The Three-Second Rule: My Death Game System

Chapter 9: The Blood Exchange

 

The massive rusted vault doors ground shut behind them, sealing with a heavy, reverberating THUD that echoed down the narrow, dimly lit concrete stairwell.

They were entirely cut off from the gallery above. The only way was down.

Chloe leaned against the cold concrete wall, trembling as the adrenaline finally began to crash. She looked at Kael’s empty hands, then at the heavy revolver tucked into his waistband.

"You threw the cleaver away to save weight in the elevator," she whispered, her voice shaking. "And now the gun is empty. If we run into another Butcher... or whatever that golden thing was... we're defenseless."

Kael didn't stop walking. His bloody socks left faint, dark prints on the concrete steps. "An empty revolver still weighs two and a half pounds. It’s solid steel. Against a skull, it works just fine."

He didn't offer any false reassurance. The reality was grim. The 3-Second Precognition was an incredibly powerful tool, but it only showed him the immediate future; it didn't magically grant him the physical means to kill a monster. He needed a weapon, and he needed it now.

They descended for several minutes until the stairs ended at a pristine, sliding glass door. It stood in jarring contrast to the rusted hellscape they had just navigated.

Above the door, a glowing green neon sign hummed quietly: [CHECKPOINT 1: SANCTUARY]

Kael stepped through the glass doors. The environment changed instantly. The air was comfortably warm and smelled faintly of antiseptic. They were standing in a brilliantly lit, sterile white room that resembled a high-end medical clinic.

In the center of the room stood a row of sleek, automated vending terminals with glowing touchscreens. Behind reinforced glass panels were rows of tactical gear: combat knives, trauma kits, MREs, bottled water, and boxes of heavy-caliber ammunition.

"Thank God..." Chloe gasped, practically diving toward the nearest terminal that displayed bottles of clean water. She tapped the glass frantically. "How do we open it? Are there coins? Keycards?"

Kael approached a terminal displaying ammunition. He touched the glowing screen.

The screen flashed, displaying a simple, brutal menu.

[ITEM: .357 Magnum Ammunition (6 Rounds)] [PRICE: 400ml Blood]

[ITEM: Tactical Combat Knife (Carbon Steel)] [PRICE: 300ml Blood]

[ITEM: Purified Water (500ml)] [PRICE: 50ml Blood]

Below the screen, a small, sterilized metallic port extended outward, fitted with a thick, automated intravenous needle.

"They don't want money," Kael said coldly. "They want us."

Chloe stared at the needle, her face draining of the little color it had left. "Blood? They want us to bleed for a bottle of water?"

"It’s an economy of attrition," Kael deduced, instantly analyzing the system's logic. "They give you a safe zone, but to survive the next floor, you have to weaken yourself. Buy too much, and you pass out or die of hypovolemic shock before you even face the next monster."

Kael didn't hesitate. He rolled up the sleeve of his blood-stained shirt, exposing his forearm.

"What are you doing?!" Chloe panicked. "You can't give that much! An average person starts experiencing severe shock after losing a liter!"

"I need bullets, and I need a blade," Kael replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "Without them, my probability of survival drops to zero percent."

He jammed his arm into the metallic port. The machine clamped down with a mechanical whir, and the thick needle seamlessly pierced his vein.

Kael gritted his teeth. He watched the clear plastic tubing instantly turn dark red as the machine began rapidly pumping his blood into a hidden reservoir.

The digital counter on the screen ticked up terrifyingly fast.

100ml... 200ml... 300ml...

A wave of intense dizziness washed over him. His vision blurred slightly at the edges, and a cold sweat broke out across his forehead. The 3-Second Precognition already put a heavy strain on his neural pathways; now, rapid blood loss was compounding the physical toll.

500ml... 600ml... 700ml.

BEEP.

The machine released his arm. The needle retracted, applying a swift, sterile bandage over the puncture mark.

Below the screen, the reinforced glass slid open.

Kael staggered backward, his legs briefly turning to lead. He caught himself on the edge of the terminal, shaking his head to clear the sudden, heavy fog in his brain.

He reached into the compartment, pulling out a sleek, matte-black carbon steel combat knife and a speedloader containing six heavy .357 rounds.

With practiced, mechanical precision, he snapped the cylinder of his revolver open, dropped the six fresh rounds inside, and snapped it shut with a satisfying click. He holstered the gun and strapped the combat knife to his thigh.

He was dangerously pale, but he was armed.

Before Chloe could even decide if she was brave enough to trade her own blood for water, the glass doors on the opposite side of the Sanctuary slid open with a soft chime.

Kael’s hand instantly dropped to his revolver.

Three men walked into the pristine white room. They were heavily bruised, covered in dried blood, and carried an assortment of crude, terrifying weapons. The leader, a massive man with a jagged scar across his bald head, held a blood-stained fire axe. The other two carried sharpened steel pipes.

They had clearly survived a different, equally brutal route to reach this checkpoint.

The scarred leader stopped in his tracks, his eyes darting around the sterile room before locking onto Kael and Chloe. A slow, predatory grin spread across his face.

He saw Chloe, trembling and defenseless. Then he looked at Kael. He saw the pale skin, the sweat, the slight tremor in Kael’s legs from the massive blood loss—and more importantly, he saw the shiny new combat knife and the fully reloaded revolver.

"Well, well, well," the scarred man chuckled, tapping his fire axe against his palm. "Looks like we hit the jackpot, boys. A fresh gun and a pretty little bonus."

The hidden intercom in the ceiling chimed instantly. "Notice: Any acts of violence committed within the Sanctuary will result in the immediate incineration of the aggressor."

The scarred man laughed, unbothered. "Hear that, kid? We can't touch you in here."

He walked forward, stopping just five feet away from Kael, his massive frame casting a shadow over the weakened young man.

"But you can't stay in here forever," the leader sneered, pointing a massive, calloused finger at the exit doors behind him. "My boys and I are going to buy some water, and then we’re going to walk right out that door and wait on the other side. The absolute second you step out of this safe zone, I'm going to chop your hands off and take that gun."

The man leaned in closer, his breath reeking of stale sweat and copper. "So, you can either hand the gun and the girl over to me right now, or we can do this the messy way outside. Your choice, pale boy."

Chloe backed away, terrified, looking at Kael’s pale, weakened state.

Kael didn't back down. He didn't even blink. He looked at the massive man with the exact same cold, dead expression he had given the monsters.

[Ability Triggered: 3-Second Precognition.]