No one knows.
At the moment, it seems that only six of them have survived this maritime disaster.
The story is set in an alternate background, around the time of the Prohibition era. Dorena is the son of the local duke, coming from a wealthy family. He excels at the aristocratic academy, but his personality is reclusive and eccentric, avoiding social interactions. For his birthday celebration, apart from the six of them, only three to five other relatives and classmates were invited.
When they first arrived on this cruise ship, everyone felt that it was too spacious, but their attention was quickly captivated by the various amusements on the ship, and they didn’t think much about it.
“Do you think Dorena is still alive?” Bai’er bounced down from the rocks by the sea. “I haven’t figured out what the conditions for clearing are. Once we clear it, can we go home?”
“Explore the mysteries behind it,” Freud shrugged. “This condition is too broad.”
“I think we don’t need to dwell on these things.” Shen Ling raised his hand to shield the sun shining on his head. It was the hottest month of the year, nearing noon, and the bare sunlight exposed everything without any cover, making his skin itch.
Before coming here, he was clearly in the midst of winter, but after the game started, the thick down jacket and Martin boots were replaced by thin summer clothes. He was now dressed in casual summer wear, even his appearance transformed into the golden-haired and blue-eyed character described on the role card.
All these changes occurred silently and unexpectedly, emphasizing the omnipotence of the dominant force here.
He looked around at everyone, noticing the changes in their appearances. Finally, his gaze fell on Yan Xiu, who was sitting on a nearby rock.
He was wearing a suit and shirt, unbuttoning the cuffs and rolling up his sleeves. His long and slender legs were casually draped over the rocks.
Scattered deep brown short hair fluttered in the sea breeze, and the profile displayed clean and sharp lines.
— His appearance didn’t change much; his face remained as icy as ever. The only notable change was in his originally light but discernible brown pupils, which turned into a cold and faint light gray. This made him seem even less approachable.
Shen Ling withdrew his gaze and continued, “The rule card states that we are free to explore, and just now, KP98 emphasized the freedom of the game. So, I believe the key to this game lies in exploration. As long as we explore, we will gradually approach the truth.”
“Explore what? There’s nothing here!” Xiu Wen said coldly.
“Let’s start by exploring this maritime disaster,” Shen Ling ignored him and said, “See if there are any other survivors besides us, especially Dorena. If he’s alive, where would he go? He is the key to this event, and we must find him.”
The group decided to split up for investigation. Nana and Bai’er were assigned to the coastline, a slightly inland area to Freud and Xiu Wen, while Shen Ling and Yan Xiu were responsible for the area near the dense forest. Since they were not sure what was in the forest, a small knife was handed to them.
Shen Ling was preparing for protection before entering the forest. He glanced at Yan Xiu not far away. Yan Xiu was using a leather band to tie a small slingshot, and his long fingers stretched and released. A small stone shot out in a smooth arc, hitting the target accurately. Several makeshift weapons were scattered around his feet.
Sensing Shen Ling’s gaze, Yan Xiu looked over with a cold and indifferent expression, seemingly casual.
Shen Ling, not very naturally, averted his gaze. He bit his lip, made a determination, and walked over with large strides, jumping onto the rock where Yan Xiu was sitting.
Yan Xiu picked up a sturdy branch and sharpened the tip with a knife.
“Felton.”
“Hmm.”
“Do you really not remember me?” Shen Ling asked in a subdued voice.
“I don’t remember,” Yan Xiu lowered his gaze, telling Shen Ling, “The doctor said there was a problem with my brain structure, and I often forget things. I could only discharge from the military and return home. Why did I take that train? How did we meet?”
Shen Ling recounted their encounter on the train to Yan Xiu, observing his reaction. Seeing his continued coldness, Shen Ling felt uneasy, and his feet, hanging off the edge of the rock, swayed unconsciously.
Shen Ling asked, “Do you believe what I said?”
“Yeah,” Yan Xiu’s voice was low. “You make me feel familiar. We should know each other.”
Shen Ling smiled, “If we can go back, I’ll help you contact my aunt and see if she can cure your amnesia. She’s a famous neurologist.”
“We’re done!” Not far away, Freud waved to them. “Let’s go, come back before going down the mountain.”
Yan Xiu distributed the prepared weapons to them, finally handing the only small knife to Shen Ling. “You take it.”
Shen Ling wanted to refuse, but Yan Xiu coldly said, “Listen.”
The familiar tone of command made Shen Ling raise an eyebrow. He folded the small knife and put it in his pants pocket, walking into the woods with everyone else.
Halfway through, Shen Ling suddenly heard a voice in his mind: You seem to have discovered something, make a perception check.
Shen Ling:…
It was KP98’s voice.
Shen Ling stopped, looking at Yan Xiu. Yan Xiu had the same expression, indicating that they both heard KP’s voice.
Shen Ling asked, “How do we check? Where’s the dice?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the figure of KP98 appeared in front of him. Compared to the first encounter when he was as white as a sheet of paper, the current 98 can be said to be very delicate.
