Chapter 003: Not Have Choice
Now, Terry was at the house of William, the person from whom his wife had borrowed money. He sat on the sofa in the living room, with Kieran standing next to him. The sofa he was sitting on was very soft and cushiony, as was the carpet under his feet.
His eyes wandered over the furniture in the living room. It looked so expensive and aesthetic. Terry could estimate that the price of one urn there was equal to his salary for one year at the restaurant where he worked.
Terry couldn't estimate how much money William had spent on the decorations in the living room he occupied.
"Where is Mr. William?" Terry asked Kieran impatiently. "Didn't you say he was at his house?"
Kieran, who was playing with his cell phone, rolled his eyes. He put the electronic device into his pocket, looking at Terry with a flat stare.
"Mr William is on the second floor. Just wait a little longer," he said casually.
"I can't wait any longer. I'm worried about my daughter. What if he does something bad to Daisy?"
"Mr. William wouldn't do that," Derrick replied as he drank the canned soda he had brought from the kitchen.
"You say that because he's your boss," Terry retorted in a fierce tone.
"It's not like that, Terry," Kieran shook his head. "Mr. William is cruel and rude. But he's not one to break his word. So, just wait and don't ask too many questions."
Again, Terry let out a harsh sigh. Kieran and Derrick's answers did not satisfy him. He clenched his hands in his lap. He didn't want anything bad to happen to Daisy.
Soon, a middle-aged man came down the stairs. He was wearing ordinary clothes, with a long t-shirt and training pants that covered his legs.
Although he was more than half a century old, William's appearance was not much different from someone who was only 35 years old.
Once downstairs, William sat down on the sofa directly opposite Terry. He crossed his legs and put his hands on his lap. His blue eyes stared at Terry intently, as if he were a criminal.
"So, what's the purpose of your coming, Terry?"
Terry took a quick breath before starting to speak. "Is it true you brought Daisy from her apartment?"
William nodded his head. "It's true."
"Why did you do that?"
Terry kept his tone of voice from sounding snappy. He clenched his hands tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned white.
"Didn't you say the deadline was until Sunday? It's only Thursday!"
William chuckled at Terry's protest. He was amused by the man's angry expression. William leaned his head, making a dominant gesture.
"Yes, the agreement does say that," William paused his words to see Terry's reaction. And as he expected, the man showed an expression of pent-up anger.
"But there are some things that change constantly."
"What do you mean?"
William picked up a glass of orange juice on the table and took a small sip. "Alice told me to bring Daisy."
Terry was surprised. So, his wife told William to bring his daughter? But for what purpose? Why would Alice do that? The question kept spinning in his head.
As if he could read Terry's mind, William again said in a calm tone. "Alice said she didn't want you to pay back her debt. So instead, she gave Daisy to me."
Terry's anger boiled over. His breathing was labored, and his heart was beating hard. The anger inside him had risen to the surface. "Alice has no right to that. Daisy is my daughter!
"I know it. But why are you mad?" Asked William in a low tone.
"Watch your mouth! Alice only conceived and gave birth to her without taking any care of her. She's such a bad mother that Daisy asked to live in a separate place from me." Terry said irritably. "Let go of my daughter!"
William smiled once again. He shook the juice glass in his hand gently, making the juice swirl with his movement.
"I can't do that. She's collateral for your wife's debt, Alice. So...."
"Damn it!" Terry said to himself. He already realized where this conversation was going.
"So, what do I have to do to bring Daisy back?"
"Pay your wife's debt." William put the glass on the table and stood up. He walked over to Terry and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Since I still have a heart, I'll give you a deadline until tomorrow. If you can't pay it off, then your wife's debt will be double the original. And Daisy becomes mine."
William walked out, followed by Kieran and Derrick from behind, leaving Terry alone.
Terry cupped his face with his hands. This was crazy. Where did he get 2 million dollars in one night? Where should he look for it? Oh, this was making him so dizzy. Terry's head was throbbing, as if it would burst.
While his mind was in turmoil, he remembered the pamphlet he kept in his pocket. Terry took it out and read it carefully.
