Chen Mo began ambling towards the screen, only to be abruptly halted mid-stride.
"Listen, um, Xiao Bai." Sean planted himself directly in front of him, blocking his path, "As your number one investor, bro, mm, I wholeheartedly beg you not to recklessly throw your life away like this."
But since violence wasn't permitted within the lobby, Sean's desperate attempt was ultimately futile and ineffective. Chen Mo walked past him regardless, utterly unbothered, and Sean could only stand there and watch helplessly as he left, "Goddamn it..."
[Join.] Chen Mo tapped. From the very fingertip that made contact with the screen, his flesh disintegrated into intangible streams of information, which were subsequently vacuumed and absorbed into the interface.
[Joining Game...]
[Werewolf By Vermillion, 2/6 Players, Waiting...]
[1. Jenniferhouse]
[2. XiaoBai]
[3. TBD]
[4. TBD]
[5. TBD]
[6. TBD]
With a lazy yawn, Eryn, dressed tactically in a tight, dark-coloured jumpsuit, paced past Chen Mo's small fan club without sparing them a glance.
Theodon extended the apathetic, emerald-eyed woman's profile out of curiosity:
[Username: ThataotGirl (Age: 21)]
[CT: Shadow Daggerist (Fighter-Class)]
[Power: 892 (A+ rank)]
[Guild: *None.]
Eryn tapped on [Join.] as well, with even less hesitation and even more indifference than the already calculating Chen Mo.
[Joining Game...]
[Werewolf By Vermillion, 3/6 Players, Waiting...]
A familiar face soon appeared, albeit clad in entirely unfamiliar attire. Theodon, Sean, and Eleanor watched as the towering figure approached them. Mikkel Meinhof, armoured in bronze, dragged his silver axe across the glass floors, producing a grating metallic scrape.
Eleanor was still relatively new. Previously, she had only deduced that Mikkel was bad news based on his appearance, and of course, the swastika tattoo inked onto his cheek. This time, however, she wanted to learn more, so she extended his profile:
[Username: Mikkel_Meinhof_MM (Age: 45)]
[CT: Lawless Executioner (Tank-Class)]
[Power: 964 (A+ rank)]
[Guild: Aryan Supremacy (Co-leader) (12th in Guild Power)]
Theodon and Sean didn't need to scrutinise that information. The Lawless Executioner was the infamous ace card of Aryan Supremacy. Any player who had been around for more than a couple of months would already know exactly who he was.
However, there was another stranger following closely behind Mikkel. It was a younger man clad in armour forged from hardened magma, wielding no visible weapons. An intricate helmet obscured his face entirely, adorned with tall, curved devil horns and gleaming flames where his eyes should have been.
His profile revealed:
[Username: NoahBaader (Age: 27)]
[CT: Runic Arsonist (Marksman-Class)]
[Power: 411 (B+ rank)]
[Guild: Aryan Supremacy (Member) (12th in Guild Power)]
The two Nazis pressed [Join] after exchanging smug, knowing smirks.
The three watched them enter the game. Sean observed with overwhelming concern, Theodon with silent, unspoken disappointment, while Eleanor tried to awkwardly laugh it off, "Hahaha... Oh god... What was Xiao Bai's power again?"
"Thirteen..." Sean whispered under his breath.
Every single player who had just entered possessed more than twenty times Chen Mo's power! Two even out-powered him fifty fold!
"Um... uh... are we still watching this?" Sean frowned deeply, his fingers rising to squeeze at his throbbing temples.
"I know I am." Eleanor remarked casually as the lollipop stick hanging from her lips bobbed slightly, "What about smartass?"
Theodon adjusted his glasses before responding, "Yes. Xiao Bai dying could still become a viable and compelling story for my article."
Then, suddenly, someone, not Sean or Eleanor, wrapped their right arm around Theodon's shoulder and muttered:
"You're that convinced he'll die?"
The someone's charming voice, which carried an unshakeable British accent, was unusually high-pitched for a man, and far too casual given the topic at hand.
Theodon knew exactly who this man was, this man that was embracing him like an old friend. That knowledge alone froze him stiff. His eyebrows twitched uncontrollably as beads of sweat slid down his face. He didn't even dare to speak.
Sean was equally flabbergasted by the man's sudden presence, while Eleanor stared in confusion, she stuttered:
"W-what's wrong?"
"Your life is, girl." The stranger, clothed in a brown, cotton-made trench coat, turned towards Eleanor in a swift motion, revealing what lay beneath his overgrown, curly brown hair.
