Countries of the World - Squid Game | Season 3, Chapter 3

PROFILE BLOG 1

PROFILE BLOG 2

Remaining Players: 48

Before we continue with the story, we will announce the results of the fan vote.

"Hello, players. Welcome to the results of the viewer vote. As you know, this is televised. The viewers at home got to vote on who should stay and who should go. They can choose up to (3) contestants who should be eliminated, and the (1) with the highest votes will be promptly eliminated.."

"I will read the votes aloud, one by one."

"What tú am thinkings will happen?" 148|Costa Rica batted her eyelashes.

"O-oh... I-i don't know..." 039|LuckyCat stammered nervously.

"Well, we are see." 148|Costa Rica giggled.

"Y-yeah." 039|LuckyCat blushed and looked away.

"The first vote is for... PLAYER 211: California." 

"Haters." 221|California scoffed.

"The next vote... PLAYER 249: Idaho."

249|Idaho just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"PLAYER 211: California."

"PLAYER 224: Russia." 

"PLAYER 211: California."

"PLAYER 249: Idaho."

"PLAYER 224: Russia." 

"PLAYER 211: California."

"Oh my god, I get it! Like, damn." 221|California rolled her eyes.

"PLAYER 224: Russia." 

"Я am not think zat zey are so foolish enough to voting мне out." 224|Russia shrugged.

"PLAYER 224: Russia." 

"PLAYER 205: Croatia." 

"PLAYER 211: California."

"PLAYER 224: Russia." 

"PLAYER 211: California."

"PLAYER 224: Russia." 

"PLAYER 224: Russia." 

"PLAYER 249: Idaho."

(Confessional: 249|Idaho)

"I really don't know why I got so many votes. I truly think I've played a respectable game so far."

(End Confessional: 249|Idaho)

"Attention, players. The votes have been counted."

221|California held her breath, though she would never actually tell anyone that she was nervous.

"By a very close margin... of 7 votes to 6 votes..."

"The suspense is killing me." 241|Kansas sighed.

"PLAYER... 224. ELIMINATED."

"YES!" 221|California cheered.

"NO!" 067|ItzIngenious cried.

As 224|Russia's body was disposed of, most didn't actually seem to care.

"Anyways," 257|BautyArg scoffed, "What do you think we can expect for the next game?"

"I have no idea." 067|ItzIngenious shrugged.

As the lights were turned off in the dorm, the 47 remaining players scattered through the dormitory, some were lying awake contemplating the game to this point, others lay in a deep sleep, and some strategizing for the game ahead.

What was common among all of them, though, is that none of them noticed the pink-hooded guards coming into the dorm stealthily under cover of night and, more inconspicuously, under the Frontman's supervision.

Two of the guards were carrying a very small table and placed it in the center of the dorm. A third guard was holding with two gloved hands a matryoshka (nesting) doll, but rather than the traditional clothed female, a green fish (Jeppy) was painted onto the top part of the doll. On the bottom part, in bold letters, read OPEN ME.

As the lights pulsed on, the music blasted to forcefully wake the players from their sleep. 257|BautyArg yawned loudly, sliding out of bed. 001|Papua New Guinea slid on his jacket and jumped off of his bunk.

"Wait, qué es?" 060|Honduras asked, approaching the doll.

"Am not know." 008|Maldives shrugged.

"Looks like a trap." 197|FreeStater chimed in as he also strode toward the doll.

"Ain't that the thing that opens up a bunch o' times?" 110|Mississippi asked.

"You wanna open it?" 197|FreeStater chuckled.

"Nah, I'm good." 110|Mississippi laughed.

"Attention, players. Do not touch the doll until you hear it sing." 

After that, the players just scattered through the room. A few of them were sitting on the stairs toward the middle of the large circle of bunks, a few feet away from the doll.

"Yeah... I'm not touching that." 067|ItzIngenious said.

"Same here." 120|Sealand laughed.

214|Kiribati stood from the stairs and walked up to the doll, crouching to get a better look at it and examine it.

"That doll is give bad vibe." 161|Cyprus exclaimed from his bunk all the way at the back of the dorm, voice a bit elevated so that he could be heard where the doll was.

"D'you reckon?" 222|England asked as she scratched her head. "I really don't think it's going to be bad."

"Maybe eet ees empty until ze very centre, and toi am get dix coin for ze vending machine, which ees how much you am need for eliminate un player." 006|France suggested.

Reminder: 1 coin = treat, 10 coins = eliminate a player.

"You might be right." 055|ColinShadow shrugged.

"You going for the doll?" 241|Kansas asked.

"Yeah, I think there might be something good in there." 222|England shrugged.

"It's creepy-lookin', though. What if it's an elimination?" 135|Georgia inquired.

"High-risk, high-reward, ja?" 072|Liechtenstein smiled.

(Confessional: 274|Paraguay)

"Jejeje… JEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJEJE JAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA! AyudAAAAAAAAAAAAAaa," his voice cracks into a sob, and then laughter, "POR FAVOOOOOOOOOOR! JAAJAJAJ… aAJAJAjJAJAJAJAJAAJAAAAAAA!" Tears streamed down his face dramatically, and his voice was only getting sharper and shriller. "JIJIJIJIJIJIJIJIjijijijijijIJIJIJIJIJIJAJAJAJAJA!!!"

(End Confessional: 274|Paraguay)

"Zat 222 player... вона seeming many confident." 196|Ukraine whispered.

"Yalla, well… not everybody have same level of fear for this game." 275|Egypt shrugged.

Suddenly, a shrill voice, emitted from the center of the room, was heard, in a very distorted voice.

