THE LAST MEMORY
I remember the moment I arrived here.
Or maybe... arrived isn't the right word.
Perhaps I was thrown here. Dragged here. Stolen from somewhere else.
I don't know.
In fact, I don't know much of anything anymore.
The memories before that moment are like pages ripped from a book. I know they existed, but no matter how hard I try, I can't read them. Every time I reach for them, my mind answers with the same empty silence.
The only thing I remember clearly is the sky.
It looked perfectly ordinary.
Blue. Calm. Peaceful.
Funny, isn't it?
Out of everything that disappeared from my memory, the last normal thing I remember is... the sky.
Maybe it was also the last normal thing in my life.
Before all of this happened, I had been standing by my bedroom window, staring outside without really looking at anything.
My room was exactly what you'd expect from someone who had given up pretending to be organized. Books lay scattered across the floor. Clothes had somehow evolved into permanent furniture. My desk was buried under notebooks, snack wrappers, and enough dust to start a small civilization.
Cleaning it had crossed my mind once.
It left almost immediately.
Even getting out of bed felt like a major achievement these days.
When I glanced at the clock, it was already noon.
No surprise there.
If the birds outside hadn't started singing like they were holding an emergency concert beneath my window, I probably would've slept until tomorrow.
For a moment, I wondered if I should thank them...
…or file a formal complaint on behalf of people who enjoyed sleeping.
Knowing me, I'd probably end up doing neither.
Yeah.
That's me.
If life offered me two choices—even something as simple as deciding what to eat—I could somehow invent a third option:
Do absolutely nothing.
People say every decision shapes your future.
My future probably looked at me once, sighed, and walked away.
I was never good at making choices.
The fear of making the wrong one usually stopped me from making any at all.
Then my phone buzzed.
A notification.
At first, I ignored it.
It could wait.
Everything in my life seemed to wait for me anyway.
But after another buzz, curiosity finally won.
I picked up my phone and frowned.
A scholarship opportunity abroad.
"...What?"
That certainly wasn't the kind of notification I received every day.
Actually, I had never received one before.
I hurried to my computer, opened my email, and found the same message waiting for me.
It had been sent by an overseas company.
The email looked surprisingly professional—far more professional than anything that had ever landed in my inbox. Attached to it was an appointment letter... or maybe some kind of acceptance form.
I wasn't even sure.
I remember leaning closer to the screen, trying to understand why I had received something like that.
My heart beat a little faster.
Questions flooded my mind.
Was it real?
Was it a mistake?
Did someone send it to the wrong person?
Or... was this actually my chance to escape the boring, repetitive life I'd been living?
People always talk about life-changing moments.
The funny thing is...
They never announce themselves beforehand.
That email...
That was the last thing I remember before everything changed.
After that—
Nothing.
Just...
Darkness.
The next thing I knew, a sharp pain exploded inside my head.
It felt as if someone had thrown me out of the sky and forgotten to tell gravity to slow down.
I groaned, pressing a hand against my forehead.
"...Ow."
For a few seconds, everything spun. My vision blurred as though the world itself had decided to rotate without asking me first.
When it finally settled, I looked around.
Silence.
Rows upon rows of empty seats surrounded me like countless pairs of invisible eyes. An enormous stadium stretched in every direction, abandoned and lifeless. Not a single voice. Not a single bird. Not even the wind dared to make a sound.
My room was gone.
My house was gone.
My family...
Gone.
My phone.
Also gone.
"...Great."
If this was a kidnapping, at least they were being thorough.
I pinched my arm.
Hard.
"Ow."
Still hurt.
So, either this wasn't a dream...
...or my brain had suddenly upgraded to ultra-realistic graphics.
A cold feeling crawled up my spine.
Where am I?
How did I get here?
Did I die?
…If I died, this place desperately needed a better interior designer.
The silence answered none of my questions.
THE STRANGER
I slowly turned in a circle, hoping to spot literally anyone.
Then I did.
Someone stood near the opposite side of the field.
A teenage boy.
He looked Asian.
Wait... maybe he's from Bangladesh.
