A moment later, the event “Challenge, Skull Bell!”, with a massive amount of Leader Points on the line, began. The leaders of each team were instructed to take their seats on the stage.
“Alright, I’m off now.”
“Woo-rim! Time for your lucky guessing skills!”
“We believe in you, Pro!”
“Fighting, fighting, Woo-rim-nim!”
“Don’t pressure the kid. It’s okay even if you mess up, just go. Chin up.”
My shoulders were already straight, but Kessler straightened them again.
“How’s that? You only have eyes for me, right?”
This bastard—after worming his way in so deep, now he’s looking for another crack to slip into.
“Yeah, I fell for you again. Happy?”
“What’s with the ‘Happy?’ at the end?”
“Anyway, I’m heading out.”
I had just tucked the whiteboard under my arm when Bori noona, after quickly scanning the surroundings, opened her Info Window and dragged out her nickname.
“Woo-rim! Take my name!”
“Ah! Pro, take mine too!!”
The team members pulled out their nicknames and pinned them onto my clothes like name tags. Naturally, Kessler also joined in, enlarging the font of his name tag more than anyone else’s before sticking it on.
“Thanks, everyone.”
With my team’s names placed across my chest, I took seat number 102. The leader beside me, who’d been glancing over now and then, turned and greeted me.
“Oh, hello there!”
“Yes, hi.”
“What kind of questions do you think they’ll ask?”
“I wonder too. I’m curious.”
On the podium, Castle Manager raised the megaphone, and the quiz competition officially began.
“Greetings, Leaders. The number on your seat represents your current rank. But don’t despair if you’re in the back. This quiz is your chance to turn the tide. What’s most essential for a leader is sharp thinking and leadership.”
Roars of excitement erupted from both the audience and the stage at his flashy presentation. Cheers of “Castle Manager is so cool!” echoed here and there, prompting him to rub his nape shyly.
“Here’s how it works: For each correct answer, you earn 50 Leader Points. But if you get one wrong, you’re immediately eliminated and escorted out of the exam hall.”
While Castle Manager continued explaining, Leader 101 next to me was busy decorating his whiteboard. He drew hearts and wrote his girlfriend’s name inside them.
…Should I write Kessler’s name too?
“The final winner who rings the bell will receive a whopping 3,000 Leader Points. Impressive, right? Now then, let’s start with the first question.”
Back in beta, I had shown exceptional performance in OX quizzes. So… this might actually be doable.
“First question.”
Flap flap. As soon as the announcement was made, a photo of a baby fox unfurled in front of the Castle Manager
“Wha… what is this?”
“Isn’t that a baby fox? You know, the pro gamer Yeo Woo-rim.”
They were right. Shockingly… that was me. It was a photo sent as a hint to Jung Da-hoon back when he was a Murderer. A few fox leaders who’d chosen not to change their species and remained baby foxes barked in delight.
- This is a multiple-choice question. The image shows a former baby fox. Choose all the options that are NOT accomplishments of this predecessor for the current existence of foxes.
“Ha, I’m nervous.”
Hearing the person beside me speak, I gulped. It was about me—practically spoon-fed content. I couldn’t afford to get it wrong.
① The name of this fox is “Baby Fox.”
② The skeleton closest to Baby Fox is Smellbone.
③ Baby Fox is one of the founding contributors of the newly established city “Swamp Zone.”
④ The body part Baby Fox values most is his butthole.
⑤ Baby Fox brought peace to the castle by dethroning the Castle Lord.
I took a short breath.
“Wow… what the hell. Why is Kinder Games going so overboard with the fox…”
Complaints came from beside me.
Honestly, I somewhat agreed. The character was originally meant to be released as a pet, but due to its rising popularity, it had become a playable race… and now they were even fleshing out a lore for it.
“This is a horror game—why should I care about that kind of lore? Ugh… Do they even understand player demand?”
Even while grumbling in frustration, 101 carefully read the choices and marked options 1 and 4:
① The name of this fox is “Baby Fox.”
④ The body part Baby Fox values most is his butthole.
“They probably just called him Baby Fox because he’s a baby. How is that a real name? And why would the butthole be important…?”
“……”
Unfortunately for him, both of the answers he chose were true.
During the beta phase, two names were commonly used—Baby Fox, and Yeo Woo-rim. And while he didn’t literally consider the butthole to be the most important body part, there was an extensive in-game history of obsessing over Kessler’s butt.
While everyone else hesitantly scribbled down their answers with uncertain expressions, I couldn’t bring myself to write anything.
‘So then what’s the lie here?’
All five statements were true. That meant… there was no falsehood.
‘The answer submission time has ended.’
“Please raise your boards.”
I held up my whiteboard, still blank. Then I glanced around to see what answers others had chosen.
