The Lottery of Fate
The twenty survivors who cleared the 13th underground floor at an astonishing speed and reached the 14th were greeted by a new kind of quest.
Fateful Lottery
📍 Objective: Draw a stone from the hole in the Altar of Fate as dictated by the revelation.
🎁 Reward: Entrance to the 15th underground floor.
Rumble!Whoosh!
From the moment they arrived on the 14th underground floor, thunder and lightning crashed from the sky, and the rain and wind showed no signs of letting up. Even though the sun had surely risen, the surroundings were dim and murky under the dark clouds that blanketed the heavens.
The group stood at the peak of a high hill. Enormous, enigmatic stone monuments stood at regular intervals around them, and in the center sat what looked like an altar. The overall atmosphere was profoundly eerie, and with the relentless drizzle, anyone faint of heart might have cracked just from standing there.
In this tense setting, where a ferocious monster could burst out from anywhere at any time without warning, most of the dungeon survivors felt no mental strain whatsoever. The countless ordeals they'd endured getting this far had toughened them inside and out.
Of course, there were exceptions—like Jonathan, who fussed, "No monsters or ghosts, please! Wait, no—if you're coming, come out now!"
Splash. Splash.
Mitchell Hoff stepped forward through the sodden earth and stood before the altar. An inscription was engraved on it. Several people gathered beside him and read it together.
Put your hand into the hole in the altar and draw a stone. The one who draws a white stone shall live; the one who draws a black stone shall die. The moment someone reads this revelation, all of you must obey it within the limited time. Anyone who fails to draw a stone by the time limit will die without exception. Those who have already drawn will have their fate—life or death—decided by the stone's color once the time expires.
The moment the message was read, a holographic "1 hour" appeared in midair and began counting down.
Time limit: 1:00:00 → Countdown started.
"What the hell?"
"What do we have to do in one hour?"
Those who hadn't read the inscription yet were bewildered.
"Everyone, come read this," Mitchell said. Once they all had, a heavy silence fell.
Another quest where someone had to die.
Whoosh!
The only sound was the patter of rain filling the space.
Then Mitchell stepped forward. "I'll draw first."
There was no escaping the quest anyway. Better to confront it head-on and find a way to save as many as possible.
At the base center of the altar was a hole big enough for a fist. Before inserting his hand, Mitchell peered inside, but it was pitch black—nothing visible.
"Diya."
The man called Diya was a thirty-year-old Indian with a tall, skinny frame and sunken eyes that gave him a somewhat sinister look at first glance. But he was kind and pure-hearted once you talked to him.
Diya hurried to Mitchell's side. "Light it up here, please."
"Yes."
When Diya pointed at the hole, a brilliant beam shot from his fingertip, piercing the darkness. It was his skill, Sunlight.
Diya could control the brightness and intensity at will, using it to blind monsters with solar-level light and aid in battle.
His fingertip swept the darkness inside the hole this way and that. But the blackness refused to yield, blocking the light.
"Can't see anything."
"I see."
Some magical barrier was preventing them from peering inside. No shortcuts.
While Yui fumed about smashing the altar outright—and Josh talked her down—Mitchell thrust his hand into the hole.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
His hand brushed against stone after stone.
Meaning there weren't just enough stones for their numbers. With luck, they could all survive.
Mitchell shared this glimmer of hope. "There are a lot of stones inside."
Everyone understood the implication. Faces that had been ashen began to brighten—except the Onelli siblings, who tilted their heads.
"Mitchell. That hand in the hole..."
"Can you pull it out without grabbing a stone?"
Mitchell tried, since he'd wondered the same. No dice—his hand was stuck.
Once inside, you had to grab one stone to extract it. He tried gripping two, but the darkness clamped down like jaws.
"You can't pull out if you grab zero or more than one."
With all questions answered, it was time to choose.
Clack. Clack.
He swept carefully, but without eyes on his hand, he couldn't tell white from black.
"Hoo."
Deep breath. Mitchell entrusted it to fate and gripped a plum-sized stone.
As his hand emerged, all eyes locked on it. He slowly opened his fist.
A white stone.
"White!"
"Captain's through!"
"Let's keep the momentum—everyone pick well!"
The good start lifted spirits—except for Pierre, who scowled more bitterly than ever.
"Worst quest ever."
He could already picture the hell unfolding.
* * *
Mitchell was followed by Pierre, Yui, Kim Jung-min, Dennis, and Josh—all drawing white stones. The odds seemed favorable; the mood improved.
Next was a plump, affable Russian woman in her forties, always relaxed with a charming smile. Kayla Aleksandrov.
As she reached into the hole, her voice echoed in everyone's minds.
