Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Meal, and Questions
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Dokgo Hyun had arrived at a place he never could have anticipated.
"Our school cafeteria...?"
It was Hanshin High School's cafeteria.
He double-checked the serving counter and the chairs meant for eating, suspecting it might just be something similar.
It's the real deal.
The grease stains, soup splatters, and even the graffiti scratched into the walls by other kids—all of it was exactly the same.
Looking around, he spotted survivors scattered here and there. Players, every one of them.
Quite a few. About twenty including me.
Freshmen, sophomores, and seniors were mixed together, though seniors seemed to make up the majority.
Baek Seonghui was among them.
Everyone looks beat.
It was clear just how grueling their skill awakening missions had been. They all seemed utterly drained.
Even Baek Seonghui barely glanced up when Dokgo Hyun appeared before dropping her head again.
She needs some space.
Baek Seonghui didn't seem to want to talk to anyone.
Dokgo Hyun scanned the room for other familiar faces.
"Hey, Jong-eun."
Dokgo Hyun waved at Lee Jong-eun.
Lee Jong-eun, the Go club's ace he'd seen on the rooftop, was huddled in a corner.
"Ah, hyung. You're here."
"Rough one, huh?"
"Yeah..."
"What was your mission?"
"Rock-paper-scissors."
Lee Jong-eun shuddered, and Dokgo Hyun thought, Huh? That's kinda like mine.
"The winner of a three-round best-of match got to take the skill awakening agent. Losers just... died."
"Hm."
"If you refused to play, it randomly assigned you a throw automatically."
"Damn."
"So half died, and half survived."
"Explains why there are only twenty of us left."
Rock-paper-scissors is simple.
But when lives are on the line, few things eat away at your mind and soul like it does.
That was why even those who'd survived the goblins and the sniper's murder game were curled up like this.
And their opponents weren't goblins or snipers—they were friends, underclassmen, or upperclassmen. Must've been brutal.
And also...
Gurgle.
Grrrooowl.
Hungry stomachs rumbled among the students.
Even if they'd eaten lunch, the accumulated stress and exertion from everything had left them ravenous again in no time.
Dokgo Hyun turned to Lee Jong-eun.
"Starving, huh?"
"Yeah..."
Dokgo Hyun shared his last ginseng gum.
Lee Jong-eun took it but hesitated to chew.
"Urgh...!"
"What, hate ginseng?"
"It smells kinda like old-man breath."
"The hell? Old-man breath?"
As Dokgo Hyun grumbled, Lee Jong-eun shrugged and finally popped the gum in his mouth.
The ginseng gum had a decent sweetness to it, easing his hunger just a bit.
"Still hungry though, right?"
"Yeah..."
Raw hunger's the worst.
"If they don't give us food this mission, let's eat the supervisor."
"Eugh. For real?"
"We can't resort to cannibalism. We're human."
From what Dokgo Hyun had observed, the mission supervisors weren't human most of the time anyway.
So it was better to go after non-humans, risks and all, than to eat fellow people.
That was his logic.
"Heh. No need to worry."
Suddenly, the stunning blonde bunny girl appeared.
"Ah?!"
"Whoa, who's that...?"
"When did she show up?"
The players jumped to their feet in a panic.
The bunny girl waved them down with a smile.
"No need to tense up. This is just an orientation break."
She snapped her fingers.
Clunk, clunk.
Rabbits about ten times bigger than normal ones—and utterly adorable—waddled in wearing pristine white chef uniforms, preparing to serve food.
"Rabbits...?"
"But they walk like people."
"And they're huge."
As the players stayed on guard, the bunny girl chuckled.
"I summoned them with my skill. They're harmless—they don't even know how to fight. Relax."
Clatter, clatter.
The rabbits began setting up a buffet spread in the cafeteria.
The tantalizing aroma enveloped the players.
"Whoa."
Dokgo Hyun took the lead.
It was a magnificent buffet feast.
Omelets you scooped out with a ladle, crispy fried bacon, thick crinkle-cut fries.
Mini sweet-and-sour pork with a tangy scent that whetted the appetite, chicken wings braised in oyster sauce with sliced green chilies.
Sausage stir-fry with bell peppers, onions, and sausages in ketchup, and next to it, alio olio spaghetti with its clean, spicy garlic kick.
Fluffy white rice and smooth rice porridge.
Toast with butter, coffee, pecan pie, chocolate ice cream, green tea macarons, milk, orange juice, and more.
This is insane.
"Dig in, everyone. It's all free, and there's no poison."
"Don't mind if I do!"
Starving, Dokgo Hyun grabbed a white plate without a care for onlookers and piled it high with a bit of everything.
"Is it safe?"
"No poison, right?"
The others muttered as they watched him eat first.
"Hold on."
Baek Seonghui, who'd been sitting quietly, stepped forward.
And she activated the skill she'd just earned from her mission.
Poof!
"Whoa."
"Cute."
"Kinda chubby kitty though..."
The plump cat with disproportionately tiny wings hopped around the serving trays, sniffing eagerly.
It even sniffed Dokgo Hyun's plate and...
"No anomalies here, meow!"
"Good job."
Baek Seonghui had used her winged cat familiar's nose to inspect everything.
With that, the meal was proven completely safe.
"Th-then me too!"
"Me, me!"
Whoosh!
The players rushed to grab plates.
