by N. Heller
6. Under special circ.u.mstances, teams can get special "treasure c.h.e.s.ts". The rewards range from the incredible heaven-sent gift of +10 points to -10 points. The possibilities are endless.
7. Before every game commences, the team members from each team who are not participating will have to offer up one of their own items as a "prize". The prize can be a Special Item or an Active Skill. After the members have offered their prizes, all the prizes from the losing team will be given to the winning team. For example, if Member A from the Red Team offers his "Fart Propelling" ability and the Red Team loses, then this "Fart Propelling" ability will be given to one of the members of the White Team. If all the members participate in the game, the prizes will be randomly chosen by Mr. Dot.
8. The team will discuss and decide on how the prizes should be distributed. If the discussions reach a stalemate, Mr. Dot will a make a judgment and distribute the prizes based on the individual contribution of each member. The member with the greatest contribution will receive the prizes.
9. The losing team for the entire challenge will not only have to return all the prizes that they have won. They would also be stripped of all their Active abilities and Special Items. These will also become prizes for the winning team. In addition to that, each of the members of the winning team can receive a special prize from Mr. Dot.
10. The Pocket Dimension will end after the winning team has been decided.
After they heard those ten lengthy rules, everyone remained silent for a very long time. From when they first heard Mr. Dot speaking, it was only now that everyone accepted the situation in front of them.
"If there is a possibility of getting a crappy penalty from the treasure c.h.e.s.t, why the f*ck does he call it a treasure c.h.e.s.t?!" the brash man cursed.
"I am more worried about the matter regarding the prizes…" the fair-skinned boyfriend said worriedly. "Even though we have no idea what the games are, if our opponents gained an additional ability, it would be a great disadvantage for us."
His girlfriend turned pale, and she even sounded like she was about to sob, "I… I only have one ability. I can’t offer my ability as a prize. Without my ability, I will definitely die very quickly…" Her boyfriend was quick to comfort her with his gentle voice, he held her hands tightly and said, "Don’t be afraid. No one will force you…"
Even though the pot-bellied middle-aged man said nothing, at least he stopped leering at the women. His thick eyelids drooped while he seemed to be deep in thought. Lin Sanjiu and B.Rabbit exchanged glances, both their expressions were dead serious.
Even though they roughly knew all the ten rules, they didn’t know why they had a feeling that those rules were filled with pitfalls and traps.
"The rules have been explained. Please sent the member who contributed to the team up here to receive the prize!"
Naturally, on the Red Team, that member was Lin Sanjiu. She hesitated for a while and glanced over at the White Team. Lin Sanjiu was aware that the particular member from the White Team would be a formidable opponent: since that person knew what a Pocket Dimension was, there was a high possibility that the person came from another world. Comparing their experience and their abilities, it would probably be difficult to deal with that person.
When she turned to look, she saw a skinny woman walking away from the White Team. Lin Sanjiu mistook her for an elderly woman when she first saw her. But upon closer inspection, Lin Sanjiu realized that the woman was in her forties or fifties. The woman looked much older than she really was as her face was covered with wrinkles and her triangular eyes drooped listlessly. That woman even had a rather acrimonious appearance.
This haggard-looking woman eyed Lin Sanjiu for a second and looked forward again. She walked directly into the fog. Lin Sanjiu finally reacted and removed the rabbit from her shoulders hurriedly and also walked into the fog. Once the white fog surrounded her, she saw a black wooden c.h.e.s.t not far from her, but she couldn’t even see a lock. If she reached out for it, she could easily open it. She turned to look behind her, but she could no longer see her team members.
Lin Sanjiu inhaled sharply and closed her eyes as she opened the treasure c.h.e.s.t.
Chapter 72 - Your Fate Depends on Sugoroku (1)
"Ding-dong!" the c.h.e.s.t opened revealing its empty base. Lin Sanjiu was stunned. She touched the bottom of the c.h.e.s.t, finding it hard to believe that it was totally empty. From what she felt, it was just a normal wooden c.h.e.s.t, there was really nothing in it.
