"Alright then, good luck to everyone."
With a chilling voice, before anyone could react, the scene before them blurred.
And then, Richard found himself in a grand hall adorned with huge diamond chandeliers, staircases lined with red carpets, and exquisite European decorations, all signaling that this was a high-class restaurant.
Not only was it grand, but Richard found himself in a corner, with the rest of his classmates presumably scattered in other corners of this restaurant.
"Hint: The restaurant will open in fifteen minutes. Please go to the storage room to find a suitable uniform for yourself."
(Remember to dress neatly when working. If customers see sloppy waiters, it will impact the restaurant's reputation.)
"Warning: Without absolute mental fortitude and enough strength, do not venture beyond the second floor of the restaurant."
"The customers there are difficult to serve; if you fail, they may dine on food outside the restaurant."
"Hint: While the restaurant aims to treat customers as gods, there may be some unreasonable or reputation-damaging customers. Players can give them a suitable lesson."
A lesson.
Are we certain we aren't courting disaster here?
Apart from ghosts, what other chilling entities might the patrons be? Upholding the restaurant's reputation at the cost of one's life seemed hardly worthwhile.
In this scenario, Richard's calm demeanor wasn't solely due to his resilience under pressure but a result of the psychological coaching he had received for such terrifying games.
Although the other classmates might be fearful, they should be able to compose themselves and complete their tasks.
Fear equals a death sentence.
By diligently completing their tasks, they could survive.
"I feel so immersed; I'm already a waiter!" muttered Richard as he rushed towards the deepest storage room.
The path was eerily empty yet immaculately clean, as if it had just been tidied.
Upon reaching the storage room, a wave of oppressive heat hit him.
Inside, a jumble of items greeted him. Opening a panel, he found a messy tangle of hair, a bloody mess with a piece of scalp still clinging to it.
Suppressing his disgust, Richard retrieved a waiter's uniform from within.
It was a standard restaurant suit.
The only downside was the repugnant stench emanating from it, with large bloodstains adorning it.
"Wearing this for a day might make me vomit acid," Richard quipped to himself.
But there was no choice; the restaurant's reputation was paramount.
"Open the information panel."
Dressing in the suit, enduring its sticky feel, Richard spoke aloud.
Every player entering the game had their own information panel, detailing their physical attributes and tasks.
Player: Richard.
Strength: 20.
Speed: 30.
Ghost Power: 0.
Props with ghost power: None.
Skills: Devil's Eye, Angel's Kiss, Analysis Eye.
Level: 1/10.
"Huh?"
Setting ghost power and props aside, why did he have skills and a level? Richard was perplexed; in his prior counseling sessions, nobody seemed to have these on their panels.
"Has the information panel been upgraded?"
Clicking on Devil's Eye, he could see a detailed explanation.
Devil's Eye: By absorbing the negative emotions of others, like anger, one can receive random rewards, with the magnitude correlating to the intensity of those emotions. (Newbie gift pack provided)
Angel's Kiss: By absorbing positive emotions of others, such as goodwill, one can receive random rewards, with the magnitude corresponding to the strength of those positive emotions. (Newbie gift pack provided)
Analysis Eye: By focusing his gaze, one can discern deceitful intentions, decipher the uses of Props with ghost power. (Newbie gift pack provided)
"So, because of me, affecting a ghost's emotions can yield random rewards?"
Richard suddenly realized that this might be his unique advantage.
It felt a bit like an easy mode cheat in this spooky game.
Richard didn't dwell on it too much and turned to leave the stuffy storage room.
There were five minutes left.
Back in the corridor of the main hall, Richard spotted someone.
It was a classmate, the English class representative Samantha.
Richard was about to greet her, but upon seeing him, she quickly turned her face away, looking nervous, pushing a food cart ahead, now clad in restaurant attire.
"What's going on here?" Richard wondered.
As Samantha turned the corner, Richard suddenly noticed a faint shadow closely trailing her.
"So she's dealing with spirits this quickly?"
Despite his suspicions, Richard had no time to worry about others and hurried back to the entrance of Restaurant No. 3.
Upon returning to the hall, two others were waiting.
"Alexa, Rachel?"
Upon seeing Richard, the male and female also seemed surprised.
"It looks like we've all been assigned to Restaurant No. 3."
"Are the other classmates also waitstaff?" Richard inquired.
This was Restaurant No. 3, among the nine in total, indicating the vast size of the establishment.
They were only responsible for the ground floor dining area.
"Not just waitstaff. The restaurant is divided into waiters, greeters, cashiers, cleaners, and chefs, these five basic positions have been assigned to our entire class."
"The three of us are waitstaff, responsible for taking orders and serving dishes," Rachel explained to Richard, clutching her shoulders anxiously while scanning her surroundings.
Alexa glanced at Richard but remained silent, discreetly keeping her distance from him.
She felt this clueless greenhorn might get them into trouble sooner or later, so it was better to avoid any close ties and prevent being drawn into danger.
"Will Rachel's naive kindness ever pay off? If you explain things to her, she'll surely turn to you when trouble strikes."
"Regretting it later won't help," Alexa thought to herself, without voicing it.
Silence not only is golden but also keeps one away from trouble.
Ding ding!!
The bell above the door chimed, and the three immediately snapped to attention.
It was time,
Hell's Restaurant was officially open!
The glass door swung open automatically, allowing a bone-chilling wind from the black night outside to envelop them.
Richard and his companions shivered from head to toe.
Outside, figures loomed in the darkness.
Eerie sounds echoed in their ears, sending shivers down their spines.
It felt as if something was perched on their shoulders, murmuring and weeping in their ears.
"The restaurant seems quite popular; it's packed outside right as we open," remarked Richard, gazing at the ominous entities, his grin tinged with unease.