For the first time since waking up, I felt a tiny spark of relief.
Someone from home.
Someone who might actually understand me.
Then he noticed me.
And started sprinting.
Straight at me.
"..."
"...Nope."
Every survival instinct I possessed immediately filed a complaint.
Why is he running?
Normal people wave.
Serial killers run.
He wasn't slowing down.
He was tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Dark-skinned.
Built like someone whose hobby was lifting cars for fun.
Meanwhile, my greatest athletic achievement was reaching the refrigerator before someone else did.
I considered running.
My legs considered ignoring me.
Before either of us reached a decision, he was already standing right in front of me.
He caught his breath for a second before asking,
"You got any idea what's going on here?"
I stared at him.
"...No."
He looked around uneasily.
"I don't think this place is any good."
"Yeah."
"I heard a girl scream."
"Yeah."
Wonderful.
First I wake up in an abandoned stadium.
Now the giant stranger casually mentions a screaming girl.
Exactly how every horror movie starts.
He narrowed his eyes at me.
"You got anything else to say besides 'yeah'?"
"...Yeah."
He blinked.
"And what is it?"
"What is what?"
"The thing you wanted to say."
"Oh..."
I scratched the back of my neck.
"...Yeah."
He sighed so deeply I thought his soul had given up.
"Again?"
Come on, Mahmood.
Say something.
Anything.
You've talked to cashiers before. This isn't much different.
...Actually, it is. Cashiers usually don't appear in mysterious stadiums after reality collapses.
"I..." I cleared my throat. "I was going to ask your name."
His expression softened.
"Omar."
He folded his arms before adding,
"And don't take this personally, but you're the second creepiest thing I've seen since coming here."
As if I care.
"I'm Mahmood."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he asked,
"You seen anyone else?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"Heard anything?"
"No."
"So..."
He looked around the empty stadium.
"What do we do now?"
I honestly wished I knew.
"I don't know."
That sentence had followed me through most of my life.
Funny how it found me here too.
Omar suddenly rubbed his chin.
"What do you think the chances are this is all a dream?"
I looked at him for a second.
Then I raised my hand.
SLAP!
The sound echoed across the empty stadium.
He stared at me in complete disbelief, one hand covering his burning cheek.
"...What was that for?!"
"You asked."
"I asked for your opinion!"
"You wanted proof."
"I wanted words!"
I shrugged.
"Zero percent."
He let out a long sigh.
"You know... most people ask before testing things like that."
"I prefer practical demonstrations."
He muttered something under his breath that I was probably better off not hearing.
"Whatever," he said at last. "Standing here isn't helping anyone. Let's move."
I wasn't exactly thrilled about following him.
Everything about him screamed questionable life choices.
He looked intimidating.
He spoke like danger was just another Tuesday.
And I still wasn't convinced he wasn't secretly a serial killer.
Besides...
A few moments ago I had assumed he was from Bangladesh.
Turns out he wasn't.
For reasons I couldn't fully explain—even to myself—I felt a flicker of disappointment. Old assumptions and old prejudices are stubborn things. My first instinct was to put a wall between us.
Great.
Lost in another world... and my first companion isn't even from home.
Still...
He was the only other person I had found.
And in a place where nothing made sense...
Even a suspicious stranger was better than complete loneliness.
So, keeping a careful distance behind him—
Far enough that he couldn't suddenly punch me...
Close enough that whatever killed him would probably give me a five-second head start—
I followed.
THAT CREEP, I MEAN, GIRL
I kept following Omar.
Not because I trusted him.
Far from it.
If anything, every instinct I had told me to stay as far away from him as possible.
But there was one tiny problem with that brilliant plan.
I had absolutely no idea where I was.
Running away from the only other human I had met in this giant, abandoned stadium sounded like the kind of decision people regretted five minutes before dying.
So I stayed.
Not beside him.
Not too close.
Just far enough behind that if he suddenly turned into a murderer, I'd have at least half a second to react.
…Probably.
The stadium exit stood ahead of us, its enormous metal doors already open.