Wanting to try his luck, Terry took out his slightly cracked cell phone from his pocket and pressed the numbers as written on the pamphlet. After that, he pressed the call button.
On the first ring, his call went unanswered, as did the second ring. Terry was frustrated, as this was the only hope for Daisy's release.
"Gosh, why isn't she picking up the phone?" He muttered worriedly.
"Please, please pick up my call." Not wanting to give up, he tried dialing the number for the third time.
"Hello?"
Terry breathed a sigh of relief when the person picked up his call.
"Hello. It's me, Terry. Are you the girl who gave me the pamphlet earlier?"
"Yes. It's me." Terry breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the voice of the girl from the park. At least, there was some hope for him.
"So, what did you call me for?"
"Well. I guess I'm interested in becoming a player in the Debt System, as written in the pamphlet you gave me." Terry said in a stifled voice.
"What should I do next?" He said.
"We should meet. Because there is some information you need to fill out."
"Okay. Where will we meet?"
"In the park where we both met earlier. I happen to have business there too," Marissa glanced at her watch. "At 5.50pm."
Terry looked at the clock hanging in William's house. It was already 5.40pm. He had to hurry if he didn't want to be late for their meeting today.
"I'll be there now. See you at the meeting place."
Terry hung up the phone. He rushed out of William's house to the park where the two were meeting.
On the other hand, Marissa smiled happily. She pasted Terry's printed picture on the whiteboard, then wrote something underneath the picture. "The main victim.".
"I didn't expect you to come sooner than I did," she muttered with a lopsided smile. She took a black marker and made an x on the photo.
"I won't let you off a second time, Terry! Just wait for my revenge!"
Chapter 004: The dealTerry walked fast enough to reach the park where he was meeting with the girl. His mind kept wishing that he could solve this problem as soon as possible. He was willing to do anything so that his daughter could be free from William's clutches.At 5.49pm, he arrived at the park. His brown eyes circulated to look for the girl. He looked at every corner of the park without exception."Where is she?" He said with a rough sigh at not finding Marissa's whereabouts."Sir?"Someone tapped him on the back from behind. Terry gasped in surprise. He turned his body around. His eyes found Marissa, who was gazing softly at him. This time the girl was wearing a short t-shirt and thigh-high sweatpants. It looked like she was exercising."Ah, you startled me, miss...""Marissa. You can call me Marissa, Mr. Terry."Terry cleared his throat briefly before speaking again. "Okay. But don't call me sir. I feel like I look old with that nickname," he joked with a small laugh to break
Chapter 005: Debt System: EnterMarissa smiled slightly in response to Terry's question. The girl stood up, then opened the lollipop she took from her pants pocket and popped it into her mouth."You'll find out later, Terry," she uttered the same sentence in response to the question. After that, Marissa walked away from Terry, leaving a million questions in the brown-eyed man's mind."Wait!"Terry shouted quite loudly, but Marissa ignored him. She kept walking until she disappeared in the crowd of passersby.Terry ruffled his hair in frustration. He couldn't shake off the curiosity that ensnared him. Moreover, Marissa gave a warning that his life would not be the same as before.What did she mean? Would making a deal with that girl put him and his family in danger?Terry shook his head, pushing the negative thoughts away. He chose to go back to his apartment.Terry had to rest his body as well as prepare himself. Honestly, Terry didn't have any idea about the survival game.As he was
Bab 006: The Rules"Don't you know what I mean?" Ben asked. He bit the tips of his nails, looking both scared and worried.Terry shook his head quickly in response. A rough sigh escaped his mouth. His eyebrows rose until they almost merged with his deeply furrowed brow. His expression looked confused."No." He said it briefly. "What's wrong with zone N109?"Ben brought his body closer to Terry's. He stepped slightly out of line to whisper to his new friend.Actually, he should not do this. But fortunately they were at the back of the line, so no one noticed them."This zone is a forbidden zone," Ben whispered as quietly as possible. Afraid that someone might overhear the sensitive conversation between the two."Forbidden zone?""Yes!" Ben whispered softly, emphasizing the question Terry had asked. "This zone is a zone that shouldn't be visited by people like us.""How can you say that?" Terry folded his arms in front of his chest. His gaze looked intensely at Ben, who was frozen in pl
Chapter 007: RoommateTerry was surprised by the rules in the Debt System. This is crazy. This game was crazy. The prize offered was very high, but the risk was also very high. The stakes were life. Honestly, this was the first time he had heard of a game like this.Terry stayed in place, unable to move his body at all. It was as if he was fixated on what he heard. His mind suddenly went nowhere.Terry didn't even notice that there was an officer in an eagle mask who put a special watch on his wrist."For now, you can rest in one of the "rooms" we have provided. One "room" consists of 4 people. And we have already determined the groups. I request that you do not make any noise. Have a good rest everyone."Marissa came down from the stage, along with Zayne and the other black-hooded man who had been silent during the opening ceremony.Seeing Terry, who was silent like a body that had lost its soul, Ben patted Terry's back. Terry gasped in surprise and turned his head to the left."Ben?
