24. Another possibility
It was a defeat.
They had won the battle, but lost the war.
The rift between the inner and outer circles had grown so wide, it was beyond repair.
There were now three options:
Everyone enters the green zones and prays they're not in the group randomly sacrificed during the final 30 minutes (the exact number was still unknown).
They all fight together and ignore the zones completely—though casualties, already at 10%, would only increase with each night as the number of combatants dwindled.
They take advantage of the sub-scenario and leave ten slots unoccupied.
Now that Yoo Da Hee's strategy had failed, they returned to the third option. Rather than risking 10% of the population, it was more manageable—more efficient, even—to sacrifice ten people.
As if orchestrated, a new green zone appeared once again—and when counted, the number of available spots matched exactly with the number of survivors.
It was convenient—far too convenient.
It spared them from having to choose more than ten sacrifices, but the fact remained: ten still had to go.
Once might be coincidence.
Twice, a luck.
But three times?
"What a disgusting setup."
'Demon-like Judge of Fire agrees with your sentiment.'
"The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' has sponsored you with 100 coins."
If my suspicions were correct, the most twisted part was still yet to come.
"Let's all calm down for now," Yoo Da Hee's voice cut through the noise, temporarily diffusing the tension.
"Mr. Wan," she called, "Let's go over everything again from the top."
He nodded solemnly, understanding her intent.
"The objective remains the same: survive the monster attacks from midnight to sunrise for seven days. Five days remain."
"There are green zones we can use to hide, but if we all cram inside, some of them will be randomly destroyed."
"If we choose to fight together, we might not make it to the seventh day. If only a few combatants go, they won't be able to fend off the horde."
"And finally…" He paused, his gaze sweeping over the anxious crowd. "There's the sub-scenario—ten designated sacrifices. That means fifty people will be needed"
Yoo Da Hee let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Does anyone here have a better idea?"
But no one met her eyes.
Over two hundred people were gathered, yet it felt like the room had gone empty.
She closed her eyes, thinking:
(Why has it come to this? I finally found my siblings… I shouldn't even care about the rest. They're not my responsibility. But… I have to live up to their expectations.)
But time waits for no one. Before she could gather her thoughts—
"You should all be the sacrifice."
Da Hee's eyes snapped open. The voice had come from someone in the outer circle, pointing directly at her group.
"What?"
Even the inner circle had their limits. They had put their lives on the line, volunteering to fight, while others stayed safe. And now, they were being volunteered for execution?
"W-what's with that look?!"
The man flinched under the weight of the inner circle's glare.
"We're the ones who got injured! Most of the casualties were us noncombatants! Wasn't that just using us as meat shields?!"
His voice triggered the suppressed frustration of others. Those who'd lost loved ones could no longer keep their rage in check. Blame poured forth like floodwaters. In mere minutes, a protest turned into a frenzy.
But the inner circle had reached their breaking point too.
"We just need ten unoccupied slots, right?" someone asked Wan Dae Hyun. He nodded reluctantly.
"Then it's simple. We don't need volunteers…"
He drew his bloodied baseball bat. Others followed suit, drawing weapons.
"We'll just remove ten ourselves."
Weapons were raised. The shift from protector to predator was swift. Those who reacted quickly ran. Others were frozen, prey caught in headlights.
Yoo Da Hee sat in the eye of the storm.
She didn't speak.
Didn't agree.
Didn't object.
"S-Saintess, help!"
(Stop calling me that.)
"Sometimes, you need to cut off the rot to save the body."
(Like I care about saving any of it.)
"Saintess, I only fought to protect my family! Please stop this!"
(Saintess, huh? Is that what they expect from me? Or is it what I expect from myself?)
The violence escalated. What should've been a one-sided slaughter turned into a full-blown riot. A third of the inner circle rebelled—tired of killing strangers on command.
The inner circle had quality and training. The outer circle had numbers. Fists, weapons, and fear clashed in chaos, reminiscent of the bloodshed from the first scenario.
NaRi, already aware of what might happen, had taken her younger siblings to safety. Before leaving, she asked me to watch over her sister. Even amid the chaos, I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the climax. The twisted constellations wouldn't be satisfied with just a rehash of scenario one.
As injuries mounted and hatred replaced fear—
Something appeared.
It halted the riot like a divine decree.
A new dokkaebi. One I hadn't seen before.
Its fur bristled like it had gone Super Saiyan.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Its laugh boomed through the station.
"Looks like you're struggling~ Let me help you out!"
Plap.
It clapped its hands.
And once again, a blue window from the Star Stream unfolded before our eyes.
Scenario: Offering
(To be continued...)