"Player 123 and Player 357, welcome to the final game," the Masked Man said.
Then, the door in front of them opened.
Before their eyes was a staircase that looked as if it led straight to heaven.
As the Masked Man led them forward, he said, "The sixth and final game is The Floor Is Lava."
From the spectator stands, VIP 6 said: "The floor is lava, that was my favorite game to play when I was a child!"
The Masked Man continued:
"Here are the rules for The Floor Is Lava.
First — a player wins by climbing onto the highest platform.
Second — a player wins by pushing the other player into the lava. Of course, we will not use real lava but water instead. The water level will continuously rise once the game begins.
Third — when one party is no longer able to continue the game, the remaining player will be declared the winner."
Jung-Hyuk asked with no expression:"What exactly do you mean by 'no longer able to continue the game'?"
The Masked Man replied:"It means the player has died."
The two looked at each other.
The Masked Man then said:"Now… let the game begin."
Ji-Xian shoved Jung-Hyuk to the ground and dashed out first. Jung-Hyuk immediately chased after him, tackled him on the stairs, and kept running.
When they reached halfway up the staircase, Ji-Xian lunged forward and grabbed Jung-Hyuk's leg. Pulling a knife from his pocket, he stabbed Jung-Hyuk in the leg. Jung-Hyuk cried out in pain and kicked Ji-Xian away. Ji-Xian tumbled down the stairs, but midway, he caught hold of the steps.
The VIPs watched from the stands with great interest.
Enduring the pain in his leg, Jung-Hyuk slowly moved upward. Ji-Xian came charging back and slashed at Jung-Hyuk's waist, but Jung-Hyuk dodged in time. Jung-Hyuk retaliated with his own knife, cutting Ji-Xian across the face.
Ji-Xian thrust with all his strength, but Jung-Hyuk dodged again. Ji-Xian's knife got stuck in the steps. Jung-Hyuk seized the chance to punch him, then shoved him hard down the stairs. Ji-Xian clung desperately to the edge.
Pulling himself back up, Ji-Xian landed one punch, then another. Jung-Hyuk was too weak to fight back, letting the blows rain down on his face. Seeing Jung-Hyuk unable to resist, Ji-Xian stopped.
"I never wanted to kill anyone," he said. "But for money… I have no choice."
With that, he turned and walked away.
From the stands, VIP 3 remarked: "It seems like it's almost over."
VIP 1 added: "Almost there."
Just a short distance remained to the platform. Ji-Xian looked at the water steadily rising below. His body started to weaken, but he clawed his way upward. Just as he was about to reach the platform, Jung-Hyuk leapt onto him from behind, locking his arm around Ji-Xian's neck.
"Thank you," Jung-Hyuk said, "for choosing not to kill me earlier."
Then, locking his chokehold, he rolled with Ji-Xian downward. At the last second, Jung-Hyuk let go, sending Ji-Xian plunging into the water while he caught the edge of the stairs with one hand.
Jung-Hyuk climbed up to the platform and collapsed there, exhausted.
Flailing in the water, Ji-Xian muttered helplessly, "You… win."
A gunshot rang out — bang.
"Player 123, eliminated."
From the stands, VIP 2 said: "It was truly a thrilling and exhilarating showdown — exciting and thrilling."
On the headquarters' screen, only Jung-Hyuk's photo remained. On the dormitory monitor, it displayed: "1 player" and "45.6 billion." The piggy bank was placed in the center of the dormitory. The VIPs left.
The scene shifted — Jung-Hyuk was sitting in a car being escorted back.
The Founder said to him: "Congratulations on your ultimate victory. That was a very exciting match."
Jung-Hyuk asked: "Why… why would you do something so inhumane?"
The Founder replied: "You know horse racing, don't you? You are the horses — the racehorses on the track. I'm surprised… I didn't think you'd get this far. Just think of it as a dream — it's not exactly a nightmare for you, is it?"
With that, the Founder released a cloud of smoke, and Jung-Hyuk passed out again.
Back in the outside world, they dumped Jung-Hyuk on the side of the road.
Not long after, Jung-Hyuk pulled a bank card from his mouth and went to withdraw money. He keyed in the amount he wanted, then entered the password: "0357." The cash came out, and the screen showed a balance of "45,599,990,000."
Later, he returned home and collapsed directly onto his bed.
The next morning came quickly.
He took some leftover food from the fridge and heated it in the microwave. Then, he turned on the TV, staring blankly at the news.
The report showed a mother who had hanged herself due to the mental strain from her child's disappearance.
Jung-Hyuk suddenly thought of Il-hoon.
He opened his laptop and searched for Il-hoon's personal information, finding his father's phone number. He dialed.
"Hello, may I ask who this is?" came the voice on the other end.
"Are you Il-hoon's father?" Jung-Hyuk asked.
At once, Il-hoon's father's eyes widened.
Before long, the two met at a café.
Il-hoon's father asked anxiously: "My son — do you know where he is?"
Jung-Hyuk looked at him silently without answering.
Then, Jung-Hyuk took a box from beside him and said: "This is something Il-hoon asked me to give you."
Without another word, Jung-Hyuk turned and walked away.
Opening the box, Il-hoon's father saw it was filled to the brim with cash. He looked up in shock at Jung-Hyuk's retreating figure.
A month later.
Jung-Hyuk had repaid all his debts and resumed writing.
He turned everything he had experienced there into a novel.
The book quickly became a bestseller, and Jung-Hyuk made a lot of money — but he felt no joy at all.
Looking at the money he had once desperately craved, now piled high, he felt an indescribable heaviness in his heart.
One day, as usual, he took the subway into the city. At the station, he noticed a man in a suit playing the slap card game with someone else.
By the time Jung-Hyuk ran over, the suited man had already boarded the train. Jung-Hyuk snatched the card from the hand of the man who had been playing against him.
That night, Jung-Hyuk stared at the card, unable to sleep. He dialed the number printed on it.
"Do you want to participate in the game? If you wish to join, please state your name and date of birth," came the voice.
"Lee Jung-Hyuk, October 29, 1996," he said.
"Player 357, don't do anything foolish. Take your money and enjoy life — that's the right choice for you," the voice replied.
Jung-Hyuk hung up.
A drop of blood fell onto the bathroom floor.
— The End —