Slowly, ever so slowly, the doors slid open, and Goseng's heart began racing. Although the game had only just begun, screams already pierced the air. Her hands trembled. It's okay, she thought, tightening her grip on her plug, Just be careful. Viole — no, her entire team — was depending on her. Just follow the plan. It'll be alright.

And so, after taking a deep breath, she stepped into the arena.

She froze.

Immediately in front of her, barely a half a meter away, a monstrous sword sliced a man in half. Blood spurted out of the body, staining her clothes — she choked back a scream as the sword and its owner turned on her. When silver flashed overhead, she jumped aside, narrowly dodging the next blow. Somehow, she managed to get away, however, every second she was sure she'd feel the cold bite of metal between her shoulders.

When she glanced behind her, there was no one, only a bloody corpse, and Goseng slowed. Running, even if she avoided the central stage, wouldn't keep her safe. Everywhere she looked, there was chaos: Regulars shoved, stabbed, bludgeoned each other. This… this was madness.

Sooner or later, one of them would notice her, see how weak she was, and—

Her breath caught. Oh, she thought numbly, swallowing hard. Someone was standing right behind her. I've been with Viole for so long that I'd forgotten…

This fear.

It consumed her, weighing her legs down, forcing her to slowly turn and look up into the eyes of her killer, of—

The man behind her was bulky, wearing a heavy navy coat and sporting an electric blue wing above his shoulder.

This man— she thought, her mind flying back to ten minutes before, before the test had started— Khun told me about him, about his large coat and his floating wing—

Something exploded behind her, jolting Goseng from her thoughts. "Ah—" She wobbled but caught herself before falling. "I— uh—" She swallowed, then stuttered, "S-Sir, can you help me?"

The man, Horyang if she remembered correctly, paused. He had a quiet gravity about him, and Goseng knew she couldn't rush his decision even if she wanted, so instead, she waited, carefully watching the arena.

Finally, he spoke. "Why are you asking for my help? We're in the middle of the test."

Goseng cringed. Is this the end? Yet, despite his words, there was a pink heart floating over his shoulder. Perhaps she still had a chance. She swallowed again, remembering what Khun told her — he'd been leaning against the wall, whispering instructions and phrases like 'my team left me behind' and 'every teammate has betrayed me' while she scrunched her eyes tight, committing the words to memory—

She took a deep breath, then stammered, "M-Mister— My team left—"

BOOM.

Her speech was cut short by an explosion that shook the entire platform, sending her stumbling forward. In her panic, she grabbed Horyang's coat and looked up—

Her first mistake.

Their eyes met. His eyes were gentle, even concerned, and Goseng forgot her speech. No, she amended, I didn't forget, it's just that… once I saw his eyes, I saw a person. She let go of his coat, letting herself fall to her knees, staring at the ground. I'm sorry Khun, but I've never had the gift of not caring. Miseng, Viole, everyone, I'm sorry — I won't hurt him, so maybe it's better that the Workshop Battle ends here, for me.

She slowly lifted her head, already bracing herself for the pain—

But instead, she saw a hand reaching out.

"Are you okay?"

He was smiling at her, and that expression didn't change when another Regular slammed a plug into Horyang's back. Goseng cringed, but Horyang just grabbed the other Regular and threw him off the platform. Then he repeated, "Are you okay?"

"Um, y-yes?" Goseng took his hand, and after she was pulled to her feet, she hurriedly let go. "A-Aren't you going to throw me off the platform?"

Horyang looked away. "Ah, well, there are only the two of us left, so I thought…" His sentence trailed off, then he turned back to her. "By the way, what's your name?"

"It's… uh, Goseng, and… thank you." She bit her lip, then her eyes widened. "Wait, only two of us? What about…"

She heard slow clapping, then a few chuckles. "Well, isn't this sweet." It was as though Chang had just appeared beside them. "Look at that, love on the battlefield."

"Who are you?" Horyang growled, already in a fighting position. He was standing halfway between Goseng and Chang, angled to protect her. "What do you want?"

She looked at Horyang's back. In protecting her, he was leaving himself entirely vulnerable. If she wanted, she could end him where he stood. This… she thought sadly, this is why Khun told me to use Horyang. I could be an enemy, but still he protects me. Something wet trickled down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. It was just the adrenaline.

