When Evan Stone opened his eyes again, a familiar brightness filled his vision.
"Back again..."
Evan Stone adjusted to the intensity of the spotlight, slowly scanning his surroundings.
The worn-out stage, the black curtains, the fully occupied audience seats—he had returned to this nightmare once again.
"It seems that whenever I fall asleep or die, I come back here," Evan Stone concluded from several experiences since regaining control over his body.
Ever since he had taken back control, the audience that had departed the theater had returned. Though their gazes seemed displeased, they hadn't attacked him again. Evan Stone's eyes naturally drifted to the screen at the center of the stage:
"[Audience Expectation: 24%]"
According to the history log, when he regained control of his body, the expectation value automatically rose to 20%. After a battle of wits with the authorities, it increased further, stabilizing at 24%.
"Last time, death directly deducted 50% of the expectation value. What would happen if I die again and the expectation value drops below 50%?"
Evan Stone didn't know the answer, but he speculated that if the expectation value turned negative, he would most likely die for real and be permanently taken over by the "audience," never to return.
As Evan Stone was about to look away, he suddenly noticed a small, vibrating treasure chest in the bottom right corner of the screen.
He distinctly remembered that when he first entered the theater, this object hadn't been there.
After a brief hesitation, Evan Stone extended his hand, clicking on the chest...
Ding ding ding—!
The moment Evan Stone's fingertip touched the chest, a passionate piece of music blared from the speakers on either side of the stage.
The sudden music startled Evan Stone, and in the next moment, several spotlights shifted behind him. He turned around to find a wooden table had appeared in the center of the stage.
It was an unremarkable old wooden table, looking slightly worn, blending perfectly with the wooden floor of the stage. The spotlight shone on the table, illuminating a piece of paper reflecting a pale glow.
Evan Stone walked toward the wooden table, the beams of light moving closer together until they merged into one.
At the top of the paper was a small line of text.
"Detected that audience expectation has exceeded 60% for the first time. Achievement unlocked: 'Mostly Positive Reviews'!"
"You have earned an additional lottery opportunity."
"After use, you will randomly acquire a character skill from the cast of this performance."
Evan Stone's gaze swept over the words, and before he could react, the white paper suddenly vanished, replaced by several playing cards arranged on the table.
The cards came in different colors—most were white or gray, with the occasional blue ones. The patterns on the cards ranged from simple to intricate; the more vibrant the color, the more intricate the design, giving them an air of rarity.
In the next moment, all the cards flipped over, revealing their backs. Then, at an astonishing speed, they stacked together and spread out neatly on the table.
Evan Stone tried to track the blue cards, but the bizarre reshuffling process made it impossible for him to follow with the naked eye.
"A lottery, huh... Looks like not everything in this theater is bad."
Evan Stone took a deep breath and randomly selected a card in front of him, flipping it gently over...
It was a blue card.
After Evan Stone made his selection, all the other cards vanished, and several lines of text appeared on the blue card.
"Skill: [Killing Dance]"
"Belongs to: War God Path, [Judgment] route, Third Stage."
"Character: Victor Hale."
Seeing the name "Victor Hale," an image of the man in the coat, who had fought fiercely against the red paper monster the night before, automatically appeared in Evan Stone's mind... At that moment, he had only one thought:
This was a huge win!
Since Evan Stone had arrived in this world, Victor Hale was undoubtedly the strongest fighter he had encountered. Although Evan Stone didn't understand what "War God Path," "[Judgment] route," or "Third Stage" meant, there was no doubt that he had drawn the best option available.
The blue card dissipated into nothingness, and Evan Stone felt something profound and mystical stir within him.
"Thank you for the gift." Evan Stone felt somewhat embarrassed.
He had stolen—no, learned—this skill from Victor Hale. In a sense, Victor Hale was his benefactor... but just a few hours ago, he had beaten his "benefactor" and knocked him out cold.
That blow... surely it didn't kill him, right?
He felt a little guilty.
...
The crimson disaster danced wildly above his head,
Its terrifying pressure sent chills down his spine;
A long hand from within the disaster reached out and pressed against his head...
It was as if the hand of a god had descended from the heavens, reigning over the world.
On the hospital bed, Victor Hale suddenly opened his eyes, nearly jumping straight out of bed.
"Ahh—"
The sharp pain in the back of his head made him grimace, and the world in front of him blurred before he collapsed back onto the bed.
"Vick!"
An officer who had been napping beside him was startled and immediately helped him steady himself. "Vick! What are you doing? Don't move too much, you might tear the stitches..."
Victor Hale finally came to his senses, looking confused.
"Where am I?"
"The hospital!"
"The hand... no, where's that red disaster?"
"It..." The officer paused, "It should have escaped. When we arrived at the scene, we only saw you lying there..."
Fragmented memories rushed into Victor Hale's mind, and he instinctively reached up to touch the back of his head, wincing in pain.
That disaster... did it like to attack the back of the head?
"What's the situation? Any other casualties?"
"Not for now. After the fight, the disaster hasn't appeared again. It seems like you really injured it badly."
"I..."
Victor Hale wanted to say that he hadn't actually wounded it, but after hesitating for a moment, he swallowed the words.
He still needed to maintain his image in front of his subordinates.
"What time is it?"
"6:50."
"...Help me sit up."
"Vick, the doctor said you need to rest..."
"Rest my ass!" Victor Hale gritted his teeth and stood up. "That disaster is tricky. If we leave it unchecked, it'll cause trouble sooner or later!"
"Tricky? Vick, did you mean dangerous..." The officer, well-versed in many things, but hearing someone describe a disaster as "tricky" was a first.
"Dangerous, but more tricky!"
Victor Hale instinctively touched the back of his head, "And I suspect it's really fused with some human..."
"Fused?" Hearing these words, the officer's face changed dramatically. "Should we notify Aurora City immediately?"
Upon hearing the second part of the sentence, Victor Hale calmed down. "No, not yet. I still need to investigate... This is just my guess, there's no theoretical evidence."
"So what now?"
"Let's head to the headquarters. The new recruits should be in position by now. We'll talk on the way."
"Alright."