Satan’s Game

Ali doesn't expect to find anyone here, let alone a handsome guy with dark tousled hair.

Too bad the guy looks cautious, holding a sharp knife in his hand with no intention of hiding it.

Ali, understanding the situation, stops advancing. 

"Who are you? Oh I mean what's your codename?"

Cillian doesn't bother with subtlety. 

"Not telling you."

Ali laughs at himself, unsurprised by the failed exchange of information.

He sits down right where he is, showing no intention of leaving. 

"Mind sharing the fire?"

Cillian can't exactly refuse unless he wants to put out the fire. But he knows if he moves, Ali will likely follow.

Fu*ck.

He points his knife at Ali as a warning.

Immediately, the system chimes:

[System Notification] Combat is prohibited in Peace Mode. Violators will be disqualified.

The beginner's peace period is still active, which reassures him.

Not long after, Carlos returns from gathering firewood, his face and clothes smeared with mud and green stains, clearly the result of several falls in the dark forest.

Ali greets him, "Hey."

Carlos responds enthusiastically, "Hi! Nice to meet you, I'm Carlos. My codename is Strategist, and I'm here to gain all the knowledge in the world."

Ali: "…"

[Live Comments]Kid, you need to stop being so naïve!

[Live Comments] Carlos, please! Stop being this honest. You're setting yourself up!

Ali takes a moment to process this and then scowls, clearly annoyed, as if Carlos's openness is an insult to his intelligence.

"I don't care."

"Fine." Carlos doesn't seem to mind his tone and stands there, holding his bundle of wood.

Ali glances at the patch of grass he's sitting on. 

"This your spot?"

"Yes."

"Go make your own spot over there."Ali points to another area.

Carlos, unfazed, simply moves.

[Live Comments]I can't believe this.

[Live Comments] I shouldn't have bet so much on him just because of his face.

[Live Comments] Carlos is smarter than we think. Ali's arms are twice the size of his legs! 

[Live Comments] Strategist is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I believe in him!

Carlos busies himself with fire-making. "You're the Boxer, aren't you?"

"Did you look up our profiles before the game started?"Ali freezes.

"Someone helped me research, but I didn't read it. Would've been unfair."

Ali: "…" 

For someone who talks a lot, Carlos sure knows how to kill a conversation.

Carlos scrapes a rock against the firewood to create fine shavings. 

"The game uses codenames for a reason. Each one has a purpose. For example, I'm the Strategist because I think my way through challenges. You're strength-based, so Boxer fits you perfectly. It wasn't hard to guess."

Ali seems intrigued. He tilts his chin toward Cillian. 

"What about him?"

"Ask him yourself."Carlos glances at Cillian.

Ali: "…"

Cillian smirks faintly, amused by the exchange.

Ali chuckles awkwardly, sensing he won't get an answer.

Carlos, meanwhile, has scraped enough shavings and picks up two rocks to start a fire.

Cillian, finding himself unusually bored, watches Carlos work. Even Ali seems interested for a moment.

Both silently hope Carlos might actually succeed.

But Cillian knows better. The rainforest is far too humid. Daytime temperatures may reach almost 90°F (32°C), but the damp air lingers even at night, making fire-starting nearly impossible.

Carlos strikes the stones together dozens of times. Sparks flicker briefly, only to vanish instantly, never catching on the shavings.

Focused and determined, Carlos keeps going. The sharp sound of stones clashing echoes through the forest.

Ali loses interest quickly. 

"This is boring," he mutters, leaning back.

Carlos, however, continues his efforts. Only after several more failed attempts does he stop.

"In theory, the friction of the stones creates chemical particles that react with oxygen, generating sparks to ignite the fire," he says, thinking out loud. 

After a moment, he adds, "But these aren't flint. That's the problem."

The best flint for making fire is siliceous rock—hard and dense, creating better sparks when struck against metal.

But the stones in Carlos's hand are far from that. 

In the pitch-black darkness of the rainforest, it's impossible to distinguish good flint from ordinary rocks. 

And worse, he doesn't even have any iron tools.

Cillian expects him to give up, but to his surprise, Carlos tosses the stones aside and says, "Let's try something else."

…A true man of persistence.

Carlos picks up a freshly broken tree branch and starts peeling off its bark, shredding it into thin strips. He carefully twists the strips together, fashioning a makeshift, durable cord.

Ali, watching from the side, smirks. 

"Drill bow method?"

Carlos replies, "The correct term is the Iroquois fire-making technique."

Ali, impatient, waves a hand. 

"Yeah, yeah, it's the one where you loop the cord around and twist it. Same thing."