"U̴̧̼̿͒̓͘ņ̵̗͘i̴̗͌̍͝t̶̖̬̓̐̅̕͝e̷̩̜̱̽̇̽̿̍d̶̦͓͗̊̕ ̴͖̻̃S̸̞͉͆͆ͅt̶̖͈̪͎͊a̸̦̎t̸͓̭͂̒̾e̴̡͇̞̿̑̀s̸͓̘̃̒̿̚,̷̨͇͙̣̀̍̆́͘ͅ ̸̠͆̀̏̈́̓C̶̳̹̣̦̟̽͘a̸̢̩͎͎͙̓̓͑̈n̴̛͉̓̓͊͗ą̷͔̝͂d̴͙̾̆́à̷̤̲̪,̴̤̟̬̓̌͑ ̵͍͖̪̬͋ͅM̷͍̤̰̬̄͗͝͠ͅę̷̨̝̟͇̌̂̃x̸̡̛̙͙̮̔̆͐į̶̼̍̀̽ḉ̵̖̬̩͑̅o̸͈͚̅̀̊,̸͈̱̏ ̸̢͔͔̳͋͗̀͌P̸͇̲̾̓̈́á̶̟̪̈́̅͋̕n̷̨͕͑̃̾͝a̷̳̲̳̔̾m̶̩͍̲̀͊͋a̷̗͒͌̓̔͝,̷̫̝̖͎̆͛ ̸̮̫͐̑H̵̙̼̙̤̤̃͘a̸͓̙̐͐̈̄i̵̳̋t̷̮͓͂̾ͅḯ̵̝͕͜,̸̟̤͚͉̂̎͐̂̚ͅ ̷͎̘̎̍͒̇J̷̧̮̦̝̿̇͌ͅȧ̶̮̗͖̳̎̎̄͝m̸͔̻̤̥̔͗̽͆̕ä̷̡͉̤͛͑͋̈́į̵̝̹̲̅͊̈́͠c̷̡̣̱̊ͅa̷̟͉͗,̵͕̄ ̸̛̮̂́̓P̵̘̓́ĕ̶͈̯͉̼̊ȑ̴͇̥̹̏͊̈́̚u̶̺̭̜͉͕͗̊͌.̷̨̟̳̹̏͛̾͠.̵̧̼̥̰͙̏̈́̃̚.̵̼͋̈́̅͛" The doll sang.

Both 060|Honduras and 222|England approached the doll.

"Tú am wanting it, or yo am take?" 060|Honduras asked.

"I..." 222|England hesitated.

060|Honduras stood by the doll, with his hands near it, and snatched it up right as 120|Sealand made a desperate run for the doll.

"Well, eet must be good, oui?" 006|France asked.

"Of certain." 233|Israel replied as 060|Honduras pried open the biggest layer of the doll.

"What does eet saying?" 089|Congo asked as the rest of the players crowded around.

"Disadvantage." 060|Honduras frowned as he raised the doll in the air, showing, in bold black letters, DISADVANTAGE IN THE NEXT GAME.

(Confessional: 055|ColinShadow)

"I think that he got a little overconfident. He's survived three games and thinks he's untouchable now. Kinda backfired." He chuckled.

(End Confessional: 055|ColinShadow)

"Attention, players. After taking possession of the doll, you must select another player to give it to when the doll sings." 

060|Honduras got a bit worried. He picked up the doll again, and began walking around with it.

"Anybody am want?" 060|Honduras yelled. No responses.

Everyone was standing loosely around 060|Honduras, but avoiding eye contact.

"Tú am still want?" 060|Honduras held it out to 222|England.

"Nah, I think I should have gotten it first round." She replied.

"You know what? I'll take it." 120|Sealand held out his hand for it.

"Alright." 060|Honduras strolled toward 120|Sealand, placing the doll in his hand.

"There's plenty of layers. There's no way they're all bad." 120|Sealand grinned.

The crowd closed in on 120|Sealand as he drummed his fingers on the doll.

"I got this." He began prying it open, while handing the top piece to 159|Kentucky to hold.

He peered at the bottom of it, and sighed.

"What it is say?" 233|Israel asked.

"Try again next time." 120|Sealand chuckled.

Some began to clap and cheer lightly around him.

"Aye, well, ball's in your court now." 123|Ireland laughed.

"Who're you gonna give it to next?" 197|FreeStater asked.

"Ah, well, whoever wants it, really." 120|Sealand shrugged.

"Да, да, put мне on the list." 179|Belarus nodded.

"You sure?" 120|Sealand asked.

"Am definitely want zis." 179|Belarus confirmed, and she held out her hand for it. "After all, am must avenge мой Зайчик Rossiya."

"Somezink good, somezink good..." 179|Belarus prayed as she stood in the center of the room, placing the top part on the table as she opened it.

She raised up the doll to look at it better, and smiled.

"What does say?" 001|Papua New Guinea asked.

"Treat!" 179|Belarus held up the doll, with TREAT in big bold letters at the bottom.

Most around them cheered, save for 196|Ukraine and some of 224|Russia's more frequent bullying victims.

The doors on the stage opened, and a singular guard stepped out, holding a large plate.

The guard approached 179|Belarus, handing her a knife (not an actual knife, but a flat-edged one to cut cake), and the plate.

"Es cake?" 148|Costa Rica asked as she looked from a distance.

"She actually got a whole cake." 054|Capybarra scoffed.

"If you are want piece, lining up in front of мне, and will try to giving everyone the piece." 179|Belarus offered.

As the line moved on, 179|Belarus sliced some cake off to give to each person.

"Tank yu, 179." 157|Vanuatu accepted the cake graciously.

"Gracias, muchacha." 235|Colombia winked at her as he scooped the cake up.

When 067|ItzIngenious and 196|Ukraine got to the front of the line (they were in the very back) suddenly the mood changed.

"Actually, am decide I want the rest. Sorry." 179|Belarus snickered darkly. 211|California downed her cake, also laughing at 067|ItzIngenious' misfortune.

"What an [censored]hole." 067|ItzIngenious rolled his eyes.

"Telling mi about it." 240|Guatemala chimed in.

"You are try to give to everyone just to get on good side." 205|Croatia rolled her eyes as she ate her cake. "Is just to make sure everyone is on good side."