She gripped her plug tighter, then took a step forward and stood next to him. It wasn't right for Horyang to face Chang alone.

However, Chang must have seen her movement, because he just smiled and lowered his plug. "Oh, relax. I have no intention of fighting you. We're not the main players in this game anyway—"

Goseng squinted, then remembered to the other platforms—

And Funk shouted, "The Princess is unstoppable! And with a smile like that, how could anyone — even a Slayer Candidate — avoid being swept off their feet and into the water?"

"—They've been fawning over her during the entire round," Chang finished. "And they should, she's a major source of revenue and content."

Goseng looked, and she was barely able to see Endorsi on the other side of the arena. While the Princess' entire platform was dripping with blood, her pink outfit was spotless. There is a person who would've betrayed Horyang in a heartbeat.

I'm glad that I'm not that person.

Together with Chang and Horyang, she placed her plug in the hole, and the announcer spoke again.

"Now that the round is over, let's check on the winners who've passed so far!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Wangnan leapt five feet in the air, flipped, fell over, then high-fived Miseng. "I don't know how, but Goseng did it! C'mon Miseng, this is awesome!"

She grinned without meeting Wangnan's eyes. "Yeah…" she said, glancing at her plug. "Goseng managed to do it…"

"Group 2: two lovers and a scarred guy! Horyang, Goseng, and Chang!"

In the Gambler's room, Bam leaned back in his chair. Somehow, Goseng had managed to succeed — which was good. She was safe now, and with her win, the huge bet he'd placed on her had just quadrupled.

Still, it wouldn't make up for his random guesses in Groups 4 and 5. When all his choices had been either killed or tossed off the platform, none of the other Gamblers had even blinked. If he had to guess, he was in 6th or 7th place right now.

His hand twitched. Khun might enjoy gambling, but this was only giving him anxiety.

"Group 3: the cruel yet beautiful Princess Endorsi Jahad!"

Shibisu nodded. Of course, he had expected this. He watched as Endorsi waved and smiled for the crowd, and the cheerings somehow got louder. She seems bored, as usual. He glanced at Bam and resisted the urge to cheer him up. Although Bam wasn't doing too badly in terms of points — he was in sixth, so he could still pass — Shibisu could see the strain written in his posture.

We still have 23 groups to go. If he's already this stressed… Shibisu grimaced. Even if Bam hadn't displayed a particularly refined game plan so far, the pressure would only continue to mount. It was going to be a rocky road for him.

"Group 4: Bundawan the Blue! Group 5: Ridong and the vicious Viviolga!"

Miya nodded. Her points had increased considerably, although it was nothing compared to Reflejo's wins. Nonetheless, she found herself looking at the Slayer Candidate more and more. He'd won the first and second groups easily — against all odds, his teammates had succeeded — but now, the other Gamblers were narrowing that lead.

Had those first wins been a lucky break, or a flash of pure genius?

"Group 6: the cold and handsome Khun Aguero Agnes! He seems to be a favorite amongst the audience!"

Khun ignored the announcers, choosing to glance up at the Gambling Room instead. The glass was tinted, so he couldn't see inside, but he hoped that Bam was doing well. Then he turned away from the plug and crossed the bloody mess that used to be his platform.

All in all, it hadn't been a particularly difficult fight, and the viewers had anticipated that. If the numbers on the screen were right, he'd had a 3 in 4 chance of winning. Well, he thought, shaking his head and stepping off the stage, it won't hurt to be recognized by the audience.

"Alright! Here are the match-ups for Rounds 7-15!"

The crowd cheered as Wangnan hurried to Goseng's waiting room, not even knocking before shoving the door open and shouting, "That was amazing!"

She didn't look up. "Yeah," she replied absently.

"But what's this long face? You made it through your round… Oh." His voice trailed off as he realized why she sat there blankly. "Uh, hey," he said, taking a seat next to her, "I know it won't be super interesting without Khun and Endorsi, but you wanna watch the next round with me?"

Goseng turned to face him, and even if he noticed the slight redness to her eyes, he didn't mention it. "Thanks, Wangnan," she said, "but who's fighting?"

"Well, the only person we know is Rachel."

She blew out a sigh. "That's a relief."

