The anxiety weighed heavily in the air as the players were led out of the communal dormitory for their second challenge. Silence reigned, only broken by the clattering of the guards' boots escorting them. Maylan cast glances around him, scrutinizing the tense faces of his fellow unfortunate ones. How many of them would still be there after this new ordeal?
The players arrived in a vast room with walls painted to resemble an artificial sky, a setting reminiscent of a playground. In the center stood several tables on which metal boxes were placed. A screen lit up, displaying simple yet unsettling instructions:
Cut out the shape without breaking the biscuit.
A guard stepped forward and randomly distributed boxes to the players. When Maylan opened hers, her stomach knotted. Inside, a golden cookie shaped like a star. Not the most difficult... but far from the simplest.
Around him, the other players were discovering their fate. Some sighed with relief upon seeing a triangle in their box, while others turned pale realizing they had inherited the umbrella, the most complex shape.
A signal sounded. The test began.
The minutes that followed were a mental torture. Each movement had to be precise, each gesture controlled. Maylan used the tip of his needle to delicately scrape the biscuit, sweat dripping down his forehead. Around him, he heard sharp cracks followed by gunshots... Those who failed were not given a second chance.
Maylan was trembling, but he refused to give in to panic. After long minutes of tension, he managed to extract his star without breaking it. He looked up and saw that he was not the only one to succeed, but that the ranks had thinned out.
When the timer hit zero, only 101 players were still standing.
Back in the vast common room, the atmosphere was thick with whispers. Some players were crying quietly, others were trying to hide their relief. Maylan sat on his makeshift bed, his back bent under the weight of fatigue.
It was then that a voice rose above the din:
— "I need to go to the bathroom."
All eyes turned to player 271, arms crossed defiantly. A guard stationed near the exit shook his head.
— "They are closed."
— "I don't mind." Open the door.
—"no means no," replied the guard.