Chapter 008: First Mission[Mission 1: Create an interesting show in front of all Debt System participants. Judgment will be given by the organizers and the audience's reaction.]"They're seriously going to make this our first mission?" Kai muttered softly with a small hiss coming out of his mouth."They're a lot crazier than I thought," Daniel continued."Hah, the first mission was this crazy, let alone the next mission," Ben complained."Well, show, huh?" Terry said quietly, which made Daniel turn to him."Do you have any good ideas?""I don't know if it'll be good or not, but I think it could get us through the elimination round."Ben who had been listening came closer to Terry. His face showed such enthusiasm that his eyes lit up, like a child who got a new toy."Oh yeah? What is it?"Terry let out a deep breath. A reddish blush just appeared on his cheeks. It even spread to her ears. This naturally raised a big question mark in the minds of the three."Terry?"Terry gasped in sho
Chapter 009: AssumptionTerry, Daniel, Ben, and Kai rounded their eyes at the words that came out from the man with the black hood.Their bodies stiffened, as if they had been stung by electricity. The previously boisterous atmosphere turned into silence in just a few seconds."Huh? Failed?" Marissa, who was beside them, asked, half shouting. She took over the conversation as well as representing what was in the heads of the four of them. "How so?""Their dance was terrible. I wasn't entertained at all."The man in the black hood replied in a low voice. A small growl escaped his mouth. He even tore up Terry's team scoring paper and threw it on the floor."But the audience reaction was great, X," Zayne spoke up after seeing Marissa, who was about to restate her argument. "What are you judging by?"X was silent. He bowed his head even deeper, reluctant to meet Zayne or Marissa's gaze. The man squeezed the pen in his hand so hard that it broke in half."I don't know what your problem is,
Chapter 010: The Hallway["Dad, we'll talk later."]X hung up the phone when he felt someone behind the door. He peeked through the keyhole and found Terry's figure being held down by someone.Out of curiosity, X opened the door, which surprised the two people in front of him."X?"X glanced at Terry, whose face looked pale, while Marissa smiled a little while blinking her eyes."What are you two doing?" X asked in a cold tone. His expression looked unfriendly."Oh, I-""He’s lost," Marissa cut off Terry's unfinished speech with a calm tone. "He's looking for his friends.""Where did they go to get separated from him?" X asked again. His forehead was deeply furrowed, with his eyebrows visibly dipping down."That's none of our business, X," Marissa replied in a calm voice. X let out a rough sigh, then closed the door. After that, he pulled Marissa's hand away from the place."Whatever. Come on, let's go back to the stage to finish our work as organizers.""Aw, X. Don't pull me roughly,
Chapter 11: OddAt 8pm, all Debt System participants were ordered to gather in the field. They were accompanied by 2 guards wearing black crow masks. Terry also walked along with his three roommates."Why did they ask us to gather at the field?" Kai asked, chewing the gum he found from his pocket.Ben thought for a while before answering. "Maybe they want to give us a second mission.""I don't think so," Daniel argued. "As the woman named Mariska said, the challenges in the Debt System will be based on the watch on our wrists," Daniel paused his words to take a breath. "And now, we don't get any notification from this watch. That means we weren't gathered to the field for the second mission.""Her name is Marissa, not Mariska," Terry corrected.Daniel rolled his eyes lazily but chose not to argue. "Yeah, whatever."Seeing the dispute between his two friends made Ben feel awkward. He didn't know what to say to break the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Guys...""I didn't start the argument,
