“What…!?”

The impact of those words was incredible. The players looked around swiftly, all at the same time, to see if they could identify the “humans” around them.

[Physical contact is not allowed.]

“Ugh…!”

A few players who tried to instinctively feel the person next to them flinched. They could not be blamed as touch was probably the only way to identify the unknown. But to Junsung, all the other 11 players looked completely human. Reina sounded so sure of herself as she went on.

[You cannot tell by touching each other, anyway. So now you understand why there are 11 participants but 12 players, right? One of you is Artificial Intelligence. Okay, and number three. Why is this game called Mafia and the Turing test at the same time? This literally means that, while you play Mafia, you are also trying to identify the Artificial Intelligence among you. Let me explain this with the end conditions of Mafia.]

End Conditions:

The game ends when:

All mafia players are eliminated An equal number of mafia and citizens are left alive There are four players left The players successfully select, identify, and expose Artificial Intelligence with Bingo

[Numbers one and two are the general end conditions of Mafia. All of you heard about number three during the selection round. Even in the worst-case scenario, the game ends when four players are left. All of you can survive in the case of number four. Of course, this requires you to find Artificial Intelligence before anyone gets eliminated. As long as you figure out which one is Artificial Intelligence in here, you can all go home safe, the mafia, citizens, sheriff, doctor, and everyone else.]

So, there’s Artificial Intelligence in here? Seriously?

Junsung just couldn’t believe it. The masked man in the selection round was nothing more than a well-dressed robot. But all 12 players here looked so natural. They were breathing, moving, and talking, and yet one of them was Artificial Intelligence! There was one other question. Junsung raised his hand.

“So what exactly is Bingo?”

[Well, it’s similar to the daytime trial.]

Game Plan (Daytime - Bingo)

During the day, the players get a chance to do one Bingo. If the (total number of players - 1) agree after [voting to do Bingo], the Bingo vote begins. The player that receives most of the votes in the [Bingo vote] is immediately identified as Artificial Intelligence or not. If the player selected in the [Bingo vote] is human, the result is announced and the game will continue. If the player is Artificial Intelligence, the game will end.

There was this ridiculous [vote to do Bingo or not] also in these rules, which were almost the same as the trial, but also different in a way. adjusted his glasses and said, “In rule number two, what does ‘total number of players -1’ mean?”

[This literally means that, as there are a total of 12 players now, you need 11 votes. If there are 11 players, you need 10 votes, and so on.]

“What? We need as many as 11 votes?”

[There’s a profound meaning behind this. But I do not want to tell you that now. Just accept the rules!]

A profound meaning, huh?

Junsung briefly thought about why they made it so difficult to call the Bingo vote.

I guess it was to keep the game, or the Turing test, from getting over too soon. Or maybe this assumption was too obvious?

Junsung decided to stop thinking as there was no way he could figure out the profound meaning underlying this decision himself. Reina continued to explain the rules of the Bingo vote.

[During the day, you can have one trial and one Bingo. You can do any one of them at a time, and not both at once. At night, the mafia members get a chance to vote. The doctor can defend, and the sheriff can detect. Sounds fun, right?]

“…”

Not a single player had a positive response to Reina’s question, as they were all frantically reading the rules. Suddenly, Reina changed the subject.

[Oh, wait. Let me ask you guys a question. When the citizens get eliminated by the mafia at night, well… I don’t quite understand human psychology here, so I have to ask. Would you prefer to die when you’re asleep, or die when you’re awake, knowing that you would be killed?]

“…!?!?!!?”

What kind of a question was that?

The players were all appalled. However, Reina was simply asking this to proceed with the game. After a long silence, carefully spoke up.

“Oh hell, if… if you wanna know, I guess it’s better to die asleep without knowing.”

“Right, that’s a good way to die,” said

“But then you’re dead just like that! Isn’t it better to say your last words before you die?”

“Last words my ass! We’re all complete strangers. What would you even say?”

“I already made my will back at home.”

Although there were some slightly different views, there was a general consensus: the players preferred dying in their sleep. Reina blinked as she spoke.

[So it’s agreed? The citizens chosen for elimination will be .]

[Oh, good. I was worried we may have to call a vote or something.]

That piece of shit! What’s with this shitty question? Just decide for yourself, you bitch!