"Am just try to share." 179|Belarus shrugged.

(Confessional: 205|Croatia)

"Is just many sneaky. Give out cake to everybody is just too nice. da? Is just to get everybody to think that 179 is nice girl."

(Confessional: 179|Belarus)

"Am many suspicious of 205. She is just give very negative energy. Am not like her."

(End Confessional: 179|Belarus)

"You am the best." 112|Jordan smiled at 179|Belarus as she finished a small piece of cake.

"Yo was hear that 222 was want the doll many early, and she should have been el one to take it." 087|Nicaragua whispered. "Now she es want to back off."

"Yes, but am no want her to getting mad at мне." 179|Belarus replied. "Just telling me where 205 is so Я can giving it to her."

"R̶e̴͙̠̫͆͆p̷̠̯̙̤̱͂̀͒̚ủ̵̦͉͕b̵̤̤̀̏͌̇l̶̺̄ì̸̭͕͚c̵̭̬̪͍͈̏̐̈́͐ ̸̧̯̂̇͛̕D̶̛̟͓̋̅̐ȯ̷̼̘̻̩̏́̎m̸͓̺̻̳̈́́̂͘͝ḯ̶͎̘͛͝n̷͓̲͐͑̄ͅi̸̤̙͍͗c̶̢͕̻̱͒͒̓̔ȁ̷̭͉̓̔͛̚n̴̜̯̽͝,̶̢̲̪̟͛ ̴̲̯͒C̵̢͙̲̼̉̀̃͂̏u̶̡̘̅b̵̦̗̟̬̅̓ą̴̻̞͖͕̐̈́̆,̵̯͓̎́͆̔ ̶͔̦̰̏C̵͇̦͙̚͜a̷̩͍̘̎͌̐ř̸͔̮̳͉͊i̸͔̰̐̅̂͂b̴̭̩͓́̆̍́b̸͇͚͒e̷̡̹͂͝à̸̯̦̳͚̈͌n̵̢̟͉̂,̸̨̢̞̯̱́ ̸͍̤̍̾G̴͈̻͓̽̓ř̴̹͉e̶̡͕͒̃̄̌̇e̴̘̱̱̥̒́ñ̵̨̰̠͖l̸̞͎͈͚̗̽̓̽a̴̖̹̰͌n̵̛̠̜̯̦̾̍͘͘d̸̡͎̟̖͊͒̉̊,̸̖̝̄̍̀ ̶̡͉̯̱̞͐̈́͐̕E̶̹̱̭̗̊́l̷̨̰̻̉̋̌̏̕ ̵͓̔S̶̟̿͊͒a̸͕͉̔ḻ̴̛̤̙͇̯̌͆͐̀ṿ̵͑á̷̢͗͋̈ḋ̷̜͓̜̯͘͝o̶͎̙͑͜r̷͈͍̠͈̃̎̒͘ ̷̖͇͈̜̃́̇̓̎ẗ̷̺̓͌͘o̴̺͐͠o̴̰̺͎̲̿́̃̽.̴̮̉̍̈̊.̷̠̋.̵̳̼̹͘̕͜" The doll sang.

"Oh god." 073|Pennsylvania sighed as he scarfed down the third slice of cake that he had stolen from 179|Belarus' plate when she wasn't looking.

When she heard the music, she stood, and made her way down the stairs.

"Where she is go?" 172|Chad asked.

179|Belarus strolled about for a bit, and then approached 205|Croatia, who was sitting near the stage. She placed the doll in 205|Croatia's hand.

"Mi? Why?" 205|Croatia asked.

"Why is mi? What I did? Why it can't be somebody else?" 205|Croatia inquired more sternly. "How do even open this thing?"

Visibly annoyed, she began to pry it open as players crowded around her to see what it was.

"If is bad, she is hate him." 050|Latvia whispered to 086|Greece.

Irritated, 205|Croatia looked at the bottom of the doll, and her expression changed. She nodded slowly.

"What is?" 104|Malta asked.

"Am get ten coins." 205|Croatia smirked, as other players high-fived her and fist-bumped with her.

"Пиздец!" 179|Belarus cursed under her breath.

257|BautyArg expressed some concern. "Isn't ten coins the amount to eliminate someone?"

Meanwhile, 067|ItzIngenious laughed.

"She might get eliminated just out of retaliation from handing her the doll." He snickered evilly.

A guard came out of the blue door without warning, holding a plate with a steel cloche over it.

205|Croatia approached the guard, and the guard lifted the cloche. The only thing on the plate was two 10-coin, with 10 Jeppies each instead of just the 1 on the other coins.

"Attention, PLAYER 205. Please make your way to the boiler room with your coin."

"I may have mess up." 179|Belarus groaned.

205|Croatia laughed as she grasped her coin firmly, following the guard to the boiler room.

When she reached the vending machine, it began to play a voice message.

{Player 205, you have been given two 10-coins. You must use this coin in the vending machine to eliminate two players... right now.}

She gasped. "What?"

The dial tone pulsed as she held her hands on her head, stressed.

A note was pasted on the glass of the vending machine. It read:

To eliminate a player, key in the numbers of the players on the keypad of the vending machine.

(Confessional: 205|Croatia)

"As much as would like to give many karma to 179... am think there is a better 'target' for me. Still pick 179 though." 205|Croatia laughed evilly.

(End Confessional: 205|Croatia)

She inserted the coin, pressed the three numbers, smirked to herself, pressed another three numbers, and strutted out of the boiler room confidently.

"Attention, players."

Everyone was startled by the loudspeaker in the dormitory.

"Two players has been selected to be eliminated." 

Everyone groaned.

"No is fun." 233|Israel sighed.

"She eliminated somebody?" 073|Pennsylvania asked.

In a few seconds, the numbers and the pictures of the players flashed onto the monitor above the stage.

"PLAYERS 253 and 179, you have been eliminated." 

