Find The Next Number In Sequence - 77, 49, 36, 18, ?

Question

What is the next number in the series - 3, 76, 49, 24, 59, ??

Answer 1

77 ==> 7*7 = 49
49 ==> 4*9 = 36
36 ==> 3*6 = 18
18 ==> 1*8 = 8.

Answer 2

77-(7+7)2 =49-Deducting the sum of digits twice from the original
49-(4+9)1 =36-deducting the sum of digits once
36-(3+6)2 =18 reapiting the step 1
18-(3+6)1 =9 step 2 ANSWER=9-MAY BE TREATED AS ANOTHER ANSWER