His slender figure was clad in a black tailcoat, the white shirt underneath neatly pressed and tucked into the flat lapels. He wore a black top hat on his head and held a curved black cane with a decorative tip, resembling a magician manipulating mysteries.
… It seems that the one-click costume change is not only applicable to them.
KP timely answered his confusion, “I will appear in the way you like the most. It seems you enjoy mysterious things, like magicians. So far, I like this image you imagined, it suits me well.”
He waved the cane, and two ten-sided dice appeared in front of Shen Ling, one with a black background and white numbers engraved from 00 to 90, and the other with a white background and black numbers from 1 to 10.
KP said, “With these two dice, you can roll any number from 1 to 100. When you roll 1-5, you will achieve a critical success, obtaining more clues than usual.”
“Shouldn’t there be critical failures as well?”
“Yes,” KP smiled slightly, “The corresponding numbers for critical failure are 96-100. I hope you won’t have such a dark moment. So, who goes first?”
Since he asked that way, everyone had a chance.
Shen Ling asked Yan Xiu, “What’s your perception?”
Yan Xiu confirmed, “75.”
Shen Ling unexpectedly said, “So high? Then you go first.”
Yan Xiu hesitated.
Shen Ling asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yan Xiu pursed his lips, “Nothing. How do I roll?”
KP said, “It’s simple. Just tap the dice in front of you.”
Shen Ling automatically took Yan Xiu’s hesitation as his unfamiliarity with the game. This person had a strong adaptability in some aspects, but in some areas… he seemed a bit dull.
He reassured, “It’s okay. 75 points are high. Probability-wise, it’s difficult to fail.”
“Okay.”
Yan Xiu responded, reaching out and tapping the dice in front of him.
The dice spun rapidly before his eyes, finally stopping—
96
Yan Xiu: “…”
Shen Ling: “………………”
With a regretful smile, KP said, “Perception check, 75 (personal attribute)/96 (check result), critical failure. Let me think about what punishment should be given.”
Yan Xiu pressed his forehead, “Sorry, my luck has always been bad. You should go first.”
Shen Ling’s mood was even more complicated than his, “No, letting you roll first is logically correct. My perception is only 35. It’s just that I didn’t expect you to be so…”
KP: “I thought about it. Please continue your exploration.”
Shen Ling: “…Did I just get punished?”
“Yes, this is your punishment.”
“Punishment? Good,” Shen Ling clicked his tongue, “My competitive spirit is rising.”
Looking at Shen Ling’s enthusiastic appearance, Yan Xiu asked in a low voice, “What do you plan to do?”
“Since we need to pass the perception check, there must be something here. Although this game requires attribute checks, I believe that attribute checks only help us discover clues faster. Even without them, we can find them with our eyes and feet, just… it will be a bit more difficult.”
His voice was steady and determined, carefully surveying the surroundings.
At that moment, a dense fog emanated from deep within the woods, almost obscuring their vision. KP’s voice sounded in their ears, “This is the punishment for a critical failure.”
“It’s okay,” Shen Ling said, “The more challenging the bonus questions in math exams, the better.”
He casually broke off a branch from a nearby tree trunk as a tool for exploring, avoiding being tripped by some protruding roots or stones and being able to discover any clues that might roll to the roadside.
As Shen Ling continued forward, the vacant hand was gently held by a large, dry hand. He stopped his steps, looking at Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu’s expression remained indifferent, “The fog is too thick, it’s safer this way.”
“Um,” Shen Ling didn’t deny, and they continued to explore, holding hands.
They didn’t know how long they had walked, and the concentration of fog showed no sign of diminishing.
Shen Ling marked on the passing tree trunks, advancing with almost identical steps, ensuring he recorded how far they had gone. In case they regretted not discovering anything, it would ensure they returned to the camp they temporarily built by the seaside before nightfall.
Fortunately, luck was on their side, and they made a new discovery.
“There are footprints left here,” Shen Ling said, “Because the fog has increased the humidity in the air, the ground has become soft and muddy. The footprints left earlier are clearly visible. Someone walked through here, looking at the direction of the footprints, they went that way.”
“You are very careful. Now, make an insight roll.” KP’s voice sounded again.
“Which attribute is Insight?” Shen Ling asked.
“It’s equivalent to your intelligence.” KP replied.
Shen Ling hesitated for a moment and asked Yan Xiu, “What’s your insight?”
In that instant, Shen Ling clearly felt the stiffness in Yan Xiu’s hand from their handshake. He seemed to instinctively resist the idea of rolling the dice, perhaps due to his mentioned ‘bad luck’. But luck was unpredictable, and Shen Ling believed he should give Yan Xiu a little confidence.
“No,” KP dispelled his thoughts, “This is your discovery, only you can make the insight roll.”
Shen Ling shrugged and said, “Okay, my insight is high enough, with 80 points.”
