"This is the contract for the competition, Mr. Jon Snow. Please take a look. If everything looks fine, just sign here."
Jon Snow didn't reply. He silently took the contract from the other person's hand and began to read.
[Game of Ice and Fire: Battle Royal Participation Agreement]
Party A provides Party B with a means to travel through time, as well as a physical body to use in the world of Ice and Fire.
Party B voluntarily agrees to travel to the world of Ice and Fire to take part in the competition and accepts full legal responsibility for doing so.
Details of the rules
Details of the rewards
The organizer of the game was an organization from a higher dimension. They had arrived in Jon Snow's world over ten years ago, bringing with them powers and technology far beyond anything his world had ever known.
Luckily, they hadn't come to conquer—but to entertain.
Even more surprising, they followed local laws. For example, anyone participating in the upcoming game was required to sign a formal contract.
It took Jon Snow almost half an hour to read the not-so-long agreement carefully, word by word.
The main points of the contract could be summed up in four parts:
About the competition: This is a battle royal set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, featuring a total of 100 players.
Victory conditions: Victory can be declared in two cases: either all players outside of an alliance are eliminated, or the total score of an alliance reaches 10,000 points—provided all alliance members agree to declare victory. If the alliance members can't agree, the alliance will automatically dissolve.
(Players can form alliances using an in-game support system. Each alliance can have up to four members.) When victory is declared, all surviving players will be returned to their original worlds one hour after the game began.
Prize rules:
If a single player wins, they will receive tens of billions of dollars.
If two players win together, they will split one billion dollars.
If three players win together, they will share ten million dollars.
If four players win, they will divide one million dollars equally.
Warning: If a player dies in the game, they die in real life.
When Jon Snow finally put the contract down, the receptionist from the organizing team asked, "Any questions, Mr. Jon Snow?"
"Of course," Jon Snow nodded. "As far as I know, you've hosted competitions like this before. The prize money was always reasonable—but this time it's been raised to an insane level. I'd like to know why."
"Have you looked closely at the name of this competition?" the receptionist asked with a smile.
'Ice and Fire Escape Game?'" Jon Snow raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, I don't really get the name. I've watched all your past games. They were all Lord-type battle games. So?"
"This time the competition is very different," the receptionist replied. "Our previous games focused on players becoming lords and then fighting for dominance. We gave players a lot of support in the early stages to help them develop.
In the later stages, death became less likely—because if a player realized they had no hope of winning, they could just give up, hide in a small village, and wait until others fulfilled the victory conditions. Then they'd be sent home safely as survivors."
"But that won't work this time?"
"No. This time, players will face deadly competition from the moment they arrive. Everyone will be forced to fight—and even kill—right from the start.
We're also limiting the resources available through the support system. Players will have to take huge risks to get anything. In fact," the receptionist leaned forward slightly, "I can tell you now: many players won't get a single resource during the entire game.
Some may even collapse completely because of how the new mechanics work."
In this competition, the risks players face are higher than ever before. Honestly, it wouldn't be surprising if only a handful of participants made it out alive.
"Can you give me more details?" Jon Snow cut in. "Like the specific mechanism you mentioned—the one that will drain players' energy?"
"Of course not," the receptionist replied with a polite smile that never changed. "All game mechanics can only be accessed by players once they enter the game."
"I see." The receptionist held out a pen. "I've made you aware of the risks. Until the final participant list is confirmed, you can still choose to back out. So, will you sign?"
"You know I don't have a choice." Jon Snow smiled faintly and shook his head. He took the pen and signed the agreement without hesitation.
He was terminally ill. Without access to expensive treatment, he had less than three months left to live. No matter how dangerous the game was, it was his only shot. To be blunt, even if he died in the game, surviving for three more months in another world would still be worth it.
So when the organizers reached out with an invitation, he agreed without a second thought. He took part in the preliminary selection process, which included a written test, a situational simulation, and a trial match. Participants were chosen based on their total score.
Although Jon Snow couldn't take part in the trial match due to his health, his high scores in the first two rounds allowed him to stand out among nearly 10,000 applicants and secure a place in the final competition.
"All right, Mr. Jon Snow, your spot in the competition is now confirmed," the receptionist said, tapping something on a tablet. "Please rest for a while. Once we've processed all participants, I'll take you to the operations room."
Jon Snow didn't respond. He simply closed his eyes and waited.
Some time later, the receptionist spoke again. "Mr. Jon Snow, 27 players who qualified for the main competition have chosen to withdraw. Their spots have been filled by applicants further down the list."
"Only 27?" Jon Snow opened his eyes, surprised. "Less than a third dropped out?"
"Haha, Mr. Jon Snow," the receptionist chuckled, "not all contestants come from peaceful countries like yours. For those living in war-torn regions, the chance at hundreds of millions in prize money outweighs even a 90% chance of death."
Jon Snow gave a dry, bitter smile.
"There's one more thing," the receptionist continued. "It's not exactly good news. The two allies you arranged to team up with have both withdrawn. So at least in the early stages, you'll be on your own."
Jon Snow's heart sank.
He had suspected this might happen. His two planned allies were also from the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and their lives weren't particularly hard. It made sense that they wouldn't want to risk their lives for a dangerous game like this.
Still, hearing it confirmed left a bitter taste in his mouth. It meant his challenge had just become even harder.
"Mr. Jon Snow, if you're ready, please follow me."
"All right."