Beyond them stretched another empty area, wrapped in an unsettling silence.
No traffic.
No birds.
No voices.
Nothing.
Even our footsteps echoed louder than they should have.
That bothered me.
Silence like this wasn't peaceful.
It was the kind of silence that made your brain imagine sounds that didn't exist.
I hated it.
I was so busy convincing myself nothing was hiding around the corner...
…that I completely failed to notice someone walking toward us.
"Hi."
I nearly left my soul behind.
My entire body jerked backward.
For one horrifying second, I was convinced the Angel of Death had finally come to collect me personally.
Then I blinked.
It wasn't Azrael.
Just...
A girl.
She looked about our age, wearing a nervous but genuine smile.
She had probably been just as frightened as we were.
My heartbeat, however, disagreed.
It continued trying to escape through my chest.
Fantastic.
I almost died because someone said "hi."
If this keeps happening, I won't survive Chapter One.
The girl looked between us before giving a small wave.
"Um... hello?"
Her smile was warm.
Too warm.
Suspiciously warm.
Nobody smiles that much after waking up in a nightmare.
Either she was incredibly optimistic...
…or she was secretly the final boss.
Before I could continue my investigation—which consisted entirely of staring awkwardly—Omar stepped forward.
"Who are you?" he asked. "And where did you come from?"
"I'm Anita," she replied politely. "I'm from Nepal."
She hesitated before adding,
"And... I think this is my first time being here."
I couldn't help staring.
My first time?
As if people visited this place every summer.
Omar nodded.
"Same here."
He pointed toward himself.
"I'm Omar."
Then toward me.
"And this quiet statue is Mahmood."
"I can introduce myself," I muttered.
"You didn't."
"...Fair."
"I'm from India," Omar continued.
For a moment, I simply stared at him.
India?
Great.
For some reason I'd convinced myself he was from Bangladesh.
Guess not.
Old habits die hard.
Back home, I'd grown up hearing opinions about our neighboring country from every direction. Some made sense, others didn't. Without even realizing it, I'd carried a few of those assumptions with me.
I folded my arms.
Well... at least he hasn't tried to kill me yet.
I supposed that counted as progress.
Anita let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank goodness."
"What?"
"I thought I was the only person here."
She glanced around the empty surroundings before lowering her voice.
"I've been searching everywhere for another human... or honestly, anything alive."
"There was a girl screaming earlier," she continued.
"I followed the sound hoping I'd find someone."
Omar immediately nodded.
"I heard it too."
Of course he did.
The guy heard one scream and his first instinct was to investigate.
Meanwhile, my first instinct had been to stay as far away from the screaming as humanly possible.
One of us had survival instincts.
The other had main-character syndrome.
"We should check on her," Omar said without hesitation.
"If she's hurt, she might need help."
There it was.
Exactly the sentence every brave idiot says five minutes before something terrible happens.
I sighed.
Congratulations.
You've officially become that guy.
The one who walks into the haunted basement after hearing mysterious noises.
The one who says, "Guys, I'll be right back."
The one whose friends later describe as "a good person."
Omar had already started walking.
Naturally.
Because apparently self-preservation wasn't included in his skill set.
I looked at Anita.
She looked at Omar.
Then she looked at me.
For a second, I caught a strange expression on her face.
Curiosity.
Confusion.
Maybe she was wondering why I'd barely spoken since we met.
Maybe she thought I didn't like her.
Honestly...
I was still trying to recover from almost having a heart attack because someone greeted me.
Social interaction could wait.
Unfortunately...
Following Omar couldn't.
So, with the enthusiasm of a man walking toward his own funeral, I took a deep breath and followed them into the unknown.
THAT SCREAMER, I MEAN, ANOTHER GIRL
Anita kept glancing at me every few seconds.
Not in a creepy way.
More like she was trying to solve a puzzle.
She had probably noticed that I'd barely spoken since we met.
Honestly...
I didn't blame her.
If I were in her place, I'd probably think I was either painfully shy...
…or secretly plotting everyone's murder.
Neither was true.
Well...
One definitely wasn't.
