Du Yun: …
Ye Yuzhi: …
Even that eerie voice that had been echoing in his mind seemed to stiffen in silence for a moment.
Putting aside the fact that this girl had just used something called “Charm” on him the moment they met, she had looked so confident about it, as if she could really pull off something impressive.
Ye Yuzhi silently complained in his heart but before the thought could finish forming, he noticed that something strange was happening to the girl’s face.
His brows drew together. He didn’t even realize he was staring until the skin on Du Yun’s face began to slide down, slow and sticky like melting wax. Beneath it, raw flesh and tissue pulsed faintly, wet and alive. For an instant, every vein and fiber stood out in horrifying detail. He could almost see the faint, twitching movements of the muscle strands underneath.
Ye Yuzhi froze, the blood in his veins turning to ice. He stumbled back half a step, his stomach churning violently as he turned his face away before he could vomit.
The people who had come along with Du Yun seemed to jolt out of their daze at the same moment she did. One of them quickly pulled the girl behind him to shield her, while another stepped forward, reaching out as if to steady Ye Yuzhi’s shoulder.
“Sorry, sorry, are you alright?” the man asked, voice laced with concern.
Ye Yuzhi raised a hand and brushed the gesture away. His lashes lowered, his voice calm but distant. “I’m fine. Nothing serious. I’ll be going now.”
Neither of them mentioned his sudden expression of nausea, though the discomfort between them hung thick in the air.
The man who had spoken smiled lightly, his tone deliberately casual. “Actually, there is something. We just arrived in Guerrero Town as tourists but we’re not familiar with the place at all. We wanted to ask if you know any good inns or local specialties we could try. If you have some time, we’d love to chat over dinner…”
Without a word, Ye Yuzhi took the folded map he’d bought earlier from his pocket and shoved it into the man’s hands.
The other blinked, momentarily taken aback. It was rare for any NPC to carry such a thing and his surprise flickered across his face. He opened his mouth as if to say something more but Ye Yuzhi, who was still feeling queasy, cut him off with a tired look.
“I’m leaving,” Ye Yuzhi said quietly.
The man could only swallow back the words on his tongue. Realizing this wasn’t the time to press further, he nodded politely. “Alright. Thank you very much.”
Once Ye Yuzhi’s figure disappeared down the street, the three who had remained began to speak in low voices.
“What the hell was that?” Jiang Xing frowned and turned to the girl he had shielded earlier.
Du Yun still looked shaken, her expression blank. The one who had spoken to Ye Yuzhi earlier, Xia Jienan, raised a hand to stop Jiang Xing from scolding her further. “Let me run a psychological analysis on her,” he said quietly.
【You used Psychology on Du Yun. Roll 28/50 , Success. Du Yun regains 2 points of Sanity.】
Du Yun blinked and came back to herself. She patted her chest in lingering fear, her face pale. “God, I thought I was dead for sure. What a way to start the session…”
Then she hurriedly added, “That guy just now is definitely not an ordinary NPC!”
“That still doesn’t excuse you throwing a failed Charm at him right away,” Jiang Xing said sharply. “Can you please stop flirting with random guys for once?”
Du Yun pouted and shot back, “Who said I only flirt with guys? I flirt with pretty girls too.”
“Alright, that’s enough.” Xia Jienan cut them off and looked at her seriously. “What exactly happened after your critical failure?”
Du Yun’s expression shifted uneasily. She hesitated before muttering, “It was… strange. You know how in this world, people who look too good are usually connected to… something. I can’t describe what I saw, it was beyond words, beyond reason. All I can say is that whatever’s going on here…” She paused, letting the implication hang between them. “It’s not any entity we already know.”
“Anything we haven’t identified yet?” Jiang Xing asked, his tone now more cautious.
Biting her lip, Du Yun said, “Requesting Cthulhu Mythos check.”
【Cthulhu Mythos 82/10 , Failure. You cannot comprehend what just occurred.】
She spread her hands helplessly. “Failed. Figures. Anyway, what do you think his Appearance stat is?” Her tone brightened suddenly, clearly much more animated when the topic turned to looks.
Xia Jienan, who had already opened the map, replied absently, “Around eighty.”
“No way it’s only eighty!” Du Yun whispered fiercely. “The last person I met with eighty Appearance didn’t look half as good as him!”
“Ninety then,” Xia Jienan said flatly. He didn’t really care about the attractiveness of NPCs, though he had to admit, the man’s pale complexion, almost translucent like a fragile glass sculpture, had stirred something oddly soft in his chest.
