Nine of Spades

As Jacob entered the auditorium, his eyes fixed upon the exorbitant number of people in the spacious room. Everyone seemed immersed in their thoughts, observing. Yes, he could feel it, they were watching their enemies.

Observation in this situation is usually instinctive, something that helps us all survive. Can you imagine a person oblivious to everything happening around their life? If we are deprived of that information, the only thing left for us would be to seek our death in one way or another.

Clearly, Jacob was at a disadvantage when he entered the auditorium with Usagi; they had no remote idea of what awaited them on the other side of the door. The first thing he noticed were the stares fixed on his body, those judging eyes from head to toe were something he could clearly feel.

If we go back to the beginning, everyone seems anxious, scared, fearful, impatient, and confusion was the only thing in their eyes. If I consider the fact that these people have played games, they have more experience and knowledge, what are they so afraid of?

Apparently, the only thing Jacob could think as he looked at everyone and heard their comments was that there were more people than usual, and it seems like they have been waiting for a long time.

Since they are now his source of information, he must assume that the games are not usually for many people, so it must be a particularly different case now, which benefits him if he starts from an unfavorable position.

However, just as he was about to try to extract information from Ida Hiroshi, he heard something else that piqued his curiosity completely. When the light on the screen in front of the auditorium turned on, his gaze fixed on the large timer marking one minute, and then the voice spoke.

This indicated that the game was about to begin; the timer suggested that it was as the voice said to close the registration. At this point, does registration automatically occur upon entering the playing field? When I thought about this, I immediately imagined the entrance where beams of light from the sky created a sort of cage around the field.

But going back to the beginning, what I just thought is not important, but rather the words that those foolish people made public. The suits of the deck, spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. Although it was information he already had, it favored him that they shared it.

Intelligence, strength, teamwork, and betrayal... The suits of the deck perfectly divide all the qualities a person can have. Luckily, Jacob possesses them all, and I am quite good if I think about it.

If you think about it, it's not hard to imagine at all. But then comes the level of difficulty, and when that man said that everyone will die, Jacob imagined that nothing good would come out of these games.

He knew it, all the data indicated that these games ended with the players' lives depending on the type of game, but everything indicates that these games are meant to kill us.

"[Ding, ding, ding!]"

Here it comes...

"[Registration closed.]"

Everything is about to begin; I hope it's not a game of hearts...

"[There are a total of 87 players. The game is about to start.]"

At that moment, Jacob firmly held his rifle and stood up. He was calm as always; he doesn't usually get agitated in situations that endanger his mental judgment after coming to terms with his family. Therefore, his eyes still kept scanning the players, studying, evaluating, comparing, and analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.

"[Difficulty level: Nine of spades]"

When he heard the difficulty level number, Jacob could hear bursts of panic in the surroundings. It seems that this test will be challenging enough to be one of the most difficult games most have faced.

Nine of spades, considering that there are ten levels excluding the kings as cards, this level nine was a dangerous game. If it's about physical prowess, he definitely won't be among the lowest ranks within this crowd of people, but if I'm honest, I wouldn't prefer to face this level of difficulty.

When he heard the difficulty level, he wasted no time and took off his sweater, revealing not only the rifle on his shoulder but also the pistols on his waist. Yes, they still need to explain the game and the rules to play it, but that doesn't mean physical prowess is required to overcome it.

"We need to warm up, Usagi, let's not waste time and focus..."

When Jacob said that, he looked at Usagi and began to perform basic warm-ups to avoid any problems during the game. In this situation, it's not important to think about anything unrelated to the game; what needs to be done is to focus solely on what needs to be worked on.

Looking around, Jacob noticed that many had collapsed in their seats, while others cried and lamented being in this high-level game. Yes, Jacob still doesn't fully understand the nature of the games, but he is not someone who would waste time lamenting the past.

Ida Hiroshi glanced at Jacob and Usagi, and upon seeing them start warming up, she was immediately surprised. These people were definitely experts in games, not only dressed appropriately for physical prowess, but also armed and seemingly unaffected by the game's difficulty at all.

"[Ding, ding, ding!]"

"[Game: Pass the Bomb]"

"Pass the Bomb?"

"What kind of game is that?"

"It can't be, we'll all be dead in this difficult game."

At that moment, the bell rang again, and the voice echoing in the auditorium announced the game they were about to play. The name sounded somewhat familiar to Jacob, so he understood it involved physical skill. Strength is everything to overcome this game.

