Coffin before death

A week ago, it was discovered that a protest could potentially be sparked by the very players competing. The organizations attempted to investigate and confirm if there was any reaction from the players — but none was shown. This should have reassured them, but they still chose to prepare a backup. A contingency that could engage the people if the protest actually turned out to be real.

Which is why Genshi takes the stage.

The long-awaited crowd finally settles down, eager to witness the show. In a random corner among the excited, there are still people trying to figure out what all the fuss is about.

"HEYY!!"
A girl covers her ears and shouts to the guy in front.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
The guy turns over for a split second with a confused look.

"WHO IS THAT GUY?"
She wants to know right away.

"HOW ARE Y’ALL SO OBLIVIOUS?!"
The man stretches and leans back to make sure his screaming isn't lost among the cheering, then continues,
"That dude right there was a nobody a few months ago! He just appeared outta nowhere in crazy places and performed tricks while betting millions — if someone could figure it out! His tricks, when put to trial by actual magicians, turned out to be legit! Nobody knows how he does it!"

"Okay, but why is the crowd going crazy while forgetting the match?"

"Didn’t you hear the news? He got the title of 'The Greatest Magician of the Time' last month! And most importantly, he never hosts any shows — instead, he sets them up randomly around the world! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. So make your day!"
He sits back and locks his eyes on the ground.

Realizing the odds of witnessing this show, the girl takes her seat and stops recording to see the real thing.

Laila Grace is a genius undergraduate who outperformed her peers and got into research institutes before turning twenty. She was called a prodigy. Now, she witnesses another prodigy entertaining the world. As she watches excitedly, she receives an official notification:

She’s been chosen to volunteer in the Dimension of Atom.

She goes wild, hitting the guy in front to get his attention.

"KID, WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM N—"
She drives the screen right into his face. He takes a moment to read it — and jumps back with all his force.

As others notice, regardless of her choice, a team of people rush in — like bodyguards assigned temporarily to escort the master’s pet — and lead her out of the seats.

Five minutes ago I was scheming a rampage on the hosts for wasting my hours, and now I’m the guinea pig of the show!?

She keeps a cool face while walking the path, as the rest of the crowd slowly begins to understand why a queen was just transported down to the ground.

After a thorough check of her ticket number, they let her step onto the stage.

Laila is so lost in the hype, she can barely resist the urge to run and hop up.

"Aha!"
Genshi bows and takes her hand as she climbs up.

"Out of the two billion people out there, you guys have made it to the top 0.00001%."
He says this calmly, and the crowd roars with a yes.

"And now — Miss Laila Grace here is the chosen one!!"
As Genshi tries to energize the audience, Laila looks around the stage with curiosity.

"How do you feel, Grace?!"
He offers her the spotlight. She turns back to him with a straight face.

"Let’s get it going already."

She ends it short. The crowd loves her nonchalant attitude — it even seems to mock Genshi’s hype.

Genshi quickly walks away, hands raised in surrender.
"As the Majesty wishes!"

She doesn’t seem like a fan. Her profession’s listed as a geologist. The ideal cocky science breed, ready to debunk magic, just walked in. I'd love to see her break down at the end~

What kind of magician thinks of torturing their volunteer? Only this weirdo.

He draws her eyes to the table containing various items.
"If you may, test the lethality of these items?"

She leans in and gently takes hold of a sword. In an instant, she begins analyzing.

Like a search engine, she blurts out her raw thoughts aloud with an expressionless face, tilting her head.

"Hmm… cold to the touch. Heavy, but balanced. Iron, carbon… maybe a touch of chromium, probably. This isn’t a trick or illusion. Whatever magic you’re playing at… this blade is real. The only way I see this being faked is if there’s a hidden copy you'll swap for."

"Damn…", genshi nervously scratches his forehead.

"That’s a geek for you!"

The audience laughs along.

He turns to the camera.

"Now Grace here will demonstrate the sharpness of the sword, right here."

But before he finishes pointing to the bunch of test props, Grace has already tested it.

Blood spatters across the stage. The crowd looks confused, unsure if this was a real volunteer or just brilliant stage acting.

Genshi goes pale, staring at the stream of blood dripping off the blade. Grace hands it back to him and walks to the table to rip the hanging paper set for testing.

"My bad. You did have something to cut, I see."

Grace wipes her arm with an innocent chuckle that seemed harmless. She licks the last drop while locking eyes with him, smiling reassuringly.

"Ahh, don’t worry." Her mesmerizing face stirs an unsettling wave through the crowd.

"I don’t feel any pain," she states, raising her hands and waving to the audience.

One of the rarest medical conditions — insensitivity to pain. Combine that with her mindless behavior and those looks… she’s an interesting one.

She tries to take the knife back. Genshi lets go of it instinctively.

The crowd watches the shift in dominance with fascination.

Okay, thank god she didn’t stab me.

"Don’t worry, I won’t stab you. What’s next?" She laughs, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Genshi glances at her hands — still dripping. He gently pulls away, trying to move the show forward.

"She’s one bold girl who went out of her way to ruin my setup! A big round of applause for the lady here!!"

The audience bursts with excitement at the unexpected development.

"Now Grace will further test all the remaining tools and weapons here very safely to show what we’re really dealing with."

As he finishes, she walks around, picking random weapons, checking their lethality.

She steps back after reviewing everything and nods to the cameras.

A squad rushes onto the stage to help assemble the setup on command. Genshi explains:

"We’ve all seen magicians attempt crazy torture or death-defying stunts — where they must escape to survive. Today, I will show you… the absolute mastery of this art."

Screens placed around the ballpark display ten options plus one empty one — each showing a magician trapped in a unique death-defying escape act.

"Now I want each and every one of you to pick your favorite death trap! But Laila here will create her own type of trap that will be the final option! As soon as she’s done — cast your votes!!"

The crowd studies each video and begins deciding.

Five minutes later, the winning scenario is revealed:

The magician is strapped in a straitjacket and handcuffs. He’s locked inside a coffin, which can only be broken through brute force. A one-minute timer starts as the coffin is hoisted by chains.
In that time, the magician must bypass all restraints, break out of the coffin, and climb the chain to safety.

If he fails, the chains are cut. The coffin plummets 50 meters straight down… not to plain ground, but onto a floor of knives pointing upward.

And if, by some miracle, he survives, flamethrowers on the coffin activate, firing heat equivalent to the sun — vaporizing anything left inside.

"Hey, at least it’s a painful death. Cheer up," says the girl with a smug face.
Grace nudges him while sending a flying kiss to the crowd.
"Thank you all for picking my creation!!"

Genshi looks nervous — like a man who skipped one question on the test, hoping it wouldn’t be asked.

Now that… is worse than a prehistoric death.