Wangnan nodded. "But you know she'll have to fight eventually."

"No, Miseng doesn't have to fight. She could just give up." Goseng looked down. "But that's not an option, is it?"

"Gamblers! Place your bets!"

Up in the Gambling Room, Bam leaned forward in his chair. He only recognized a few names in the line-up, so he'd have to guess on the remaining groups.

Sweat beaded his brow, but he didn't wipe it away; instead, he stared intently at the screen. He had to do better this time. If he didn't win as a Gambler, then he couldn't be a Team Lead… but more importantly, if he didn't win, his team would have to compete without him.

He shot a glance at Reflejo, who was easily in first place.

"The betting is over!"

In his waiting room, Rak snorted and rapped his spear against the door. If these turtles didn't hurry up, his prey would get skittish. He'd seen his prey on the list, and it was pitiful. If they were scared, too, they would never put up a decent fight.

He snorted again. He'd probably get a better fight from the freckled turtle.

"Are you ready?!"

The audience cheered. Even within her waiting room, Rachel heard it. She stopped fiddling with her cloak to grab her plug, and when it gleamed in the dim light, she smiled. "I'm going to enjoy this."

"Open the doors!"

The roars of the crowd penetrated the lower hull of Archimedes, sounding like a distant explosion. Somewhere up above, people's fates were playing out.

Hwaryun didn't even pause.

There was no need to watch, for their fates had been decided all along. As a Guide, it was her gift and her curse to see every disturbance caused by her actions. At times, it was a burden, but at times like these, it was a blessing. Hwaryun strode down empty halls, her robes rippling behind her. Her shoes echoed on the tile, but she was unconcerned: everyone was watching the Plug Game. Although this was a restricted area, there was no one to arrest her.

She turned the corner and almost collided with a tall, white-armored guard.

He stiffened. "Who—?"

She smiled. "Hello, Lero Ro." The look she gave him was measured, calculated, and entirely unconcerned. "You remember me, don't you? I failed on the Floor of Tests."

"...And yet here you are, Ms. Ryun. Somehow I doubt that this meeting is an accident." The white-armored guard glanced around before removing his helmet. "Why are you here?" he asked, his voice low.

"Listen carefully," she replied, completely ignoring the question. She took a step closer and although his hand twitched towards his blaster, he still leaned down to listen when she said, "The Workshop is creating something horrifying on Archimedes."

"...Ms. Ryun, you'll have to be more specific. The Workshop runs countless experiments, and all of them are horrifying."

"Well, this thing is far, far worse." In her mind's eye, she saw a giant egg-shaped machine, the spirit of a long-gone human girl floating inside, and a tiny sparkling glass vial. "It defies fate itself. And you need to steal it."

His eyes narrowed. "And why should I?"

"Well…" she said slowly, "I'm a Red Witch Guide."

He continued to stare at her. It wasn't arrogant, but it was deliberate. "I know that," he said. "But, if I remember correctly, you worked for FUG on the Floor of Tests."

She laughed. "You're here to protect Bam, right?" He nodded once, and that was all she needed. "Well, I've been guarding him for longer than you know, so trust me." She shrugged. "If you don't trust me, then give the experiment to Urek Mazino."

"Hmmm, Mazino?" Lero Ro tapped his helmet. "That would be… acceptable. I hear that he likes things from the Workshop."

She snorted. "Just get the vial. It can't fall into the wrong hands." She pulled out a neatly-folded map and handed it to him, adding, "During the ball, there will only be three guards patrolling these halls. Leave when the second dance begins, follow the path to the starred room, and hide in the storage room when you pass it. Once you get the vial, wait until the seventh dance ends before going to your ship."

He blinked.

"Do I need to repeat that?" she asked drily. "You can't fail. If you fail, the Tower crumples."

He looked at her, then started pulling the helmet back over his head. "I'll see what I can do," he said, his voice muffled.

She nodded, then walked away, and the hallway fell back into silence.

Above them, the cheering surged again.

"OoOooh! The fierce poncho lizards have made the first move!"

Tebo and Rebo. Shibisu absently tapped his fingers on the table. There's something weird about them. This feeling of 'weird-ness' only grew as he watched them blast three other Regulars off the arena. Unfortunately, Rachel was still standing, but — once she loses, Bam loses big. I'd bet my life that over half of his money is on Rachel.