I told myself I didn't care what she thought.
People misunderstand me all the time.
I was used to it.
Still...
For some reason, the silence started bothering me.
Maybe because everyone else had already introduced themselves.
Maybe because saying nothing made me feel even more out of place.
Before my brain could change its mind, the words escaped.
"I'm from Bangladesh."
Everyone turned toward me.
Anita smiled politely.
"Oh."
That was it.
One word.
Somehow I'd interrupted the silence just to contribute the only missing piece of information.
Brilliant, Mahmood.
Outstanding conversational skills.
Truly carrying this team.
Thankfully, nobody laughed.
Before the awkwardness could grow any larger, Omar suddenly stopped walking.
"Hold on."
He pointed ahead.
"Someone's over there."
We all looked.
Not far from us stood an old stone well.
Half-hidden by overgrown grass.
A hand rested weakly on its edge.
For a split second, my heart stopped.
"There!"
Omar didn't wait another second.
He sprinted toward it.
"Hey!" Anita called after him.
I followed more slowly.
Mostly because running toward mysterious wells wasn't exactly on my list of intelligent life choices.
As we got closer, I finally saw her.
A girl.
She had fallen inside the well.
Her eyes were shut.
She wasn't moving.
Maybe... she's the one who screamed.
The well wasn't terribly deep, but it was deep enough that climbing out alone would've been almost impossible.
I cautiously looked over the edge.
"...Is she..."
"She's breathing," Omar answered before I could finish.
Relief washed over Anita's face.
Without hesitation, Omar handed me his phone-sized wallet—apparently the only thing he still had.
"Hold this."
Before I could even ask what he was planning...
He grabbed my wrist.
"Don't let go."
"Wha—"
Too late.
Using my arm for balance, he carefully lowered himself into the well.
"Seriously?!"
My heart immediately began questioning every decision that had led me to this moment.
"What if you fall?"
"I won't."
"What if I fall?"
"Then don't."
"...Very helpful."
Despite my complaints, I tightened my grip.
He wasn't reckless.
Every movement was careful.
Measured.
He checked the girl's pulse first.
Made sure she was breathing.
Only then did he gently lift her into his arms.
She looked completely unconscious.
I expected him to struggle.
Instead...
He climbed back up almost effortlessly.
One arm supported his own weight.
The other carried the girl.
I stared.
…What?
Does this guy eat dumbbells for breakfast?
A few moments later, both of them were safely back on the ground.
Omar carefully laid the girl on the grass instead of dropping her.
He even adjusted her head, so it rested comfortably.
Only then did he take a step back.
Not to show off.
Not to expect praise.
Just to give her room to breathe.
I looked at him for a second.
He hadn't hesitated.
He hadn't asked whether helping her was worth the risk.
He simply saw someone in danger...
...and acted.
It didn't make sense to me.
People weren't usually like that.
At least...
Not the people I'd known.
Maybe that was why I kept expecting him to reveal some hidden motive.
There had to be one.
Nobody stayed this calm.
Nobody helped strangers this quickly.
...Right?
Then my eyes drifted toward his arms.
...Actually...
Forget the hidden motive.
Look at those muscles.
He had just climbed out of a well while carrying another person.
With what looked like embarrassing ease.
At that exact moment, I reached a very important conclusion.
I am never fighting this guy.
I enjoy being alive.
A soft cough interrupted my thoughts.
The girl's fingers twitched.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
She blinked several times, confused by the unfamiliar faces surrounding her.
Omar immediately knelt beside her, his voice gentle.
"Easy."
"You're safe."
"Can you hear me?"
ANOTHER CREEP, I MEAN, GIRL
The girl took a few slow breaths before finally opening her eyes completely.
She looked at each of us one by one, confusion filling her face.
"...Where am I?"
Honestly...
That was a fantastic question.
If anyone happened to know the answer, I'd appreciate being informed too.
Omar knelt beside her, keeping his voice calm.
"Easy. You're safe."
He offered her a hand.
"My name's Omar."
He pointed toward me.
"That's Mahmood."
Then toward Anita.
