Chu Siyan had a careful eye on the Apple Watch he still had on his wrist. Just when the clock hit 7:30, a young girl's voice called them all for dinner.
'So early… I guess my intuition is correct. The darker it gets, the more dangerous it will get in here.'
As he was getting out of bed, he thought back to the conversation he had with the girl. When that NPC invited him into the sorority, the girl had a very scared look on her face when she mentioned that it was getting dark. She kept urging him to come in.
'Will the ghosts only do the 'visitation' outside the sorority, or do they have a leisurely stroll in this place as well?' he rolled his eyes at the thought.
Opening the door, he glanced at the trench coat guy. "Are you coming?"
The man simply looked at him and continued lying on the bed.
Seeing this, he paused. "Not eating in this world causes starvation and death?"
The man slightly raised his brow. "If you don't eat, you die."
"Oh great." He nodded to himself. "Thank you," he closed the door behind him.
The others were waiting in the hallway. Along with the handsome treacherous guy, the two young women and men were grouping together. The red T-shirt guy had an annoyed look on his face as he played with his phone.
As for the other three young women, they were the NPCs in here. One girl had bright pink hair and a lot of tattoos up her arms and legs. She looked at them with interest.
'I want a tattoo...'
"You! Why do you keep looking at girls' legs like that! Only lecherous people have that look in their eyes," the annoyingly handsome guy said disgruntled.
Chu Siyan raised a brow. 'What is wrong with this guy? Why does he keep messing with me? Is it because I warned the others... he is holding a grudge?'
The said girl with the tattoo also glanced his way. Her dark eyes looked lifeless and shallow. Her face was adorned with a distinct black circle around her eyes.
Thinking that the girl misunderstood him, he walked up to her. "I admire your tattoos. Where did you get them? Can you suggest a place?"
The whole hallway became silent. Every other player called him a crazy lunatic in their heart. But Chu Siyan was really serious about it. He really wanted to have a tattoo to commemorate the first day of his rebirth in the game.
The NPC raised her brow. "I did them."
"You did them?! They are super cool! I've always wanted one."
All his life, he had been in a glass bubble. Of course, he had no human contact. Things like tattoos were completely impossible for him.
"Do you want me to ink you?"
"Yes! Definitely!" he held up his white arms to her.
The young girl laughed out loud. "This year's students are so cute," she even pinched his cheeks. "Come on, I'll do you after dinner," she smiled and gestured for him to walk along.
Watching this, the handsome dude's expression went stiff. He silently gritted his teeth. 'This sicky guy is dangerous... I can't let him continue on…'
The three games he had played, he got to know that the NPCs were completely useless. They just give you initial situations, and then all of them die.
The other four followers of his tugged at his sleeve. "Bro, do we need to associate with the NPCs? Will that give us saving grace or something?"
"No, che, that guy is simply a dog wagging his tail at them. Stay away from him."
As he said this, the red T-shirt guy gritted and walked past them. In a leisurely pace, he followed the four NPCs.
Chu Siyan walked up to the dining hall. It was relatively small. The pink-haired woman sat down and gestured to the seat next to her. He plopped his butt on the chair, admiring the tattoos up her arm.
"Cutie, I forgot to ask your name." The NPC gently pinched his nose again.
Chu Siyan grinned. "Chu Siyan. Call me Siyan."
"Siyan? It sounds masculine. It doesn't suit a cute girl like you," she grinned cheerfully.
Chu Siyan did not get bothered being addressed as a girl. He simply went along with her and chatted about random things. As they talked, he got to know her name. She was called Sara. She introduced him to the other NPCs.
The young blond bob-cut girl sitting to his right was called Barbara. She had a cute smile with dimples on either side of her cheeks.
Then there was Tilly, who showed them around.
He glanced around. There were supposed to be four NPCs according to the room tags he spotted. "What about our other senior?"
Sara slightly grimaced. "She is quite timid. She doesn't like coming out much."
He noted that mentally.
The others also joined them by then. The handsome-faced dude still maintained his sweet and trusted older brother facade. He introduced himself as Harris.
This started a chain of introduction. The two young girls in his group meekly introduced themselves as Hina and Poppy.
The black-haired ordinary-looking man nodded and said his name was Timothy.
The other two guys who followed the guy named Harris condescendingly looked at the NPCs. "I'm Liam," he grinned and straight up groped a nearby NPC's thigh. It happened to be Tilly sitting next to him.
She had a very uncomfortable look on her face as she pushed his hand away.
Siyan frowned. These kinds of men disgusted him. "Talk, don't touch," he warned him softly.
Being called out for his act, the man started to lose his cool. "Who are you to tell me what to do, huh? You are nothing but a meat shield for us! Just you wait, the first person to die will be you!" he cussed out loud.
But after that, he wasn't so handsy.
Chu Siyan sighed. In just a few hours, he met so many different characters.
Tilly looked his way and mouthed a small thank you.
"What is the use of being a hero to NPCs?" Harris muttered under his breath.
Chu Siyan completely ignored him and glanced around the dining table. The dishes were not served yet, but everyone was already there.
As he thought this, a tall, stout woman walked out with the dishes in hand. She set them down unceremoniously. "Eat," she said and left.
It was just plain porridge with the side of pickles.
Harris and his cronies scrunched up their noses and refused to eat it.
Chu Siyan, on the other hand, picked up a bowl and ladled a good amount. The porridge had a very clear taste of fish and prawns. Along with chili pickles, it tasted heavenly. He had never had spicy food like this. It really made his eyes water.
"I told you he will be the one to die first," Harris muttered under his breath.
Chu Siyan did not even bother to look his way. His patience was stretched thin. He glanced at the red T-shirt guy who was still playing with his phone. "Eat while it's hot," he shouted so that he heard him.
The young man looked up at him.
The others thought he might not eat this poisoned food, but to their surprise, he picked up a brow and simply gulped down the warm porridge. After that, he continued to play with his phone.
Chu Siyan nodded to himself. 'Good man. Only a well-fed person can run from danger.' He thought.
Sara secretly placed a few beef jerky in his bowl. "Eat well, cutie Siyan,"
Grinning, he ate it with gusto. After finishing his meal, he did not forget to take another clean bowl of porridge and pickles for his roommate.
As he was doing this, he heard Harris and his cronies discussing strategies to escape this level of the game.
"This game is very simple. All we need to do is find clues. It's probably outside this sorority in the college. Since there is a restriction in the night, we might have a greater chance of finding clues. We shall all head out tonight at ten."
The others looked hesitant.
Harris grinned softly. "Only when we put in a bit of effort can we pass this level. Just follow me, brother will bring you guys out alive."
This seemed to assure them. They all nodded with tears in their eyes.
Chu Siyan desperately tried to roll his eyes at this display.
Dinner was over soon. He covered the bowl of porridge with a clean plastic that Sara so kindly offered. It was simply just packaging for the beef jerky that he ate off. He used it with ease. And walked up.
The first thing he did was drop off the dinner to his roommate.
The trench coat guy looked at the bowl and at him in surprise.
"Eat well. You will get tired if you don't eat. How will you run away from trouble if you don't have dinner?" he nagged for a bit.
The man looked skeptically at the bowl.
"It's very nice. If you are worried it's poisoned, then I can sample a bit for you. But don't waste food, okay?" He took the spoon from him and ate a spoon full of it. "Eat while it's warm," he added and left the room.