Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Quiz Room (4)
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"To wrap up the explanation, this internet search chance can be used only once per player."
Then Gu Taehyuk raised his hand.
"I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"Is this... fair?"
"Fair? What do you mean by that?"
"Well, I mean..."
He wanted to protest that having a chance similar to his own skill put him at a relative disadvantage, robbing him of his unique edge.
But asking outright made him wary of Dokgo Hyun's gaze.
'No way. That bastard's already figured out what my skill is.'
Gu Taehyuk knew his skill had been more or less seen through.
Yet here he was, fumbling helplessly, which only made him feel pathetic.
"This mission was predetermined, and all the dozens of teams that chose A and were sent to various quiz rooms are proceeding in the exact same format."
"......"
"Shall I swear on my supervisor's name?"
"No... Instead, I'll have a few more questions."
"Of course. Ask away."
Gu Taehyuk was already deflated before the game even started, but he persisted doggedly with his questions.
"Questions have to be yes-or-no answerable, right?"
"Of course."
"What if I try to guess the answer on my turn and get it wrong?"
"Nothing happens. You just lose one question opportunity."
"Huh? During the speed quiz, teammates were dropping dead left and right for the same thing..."
"Haha! That was to punish team leaders whose teams were just guessing randomly on multiple choice. Not here."
"......"
To Gu Taehyuk, it felt like the supervisor was mocking him no matter how he sliced it.
No point pushing further, so he backed off.
Next, Dokgo Hyun asked.
"What if both players use all 10 opportunities and still can't guess the word the other chose?"
"Both fail, and it's a draw."
"Can I choose a word with multiple interpretations, like 'bridge'—which could mean a person's leg or an actual bridge—and use the ambiguity to respond to questions?"
"Clever thinking... er, quite the idea. No, it has to be a single, specific meaning. If you pick 'bridge,' you must clarify exactly what kind."
"Personal info or skill-related also okay?"
"Yes. As long as it can be expressed as an exact word and answered with yes/no."
"You said when the opponent asks, I have to know the answer myself—but what if I don't actually know it or it turns out to be wrong?"
"You lose."
Dokgo Hyun unleashed a barrage of questions.
Gu Taehyuk, listening from the side, thought, 'Was this game always this tough?'
"One last one. When guessing the word, do I have to name the exact term?"
"Yes. Take the bridge example. If your word is 'Seongsu Bridge,' saying 'a bridge near Seongsu-dong' won't count. Must be the official name: Seongsu Bridge."
"Got it."
"Any more questions?"
Only then did Dokgo Hyun say no.
The supervisor handed paper and pens to the two.
"You'll have 5 minutes. Discuss with your teammates and create your problem. Obviously, it must have an answer. Write the problem and answer, submit to me. Begin!"
Dokgo Hyun and Gu Taehyuk returned to their teams.
"Got anything in mind?"
Kang Ohsu asked, and Dokgo Hyun nodded.
"Yeah. More or less."
He replied in a slightly bitter tone.
"It's something the opponent absolutely can't know. Probably no one but me knows about it."
His teammates fell silent at the bitterness in his voice.
Meanwhile, Team 40's members were huddled, whispering among themselves.
"Science question?"
"Nah, abstract number. Like 98,154,572."
"Better yet, some obscure philosophy concept..."
But Gu Taehyuk ignored them completely.
Instead, he searched quickly.
'[Random Search].'
It was a special move of [Internet Glasses].
Picks a completely random search term and gives the result.
'Hate to admit it, but Dokgo Hyun's smarter than me.'
Gu Taehyuk accepted the fact swiftly and devised a strategy.
Which led to: 'No strategy, just random.'
'Even if I rack my brain, I'm in Dokgo Hyun's palm. If I pick a word myself, he'll observe and deduce it. So ditch my intellect—go with whatever random search spits out!'
The result was a country he'd never heard of in his life.
'Umm al-Quwain.'
One of the emirates making up the UAE.
'UAE's kinda famous, but hardly anyone knows all the individual emirates.'
He considered expanding to obscure African or Amazonian tribes.
'Nah. Stick with this.'
Trying for something flashier might imprint his thought process, giving Dokgo Hyun a clue.
'My answer is Umm al-Quwain.'
"Looks like both have decided. Ready to start?"
The supervisor asked, and both agreed.
Scribble.
They wrote their words on paper and submitted.
Only the supervisor could see them.
