On the eleventh deck, at a particular spot inside the test hall known as Ice Dumpster, Lirzod was watching Burton compete with the rest. All the competitors brawled with each other in a three-foot-high icy-cold pool. At any chance, exactly a hundred of the entries were allowed to enter on one side, and those who reached the opposite side first would have won the test and would then be eligible to go to the twelfth deck.

Burton had already tried it three times and failed. An entry could only participate once every three consecutive contests. However, he first had to wrestle with the masses to get a ticket for entering the event, which was nothing less than a brutal brawl of entries.

Getting a ticket for the contest was one thing, but winning it was an entirely different thing. Inside the pool known to many mouths as Ice Dumpster, people pummeled one another pitilessly, dragged others by their legs, pulled each other down underwater, stomped over some, pulled each other’s hair, tore others clothes and did everything one could imagine as long as the contestants' actions didn’t break the rules. In short, everyone did their best to stop every other from reaching the opposite end.

This was the deck test of the eleventh deck.

Even though armors and weapons weren’t allowed, it was still quite unmannerly to observe. No footwear was allowed either. There was a famous saying, ‘A round does end without someone spilling blood in the ice dumpster.’

As the contestants battered each other's bodies and likewise broke bones, the audience cheered wildly. Every time someone got their teeth to take a tour into the air, or when someone bled from their legs, a wild response arose out of the audience from witnessing the agony in that contestant's face. However, what made them bellow more than anything was the burning passion of the contestants who fought back even from the brink of getting crushed under other’s feet.

On the eleventh deck, inside the ice dumpster, neither were the losers looked down upon nor were they pitied.

The winner, however, would be praised by the rest and would be given a big cigar for smokers, or a bowl of soup to nonsmokers so they could warm themselves up after the test.

Some people made it their business to get tickets and sell them for others. Depending on the type of contestants that were present in a contest, people were either willing to spend more or less on the ticket.

Burton lost in his fourth attempt as well and came to Lirzod, gasping somewhat heavily. At least, he wasn’t severely wounded anywhere and only suffered minor bruises here and there.

“What happened? Got scared?” Lirzod teasingly said, his arms crossed, standing in a poised posture. The number ‘11’ could be seen tattooed on his little finger in place of the previous tattoo ‘10.’ "Like when you face my buffets."

“Scared?” Burton was vexed from Lirzod's words. “I’m not like you who will blindly take part in every contest without putting much thought. And I was never scared of your lame buffets either. The opposite is truer.”

“Right, right,” Lirzod sarcastically sighed, “so... can you tell me what you discerned about the test with your four-time losing experience?”

Burton controlled his urge from stopping Lirzod’s mouth with his fist. “Well, this isn’t a race but a team event.” Burton looked at some clustered groups among the participants that helped one another reach the destination. "It's chillingly cold in there, but to top it off, there are angled ice spikes hidden at random spots at the bottom. Those are not ordinary ice spikes. They aren’t breaking as one might expect. I’m not showing it, but the bones in my legs are still aching, especially my feet. It’s been a good practice, to be honest.”

“So you are strengthening your feet with each appearance in the pool, huh…” Lirzod pondered for a moment. “Mm, that doesn’t sound like something you would do, but I guess you are taking things slowly as well.”

“As our fathers told us that we should,” Burton took a deep breath, getting his respiration under control. “As much as I hate to say it... unless we three help each other, I don’t see any of us succeeding in this thing with ease and without standing out.”

“So, teamwork is needed for us to dump this Ice Dumpster,” Lirzod looked at the event where men were brawling like beasts and screaming along those lines. “But I’m not entirely healed yet,” he placed his hand on the ribs. Though it wasn’t paining as much as it did an hour back, he could still feel the soreness and heat, “and Sawshin Sariyu is yet to finish the race. Your future doesn’t look good.”