"WHAT?" 253|Serbia screeched.

"That's kind of funny." 054|Capybarra laughed at her mental breakdown.

"THIS IS NOT END! I WILL FIND HRVATSKA! AM HATE HRVATSKA! AM HATE HRVATSKAAAA!" 253|Serbia screamed at the top of her lungs as she and 179|Belarus were literally dragged out of the dorm by their arms and legs.

205|Croatia snuck back into the room undetected, with a huge, satisfied smile on her face.

The player count on the monitor ticked down to 45.

"Eh, don't really care. The cake was good, though." 067|ItzIngenious shrugged.

P̵̤̘͉͉̈͐̉̔ǔ̵̝̘e̶̥̹̗͋͑̅͆͝r̴͔̻̮͚̟͊̀̄̓t̸͍̏̒͒͐ͅo̶̲͎̳̙̒̊͊̐̉͜ ̶͚̑̿R̵̮̩̙̠̀̏i̴̻͉̺̔̓̒̌̈́c̷̛͕̩̥̓͆̋͝ǒ̵̼,̷̫̫̖̅̈́̓͐̑ ̷͍̌̃̐̀͂C̷͇͎̜͚̏̅̂o̴̢͕̠̲̍̀̅̌ĺ̶͕̯̥̤́́̽o̶̳̿͑m̶̗̰͔̅̌b̵̥̌i̵̘͒͑̕â̶̮̭͔̘̘̓,̸̡̼͎͈̔̑̈̈ ̶̪͉͈͈̽V̷̬̖̮̹̟́ȩ̵̢̛̘̠n̶̡̧͚̮͊e̵͈̹̣͉̘̊z̴̡͕̀͐̒u̸͍̇̍́̿e̵͍̫̲̍l̵̦̪͒̾͛̚͝a̵̢̻͎̺͒̋̍̓͐,̵̛̜̖̉̿ ̵̘̰́H̵̲͙̜̍͒̕o̴̻͔̾͗n̷̢̘͋̽̋́d̵͉̜̼̼͔̕u̴͙̺͍̺̘͌r̸̖͙͕̯͑͆͌͠a̶̡̳͎͙͍̋͒͒̇s̴̬̞͘͠,̷̰̱̭̞̳͊̐͑̀ ̷͙̲̆͂̓̐̕G̸̨̬͔̜̊û̵̗̲̟͜y̷̟͍̆̋̃a̴̡̦̥̐̅͊͠n̵̠͂a̶̪͂̆̍,̴̝̺̊̉ ̴̗̣̾a̶͕̦̻̬̾̌͝n̵̡͓̳̅͊̅d̴̟̝̰̮̤̔ ̴̡̡̧̗͚̅̈́̄̆͊s̸͇̰̱͊̈́͋̾̄t̵͔͇̦̂͜ì̷̹͊͝ḷ̸̺̾̇̓̕l̵̺̞̓͜͝.̷̢̇̀̒͐̎.̸̱̘̘̓͆̓͒͛.̵̭̲̖̘̽̓͝ The doll continued.

"Oh." 205|Croatia was in her bunk. "HEY, 161!"

161|Cyprus was startled at his name being called.

"Come here and take. Am not feel like getting up." 205|Croatia sighed.

161|Cyprus shrugged and plucked it from her hand. He then went to the center of the room to open it.

"What does eet say?" 006|France asked.

"Immunity to the end of the next game!" 161|Cyprus jumped in celebration. 086|Greece ran up to him and hugged him too.

"Wow, lucky." 060|Honduras frowned.

Also included in the doll was a purple blank rectangle instead of the blue one with the white O that he currently had on his jacket. He ripped off the blue rectangle, and replaced it with the purple one to signify immunity.

"Attention, players. Line up for lunch." 

249|Idaho noticed something about his tin, though. He lifted the attached spoon, and under it was a small, folded piece of paper. He picked it up and opened it, reading its contents.

He then folded the paper back up, and placed it in the pocket of his tracksuit. He then began looking around nervously.

196|Ukraine, 120|Sealand, and 039|LuckyCat were walking by his bunk.

"Guys, guys!" 249|Idaho half-whispered, half-yelled. "Come sit here!"

The three of them sat next to him at his request.

"Come a little closer."

Confused, the three of them scooted closer.

"There was a note in my tin. It said that the next challenge is Mingle, and the first group number is eight." 249|Idaho whispered.

"No way." 039|LuckyCat's eyes opened wide.

"Well, we am have we four people." 196|Ukraine pointed out. "We can also inviting Latviya, and 055, and also could telling Kosta Rika-"

"Costa Rica?" 039|LuckyCat repeated, a light blush forming over his cheeks.

"так, why?" 196|Ukraine asked.

"N-no reason! I-i was just excited- I MEAN NERVOUS- I MEAN- uhh... confused! Yeah, confused." 039|LuckyCat chuckled nervously.

"O...kay. Anyways!" 249|Idaho tried to ignore 039|LuckyCat's outburst. "We've got 148, 050, 055... I guess we could pull 214 in from other there."

"Yeah, yo am guess so." 060|Honduras shrugged.

[Attention, players.] The familiar, deep, male voice echoed through the room.

"Oh, bloody hell." 222|England groaned.

[The next game will begin shortly.]

"Seems we barely get a break around here." 120|Sealand sighed.

[PLAYER 060. By choosing to open the doll, you received a disadvantage for this next game. Please step forward now.]

060|Honduras tentatively stepped forward, the rest of the crowd in loose shoulder-to-shoulder lines, all facing the stage, which had multiple guards on it.

[You must now pick someone to share the disadvantage with.]

Many gasped.

"That's really tough." 222|England appeared sympathetic.

"How am supposed to pick?" 060|Honduras asked.

Nobody wanted to make eye contact, most looking down at the floor.

"235, tú am look promising." 060|Honduras shrugged and laughed dryly.

