Sally Park stirred awake to find shackles around her legs. She looked around the chamber, which was filled with people. Behind her stood Zack, Vin Jin, and Warren. Zack sighed. "I think we got dragged into one hell of a place."
"Do you guys remember anything?" Sally asked.
Warren shook his head. "I think we got gassed."
---
Meanwhile, Eugene held a tablet displaying photos of Zack and Warren. An "A" appeared beside Warren's photo, while Zack's had a "B." Mandeok stood behind Eugene.
Eugene smiled. "At this level, they won't be able to pass."
"How can you be so sure?" Mandeok asked. "If they do pass, wouldn't that mean the end of the 2nd affiliate?"
Eugene chuckled. "They won't. After all, they were never a team. And they don't have any information either. So Daniel will have to watch his friends die in the circus."
Mandeok leaned in. "What about that friend, Vin Jin? I'm personally curious about him. After all, he destroyed Jin Jang's entire group during the Hostel incident."
Eugene smiled. "Don't worry. I've taken precautions against him."
"What about the person behind Hostel?" Mandeok asked. "Won't he take action against us?"
Eugene's smile widened. "They won't be able to do anything. I know both of their weaknesses."
---
Meanwhile, Zack and the others encountered little Daniel. "Nice to meet you. I was caught before you guys. From now on, I'm going to tell you how to clear the game."
Zack grabbed little Daniel's shoulders and shook him. "What?! You?! Did you get caught too? Did Daniel betray you?"
Little Daniel shook his head. "Calm down, Zack. Daniel hasn't betrayed anyone. This place is the 2nd affiliate's secret, and he plans to destroy it from the inside."
He turned to the others. "From now on, please think of me as Daniel Park. Only that way can we get rid of the 2nd affiliate. Let's get ready first. The circus will begin soon."
Suddenly, a red-haired guy kicked little Daniel in the stomach. "You're noisy! Shut the fuck up and stop blabbing! Why are Koreans so annoying?!"
Before he could continue, a hand grabbed his shoulder. He looked back to see the long-haired Vin Jin smiling at him. "Are you Japanese, by any chance?"
The red-haired guy was participant number 55, Katsuzawa Akira. He barked, "Shut the fuck up! Your mouth stinks of garlic!"
Vin Jin shook his head. "It seems you are Japanese. On top of that, you seem to be a rude one." With that, Vin Jin squeezed the guy's shoulder. Akira kneeled in pain. But Vin Jin didn't stop—instead, he threw Akira aside like a dirt bag.
Suddenly, a guy with a mohawk hairstyle stepped in front of Vin Jin. "Kid, I can tell you're strong. But you shouldn't start fighting as soon as you arrive at a new place."
Vin Jin grinned. "Ajusshi, are you strong?"
Li Maeng-Ho smiled. "Stronger than you, kid."
Vin Jin grabbed Li Maeng-Ho and tried to throw him over his shoulder. But to his surprise, Li Maeng-Ho didn't budge. Instead, he raised his leg higher than Vin Jin's head and brought it down quickly. Vin Jin blocked it with his forearm, but the impact created a dent in the ground beneath his feet.
"Now, now. Let's stop all of this. Fighting a kid doesn't exactly seem very fun." A middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and glasses spoke. He was participant number 70, Minsik Choi.
Minsik Choi smiled. "Fighting someone who saved a person who possibly has information about our situation is like painting oneself as a fool, isn't it?"
Li Maeng-Ho smiled and shook his head. Suddenly, a Black man walked toward Minsik Choi and grabbed his head. "Hey, you seem a little cocky. Plus, you're Asian."
It was Marcus, participant number 1, also known as the Asian Killer. People around watched the spectacle with interest. But the fight didn't go as they expected—Marcus was one-sidedly beaten by Minsik Choi.
Minsik Choi turned to little Daniel. "Now then, should we continue? I just woke up from the boat and found myself here. Looks like I fell into someone's trap. You'd better spill everything, because I'm in a bad mood."
"Are you going to waste all your energy here? I apologize, but you can't. Because you're going to participate in a game." Neko walked in with Sinu Han and Nomen following behind.
"Nice to meet you, criminals. I'm the one who brought you here. And also the announcer of the game—Neko."
The crowd erupted, cursing and questioning her.
Seeing her, Zack was furious. He was about to rush forward, but little Daniel stopped him. "Calm down, Zack! We can't ruin Daniel's plan! We need to wait!"
Zack was shocked. "Daniel's plan is to wait?! In this situation?!"
Little Daniel was shaken by the question. After all, he was the one who had dragged everyone here. "Yeah... Please, trust me for now. I'll make it right."
As the crowd grew more aggressive, Neko tilted her head and smiled. "What's the point of shouting now? You've all already been captured. But if you win our game, we'll grant you anything."
Her words slowly convinced the crowd.
"What we want...?"
"It wouldn't hurt to give it a try, right?"
Neko smiled. "If you're curious about the game, please start moving."
The crowd reached a large, caged arena. Surrounding it, a massive audience had gathered to watch.
Neko grabbed her mic. "You've all been waiting for a long time. It's time to meet them, right? PLAYERS, ENTER!!! HURRY, PLAYERS!!! Who will take first place? Okay then! By releasing the chains, WE SHALL BEGIN THE CIRCUS!!!"
The crowd roared, "YEEEAAAAH!!!"