Chapter 10: Role Play

Bai Yan mourned for the unfortunate loss of the diary for two days before recovering from his gloomy mood.

He spent all his time studying the strategies and exercises on the forum for several days and soon, the week quickly came to an end. 

On the morning of the seventh day, Bai Yan started coating his face with the foundation he had bought and shaped his unkempt eyebrows using an eyebrow pencil to mask his face to the point where people couldn’t recognize him as ‘Wang Ze,’ who was widely talked about in the forum.

To further alter his appearance, he also fixed his hair, deliberately changing to a more casual style that was different from that day.

After he was done layering on his disguise, Bai Yan put his make up back into his shoulder bag and slung it on his shoulder.

Other than the cosmetics, the bag also contained hemostatic powder, bandages, a small knife, a pen, and a bundle of curved iron wires. If he were to encounter any mishaps during the game, these lightweight tools would help Bai Yan guard against unexpected situations.

“Also, this time I won’t forget to bring glasses.

Bai Yan’s vision wasn’t that good. During the last game, he almost missed the ‘human-made seat’ in the puzzle. An important clue like that in a game could mean make or break his survival in the game, so in addition to the pair he was wearing, he also kept another pair in his shoulder bag.

&dcpr;

Not long ago, you departed from your job and was left penniless after paying last month’s rent. 

After nibbling bread for a week, you saw a job advertisement in the newspaper. You tried calling them and as a result, you fruitfully got an interview. 

Now, you are standing in front of the villa. Seven days of work is enough for you to earn a considerable amount of money, which is enough for you to pay next month’s rent as well as support you in finding your next job.

[Game Rules:]

[1. In this round of the game, the player’s identity is a ‘butler.’ The player must accomplish the master’s orders, otherwise, there will be consequences.]

[2. Without the villa master’s permission, the player is not allowed to leave the premises. If during the seven days, the player is terminated, it will be considered as a loss for the game.]

[3. At 5 AM on the seventh day, press the ‘return’ button on your phone to depart from the game.]

This level is slightly different from the Easy level since there was a ‘backstory’ included for the player.

According to the older players, there were times that the backstory was completely useless, merely increasing the player’s senses of this tension and realism.

But, at certain times, this backstory offered players valuable information. Bai Yan couldn’t discern which type of information this way and committed all the game’s tips into his mind. He then closed his phone and drew his attention to his situation.

Just as the backstory had said, he was now standing in front of a European-style villa.

The traces of time permeated this prestige villa. Its outer appearance featured damaged iron gates and a decaying outer wall for a long time, losing its once bright image.

Additionally, Boston ivy ominously enveloped the villa. The densely packed vines wrapped the villa, climbing up to the second floor’s window and almost obstructing its view. Bai Yan believed that given more time, these plants would gradually cover the villa completely, transforming it into a sea of green.

After roughly examining the villa, Bai Yan turned his attention to observe the people at his side.

As expected, when he looked at the others, the players who have also quickly gone through the game’s information were looking at him.

Most probably affected by the forum post, Bai Yan felt uncomfortable from their probing gazes.

But, at the same time, he was certain that his female acquaintance wasn’t among the players, so he straightened his back and acted like an ordinary and innocent player.

This round had, all in all, eight individuals were all collectively standing in front of the villa, silently waiting for their master to open the gates.

Not including Bai Yan, among the eight players were three girls and five boys wearing professional attire. Bai Yan could instantly recognize a majority’s position with just a glance.

A maid, a bodyguard, a chef, and even a gardener…

One of them was a woman, named ‘An Qing.’ She had two crutches wedged between her armpits. Her clothes weren’t that distinct, so Bai Yan could not determine what her career was.

However, a name tag hung on everyone’s chests.

Written on his name tag, was his real name—— Bai Yan. This made him inwardly cheer as he praised himself for not revealing his real name before. Otherwise, he would have gained first-hand experience at hell during the second game.

