-Main Quest: Uncover the Truth and Escape-
-Side Quest: Destroy the BOSS-
-Hidden Quest: Locked-
Ping! Ping!
"This is just the start, why did the death meter reach 90%?!"
"Shit, this is different from the information!"
Every one of them muttered. Their face mirrored their fear of death and their impending doom. The people dressed as servants did not move, they are all anxious even to breathe. Their eyes are focused solely on a certain object: a doll. The doll sat on the 6th step of the stair. It's a humanoid doll that embodies wealth and nobility. It's a typical doll popular with young ladies: blonde hair, soft and cushy body, cute and loveable face, and it's captivating green eyes. And it's exactly that breathtaking green eyes that fill the air with pressure and death.
The doll is beautiful but monstrous.
The doll stares at the crowd of trembling people.
"Everyone calm down, this is just the introductory part. I doubt that it will kill us this soon.."
Yet after the man uttered those words, the doll vanished and appeared in front of them. Smiling and appearing as if giggling at their cowardice.
"Shit!"
"Good way to plant a flag."
"AHH!!"
Everyone took a step back, the man even fell into his butt and tries to get away as far as possible. Fortunately, the mansion is massive and scattered away. It gave them a bit of ease but was soon terrified. The doll sitting on the marble floor twitched, bloody liquid dispersed into the floor, and slowly approached the people. It dyed the floor red. The previous massive space that the people could run to is now covered in blood, leaving them no chance to escape. Few people with experience took out some objects while the newbies could only pray and wish for a miracle.
As the blood slowly dominates the floor, some people tried to use a higher ground like a table or couch, yet the blood just rose and started to swallow all objects in its path.
"Come here! Let's form a circle and use the object from the last instance!"
"Don't be selfish now!"
The remaining people run and formed a circle. A man carrying a broken bowl started to chant, the broken bowl was immediately filled with water until it was flowing.
"It's holy water!"
"Shh! Don't break his concentration."
Ping! Ping!
The water met the blood and yet the blood engulfed the water slowly like a predator enjoying its hunted prey.
"It… it's not working!"
"This is an object from an Adept instance! How can it not work?!"
Ping! Ping!
"Help me!" The man screamed as his wrist continued to vibrate and showed a 100% result.
The people screamed as if conveying their last act of hope and resistance. They heard a sweet but mortifying giggle, then the blood slowly rose little by little. They saw how this blood devours a human whole, and all things engulfed in the blood have one fate---suffering worse than death.
"There you are, Huiqing."
Then a sickly voice is heard. When the people saw the owner of the voice, one of them whispered in joy: "It has come...!"
"The blood... it's gone.."
Everyone glance at their wrist and saw the number going down. The previous bloody-covered floor is now back to its glorious state--clean and noble.
The owner of the voice slowly descended the stair. When she reached the floor, she look at them inquiringly.
"Who are these people?"
The owner of the voice glance at the group of ten people. Their faces seem to be different from her memory, or maybe she never memorizes their faces. Although she lived this life multiple times, she also lived other lives a hundred times. She met countless people to the point that their faces cannot be remembered.
"Young Lady Jiayi, they are the newly hired servants."
The people gasped in horror at the sudden appearance of the maid beside the girl. This is the famous entity with the highest kill count, dubbed the 'Wandering Death!'
Ming Jiayi picked up the doll and hug the doll adoringly:"Good evening everyone, my name is Ming Jiayi, and the owner of this mansion. This is my doll Huiqing, I often misplace her so if you happen to find her in a corner, please bring her back to me."
Unwillingness is plastered on their faces but still mustered up a smile. Never! Not even a chance! If their luck is that bad to encounter the doll, they would immediately run!
She gave them a light smile:"I thought there are about thirteen servants? Where are the other three?"
The remaining people stayed silent but in their hearts they were screaming:'They were killed by your good luck!' [1]
The maid gazes at them without a life:"They left, young lady."
Ming Jiayi nodded in understanding. That's good, in her previous versions of this life, all of the newly hired servants died at some point or were burned alongside the mansion. Upon remembering her previous lives, when the mansion was either burned or she was killed by the servants, Ming Jiayi subconsciously tensed up, adding up to her weak constitution, Ming Jiayi almost fell but was immediately supported by the maid.
