The Innkeeper

Various graphs and numbers appeared above the heads of everyone else at the table and looking at them, Lex was able to clearly determine the mental condition of everyone there. Suffice to say that almost everyone was doing horribly - or so it seemed on the surface.

Other than Lex and the man at the head of the table, both of whom were relatively calm, there were two other people with surprising emotions. One was the old man who was hyperventilating.

Although it seemed like his condition was terrible, in fact, he was quite calm internally. He was using his age and his condition to try to draw sympathy from the group, for he could see no other advantage he could gain at the moment. The other was a girl who was sitting directly opposite to Lex.

She was as pale as a ghost and trembling like she had a cold, but internally she was paying close attention to everyone. Unlike the old man who was only trying to gain sympathy, she was filled with a cold and calculating calm, ready to pull down anyone else to save herself. And if she couldn't be saved… she would bring down everyone with her.

But while the graphs and numbers appeared suddenly as he spoke, and even changed when he was done speaking, a few seconds later, they disappeared. It seemed that Lex would only be able to determine their mental state as a reaction to things he said. In which case it was evident that the trial had something to do with Lex's ability to speak, or perhaps maneuver the situation based on what he said. But he was not clear of what the objective was.

Was it to somehow simply survive, or was it to keep the entire group alive as well?

Lex could not see the man's expression due to it being hidden behind the mask, but from the fact that he had stopped for a few seconds and continued to stare at Lex was also a clue. He had to have a clear idea of what was going through the other's head if he was going to manipulate him.

Due to the continued silence, fear filled the hearts of those sitting on the table, and everyone looked towards Lex with hearts filled with anger and grievance, but Lex maintained his casual demeanor.

"You are not wrong," the man finally said, dealing himself three cards as well. Since everyone's cards were upside down, no one could tell what they were, and since the pack was new, there was no tell or indicators on the cards at all.

"Why should I deprive myself of glorious purpose? We should all go through this journey together. Let me explain the rules to everyone. This is a special game, made just for us. You see, since we're learning about life, I had to emulate it as well. Some people are born with more luck than others, while others use the hand dealt to them and turn things around.

"So, like life, you all have been dealt a hand. The game will consist of three rounds. In each round, you may look at your cards and trade one."

The man took the top card from the deck and slid it to the center of the table, still upside down.

"The only premise it, you cannot look at the card you're trading for. Starting with someone random, everyone will take a turn to either trade for the card in the center of the table, or pass. If you trade, you put a card upside down, and take the card at the center of the table. What you get… will once again be dependent on luck. Once everyone has had a turn, the second round will start, and I will give everyone one more card. Like this, we will do a total of 3 rounds.

"At the end of the 3 rounds, everyone reveals their hand, and we move on to the next aspect of life: survival of the fittest. We'll use poker rules to determine which hand is the best, but instead of looking for the best, we'll be looking for the person with the weakest hand. Whoever has the weakest hand will… recuse themselves from future games, lets say. Since we're repeating the number 3 so many times, let's say we'll play a total of 3 games.

"How does that sound? Previously, everyone had about a 50% chance to survive, which made the game feel pretty intense. But, since I've been asked to join the game, I'm sure it will be even more interesting. Let's hope I'm not the first one to lose, leaving you all tied to your chairs, unable to get out."

The entire group collectively gave Lex a death stare, but the man himself didn't seem to be too bothered by it. Instead, his gaze was stuck on the cards he had received. Originally, he was wondering what strategy to use, which is why he picked up his cards. But mere seconds after he picked up his cards, the numbers on them disappeared.

It was evident what the trial was telling him. He would not escape this predicament using cards. He had to rely on his words to manipulate the situation, and somehow free himself and the others.

This was… actually quite exciting. With a smile, Lex put down his cards and looked the man at the head of the table in the eyes.

"That's quite the game," he said warmly. "Should we introduce ourselves? No fun in playing with strangers."

The moment he said those words, information appeared in his head about his identity and back story for this trial.

"The name's Bond. Covalent Bond," said Lex, with a smile that was much too unusual for the given situation.

One of the girls at the table burst into tears the moment Lex introduced himself, making the tense situation feel awkward.

"I don't know her, I swear," said Lex once again.

The first thing he had to do was take the masked man's power away. Psychotic people who would do such a thing would love the feeling of being in control, so Lex had to first take that control away from him. Lex was confident that the man wouldn't break his own rules and harm Lex prematurely.

But Lex also knew he only had 1 game to get out of this predicament. After all, with blank cards, he couldn't really hope to win the game normally.