KP snapped his fingers crisply, and a card popped up in front of everyone, displaying their identities, physical stats, and various skills attributes.
The cards hovered in the air before them. Ethan reached out to touch one, his fingertips creating ripples as if distorting the air itself. Once he drew his hand back, the ripples dissipated, and the card's surface returned to normal.
KP began, "These are your identity cards, also your attribute cards, including strength, agility, intelligence, inspiration, education, and other fundamental values. All about your character settings are inscribed on this card surface. This card will accompany you throughout the game, available whenever you wish to consult it. I must say, all attributes were determined by a roll of the dice - perfectly fair and just."
"Too bad they're not public," Kyra pushed up her glasses.
"This is a beginner's game. Next round, you'll roll your own dice to create character cards. No complaints! Pay attention! This is an essential tutorial for beginners. Do you know what happens to those who skip tutorials?!"
"I never watch tutorials when I play games." Daniel looked around curiously, not absorbing a word.
"Dammit… Enough looking around; you can't see each other's character cards, but you can learn about each other through conversation. Now, let me introduce you briefly."
KP said, "Alex, you're playing Taylor, a medical student at Lilu Noble University."
He clearly introduced several characters and their roles:
- Daniel, playing Mia, a petite physics student good at sneaking and scouting;
- Kyra, as Floy, with brown curly hair and glasses, a history student adept in library use and history;
- Carter is music student Lily, slender and gentle, skilled in listening, persuading, and throwing;
- Alex plays Taylor, a medical student proficient in medical treatment and first aid;
- Anthony is a taciturn and athletic student Lauren, investing points in climbing, jumping, and brawling;
- Lastly, Ethan plays Audrey, the youngest, a blond-haired, blue-eyed, graceful performing arts student, good at disguise and enchantment.
KP said, proudly, "By the way, all these talents and skills were allocated based on your life experiences and personality traits, making a perfect team."
Ethan: "...What's with this enchantment skill?"
Daniel, unable to stop laughing, slung an arm around Ethan's shoulders, reveling in his dismay, "Literal meaning?"
Anthony's icy gaze fell upon Daniel's hand.
Daniel stiffened, retracting his hand and sheepishly touching his nose.
Carter, puzzled by his own description, asked, "Why would a music student like me have a throwing skill?"
KP admitted frankly, "Your attribute roll went wonky. You got high strength."
"So...?"
"I gave you throwing. In a crunch, you could potentially hurl a piano/cello at someone. It's a cool combat skill."
"Hold on," Ethan caught on to the hints in KP's words, "Combat skills? There's fighting involved?"
KP responded politely, "Oh, yes."
Silence fell upon the group again.
"What happens if we fail? Can we run from a fight?"
"I feel the need to reiterate, this is a free world where you can make any decision you want. The only rule is, success or failure of your actions depends on dice rolls, in other words, luck."
Alex frowned, "Give us more details."
"In the game, you might encounter various incidents where you want to use your skills to solve problems or gather clues. You'll need to make a dice roll then. The number you roll must be lower than your attribute, meaning you are capable of addressing the problem."
Kyra looked at Daniel, "Did you get that?"
Daniel resigned to fate, "I play by two simple principles: go with the flow…and rely on teammates."
Ethan sighed, explaining, "For instance, if we encounter an unfamiliar creature and need to make a biology check, if our biology stat is 60, rolling under 60 means we recognize the creature."
"You're smart," said KP. "That's the basic rule. Other mechanics and strategies can be explored and developed as you play. So, players, are you ready?"
Anthony interjected, "You've been dodging one question."
"Oh?"
"What happens if we fail?" His gaze was cool and intimidating, sharp as a freshly honed blade.
As he spoke, the tide surged unexpectedly, startling everyone with the sound of waves crashing against the cliff, sending shivers down their spines.
The endless blue sea somehow began to blend with red, the hue deepening with each wave, forming pools of scarlet.
As the crimson waves broke onto the shore, leaving behind bright red marks, they saw something being pushed onto the beach – more and more of them...
Carter suddenly screamed, "Hand, hands— severed hands!"
The group: "...!"
The red waves lapped at their feet, tinting their shoes; something hooked onto Ethan's shoelace – a small, curved phalanx clinging on.
Ethan: "..." Nothing could shock him anymore.
"Damn!" Daniel exclaimed, "Something's grabbed my ankle!"
"Don't scare me!!!"
"Sorry," KP chuckled delightedly, "It's my first time as KP and I forgot to close the game room door, letting these Execution Items drift in from the 'corridor.'"
Execution Items—
Their faces turned ashen.
The white paper split open with a sinister smile, "No big deal, I was scared too when I first saw this, but really, it's just limbs and remains of life forms; the eventual fate of humanity isn't something unusual."
The group: "..."
But they no longer needed to ask.
The sheer volume of blood needed to dye the sea red and the countless bones mixed in were a stark indication—
The rule written in the game, "escape or die," was no joke.
After some time, KP closed the door, the sea no longer darkened, and the shoreline was piled with remains, an inescapable mix of fetid and briny air hung around, nauseating.
No one dared to ask about the consequences of failure anymore, for the outcome was laid bare before them.
Ten minutes later, KP #98 officially announced the start of the game.
The loudest ones fell silent, six people sitting bewildered by the seaside.
The sea returned to its original color, the bones vanished, replaced by parts of furniture and shipwrecks that had come ashore with them during the disaster.
Ethan tried sensing the presence of KP #98, but in the vast emptiness, only the whistling sea breeze and a few downcast quails remained.
After a lengthy silence, Anthony's cold voice was like a shovel of snow to their faces, "Let's check what we have and figure out how to survive."
Spurred by his words, they searched their pockets for any useful items.
They found: a small knife, two rubber bands for hair, one lipstick, four pens, three pocket watches, a cigar box with a lighter, and a soggy notebook the size of a palm.
It starkly represented their status as students, nothing extra.
Daniel, now Mia, glanced uncertainly at Anthony, "Boss, with just these, can we survive?"
Ethan looked up to him.
Anthony met Ethan's gaze and nodded, "Yes."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their scattered spirits momentarily returning.
Ethan found Anthony fascinating; despite a memory so poor that recent events were quickly forgotten, he exuded an air of easiness as if everything was solvable when handed to him.
This unshakeable presence, Ethan interpreted, must be that of a military man.
"What do we do next?" Mia asked with wide, innocent eyes.
Ethan suggested, "Let's exchange information first. What's your relationship with Dorona?"
"Classmates, attended an open class together, and he invited me to his birthday party."
"Same here."
"Me too."
Except for Lily being Dorona's girlfriend, everyone was his classmate.
"From what I remember, Dorona preferred solitude, quite introverted and quirky," Ethan shared Audrey's memories with the group and voiced his suspicions, "But us six, from physics, sports, history, music, medical, and performing arts… it's hard for us to intersect. How did Dorona come to know so many?"
He paused, then asked, "How long have you known Dorona?"
The timelines they provided were all around a month.
Ethan, his golden hair shining brightly under the sun and his green pupils lined with a gold glow, concluded, "From these 'coincidences', we can deduce that meeting Dorona and attending this birthday party was likely a premeditated plan. So—"
He locked eyes with everyone: "Where did Dorona ·Henry go?"