When am I going to find the damn key?" Livi said, tears streaming down her cheeks as she continued to struggle to locate it. She held the flashlight in her hand, hoping it would help her in her search.
"Can you just tell me where the key is and let me make the guesses about which door I'll open with it?" she asked, her tears still flowing uncontrollably as the system continued to not respond.
(I can't do that. You have to pass the third game by yourself without me intervening.)
Frustrated, Livi yelled, "I give up then! Maybe the water should just rise up and I'll just die," as she stopped searching and stayed in the water, with her body already submerged and only her head visible.
Meanwhile, Ave finds herself in a pitch-black room, wearing a serious and determined expression as she glares hatefully at the system for bringing such misfortune upon her.
"What is my mission to get through this room?" she asks, her expression serious.
(You have to fight to survive. Here's a knife, you might need it.)
Ave doesn't seem to understand the system's intentions, but she grabs the sharp knife and scans the room with full alertness. Suddenly, she feels something swimming towards her at high speed, causing her to be on high alert with the sharp knife in her hand, ready to strike.
(That's a shark. Make sure you kill the shark in order to leave this room.)
"What??? A shark, what the heck? Aren't sharks supposed to live in the sea, salty water?" asked Ave with a confused expression.
(The water you're in is salty, making it perfect for the shark to live in. Look out! It's gonna bite you.)
Ave groaned in pain as her leg was bitten by the shark, making it bleed profusely and the water turned red due to the recent occurrence.
She quickly ripped her clothes and tied them to her injured leg. "I have to remain calm if I don't want to alert the shark about me being scared of it," Ave murmured to herself and let out a heavy sigh.
(You must kill the shark or it kills. The shark is also fighting for its life here so it's gotta kill you to avoid being electrocuted, or you kill it to avoid being electrocuted too.)
"Damn!" Ave cursed inwardly with an angry expression.
"If that's it then, I've got to survive. To kill a shark, you have to attack its gills as that is responsible for giving it oxygen. Not getting enough oxygen will eventually kill the shark," murmured Ave with a sigh of relief. "I just have to wait for the perfect opportunity," she thought as her eyes were fixed on the shark, which was already circling around her.
Although her leg was tied with a cloth, it didn't stop the blood from coming out. Ave's blood made the shark aim towards her again, and being prepared, she aimed for its gill in an instant, making the poor creature wince in pain.
"Die, you motherfucker!" murmured Ave to herself as she aimed for the second gill, stabbing the knife deeply into it, making the water turn red due to the blood of the shark.
The shark continued to struggle and bit Ave in her abdomen, ripping out her flesh as she winced in pain.
"I'm never going to die here, go to hell!" yelled Ave as she stabbed deep into its gills for the second time, making it wince in pain as it struggled for its life in the water.
Ave drifted backward, away from the shark, with her back against the wall. She watched the poor creature fight for its life, placing her hand on her stomach, which was bleeding profusely, causing her to pant heavily for breath.
Suddenly, she saw the creature swimming towards her again with high speed.
"Guess this is the end," Ave murmured as she closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.
(Congratulations on passing the first trial of the third game. Please make your way towards the two doors and choose either Live or Die.)
The system announcement jolted Ave awake, and she was greeted by the sight of a shark's bloodied body floating in front of her.
"I made it," Ave said, a smile spreading across her face. Her joy was short-lived as she remembered the system's announcement.
"Live or Die?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the system, waiting for an answer. "What do you mean by that?" she questioned.
(Pick one of the two doors, Live or Die. Your choice will determine if you will participate in the second trial of the third game or die.)
"Darn it!" Ave cursed as she swam towards the two doors, which were labeled Live and Die.
(Hurry up and choose as the water is about to reach the ceiling.)
Ave looked up at the sparkling wires and then back at the two doors in front of her.
"I might die, but it's better to try than not trying at all," Ave thought with a heavy sigh. "I choose the door Live," she said confidently.
(Go ahead and open the door you choose, dear player.)
Ave went to the door labeled Live, grasped the handle, and opened it.
Meanwhile, Axel remained stuck, racking his brain for the answer to the system riddle. "What could it be?" he thought, feeling frustrated and tense as he checked the water level and the wires above him. "There's not much time," he muttered to himself, biting his lip in concentration.
"I'll go ahead with the answer, even though I know that if I fail, I won't be able to restart the riddles from the beginning as there's no time, and the water will reach the ceiling before I'm done with three riddles. So here's my answer," Axel said with a serious expression. "It's your breath! Your breath is like a box without hinges, key, or lid. When you exhale, the air is warm from your body, so it's like a box in the sun. But your breath quickly cools in the air, so it's like a box in the snow. And even though you can 'open' your mouth to exhale, the air isn't really 'open.'"
(You're correct. You passed the first trial of the third game.)
"Correct!" Axel screamed happily.
(Now, it's time to choose between the two doors. Live or Die. One of the doors leads you to the second trial of the third game while the second leads you to death.)
"What? Are you telling me I might still die after passing this game?" Axel asked with an unbelievable expression.
(Yes. So please choose a door.)
"Arrrrgh," Axel groaned angrily and swam towards the two doors. "No one would choose Die when there's the word Live. But this system is cunning. What is the answer? The system wouldn't give me a hint to choose live just like that. He must have known that I'll definitely choose Live, whereby it's a trap. So the answer can only be Die, which leads to the second trial of the second game."
Those were Axel's thoughts as he faced the two doors. "I choose Die," he said with seriousness laced in his tone.
(Go ahead and open the door, dear player.)
Axel placed his hand on the door handle, let out a heavy sigh, and closed his eyes. He soon proceeded to open it but was met by a cold wind, making him shiver.