Too long…

The rules may have been summarized, but they were still far too long. Everything had gone so quickly and smoothly when Junsung played Mafia in college. But having the rules all written out this way made them seem far longer and more complex. The additional rules on Artificial Intelligence and Bingo complicated things even further. Junsung was tired, but the sentences at the bottom were enough to make his tiredness vanish. It was the same with other players, too.

“Hey, wait. The prize money…!”

“The prize money starts from 3.3 billion won and goes up?”

[That’s right. I missed the part on the increase in prize money.]

The players focused on the third rule about prize money. Reina sounded startled as she went on.

[I was so intent on explaining the penalty that I left out the good part. My apologies. I said in the selection round that the total prize for the main round would be at least 3.3 billion won, which means that the amount may increase — quite significantly, actually. Read the rules and you will understand this right away, so no explanations necessary, right? Of course, you’re always welcome to ask questions. Personally, I also wish that the prize money increases as far as possible.]

It was understandable that Reina skipped the part about the prize. Unlike the rules of prohibition that interfere with the game, this part didn’t really need the players to be cautious. Despite all the fear of death they had just experienced now, the players began to focus on the rules concerning the prize money more than any of the other rules. Junsung’s eyes opened wide at the amount.

Holy shit! 300 million won for each elimination…? So, the total prize is four billion won… or maybe even more than five billion won?

The numbers sounded so magical in his head. One thing that was certain was that the five million won they got for passing the selection round was really nothing. While everyone was in a whirlwind of greed and fear, spoke up harshly.

“Shit, even 3.3 billion won sounds unrealistic! And now, 6 billion won? There’s no way I can believe that. For all I know, it’s just some random number. And it’s also probably bullshit that there’s Artificial Intelligence sitting here, pretending to be a human. It’s just impossible even with modern science!”

“Hmmm…”

and nodded in agreement. Then chimed in, making a fuss. “Maybe there’s a hidden camera here somewhere! Streaming us in this survival game to some rich people in the dark, and getting money out of them. Like, they’re making a show of us!”

[What do you know about modern science and society?]

“What?”

Fed up with the heated arguments raised by the humans, Reina piped up. Blinking, she chose her words carefully.

[Basically, your lives or bodies, well… aren’t really worth much. At least compared to the expenses incurred or the prize money of 3.3 billion won for this test. Making a show of you? You know, disclosing this would only bankrupt companies. And some of you seem worried about your organs, but they’re no use, either.]

Companies?

That word captured Junsung’s attention, as if it connoted a dark secret. But Reina went right to the point, bluntly defining the situation as if there was nothing to hide.

[This is a clinical trial conducted by the most advanced companies to literally perform the Turing test of Artificial Intelligence. The huge prize money is covered by R&D expenses. The deadly Mafia is just a side.]

So, the name of this game was ultimately the Turing test.

Mafia was just a part of the Turing test, kind of like a game inside the game. Reina nonchalantly listed all the facts she knew.

[We are making you risk your lives for the huge amount of money because this is the best way to test the performance of Artificial Intelligence. The rules must be followed, and the prize money will definitely be paid. If not, the value of this study and data will be damaged. Do you get it? Or are you still confused?]

was the only one nodding in response to Reina’s attempt to convince the players. The rest just looked dubious. Then , who had never opened her mouth until then, spoke up.

“That’s crap.”

[What now?]

“

[Hmm…]

This was similar to complaint and yet slightly different. Whereas questioned the existence of Artificial Intelligence itself, pointed out that even if Artificial Intelligence was indeed among them, it was impossible to tell. Reina admitted that it was a good point.

[You’re right. The key to the Turing test is to distinguish Artificial Intelligence using natural language. So let me introduce the Artificial Intelligence Rules for everyone.]

Artificial Intelligence Rules

One of the twelve players is Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is not capable of lying.

“Oh…?”

The rules were definitely different and unique.

A few players’ faces actually lit up when they saw the second rule, including Junsung Kim. As someone who had played Mafia before, he couldn’t believe it.

Does this rule actually work? In Mafia?

The assumption that machines don’t lie is a well-known belief and cliché, but this seemed like an inappropriate rule to apply to this kind of game.

Unbothered by what the players were thinking, Reina announced the start of the game.

[Thank you for listening to the long explanation. Now, let us start the first day of Mafia. Well, even though the sun has already set.]

It was already past 8 p.m. The explanation had definitely been long. According to Reina, although the sun had set, it was still “daytime,” which was only set to end at 10 p.m. in Mafia. They still had room for one “trial” and one “Bingo.” stared at the clock for a moment.

“It’s kind of weird… no, kind of unfair.”

[What do you mean?]

“It was already past 6 p.m. when we were all gathered together, and then we had dinner, and the long explanation of the rules went on forever… And the game has actually begun after 8 p.m. So, without doing anything, the first night is already here. Is this how it goes?”

