Jo's Strategy Trail

Jo was still sitting with his breath erratic. Behind the door that was now tightly closed, the sound of the arrow from the previous room still rang in his head. His eyes glanced towards the two students who were still sobbing.

"Congratulations to all the players who survived," the voice came again from the speaker in the corner of the room.

"You have entered ROOM TWO. Game time: 4 MINUTES. Game begins."

[Timer: 04:00 ...]

Panic gripped the room again.

"AAAAH!! I don't want to die here!!" one of the students screamed hysterically while pressing against the wall.

Jo turned his face away, then looked up sharply at the career woman who had pushed the idea of ​​"WINNING DOOR".

"You know this game, right?" Jo asked coldly but firmly.

The woman took a deep breath, trying to stay calm even though her face was clearly tense.

"I'm just analyzing—just like you guys. I'm a player too. But… yes, I've been in this world a few times."

Everyone immediately reacted loudly.

"You're a murderer!"

"You tricked that girl into her death!"

"If you know more, tell me the right door now!!"

The woman finally lowered her head. In a low but audible voice:

"The game is always different. But one thing is for sure, to get out… we have to clear all the rooms. Up to the fifth room. There are no shortcuts."

Jo stood up slowly. Her sharp eyes scanned the room.

"That means… we have to sacrifice 4 more people? One per room?"

Silence.

Jo continued, now with a steady voice, trying to calm the chaos that was starting to flare up.

"But maybe… we can think. This room only has two doors. The 'Lose' door is in front of us straight from where we just came in. And the 'Win' door is now on our right."

Everyone began to pay attention.

"If we entered from the right… and now we are facing the left side of this room, it means we are moving in a circle. It is like a one-way hallway. The shape of this building can be square or round."

Jo turned to all the players.

"So, if the 'Lose' door is now in front of us, it could mean there is no more room ahead. It doesn't make sense. It could be a trap. But on the right side where the 'Win' door is, it could be the next path."

The middle-aged woman who had been silent finally spoke up:

"Are you sure? Are you sure we are not mistaken again?"

Jo nodded slowly.

"I'm not sure. But… the logic is like that. There are no visual clues in this room, so we have to trust the pattern and direction. And if there is always one victim per room… maybe we should find a way to avoid that."

One of the burly men said:

"Wait. If we can open the door slowly, maybe we can see what's inside before we go in."

The career woman immediately refuted:

"No way. Once the door is opened, the system considers it a decision. The player who opens it is considered to have made a choice. It's a trap."

The timer was now 2:05

Everyone was getting nervous.

Jo stared at the 'Win' door on the right.

Her fists clenched.

"I'll open that door. But if I'm wrong..."

She looked at each player one by one.

"...then our analysis is wrong, and you should reconsider your next path."

"Wait!!" said the female student behind her. "Let's...let's try throwing something first? Something small?"

The middle-aged woman hurriedly took out a metal business card from her bag.

Jo took it, walked slowly to the 'Win' door, and...

Threw the card inside.

Silence.

No mechanical sounds. No traps.

Just... silence.

Timer: 01:30

Jo turned her head.

"I guess we have no other choice."

With a deep breath, Jo pushed open the 'Win' door and stepped inside...

Everyone held their breath.

One second... two seconds...

"SAFE!!" Jo shouted from inside.

One by one the players ran to follow.

The door automatically closed once everyone was inside.

[Number of Players: 9] Congratulations, there were no casualties in Room Two.

And now they stood before Room Three.

[Remaining Players: 9 → 8]

All the players stood there stunned after successfully passing through room two. For a moment, a sense of relief enveloped the room.

"We're safe... everyone's safe..." one of the students whispered softly, tears of relief still audible in her voice.

Jo took a deep breath. Sweat was still dripping down her temples. But for a moment, she felt like her efforts had paid off.

Suddenly, the voice of the chubby man who had been silent all this time began to be heard.

"So... for the next room, which door do we choose, Captain Jo?" he said with his arms folded, his expression somewhat cynical but curious.

Before Jo could answer, one of the remaining burly men answered firmly.

"If your logic was correct, then the door in front of you now is the losing door, which means it's the winning door now!"

Without warning, he immediately walked quickly to the door in front and opened it.

"Don't rush!" Jo shouted.

But it was too late.

As soon as the burly man crossed the threshold, a rapid whirring sound was heard.

WHUUUZZ—THUK!

Several arrows shot from above, hitting his body. He collapsed instantly, lying still. Blood began to pool on the threshold.

All the remaining players screamed.

"AAAAAAAHH!!"

"NOOOOO!!"

"OH MY GOD!!!"

Jo froze. His chest was tight. His head was spinning. But before he could say anything...