But this was a game. Feelings were unnecessary here. No matter how beautiful, it was only for a few in-game days. He reminded himself of that as something slipped out from the folded map he was holding.
Xia Jienan bent down and picked it up. The paper was familiar to the touch and when he unfolded it, his suspicion was confirmed, it was identical to the quest item they each carried.
At the top, written in ornate script, were the words: To Mr. Shaun Ye.
Jiang Xing and Du Yun both leaned closer to look, sharing a knowing glance.
“So there is a connection,” Jiang Xing murmured.
“I told you,” Du Yun said in a low voice, “there’s no such thing as a random high-appearance NPC. And from this invitation, he’s probably on our side.”
“Then why did you have to fail your Charm on him?” Jiang Xing demanded. “You saw his face, he looked like he wanted to throw up at the sight of you.”
“That wasn’t my fault!” Du Yun hissed under her breath.
While the two bickered quietly, Xia Jienan finished reading the invitation and folded both it and the map neatly. He studied the layout once more and said calmly, “There’s only one inn in this town. If that Shaun lost his invitation, he won’t be able to stay at the Anthony Manor. With a bit of luck, we’ll run into him again there.”
Then he turned to Du Yun and added, “And don’t act rashly. If that key NPC turns against us, we’ll all be in trouble.”
Du Yun stuck out her tongue, the spark returning to her eyes. “I know, I know. I swear, no more risky actions. Next time I’ll behave.”
Meanwhile, Ye Yuzhi, now somewhat recovered from his nausea, had gone around asking about every possible means of leaving the town. Without exception, the answers were all the same: nothing was running. Not even a carriage could be rented.
The stable owner, seeing his stubborn determination, sighed and said, “Guerrero Town’s up in the mountains. Once the snow starts, the whole area gets sealed off. If you try to leave now, you might not survive the trip.”
Ye Yuzhi thought bitterly, Staying here doesn’t guarantee I’ll survive either.
It really was a “death either way” situation.
By the time he left the stables, the sky had already grown dim. After running around all day, exhaustion weighed on both his body and spirit. All that effort and he still had no way out. He could only stay in Guerrero and wait for death to come.
He lifted his head toward the dark, heavy clouds pressing down on the horizon and sighed softly. Maybe his only option was to try the “Summon the Evil God” task. If he was going to die anyway, he might as well die at the hands of the god he supposedly worshiped.
His heart heavy, Ye Yuzhi returned to the inn from the previous night. The common room was bustling and loud, filled with laughter and clinking glasses. Keeping his head down, he found the innkeeper and extended his stay for a few more days.
Just as he was about to head upstairs to hide away, someone tapped his shoulder.
Ye Yuzhi nearly jumped out of his skin. He clutched his bag and turned around warily.
“Fancy meeting you again!” Xia Jienan stood behind him, smiling brightly. “What a coincidence, huh? Since fate’s brought us together twice in one day, why don’t you join me for dinner?”
Of course it had to be one of those overly cheerful, overly sociable types, the kind of person Ye Yuzhi found hardest to deal with. He forced a polite shake of his head. “No, thank you. I, ”
Before he could finish, his stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.
Ye Yuzhi froze. He suddenly realized that since waking up that morning, he hadn’t eaten a single thing. In his rush to escape, food had been the last thing on his mind. Now that the thought surfaced, the emptiness in his stomach became painfully apparent.
He hesitated, unsure whether to finish his sentence with a stubborn “I’m not hungry.”
Xia Jienan only smiled, unbothered. He gently took hold of Ye Yuzhi’s arm and guided him toward a nearby empty table. “My two companions had something to take care of and I can’t eat alone. Please, indulge me and share a meal. Consider it my thanks for the map you gave me earlier.”
The gesture was hard to refuse and the hunger was real. Ye Yuzhi let himself be led over, half reluctant, half relieved.
People like Xia Jienan, those who made excuses that spared others from awkward refusals, were, in truth, a blessing.
Besides, if what his friend Ke Hu had said about the “rules” of this kind of scenario was correct, he and these people were probably teammates, right?
Should he tell them about his identity? But how was he supposed to explain that his assigned role was “Fanatic”?
Unaware that the others saw him as just another NPC, Ye Yuzhi sat there, staring at Xia Jienan, who was busy ordering food, torn between honesty and self-preservation.
Should he really say, “Nice to meet you, I’m the cultist you’re supposed to kill”?
That… probably wouldn’t go over very well.
