The broadcast announced: "Congratulations to Student 849, who will receive a surprise gift from the Rabbit Overseers! One item card—when needed, you may request one prop from the Rabbit Overseers. This opportunity can be used once, and only once!"
The narrative had just done a complete 180.
Everyone had assumed Harrison was dead.
Based on his expression, even he'd thought so.
But when a small stamp rose from a compartment beneath his table and pressed down onto the back of his hand with a soft click, three bold red characters appeared: ITEM CARD.
In that moment, every face in the room showed jealous longing.
Harrison let out a massive breath of relief and finished the last of his food.
The six beside him seemed to remember they were on a timer too, and resumed eating furiously.
Once the first group finished, the atmosphere in the cafeteria shifted dramatically.
Before, everyone had prayed they wouldn't get the "surprise."
But after Harrison publicly received an item card right in front of everyone, the mood flipped. Now everyone desperately wanted to win a prize.
I was no exception. Getting something like yesterday's lifesaving card would be even better.
The first demonstration round ended, and the next group of seven stepped up.
This time, two groups went simultaneously.
Fourteen players total, but still divided into groups of seven with the same dishes.
Just like Round 1, the plates descended from above.
Thanks to the item card stamped on Harrison's hand, the fourteen new players stared upward with urgency and anticipation.
The moment their plates landed, they buried their heads and started eating.
Five minutes on the clock.
Around the three-minute mark, two people's faces changed—they'd bitten into something.
They pulled the objects from their mouths.
One was a gold star, the other a purple sphere.
The system announced: "Congratulations to both students for receiving surprise gifts! The gold star is a Challenge Exemption Card—except for the final round, the holder may skip any one challenge of their choosing and rest in their dorm instead."
The student who got the gold star jumped up, punching the air.
Then the system continued: "The purple sphere is a Scapegoat Card. When the holder faces punishment, they may designate any other player to take their place."
A Scapegoat Card was essentially a lifesaving card with a twist.
But unlike the lifesaving card—this was a death note. Point at someone, and they die.
Everyone turned toward the girl holding the Scapegoat Card. Their expressions shifted to wariness and obsequiousness.
Nobody wanted to offend her. She might decide to be petty and pick whoever annoyed her.
After three surprise gifts and zero deaths, the cafeteria's atmosphere grew positively cheerful.
Everyone assumed today's challenge was a freebie—a breather round.
But the very next group proved otherwise.
Three groups went at once. Twenty-one players.
Three of them found foreign objects in their food.
They eagerly extracted them, expecting another reward.
All three were black triangles.
What did a triangle mean?
The system announced: "Congratulations to all three students for receiving your surprise gift packages! The black triangle represents Sacrifice—meaning these three students will conclude all their games immediately!"
Their faces shifted from worry to elation. "What? We go straight to the final round and collect the grand prize?"
The broadcast offered no answer. Instead, a chilling laugh echoed through the room.
"Congratulations, students. Game over."
As those words faded, all three simultaneously vomited blood.
They stared in shock at the blood staining their clothes, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just happened.
The next second, they collapsed. Dead.
"Concluding the game immediately" meant death.
Terror reclaimed the cafeteria.
We all understood now: beside the surprise gifts, there were horror gifts.
In each round, we were gambling twice.
Once—whether we'd find anything at all.
And twice—whether it would be a surprise or a nightmare.
Over the next few rounds, some players earned powerful cards.
Others died, collecting their final meal.
I spotted Quinn. Like Harrison, his luck was insanely good—he'd gotten an item card.
My own anxiety grew.
Finally, it was time for the innermost group—my group.
So few players remained that we all went at once, no longer split into groups of seven.
All the food descended from above simultaneously.
Suddenly, Vivian beside me whispered, "Eat slowly. If you find something, don't announce it."
"Why?"
Vivian murmured, "I just figured out there's a pattern to when the gift packages and death packages appear. Our round is due for a death package. But since we're a random-sized final group, the system might not know how many packages are in play. If you bite into something and feel a triangle with your tongue—I'd suggest swallowing it."
I gulped, understanding her logic.
That was a third gamble on top of the original two.
I'd bet that the system couldn't determine the exact number of packages in this final wildcard round.
A plate of mapo tofu landed in front of me.
The countdown started. I picked up my spoon, scooped a bite, and shoved it in.
After a few mouthfuls, my teeth hit something hard.
I immediately lowered my head and probed it with my tongue.
Vivian had called it. I'd found a triangle.
No choice now—I had to gamble.
I steeled myself, rolled the hard triangle with my tongue, and swallowed it along with the tofu without making a sound.
The five minutes elapsed.
The problem was—our final group hadn't produced a single gift.
My nerves spiked.
Was I the only one, or had everyone else swallowed theirs too?