In a muffled, almost inaudible voice, the girl introduced herself. "Nicole."

Awandea glanced at her, her expression remaining unreadable. The girl didn't meet her gaze, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground as if the introduction had taken all the energy she had left.

Awandea sighed softly, her shoulders relaxing as she leaned back against the cool, rough wall of the cave. After a brief pause, she spoke her name in the same emotionless tone she had used before. "Awandea."

OBLIVION

As the tension in the cave mounted, Anex looked at the female still holding the stick defensively. "And you are?" she asked with curiosity, trying to ease the tension.

The female hesitated for a moment before taking a cautious step back, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Florida," she replied, her voice edged with doubt.

Just then, the youngest among them, a little girl who had been quiet until now, stepped forward with a bright smile on her face. She extended her small hands toward Demnin, who, without hesitation, lifted her up into his arms. Giggling, she introduced herself. "I'm Nia."

"Nia, Florida, and Nicole," Anex repeated thoughtfully, glancing at each of them. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Anex, this gentleman here is Demnin, and the one over there is Awandea."

"Nice to meet you as well!" Nia beamed, her small face lighting up with happiness. Demnin couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, playfully pinching her cheeks. The little girl's eyes twinkled as she glanced up at him. "You're such a worthy man," she remarked with admiration.

Anex let out a scoff, drawing Demnin's attention. "Excuse me?" he asked, turning his gaze towards her.

"No, nothing," Anex quickly replied, shaking her head, though her tone carried a hint of mischief.

Suddenly, a clock appeared before them, floating eerily in the center of the cave. Unlike any normal clock, this one had the hour hand pointing to the bewildering number of two hundred, while the minute hand pointed at an equally perplexing number-three hundred.

"What is this? Where's the second hand?" Florida exclaimed, her voice tinged with frustration and confusion.

Awandea spoke slowly, her voice measured. "Hour hand: number of people needed. Minute hand: number of people remaining."

Anex nodded in agreement, the explanation making sense. "Makes sense," she muttered.

Nicole, who had been sitting silently with her head resting between her knees, finally lifted her head. Her hair clung to her forehead, damp with sweat from the oppressive tension and the cramped space within the cave. She glanced around at the others and then at the bizarre clock, watching as the minute hand jumped from one number to the next in rapid succession.

"Wow, who's eliminating people at such a merciless rate?" Demnin scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"This game is fun!" Nia chirped excitedly, still nestled in Demnin's arms.

He looked down at the little girl, amusement flickering in his eyes. "How old are you?" he asked softly.

"I'm seven," she replied, her voice full of innocence.

"S-seven?" Demnin stammered, taken aback by her age.

"Yes!" she answered confidently.

"Why are you here?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

"The pamphlet said anyone could play this game. My parents brought it for me as soon as it launched," she explained, her tone carefree as if talking about a simple toy.

Demnin couldn't help but smile at her naivety. "You're a pretty female, aren't you?" he said, patting her head gently.

"Hehe, thank you," Nia giggled, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"Where are you from, Nia?" Demnin asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I'm from China. What about you?" she asked in return, her small face full of anticipation.

"Australia," Demnin replied.

"I knew it!" Nia exclaimed triumphantly.

"You did?" Demnin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hehe, the player's screen told me," she replied proudly, her smile widening.

Demnin looked at her in surprise. "What? How?" he asked softly, intrigued by her knowledge.

Nia hopped down from his arms and stood proudly before him. "Player's screen," she announced, and with a simple word, the golden screen appeared before her. Demnin crouched down beside her, watching intently as she navigated the interface. "Map," she instructed, and the screen disappeared, replaced by a detailed map.

Nia glanced at him, waiting for his approval. He nodded, impressed. "Smart," he praised her.

She beamed at the compliment, and her small fingers moved swiftly over the screen. "Mark us," she said. The map zoomed in, revealing a structure resembling a cave. Inside the cave, three blue dots floated alongside three red ones, while outside, numerous red dots were scattered across the landscape.

"See? The blue dots are me, Miss Florida, and Miss Nicole. The red dots within the cave are you three," she explained, pointing at the screen with a proud smile.

"Ah, I see. So red dots are opponents-players we don't know," Demnin concluded, nodding in understanding.

"How are you three marked in the same color?" Anex asked, puzzled by the information.

Nia shrugged, her small shoulders rising and falling. "I don't know," she admitted.

Demnin lifted her up again, his expression thoughtful. "Good job. You helped us," he said warmly, patting her head. Nia smiled at him, her eyes gleaming with pride.

Awandea, who had been silently watching the interaction, felt a pang of something unfamiliar-perhaps envy or frustration-gnawing at her insides. She stood up abruptly, drawing Demnin's attention. "Demnin," she called out, her voice trembling slightly.

He turned to her, concern flickering in his eyes. "Yes?"

"I... Well, did she maybe add them as friends?" Awandea suggested slowly, gripping the edges of her jacket tightly. She struggled to find the right words, her voice barely above a whisper for talking to people was beyond her capabilities.

Demnin looked at her, sensing her unease, and let out a sigh. "Sit down," he said gently. Awandea immediately complied, sitting down next to Nicole, her head hanging low.

"I think so," Demnin replied, his attention returning to Nia. "Nia, do me another favor, alright?"

Nia nodded enthusiastically, signaling a thumbs-up. Her gleaming eyes urged him to continue. "Tell me, did you text them in the game?" he asked.