Thinking about it, all the games that didn't meet the minimum requirements were discarded. Then, he immediately thought of outdoor games with similar names, but there were none in Japan that related to this type of game.

Upon reaching this conclusion, an idea burst into his mind as if it were a historical discovery. When we entered the playing field, he had analyzed the surroundings, and with the information he already knew, the characteristics of this place indicated a foreign cultural exchange.

Consequently, the game called "Pass the Bomb" had a counterpart called "Hot Potato." Hot Potato is a game in which multiple players form a circle and pass around a small object, such as a sack or a potato, while music plays. The player holding the object when the music stops is eliminated.

For now, all I can say is that this game was created to test physical skill. As its name implies, they will have to pass the bomb, but in what sense are they explaining it?

Although those games may not be known to someone living in Japan, it was different from the rest, and I was interested in many other aspects of different cultures. I suppose now I can make use of the knowledge my late father insisted would be useless.

"[Rules: Pass the bomb to another player before the specified time for each round.]"

I was correct; it seems that the process and outcome have changed, but the concept remains the same. A child's game...

"[Winning condition: Players must put on one of the vests located under the auditorium seats. Once the vests are worn, a general countdown will be activated on all vests, and the bomb will randomly appear on a player.]"

"[Since the bomb is on a player's body, the vest on their body will light up red, and they must pass the bomb to another player by simply touching them. If the general time set on the players' vests reaches zero, the player with the bomb will explode, and the round will end.]"

"[The game ends when the twelve rounds are completed within a ten-hour period. If a player hides or remains still in a difficult-to-find place, in the next round, the player will be more likely to have the bomb.]"

"[Time limit: Each round is set to be carried out every ten minutes.]"

"[Remember that once the time limit for each round is reached, the bomb will explode.]"

Upon hearing the rules of the game and how it will unfold, Jacob couldn't help but look around with cold eyes. In short, everyone has to put on a vest that possibly carries a bomb powerful enough to end the life of whoever wears it.

If the game has twelve rounds, it means that only twelve players out of the eighty will die, and judging by the happiness on people's faces, they were definitely pleased to know this small detail. But Jacob was sure it wasn't that easy. If the game is a nine of spades and each game is meant to kill most players, it doesn't make sense for only twelve people to die.

No, there is definitely something hidden in each round. To win this game, two things are needed: to be at a considerable distance from the rest and to never completely separate from the other players. Every person in this place can be life or death, and if you suddenly have the bomb and there's no one nearby, you will definitely die.

When he reached the bottom of it all, Jacob had come to a conclusion about the game. It's simple, pass the bomb and let someone else die. As the people around me crouched down to grab the vests under the seats, on the enormous screen, face after face appeared in small squares.

One by one, they registered themselves. When I noticed this detail, I knew there was some kind of facial recognition going on. At first glance, this was incredible, demonstrating that the technology in this place was much more advanced than where I come from.

But I had to get back to the main topic. This place was over 24,000 square meters in size. If this place was so large, it could become impossible to find the players. Therefore, I had to carefully consider how we should move.

...

"Take this, Jacob, you need to put on the vest." Usagi, who had already put on her vest, handed one to Jacob so he could put it on as soon as possible.

"I'm sorry, I was deep in thought about how we should survive this game." Jacob took the vest that Usagi handed to him and inspected it.

This vest didn't weigh more than three kilograms. Its overall appearance was simple, but the notable feature was a wheel in the center of the chest, where Jacob thought the timer would be. Just as he was about to put on the vest, it emitted a light towards his face, and his image appeared on the gigantic screen in the auditorium.

"So it's facial recognition... This vest seems to be the bomb vest, something very dark when combined with children's games."

Jacob shook his head and put on the vest. He took the rifle in his hands and looked around with vigilant eyes. This time, everyone was his enemy. If he wanted to win, he had to face them all with the intention of ending their lives.

It could be said that the beginning of this game was simple. Jacob would take it as a warm-up, preparing everyone for the hidden trick that this game possibly had.

"[Players have been registered. The game will begin in ten seconds.]"

Just after hearing those words, Jacob looked at Usagi and said, "Let's get out of this place immediately..."

"Yes!" Usagi nodded and started running towards the exit.

Since both of them were close to the door, they quickly reached the exit, and just as they left the auditorium, gunshots were heard from inside, followed by panicked screams.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"It seems there are skilled players. This game will definitely be a challenge!" Jacob smiled and looked back as players ran in different directions. Holding the rifle in his hands, he was ready to eliminate anyone to survive this game.