating up the snack bar~!"
First, there was Takoyaki.
— Family reunion lol.
— Oh??? General Hyun-Ah lol.
— Wow~
Following him was a lively female college student.
"Wow! You guys survived!"
It was Kim Hyun-Ah, who was commonly referred to as the snack bar noona.
"Right? Right?? Didn't I tell you! I knew it was his voice!"
Hyun-Ah, who had recognized Almond's voice, jumped around proudly and claimed to be right.
— Damn, that's General Hyun-Ah~!
— Crazy lol lol.
— General Hyun-Ah!!
— Wow, is she really the snack bar noona?
— Wow~~~
— Great things can only be achieved by General Hyun-Ah.
This wasn’t the early access Hyun-Ah. How did she recognize Almond's voice?
A student asked, "How did you know, noona? Do you know who Almond is?"
Hyun-Ah responded as if it were obvious, "Hey. Which girl here doesn’t know who Almond is?"
"Ah... that’s true."
"Plus, I remember even the breathing of a handsome guy."
Hyun-Ah puffed out her breath, displaying immense pride.
The conclusion was that it was because he was handsome. The chat was about to be flooded with curses again.
— Worst streamer: Almond.
— Is it you again!? Face ID!?
— Now it's not even Face ID, but voice recognition??
— The bastard that plays the game without Walnut... even his breathing is handsome...
— Lol, handsome breathing lol.
Almond's eyes caught another familiar face.
"Oh? Pizza bread..."
Without realizing it, he waved and called the boy Pizza Bread. It was Park Soo-Hyun, the boy who ate pizza bread every day.
?"
Soo-Hyun couldn't possibly know Almond because he wasn’t a girl and didn’t respond to the greeting. Instead, he stepped back as if to say, 'Do you know me?'
— It doesn't work on guys lol.
— Face ID performance is like a ghost lol.
— Almond needs to work harder for all the guys to recognize him.
"Anyway. We've all gathered like this."
Tako looked around at the members of Class 3.
— For real!
— Finally, Class 3 assemble.
— How many?
— But what do you do with only 25 surviving?
"Let's count heads..."
— There are 0 hairs, brother.
— Why are you counting their hairs…?
—Tako's haircount? Tears...
While counting the numbers, Tako scratched his head that was supposed to be bald.
"Uh? But who are those three?"
He pointed to three individuals being dragged like prisoners bound in ropes: Kim Jin-Hyeok, Lee Sang-Ho, and Park Ji-Yeon.
"Ah... They're the ones I blacklisted."
"Blacklisted?"
"Yeah. There's such a thing, Tako."
"Um... okay. We can use them as human shields later, I guess."
— Human shields lol
— Too much for real lol
— This is the apocalypse!
"Then, since we're all set with the numbers. Let's all go to the snack bar!"
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The kids sprinted like relay runners to the snack bar.
"Wow. It feels like seeing lunchtime for the first time in a while," Hyun-Ah murmured solemnly as she watched their backs.
The students of Class 3 started stuffing their faces. It seemed as if they would die from their bellies bursting.
***
[Remaining Survivors]
Class 1: 26 members
Class 2: 15 members
Class 3: 30 members
Class 4: 11 members
Class 5: Surrendered