The corridor opened into a stark, gray room with a single wooden table placed dead center. On top of the table sat a small box and a sign that read in blocky, hand-drawn letters: PICK A NUMBER AND PIN IT TO YOURSELF.
Lucas blinked. "Ah, the classic 'mysterious number lottery.' My favorite." He cautiously approached the table, half-expecting it to explode or announce a surprise deathmatch. Nothing happened. "Well, at least it's low-effort."
He reached into the box and pulled out a badge with a pin on the back. The number "389" was etched onto it in bold black letters. "389, huh? Lucky me," he muttered, pinning it to his chest. "Could be worse. Could've been 13."
The room beyond was a vast, open space filled with a diverse mix of people. Lucas hesitated at the doorway, his eyes darting around. Some looked calm and composed, others were visibly nervous, and a few were already huddling together in groups.
Lucas scanned their faces, hoping to spot someone familiar or, at the very least, someone who didn't look like they'd punch him for fun. No luck. Everyone was a stranger. "Figures," he muttered. "The universe couldn't even throw me a cameo."
He picked a spot near the wall, far from the larger clusters of people. His cautious nature kicked in as he analyzed the room. Most of the others were clearly sizing each other up, their eyes flicking to badges and back to faces. Lucas tried to appear unremarkable—no easy feat when you felt like a walking target.
An hour dragged by, each minute feeling like an eternity. Finally, a crackling voice came over unseen speakers: "ATTENTION. THE CURRENT NUMBER OF TEST TAKERS IS 410. NO NEW ENTRANTS WILL BE ALLOWED. THE TEST WILL NOW BEGIN."
Lucas's stomach dropped. "Here we go," he muttered. "Hope it's not 'survive the free-for-all.'"
The voice continued, "FOR THE FIRST TEST, YOU WILL PARTICIPATE IN A TEAM-BASED GAME. EACH TEAM WILL CONSIST OF FOUR MEMBERS. THE GAME IS DESIGNED TO TEST YOUR INTELLIGENCE, STRATEGY, AND ABILITY TO DECEIVE OTHERS."
Lucas groaned internally. "Of course. 'Deception' is my middle name. Right after 'Terrible Liar.'"
"EACH ROUND WILL PIT TWO TEAMS AGAINST EACH OTHER. THE WINNING TEAM WILL ADVANCE. THE LOSERS... WILL BE ELIMINATED."
The room erupted in murmurs and uneasy shuffling. Lucas swallowed hard. "Eliminated? They can't mean... no, let's not think about that."
"YOUR FIRST TASK IS TO FORM TEAMS. YOU HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES. GOOD LUCK."
Lucas froze. "Oh, great. Social interaction. My worst nightmare."