Chapter 014: Is it serious?A man in a red suit stopped his steps. He glanced down at where the debt system was being held. Coincidentally, he was on the third floor of an unused building in that place, so he could see the field clearly.His eyes looked so serious looking at one of the participants in the center. His lips curled up, forming a wide smile that looked terrifying."Sir?" One of the raven masked guards turned his head as his "boss" stopped his steps."Hm?""What are you looking at?"The man in the red suit turned to the guard, then looked again at the person on the field. "I'm watching the eye of the storm."The guard tilted his face. Under the mask he wore, there was an expression of obvious confusion. His mouth was open to say something, but for some reason, not a single word came out of his mouth.The man in the red suit asked again when his subordinate made no sound, breaking the awkward atmosphere between the two. "Why are you silent? Don't you want to ask about what
Chapter 013: Reason"That...where did that blood come from?"The guard glared at Kai, who was asking him. His eyes showed a sharp look behind the mask he wore."Why are you asking questions that are none of your business?""Because-" Kai hung up his sentence, not knowing what to say. Earlier, the question had reflexively come out of his mouth. Ah, what should he answer now?"Hey, blonde hair guy, I asked you a question. Why are you asking things that are none of your business?" The guard again urged Kai to answer his question. The blood dripping from the katana he was holding continued downward, forming a puddle around him. Kai gulped his saliva forcefully. The look in his eyes showed fear.Kai glanced at Terry, who was at the end of the cell, asking for help. Terry sighed, then got up from his bed and approached the iron trellis, which separated him and the guard."He's just asking," Terry said in a flat voice. He glanced the guard up and down, scanning him without exception. "Becau
Chapter 12: The Midnight ScreamDinner was over. Now, all the participants were led back by the guards to the cell used as a room. Once the participants had entered, the guards would lock the cell from the outside."Uh, why is it locked?" Asked Ben in panic when he saw the guard who locked their cell pull out the key."This is a rule made by Mr. X so that you don't wander off anywhere," said the guard in a flat voice. Since his face was covered by a crow-shaped mask, Ben couldn't see what his expression was."But what if I want to go to the bathroom?" Ben asked again. He bit his nails.The guard let out a long breath. He massaged his throbbing head. After that, he reached into his pants pocket for his cell phone. He put the phone in his ear to call someone."Sir, one of the participants asked me, What if they want to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night?"Ben couldn't hear the conversation. He held the iron bars of the cell that separated him and the guard firmly.The guard g
Chapter 11: OddAt 8pm, all Debt System participants were ordered to gather in the field. They were accompanied by 2 guards wearing black crow masks. Terry also walked along with his three roommates."Why did they ask us to gather at the field?" Kai asked, chewing the gum he found from his pocket.Ben thought for a while before answering. "Maybe they want to give us a second mission.""I don't think so," Daniel argued. "As the woman named Mariska said, the challenges in the Debt System will be based on the watch on our wrists," Daniel paused his words to take a breath. "And now, we don't get any notification from this watch. That means we weren't gathered to the field for the second mission.""Her name is Marissa, not Mariska," Terry corrected.Daniel rolled his eyes lazily but chose not to argue. "Yeah, whatever."Seeing the dispute between his two friends made Ben feel awkward. He didn't know what to say to break the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Guys...""I didn't start the argument,
Chapter 010: The Hallway["Dad, we'll talk later."]X hung up the phone when he felt someone behind the door. He peeked through the keyhole and found Terry's figure being held down by someone.Out of curiosity, X opened the door, which surprised the two people in front of him."X?"X glanced at Terry, whose face looked pale, while Marissa smiled a little while blinking her eyes."What are you two doing?" X asked in a cold tone. His expression looked unfriendly."Oh, I-""He’s lost," Marissa cut off Terry's unfinished speech with a calm tone. "He's looking for his friends.""Where did they go to get separated from him?" X asked again. His forehead was deeply furrowed, with his eyebrows visibly dipping down."That's none of our business, X," Marissa replied in a calm voice. X let out a rough sigh, then closed the door. After that, he pulled Marissa's hand away from the place."Whatever. Come on, let's go back to the stage to finish our work as organizers.""Aw, X. Don't pull me roughly,