"Tú am who I think of. I am choose you." 060|Honduras beckoned 235|Colombia, who, despite being very irritated, came forward to join 060|Honduras.

060|Honduras slung his arm around 235|Colombia's shoulders as they both faced the crowd.

[Your disadvantage is... you will have to be handcuffed together during the game. If one of you is eliminated, the other will be eliminated as well.]

"Do we find someone else to be one of our eight?" 055|ColinShadow asked.

"060 won't like that. I feel bad for him." 039|LuckyCat frowned.

"We are not have choice." 196|Ukraine shrugged. "We can inviting 135."

060|Honduras and 235|Colombia walked over to some others, and 060|Honduras began to speak.

"Yo am no going to desadvantage my team because I receive my disadvantage. Es my disadvantage, no es theirs." 060|Honduras smiled sadly.

"Es honorable, amigo." 235|Colombia smiled back. They approached 054|Capybarra and 222|England.

"Listen..." 060|Honduras spoke, and the two of them turned to listen to him. "The first game es Mingle, and the first group es 8."

They didn't have time to discuss further, because the guard came and swung open the door, and the players had to exit to the game hall, except 161|Cyprus, who stayed behind.

The players were led into a massive, colorful, and deceptively festive arena. At the center was a large, circular rotating platform, akin to a giant carousel or merry-go-round. The platform was surrounded by a ring of colorful doors leading into small adjoining rooms,

The whole space seemed to feel like a vibrant circus tent, decorated with bows, and a joyous atmosphere. The doors were evenly spaced around the perimeter, each leading to a small private room, though the players didn't know that yet.

All of the players instinctively began walking up the two or three steps to stand on the rotating platform.

"Attention, players. Welcome to your fourth game: Mingle. When the game begins, the platform will start to rotate."

"It spins?" 060|Honduras began to worry.

"You will hear a number. You must form a group of that number of people, and enter a room with your group, and shut the door. Any player not in a room when the time runs out, or in a room with the incorrect number of people, will be eliminated."

"We have every combo, we just need to stick together." 249|Idaho whispered to 039|LuckyCat. They had a tentative group of eight, along with 214|Kiribati, 135|Georgia, 196|Ukraine, 148|Costa Rica, 050|Latvia, and 055|ColinShadow.

"We need to be at the edge of the platform, always." 039|LuckyCat replied.

Other players scrambled to strategize at the last second.

"Alright, so are willing to staying with us while we are find room?" 060|Honduras asked, still cuffed to 235|Colombia.

"Sure." 222|England and 054|Capybarra shrugged, as they had formed somewhat of a group of four.

"Now, let the game... begin."

The lights shut off completely in the arena, and then spotlights shone only on the spinning platform, where the 45 players stood.

Eerily saccharine Korean children's music began to play through the speakers.

[ 🎶 Dunggeulge dunggeulge 🎶]

Many players began to dance happily to the music, unaware of the carnage that lay ahead.

[ 🎶 Dunggeulge dunggeulge 🎶]

"They're celebrating like they couldn't potentially die." 249|Idaho scoffed.

[ 🎶 Binggeulbinggeul doragamyeo chumeul chupsida 🎶]

185|Montenegro was leaned against one of the pillars on the rotating platform, fast asleep.

[ 🎶 Sonppyeogeul chimyeonseo, noraereul bureumyeo 🎶]

"I'm comfortable pushing anybody the [censored] out of my way, or pushing them the hell out of our room if they're tryna sabotage." 135|Georgia chuckled.

[ 🎶 La-la-la-la, jeulgeoupge chumchuja 🎶]

Suddenly, the music stopped, the carousel grinded to a halt, and the entire arena was filled with blue light.

"Yo can't believing this es real, amigo." 235|Colombia whispered to 060|Honduras.

054|Capybarra was pointing at a door already, while still on the platform, and 222|England, 060|Honduras, and 235|Colombia waited with him as they awaited the go-ahead to go in the rooms.

"The group number is... eight."

It was absolute bedlam, a dead sprint from every player to reach the doors. 054|Capybarra lunged toward the nearest orange door, grabbing 222|England's wrist in a vice grip.

They bolted for a green door, and 054|Capybarra flung it open. 222|England went in first, and 235|Colombia and 060|Honduras were not far behind.

"WE NEED FOUR!" 054|Capybarra almost screamed, and more players made their way in, with about twenty seconds left on the clock.

245|Solomon Islands, 172|Chad, 240|Guatemala, and 086|Greece bolted for their green door, and pushed their way into the room to complete the group of eight.

"Get in, get in, get in!" 054|Capybarra exclaimed frantically.

"Lock the door!" 222|England whispered hurriedly.

As soon as the door was shut from the chaos outside, the eight of them began celebrating their temporary safety.

"We did it!" 054|Capybarra gave a fist bump to 060|Honduras and to 235|Colombia. 240|Guatemala gave a tight hug to 222|England.

At an orange door, 249|Idaho's group was making a mad dash for the room. The eight of them shoved their way in, and as they filed in, the panic grew.

039|LuckyCat quickly counted. "Two, four, six, eight, LOCK THE DOOR!" He yelled, and 249|Idaho flipped the lock. All of them yelled in triumph as they also celebrated their safety.

A purple room across the way was also completely full, as was a yellow room next to the orange room, and a blue room all the way on the far side.

Survived Round 1: 40 + 1 (161|Cyprus)

"Four people are out already?" 054|Capybarra asked, unsure whether to open the door yet.

"I wish I didn't look." 222|England replied, seeing the four dead bodies being dragged out of the arena by the guards.

"One round down, one round down." 135|Georgia exhaled.

"This is exhausting." 055|ColinShadow sighed loudly.

As the doors automatically opened back, the players went back onto the platforms, their stomachs turning with the knowledge of the chaos that was about to ensue.

"You're a straggler, I'm a straggler, let's look out for each other." 067|ItzIngenious offered.

"Yeah, I'll definitely look to you first." 120|Sealand replied.