"Mmm! Delicious!"
There wasn't a single bad dish.
Dokgo Hyun polished off three plates in no time.
Some archery club members went for four or even five.
Munch, munch...!
The meal continued in silence for a while.
"So good..."
"I'm stuffed..."
A sense of calm and bliss spread through the room.
Even though countless people had died, and this food came from the culprits behind it all, it was too damn satisfying.
Soon the players were sipping juice or coffee with relaxed ease, while sharp ones like Dokgo Hyun busied themselves stuffing trays and food into their inventory windows.
In the process, Dokgo Hyun learned something new: you couldn't store food or drinks that might spill and make a mess.
As Dokgo Hyun pondered hunting for lidded containers...
"Heh. Enjoy the meal?"
The bunny girl reappeared, and the rabbits carted off the leftovers and empty plates.
"No answer? It was tasty, right?"
"Y-yes!"
"Thanks for the food!"
Hesitant replies trickled in.
"Some of you tried stashing food in your inventories— no need for the hassle."
Snap!
She snapped her fingers.
Rustle...
The rabbits brought emergency ration packs.
"Universal Rations. Three per person."
The rabbits distributed them.
The pristine white-clad chef rabbits snorted "Hmph!" at the players who'd stuffed their inventories, looking smug.
Dokgo Hyun sheepishly accepted his three packs.
"Now that everyone's got their rations, on to the next mission... before that!"
The bunny girl spun toward the players and spread one hand wide.
"You guys ate fast, so we've got a little time left. Any questions? I'll take five."
"Anything goes?"
Na Youngho, the archery club's ace, asked in a snide tone.
"Yes!"
One of the bunny girl's fingers folded down.
"Ah...!!"
Only five questions total, and Na Youngho's had just burned one—four left.
The twenty players huddled up fast.
"Only four questions remaining."
"What should we ask...?"
"That archery club jerk—why waste one on something dumb?"
"You done talking shit, you bastard?"
"Cut it out! Not the time to fight."
"First, ask how long this Apocalypse Game lasts. Does it even end?"
The second question was decided.
"Hyung, you ask."
"Me?"
The group picked Dokgo Hyun as their rep.
He was a senior, and more importantly, he'd cleared a bonus mission—surely competent.
Even the prickly Na Youngho nodded in agreement.
Dokgo Hyun stepped up to the bunny girl.
"I'll ask the second question."
"Go ahead."
"Does this Apocalypse Game death game have an end? If so, when?"
"I can't speak to the full schedule. But I can tell you about your current tutorial phase. Your tutorial..."
The bunny girl paused dramatically to build tension before continuing.
"...runs for a total of 10 rounds. Clear 'Tutorial Mission 10' and you're done."
"Ten rounds...!"
They'd cleared up to 5 so far.
Exactly halfway.
This meal and Q&A were probably little bonuses for hitting the midpoint.
Dokgo Hyun turned to the group.
"Got the next question?"
"We settled on asking about parents."
Most were worried about their families.
Dokgo Hyun wondered about his brother too.
"Third question."
"Shoot."
"We're worried about our families. Are the ones outside school safe?"
"Of course most of them are."
'Most'?
A vague, chilling answer.
Dokgo Hyun decided to push with a follow-up on his own.
"Fourth question. Is this Apocalypse Game just us?"
"It's happening worldwide, in spots everywhere. About 20% of the global population was selected."
"Got it."
Korea's population was around 50 million; 20% was 10 million people.
Some parents might've been dragged into it too.
My brother might've gotten swept up—or not.
20% meant an 80% chance he hadn't.
Dokgo Hyun faced the group again.
"Sorry. Took the fourth on my own."
They all seemed to get it.
Even Baek Seonghui nodded.
"It's fine. That was worth asking."
"Last question—what?"
Dokgo Hyun scanned the group, lingering on Na Youngho.
"...Just pick it yourself."
"You sure?"
No objections.
"Thanks."
Dokgo Hyun approached the bunny girl.
"Fifth question. What's the purpose of this insane death game?"
"Bit vague. Rephrase."
She wanted clarity: whole game or just tutorial?
What to ask?
The two were similar, differing only in scope.
But she acted like the distinction mattered.
...Decided.
Dokgo Hyun went big.
"Why hold the Apocalypse Game?"
Asking the reason for the deadly tutorial felt like it'd get a canned response.
'To select top players for the main game.' Something like that.
So he asked the real root reason.
"To select representatives to prevent the world's destruction."
"World's destruction...?"
The scale exploded out of nowhere.
Dokgo Hyun blurted absurdly.
"Like picking national team reps or something?"
"Heh, that'd be question six."
"Might as well go all out since you're answering."
"Huhu. You ate without hesitation, and I like you personally... Fine, special bonus. Our goal is..."
Just as the bunny girl opened her mouth wider—
Vrrrr...!
A spike of concentrated killing intent pierced her.
"Uwak?!"
"Urgh!!"
Not her—the other players recoiled from the sheer malice in the air.
Dokgo Hyun's heart raced, cold sweat beading.
Sudden killing intent? Where from?
The bunny girl, pinned by it, glanced around uneasily.
"Sorry. Can't do it."
Dokgo Hyun couldn't press for more.
The bunny girl clapped once, signaling break's end.
"Next phase!"
Snap!
A white rabbit arrived carrying a lottery box.