[Does this mean that I got an empty c.h.e.s.t by chance?]
"Okay, both contestants, please return to your teams after you have collected your prizes!" Mr. Dot’s voice suddenly rang out.
Even though Lin Sanjiu was puzzled, she had no choice but to leave. Before she left, she touched the bottom of the c.h.e.s.t again; luckily, Mr. Dot did not seem to notice and didn’t say anything. When Lin Sanjiu was walking back, she turned to observe the skinny woman on the other side walking out from the white fog. That woman was frowning and appeared to be baffled.
When she returned to the red semi-circle, her team members surrounded her and asked her worriedly, "What did you get?"
Lin Sanjiu shook her head, expressing that she did not know. Just then, Mr. Dot aptly made an announcement: "Now I’ll announce the prize that each of the team received… Red Team, congratulations! You received a Chance to ‘PA.S.S’. You can skip a task in one of the games if you use this Chance. On the other hand, the White Team isn’t that lucky... you have unlocked a ‘Witch’s curse’. The next time you gain two consecutive points, one point will be deducted."
Apart from Lin Sanjiu and B.Rabbit, the four other members of the Red Team couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief. Even though they were still unclear about the situation they were in, their expression became a little less tense. The penalty which the White Team received was not that serious, but in some sense, it helped to balance out the scores again.
"Since we are not at a disadvantage, I think this could be something good," the pot-bellied man said unexpectedly. His eyes widened, and the corner of his lips revealed a faint gluttonous excitement, "If we win this challenge, we can get someone else’s active abilities and items… Don’t you find it rather tempting?" The others were quite stunned by this man’s frankness. The brash man licked his lips and looked over at the White Team members, mumbling, "That’s right… That huge man over there looks strong. It will be great if I could get his ability."
The huge man was undoubtedly Hai Tianqing. Lin Sanjiu felt a little uncomfortable about that comment, she shot a glance at the brash man. The fair-skinned man showed his disapproval with a bitter smile and quietly said, "Beggar-thy-neighbor? That’s..."
His girlfriend tugged his sleeve and consoled softly, "Honey, we didn’t set the rules… I’m satisfied as long as we don’t lose."
The words that the woman said actually meant the same thing as the other two men, but it was just more tactful. When the other two men heard this, they nodded vehemently and repeated her words. With that, the fair-skinned man couldn’t really say anything else, and thus the few of them came to a consensus within the short exchange of words. Even though they already knew that they were on the same team earlier, it was only now that they felt a slight sense of camaraderie as they shared a common "enemy". The pot-bellied man offered his thick pudgy hands as he laughed and said, "My surname is Wang. I used to run a small business… But right now, that’s not relevant."
"Boss Wang." The brash man shook his hand. "My surname is Chen. You can just call me Chen Fan. I’m quite an impulsive person, so I seek your understanding."
"Hey, just call me Old Wang, I am not a boss or anything!" After Old Wang had shaken Chen Fan’s hand, he offered his hand to the woman with a straight fringe. No woman in this world would willingly shake that man’s hand. She pulled her wet shirt, which was now partially transparent due to the rain, from her body and hid behind her boyfriend before she replied uneasily, "I’m Lara Lian, an
d this is my boyfriend, Zhong Junkai."
"Oh?" Old Wang replied curtly and eyed the fair-skinned Zhong Junkai for a second with an unreadable expression. Then, he offered his hand to Lin Sanjiu, "And you're?"
"My surname is Lin." She crossed her arms as she threw a sideward glance at Old Wang’s hand. The latter hesitated for a moment before he pulled back his hand sheepishly.
Wearing a black tank top and camo pants, Lin Sanjiu looked like she just came out of a bloodbath. Her serious frown along with the multiple bandages on her body gave her a presence which was more than enough to deter the others from trying to engage in any random conversations with her. After everybody got acquainted, the atmosphere became a little livelier. After lamenting about the apocalyptic state of their world, they gradually started to smile, proving that humans have an incredible ability to adapt to their situation despite everything. With a sweeping glance, Lin Sanjiu found that the White Team members also had similar reactions. Setting aside Hu Changzai and Hai Tianqing, the remaining members’ eyes shone with excitement and eagerness. Apparently, they also view the Red Team as their tempting rewards.
