“What should we do? Should we leave?”
“…No, not yet.”
Tom halted his team right in front of the portal while looking back at the mansion, his eyes narrowing beneath his mask.
He could see those from Crownfall still lingering by the gate.
They seemed to be having the same idea they were having.
’The hidden quest…’
Indeed, while the main scenario was fully complete, there was still a hidden scenario that could be completed.
Hidden scenarios were generally quite rare, and they tended to be provided with abundant rewards. Knowing this, how could they decide to go back?
It would be such a waste!
“Squad Leader, those from Severed Stars are leaving.”
“Hm?”
Pulling his gaze away from the main building, Tom turned to look at the Guild Members of Severed Stars as they slowly moved into the portal and entered it.
His brow rose for a brief moment.
They’re leaving…? Just like that? They weren’t going to try the hidden scenario?
“Ha.”
A small laugh escaped Tom’s lips as he looked at them.
As expected of them…
This was the difference between their Guilds. This was the gap between a King-Grade Guild and a Queen-Grade Guild.
They took risks and weren’t cowards when opportunities presented themselves to them.
’This is why she should’ve joined Ivory instead of that crappy Guild.’
Tom shook his head.
He knew Zoey quite well. The two of them once belonged to the same training Academy.
Zoey’s scores were higher than his, but in the end, she ended up choosing Severed Stars instead of the other King-Grade Guilds.
As a result, the gap between the two started to diminish, until now, as Tom felt confident that he had finally surpassed her.
But as if his thoughts weren’t enough proof, what he had just witnessed was all the proof that he needed as he shook his head while turning to look at his own team members.
“Don’t bother with them too much. It’s good for us that they’re leaving. That means we’ll get more rewards once we clear the scenario.”
Tom stepped out of his group and retrieved a specific device he could use within the gates.
It was quite an expensive device, each call costing quite a fortune.
However, taking into consideration the current situation, he felt compelled to make the call.
He had to ask his Guild about the scenario before proceeding.
And that was exactly what he did.
***
The world was dark.
…At the very least, at first.
But then, the glasses activated, and the scene sharpened into view. A long corridor stretched ahead, a deep red carpet unfurling beneath my feet, guiding the way toward a partly open door. From within, a warm orange light spilled out.
Light?
I felt my body tense slightly at the sight.
’Am I seeing things, or…?’
I gradually removed my glasses to make sure, and sure enough, the light still appeared to spill out from the slightly opened door in the distance.
I licked my lips while staring in that direction.
But then—
Clank! Clank!
I suddenly started to hear sounds coming from behind the door.
It sounded like faint chattering, mingled with the delicate clatter of thin metal. It was hard to describe, but I didn’t really have a good feeling about the situation.
Nonetheless, I still decided to move and get a closer look.
’Don’t panic. Remain focused. You need to keep calm if you want to clear this scenario.’
With each step that I took, my heart pressed tightly against my chest.
I had to remind myself over and over again to remain calm.
I couldn’t let the fear take over my mind, even though I wanted to do nothing more than run.
’You’ve already just faced a conductor who will probably hunt you tomorrow, a strange host who is still downstairs, a strange creature that thrives in the dark and that will kill you if you summon it again…’
Err…
Maybe, just maybe, I was making things worse for myself.
No, I really was…
’Shit, I want to puke.’
I swallowed the rising nausea clawing its way up from my gut and stepped closer to the door, inching my head forward to peer through the narrow opening.
That was when I saw it.
’What in the…’
A large dining room. A long table ran down its center, covered in a pristine white cloth, too white, like bleached bone. Candles flickered along its length, casting long, twitching shadows over neatly arranged plates and wilting flowers.
A chandelier sat on top, its crystals reflecting the flickering flames of the candles beneath.
Paintings, faces blurred, smeared, or turned away, hung crookedly on the walls, while at both ends of the room were large wooden doors, closed completely shut.
But what froze me… what buried a cold needle into my spine…
Were the four figures seated at the table.
They sat upright, eating and conversing in muffled tones, forks tapping against plates, producing the familiar clinking sounds from before. Servants glided between them, slipping in and out of one door without a sound.
And every single one of them… lacked a face.
Just blank skin where features should be, as if they had been erased. Still they chewed, still they spoke… Somehow.
I had to take a deep and cold breath upon seeing the sight.
What in the…
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the sight before me. Not because I was scared, but because I recognized them.
’The painting…’
Indeed, they were the same four people from the painting beneath.
It was just that they lacked faces. The only reason I could tell was their clothes. They were exactly the same as the painting.
Could they be the owners of the estate?
If so…
Click!
“…..!”
A strange, dry click broke through the silence, followed by the sound of a fork clattering to the floor.
All their heads snapped toward the noise, their blank eyes locking on the fallen utensil as it skittered across the floor until…
It stopped in the same direction as the door I stood behind.
“…..!”
My heart reached.
Swoosh!
…And I immediately pulled away, moving away from the door as I held onto my beating heart.
A strange silence followed shortly after.
One that felt entirely suffocating as I took several steps back.
’Did they notice? Why is there no sound? They saw me…’
And then—
Tak.
The softest of footsteps echoed in the silence.
It was far, but…
Tak… tak…
It was slowly moving towards the door.
Sweat trickled down the side of my face as I continued to move back.
Tak.
Each step dragged on, moving closer and closer to the door.
I didn’t dare breathe.
I couldn’t breathe.
I reached the end of the corridor, reaching for the door I came in from.
But…
It was locked.
’Oh, shit…’
I felt the pressure build, suffocating me, as the door at the far end of the corridor creaked open, its hinges groaning with every inch.
’Ohhh, fuck! Shit! Shit…! Opennnn, damn it!’
My eyes swam towards the shop in front of me as I prepared to buy a certain item, when—
Hick… Hick…
The sound of crying suddenly filled the space.
The door stopped moving.
What followed was a trembling, yet feeble voice.
“I’m hungry. I’m really… h-hungry.”