"And she's Anita."
The girl hesitated before accepting his hand.
"I... I'm Geeta."
She still looked pale.
"What happened?" Omar asked. "How did you end up inside the well?"
Geeta frowned, trying to remember.
"I don't really know."
She closed her eyes for a moment.
"I suddenly found myself here... I started walking..."
Her breathing grew uneven.
"...Then I tripped."
She glanced back at the well.
"...and fell."
A long silence followed.
I looked at the well.
Then at Geeta.
Then back at the well.
Congratulations.
You've somehow managed to lose a fight against the ground.
"D-Did you scream?" Anita asked softly.
Geeta nodded.
"Yes."
Omar looked at Anita.
Anita looked back at him.
Both of them silently confirmed what they were already thinking.
So...
That had been the scream.
I scratched my head.
Wait.
There was a scream?
When?
Either my hearing was terrible...
...or my brain had been too busy panicking to notice.
Honestly, both sounded equally possible.
Omar stood up and dusted the dirt off his clothes.
"Can you stand?"
"I think so."
He helped Geeta to her feet.
She stumbled almost immediately.
Without thinking, Omar looked at me.
"Mahmood."
"Hm?"
"Stay beside her."
"...Why me?"
"Because she's barely standing."
"..."
Reasonable.
I hated how reasonable that sounded.
Geeta smiled apologetically.
"Sorry..."
"It's fine."
It wasn't.
It absolutely wasn't.
I had no clue how to help injured people.
Was I supposed to hold her arm?
Support her shoulder?
Walk slowly?
Pretend I knew what I was doing?
Nobody gave me an instruction manual.
After several seconds of awkward standing...
I simply held out my arm.
"...You can lean on me if you want."
She did.
"...Thanks."
Great.
Now I couldn't even walk normally.
I had officially become a human walking stick.
Achievement Unlocked.
"Support Character"
As we started moving again, I noticed something.
Without realizing it...
I'd begun waiting for Omar to decide everything.
Where to go.
When to stop.
What to do.
And every single time...
He somehow had an answer.
I didn't.
Maybe that was why following him felt easier.
Making decisions had never been my strength.
People often say,
"If you don't choose a path, life will choose one for you."
Judging by my current situation...
Life had apparently chosen to throw me into another world.
Suddenly—
Crunch.
Footsteps.
Everyone stopped.
I froze.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
I turned around.
Another girl stood a short distance away.
She looked around our age.
Unlike the rest of us, she wasn't breathing heavily.
She wasn't panicking.
She simply observed us with calm, attentive eyes.
"...You're stuck here too?"
Her voice was surprisingly relaxed.
Then she blinked.
"Oh."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"I should introduce myself first."
She gave a polite bow.
"I'm Thiri."
She looked around at everyone before adding with a tiny laugh,
"And don't worry..."
"You don't have to explain."
"I heard everything."
Great.
So she's been standing there the whole time.
How long exactly?
Please don't say she witnessed my entire 'human walking stick' performance.
Her name caught my attention.
Thiri...
I'd never heard it before.
She looked Asian like the rest of us.
But I couldn't guess where she was from.
More importantly...
She looked... composed.
Almost too composed.
As though waking up in a mysterious place was just another inconvenience.
She glanced toward the distance.
"I saw something earlier."
We all followed her gaze.
"There seems to be a plane outside."
"A plane?" Omar repeated.
She nodded.
"I think we should check it."
Without another question, Omar started walking.
Naturally.
Anita followed.
Then Thiri.
Then Geeta...
Who was still leaning on me.
"..."
"...So, we're going too?"
Nobody answered.
Apparently, the decision had already been made for me.
I sighed.
As usual.
I wasn't choosing my path.
I was simply walking the one everyone else had already chosen.
GAME WORLD XXXIX
Geeta still leaned lightly on my arm as we walked.
I wasn't exactly comfortable.
Not because she was heavy.
Because I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do.
Should I ask if she was feeling better?
Would that be awkward?
Should I stay quiet?
Would that be awkward?
Being around people always felt like taking an exam without knowing the subject.