"Young lady, please rest."
Ming Jiayi was supported by her maid and nodded at the servants.
"Your rooms are in the left wing, there are only four rooms and each room accommodates only three people. I'll leave the allocation to you, rest early and good luck," the maid left and gave them a chilling smile.
When their silhouettes are gone, the ten people hurriedly run to their rooms. It's a common rule that remaining outside past 11 p.m. means immediate death. They saw three rooms colored in gray paint, while the remaining one is painted in vivid red like blood. Now they understood why the maid smiled like that: the unlucky person to stay in the red room will die.
"What should we do?"
"Residing in the red room does not immediately spell death... I think."
"Then, why don't you stay there?"
Everyone became silent until someone spoke up: "Umm... the maid did not specifically mention that the red room must house only one person..."
"Who..who cares! First come, first serve!" A man with a buzzcut shouted and run to the first room.
"Bastard...!"
Everyone became alarmed and rushed to the remaining gray rooms, believing that the red room is cursed. The three rooms are immediately filled, the young man with glasses walks to the red room and heard someone shout: "Hey! Where are the other two?! It's nearing eleven, if you don't want to die, come here!" It was the man who rushed first. Surprisingly, no one followed him after he entered.
The other people ignored him and settled in their rooms. After seeing that no one entered, he was scared and became angry. 'Fine! I hope you all die!'
The young man was surprised as he saw two people behind him, and sharing the red room. He didn't ask them anything and claimed the bed near the window. The bed is too small for a grown man and yet he didn't hesitate to choose it. Furthermore, it's near the window where evil things used to dwell and peek inside.
The other two lay on their bunk bed and study the layout of the room. This room is smaller compared to the gray rooms, but is rather well-maintained and not fitting as a servant's dwelling. The gray rooms look plain and only have beds and a washroom while there's a study table with a few fairytale books here. Furthermore, it appears as if it used to have many things here but was removed, the washroom also has a bathtub.
"You know something, don't you?" A teen with long hair residing on the upper bed spoke, his eyes wander at the young man with glasses but only saw his back.
The girl with shorter hair who look similar to the young man kicked that upper bed.
The two people thought that the young man was already asleep but they heard him ask: "Why did the two of you choose to be here?"
"The others already formed groups," the girl muttered.
"I teamed up with the buzzcut bastard, he was the type to use others as a shield, what about you?" the long-haired boy answered.
"You'll know tomorrow. We should sleep, it's already midnight, " the young man said.
The long-haired boy protested but his bed was kicked again and heard his twin sister utter:"Sleep."
The three people in the red room slept rather peacefully but it wasn't the same with the others. Especially the farthest gray room with only the person with Buzzcut dwelling.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"This is just the first night, why is it already this intense!"
"Shhh...."
"Let's ignore it and try to sleep..."
.....
Ming Jiayi face her doll and kissed its forehead. She placed the doll beside her and stare at it full of affection and sadness.
In her previous versions of this life, no matter what she did to prevent the disaster, she will still die together with everyone. There were times when she killed the newly hired servants but after that, her health deteriorated and she died or her servants suddenly vanished or contracted mysterious diseases. She thought that the new servants all have bad intentions, and yet there were also those who sacrificed their lives to protect her. It's such a mystery why every newly hired servants act differently like they were different peoples in every version of her life.
Ming Jiayi's head suddenly became painful, she sat up and hold her head in pain.
"Young lady, please drink this."
Ming Jiayi took the medicine and the pain subsided, she also forgot what she was thinking before.
"Thank you, Chen. You always appear by my side whenever I need something, it's like you never left me." Ming Jiayi joked and heard her maid chuckle.
"I promised to always be here and serve you, my lady."
Chen tucked Ming Jiayi into bed and stare at the doll. When Ming Jiayi's breathing became even, signaling that she was peacefully sleeping, Chen slowly crawl under her bed with her elongated limbs.
...
[1] Huiqing means goodluck.