“Not mine, but yours,” Burton folded his arms, standing straight as they watched the next round. “We have to take all our chances to win with minimum strength, but I’m not going to team up with you if it’s just the two of us.”

“Fine by me,” Lirzod said and smiled. “Show me how you’ll win alone.”

“Yeah, just stand there and keep wasting your time watching me win,” Burton took part in the struggle to obtain a ticket for the next round of the test, and this time he quickly got it. His eyes reflected a renewed vigor as the contest began. He slipped past a few men only to end up getting caught in a sacrificing circle a few contestants made. Before he could clear past their blockage, a few others made it to the other end of the pool. The result was his failure. He came back in a wet dress and stood at a distance to Lirzod.

“Getting to witness Big Brother fail at things might not be a rare thing,” Lirzod chortled, “but I never personally saw it so much till now. To think it would give this much thrill...” he looked at Burton. “What about the sixth attempt?”

Burton stood still and said nothing but let out a smile that appeared forced.

“Here you are!” a voice sounded out, and someone placed a hand on Lirzod’s shoulder. Upon turning back, Hundred's face flashed before him, backed by a cannot-be-contained grin that birthed on his lips.

“Whoa, what are you doing here?” Lirzod wandered in his thoughts.

“I was looking for you. That’s what I was doing!” Hundred fumed as he fantasized about violence, but at the same time, he seemed like he was about to cry. “After knowing that I didn’t have the promised amount of almonds, those Stone Spitters toyed with me.”

“They did?” Lirzod's softened voice contained wonder as he took a gander at the ceiling.

Hundred ground his teeth, controlling his urge to slap Lirzod hard. “You have no idea of the hardships I went through because of you, just because of you.”

Lirzod was startled. “I knew that you didn’t have an entire kilo of almonds. That’s why I waited in my room for you, but you didn’t show up. So, I thought you must have taken care of it somehow.”

“You did?” Hundred was taken aback a little. He didn’t know whether to believe his words or not, but for sure, he slapped himself. “I’m a fool. I never thought of coming to your room.”

“So you thought I had fooled you, huh…” Lirzod turned away from Hundred.

“What else can anyone think?” Hundred tried to swallow all the sadness. “You should have at least come to my room.”

“I don’t know where your room is.”

“What? I don’t have a separate room, and I live together with many other hollows in the dorms of the H block. It wouldn’t be hard to find at all.”

“But I don’t know that either.”

Frustration built upon Hundred’s face. “I came here to rock your boat, but now... I’m not sure anymore.”

“You can just watch us participate in the test until you decide,” Lirzod suggested.

Hundred was surprised a bit. “This Ice Dumpster challenge isn’t for the faint of the heart. Surely not for those that fear to face fists—” While saying, he remembered that Lirzod picked a fight with Geragorn. “You can participate in it, though.”

“Since you are a hollow, you should have an estimation about this. How long do you think it will take to reach the hundredth deck?” Lirzod asked eagerly. “And also the top deck.”

“You are worrying about that now itself? You are thinking too far ahead.”

“Just tell me,” Lirzod persisted.

“Well, if you maintain your current speed,” Hundred didn’t even pause for a moment, “forget about the top deck, you can’t even reach the hundredth!”

“What?” Lirzod’s whole body straightened, and eyes widened. “That can’t happen, no matter what!”

“If you keep standing like this doing nothing, that’s what will happen.”

“I should first help Sariyu pass through the tenth level,” Lirzod said and took a quick turn toward Burton. “If we both go there, we will have to retake the test. So why don’t you go to her?”

“There’s no need for that,” a voice came from the side, and those two recognized that it was Sariyu’s.

Sariyu looked around, and thousands of people were clustered at different spots in the hall, though most of them were present nearby the ice dumpster. The more the number of rooms in one residence there were, the more distant the hearts of its residents will grow, and such a residence never lasts long. The ridiculous number of rooms on this ship is disgustingly huge, but I guess these booths and halls are making up for it by getting people together and forging some bonds while also providing them food and entertainment in one way or another.