Everyone~ You know I'm a lucky girl, right~? I'm definitely drawing white~ If it's black? Lend me a white pen, someone.
The casual group chuckled at her antics.
Her skill was Brain Scan, an evolution of her initial Telepathy. It let her speak mentally and read thoughts—targets were aware when read.
She'd explained it fully and never pried uninvited, using telepathy only when needed. She'd lost her voice to throat cancer; cured, but permanent.
Thus, her dungeon awakening was Telepathy. She could broadcast to everyone within 100 meters but read only one at a time, over vast range.
It let her read approaching monsters' thoughts, revealing tactics for preemptive action.
Here we go~ Mine's~ yep~ white as expected~
Thankfully, Kayla drew white too.
"Phew! Challenge!"
Buoyed by the white streak, Jonathan plunged his hand in. "This is about guts! Hya!"
He yanked one out without hesitation and slowly opened his fist.
"...!"
Black.
"No. This... this can't be! Lie! It's a lie! Nooooo!"
Jonathan collapsed, wailing. No one could comfort him.
The first black stone weighed on everyone's hearts. But they couldn't dawdle—non-participants died automatically. The rest proceeded with grim resolve.
Sob! Sniff!
Ignoring Jonathan's sobs, Irene, Lisa, and two others drew white.
Then Diya stepped up, prayed briefly to his god, and drew reverently.
"...Ah."
A sigh escaped. Black stone.
He stepped back, staring blankly—like a statue, already dead inside.
48 minutes left. The Onelli siblings and four others drew white in succession.
Only Andra Marshall and Seol Ara remained.
Pierre prayed Andra drew black. Ideally, he'd die here. But if he did... disaster.
Andra approached casually, no tension. He shoved his hand in, even humming.
"Wonder what it'll be."
Too nonchalant. He withdrew easily. Eyes fixed on his hand.
Most hoped for black—to be rid of the troll forever.
Thus...
"Black stone, huh?"
Andra spread his hand, announcing it. Some nearly cheered.
But Pierre squeezed his eyes shut.
As Seol Ara moved toward him—
"Hm. In that case... Yui."
Andra stroked his chin, glancing at the time, then called her.
"What? You calling me? You dare?"
Yui bristled at even addressing him.
That instant!
Fireball!
Fwoosh!
A blazing comet streaked toward Andra!
The group froze in shock.
Boom!
Yui blocked it with a punch.
"What the—?!"
"Brother Mitchell! Why?!"
"Yui... saved Andra?"
Jonathan, Dennis, Josh—stunned.
The ever-calm, just Mitchell attacking Andra? Yui blocking? Roles reversed.
But Yui's pupils were dilated.
Irene, trembling but composed, asked Andra: "Did you hypnotize her?"
He didn't deny. "Yeah. Couldn't just take a fireball lying down... but excuses aren't my style."
He smiled at Mitchell. "How'd you know I'd do this?"
Pierre stepped up. "It was obvious. What you'd pull with a black stone. Self-preservation first, always."
"Smart, huh? But you couldn't stop it."
Mitchell apologized to Pierre. "I was a step late despite the warning. Sorry."
"You did well. Anyone else would've failed."
Pierre had anticipated: strong-willed Mitchell and Yui's hatred made them candidates. But Andra would hypnotize Yui, so he burdened Mitchell.
Failed. Now catastrophe.
Hypnosis wasn't single-target only.
Step. Step.
Red—the mute redhead—joined Andra, pupils dilated too.
"You get it? These two are my puppets for an hour. Shall we swap stones first?"
Yui exchanged with Andra. Now she'd die at time's end.
Attacking meant fighting Yui and Red—unwanted blood among allies.
Andra grinned at Jonathan and Diya. "You two, come here. Don't wanna die, right?"
The temptation shook them. No one wanted death over bad luck.
"...Yeah. I'm dying, and no one lifted a finger."
Jonathan approached, tears brimming, yelling at Diya: "Same for you! They just cared about themselves!"
"...Sorry. I... I..."
Diya wavered.
"Andra. Survive this, and you think the next floor's safe?" Josh spat, furious.
Andra smirked. "Better than dying here. No guarantee I die next."
As Josh fumed, Andra ignored him, turning to Seol Ara. "Just you left, Ara. Draw. Let's see whose side you're on."
True. She hadn't drawn.
She inserted her hand as ordered. Had to anyway.
Clack. Clack.
As she groped and grabbed one—
Your Luck stat illuminates your path.
A message she'd never seen. First since acquiring Luck on floor 11.
In this moment, did it mean white? She withdrew.
Tense eyes on her stone.
"Hoo."
Even Seol Ara's heart raced. Deep breath. She opened her hand slowly.
Not white. Not black.
"...A golden stone?"
Someone's bewildered voice named the color.