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The button is right there. You know what to do. ☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Guerrero’s Lair (1)Chapter 2 · Guerrero’s Lair (2)Chapter 3 · Guerrero’s Lair (3)Chapter 4 · Guerrero’s Lair (4)Chapter 5 · Guerrero’s Lair (5)Chapter 6 · Guerrero’s Lair (6)Chapter 7 · Guerrero’s Lair (7)Chapter 8 · Guerrero’s Lair (8)Chapter 9 · Guerrero’s Lair (9)Chapter 10 · Guerrero’s Lair (10)Chapter 11 · Guerrero’s Lair (11)Chapter 12 · Guerrero’s Lair (12)Chapter 13 · Guerrero’s Lair (13)Chapter 14 · Guerrero’s Lair (14)Chapter 15 · Guerrero’s Lair (15)Chapter 16 · Guerrero’s Lair (16)Chapter 17 · Guerrero’s Lair (17)Chapter 18 · Guerrero’s Lair (18)Chapter 19 · Guerrero’s Lair (19)Chapter 20 · Guerrero’s Lair (20)Chapter 21 · Guerrero’s Lair (21)Chapter 22 · Guerrero’s Lair (22)Chapter 23 · Interlude (1)Chapter 24 · The interlude (2)Chapter 25 · The interlude (3)Chapter 26 Part 1 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 26 Part 2 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 27 · Calling in the Wind (2)Chapter 28 · Calling in the Wind (3)Chapter 29 · Calling in the Wind (4)Chapter 30 · Calling in the Wind (5)Chapter 31 · Calling in the Wind (6)Chapter 32 · Calling in the Wind (7)Chapter 33 · Calling in the Wind (8)Chapter 34 · Calling in the Wind (9)Chapter 35 · Calling in the Wind (10)Chapter 36 · Interlude (4)Chapter 37 · Interlude (5)Chapter 38 · Interlude (6)Chapter 39 · Interlude (7)Chapter 40 · Interlude (8)Chapter 41 · Interlude (9)Chapter 42 · Welcome to Doville (1)Chapter 43 · Welcome to Doville (2)Chapter 44 · Welcome to Doville (3)Chapter 45 · Welcome to Doville (4)Chapter 46 · Welcome to Doville (5)Chapter 47 · Welcome to Doville (6)Chapter 48 · Welcome to Doville (7)Chapter 49 · Welcome to Doville (8)Chapter 50 · Welcome to Doville (9)Chapter 51 · Welcome to Doville (10)Chapter 52 · Welcome to Doville (11)Chapter 53 · Welcome to Doville (12)Chapter 54 · Interlude (10)Chapter 55 · Interlude (11)Chapter 56 · Interlude (12)Chapter 57 · Interlude (13)Chapter 58 · Interlude (14)Chapter 59 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (1)Chapter 60 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (2)Chapter 61 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (3)Chapter 62 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (4)Chapter 63 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (5)Chapter 64 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (6)Chapter 65 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (7)Chapter 66 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (8)Chapter 67 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (9)Chapter 68 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (10)Chapter 69 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (11)Chapter 70 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (12)Chapter 71 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (13)Chapter 72 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (14)Chapter 73 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (15)Chapter 74 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (16)Chapter 75 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (17)Chapter 76 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (18)Chapter 77 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (19)Chapter 78 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (20)Chapter 79 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (21)Chapter 80 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (22)Chapter 81 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (23)Chapter 82 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (24)Chapter 83 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (25)Chapter 84 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (26)Chapter 85 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (27)Chapter 86 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (28)Chapter 87 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (29)Chapter 88 · Tunnel in the Dark Night (30)Chapter 89 · Interlude (15)Chapter 90 · Interlude (16)Chapter 91 · Interlude (17)Chapter 92 · The Promise of Hamelin (1)Chapter 93 · The Promise of Hamelin (2)Chapter 94 · The Promise of Hamelin (3)Chapter 95 · The Promise of Hamelin (4)Chapter 96 · The Promise of Hamelin (5)Chapter 97 · The Promise of Hamelin (6)Chapter 98 · The Promise of Hamelin (7)Chapter 99 · The Promise of Hamelin (8)Chapter 100 · The Promise of Hamelin (9)Chapter 101 · The Promise of Hamelin (10)Chapter 102 · The Promise of Hamelin (11)Chapter 103 · The Promise of Hamelin (12)Chapter 104 · The Promise of Hamelin (13)Chapter 105 · The Promise of Hamelin (14)Chapter 106 · The Promise of Hamelin (15)Chapter 107 · The Promise of Hamelin (16)Chapter 109 · The Promise of Hamelin (18)Chapter 110 · The Promise of Hamelin (19)