The spotlights pulsed, and the music began.

[ 🎶 Dunggeulge dunggeulge 🎶]

This time, nobody danced, or laughed. Purely strategizing.

[ 🎶 Dunggeulge dunggeulge 🎶]

"So, if it's a smaller group, we'll just stick together, us four." 222|England said.

"Sounds like a plan." 054|Capybarra grinned.

[ 🎶 Binggeulbinggeul doragamyeo chumeul chupsida 🎶]

"Hey!" 222|England whispered loudly.

"Yeah?" 159|Kentucky and 087|Nicaragua were standing together.

"We've got you if it's six, eight, or ten." 222|England smiled.

"Great!" 159|Kentucky smiled back.

[ 🎶 Sonppyeogeul chimyeonseo, noraereul bureumyeo 🎶]

(Confessional: 222|England)

"We're just trying to find bodies to have numbers checked off in case of emergency."

(End Confessional: 222|England)

[ 🎶 La-la-la-la, jeulgeoupge chumchuja 🎶]

The nursery rhyme cut abruptly, as did the carousel, throwing off-balance players into each other. A single, frozen second of silence, then the cold voice echoed.

"The group number is... twelve."

The platform exploded.

120|Sealand grabbed 067|ItzIngenious and 104|Malta by the sleeves. “Stay with me, we need nine more, fast!”, and they plowed through the crowd like a rugby scrum.

Screams erupted everywhere, overlapping into a deafening wail: “TWELVE! I NEED TWELVE!” “THIS DOOR, COME ON!” “DON’T SHUT IT YET!” 120|Sealand yelled as he held open the door while 104|Malta and 067|ItzIngenious scrambled inside.

"OW!" 008|Maldives was shoved to the floor and faceplanted as the crowd moved around her.

"One, two, three, four..." 054|Capybarra counted as he held open the door for more people, a long line at the door and 222|England, 060|Honduras, and 235|Colombia already inside.

"Five, six, seven, eight..." 185|Montenegro, 072|Liechtenstein, 087|Nicaragua, and 159|Kentucky were the next four in, a small group still clambering to get inside.

"Nine, ten, eleven, and twelve. I'M CLOSING IT!" 054|Capybarra yelled to the players already in the room, as 086|Greece, 168|Nigeria, 240|Guatemala, and 197|FreeStater just jostled their way in. 205|Croatia and 138|Nevada tried to get inside as well but 054|Capybarra promptly slammed the door and locked it, shoving 197|FreeStater forward into the room and almost smashing 205|Croatia's fingers.

Sneakers squealed against the glossy platform as players collided. 257|BautyArg almost got knocked to his knees in the stampede, but the mob carried him forward, both his hands on 274|Paraguay's wheelchair handles. A screaming 274|Paraguay and an overstimulated 257|BautyArg clambered in the room also, 120|Sealand opening the door to make way for the wheelchair.

"WE GOT ROOM FOR SEVEN MORE!" 120|Sealand yelled.

039, 050, 055, 135, 148, 196, 214, and 249 were already in a room, awaiting the fallout to clear in the last ten seconds or so and preparing to only let four in.

241|Kansas, 245|Solomon Islands, 111|Dominica, 110|Mississippi, 089|Congo, 001|Papua New Guinea, 211|California, and 233|Israel made their way into the room. When 006|France, 008|Maldives, 042|Seychelles, 123|Ireland, and 172|Chad realized there wasn't room for them, they booked it for the orange door with eight people inside.

"Alright, ten, eleven, twelve... WE HAVE TOO MANY! SOMEONE GET OUT!" 257|BautyArg cried out as he did a frantic headcount.

"I'm not leaving." 211|California snapped.

"Someone having to get out, or all of we will dying!" 245|Solomon Islands demanded.

"Someone's gotta get out!" 241|Kansas shoved, quite roughly, a few players toward the door, still ajar a bit.

111|Dominica pushed 233|Israel out of the door, and 110|Mississippi firmly shut it.

Survived Round 2: 36 + 1 (161|Cyprus)

Eliminated: 4

"Remember when we thought this would be the most fun game?" 067|ItzIngenious asked, half-smiling, half-panicked.

"Yeah, I was so ready to play this, but I take it all back now." 257|BautyArg groaned.

[ 🎶 Dunggeulge dunggeulge 🎶]

The maelstrom of death disguised as an innocent children's carousel began its hypnotic spin once more.

"Alright, so if it's eleven, we ditch California." 067|ItzIngenious whispered.

[ 🎶 Dunggeulge dunggeulge 🎶]

"I think we c'n agree on that." 110|Mississippi whispered back, laughing.

"We gotta plan for more numbers... ah... four, I know we've got me, you, 060 and 235." 054|Capybarra continued to run through possibilities.

"Yeah." 222|England replied, remembering their accompaniment of the cuffed two.

[ 🎶 Binggeulbinggeul doragamyeo chumeul chupsida 🎶]

"So if it's three, which one of us will go out?" 054|Capybarra asked.

"Well, it's got to be one of us two. I'd volunteer to go with 240 and 197 if we needed three." 222|England replied.

[ 🎶 Sonppyeogeul chimyeonseo, noraereul bureumyeo 🎶]

"Got it. What about six?" 054|Capybarra continued.

"We've got us four, and 197 and 240. We'll be good." 222|England reassured him.

"Okay, good, what about seven?" 054|Capybarra asked.

[ 🎶 La-la-la-la, jeulgeoupge chumchuja 🎶]

"Add on... I guess 185."

"Okay, good." 054|Capybarra exhaled a sigh of relief. "Wait, what about five-"

Once again, the carousel and the music came to a screeching halt. The anxious musical flourish returned as most players' stomachs tied themselves in knots.

"The group number is... five." 

Once again, it was chaos as everyone darted off of the platform in different directions.

"LET'S GO! LET'S GO!" 039|LuckyCat yelled as the usual group gathered near some doors.