Acting like she was just exploring the place, Lin Sanjiu created some distance between herself and the others. After that, she whispered to B.Rabbit who was back on her shoulder, "I think there is something very wrong with this challenge."
B.Rabbit was currently in a bad mood because they had left him out when everybody was introducing themselves. "What’s wrong?" he said, looking unhappily.
"You don’t sense it?" Lin Sanjiu looked down expressionlessly, "Those ten rules are really weird. There are lots of restrictions between members in the same team, way more than necessary. I think that such alliances based on common interest are too fragile… I’m a little worried."
B.Rabbit immediately stared at her with his pair of black eyes. "What are you worried about?"
"You’re small, so you can easily go unnoticed when you’re not talking. I hope you can help me keep an eye on… the others," Lin Sanjiu did not answer him directly. "I think I overused one of my abilities, so it is currently sealed… Right now, I’m not in my best condition."
When she was fighting back in Oasis, she vaguely heard Mrs. Manas voice asking her whether she wanted to do something. After she woke up, she nearly forgot about that. However, Lin Sanjiu quickly realized that something was wrong, when she tried to enter the [School of Higher Consciousness], she saw only a lifeless patch of gray in front of her, as if the ability had been totally sealed.
When she thought about it, it was quite unbelievable that she could destroy Oasis entirely, considering her remaining strength at that point. That event was definitely linked to the reason why her ability was sealed, but before she even had a clue, they entered this pocket dimension, of all times.
"I am happy to see all of you getting into the swing of things. Since everyone has grown familiar with each other, it’s time to start the first game!" Mr. Dot said enthusiastically.
The arena buzzed with chatter as everyone looked toward the white fog with expectant faces even though they couldn’t see Mr. Dot clearly.
"The name of the first game is [Your Fate Depends on Sugoroku]. Let me explain how you should play this game. Sugoroku[1] is a type of popular board game, and Monopoly is the most famous variant of this game. In a normal game, the player must roll two dices, then move his pieces forward according to the number of pips. The person who reaches the finishing point first would be considered the winner. But [Your Fate Depends on Sugoroku]is slightly different…
"The player will start from their own side respectively, the first person to pass all 16 squares to reach the finishing point will be the winner. But, the number of steps you can advance is determined by your opponent."
"What?" After Mr. Dot said that, a series of questions erupted within the teams.
"If the winner is the first person who reaches the finishing point… Then, as a player, I would stop my opponent from reaching first, right?" Lara asked her boyfriend, perplexed.
But Mr. Dot continued, "Now, for the rules of this game: When deciding the number of steps that your opponent can move, the minimum is one step, and the maximum is not larger than the number of squares left. So, if your opponent is on the second square, the largest number of steps you can get him or her to advance is 16-2=14 so he or she will end up one step away from the last square. You cannot refuse to state a number, you cannot choose 0, and you cannot ask your opponent to move backward."
"That means, even if the opponent determines the number of steps to advance, the player can still go forward… even if it is one step at a time," Lin Sanjiu mumbled to herself, "The White Team will determine how many steps we will go forward, but we can also determine theirs…"
"To ensure that this game is totally fair and that there is no first-mover advantage, there is no need to determine who shall move first," Mr. Dot sounded quite cheerful when he said that. "After both teams have informed me about their chosen number, I will announce the number of steps to move, then both players will move accordingly. Thus, resolving that issue… If both players reach the finishing point at the same time, then the winner will be determined by a duel.
"The minimum number of players for this game is 2, and the maximum number of players is also 2."
"And he still calls it a game, in the end, isn’t it still determined by a duel?" Lara was a quick-thinker, she wiped off the water on her face and grumbled, "Who would let their opponent move ahead of them? It would probably end with both players reaching the finishing point at the same time, then battling it out…"
"Don’t worry, I think no one would choose you as a contestant for this game," Zhong Junkai comforted her gently. At this point, Chen Fan raised his voice and said, "If we have to fight, it is best to rely on us, guys."