A big hand grabbed the collar of the other burly man, who was now glaring at him angrily.

"Your strategy killed him!! You told him to open the door!"

Jo stammered.

"N-No... he walked in on his own! I didn't tell anyone to break the rules!"

The man was about to hit Jo, but...

"STOP!!"

The career woman stood between them.

"Listen carefully! The timer hasn't started yet! You all heard, right? HE BROKE THE RULES! That's why he died!"

All eyes turned to the screen above the room, the timer had just started.

[SYSTEM INSTRUCTION]: Congratulations to the remaining players. You have entered ROOM 3.

Time provided: 3 MINUTES.

The game begins… NOW.

[TIMER: 03:00 …]

Jo stared at the empty floor in front of the still open door.

"That door should be right… if we look at the direction, the door the man entered from earlier leads into the building. While the door on our left leads out. There's no way the architecture of the building can take us out that quickly."

The chubby man raised his hand, asking doubtfully.

"But are you sure? The one from earlier… died in front of that door!"

The career woman answered in a flat voice.

"Because he entered before time. This game is not just about logic… but rules. Do not start the game before the system says the time is up. That's a system warning."

Then the middle-aged woman who had been silent stepped forward.

"If you are sure, why don't you go in first?" she challenged.

The career woman looked at him.

"Okay."

She took a deep breath, then walked slowly towards the door that had previously killed one of the players.

The door was still open.

Everyone held their breath as she crossed the threshold… and entered.

Nothing happened.

"SAFE!" she said firmly from inside the room.

Jo immediately turned to all the players who were still standing tense.

"Come on. We don't have time!"

[TIMER: 01:55 …]

One by one the players hurried to follow. Jo entered with two female students who were stuck behind her.

Once everyone was inside, the door closed automatically behind them.

[Number of Players Remaining: 8] Congratulations, you have successfully passed Room 3.

Now, before them…

Room Four.

And with time running out.

[Remaining Players: 8]

SYSTEM INSTRUCTIONS:

Congratulations to the 8 surviving players. You will enter ROOM 4.

Time available: 2 MINUTES. The game starts NOW.

[TIMER: 02:00 …]

Jo stepped forward firmly. This time without hesitation.

"We are now in the fourth room. Based on my observations when I was in the initial waiting room, I saw the layout of this building—there are only four rooms on the left and right sides. That means, if we choose the losing door in front, it will probably lead outside the building. There will be no rooms there."

Jo looked to the right. There was a door that said "WIN."

"So, I will open this door."

Before Jo could pull the doorknob, the career woman warned.

"The time is now 2 minutes. But remember, the next room could be shorter. It might even be a minute or less. We have to be quick and careful."

Jo nodded, then slowly opened the door.

No sound. No traps.

"SAFE!"

All players immediately entered Room Five, the last room.

The room was different. It was narrower. The lights flickered. And the air felt very cold, like it was threatening.

Before the instructions came, Jo stood frozen in the middle of the room, thinking hard.

"This room… is the last room. Based on the layout, there are no more rooms to the right or left."

However, two high school students and a middle-aged woman seemed impatient. They stood in front of the WIN door on the right, getting ready.

"If we choose the losing door in front, that means we're out of the building. There can't be any more rooms, right?" said one of the students.

"We can't hesitate anymore!"

SYSTEM INSTRUCTIONS:

The game ROOM FIVE begins.

Time available: 30 SECONDS.

ALL PLAYERS:

"WHAT?? THIRTY SECONDS?!"

Without waiting any longer, the three women opened the WIN door and entered in unison.

SHU-SHU-SHU-SHU—THUK!

Arrows struck from above.

The three of them collapsed instantly. Blood flowed on the floor.

[Number of Players Remaining: 8 → 5]

All the other players froze. Breaths held. Seconds felt like hours.

The career woman who now seemed the most calm shouted as she ran:

"FRONT DOOR! NOW!!"

She opened the LOSE door that was right in front.

Behind it… an emergency staircase led down sharply.

Jo took a deep breath.

"Come on!!" she shouted as she pulled the fat man and the others.

They ran down the stairs, the last seconds counting.

[TIMER: 00:02 … 00:01 … 00:00]

The door behind them closed automatically, the sound of a trap exploding inside.

Jo sat on the steps. Her eyes were wet. Her breath was ragged.

A fat man approached and cried as he spoke:

"Is… it over? I was so scared…"

Jo stared ahead, through the darkness of the long stairs. Not knowing yet if they were truly safe.

Then, the final system voice sounded:

SYSTEM INSTRUCTION:

Congratulations to the players who have successfully completed the game.

All players get an additional life: 2 DAYS.

Please head to the exit point to return to the real world… temporarily.