He shook his head. Like any sane person, Shibisu had bet on Tebo and Rebo. Before the Workshop Battle had even started, Shibisu had researched every Regular and ranked their power level. According to his charts, Tebo and Rebo were near the top.

Rachel wouldn't stand a chance.

He stared at the screen again and watched as Tebo and Rebo blasted another Regular off the platform. However, the sight did nothing to stop a new doubt from creeping in. I still think I chose the right bet, but…

Yesterday, he could have sworn he'd seen Endorsi punch Rachel, but it had all happened too fast to be sure. If Rachel had withstood that, then she could win today... but that was impossible. She'd been one of the weakest Regulars on the Floor of Tests, and if his research was right, she hadn't improved that much. Her team must have shot her up in One Shot, to keep her safe.

Nevertheless, Shibisu leaned forward in his chair and kept a close eye on the match.

"Tebo and Rebo are destroying their competition! There are only two other Regulars left!"

Bam's breath caught. There were only four people left on Rachel's platform: Tebo and Rebo, Rachel, and a red Regular. As he watched Tebo and Rebo create huge, swirling balls of shinsu, he could feel it — they were roughly twice as powerful as Mr. Nebo, although they undoubtedly belonged to the same species. Strange.

His hand clenched —Tebo and Rebo's newest shinsu blast barely skimmed Rachel's skin, and while he knew that he shouldn't be nervous, he was.

Last night, Rachel had insisted that he punch her. And not a normal punch — a shinsu-enhanced one. Of course, Bam had refused. She'd repeated herself, asking again and again, but he'd still refused. He couldn't live with himself if she were hurt.

And so she got Wangnan to throw a shinsu bomb at her instead… and when the smoke cleared, she had been untouched.

He squinted down at the platform. While Mr. Wangnan's shinsu bombs didn't seem as strong as Tebo and Rebo's combined shinsu blasts, the Blood Tamara might just be enough. As Mr. Wangnan would say, the Blood Tamara was 'busted'.

Down on the platform, Tebo and Rebo charged up for another shinsu blast.

Bam's hand twitched, but he forced himself not to react. He had to trust her.

The other Regular, a red-skinned guy, grabbed Rachel and held her in front of him like a shield.

It was all he could do to not jump out of his chair.

But even from this distance, Bam could see her smile.

And then she turned, her back taking the full force of the blast as she pushed the red guy off the platform. As he fell, he screamed, and those screams were drowned out by the cheers of the crowd.

"Oh? The girl in the brown cloak survived the shinsu blast?!"

Shibisu grimaced. Around the table, he saw similar reactions — at least seven other Gamblers had bet against Rachel. Based on her past performance, it had been the right choice… but now, only Bam was smiling.

He leaned forward. So… did she always have this ability? I knew she was an Irregular, but was she always this powerful? He watched another shinsu blast evaporate around her. She hardly seemed concerned as she began walking towards Tebo and Rebo, effortlessly shaking off their attacks.

Tebo and Rebo, though, looked very concerned, even frightened, as Rachel drew near.

"This could only be the work of the Blood Tamara!"

Far away, in a private room overlooking the arena, Endorsi leaned against the window frame. The Blood Tamara. Tamara. The word seemed familiar. She tapped her chin. If she remembered correctly, there was a certain shinueh — called a Tamara — on the 113th floor that grew hard, downright impenetrable scales when it felt threatened. And even if those scales weren't perfect, they granted a physical invulnerability that made for the best bracelets.

Anyways, the Blood Tamara was probably defensive. With a frown, she looked down at her lemonade. Of course Rachel had acquired such a powerful item. That girl — who'd already had Bam as her devoted protector — now had real armor of her own.

No wonder her punch hadn't worked. But maybe, just maybe, if Endorsi was clever enough, there was a way to take Rachel down a peg or two. At the thought, she smiled, then turned her attention back to the match. Even if the conclusion was inevitable, it would be fun.

"Rachel has pushed Tebo off the platform! Hope he has a happy landing. Ha-HA!"

The instant that orange-poncho hit the water, the other lizard-creature froze. Even as Rachel walked closer, sometimes even skipping, it didn't move. When she grabbed its poncho, dragged it to the edge, and pushed it off the platform, it didn't move. In fact, Rebo stayed stock-still even as it fell through the air.

