The skinny guy scoffed. "Psychopath."
Then he stood up and walked toward the door.
I called after him, "You're the psychopath. You're the one staring at me."
He didn't bother answering, just left the classroom.
Harrison patted my shoulder. "Let it go."
I shrugged. "I'm not even mad at him."
Harrison's eyes held a faint smile behind his glasses. "When I first met you, I thought you were pretty cold. After spending more time together, you're actually kind of interesting."
That kind of familiar assessment made me instinctively pull back.
"Maybe being locked in this place too long is making me weird."
Harrison noticed my discomfort and changed the subject. "What do you think about the next round?"
I gave a noncommittal answer. "It is what it is."
Harrison leaned on the desk, looking at me. "True—it's all just challenges. Mental tests like this are way simpler than the physical ones this morning."
I nodded.
Both Harrison and I were stronger mentally than physically.
I suddenly thought of Quinn and felt a flicker of envy.
That guy was smart, tough, and ruthless.
Maybe I needed to watch out for Quinn even more than Harrison.
Seeing me zone out, Harrison sighed on his own. "I just hope this game ends soon."
That prompted my curiosity. "Why did you join this game?"
Harrison suddenly sat up straight, froze, and stared at me blankly.
Seeing his reaction, I waved my hands. "Just asking. You don't have to answer."
Harrison blinked, then asked, "What about you? Why did you join?"
I rubbed my head, figuring there was no harm in telling him.
So I repeated the same story I'd told Quinn, word for word.
Harrison's reaction was much the same as Quinn's had been.
He blinked and stared at me. "You really are admirable."
The compliment made me uncomfortable. I deflected awkwardly.
But Harrison was dead serious. "I'm not flattering you—I mean it. The first time I saw you, I thought you were an incredible person. So don't worry—I'll protect you."
I froze.
I couldn't help thinking that Harrison's face really was wasted on him.
He had the same talent for schmoozing as Quinn.
In a kill-or-be-killed game like this, talk of protecting me was pure bullshit.
If I believed him—
My brain would have to be completely rotted.
He could stab me in the back at any moment.
But I kept those thoughts to myself and didn't show it.
On the surface, I smiled and thanked him, saying something about how meeting each other here made us brothers, that kind of thing.
In the past, I could never have forced such insincere words out of my mouth.
Spending time with Quinn and Harrison must have rubbed off on me.
Later, when I pressed him, Harrison finally told me his reason for joining the game.
Like my friend's daughter, he was driven by illness.
Put plainly—for money.
After hearing his story, I kind of regretted asking.
Everyone who came to this game betting their life was backed into a corner.
Even knowing Harrison's reason—
I couldn't give up my spot out of sympathy.
So asking had been pointless.
I silently resolved to stop poking at people's wounds.
I'd stick to my original plan—don't get too close to anyone here.
Once we're separated by life and death, the emotional toll would cloud my judgment in future rounds.
Just as I was thinking that, the skinny guy from Class 10 came back through the door.
Looking at him, I recalled how he'd treated the bearded man.
Even though I didn't like him, I had to admit—he was better to his own people than I was.
Soon, the break ended and the second hands-on test began.
This time, the broadcast was brief—thirty minutes to complete the task.
Then the test started.
The Rabbit Overseer distributed the robot-making materials to each of us.
I stared at the colored construction paper on my desk—it felt like being back in elementary school art class.
A robot... where do I even start?
I picked up a pencil and gestured at the paper.
My mind was completely blank.
Like an idiot—I had no idea where to begin.
With every passing second, my anxiety grew.
Sweat forced its way out, driven by fear.
I told myself not to overthink it—if I couldn't get the lifesaving card, so be it. Just pass first.
So I started to draw.
The moment my pencil touched the paper, something magical happened.
My blank mind was suddenly flooded with an incredibly cool robot design.
It was like another brain's signals had invaded my own.
Images I'd never conceived before appeared in my head.
I didn't know if it was instinct triggered by desperation.
At that moment, I couldn't think of anything else.
I just had to capture the design while the inspiration lasted—sketch each part, then assemble them.
I suddenly felt confident.
My creation would be the most badass one here.
This was an opportunity sent from above—I had to get that lifesaving card.
I threw myself into building my robot.
I completely lost track of time.
When the bell rang, I'd just placed the last piece into position.
Since these were handmade, the Rabbit Overseer didn't collect them one by one.
Instead, a spotlight extended from above each desk.
The light shone vertically, illuminating each robot perfectly.
I waited eagerly for the system to give me my score.
I was certain the lifesaving card was in the bag.
But when the score appeared, it was a black question mark.
I stared at the black question mark beside my robot.
My head was full of question marks too.
What the hell? Not a score?
Seeing the color black, a bad feeling crept over me.
The bearded man earlier had gotten a black light.
His elimination was because he'd copied my answers.
Did that mean my robot was suspected of plagiarism too?
I immediately looked around—who could it be?
The players on my right were all dead. The ones farther back couldn't have seen my work.
Behind me was Harrison.
He definitely couldn't have seen my robot.
That left only one possibility—the skinny guy on my left.
I looked at the skinny guy's desk.
Sure enough, his robot looked almost identical to mine.
Aside from minor details, the outline was practically the same.
And next to his robot was also a large question mark.
The skinny guy looked guilty, eyes wide and locked on that question mark.
If the timing weren't so terrible, I'd have stood up and cursed him out.
This round's challenge was simple—all you had to do was make a humanoid shape out of paper.
But this guy got greedy and tried to copy my design to win first place.
Absolute moron.
The skinny guy sensed my gaze and turned to glance at me.
Seeing my murderous expression, he quickly faced forward and didn't dare look again.
The Rabbit Overseer sat on the podium without a word, staring at her tablet.
"Tsk tsk tsk, someone's still copying this round."
I could tell she was getting annoyed. My heart rose into my throat.
The Rabbit Overseer set the tablet down. "Whatever. Copy if you want—just accept the punishment."
I asked immediately, "Punish who?"
The Rabbit Overseer pointed at me, then at the skinny guy. "Both of you."
A rumbling sound—the clock on the podium shifted aside.
Two cylindrical devices aligned separately at me and the skinny guy.
I could almost feel a chilling heat at the center of my forehead.
No need to guess—it had to be an aiming laser.
I figured if I didn't defend myself, I was dead.
I shot to my feet and pointed at the skinny guy. "Wait—he copied ME! Why should I be punished too?"
The skinny guy had nerves of steel.
Seeing me point at him, he immediately stood up and pointed back. "HE copied ME!"
I was grinding my teeth. I told the Rabbit Overseer to just play the surveillance footage.
But she just smiled sweetly, spreading her hands. "Oh, I'm sorry—this challenge was so simple. I didn't expect anyone to copy, so I didn't record anything. Truly sorry about that."
My mouth opened and closed. I glanced at the tablet on the podium—she was watching a drama on it.
My breathing quickened. What else could I do? How could I prove I was the victim?
This woman had zero interest in clearing my name.
My aggrieved, furious expression was probably exactly what she wanted to see.
Sweat poured down my face.
I suddenly understood why the bearded man had felt the way he did.