Nia nodded eagerly. "We have a chatroom. All we have to do is open the player's screen, then go to the friends list and click on the 'plus' button. Then we can add players in the game as our friends. I added Miss Florida and Miss Nicole," she explained, her voice bubbling with excitement.

Demnin nodded, understanding dawning on him. He gently put her down, and his own player's screen appeared at his command. He followed Nia's instructions, navigating through the steps to reach the map screen. "Everyone is marked red," he mentioned, noting the display.

Anex and Awandea both nodded, not surprised by the information. They had seen the same on their screens. Demnin quickly added the players in the cave to his friends list, watching as the red marks immediately turned blue.

"The settings are complicated," Anex sighed, her frustration evident.

"It's fine, I guess," Demnin replied, though his tone was less certain.

Suddenly, a loud, agonized scream echoed from outside the cave, sending a jolt of fear through everyone inside. Nicole and Awandea jumped to their feet, their eyes wide with alarm. The clock floating in the cave began blinking rapidly, its minute hand crossing the hour hand and pointing at one hundred ninety-nine.

"What happened?" Demnin muttered to himself, stepping cautiously toward the cave's entrance. He peered outside, and the sight that greeted him sent a chill down his spine.

A man lay sprawled on the ground just a few inches from the cave's entrance. His face was grotesquely distorted, and his limbs trembled violently as he tried in vain to drag his broken body forward. Demnin froze in place, unable to look away from the horrifying scene.

Behind him, the others stared in stunned silence, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

"What's up with that reaction?" Florida asked, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Demnin nodded wordlessly, his mind racing as he tried to comprehend what he was witnessing.

They cautiously approached the man, only to realize that he had stopped moving entirely, his body succumbing to a horrifying stillness. He was no longer alive. The players who had been eliminated before the minute hand reached one hundred ninety-nine stared at the dead man in shock, their faces pale with fear and confusion.

The crowd outside the cave erupted into nervous chatter, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of panic and disbelief.

"What happened?" one player shouted.

"Is the player okay?" another asked, their voice trembling.

"How is that possible?" a third player added, their tone filled with dread.

"Isn't this a game?" someone else questioned, the confusion spreading like wildfire.

"Something is wrong," another voice chimed in.

"What is going on?" the questions continued, each one more frantic than the last.

Just then, Adrena appeared in front of them, her expression serious. "We apologize for the misfortune," she announced, her voice carrying through the growing chaos. "Please leave via the exit and wait for me near the entrance. I will arrive shortly."

The players, still reeling from the shock, reluctantly began to make their way out of the arena, their conversations continuing in hushed tones.

"We apologize," Adrena repeated, her tone solemn as she addressed the crowd. "Players will die during quests. We didn't anticipate what would happen if the numbers crossed two hundred here. We apologize. This won't repeat in the bonus rounds."

Florida's voice cut through the thick tension in the air, her tone a mix of confusion and frustration. "What do you mean by that?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Adrena, who stood poised and unbothered on the stage.

Adrena sighed, her shoulders lifting slightly as if the weight of the players' confusion was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. She cast a glance over the crowd, her expression one of mild amusement. "It was in the instructions," she explained, her voice carrying an almost mocking tone. "Didn't you read them? 'If you want to escape your life, enter the game' it said. I wonder why you all are confused now, of all times..."

Her words hung in the air like a dark cloud, causing an uneasy silence to settle over the hall. The players exchanged nervous glances, the realization of their situation beginning to dawn on them. They had entered the game seeking a fun entertainment, but now that they were here, the reality of what they had signed up for was becoming painfully clear.

Adrena smiled, a cold, calculated expression that sent a shiver down the spines of those watching. "My bad," she continued, her tone dripping with insincerity. "Let me introduce myself properly. Hello and good evening, everyone. I am Adrena, the guide of the Adrena Hall in the game Captivity, where the tables of your life can be turned. I. Am. Adrena." She paused for dramatic effect, her eyes gleaming with a sinister light. "One of the seven daughters of Satan."

A murmur rippled through the crowd, disbelief and fear spreading like wildfire. "What? What are you blabbering?!" Florida yelled, her voice shaking with a mixture of anger and dread. Her words echoed through the hall, but they did nothing to break the iron grip of terror that had seized the hearts of the players.

Adrena chuckled softly, the sound sending chills down their spines. "Now that you are in the game," she said, her voice smooth as silk but laced with a deadly edge, "make sure you don't die and reach the top ten. If you do, you can fulfill ten wishes. Ten wishes that you have wished for, for so long that all you want is them."

She looked around the hall, her gaze piercing through the players as if she could see straight into their souls. "Good luck, players," she added, her voice dropping to a whisper that seemed to echo in their minds. "You are all the qualifiers."

And with that, she snapped her fingers, the sound sharp and final. In an instant, her form vanished from the stage, leaving behind nothing but a faint wisp of smoke. The hall was plunged into darkness for a moment before the dim lights flickered back on, casting eerie shadows on the faces of the players.

The room erupted into chaos. Screams of terror and cries of despair filled the air as the reality of their situation crashed down upon them. Some players clutched their heads, overwhelmed by fear, while others began to shout in frustration, demanding answers that would never come. The promise of ten wishes, once so enticing, now felt like a cruel joke in the face of the deadly stakes they were up against.