His eyes were red, but not from pigment; they were red from blood. Those eyes were completely flooded with veins, so much so that those veins extended beyond the sclera itself. Along the edges of his eyes, thick, protruding veins spiderwebbed outward in grotesque patterns, like worms crawling underneath his skin. Some stretched as far down as his cheeks, while others halted near his eyelids. Paired with all of that was a lethargic, simple smile.
Eleanor visibly flinched at the sight of his hideous, unspeakable face. She instinctively took several steps back, and that reaction only seemed to amuse the stranger further. His charming voice echoed:
"Hahahahaha... Just messing with you. Or is it the eyes? Don't judge a book by its cover, girl."
"Holy shit. It's him." Passersby began muttering, as a loose circle of spectators formed around the four of them.
Eleanor quickly checked his profile:
[Username: Jeremy_:D (Age: 22) (1st Place for General Popularity Board!)]
[CT: *404 Not Found*]
[Power: 69 (C rank)]
[Guild: The Golden Syndicate (Member) (2nd in Guild Power)]
"No, but seriously," Jeremy spoke then took a long sip from his plastic cup of iced matcha latte, "I'm not that scary. I just don't enjoy blinking. There's a player called Xiao Bai in there, am I right?"
The unblinking player jerked his chin towards the [Werewolf By Vermillion] interface as he asked, "He's a smart one, isn't he?"
Jeremy's gaze flicked toward Sean, clearly expecting an answer. His open-mouthed grin was wide and unsettling, yet at the same time, it carried an oddly genuine friendliness.
Theodon remained far too tense to move a single muscle, aside from the uncontrollable tremors wracking his body. Jeremy's arm around his shoulder picked up on the nervousness. He gave a light pat, then shifted his smile toward Theodon, asking, "Isn't he? He'll survive, in my opinion."
"Yeah..." Theodon exhaled shakily, his usual monotone voice betraying a rare quiver, "He's smart."
"Mmhmm." Jeremy nodded in approval before finally removing his arm from Theodon's shoulder. He sauntered forward, drawing closer to the screen with a demeanour that radiated unshakable confidence, bordering on arrogance and cockiness. "I think he's smart too, and I've only ever watched one game of his. Impressive stuff, frankly."
His followers and fans quickly gathered around him. Some snapped pictures, but none dared to approach any closer. That was his reputation: immensely popular, yet deeply feared.
Sean instinctively stepped in front of Eleanor protectively, his voice quivered in hesitation: "Are you... are you entering too?"
"Mm..." Jeremy hummed and tapped his chin thoughtfully, his blood-red eyes rolling upward as he considered, "Why not?" He concluded with a bright, almost cheerful grin, "I think it'd be fun. Brains versus brains. I do find Xiao Bai to be a very, very interesting individual."
Before entering the game, he briefly scanned the surrounding crowd, then announced, "Watch my stream, everyone! And don't forget to upvote and follow." He punctuated it with his brightest smile and a playful pair of finger guns.
Everywhere those severely veined eyes landed, people visibly jolted, even if only subtly. Not a single commoner who made eye contact with Jeremy came away feeling comfortable.
His eyeballs were barely discernible within the sclera that resembled a pool of blood. They were simply two round, vermillion orbs suspended within the scarlet, and at any given moment, they looked as though they might burst.
The veins surrounding his eyes were no better. Aside from protruding unnaturally, if one looked closely, they were also pulsating rhythmically with every heartbeat.
"Please upvote and follow." Jeremy reminded the crowd one last time, "And don't be disappointed, because I will be improvising. I hadn't planned the painting for this game hahaha..."
One final smile, followed by a childlike wave goodbye.
[Join.]
[Joining Game...]
[Werewolf By Vermillion, 6/6 Players, Loading...]
[Starting...]
[Player list:]
[1. Jenniferhouse - Headstarter]
[2. XiaoBai - Psychopathic Psychiatrist]
[3. ThataotGirl - Shadow Daggerist]
[4. Mikkel_Meinhof_MM - Lawless Executioner]
[5. NoahBaader - Runic Arsonist]
[6. Jeremy_:D - *404 Not Found*]
Jeremy's departure allowed Theodon to finally gasp for air. He clutched his chest as he breathed heavily, his knees buckling weakly until Sean quickly rushed over to support him, "Hey, you okay?"
"I... I'm fine..." Theodon insisted, but the way his arms clung to Sean's shoulder completely undermined the credibility of his words.
"That was..." Eleanor began, still shaken.
"The Unawakened Grim Reaper." Sean finished grimly.
Chen Mo, drifting within the endless void deprived of all senses, also noticed the Reaper's presence in his game through the neon lime system display.
Next, the system typed:
[Loading minigame prologue...]