Suddenly, 16 squares appeared on both the red and white semicircles, creating a small route. Near to the end of the route, which was the boundary line between both semi circles, both routes led to an additional square with a yellow border — it was the finishing square. However, other than the finishing point, there was a question mark on each of the squares, and no one knew what they represented.
"Is everybody ready? Please choose your contestants in five minutes!" The first game finally commenced with Mr. Dot’s words.
TN: [1] This is the official name in English, but this game originated in China as Shuanglu/Shuangliu which means double sixes in Chinese and kanji. But it was actually adapted from an Indian game!
Chapter 73 - Your Fate Depends on Sugoroku (2)
After Mr. Dot said that, everyone’s expressions turned a little weird. For this game of Sugoroku, each team could only send one player each. According to rule 7: "Before every game commences, the team members from each team who are not participating will have to offer up one of their own items as a prize". Thus it was obvious that everyone wanted to be the contestant for the game.
After all, the contestant would not receive any sort of penalty even if he or she loses; however, the remaining team members would have to give up their item. Before the first game even officially started, everyone avoided each other’s gaze and lowered their heads, contemplating.
Since no one spoke even after some time, Lara asked in a quiet, mousy voice, "Well… who should represent us for this game?"
Without showing a shred of modesty, Chen Fan answered her boldly, "Didn’t I address that just now? In the end, this game would be determined by a duel. So, of course, we should choose a male contestant!"
Lara’s face froze for a second, unable to immediately argue against him. As if to remedy to her mistake, she quickly added, "You can’t put it that way! The players would use their abilities to duel, so it is not about one’s physical strength… Besides, if the White Team chooses a female contestant, then I… Uh… and Miss Lin can also be chosen!"
"No matter who participates, I don’t have any opinion on—" Zhong Junkai seemed to be little reserved about it, but before he finished his sentenc
e, his girlfriend pulled his shirt sleeve, so he swallowed the remaining words.
Old Wang looked at Lara — but this time he wasn’t staring at her b.r.e.a.s.ts. "Little girl, you’re too naive. The first game is the most stressful round. You are just a delicate lady, what will we do if you somehow can’t take the pressure? If nobody objects, I can be the contestant."
When he said that, the other members, except for the expressionless Lin Sanjiu and B.Rabbit, instantly felt a little uneasy. Lin Sanjiu remained silent as she watched the other members bicker. Suddenly, she raised her voice and asked, "Mr. Dot, how will you judge the duel?" The rest of her Red Team members zipped their mouths once she shouted and waited intently for Mr. Dot’s reply.
"Wow, this is a coincidence! The White Team also asked the same question! I will answer both teams at the same time…" Mr. Dot paused for a few seconds before he spoke again, "Since it is a duel, it shall end when one of the party dies."
B.Rabbit staggered at that remark and nearly fell off Lin Sanjiu’s shoulder. The members of the Red Team sitting in their small circle immediately fell silent. Considering the 50% chance of dying, the importance of their abilities or items diminished. However, due to their previous behavior where they nearly got into a fight trying to be the chosen contestant, the current atmosphere was still very tense. Everyone was trying to find a way to excuse themselves discreetly, and Old Wang was the first to speak, "If the opposite team send out the old woman, I’ll be the contestant."
The members of the White Team were mostly at their prime age. With his outstanding physique, Hai Tianqing looked menacing no matter where he stood. The long-legged woman with a red mini-skirt was tall and feisty. The remaining members, including Hu Changzai, were also healthy young men. Only that woman who looked old beyond her years seemed like the weakest link.
Hearing his words, the others naturally understood what he meant, and faint, superficial smiles appeared on their faces. Just when the Red Team was still undecided, Mr. Dot raised his voice and unexpectedly said, "Okay! Our White Team have decided on their contestant. Can the contestant please walk up to the starting point! Red Team, you still have two minutes."