Chapter 20: Mermaid
The interior of the guesthouse was a portrait of decay. Dust motes danced in the slivers of light piercing the grimy windows, coating every surface in a fine gray powder. The air hung thick with the smell of salt, mildew, and long-abandoned memories.
As soon as Haruto, Kaguya, and Yotsuya Miko stepped inside, they found the other players already gathered in a tight knot before a large, dusty blackboard.
"What are they all talking about?" Kaguya asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Maybe they found a clue," Haruto replied. He made no effort to push through the crowd, instead craning his neck to peer over their shoulders at whatever held their attention.
"Those are the task prompts." King Chen's steady voice came from behind them as he entered. He had overheard their exchange. "Didn't you see them during your first instance?"
"Task prompts?" Haruto and Yotsuya Miko exchanged a look, a shared flicker of confusion passing between them.
"Does the Ouija Spirit count?" Haruto asked, a hint of skepticism in his tone. If those counted, he had serious doubts about the reliability of these supposed "prompts." After all, the spirit's guidance had been nothing but a series of elaborate traps, where the slightest misstep meant a swift and certain death.
King Chen's brow furrowed. "Ouija Spirit? Your last instance was a supernatural game?"
Haruto simply nodded.
At that, someone in the crowd turned and spoke up, his voice carrying a note of disagreement. "My first instance was a supernatural game, too. Also an Ouija Spirit. But for us, as long as you followed its instructions, got over your fear, and jumped off the roof, you won. We even had a hint in blood-red words: 'Life through Death.'"
"That simple?" Haruto's expression was one of genuine disbelief.
The man's comment immediately drew the interest of the others, and soon a small group, including a player named Liu Wensong, had gathered around them.
"What was your first instance like?" Liu Wensong asked eagerly. "Was it hard? Did you really not get any blood-word hints?" Realizing he might be overstepping, he scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, if it's inconvenient to say, just ignore me. That was rude."
"It's not a big deal," Haruto said with a shrug. It wasn't exactly a state secret, and no material interests were at stake.
So, he gave them a brief, concise account of his first trial. He covered the beginning, the search for clues, the process of figuring out the mission, and its final completion. He deliberately omitted certain key details, of course—like pulling items from his Gap or the nature of his Boundary powers. The instance had only just begun; there was no need to paint a massive target on his back.
Of course, if Yotsuya Miko knew what he was thinking, she would have shot back a deadpan retort—'You and Kaguya became targets the moment you walked in, you know?'
A hush fell over the group. Every player leaned in, straining to catch his words. Since Haruto had survived, his experience was undeniably valuable. Learning about other instances could dramatically increase their own chances of survival if they ever faced a similar scenario. It was a free lesson in a school where failure was fatal.
But as Haruto's story unfolded, the expressions on their faces shifted from curiosity to shock, then to outright astonishment.
Was that really a first instance?
Not only were there no blood-word hints, but the players had to find the mission objectives themselves. They didn't just have to complete one game, but three separate supernatural rituals. And on top of all that, they had to evade the pursuit of three different ghosts, one of which possessed a terrifying level of intelligence.
Each player mentally put themselves in Haruto's shoes. They quickly realized that even with a supernatural item or two, it would have been a near-certain death trap. Compared to what he described, their own second and even third instances felt like a walk in the park.
The way they looked at Haruto and his companions changed completely. The initial wariness they held for these 'lunatics' was replaced by a deep-seated pity, and something more: admiration. It was the respect reserved for the truly strong.
Kaguya, listening from the side, felt a secret wave of relief wash over her. She was immensely glad she hadn't been part of that first game. Being hunted by three ghosts? The mere thought sent a cold tingle down her spine.
"Usually, the instances provide hints," King Chen explained, dutifully filling in the gaps for Haruto and Miko. "They almost always appear as blood-red words, and they often serve as the central clue for the entire scenario."
Feeling the weight of the crowd's admiring gazes and processing King Chen's explanation, Haruto finally began to grasp the true difficulty scale of the Death Game. He had assumed all novice instances were on that level, or at worst, that his had been only slightly harder than average. He never expected the gap to be this vast.
According to them, even players on their third instance often faced challenges far less severe than his first. A single ghost, heavily restricted in the early stages, was the norm.
Thinking it over, Haruto couldn't help but feel that he and Miko had been the chosen unlucky ones—a pair of premium-grade suckers.
The crowd had since parted from the blackboard, and Haruto could finally see the content clearly. Two words were scrawled across the dark surface in a script of dried blood.
"Mermaid? What's this supposed to mean?" He turned to King Chen, his confusion plain. "Are the hints always this brief?"
"Usually, it's a full paragraph, or at least a complete sentence," King Chen replied, his expression turning grave. "A hint with only two words... this is the first time I've seen anything like it."
Hearing this, Haruto felt an even stronger suspicion that this instance was targeting him personally. His first trial had been special enough; he hadn't expected the second to be just as unique.
Mermaid?
His gaze fell upon the blood-red words again. Was it the beautiful, enchanting creature of legend? Or was it the dark, folkloric version—the kind that lured sailors to their doom and feasted on their flesh?
Haruto figured the latter was far more likely. A horror game wasn't about to feature a whimsical romance titled 'A Mermaid Ghost Story.'
"Everyone, it's getting late," King Chen announced, his voice pulling them from their thoughts. "Let's rest for the night. We can look for clues at dawn. It'll be safer during the day."
No one objected. In a place like this, no one could predict what horrors the night might hold. Since a guesthouse was readily available, it was clearly meant for them to use. Besides, maintaining peak mental and physical condition was crucial for survival.
King Chen retrieved a set of keys from the front counter and used them to unlock three adjacent guest rooms. He then turned back to the group.
"We should all rest together," he declared. "There are eleven of us. One person will have to set up a tent outside. For the remaining ten, I suggest we split into groups of at least three or four to a room. We shouldn't spread out. That way, we can take turns keeping watch and respond quickly if we run into danger."
He paused, as if remembering something, and his gaze shifted to Haruto's group. It lingered for a moment on Yotsuya Miko and Kaguya before he spoke again, a little hesitantly. "If you don't mind, young man, you can squeeze in with us. It might be... inconvenient for you three. We have one girl on our side, so she can share a room with the two on yours."
"No need!"
The sharp retort came from Kaguya. She strode forward and took Haruto's arm, her tone laced with displeasure. "What's inconvenient? My Haruto and I will just share a room."
Everyone stared, momentarily stunned. But seeing the handsome man and the beautiful woman, and recalling their identically 'eccentric' behavior earlier, it didn't take a genius to conclude they were a couple. They let the matter drop.
Yotsuya Miko felt the weight of everyone's eyes turning to her. The gaze from the other woman in King Chen's group, in particular, made her visibly uncomfortable.
"...I... I also want to share a room with Haruto," she said, gritting her teeth as she made her decision. She cast an apologetic look at the other woman.
King Chen didn't press the issue. He turned to the tall woman beside him. "Xiao Liang, it looks like you'll have to squeeze in with us men, then."
"Okay." The tall woman, Xiao Liang, forced a thin smile.
Though she was far from thrilled about the prospect of rooming with three men, she knew that in the Death Game, choice was a luxury she rarely had. There was, of course, another option—she could take the tent outside with the other girl.
But she would absolutely not do that.
Anyone with a brain could see that the guesthouse wasn't just a set piece for advancing the plot; it was almost certainly a sanctuary. To willingly sleep outside would be suicide.
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