’Judging by the situation around me, it just might be the case.’
I looked at the flyer once again and then at the surroundings. The more I looked, the more confident I was about my conclusion.
However, it was still far too early to tell.
There were still other rooms that I had to explore. This could just be a small part of the entire scenario.
The most appropriate course of action was to continue and explore the place while memorizing the layout of the mansion and looking for any more clues and tips that could help me figure out more about the scenario.
I sighed and checked the time.
There were still only about twenty minutes left before the scenario started.
To ensure that I managed to memorize everything, I stopped wasting time and moved on to the other rooms of the mansion.
“This room doesn’t look anything special.”
The room next to the ballroom was simply a dining room.
I looked around the room before settling my gaze on a specific painting. It depicted a family of four: a man, a woman, and two young boys. They were all standing outside the mansion, smiling. Just like any regular family.
“Hmm.”
I studied the painting carefully.
Aside from their clothes, which looked rather posh, there was nothing unusual about the painting.
But still, it made me question something.
’Is there no little girl?’
Last I recalled, the little girl was part of this family.
Was this painting taken before her death or after?
I licked my lips, imprinting the image inside my mind before going to the next room. I continued like this until I reached the second floor.
The second floor appeared to be the residential area, where the rooms were located. Besides the large dining room in the middle, connected to the kitchen, in total, there were a total of seven bedrooms, with multiple bathrooms located throughout. It was a very fancy mansion, and as I settled my gaze over the last door, I reached for the doorknob and tried to open it.
But—
Click! Click!
“Eh?”
The door refused to budge.
It was locked.
“What the…”
This was different compared to the other rooms. Unlike this one, I could enter every single room within the mansion.
What could this mean?
I felt my heart quicken as I stared at the door.
Could this be a big part of the scenario?
I held my breath, feeling the smooth and metal touch of the knob. I was just about to twist the knob again when…
Ding!
A notification flashed across my face again.
[Scenario is starting…]
The world shifted, and I dropped to the ground.
“Ukh.”
Letting out a groan, I looked around, only to be shocked to find myself back where it all began.
“What the…”
But as if that wasn’t bad enough, I suddenly saw a black vortex appear not far from where I was, and my mind churned.
Then—
A foot slowly emerged from within it.
[Operation: The Host’s Invitation]
Class : ■■■
: A sentient Victorian mansion, hosting an elegant but deadly party overseen by The Host. Guests must follow The Host’s every word with perfect, but not excessive, compliance. If you manage to impress the Host, only good things will come! Disobedience results in grotesque, instantaneous death.
**
A few moments prior, Velora Art Museum.
Several large black SUVs stopped right outside the gates of the now crowded museum.
Stepping out of one of the SUVs, a young girl whose looks could attract the attention of anyone who looked carefully brushed her blonde hair back while her green eyes scanned the surroundings.
“Ah, shit.”
Her face fell the moment she spotted several groups in the distance.
Looking at their uniforms and clothes, she knew exactly who they were. She looked behind her, where four other recruits appeared.
They were the recruits she had chosen for the upcoming mission.
“Whatever you do, don’t fall for their cheap provocations. Those bastards are merely trying to shake your mind before entering the gate. All of you should know how important it is to keep a clear mind when entering a gate.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
The recruits nodded with serious expressions, their faces filled with obedience.
Zoey had a very good reputation among the recruits. Not only was she really pretty, but she was extremely capable.
As such, nobody had anything to say to her words.
“Good.”
Nodding in satisfaction, Zoey turned her attention away from the recruits behind her and moved towards the mansion in the distance.
But just as she took a single step, a certain voice reached her ears.
“If it isn’t a familiar face.”
Zoey’s eyes closed as she silently sighed.
’This fucker…’
Turning around, a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes appeared. He was relatively handsome, further accentuated by his bright white clothes, as the insignia of a tusk sat by his breast pocket.
He was Tom Tucker.
One of the ’five stars’ of the King-grade Ivory Dominion.
“It’s been a while, Zoey.”
He waved with a smile. His eyes were curled into slits while his smile looked bright. On the outside, he looked extremely friendly.
However, Zoey knew him well enough to know he was the furthest thing from nice.
She had seen firsthand… how he willingly sacrificed some of his team members in order to gain merit and clear scenarios. He was the most treacherous of people she had ever met in her line of work.
’Of all people, it had to be him?’
Zoey groaned to herself as Tom looked around.
“I don’t see Kyle anywhere. Is he here?”
“…No, he’s got other stuff to do.”
“Oh, I see. That’s such a pity. I wanted to catch up with him. It’s been a while since I last saw him. I heard that he’s doing quite well for himself. ”
His eyes glinted with a certain something as he spoke before looking towards her recruits and moving away.
The interaction was short, and yet, the recruits already felt shaken.
Zoey inwardly cursed when seeing this.
’That damn fucker. He’s always up to no good.’
Her heart dropped. With him present, the situation had now changed. She now not only had to worry about the scenario, but she also had to worry about him and any possible things he might do in order to interfere with her team.
Thankfully, it didn’t seem like Crownfall had sent any annoying person on this mission.
In the distance, her gaze settled on a burly man with broad shoulders and a thick back. His thinning black hair clung to his scalp, and his clothes strained to contain his bulky frame.
Zoey was somewhat familiar with him.
’If I don’t recall wrong, he should be called Ryan?’
He had somewhat of a reputation, but nothing in comparison to Tom. This kind of made her curious.
Why would Crownfall send someone like him to the gate?
“Whatever, I’ll figure it out later.”
Seeing the groups enter the museum, she started to move and made her way towards the basement where the gate had been found. Eventually reaching the place, she saw that all other groups had arrived, waiting by the gate as they all stared at an agent in a black suit and sunglasses.
He stood by the gate with an extremely serious expression.
As Zoey and the others arrived, he finally opened his mouth to speak, but just as he managed to get a few words out, a certain sound interrupted his words.
“Welcome to—”
“Kh…
All eyes suddenly flicked towards the source of the noise as Zoey’s face froze, her hand covering her mouth.
What just happened?
Zoey looked at her hand in confusion. That… she didn’t mean to do that.
She didn’t know what suddenly came over her.
“…..”
Feeling everyone’s gaze, Zoey didn’t know what to say.
But with her gaze falling on the not-so-pleased agent again, or more specifically, towards his sunglasses, a certain scene popped up in her mind, and her lips quivered.
’Hold it in. Hold it in. Hold it in.’
“As I was sayi—”
“Pfttt!”