The time had come, yet the door remained ajar.
‘Tsk, this game. For my identity to be so easily revealed, it’s truly…’ I peeked outside. The blue-haired youth from before was aimlessly wandering around.
Finding little of value, I gently closed the door.
Alright, now to consider a very serious question: fatalities? This is clearly problematic. For a game, especially one supposedly live-streamed, there are only two possibilities.
Either the live stream is a lie and the killings are real, or the killings are a deception purely for show.
After careful thought, a bold—no, a terrifying—idea suddenly struck me: ‘Could they be targeting me?’
Given the capabilities of those in the Divine Realm, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to tamper with this game company. And seeing the uniformed woman’s extreme reaction earlier, it seemed this kind of thing hadn’t happened before.
‘Damn it! Do they have to play like this? Just find a small grove and let’s have an honorable duel! Playing these kinds of games… But this is just a guess, not a certainty.’
‘Forget it, time to sleep. That black-haired guy mentioned the time here seems different from outside. They must be using some special method, right? Whatever, sleep, sleep.’
Wait a minute!
I had just flopped onto the bed when I suddenly sprang up. ‘Why invite me out like this? If they truly wanted to mess with me, they could just drag me into an isolated space. Why go through all this trouble? Forget it, if I can’t figure it out, I won’t bother. Sleep, sleep.’
****
“Thump-thump-thump—!” A pounding echoed from the door. I groggily sat up from the bed, then slid off it.
“Ugh—” I stumbled, nearly falling to the floor. “Who is it? So early…” Yawning, I slowly made my way out of the room.
At the door stood the black-haired man from earlier. “Little sister, it’s morning. Time to get up.”
I glanced around, and indeed, it seemed the day had dawned. “Alright, wait a moment. I’ll wash my face.”
Turning back, I went to the room’s restroom, splashed water on my face, then exited the door to join the black-haired man outside.
“Hey, little sister, have you figured out your identity?” he asked, looking at me.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I searched my room for ages yesterday, but found nothing….” ‘How could I possibly reveal something like that? Besides, it’s a perfect opportunity to play dumb, so why not?’
‘However, I don’t pay any mind to these small fry. The real question is whether that killer is truly after me.’
“I see,” the black-haired man said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. “Actually, I didn’t find anything either yesterday.”
Upon reaching the main hall, everyone was gathered around the coffee table, making it look as if we were having a party.
The table was laden with snacks and fruit. My eyes lit up when I saw them, and I rushed over, grabbing a few pieces of fruit to eat. After all, I was truly hungry after a night’s sleep.
At that moment, a middle-aged man spoke up, scratching his head as if embarrassed. “I say, since no one is speaking, I’ll start us off. I’m sure this isn’t anyone’s first time playing this game, right?”
Everyone murmured their agreement that it wasn’t. The blue-haired youth hesitated, then nodded as well.
I shook my head, feigning embarrassment. “Actually, this is my first time playing…”
The middle-aged man’s expression stiffened for a moment. “But that’s alright! First, we should definitely introduce ourselves. After all, this is a legendary duel, isn’t it?”
No one spoke, so the middle-aged man chuckled. “Well then, I’ll go first. My name is Kane, 35 years old—a bit old, I know—a salaryman, from the Federation.”
It was a simple introduction, but sufficient. Next, another person stood up; it was the black-haired youth. “My name is Warren. I’m from the Northern District of the Federation, a clothing merchant, 25 years old. Please take care of me.”
Seeing Warren stand, the blue-haired man hesitated, then rose and said, “Charles, from the Southern District of the Federation, an artist, 21 years old.”
A period of silence followed. After a good while, a red-haired girl stood up, breaking the quiet. “My name is Cecil, from the Heidi Empire, 23 years old, an apprentice.”
“Lavitt, 24 years old, unemployed, from the Federation,” a fierce-looking youth growled.
One by one, everyone introduced themselves: Damon, male, from the Federation, 27, a designer.
Lin Han, female, from the Feathered City, 19 years old, an apprentice.
Gerard, male, from the Heidi Empire, 26 years old, a salaryman.
Miding, male, from the Federation, 22 years old, a student.
Lake, male, from the Federation, 28 years old, a teacher.
As each person finished their introduction, I was about to introduce myself when a previously silent blonde man spoke. He rose from his seat, his voice cold as he began…