- Gu Taehyuk's word: Umm al-Quwain.
- Dokgo Hyun's word: Dokgo Cheol.
"Confirmed. Face each other. Teammates, no audible advice."
Steps.
Dokgo Hyun and Gu Taehyuk faced off at a suitable distance.
"First turn goes to Dokgo Hyun, winner of Stage 1. Ask!"
"Hm."
Dokgo Hyun pondered briefly before asking.
"Is it a living being?"
"No."
'Not living, so maybe a tool or abstract concept.'
Dokgo Hyun thought, then Gu Taehyuk asked.
"Is it in this room?"
"No."
Gu Taehyuk felt disappointed this time.
'Damn. If it was in here, I could've narrowed it way down.'
Dokgo Hyun followed up immediately.
"Does it exist within South Korea's territory?"
"......No."
Gu Taehyuk flinched involuntarily.
Dokgo Hyun didn't miss it.
'Why? What's got Gu Taehyuk flinching?'
He needed more clues.
Turn passed to Gu Taehyuk.
"D-Does it relate to you?"
"Yes."
"Huh?!"
Gu Taehyuk was shocked instead.
A positive from Dokgo Hyun.
'Wait. Not in this room, but related to you?!'
He shot the supervisor a glare.
"Heh, what's wrong? No issue with that question and answer."
"N-No issue?"
"None."
"Hmm."
"Gu Taehyuk got a 'yes,' so he can ask a follow-up right away."
"W-Wait. Need to think."
Gu Taehyuk racked his brain.
"Related to Dokgo Hyun. Not in this room...?"
Deep in thought, he muttered unconsciously.
'Home, family, hobbies, school, friends...'
Vague, but it was coming into view.
With the extra question, he asked.
"Related to your family?"
"Yes."
'Yes' again, so another extra.
"Is the answer one specific family member?"
"Yes."
"......!"
Gu Taehyuk's heart raced.
'Th-This easy?!'
Family means parents or siblings.
Thrill surged—he was almost there.
'This is why you never give up!!'
Truth be told, before the game, he'd inwardly conceded defeat.
When the internet search chance exposed his skill, he'd already dipped a foot in defeatism.
But playing it out, he was closing in faster than Dokgo Hyun.
"Y-Your... one of your parents?!"
"No."
"Ugh."
Gu Taehyuk couldn't hide his regret.
'Fine. Not parents, so brother, little brother, sister, or little sister.'
He smirked triumphantly at the thought—but Dokgo Hyun's faint smile sent chills.
"What's so funny?"
Gu Taehyuk asked, and Dokgo Hyun shook his head helplessly.
"Your grasp of the game is seriously lacking."
"What? What're you saying? Sibling or something, right? I'm basically there!"
The supervisor interjected.
"Warning. Turn's back to Dokgo Hyun. Gu Taehyuk, no more questions."
"Oops."
"And one more thing. Must guess the exact 'name' for it to count."
"Ah...? Ah, aaaah!"
Realization dawned.
'I don't know his family's exact names!'
Yeah.
Even if he luckily nailed it as Dokgo Hyun's brother, no way to know the guy's name.
'C-Cant search this either!'
[Internet Glasses] works for celebs and families.
Not recent normie players' relatives.
Internet chance same issue.
"Dokgo Hyun? Your turn. Ask away."
"Hold on."
Dokgo Hyun pondered.
'Not living, outside South Korea... Then!'
"Is it big?"
"Urk...!"
Gu Taehyuk groaned like he'd been punched in the solar plexus.
"Answer."
"S-Supervisor! That question's ambiguous!"
The supervisor conceded.
"Correct. 'Big or small' is vague. Dokgo Hyun, be more specific."
"Got it. Yours is..."
Dokgo Hyun grinned.
"Bigger than Seoul's land area?"
"Y-Yes...!"
Game over, basically.
Dokgo Hyun's instincts were sharp.
Extra question:
"Is it a country?"
"Yes..."
'Nailed it.'
Dokgo Hyun clenched his fist inwardly.
Now narrow it down step by step.
"EU member country?"
"No."
Miss, but not Korea, not EU—major cut already.
'Next question: economy size? Military ranking? Nah, too vague.'
US dominates both, but tons of tiny low-rank countries.
'Skip economy/military. Main religion? Still vague, but could narrow. Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist, Hindu, Islam... Not EU, so Hindu or Islam? Yeah, ask if Islam's the primary religion.'