Off Limit System

They hurried through the woods and along the trail to the blazing green beacon ahead. Ethan tried to keep up, but his injured leg caused him to wobble. Dane and Terry, in turn, carried Ethan. At that moment, Ethan thought there was still compassion, even if only a few people had empathy. Fortunately, he was still assisted.

"We'll be there shortly. Hang in there, Ethan," Dane advised.

Ethan frowned. "Did you guys ever reach the beacon before?"

Dane and Terry both shook their heads.

"Why? Weren't you supposed to follow Ulrich?" Ethan said, surprised.

"If it wasn't for you, we probably never would have finished the first level," Terry replied.

"How could we ignore you?" Dane chuckled softly.

"Thank you once more," Ethan said, nodding.

"We're concerned about what may happen to the other men. I have a nasty feeling about Ulrich," said Terry.

"Why?" asked Ethan.

"He doesn't care about others around him. He is a selfish man who only wants to win," answered Terry.

"Isn't that the essence of OFF LIMIT? You've got to be the winner." Dane cast a glance. 

Terry muttered, "You forget everything. It sucks.”

"Oh, looks like we've reached the beacon." Ethan changed the subject.

The path ahead of them was broader and more hilly. The looming structure resembled a lighthouse, but its tip appeared like a gleaming crystal spewing green light. The building was black and seemed to be made of polished stone.

When they got to the front of the unoccupied beacon structure, they spotted what looked like an access gate and that it was rather dark. It was only illuminated by the torches spaced on the walls.

Dane growled, "There's no way we'll have to go inside to finish the game. What‘s worse than a pack of coyotes?”

"The smell of Ulrich's breath," Terry replied simply.

The trio chuckled.

"Your leg Ethan, shouldn't we find something to close the wound? Your blood keeps flowing. I'm afraid something will happen to you," Dane said, looking worried.

"Then what do we cover the wound with?" asked Ethan.

"Maybe you can use your money," replied Terry. "You know, usually, in some games, you can buy some sort of energy or health boost."

Ethan agreed. "Alright. I'll try."

When Ethan's palm touched his temple, a holographic screen appeared before his eyes. It was always Ethan's personal information that came to light. Ethan then pressed the "Gold" button while reaching into the empty air with his bare hands.

[Gold: 500]
[Continue or Back]
 

His finger pressed the “Continue” button. The kinds of items that Ethan may exchange then appear in a series of holographic images.

[Armor. Power. Item. Buff.]
[Skill. Weapon. Health Pack. Sell.]
 

What Terry said was right. Ethan might easily buy and use a "Health Pack" category. He then chose the "Health Pack" to see various health-restoring packets. He picked the 100 gold items with the lowest price. The price was incredibly high, given the difficulty of collecting gold at the initial level.

Immediately after purchasing it, Ethan's leg began to tingle. Even after the internal incision was closed, the wound seemed beaten. He gaped in amazement.

“This is pretty cool,” said Ethan.

Dane was curious and asked, "How much is it?"

“100 gold." Ethan gave a short smile.

"That's a lot of money. I still don't have any gold.” Terry's head trembled. 

Dane shrugged. “Neither do I.”

"Relax, we'll get it together," Ethan said.

The three of them cautiously entered the moldy-smelling structure, which felt damp to the touch. On the inside, it resembled medieval fortresses. A witches' tower containing a slew of terrible beasts. This was Ethan's thought as he sought to describe the structure.

Suddenly a holographic screen appeared in front of each of their faces. Ethan derived his expertise from the incoming data.

[Game Level: 2 – THE BEACON]
[Name: Ethan Mannon]
[Classification: Tank]
[Status: Greenhorn]
[Gold: 900]

“Hey, I got gold!” Dane exclaimed happily. “Is this a reward for passing the first level?”

"Don't we have to be in the top five at each level to get a reward? I had read on the game's instruction paper... if we're not in the top five, we have to repeat the game because we failed," Terry said.

Dane responded, "I know, but if you've entered status above Greenhorn, it appears that way.”

"How many states are there for this game?" asked Ethan curiously.

"Six, I'm not sure … probably about seven,” Dane stated.

"And levels?" Ethan continued his question.
"I know ninety-nine." This time it was Terry who answered.

They continued through the hallway that was lit only by torches. Ethan was two steps ahead of the other two, who were all packed with their guns and standing by. For some reason, he felt obliged to protect Terry and Dane. Simply, Ethan assumed they were both much younger than he was.

After all, Ethan was aware of the notion that Tank classification was the forerunner. He was a little unhappy that he chose a shield rather than a weapon.

They arrived at what appeared to be a circular hall. There were supposedly six more entrances, including the one they came for.

"Should we walk through one of those doors?" asked Dane as he gulped. "I don't know, those doors look scary. What will be waiting for us is unknown," he continued.

Terry conjectured, "Maybe there's a hint somewhere that tells us which one is a trap door.”

But there were no clues. They sat in thought for a long time, eventually turning to face the portals, which seemed to be an endless dark hallway and generated a slight wind.

Dane said, "Should we test every door and come back here if it doesn't seem safe?”

“I guess not,” Ethan said; there seemed to be just one entry and no way to turn back.

Terry complained, “I hate this game.”

Ethan examined the six doors and discovered that if the first door was the one they had entered, then doors two through six were the others. He wondered aloud whether it was some kind of puzzle to be solved. There had to be a hint, and the flare gave one.

Ethan inquired about the color of the beacon. “What color was the beacon?”

"Green." Dane merely stared at Ethan in awe.

"Green is a secondary color. Okay, here's my theory. If the first door is red, then the second and third are yellow and blue," said Ethan.

"They're primary colors," Dane said.

Ethan nodded. "Right. The fourth door is a combination of red and yellow, which means..."

"Orange!" cut in Terry.

"The fifth door is green, and the sixth is purple," Dane laughed. "Because green is a mixture of yellow and blue. And the combination of blue and red produces purple," he added.

Terry shouted. "All right, let's head to door number five!!"

He rushed towards the doorway, ahead of Ethan as well as Dane. But, as soon as Terry walked through the entrance, a massive boulder slid down so quickly that it left only a splash of blood on Ethan and Dane's bodies.

They both froze, not expecting Terry to be eliminated from the OFF LIMIT game.

"DAMN IT, ETHAN!!" screamed Dane in terror.