The comment was asking for trouble, but it sure did liven up the atmosphere.
The subject of the comment, a bit embarrassed, scratched the back of his head and said, "Haha, sorry about that, just a little joke. I'm not great with this kind of stiff atmosphere."
The rest offered half-hearted smiles, their minds seemingly elsewhere.
"Maybe we should start with introductions. I'm Daniel," the previously cheeky young man with disheveled short hair began, "I was gaming at home, about to beat the boss, when suddenly, bam, I'm gone! Can you believe that?!"
"I was caught off guard too," the first speaker, a young man with glasses, neatly parted hair, clad in a cashmere sweater and jeans, an aura of academia about him, said, "I'm Kyra. Right before coming here, I was reading at home. Got tired and dozed off, and next thing I know, I'm sitting here. How about you guys?"
After finishing, his gaze naturally shifted to the person sitting on his right, clad in a crisp suit, gold-rimmed glasses, and short, meticulously combed hair, a scent of expensive cologne wafting around him.
He exuded an aura of superiority and, instead of taking the bait from Kyra, glanced at his watch and subtly passed the question to Anthony, "You too?"
After spending the night together, Ethan noted Anthony's reserved nature, who became silent under everyone's scrutiny.
The man in the suit chuckled coldly, "Not in the mood to share? Or got some secrets you're keeping from us? Did you have a hand in this?"
At that, Anthony looked up, his eyes meeting the suited man's steadily, "Why don't you go first?"
Intimidated by the stare, the man quickly checked his watch again, "Fine, I'll go. I was driving to work."
"That's it?" Daniel inquired.
"That's it."
"And your name is…?"
"Alex."
"Oh." Daniel couldn't resist a jab, "Here I thought you were called 'short.'"
Alex's face hardened, finding no opening with Anthony, he turned to the seemingly easier target, Ethan, "Your turn?"
Ethan hesitated, "Let me think…"
Alex checked his watch again, his impatience growing by the second, tapping his fingers irritably on the table, "Can't remember something that happened minutes ago?"
"Shock does that to you," Ethan replied seriously, "Maybe if you shared more, I might remember something."
Realizing he was being marginalized, Alex glanced around and commented, "Boring."
He attempted to stand but found himself stuck to the chair, looked at his watch again, and irritably suggested, "I've got things to do, can we not waste time here? What are you trying to pull?! I'm calling the police!"
"Got a signal on your phone? What's all the fuss about!"
"We're all in the same boat, mysteriously landed in this forsaken place, eager to figure out what's going on."
"Brother, you yourself said secrecy was pointless. Does that seem like an open attitude to you?" Daniel, never one to mince words, pushed back harshly.
"Idiot," Alex retorted, "Do you even know these people? Spilling your guts like that. You're not hiding something? Just playing a game, how could you end up in such a bizarre situation. And you, reading at home? Falling asleep? You expect me to buy that?"
Alex's confrontation broke the facade of peace, leading to a spreading trust crisis among them. It was then that Anthony spoke, "Before coming here, I was on a train, built in the 19th century, spanning over 9,000 kilometers, covering a fourth of the planet's circumference..."
"Reciting a textbook?" Alex cut in, visibly annoyed.
Anthony fell silent for a moment, "That's all I remember."
Ethan: "?"
Anthony looked bewildered, repeating, "That's all I remember."
Ethan frowned, asking, "Don't you remember me?"
Looking at him, Anthony's light eyes were cold and alien.
He shook his head.
Ethan stayed quiet, then turned to the others, "I know him. We were together. Let me explain. Before coming here, we were on a train that was supposed to cross the plains but ended up in the deep sea." He described their shared experience, eliciting a wave of astonished agreement.
"I saw that too!" Daniel scratched his head, "Thought I was hallucinating!"
Kyra nodded, "I dreamt I was drowning in the deep sea, surrounded by dense, sticky water. Actually, it was more gel-like, extremely viscous."
Hearing this, Alex reluctantly shared his story, "Something was tying down my car's tires, preventing me from moving forward. I tried to step out, but wave after wave rushed in, dragging me into a whirlpool."
Finally, they found common ground, a key to explaining their situation. Their attention turned to a foreign-looking woman among them. Interestingly, though her language was unfamiliar, everyone understood her perfectly.
"My name is Carter, a housewife. I encountered something very similar on my way to the market." The brunette provided a detailed account, "The octopus I bought came to life, its tentacles reaching out of the eco-bag, wrapping around me so tight I could barely breathe. I could hear the sound of waves, and though there was no water, I tasted salt in my nose. Next thing I knew, I was stuck to this damn chair. My back's been troubling me, sitting here for so long isn't helping."
Ethan took off his jacket and offered it to her, "Place this behind your back. It should be more comfortable."
"Thank you," Carter said, looking surprisingly at Ethan, "You're a good kid."
"Now that we've cleared up the situation," Ethan addressed everyone, "there's only one explanation for all this. We're caught in a mysterious event, summoned here through some means, forced to partake in the game before us. I received a game invitation card prior to this."
Ethan placed the invitation on the table, asking, "Did you get one?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Daniel, examining the card, his expression changed, chuckling, "What's this, looks like something teenagers would be into. You didn't hop on that train because of this invitation, did you? Ah, to be young."
Ethan blushed, muttering, "Shut up!"
"Actually, you might be onto something," Daniel continued, "This appears to be a game. The rules are all here, but how do we start exploring? How do we get back? Is it by completing it?"
"Why us? What do we do now?" Kyra voiced her confusion, "I'm not much of a gamer. Are we going to fight over loot? What if we lose? Do we die?"
"That'd be too harsh,"
Ethan responded, "There's usually a game tutorial. Wouldn't be very newbie-friendly otherwise."
As he finished, a somber conch sound emanated from the ocean depths, and the rule card twitched. Before their eyes, the card began to move, flipping over to reveal a tiny paper man attached to the back.
First sitting up, pausing, then rotating its headless face towards Ethan, it waved enthusiastically, "Hi! My dear friends!"
Ethan: "…"
With a push from its hands, before it could fully emerge, Daniel quickly flipped it back over.
Clamping down on the card, Daniel looked at them horrified, "It moved! The paper man moved by itself!"
Their expressions unchanged.
Daniel's lip quivered, "…Why are you all so calm?"
Ethan replied, "Aren't you a bit late being scared?"
The paper man slipped out from between the card and the table, striking a dashing pose, bowing elegantly, "Greetings, I am the Guardian of this Stranger, number 98, but you can call me KP. I'll be guiding you through this game. Considering you're all beginners, this round will be in easy mode."
"That's a relief!" exclaimed Daniel.
"How easy? Like, can we get through it by just lying down?" Kyra inquired.
"Not quite, you'll have to move around," the paper man reassured, all charm, "The foundational rule, as you've seen, is very simple. Immerse yourself in the role KP has set, make good use of your skills and identities, and uncover the secrets behind. In short, it's role-playing."
"Now, let me introduce you to the game's setting."
The voice seemed to etch directly into their minds, bringing forth memories not their own.
[You are students at Lilu Noble University, sharing a common friend/classmate named Dorona Henry.]
[To celebrate his birthday, Dorona invited you for a luxurious five-day cruise. But tragedy struck on the open sea, leaving you stranded on an unfamiliar beach as you woke up.]
[Your task is to survive and find a way back to civilization.]
[It's summer, August 13th, 10:16 am. Please receive your role cards.]