Twenty-four bodies lied in one room. Those people were dressed in their school uniforms, a metal collar around their neck. One by one, those people regained their consciousness, and slowly the room filled with nervous whispers.

A door slammed open, ceasing each of the whispers. A flood of soldiers filled the room until finally Yang Hyunsuk entered the room.

Hyunsuk approached the center of the room, giving a warm smile to all of the teenagers.

“Hello there, kiddos. How are you all doing?”

The group stared at him in confusion for a long moment before a voice called out. “Where the hell are we!?”

A chuckled escaped the man’s lips. “Allow me to explain. I’m sure most of you are familiar with what’s happening. It’s been a big deal the last four years, hm. I believe it’s frequently called ‘The Program’. Does that ring any bells, kids?”

The teenager’s faces flushed with fear, shock, and utter confusion at his words. He smiled, taking that they understood. “You’re the lucky class chosen to participate in this year’s Battle Royale. Now, if you would quiet down I would like to explain this year’s rules.” His hand slipped down to his pocket, pulling a small hand gun out of it. He extended it towards the group, a smile still shown on his face. “And if you won’t be quiet and listen, there will be consequences. Now take a seat, everyone.”

The children complied to his will, scrambling to get into a desk near one of their friends.

“Excellent. I’m sure you all know the basics of this. You’ll be alone on an island until only one of you is left surviving. You will have a maximum of 72 hours to finish. Should there be more than one survivor at that time, there will be no survivors. If there are no kills within 24 hours, you will all die. Any questions so far?”

One boy raised his hand.

“Yes, Minho?”

“How do you monitor the kills?”

“Ah, I’m sure you’ve all noticed the collars upon your necks by this point. Those collars monitor your pulse and double up as a tracker so we know where you are at all times. When a collar stops detecting a pulse, we’ll confirm you as dead. Now, I’m sure the obvious thought here is just to pull them off and trick us. But if you try to pull your collar off, surprise! It’ll explode! And so will your neck. So try not to tug on them, alright?”

Minho just nodded, turning his head down slightly.

“On with the rules! Into the game you can take any item you have on you at this moment, we did not confiscate anything. Cell phone lines have been cut, so don’t get any ideas with that. You will also be given a bag—“ Hyunsuk reached over to a table, grabbing a large blue bag as an example. “—each bag will contain the bare minimum you will need to survive.  There will be a weapon chosen at random, a large bottle of water, a portion of food, a map, a pen, and a flashlight. Around the island you may find other items as the buildings were not emptied out, so hope for some lucky finds. Questions?”

A girl raised her hand this time.

“Yes, Yoona?”

“How many buildings are on the island?”

“You’ll find that out for yourself soon, young lady. But as a little spoiler, there are plenty of houses and a hospital too. The rest you get to find on your own, sounds like an adventure, right?”

“Y-yeah…” She mumbled, biting down on her lower lip.

“There’s only one more thing. This building we are currently in is located in the middle of the island. Five minutes after each of you has left the building this building will become off-limits. If you try to get within twenty meters of the school, your collar will detonate. Also, there are guard boats stationed around the island, so if you try to escape through water, they’ll catch you. Once again, any questions?”

Everyone was silent.

“Perfect! Let’s begin! When I call your name, I want you to walk over to me and grab your bag! Once you have your bag, just turn to your left and walk down the hallway to the door. You will have exactly five minutes before the next person will come out.”

The grin that graced Hyunsuk’s face was sickening. “First off, Changmin. Come get your bag.”

Slowly Changmin stood from his seat, trudging over to take his bag. The games were beginning, the fate of these twenty-four students lie ahead of them. But the real question is, whose going to play the game hardcore and whose going to petition for peace?

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The first chapter is a bit of a bore, but it gets the game basics down! Now all the action gets to start. ♥