His explanation is crude, but mostly accurate. Carlos doesn't bother correcting him further.

Carlos sets up a flat wooden plank, placing the shredded tinder next to it. Using a straight tree branch as the drill spindle, he loops the cord around it and secures the top with a small piece of wood. Slowly, he begins pressing the spindle down into the plank while rotating it.

The makeshift fire drill isn't perfect—the movements are a bit jerky—but it works well enough to produce some friction.

After a few turns, thin wisps of smoke rise from the bottom of the spindle.

The smoke grows darker as the spindle turns faster. The piercing sound of friction doesn't deter either of the two spectators from watching intently.

Carlos lifts the spindle to check his progress. For a brief moment, he sees a tiny spark glowing in the blackened wood dust.

Carefully, he tips the ember into the shredded tinder.

But before he can blow on it, the spark fizzles out.

"Damn it," Ali growls. "Spin it longer next time!"

Carlos doesn't argue. He silently resets the spindle and keeps drilling. The other two continue to watch.

Ten more rotations.

The smoke thickens again, turning into dark plumes.

[Live Comments]Damn. My palms are sweating!

[Live Comments] Same. Wait, what channel is this? Is this even a game anymore?

Suddenly, with a sharp snap, the cord breaks under the strain.

"This is such a fu*cking time sink!" 

Ali curses again, this time more loudly. He decides to find a place to sleep instead, muttering, "Let me know when you invent the wheel, genius."

Carlos, undeterred, picks up the spindle again. He notices another ember at the bottom of the hole and tries transferring it to the tinder.

This time, the ember catches for three whole seconds before dying out.

Even Cillian feels a twinge of exhaustion just from watching.

Carlos examines the broken cord and the damp tinder, sighing lightly. 

"It's not going to work. The rainforest is too humid. Fire's impossible to start here."

His tone is so calm, it's almost as if he's commenting on someone else's failure, not his own.

Ali, unable to hold back, snaps, "You just figured that out, idiot?"

Carlos glances at him and replies evenly, "But you didn't pick fire either."

"Because I don't need fire! I'm tough enough to eat raw food and endure the cold. I wasn't about to waste my picks," Ali retorts before pausing, suspicious. 

"Wait, how do you know I didn't pick fire?"

Carlos adjusts his glasses. "If you had fire, you wouldn't have approached the light. In a game like this, most people want to stay as far away from others as possible. You're cautious by nature, and you wouldn't risk coming closer unless it was necessary. But since we're still in Peace Mode, it makes sense to borrow some fire for warmth, especially since the nights here are chilly."

Ali stares at Carlos, dumbfounded. How does this man manage to analyze everything so accurately? It's as if he has some kind of cheat code enabled.

Cillian notices Carlos has tidied up his things and seems ready to sleep. He asks, "Not trying to make a fire anymore?"

Carlos claps the dirt off his hands and replies calmly, "I'll try something else tomorrow. I still have other methods: bowstring fire-starting, hand-drill fire-starting, even flint. I just need the right materials."

Cillian chuckles, unable to hold back. Picking up a half-burned piece of firewood, he tosses it toward Carlos. 

"You forgot one method—humanitarian aid."

—Carlos's already so close to his fire; lending him a spark doesn't cost Cillian anything.

Carlos pauses before saying, "Thanks."

With the burning wood in hand, it only takes a moment for him to get his own fire going.

Ali, hearing the crackling of flames, opens his eyes and glances over before letting out a cold laugh.

Soft-hearted people will never make it through this game.

No, they won't even get out of this rainforest.

Ding—

Midnight strikes. The broadcast screen shifts away from the dimly lit rainforest.

[Today's Betting Pool Rankings]

1st: Boxer

2nd: Assassin

3rd: Medic

4th: Sorcerer

5th: Sniper

6th: Strategist

7th: Warrior

[Live Comments]Boxer being first is well-deserved. This game is all about strength and smarts.

[Live Comments] I'm rooting for the Assassin.

[Live Comments] Can't believe the Strategist, who ranked first in the selection, seems so average.

[Live Comments] Why is the Warrior ranked lower than that rookie? He doesn't look weak.

[Live Comments] Are you dumb? Helping an opponent right out of the gate—he's either stupid or clueless. I'm betting the Strategist is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Why else would he be called the Strategist? He's got the brains.

[Live Comments] Fair point. But I'm here for the looks. I'm still betting on the Warrior.

[Live Comments]Stop being so thirsty for him!Stuipd!

The live-stream channel's comment section fills the screen, the heated discussions showing no signs of slowing down.

Meanwhile, in the rainforest, the contestants gradually drift off to sleep.

The night remains calm, the jungle eerily silent.