Chapter 009: AssumptionTerry, Daniel, Ben, and Kai rounded their eyes at the words that came out from the man with the black hood.Their bodies stiffened, as if they had been stung by electricity. The previously boisterous atmosphere turned into silence in just a few seconds."Huh? Failed?" Marissa, who was beside them, asked, half shouting. She took over the conversation as well as representing what was in the heads of the four of them. "How so?""Their dance was terrible. I wasn't entertained at all."The man in the black hood replied in a low voice. A small growl escaped his mouth. He even tore up Terry's team scoring paper and threw it on the floor."But the audience reaction was great, X," Zayne spoke up after seeing Marissa, who was about to restate her argument. "What are you judging by?"X was silent. He bowed his head even deeper, reluctant to meet Zayne or Marissa's gaze. The man squeezed the pen in his hand so hard that it broke in half."I don't know what your problem is,
Chapter 008: First Mission[Mission 1: Create an interesting show in front of all Debt System participants. Judgment will be given by the organizers and the audience's reaction.]"They're seriously going to make this our first mission?" Kai muttered softly with a small hiss coming out of his mouth."They're a lot crazier than I thought," Daniel continued."Hah, the first mission was this crazy, let alone the next mission," Ben complained."Well, show, huh?" Terry said quietly, which made Daniel turn to him."Do you have any good ideas?""I don't know if it'll be good or not, but I think it could get us through the elimination round."Ben who had been listening came closer to Terry. His face showed such enthusiasm that his eyes lit up, like a child who got a new toy."Oh yeah? What is it?"Terry let out a deep breath. A reddish blush just appeared on his cheeks. It even spread to her ears. This naturally raised a big question mark in the minds of the three."Terry?"Terry gasped in sho
Chapter 007: RoommateTerry was surprised by the rules in the Debt System. This is crazy. This game was crazy. The prize offered was very high, but the risk was also very high. The stakes were life. Honestly, this was the first time he had heard of a game like this.Terry stayed in place, unable to move his body at all. It was as if he was fixated on what he heard. His mind suddenly went nowhere.Terry didn't even notice that there was an officer in an eagle mask who put a special watch on his wrist."For now, you can rest in one of the "rooms" we have provided. One "room" consists of 4 people. And we have already determined the groups. I request that you do not make any noise. Have a good rest everyone."Marissa came down from the stage, along with Zayne and the other black-hooded man who had been silent during the opening ceremony.Seeing Terry, who was silent like a body that had lost its soul, Ben patted Terry's back. Terry gasped in surprise and turned his head to the left."Ben?
Bab 006: The Rules"Don't you know what I mean?" Ben asked. He bit the tips of his nails, looking both scared and worried.Terry shook his head quickly in response. A rough sigh escaped his mouth. His eyebrows rose until they almost merged with his deeply furrowed brow. His expression looked confused."No." He said it briefly. "What's wrong with zone N109?"Ben brought his body closer to Terry's. He stepped slightly out of line to whisper to his new friend.Actually, he should not do this. But fortunately they were at the back of the line, so no one noticed them."This zone is a forbidden zone," Ben whispered as quietly as possible. Afraid that someone might overhear the sensitive conversation between the two."Forbidden zone?""Yes!" Ben whispered softly, emphasizing the question Terry had asked. "This zone is a zone that shouldn't be visited by people like us.""How can you say that?" Terry folded his arms in front of his chest. His gaze looked intensely at Ben, who was frozen in pl