After around a minute of waiting at the gates, a lofty man wearing a black luxurious suit and dark shades couldn’t help but ask, “We’ve been standing here for a while right? When do we go in?”

“The name’s Lu Tianyi and at this round, I’m a bodyguard. I’d like to confirm first if everyone here is at their third game?”

“No, this is my second.”

“I’m also at my second level.”

“…Uh, sorry but I’m also at the second level.”

…

“So everyone here is a noob, except for you.” Bai Yan concluded.

Everyone’s answers were all unexpected, leaving the big man confused as he scratched his head, “Ok. I assumed that your and my circumstances were the same since you all had the guts to start the game early in the morning. Generally speaking, newbies usually procrastinate, usually opening the app just before midnight.”

“I always felt that people who joined early had more courage or at least wouldn’t cry, so I chose to match during the morning.” A man dressed in gardening gear said, “Brother Lu, since you have more experience on the normal level of the game, could you share with us the difference between normal level and easy level?”

“Doesn’t the forum have all the information? I don’t need to explain any more right?” Lu Tianyi couldn’t help but frown after being asked this question, his face turning unsightly.

But after a short period of silence, he still said, “Ok. I’ll explain it in simple terms. Normal level is more challenging than the easy level because of the ‘backstory.’ You should all know by now that this ‘backstory’ plays a significant factor in the game. As for the difference in the game content…from my experience, normal level is more dreadful than the easy level.”

Adding to it, Lu Tianyi’s voice grew deeper, “The last round I was in, there were five of us. All the other players died, except for me. Just like what the older players in the forum had said, ‘In the game’s ordinary level, even if you found a way to live, with bad luck, it could still lead you to the devil’s clutches, getting you killed.”

Lu Tianyi’s words echoed, causing everyone to fall into silence.

Despite reading numerous distressing cases in the forum, hearing it come out straight from a person’s mouth completely gave off a different feeling.

After a long time, the crutch-wielding girl broke the stillness, “Everyone, before we enter the villa, I think that we should first exchange information with one another? Currently, we need to live through the seven days in this game level. But more importantly, we need to survive and carry out the master of the villa’s wishes. We should get ahead and think of a good plan, helping each other out inside the game.”

“What big sister said is correct.” The man with a chef’s hat sincerely said, “My position is the cook, and my name is Zhu Fugui, but you can call me Old Zhu. I’ll be providing everyone with meals these following days.”

“I’m An Qing. My job inside this game is a tutor.” The handicapped girl added, “My in-game job isn’t easy to recognize but I can guarantee you that the clothes I’m wearing right now weren’t my original ones. My clothes changed when I arrived at this place and should be a tutor’s clothes.”

“No wonder. I thought that your feet would be too much of an inconvenience wearing that complicated get-up.” Lu Tianyi nodded, “Like you, my sunglasses and suit also came appeared out of nowhere.”

Hearing the two talk, Bai Yan thought to himself. The clothes he was wearing weren’t the casual clothes that he had meticulously prepared.

To match a butler’s persona, the game gave him a white dress shirt and a black swallow-tailed coat to wear. His collars were neatly joined together by a bow tie and the leather shoes he was wearing were spotless and shiny. Even his glasses were replaced with silver-rimmed frames, looking alike to a butler.

As Bai Yan was pondering on the game’s intentions of dressing them up and acting in a role-play, the introduction continued.

“I am Su Xiaoqian and I am a maid.”

“Yang Qi, the game gave me a cleaner’s profession.”

“I am called Liu Kui and am the chauffeur.”

“Li Hao, gardener.”

After everyone has said their piece, Bai Yan briefly introduced himself, “Bai Yan, my job is a butler.”

Defensivecake/ Bee: Hi everyone!! This is my first time saying something at the end of the chapter hahaha I hope you guys will like the 2nd level since this is my favorite so far!!

Thank you for your ongoing support!~~