Josh opened his eyes and saw the Ancient Castle in front of him.
It was like a witch’s castle full of dark elents from a fairy tale, surrounded by withered and charred thorny plants.
Yet in the thorns blood red roses richer than blood.
The whole castle was enclosed by a yard, where strange toys and wooden carvings were scattered as if they were ant to amuse children but abandoned.
The clouds in the sky hung low, with occasional flashes of lightning, as if a storm could break out at any mont.
The air was filled with the damp scent of moisture, mixed with the rusty sll of sothing rotting and the rich fragrance of roses, particularly pungent.
Josh glanced beside him, first startled, then quickly curved his lips into a smile.
Interesting.
Besides his four teammates, there were 8 people standing diagonally across, seemingly forming two additional teams, all huddling in small groups.
One particular team caught Josh’s attention; it consisted of four people, two n and two won.
Interestingly, the two n looked identical, as did the two won, appearing like two pairs of twins.
The other 4-person team included both n and won and looked unfamiliar.
However, there was no mandatory competition between different teams in this setup.
To pass the level, one could choose to survive for 7 days without participating in any competition for a direct clear, or opt to find hidden items in the level, or clear after achieving hidden achievents.
But if it were truly so peaceful, it wouldn’t be the God Creation Ga.
Josh pondered, given the strong rules in this complex level, there was likely so guideline steering them towards mutual slaughter.
Rob, shivering, clung to Josh’s hand. The giant, 185cm tall, seed tiny beside the less than 160cm Josh: "This is scary, will there be female ghosts? Little Tactician, I’m scared!"
Josh patted his head, "Don’t worry, female ghosts generally tend to pick the strong guys to suck their Yang energy, you’re quite safe."
Rob: "Wooo..."
The great doors of the castle creaked open, and a tall man wearing a tailcoat, waistcoat, and riding boots, with a white wig atop his head, stepped out.
His complexion was ashen, like skin untouched by the sun for years, with facial blood vessels nearly visible, cheeks gaunt as if he had just escaped from a refugee camp.
He stood before everyone, bowing slightly with grace: "Greetings, esteed guests, I am the butler of this castle, Thomas Byron, feel free to call Thomas. Please, co in; the kitchen has a sumptuous dinner prepared for you."
He led everyone inside.
Upon entering the castle, the surrounding temperature dropped abruptly.
The light also turned dim.
Won in dingy floor-length maid dresses, wearing aprons with lace, were busily working back and forth, yet their expressions were extrely rigid, devoid of life, like pre-programd puppets.
Inside the castle, only the candle holders on the walls provided illumination. The floor was carved with ornate, intricate patterns in deep gray, enhancing the castle’s gloomy, oppressive atmosphere.
Most of the grand, intricately carved windows were tightly shut, with the thorny roses outside swept up into the air by strong winds, their shadows cast inside through the windows, resembling so kind of distorted, clawing, sharp monsters.
Passing through the luxuriously elegant yet gloomy corridor, they were led to an enclosed dining room, empty except for a long table in the center, laden with sumptuous, sweet-slling dishes, with a delicate rose candelabra at the center illuminating the table.
The dining table had precisely thirteen settings.
Josh discreetly observed the room.
The walls of the dining room were adorned with deep green wallpaper with gilt floral patterns, each side hosting six oil paintings.
The paintings depicted various male and female figures, with differing expressions and postures, yet most had one characteristic.
The eyes of these painted figures rested upon the central dining table, coinciding with the thirteen settings.
Everyone took their seats.
The oil painting directly opposite Josh on the wall featured a portrait of a young girl, staring blankly straight ahead, her hands gripping the fra’s edge.
Despite the expressionless face, her eyes were exceptionally large and exaggerated, full of bloodshot veins, as if they had been open for ages, unable to close due to severe dryness.
Soone nearby also noticed the content of the paintings and tugged at the person next to them with terror: "This painting is so creepy, let’s change seats. I keep feeling it’s watching ."
The man chuckled: "Fool, it’s only just the beginning, and you’re scared already?"
Though there was helplessness in his tone, he still switched seats with her.
Thomas stood at the end of the long table, looking at everyone: "Honored guests, welco to the castle, there are a few points I must convey beforehand."
The table quieted down.
Thomas smiled slightly, satisfied with everyone’s cooperation: "Tonight, I will provide you with guestrooms, each uniquely styled and numbered.
To ensure everyone has a complete experience, starting tomorrow night, each of you must switch to a different room each day, choosing only those you haven’t stayed in before.
Additionally, refrain from going out after 9 PM; there are also other small things visiting in the castle, and we can only assure the safety of guests who stay obediently in their rooms.
Lastly, avoid approaching the attic, as we cannot guarantee what unpleasant events might occur otherwise.
Oh, yes, als are served at fixed tis: 8 AM, 12 PM, and 6 PM, with 15 minutes for each al. Please arrive promptly and not waste any food. Anyone missing, wasting food will be punished. Enjoy your al~"
The butler exited.
As he left, the oppressive atmosphere of the dining room grew thicker.
Josh sharply observed the paintings on the wall; after the butler left, the eyes in these paintings felt increasingly intense.
As if they couldn’t wait to crawl out of the fras.
The fragile girl’s voice rang out again: "What is this, it’s disgusting! Are we really going to eat this?"
Josh dropped his gaze to the table, only now noticing the bizarre nature of the food in the dishes.
What appeared to be succulent, juicy steak revealed itself to have bloodstains throughout and tendons within the at that still faintly pulsated.
What seed like a rich cream mushroom soup inexplicably bubbled, with the mushrooms turning out to be little blinking eyeballs.
Even the red liquid in the goblets, upon closer inspection, looked more like fresh blood than wine.
The black pepper sauce-coated spaghetti on the plate even squird about on its own, like worms not fully dead.
"Urgh..." The girl couldn’t help but retch.
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