[Ah yes, it’s actually intended to be that way. On Day 1, there’s nothing to discuss as there is no information… That’s why the time had to be short, so you can all use your brains and start from scratch instead of relying on information. It’s kind of like the game designer’s trick while sticking to the rules. Hope you understand. But if you start voting before 10 p.m., I will not end the day until the results come out even if it lasts longer than that. There’s always “reasonable flexibility,” so no worries!]

All the sneaky plans were already in place, and she called this flexible? Damn her.

Reina, the Artificial Intelligence, has succeeded in getting rid of the sun in the day.

And now all that was left was the survival game for 12 players. Day 1 of Mafia and the Turing test had officially begun.

[Total prize: 3, 300, 000, 000 won]

“……”

For over 10 minutes, silence dominated the conference room even with twelve people in the room. There was some kind of deadlock. The older players who did not know much about Mafia Game were busy checking the rules, whereas the ones who knew how to play the game remained silent.

One of the key points in this goddamn game is…That the frivolous ones always die first. It was best to stay invisible, whether for a citizen vote in the day, or a mafia attack at night.

Finally, broke the long silence. “Uh, everyone. It’s going to be night-time soon.”

“Can’t help it. We can’t just accuse someone of being a mafia without any proof and kill them.”

“That’s ‘trial.’ At least we should do ‘Bingo,’ as it won’t kill anyone.”

“What’s the difference? We have no clue who Artificial Intelligence is.”

The fact that Artificial Intelligence couldn’t lie seemed powerful at first, but at this point it didn’t seem to matter, as more than half the players weren’t even speaking. When everyone fell into silence again, chuckled and spoke up in a friendly voice, “I don’t know what all this is about. Why don’t we just vote on anything for a start?”

“Old Man! Thoughtless votes will kill people!”

“Huh. Isn’t that what voters in this country have always done?”

“Oh… wait. Wait a sec, everyone!” While everyone was squabbling, , who had been mostly quiet throughout the process, checked the rules and raised her hand. “We can vote to do or not do something for both the trial and Bingo. We don’t have much of a risk if we fail in the Bingo vote. Why don’t we ‘vote to do Bingo or not’ first? How do we start the vote, Reina?”

[You just have to tell me you want to start. But once the vote begins, you get a 10-minute time limit. This is to prevent game crashers who would refuse to vote.]

“That’s new. So if I don’t press the button in 10 minutes, I lose my right to vote?”

[No. Everyone who doesn’t vote gets eliminated for not participating in the game.]

“… Scary.”

This kind of thing doesn’t really matter in the real Mafia Game, as everyone is always eager to vote.

But when the game involves life and death and billions of won, every rule and the smallest detail had to be double-checked. Reina said, [It’s all about being flexible. So shall we start the vote to do Bingo or not?]

“Wait, I object,” said , all of a sudden.

“You object? What?” asked .

“Oh, I mean I’m going to vote against doing Bingo. You will all see my name anyway as it’s going to be an open vote, so I’m just saying this openly right now.”

“What? It’s not a trial that would kill someone. Why the hell are you against Bingo finding Artificial Intelligence? There’s a 1/12 chance that we can all get out of this alive with 300 million won!” blew up at for his announcement. When kept his mouth shut, thrust his fist into face and began yelling. “So you’re Artificial Intelligence, huh? That’s why you’re against the vote!”

“That seems too convenient.”

[Hello? Anybody? Are we starting the vote to do Bingo or not?]

“Wait, wait! We need 11 votes, and there’s already a no. Put it off!”

In less than five minutes, the silence had turned into complete chaos. nervously tapped her shoulder with her fingers.

“If we need 11 votes, who cares if that guy votes ‘no’?” she mumbled.

“No way, we need to set an example for this kind of thing! Hey, , tell us why you’re against Bingo.”

“Yeah, right. I have the right to remain silent. Well, it’s a perfect game for that, as violence is not allowed.”

“The right to remain silent? My ass! You’re the mafia, so you don’t want this game to end with Bingo! You wanna kill all these people and take more money! This bastard should be eliminated with a trial!”

Hmmm…?

second accusation was far more insightful than the first. It sounded threatening, too. knitted his eyebrows and flinched a little. “Hey, Reina, this guy here is violating my legitimate voting rights and is threatening me. Is that allowed?”

[Not a problem at all. He’s not stopping the vote itself. Abusive language, witch-hunting, and threats make Mafia Game so much fun. Of course, physical violence is not allowed.]

“This game is far more ridiculous than I thought. Fine. I’ll vote ‘yes.’ Whatever happened to democracy!”

After was completely subdued by , everyone exchanged looks and nodded slightly. Reina blinked. [Fine. So let’s begin the first vote to do Bingo or not. On your tablet, tap “Yes” if you’re in favor of this vote, and “No” if you’re against it. All votes will be disclosed openly. Don’t get your hopes up about anonymity! You have 10 minutes to… Well, but you’re all done in just 20 seconds!]

Yes: Humanities, Engineering, Hothead, Social Worker, Muscle Man, Christian, Old Man, Prostitute, Intellectual, Janitor, Schoolgirl, and Free-timer.

No: N/A

Result: With at least 11 “yes” votes, you will have Bingo on Day 1.