“Ah…”
Hastily covering her mouth again, Zoey felt the piercing gazes of multiple people at once. She could see Tom’s gaze from a distance as he watched on with amusement while the agent’s expression showed signs of extreme displeasure.
Seeing how the situation was starting to unfold, Zoey bit her lips.
’That… Fuck! It’s all his fault!’
If it weren’t for him and his damn sunglasses, she wouldn’t have found this funny!
“Miss Terline.”
The agent’s voice was cold as he scanned the notepad in his hands.
Feeling his gaze, Zoey could only silently close her eyes.
’Whatever, what’s done is done. I’ll just wait for him to finish nagging.’
The nagging, however, never came.
After a moment’s pause, the agent shifted his attention away from her. It was either perhaps he realized her identity or because there was not much time to waste, he started to speak again.
“You’ve all been given a brief overview of the scenario. Several scouts have already gone in. From what we’ve gathered, it begins with your arrival at a large estate where a party is underway. The rule is simple: do whatever the host tells you. If he says dance, you dance. If he says sing, you sing.”
The agent paused, his expression turning grim.
“…If you fail to do any of the listed things, you will die.”
The expressions of the recruits didn’t change upon hearing the agent’s words. Everyone was already aware of this fact.
In fact, they were all used to the idea of dying at this point.
“From what we’ve managed to find, the way to clear the scenario is by impressing the host. If you somehow manage to impress the host, the scenario will be cleared.”
Everyone more or less knew everything beforehand.
Zoey had as well, having thoroughly studied the scouts’ reports in advance. This was the bare minimum one had to do before entering a gate.
’I don’t think I’ll have a problem with dancing. The same is with playing the instruments, but I don’t know if I can impress the host with my skills.’
Thankfully, Zoey had brought several items with her in order to help her in this regard.
[The Dancer’s Ribbons]
: Upon wearing the ribbon, one will be possessed by the deceased soul of a ballerina that once stood amongst the most talented in the world, automatically be able to dance smoothly and fluidly. But be careful not to be consumed by her!
[Tempo Ring]
: Allows the wearer to maintain a tempo while wearing the ring. This is so the wearer will never be out of tempo when playing any instrument.
These two items alone should be able to make her perform better than most people, and perhaps even impress the host.
“There are a few other things that you need to be careful of. First, you must never reveal your face.”
As the agent spoke, he retrieved a small mask that covered the upper part of his face.
“Do any of you not have a mask? If you enter the scenario without a mask, you will automatically be killed the moment the ball starts. It is extremely important that all of you have your masks with you.”
As the agent asked, his gaze swept the surroundings as Zoey retrieved her own mask. It was a smooth, featureless sphere with a glossy surface that reflected the light like polished obsidian. It covered her entire face, completely hiding her expression.
Unfortunately, the Guild had no suitable mask item for her. All the ones they had were far too dangerous for her to wear.
She could only settle for a normal mask.
“…Good, it looks like everyone here has brought a mask with them. In case someone doesn’t have it, there are spare masks with me.”
The agent stepped aside to display a small box where a multitude of masks appeared.
“Since everyone looks ready, I won’t hold you up for much longer. Just remember the things that I told you, and…”
The agent paused, his voice turning somber.
“Just as you can impress the host, you can also disappoint him. Make sure you don’t disappoint the host. Otherwise…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, nor did he have to.
Everyone present clearly understood the meaning of his words as they all silently nodded their heads.
“Good.”
Moving towards the coffin that sat at the center of the room, he pushed it open to reveal a familiar swirling black vortex.
“May all of you be blessed with luck. I hope you all come back in one piece.”
And with such words, the recruits jumped onto the coffin one by one.
Zoey looked behind her to make sure that the recruits were ready before stepping forward and moving towards the coffin. Just as she arrived at the coffin, her gaze paused on the agent who locked eyes with her.
“…Your sunglasses remind me of something funny.”
“That streamer kid?”
“Eh?”
Zoey blinked, the agent slowly pulling his glasses away.
“…I watched it too. I kind of had to since it’s important for the task. I realized pretty quickly why you were laughing.”
He smirked.
“Funny, no?”
Zoey smiled wryly and nodded.
It really was.
Then—
Nodding at the agent, she jumped into the gate, her vision turning black before a bright light engulfed her.
Swoosh!
Blinking rapidly, she looked around and found herself standing in front of a large mansion. The sun bathed them from above as a gentle breeze drifted by, carrying the fresh scent of grass.
The doors were wide open, and within she could hear the loud sound of chattering and music.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
One by one, more and more people started to materialize as everyone focused their attention on the large mansion in front of them.
It took a minute for everyone to finally arrive, and when they did, they didn’t hesitate to move forward.
Zoey and her group were the last ones to move as she waited for everyone in her group to appear.
It was only then that she decided to appear.
However, just as she had taken a step, her eyes turned and locked with a certain individual.
He stood not far from her, his gaze drawn towards her.
“Hm?”
Zoey frowned as she met his gaze.
’A Jester?’
She quickly pulled her gaze away, shaking her head.
That’s rather tacky…