Originally, they all thought that with five people left, three should be eliminated, but unexpectedly, five were still eliminated.
However, the advantage was that, in this round, there were two people who dared not write their answers. At least, that's how it seemed to the others. Shiller and Jerome, who had been eliminated once before, couldn't spare a hand to write anything, because as long as they didn't eat, their spines would be extracted.
These two were doomed to be eliminated this round, leaving the others to face the remaining three competitors.
Though not optimistic, the chance of victory was still there since Doctor Sophocles, who claimed to know all the correct answers, wasn't participating.
After finishing the drink for this round, the four put down their utensils, waiting anxiously for a while. They found they weren't under attack and realized indeed that there was no threat to their lives from simply not eating.
They began to write fervently, but unfortunately, the remaining two who'd had the second pre-meal drink were already on the brink of unconsciousness from drunkenness and obviously unable to compose anything worthwhile. This meant the competition was really between just two of them.
With a fifty-fifty chance, the two, a man and a woman, both neither tall nor strong, didn't seem capable of physically solving the problem. So after some initial hesitation, they each decided to rely on their wits, writing their own answers to vie for the single spot.
After submitting their papers, they immediately began to taste the post-meal wine, fearing they might be the ones eliminated and needing sustenance to survive.
The chef took the answers to the back kitchen and, after a while, announced the eliminated. The woman won.
She was almost crying tears of joy, sitting there weeping. She was the final winner, having bested everyone present.
But then the chef spoke again.
"The first dish is the pre-meal drink. Please write your understanding of this dish on the paper in front of you. I will sort the answers, and this round will eliminate one person."
The woman's face froze, and then she let out a shrill scream that didn't seem human.
"No!! You said once we finished seven dishes we could leave!!!"
"Did you really finish?" asked the chef.
The woman looked down, dazed. Her plate was empty, but after her eyes wandered aimlessly for a moment, it seemed as if she saw her own head appear on the plate.
The woman screamed in terror, but upon regaining her composure, she realized there was nothing on the plate. She stammered, "I finished, of course, I finished. I also wrote down all the answers. I wasn't eliminated..."
"Well then, madam, you may leave."
The chef stepped aside and the woman, as if pardoned, didn't bother to see if she had left anything behind, but bolted from the restaurant door like a madwoman.
Soon, the restaurant doors opened again.
Diners dressed to the nines came in, and the survivors stared blankly at their faces, recognizing them all as people they knew.
The last to enter was the woman, her tear-streaked face still wet.
Her hands holding the utensils began to tremble. A middle-aged man who had survived by continuously eating dropped his utensils, shaking. Tears streaming down his face, he appealed to the others, "This is an endless cycle; we'll never leave here alive. If any of you manage to get out, please tell my daughter that I'll always love her."
His spine was extracted, his body slumped over the table.
As if waking from a dream, the others screamed in horror, while Shiller, who had been busily eating, asked as he ate, "How many cycles have you lived through?"
Jerome knew he was being asked. He continued to carve the food on his plate and said, "Would you believe me if I told you this is my first successful cycle?"
"Of course, because you're stupid. Without my help, you could never have survived this long," Shiller said calmly, "What does it look like to fail the game?"
Jerome's face darkened, obviously because of what Shiller had said, but after pausing, he still replied, "If the seven courses are not completed, everyone will be reset to the starting point."
"Why weren't they completed?"
"You haven't changed any of the game's rules," Jerome said. "When I said you ruined everything, it was just to numb you. The truth is, in the original horrific restaurant, many were eliminated each round until there were just two left."
"Sometimes even before reaching the seventh level, we would reach the final battle stage. I realized that winning even at the fifth or sixth level couldn't end the cycle. I thought that there might be hope after completing the seventh level, but it seems not to be the case."
"Because that's indeed not the answer," Shiller said, "Do you know when the first cycle began?"
Jerome paused, as if debating whether to share information with Shiller, but he knew he'd been trapped here too long. He desperately needed a way out, and he saw hope in Shiller—he knew Shiller had a way.
"20 days ago," Jerome said. "All the abnormalities in the hotel started 20 days ago."
"Much shorter than I thought," Shiller murmured, "I wonder if it's enough to have a hearty meal."
The chef's gaze settled on him and, taking advantage of the others' slow reaction, moved closer, "How do you interpret this, sir? Oh, there's no need to stop and talk to me, because although you've uncovered some of the restaurant's secrets, if you stop, I'll have your spine."