But how could the others be happy? They only thought the girl before them was… strange.
"Um… is she a player?" Han Ji-hye whispered nervously to the middle-aged man beside her.
Professor Lee Sang-woo nodded. "That should be the case. For novice players entering the Forbidden Game, the first three dungeons are all beginner dungeons. You won't be thrown into one directly."
The first three scenarios always began at a bus stop. A bus would arrive to carry the players into the copy. This gave new players time to adapt and understand the situation.
It was the only kindness the Game offered.
Which meant—anyone who appeared here at this time must be a player.
As Professor Lee explained for the shaken newcomers, he glanced at the bus stop sign.
Only one route was written there:
Route 1044Perfect Life Sanatorium
That was the name of their copy.
Yoon Seo-rin's joy was impossible to hide. She wanted to laugh aloud, but for the sake of the companions she had finally found, she forced herself to smother her smile.
Don't scare them, she told herself.
It wasn't her fault. Anyone who had been trapped in the same dungeon, over and over, without ever truly escaping, would be mad by now.
But at last… at last she was free of that cursed novice copy.
Her lips twitched with delight.
Professor Lee's eyes flicked toward her.
The girl stood quietly off to the side, gaze lowered to the ground. Yet that strange smile still tugged at her pale face, as though laughter threatened to spill out at any moment.
Professor Lee: "…"
Forcing himself to ignore her, he addressed the others instead. "Crying and panicking won't solve anything. My name is Professor Lee Sang-woo. This is my second time participating. I usually research information about the Forbidden Game. I'll do everything I can to help you."
His steady, calm tone became a lifeline for the trembling group. Except for Yoon Seo-rin and Kang Do-hyun, everyone gathered near him.
"Everyone should have read the general rules of the Forbidden Game already, so I won't go over them…"
Seo-rin blinked. General rules?
Back when she first entered the Game, the word "player" didn't even exist. She had been dragged into another place on her way home from school, no warning, no explanation. Only a line of subtitles welcoming her to the Forbidden Game, telling her that the only way home was to clear the dungeon.
Most people would have been horrified.
But she had been thrilled. Finally—something to break her dull life.
Except her "thrill" turned into a nightmare. She had been trapped in that cursed novice copy for years. Every death rewound her back to the beginning. No help. No subtitles. No end.
At first, she fought diligently to survive. Then, she gave up, letting herself die with the monsters. Later, she grew numb, unable to live or die, just continuing endlessly.
What a broken game. Full of bugs. And not even a compensation reward.
But none of that mattered now. She was free.
Suppressing her excitement, Seo-rin glanced back at the group, then fixed her eyes on Kang Do-hyun, the burly man standing apart from the others.
She walked toward him.
Do-hyun noticed her instantly. His posture stiffened, gaze fierce, but he didn't move. He simply waited.
Seo-rin tilted her head and smiled politely. "Excuse me… what year is it now?"
Do-hyun: "???"
What kind of question was that?
But Seo-rin only stared at him, her dark eyes fixed, unblinking.
Do-hyun: "…"
He shifted uneasily under her gaze, then finally muttered, "2045."
Immediately, he sneered. "What, you brain-dead or something?"
Seo-rin ignored the insult. Her lips whispered: "Five years…"
She had been trapped in that dungeon for more than five years.
But… wait.
If time passed differently…
"Is time in the Game not the same as in reality?" she asked quickly.
Do-hyun scowled at her. "Of course not. Once you enter, time outside freezes. You could spend a month here, and when you return, it'll still be the same day you left."
Seo-rin fell silent.
Her five years… had passed unnoticed in the real world.
She swallowed the realization, then asked softly: "What exactly are the universal rules?"
Do-hyun exhaled heavily, finally resigning himself to her ignorance. "There are six."
He counted them off:
Survival is the first priority.
Make sure your companions are truly your companions.
Do not mention the contents of any copy to outsiders.
Follow common sense as much as possible.
When a player dies, one taboo rule is generated. If at least one person identifies it, or if no one notices it after sixty minutes, the taboo rule disappears. (Correctness is up to players to judge.)
Hell can come at any time.
"These six rules are official."
Seo-rin stared blankly. "…How is that even helpful?"
Do-hyun: "…"
He gave her a look of pure disdain. "Because the Game doesn't let us say more."
Once, people had tried posting strategies and taboo rules online to help later players. Those dungeons had turned into deathtraps—no survivors.
After that, everyone learned the hard way: some knowledge kills.