Maybe it wasn't an introvert problem.
Maybe it was just...
...a me problem.
I'd spent so much of my life worrying about saying the wrong thing that, eventually, saying nothing became easier.
People call it being shy.
I called it survival.
Sometimes pretending to care felt less exhausting than explaining why I didn't know how to show it.
Before my thoughts could wander any further—
Thiri stopped.
Omar stopped.
Anita froze.
Naturally...
So, did I.
When everyone else stops moving, it's usually a good idea to copy them.
Slowly, I looked up.
"..."
The breath caught in my throat.
A plane.
It hung high above us.
Completely motionless.
No engine noise.
No flashing lights.
No wind pushing against its wings.
It simply... existed.
As though someone had taken a real airplane and pinned it to the sky.
Beneath it floated a massive glowing screen.
Its pale white light spilled across the empty stadium, cutting through the darkness like moonlight.
Everything else remained swallowed by shadows.
The silence returned.
Not peaceful.
Not comforting.
The kind of silence that made your heartbeat sound far too loud.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody dared to.
Words suddenly felt... small.
The screen flickered once.
Then letters slowly began appearing across its surface.
One by one.
My pulse quickened.
"...What's that?" Anita whispered.
"I don't know," Omar replied.
For once...
None of us had an answer.
I took an unconscious step forward.
Names.
Rules.
Information.
They were appearing on the screen.
About us.
About this place.
About...
A game.
The moment my eyes reached the first line...
A strange feeling settled deep inside my chest.
Cold.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Whatever this place was...
Whatever had brought us here...
It wasn't an accident.
Someone...
Or something...
Had planned all of this long before we ever opened our eyes.
And somehow...
Without any of us realizing it...
The game had already begun.
╔═══════════════════╗
WELCOME TO WORLD XXXIX
╚═══════════════════╝
「 SURVIVAL SYSTEM INITIALIZED 」
Every challenge exists to test your will.
Only those who continue moving forward shall survive.
━━━━━━━━━━━━
GAME RULES
━━━━━━━━━━━━
01 ▸ The game takes place inside a designated arena.
02 ▸ All players have entered this game against their own will.
03 ▸ Leaving the arena is strictly prohibited unless the required conditions have been met.
04 ▸ Cooperation is optional.
Betrayal is permitted.
Killing may become necessary.
Your choices will decide your fate.
05 ▸ Players may begin the game without weapons.
06 ▸ Weapons are distributed randomly.
07 ▸ Weapons may break, disappear,
malfunction, or even turn against
their owners.
08 ▸ Rule violations are punishable
by immediate elimination.
09 ▸ Eliminated players will be permanently
removed from the game.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
PLAYER DATABASE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
PLAYER 01
Name : Omar Faruk
Age : 16
Gender : Male
Origin : Delhi, India
Race : Asian
Status : ALIVE
───────────────
PLAYER 02
Name : Mahmood Billah
Age : 14
Gender : Male
Origin : Dhaka, Bangladesh
Race : Asian
Status : ALIVE
────────────────
PLAYER 03
Name : Anita Shrestha
Age : 14
Gender : Female
Origin : Kathmandu, Nepal
Race : Asian
Status : ALIVE
─────────────────
PLAYER 04
Name : Geeta Choki
Age : 15
Gender : Female
Origin : Thimphu, Bhutan
Race : Asian
Status : ALIVE
──────────────────
PLAYER 05
Name : Thiri Myat
Age : 15
Gender : Female
Origin : Naypyidaw, Myanmar
Race : Asian
Status : ALIVE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Selected Arena : STADIUM
Game Phase : INITIALIZATION
Objective : SURVIVE
Proceed to the designated arena immediately.
Failure to arrive before the countdown reaches
zero will result in immediate elimination.
Victory, defeat, life, and death will all be
determined inside the arena.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Arena : Stadium
Status : ACTIVE
Players : 05 / 05
Time Limit: 05:00 01:00 per player
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
「 THE GAME WILL BEGIN SHORTLY 」
Good Luck, PLAYERS.