"There's eight! Four go in here," 039|LuckyCat pointed to the blue door, "four in there," he pointed again to a purple door, "and then just get one for each room!"

"GO, GO!" He yelled as he ripped open the blue door, letting in 196|Ukraine, 249|Idaho and 148|Costa Rica before shutting the door, but not locking it.

He cracked the door again. "WE NEED ONE MORE!"

Next door, in the purple door, 135|Georgia held the door open, the veins in his arms straining as he had to keep moving the door to make way for people. 050|Latvia, 214|Kiribati, and 055|ColinShadow ran in to seek refuge from the chaos outside.

"YO, WE NEED ANOTHER!" 135|Georgia screamed, holding open the door to beckon someone forward.

A nearby red door filled up quickly, 110|Mississippi shutting the door behind them with unseen quickness.

"Alright, in, in, in!" 054|Capybarra demanded, holding open the green door. 222|England, 235|Colombia, and 240|Honduras rushed in promptly.

"Wait, I promised 197 and 240 spots. Only one can get in!" 222|England panicked. "What do we do?"

"197's at the door. Let him in, I guess." 222|England shrugged, only ten seconds left on the clock.

"WHOO!" 197|FreeStater sighed a big breath of relief as the door was opened for him. 054|Capybarra, with a twinge of guilt, slammed the emerald green door and locked it.

"Get in, get in!" 001|Papua New Guinea yelled, holding open the yellow door for the small crowd outside the door. 

A sleeping 274|Paraguay's wheelchair crashed through the doorway, 072|Liechtenstein running full speed ahead, holding the handles of the wheelchair. 274|Paraguay almost flew right out as 072|Liechtenstein made a beeline for the yellow door, getting in safely with 274|Paraguay.

Of the crowd practically wrestling to get in the room, 172|Chad and 241|Kansas prevailed, and ran for cover in the corners of the yellow room.

"ROOM IS NOW CLOSE, FIND OTHER ROOM!" 001|Papua New Guinea yelled, slamming the door in the faces of many desperate hopefuls. 123|Ireland, 211|California, and others dispersed, booking it for any available group.

257|BautyArg got his hands on a purple door. "COME ON! COME ON!" He demanded, hoping some of the leftover players would make a last ditch effort to get into one of the doors.

As players ran for cover, 240|Guatemala, 089|Congo, 111|Dominica, and 123|Ireland made their way inside first, while 042|Seychelles yanked open the green door right near 257|BautyArg's room, 006|France, 168|Nigeria, 086|Greece, and 211|California zooming right in.

159|Kentucky saw that there were only five seconds remaining and panicked loudly. He mustered up his last bit of strength, basically having a tug-of-war of the door handle to stop 257|BautyArg from closing the door.

"LET GO!" 257|BautyArg cried, tears strolling down his cheeks as he tried to stop 159|Kentucky from forcing his way in.

"LET ME IN!" 159|Kentucky yelled, finally prevailing, and yanking the door open, shoving his way in.

The timer buzzed red, signaling time was up.

"NO! WE HAVING SEIS! ES TOO MANY-" 240|Guatemala screamed, before the six of them were massacred before they could even register that they had been eliminated.

Survived Round 3: 30 + 1 (161|Cyprus)

Eliminated: 6

Immense frowns of guilt and stress plagued the group as the thirty remaining players, once again, scaled the short steps and boarded the carousel of their untimely death.

[ 🎶 Dunggeulge dunggeulge 🎶]

"I don't wanna play this anymore." 241|Kansas groaned.

(Confessional: 196|Ukraine)

"Am never be so stress in moye life."

(End Confessional: 196|Ukraine)

"We just need to get there. Box out the stragglers." 222|England sighed.

[ 🎶 Dunggeulge dunggeulge 🎶]

054|Capybarra was letting the pressure get to him, and tears started to roll down his cheeks. "This is so stressful."

"I know, but this can't go on forever, right? And just think, at least you're not shackled together, like they are." 222|England nudged 060|Honduras, who nodded insistently, holding up his and 235|Colombia's handcuffed wrists.

[ 🎶 Binggeulbinggeul doragamyeo chumeul chupsida 🎶]

[ 🎶 Sonppyeogeul chimyeonseo, noraereul bureumyeo 🎶]

[ 🎶 La-la-la-la, jeulgeoupge chumchuja 🎶]

The familiar screech to stop the music and the carousel ensued.

"The group number is... nine." 

The chaos resumed as everyone ran to doors and groups they found familiar.

"GUYS!" 039|LuckyCat yelled to his pre-established group of eight. "WE GOT EACH OTHER! WE JUST NEED ONE!"

039|LuckyCat ripped open an orange door, and 050, 055, 135, 148, 196, 214, and 249 were right on his tail and high-tailed it into the small room.

"WE NEED ONE!" 039|LuckyCat screamed, so that someone in the crowd could hear it.

087|Nicaragua made a mad dash for the door, making it before the other two or three that attempted.

120|Sealand opened a purple door. "Come on!"

He counted with his finger as each person came into the room.

"One, two, three, four, five," 054|Capybarra, 185|Montenegro, 235|Colombia, 060|Honduras, and 067|ItzIngenious secured their safety first.

110|Mississippi, 197|FreeStater, and 222|England lagged a bit behind, but were able to shove their way in.

211|California also tried to get her way in the room, and then did a small head count before people realized she wasn't supposed to be there.

"Get out! You're not part of the group!" 067|ItzIngenious snapped, shoving 211|California out of the room and onto the floor, slamming the door and locking it behind her.

211|California sprinted to the last remaining room with people in it, shoving past 072|Liechtenstein, 104|Malta, and 086|Greece to get in.

"No! I don't want her in here!" 241|Kansas whined.

"We are need her number, especially since we have person that no can move easy. Sorry." 001|Papua New Guinea shrugged, and pointed to 274|Paraguay, who was currently huffing a small cup of paint thinner.

