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 shock. His mouth was too stiff to speak. It was as if something was holding his throat. His eyes rolled in the other direction, reluctant to make eye contact with whoever was there.
"Oh my, Terry!" Daniel said in frustration. He shook Terry's body quite vigorously. "Speak up. I don't know what you're thinking when you lock your mouth."
"Okay, I'll talk. But please remove your hands from my body," Terry pleaded firmly. Daniel grunted roughly and removed his hands.
Terry closed his eyes briefly, then started to say."The performance that can get us away is... by dancing the hula hula dance."
The reactions of the three men in front of him were calculated. Ben was stunned. Kai opened his mouth so wide that flies could get in there. Meanwhile, Daniel himself frowned.
"What?!" The three of them shouted in unison.
Terry covered his ears. Feeling disturbed by the shouts of his roommates that disturbed his hearing. "Why are you shouting like that? You're ruining my ears!"
"You're on your own!" Ben said he was annoyed as he hit Terry's head quite hard.
"You want us to perform that dance in front of everyone? You want to embarrass us all?"
Terry stroked his freshly hit head. He grimaced a little but didn't say much. "I'm just proposing. After all, isn't that dance quite popular nowadays?"
"Oh my, but there's no need for that!" Kai said irritably. He kicked Terry's shin hard enough that the man fell to his knees from the pain that radiated through his leg.
"That dance did go viral. But the effect is that we will continue to be teased by other participants. No, I don't agree!" Daniel refused.
"Then, do you have a better idea?" Terry stood up with difficulty. His mouth continued to emit subtle moans of pain.
The three of them fell silent. None of them made a sound. Terry could see that Kai and Daniel turned their faces the other way, while Ben bowed his head.
Terry sighed. He embraced Ben, who was next to him spontaneously. "I know this is embarrassing for the four of us. But think about it. If we can't impress the officials, then our lives are at stake."
"I know. But is there really no other way we can go?" Ben was still denying the idea. Apparently, the man with heterochromia eyes didn't want his pride hurt.
"Like I said. We could have used another way to make the show. But do you guys have a better idea than me?"
Daniel and Kai shook their heads. His brain felt stiff, struggling to think. Ben was doing the same.
"See? You guys are protesting without coming up with a solution," Terry said in a mocking tone. His face looked so flat, which made Daniel want to punch him.
"Okay, I agree with your idea," Kai said in a forced voice. "Life is more important than pride."
"I agree too," Daniel chimed in. Terry smiled slightly at that. "Ben?"
"Okay, I agree too!" Ben cupped his face roughly. His face looked red up to his ears.
"Okay. Since you've agreed, let's practice first so that our movements are synchronized."
The three of them nodded. In front of the bed that was not large enough, they practiced seriously. Occasionally, Daniel would correct Kai's or Terry's movements that were out of sync.
"Terry, are you serious that our team will escape elimination if we bring this crazy dance?" Asked Ben, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He was breathing heavily because they practiced for two hours non-stop.
"If that's the case..."
"You four, let's go to the field. The first round of the game is about to start," said one of the guards, knocking on their cells.
The four of them turned their heads towards the source of the voice, then nodded their heads. They got up from their seats and walked after the guards wearing eagle masks from behind.
Once on the field, Terry was surprised that everyone who participated in this game was already present. Zayne, Marissa, and the man in the black hood were even present on the other side of the stage with notes and pens in their hands.
"Oh, I'm so nervous," Ben hid his body behind Kai.
"I feel the same way," Kai held his chest that was beating very fast, as if it were about to pop out of place.
"Do you feel the same way?" Daniel asked, nudging Terry, who was silent, giving no meaningful expression.
"Hm," he said briefly. The four of them began to take the stage.
"So, what's your first mission?" Zayne asked in a flat voice.
"Put on a show that entertains you all," replied Terry.
"What are you going to perform?" Marissa asked in a cheerful tone.
"The hula hula dance," Ben said nervously. The man's face was as red as a tomato now.
The three people there were stunned. Marissa laughed out loud, while the other two looked away.
"Are you serious about performing that feminine dance?"
"Yes," the four answered in unison.
"Okay, hopefully your performance will keep us entertained." Marissa smiled freely, then looked back as she shouted. "Mission one is on. Music!"
All four sighed. Terry came forward and began to dance the dance that was specialized for women.
Her hips swayed, and her walk became more feminine, similar to ballet. They continued to dance to the coquettish yet cheerful music, in stark contrast to their masculine appearance.
The reaction from the audience was quite good. They laughed out loud. On top of that, they were cheering with mockery. Terry, Ben, Kai, and Daniel were naturally embarrassed. But they put on a wall face and kept dancing until the end.
As soon as the music finished, everyone cheered and clapped occasionally. Ben hid his face with his hands, feeling extremely embarrassed.
"Wow, what a performance," Marissa said as she came forward. "You're willing to destroy your pride for this mission. That's very good!"
The insult under the guise of a compliment made Daniel's blood boil. But Daniel couldn't do anything about the status between the two.
"So how did they perform? Did they qualify for the next round?" Marissa asked.
"They failed. Just put them in the punishment round," said the man with the black hood who was currently busy writing something in the notebook in his hand.
"Huh?!"
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 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 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 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 001: Alice's Debt"Terry, get out!"Two burly men were shouting at a fast food restaurant in the capital. They were wearing all black clothes with a snake-shaped tattoo on their right hand.This, of course, invited a sense of discomfort in the customers who were there. They sat in place, reluctant to reprimand for fear. Moreover, the two men were carrying pistols."Excuse me, sir. Who are you looking for?" Asked a man with dark gray hair who came out of his room. His name was Xavier. On his name tag, it was written that he worked as a manager at the restaurant."Can you stop yelling? You're scaring the customers of this restaurant."The two burly men flashed their sardonic smiles. One of them walked behind Xavier's body, trapping him so he could not escape."Wow, look at this little guy," one of the men said in a dismissive tone. "How dare you stop us? Don't you know who we are?"Xavier sighed. He was trying to be brave despite being scared to death."I don't know you two beca
Chapter 02: Multiple ProblemsSURVIVAL GAME: DEBT SYSTEM3 MILLION DOLLARS PRIZE FOR THE WINNERFREE REGISTRATION, IF YOU INTERESTED CONTACT0xxxxxxxTerry smiled amusedly reading the pamphlet he got from the foreign girl. The narrative that was written there was very good to lead the opinion. An stupid person would immediately believe what was written in this booklet."Sir?" The girl called Terry back in her cute tone. Terry turned his head, giving a look of confusion."Yes?""Are you interested in the survival game?"Terry was pensive. He thought for a moment. To be honest, he had no interest in the game on this pamphlet. Because he knew that it was a scam. A lot of shows were airing this on television."Um..." Terry muttered under his breath, as if making a difficult decision. His brown eyes turned to the strange girl in front of him. For some reason, those round eyes made him melt a little. At first Terry wanted to refuse. But his mouth said otherwise."I'll think about it later,"