Killer Addiction - (Squid Game)

Chapter 13 - Mind Over Matter

"Come on. Don't lose your spirit."
The old man's voice seemed to snap Dae-eun out of her fate-acceptance.
"Tug-of-War...needs more than just raw strength."

"So...what's it about? What do we do?" Dae-eun asked, her Fight-or-Flight instinct kicking in.
She had chosen the former as her response.
And evading her death had been marked top priority.

"All you need...is a good strategy in Tug-of-War and combined with good teamwork, you'll be able to win when you are against stronger teams."
Dae-eun looked to see Gi-hun and Sang-woo sparing a glance towards each other.
"Only one thing can help us now." The pastor spoke up, eyes completely off the conversation and placed somewhere in the fourth dimension. "It's the Lord himself, I know it."

She heard Ji-yeong scoff quietly behind her, for whatever reason.
"What strategy could help us win then?" Dae-eun asked.
"Yeah, let's hear the old man out." Gi-hun agreed.

001 looked between both Players and nodded with what looked like a smile.
"Ok. When I was young, we always liked Tug-of-War. It's a game I know well. And back then, I would always win, even if there was a wrestler on the other team. And it seemed the odds were stacked against us."

He motioned with his hand to the Team around him, asking them to move in.
"Listen closely, and I'll tell you how my Team and I were able to win even when it seemed impossible."

...

Dae-eun and the Team walked out of the lift and on to the gravel-covered platform, the old man's advice fresh in their heads.
She had memorised each sentence as he said it.
And she was replaying it to psych herself up.

First off, having a good leader is very important.
That person is at the front and keeps an eye on how the other Team is performing.
And the rest of the Team focuses on the back of their leader's head and follows their lead.

Gi-hun had been chosen as the leader, being the one to tie the group together.
To ground them, in a way.

If the leader seems weak of looks like their spirit is beginning to falter, then the game is already over.

The workers were handcuffing them to the rope now, leather cuffs with padlocks around the wrists and black chains connecting them to the rope.
Dae-eun was completely zoned out as the worker clipped her to the rope, still running through 001's advice.

And then...at the end of the rope, you'll need to have someone strong and dependable like the anchor of a ship.

Ali had filled that role.
He had already proven his physical strength by saving Gi-hun in the first game, even despite missing two fingers.
Ali was the strongest on their team, by far.

After that, it's all about how you arrange the rest of your Team.
If one Player is on the right side of the rope, then the next one should be on the left, all the way down the rope.

Dae-eun was positioned third in the line, behind Gi-hun and Sang-woo.
The Team gripped the rope as Dae-eun remembered the next part.

Both of your feet, should be facing straight forward, and then, hold the rope in your armpits.
That way, everyone can put in all of their strength.

Dae-eun took in a long breath, despite the sweat building on her forehead.
The rest of her Team were doing a similar thing to keep calm.