Sariyu somewhat felt comforted after arriving at the hall as most of the streets she had strolled on the eleventh deck to reach the test hall were pretty much uninhabited. Walking in such streets subtly ruffled her like never before. Some other streets were all packed with men and men alone. Her problem wasn’t just that she didn’t see a single female on the eleventh deck, but it was much more. In a few other streets, people minded their own business, having locked themselves in their rooms. She couldn’t help but consider the fact that she probably had stayed in her room for almost a week if Geragorn wasn’t sent to the higher decks as sooner.

“Hey, you finished it?” Burton quirked an eyebrow, keeping his smile at bay.

“Yes, with a few hints from this guy...” she pointed her fingers toward someone, who was none other than 777.

“Actually, the hints I’ve given weren’t related to the race but on how one can climb the decks quick,” 777 politely said. “Ms. Sariyu seemed to like my words and so decided to make me her offsider.”

“What? Your offsider was him?” Lirzod was displeased, and his eyes darted daggers at him. “He’s a coward. At best, he slows you down. At worst, he abandons you. Tell him to leave.”

777, however, pleasantly smiled back.

“Did you think I was praising you or what?” Lirzod furrowed his brows. “Just go back to your room on the tenth deck and—”

“Didn’t you hear what I said?” Sariyu twisted Lirzod’s ear. “I’m saying that he has already helped me. So, shut your mouth.”

“F-Fine, but tell him to wear a mask,” Lirzod implied with all his heart.

“Mask?” His words puzzled her a little. “Why?”

“If I see his smiling face, I might lose my temper and smack his face.”

“Is he serious?” 777 was startled, and his smile was all nerves.

“He’s just kidding,” Sariyu said and secretly glared at Lirzod, giving him chills.

“Y-Yeah, I wasn’t kidding,” He said but instantly got pinched by her. “I mean, I was!”

“I guess you both have been bungling every attempt to have not passed this contest till now,” she looked at both Lirzod and Burton.“Let’s try this thing for real, shall we?”

“You want to try it right away without any preparation?” 777 asked out of shock.

“Of course, even if we go at our current pace, we might only climb a hundred decks at best,” Sariyu said, cracking her knuckles. "Now that would be a real waste of an opportunity of viewing the decks at the top, don't you think?"

“I’m fine with the hundredth,” Lirzod said, saving the moments his imagination brought forth.

“Maybe you are, but I want to do better than that,” she gave sharp eye contact.

"Then feel free to do that," Lirzod bit his finger and gave a silent look, negative thoughts flooding his mind.

"You don't have to tell me that," she glanced at 777, maintaining a positive outlook. "Get a ticket."

"Oh, is that ticket for me?" Lirzod hurriedly asked, stepping closer.

"For me," a cold glance from her made Lirzod go back to where he was.

“Hmph!” Lirzod snorted and folded his arms before looking away. “I wasn’t gonna take a ticket brought by him anyway.”

Seeing that the contest just ended, 777 went and participated in the struggle for a ticket. Burton was next to do that.

Hundred crossed his arms before looking at Lirzod. “When are you gonna go?”

“I thought you would bring it for me,” said Lirzod casually.

“And why would I do that?” Hundred was rather tolerant.

“Because only you can bring the ticket for sure,” Lirzod said, “you have the ticket-selling experience, don’t you? I doubt there’s anyone in this hall that can get a ticket faster than you.”

Hundred blankly stared at him for a few seconds, trying his best to not show over compliance. “You are right.” He quickly moved onward and slipped through the crowd as he headed toward the assistant referee who was distributing the tickets.

“You could have gone in,” Sariyu looked at Lirzod in a stony expression. “It would have served as a good warmup, at least.”

“No worries. Lirzod knows when he needs one,” Lirzod's eyes shone as his palm pressed to the heart.