072|Liechtenstein, 104|Malta, and 086|Greece sighed and walked to the center of the arena, accepting their fates.

Survived Mingle: 27 + 1 (161|Cyprus) = 28

"Por favor, letting that be el last round!" 148|Costa Rica cried, putting her hands above her head, clearly stressed. 039|LuckyCat wanted to reach out a hand to offer support, but decided to stay where he was.

They opened the doors, and with solemn stares, they made the trek to the platform.

"This game had better be over." 211|California sneered.

"For once, I agree with her." 067|ItzIngenious jabbed his thumb at her.

"Je cannot taking zis anymore." 006|France stretched his face and groaned.

"Viens ici, mon ami." 172|Chad offered 006|France a pat on the back in comfort.

The spotlight shone on the platform as it began to rotate.

"We are not play." 168|Nigeria put his foot down, literally.

"This needs to end. Nobody play." 120|Sealand chimed in.

"Nobody should play." 055|ColinShadow agreed.

"Everybody hold hands! We aren't playing!" 241|Kansas demanded, as he joined hands with 006|France and 196|Ukraine.

"Hold hand!" 196|Ukraine yelled.

"We are no play!" 001|Papua New Guinea joined in.

The platform stopped moving.

"Everyone, hold onto someone!" 039|LuckyCat yelled, as he ran straight to 148|Costa Rica, trying to hold her hand, but she unconsciously moved it away, so 039|LuckyCat settled for holding her forearm.

196|Ukraine and 050|Latvia held onto each other, shivering at the potential consequences of their actions.

235|Colombia and 060|Honduras... had no choice but to hold onto each other!

001|Papua New Guinea and 245|Solomon Islands held each other by the shoulders, waiting for what would unfold.

Suddenly, the curtains to the game hall opened slowly, and behind them was what looked like two columns of five guards each. Between the columns was... the Frontman.

He walked from between the columns to stand in front of the guards. His expression was hidden behind his geometric mask.

From behind him, more guards seemed to appear out of thin air, each holding a very small black box with a pink ribbon tied around it, as if some sort of present. One guard, however, was holding a much larger box.

The Frontman spoke.

[PLAYERS, you have chosen to end the game. Please accept this gift as a reward for your courage and bravery.]

Each player was approached by a guard, and each guard placed one of the gift boxes into the hand of a respective player.

The much larger box, transported by a regular-looking guard, was placed in front of 197|FreeStater.

"Ah. What do we have here?" 197|FreeStater asked, puzzled.

[Open your boxes.]

110|Mississippi and 001|Papua New Guinea were among the first to open their boxes. They both pulled out one coin, redeemable at the vending machine for a treat.

"Ah, I got a coin. Whoopty do." 110|Mississippi chuckled.

"I am get as well." 196|Ukraine held up his coin.

"Me too." 120|Sealand held up his coin.

"Yo también." 087|Nicaragua held up his token.

"Me too-" 185|Montenegro was about to hold up his, but then collapsed, falling asleep on the floor of the cold platform.

"Should we help him?" 222|England asked.

"Ah, what the hell. I'll carry him." 110|Mississippi shook his head, picking up 185|Montenegro and throwing him over his shoulder.

"What you are get, 197?" 168|Nigeria asked.

"I don't know, let me check." 197|FreeStater reached into the box, and all that was inside was a black felt bag.

"Weird." 197|FreeStater picked up the bag, confused about its contents.

"I want see what is." 245|Solomon Islands demanded.

"Me too." 110|Mississippi whispered, a sound-asleep 185|Montenegro on his shoulder, of whom he did not want to disturb.

"Well, let's see––" 197|FreeStater's breath hitched. His hand slid like a glove onto the pistol grip, his finger comfortably on the trigger.

"Oh, I know what this is." 197|FreeStater smiled evilly. He pulled out...

.

.

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.

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An AR-15.

"T-this can't be serious, right?" 039|LuckyCat asked, hopeful for an answer.

"Por favor telling us is joke?" 087|Nicaragua pleaded.

[PLAYER 197 has been given an assault rifle. He must kill as many players as possible in a set amount of time.]

"WHAT?" 222|England screamed.

197|FreeStater's evil smile just grew more and more.

"Finally... I get some control in this game." 197|FreeStater giggled.

"Why aren't we running for our lives...?" 054|Capybarra asked quietly.

"Because we are too petrified in fear to move, of course..." 120|Sealand replied shakily.

[All the game rooms for the previous challenges as well as this challenge room and all other public-use rooms will be opened as hiding spots. PLAYER 197 will have 10 minutes to eliminate as many players as possible.]

"This will be fun." 197|FreeStater laughed. He placed the rifle to his right, and sat down on the floor, his eyes closed in a terrifying calmness.

[You will have 30 seconds to prepare.]

"RUNNNNNNNNNN!" 087|Nicaragua yelled, before grabbing 274|Paraguay's wheelchair and booking it for the dorm.

[Thirty. Twenty nine. Twenty eight.]

"GO! GO! GO!" 054|Capybarra just ran with the crowd as they fought their way desperately out of the Mingle room.

197|FreeStater just sported a self-satisfied smile, swaying his sandals side-to-side as he stroked the sling of the rifle softly.

Eliminated during Mingle: 17

For those reading, you have the opportunity to vote from the list of the 48 remaining players below, and the (1) player with the most votes will be eliminated. 

No, you cannot vote for FreeStater in order to stop Assassin from happening. 197|FreeStater is immune from being voted out this time.

Remaining Players: 28

You can place up to 3 votes. For your votes to count, you must provide the three-digit number representing that player. 

For example, if you wanted to place 3 votes for Player 500|Nickelz, your vote could look like this:

(500)(500)(500)

VOTING ENDS December 17, 2025, at 5:00 PM CST.

Thank you for reading. If you'd like to join the main high school series, or even participate in potential future seasons of Squid Game, comment under this blog or this blog.