Chapter 033 - Eerie Night Fair 05

  The players couldn’t throw the rings.

  The players weren’t allowed to use the rings.

  But who had scattered them around the venue?

  As I stepped into the arena, the puppet efficiently closed the iron gate behind me. It was waist-high, and I could easily leap over it, but I couldn’t risk breaking the rules of the game.

  So, I leaned carefully against the edge, treading cautiously.

  Outside, those who were still stuck behind the gate could see everything unfolding inside.

  No. 137 let out a sharp cry. "Bro!!!"

  "Be careful!!" The others shouted in unison.

  I held my breath, my lips tightly pressed together, every muscle in my body tensed.

  Because I saw it too. Those plush dolls and delicate wooden puppets, which had once hung limply, seemingly lifeless, were now swelling, growing larger. Slowly, they lifted their heads.

  Then, one by one, they began to stand.

  They were massive, easily three or four meters tall, their heads nearly brushing the ceiling.

  The grinding of wooden gears and the soft rustling of cotton filled the air. They moved in perfect synchronization, reaching down to pick up the rings that had also grown in size.

  With unnerving precision, they began to march toward me.

  I was the one who had been "caught."

  I was the... prey.

  The towering dolls loomed over me, so enormous that even at nearly 1.9 meters tall, I barely reached their waists.

  Their gigantic heads turned slowly, one by one, as if calculating their target.

  In unison, their mouths released an eerie, echoing chorus:

  "Little friend, where do you think you're going?"

  Finally, the first one attacked.

  It was a nutcracker soldier, clutching several rings in its hands. With a high-pitched, sinister laugh, it hurled the first blue steel ring toward me.

  The ring crackled with static, lightning flashing within its circle.

  The moment it made contact with anything inside, it would deliver an electric shock.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Without hesitation, I crouched and rolled to the side, preparing to count how many more of these rings were coming my way when Elliot’s sharp voice rang out:

  "Thirteen humanoid puppets, twelve plush dolls. The humanoid puppets each hold two rings, the plush dolls each hold three. Watch out, 10 o'clock to the left!"

  I barely dodged another red ring thrown by a Pinocchio puppet, a sinking feeling settling in my chest.

  There were a total of...

  "62 rings!" Old Man No. 9’s voice echoed across the arena. He slammed his cane against the ground and shouted, "Hold your ground!"

  "Thanks!" I yelled back, just as a fresh wave of rings came flying at me.

  With nowhere to go, I gritted my teeth and dashed forward, sliding past a pig plush’s hooves. Gasping for air, I crouched as the dolls circled around me.

  It felt absurd.

  This twisted game of ring toss had turned us from hunters into the hunted. We were the prey, and the rings were the predators. I didn’t have to imagine what would happen if one of those rings caught me.

  Because the limp, soft pig plush had a small apron, and beneath it, a pile of bloodied, shredded flesh had slipped out. The faint outline of a human form was visible in the remains... torn apart, mutilated—just like a ragged doll.

  A broken ragdoll.

  But avoiding them wasn’t a solution.

  These dolls were stationary, but they stood so closely packed that they nearly filled the entire venue.

  Whether I stayed hidden among them or stood outside their formation, I was within the precise throwing range of many of the dolls.

  In other words, anyone could land a ring on me.

  Isn’t that the rule of the game?

  Whoever can land a ring on a doll claims that doll.

  Wait a minute!

  What if the doll can’t be caught?

  What if I lie down—could I use my height to keep the ring from fully capturing me?

  The thought flickered through my mind as I quickly glanced up at the massive blue steel rings the dolls were holding.

  And then, I dismissed the idea.

  Because these steel rings were over two meters in diameter. Whether I was lying down or standing, they would still be able to catch me completely.