Sariyu observed the ice dumpster. It sure looks unpleasant. Luckily, I’m wearing an old dress.

777 came back with a ticket and began to murmur something in her ears.

“Hey,” Burton, who was right behind him, placed his hand on 777’s shoulder, making him turn back. “Don’t act like you’re her close friend.” His voice was as cold as ever, and his eyes were devoid of warmth. “Keep your distance.”

777 squeezed his eyes shut, and his hands slapped against the cheeks. “Ah, sorry.”

"I don't want your sorry," Burton indifferently said, "just don't repeat it."

"Y-Yeah," a tentative smile exuded out of his lips.

Sariyu didn’t say anything and fixedly looked elsewhere for a moment.

Lirzod furtively stretched his tongue out and teased 777, making him look down from the loss of face.

Hundred returned with a ticket and handed it to Lirzod. “You owe me a kilo of almonds. Remember.that," he took short breaths as he spoke.

Lirzod awkwardly smiled as he scrubbed the back of his neck with his palm. “Forget about the almonds. I will give you money.”

“No. I don't want money. I want those almonds grown in mid-summer and watered three times a week,” Hundred said, his calculations coruscating through his eyes, "those almonds only." He couldn’t even remember how many times the Stone Spitters repeated the same phrase again and again, so much that he might never forget it in this lifetime.

Lirzod’s smile stiffened as he slid his forefinger on the eyebrow. “Isn’t there any other way?”

“No. I could have easily asked you for two kilos, but since you said you waited for me in your room," Hundred’s utterance was unsentimental. "I’m now only asking what you owe me."

Lirzod ruminated for a few seconds before whispering in his ears, “How about this? You place bets that all the three of us would win, and if we did, the almonds deal gets canceled.”

Hundred was more or less astonished, but his mannerisms still demonstrated diffidence. His itinerant gaze vetted over Lirzod while weighing all the options. “What if you fail?”

“I’ll give you half the money you bet," Lirzod’s words were as straight as an arrow, " plus the promised almonds as well."

“Deal.” Hundred didn't have to think when agreeing to such a deal. He put his hand forward for a handshake.

“Handshakes are for the unknown, Hundred,” Lirzod said and then looked at Sariyu and slowly slid his feet closer to her. “Let’s get a hug after we win, got it?”

“Don’t be silly. I’d rather hug the unknown than hug you,” Sariyu straight out denied his request, making him sulk.

Lirzod's feet slid back toward Hundred, albeit unwillingly. “Alright. Handshakes then.”

“Y-Yeah,” Hundred put his hands in his pockets.

At that moment, everybody had finished taking the tickets. And the time for their participation arrived.

The three of them stepped ahead, leaving Hundred and 777 behind, both of whom briefly glanced at each other before minding their own business. 777 stayed right where he was, while Hundred went to the betting counter.

“These three are directly jumping in without much practice,” 777 had a doubtful and unexpecting countenance. “Maybe if they’re wakelings, it’s necessary, but I don’t think that’s the case. They would maybe have some chance if they had spent some time in the mock hall, but at this rate, they are just going to waste time,” he sighed. “Anyway, It’ll be easy to change her mind once she comes out with a loss.”

"All the contestants who took the tickets must come to the starting point," the referee spoke through a mic-like object which looked like a small, raised elephant trunk made out of metal, stone, cloth, flesh, and hair. It was called a haileron[1]. "All the ticket numbers that won't make it will not be able to participate in the next two rounds, but only in the one after that. Now, come on!" He still had to shout out of his lungs like a vendor at a local market, maybe lacking in grace but not prowess.

Most among those, who didn't yet make it to the starting spot, hurried like their lives depended on it.

A very helpless few, however, were still bargaining for the ticket in a dreaded tongue.

...............................................

[1] Haileron: A tool specifically made to amplify sound, especially used to exclusively greet and praise kings in the past. It was inspired by another tool called ragron.