1, 4, 5.
4?
4, 5
Sorry, my friends
I don’t know… I’m sorry
The teammates of leaders who hadn’t written anything groaned from the audience, scolding them for not just picking something—anything. But then the mood flipped completely.
“The correct answer is…”
‘Dum dum dum dum dum…’
“There is none. All statements are true. Therefore, players who submitted no answer survive—and are awarded 50 Leader Points.”
“……No way.”
As the correct answer was explained, the players who had written responses began to drop like flies.
“Currently, 12 players remain.”
“Whoa…”
The seats beside me, in front, and behind were all now empty. Some players erupted in protest—What kind of question even is that?!—but the game continued without pause.
“Next is a question about the modern history of Shadow Castle. Those who don’t know the past are unfit to be its representative.”
“You’re gonna push history on us for a one-month term?!”
But the players’ uprising was silenced by a forced system-wide mute.
“Here is your second question. This is a written-response question.”
- The Skeleton Authority is currently pursuing a project for coexistence between players and skeletons. Please describe a policy that would help promote peaceful coexistence between the two groups.
—This policy will later be presented and voted on. Votes from skeletons and users will be weighted 5:5.
This time, the answer submission period was extended. I took the time to ruminate and turned toward my team. As soon as I saw Kessler’s handsome face, I felt my strength return.
I popped the cap off my pen and jotted down a brief answer.
The time to submit answers soon came.
“You may no longer change your response. Let’s begin the policy presentations. In order by number…”
I raised my hand high and stood from my seat. Going first to present the policy would definitely work in my favor.
“I’d like to go first. Mine’s very short, unlike the others. Would that be okay?”
“Sure, I’m fine with it.”
Everyone else had clearly prepared long, detailed proposals, so they yielded the floor to me without resistance, seeing I had written only a single line.
“Thank you.”
Thanks to them, I made it to the podium without trouble.
“Player Yeo Woo-rim, presenting my policy. Within Shadow Castle, all player-to-player bartering will be prohibited. Instead, all transactions must go through the intermediary zone of Junggyegol, thereby generating brokerage fees and taxes that will in turn create jobs for skeletons. That is all.”
– Golgolgol
– Golgol!!
– Goldakdak!!
The skeletons exploded with applause at my radical proposal. A policy by skeletons, for skeletons, benefiting only skeletons.
Meanwhile, the players’ reactions were ice-cold.
“Is this a joke or what?”
“Banning user trades is your big policy?”
Amidst the flood of player criticism and skeleton enthusiasm, the vote on my proposal began.
– Golgolgol!!
– Golgol!!
‘Yeo Woo-rim’ has received 51% of the vote.
I had been chosen by 50% of the skeletons… and 1% of the users.
– Golgolgol
– Golgol
That was my strategy all along. Not a policy that tries to please everyone with a win-win, but one that boldly takes a side—an irresistibly appealing proposal that fully captivates one group.
I turned to watch the next leaders in line. Most of them had probably written their policies from a user-centered perspective. And if any of their proposals offered less appeal than mine, the skeletons would naturally become more cautious with their votes—relatively speaking.
With my arms crossed, I observed the next policy announcement.
“Hello, everyone. My proposal for mutual prosperity is as follows. First, freezing real estate prices. This is a necessary measure for users who may become future residents. The more users there are, the more business the skeletons will get, right? Second, implementation of visible pricing standards. Third, free distribution of joint lubricants to all skeletons. Let’s all become healthy, shiny bones—bright and polished! That’s all.”
A user-focused proposal, designed to preemptively stop skeletons from overcharging—a policy meant to protect users from being exploited.
As the second presenter finished, the skeletons gathered together. With only a small number participating as representatives, it was easy for them to unify.
– We do not approve of that policy
– Do not let the first human win. If the first human loses, all others will follow
– Golgolgol
– Dakdak
As agreed upon, the skeletons collectively raised the X signs.
‘HawaiiHotGirl’ has received 40% of the vote.
That was my winning formula. Secure the entire skeleton vote—all 50%—as a guaranteed base, and stack it with less than 1% of user votes to maintain the lead.
There might still be unexpected variables, but it would be hard for anyone to top my score.
‘BeggerMaybe’ has received 41% of the vote.
‘DorongCat’ has received 40% of the vote.
The voting continued smoothly—until the final policy proposer stepped up.
“First, free lubricant for all skeletons.”
So far, it was a fairly standard and tempting offer.
“And…”
At that moment, a confident smile spread across his face.
“Every single skeleton will receive a pet—an Arctic Fox.”
– Dakdakdakdak!!!!
– Golgolgol!!
The skeletons erupted into a standing ovation.
Such an intense reaction… The variable I had feared had just exploded.