It hit the water with a soundless splash, and Rachel dusted off her hands before turning to the audience. "Is that it? Is this my debut battle?" She hoisted her plug, walked to the middle, and placed it in the hole. "Pitiful."

"Ohhh! This is truly the power of the Blood Tamara! It's a shame we haven't seen the White Heavenly Mirror yet!"

Khun leaned against a railing and sighed. No matter how useful the Blood Tamara was, he didn't appreciate the constant reminders about the White Heavenly Mirror. Funk and Io didn't seem to understand that most of its value came from its surprise factor — it wouldn't be half as useful if everyone prepared for it.

Not that Rachel seemed to care, since she used the Blood Tamara at every opportunity. But then again, what else could he expect? She was a one-trick pony.

He watched as she waved to the crowds, her smile widening with every cheer. She was going to be insufferable now.

"We're two rounds in and the individual tournament is really heating up! Which of the Gamblers will lead in the team tournament?"

In the Gambling Room, it was silent. Ten extraordinary Regulars clustered around an ordinary table, and tension hung in the air, only increasing with every tap of the pens.

"Now let's check out the Regulars who've passed so far!"

With a grunt, Rak jumped and clobbered his final opponent, smashing their jaw and sending them tumbling off the platform. Then he took a deep breath and pointed a single claw at Io, roaring, "WHERE'S MY PREY YOU LOUSY TURTLES?!"

"Group 7: the cute talking alligator — Rak Wraithraiser!"

Cute? Horyang snorted. He sat with his back against the wall, his wing providing just enough light to see. They haven't seen Rak when he's decompressed. Despite himself, he chuckled.

"Group 8: Shahnoza the Strong and Johnson the Jumper! Group 9: Pon Ten! Group 10: murderous Jordá, the psycho Marit, and Bennnn!"

Bam's grip on his pen tightened. Three groups in a row, and he'd failed each and every one. He'd been right to bet on Rak, but then again, almost everyone had done the exact same thing. Still, thanks to Rachel, he'd come out ahead in this round.

"From Group 11, the mystery girl in the brown cloak! Group 12: Wilma!"

Miya glanced at the Slayer Candidate. Compared to the other Gamblers, he was startlingly inconsistent: at times, he picked the obvious winners, but more often than not he chose Regulars who had little to no chance of winning.

Sometimes, those bets paid off. So far, his teammates always won, but otherwise it felt like he was guessing randomly.

For a Regular with his reputation, it was certainly surprising to see him struggle like this.

"And lastly! Group 13's fierce bunny girl!"

Khun nodded to himself as he walked down a hallway. It seemed that Xia Xia had taken his advice after all. Now there was only one teammate left…

"And now, revealing the next groups!" Funk swept his arms up in a grand gesture and the screens materialized. "This is an exciting round!"

Wangnan took another 'Hello Zygaena', munching as he scanned the list. "Yo, the other wing-dude is in this round, that'll be— Oh shoot."

Goseng nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it was bound to happen eventually."

"I—." Miseng grabbed her plug, holding it tighter. "I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me." She managed a shaky smile, but Wangnan saw how her hands trembled.

"Hey, Miseng, don't be nervous." He patted her on the back, giving her a big grin. "You're going to be okay. Remember how you tapped Love's badge? And how you helped us escape from the monster in the Zygaena?" He ticked off each point on his fingers, then scratched his head. "And I think I'm forgetting one… Oh! When Chang and Quaetro were chasing us, you guided us to safety."

"But… those don't count. We just got lucky…"

"Kiddo." Wangnan grabbed her shoulder, squeezing it hard. "Give yourself some credit, and just 'get lucky' again." He grinned. "I know you can do it, but even if you can't, just try your best, okay?"

She managed a small smile. "Alright. I'll try."

"Good. And if you don't make it—" He glanced at the screen again, wondering who else was in her group — and a familiar name jumped out at him. "Actually… I think you will. I'll be right back!" He scrambled to the door, shouting after him, "Good luck, and Goseng tell Khun that I've got this one covered!"

He heard Goseng's confused shouts behind him, but he didn't have time to reply. There wasn't long before the round started, and he needed to meet an old friend.