Most players, including Junsung, looked pale. He had been focusing fully on the rules, but the sudden description of the “specific form of death” by Reina put him in complete, utter fear. But Reina had no intention of stopping there. She slowly spun her red body before she spoke up again.

[So I guess we’re done describing the day and night. Now it’s show time. You will each get a role. Like I said, there are three mafia members, one sheriff, one doctor, and seven citizens. In 30 seconds, you will receive a memo with your role written on it at the bottom-right corner of your tablet. Hide it well…]

“What!?”

“Wait, wait!”

“…Argh!”

The players already had their tablets inside their drawers under the table, but Reina’s announcement made them all slump over the drawer, struggling to hide their tablets and holding their breaths.

Feeling a deep sense of panic after listening to all this, Junsung’s heart was pounding at a speed that he had never experienced before in his life. The tension was far greater now than it was when he checked the results of his college admission. After 30 seconds passed, which felt like eternity, each tablet received a message.

[Junsung Kim, you are a .]

“…Citizen…”

A million thoughts and feelings crossed his mind. For a moment, he was disappointed because being a citizen seemed like the most ordinary and weak role in the game. But then he began to look on the bright side, as humans usually do when they’re completely cornered.

Well, it’s not too bad. I didn’t even want to be the mafia and kill people. And even without the ethical stuff, it’s not even logically safe to be the mafia. But it’s too bad I didn’t get to be the sheriff or the doctor.

The first thing he had to do was close the message and then turn off the display on the tablet. Taking a few deep breaths, Junsung slowly looked up.

And there it was — a painting of contemporary art of some sort presented right in front of him, featuring 11 people struggling to keep straight faces. It was a grotesque and freakish sight: they sat with their eyes moving around swiftly, as if to observe every little detail while hiding their own actions.

[…Cool.]

“What?”

[Oops. Tee-hee-hee. Now let me officially post the rules and send them to your tablets.]

Ground Rules

The eliminated players will lose their lives. The players cannot make physical contact with other players. The players cannot touch or sneak a look at another player’s tablet. The players cannot show their tablets to each other. The players cannot leave the designated area of the game (30 meters from the mansion). All votes in the game will be in open ballots.

Roles in Mafia

Each of the 12 players is assigned 1 of 4 roles, namely that of a mafia, sheriff, doctor, or citizen. There are three mafia members, one sheriff, one doctor, and seven citizens.

Game Plan (Daytime - Selection and Trial)

The day lasts from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. During the day, players get a chance to hold one trial. If most players agree to [vote to select or not], the selection vote begins. The player selected by most players in the [selection vote] stands trial.

4-1. In case of a tie in the selection vote, there will be a final vote. In case of another tie in the final vote, there will be no trial.

A player who stands trial is eliminated if most players agree in the [elimination vote]. If a player eliminated after a trial turns out to be a mafia member, the players get a chance to hold another trial.

Game Plan (Daytime - Bingo)

During the day, the players get a chance to do one Bingo. If the (total number of players - 1) agree after [voting to do Bingo], the Bingo vote begins. The player that receives most of the votes in the [Bingo vote] is immediately identified as Artificial Intelligence or not. If the player selected in the [Bingo vote] is human, the result is announced and the game will continue. If the player is Artificial Intelligence, the game will end.

Game Plan (Nighttime)

The night lasts from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. At night, the mafia members hold a selection vote to eliminate a player. A player who receives two or more votes becomes the target for elimination.

3-1. If there is only one mafia member left, only one vote is necessary.

3-2. If there aren’t enough votes, there is no elimination that night.

The sheriff selects one player to identify whether he or she is a citizen or mafia member. The doctor selects one player to save them from the mafia’s attack.

End Conditions:

The game ends when:

All mafia players are eliminated An equal number of mafia and citizens are left alive There are four players left The players successfully select, identify, and expose Artificial Intelligence with Bingo

Prize Money

Once the game ends, the total prize money will be distributed equally among the remaining players. The total prize money begins from 3.3 billion won. The total prize money will increase each time a player is eliminated. A total of 300 million won will be added each time a citizen, the sheriff, or the doctor is eliminated; and 600 million won each time a mafia member is eliminated. Artificial Intelligence is excluded from the distribution of prize money even if it does not get eliminated.