Underworld Player

There was a downpour going on outside, and the howling wind violently rattled the broken window on the first floor* as it sent wave after wave of rain splashing through the opening. A single candle on a coffee table tried desperately to hold on to the flame atop it that flickered as the wind buffeted it around mercilessly.

After he regained control of his body, Bai Zhi did nothing more than observe his surroundings for a minute.

Between the flickering light of the candle and the sporadic flashes of lightning outside, he was able to make out what the rest of the villa looked like.

This place had clearly been neglected for ages, and the floor was littered with broken items of various kinds. In the center of the room were several couches arranged in a circle, creating a pocket that was safe from the wind, while next to them were four hiking backpacks carelessly strewn on the floor. The coffee table with the candle was also laden with snacks.

Other than Bai Zhi, there were three other people in the room. They consisted of a pair of fashionably-dressed girls who huddled together and a young man who sat alone on one of the couches.

Perhaps university students who had come on a hike together but found themselves trapped by the storm? The objective is to survive until daylight in an isolated villa on the mountain... so what could be the source of danger in this scenario...?

Bai Zhi glanced at the phone in his hand—it was not his, and the lock screen displayed a picture he didn\'t recognize. His mind quickly went to work piecing together what he knew and what he observed in his surroundings.

The last thing he expected was for the man on the sofa to stand up and make a loud clap, interrupting his train of thought and drawing the attention of everyone else in the room.

"Friends! Well met, well met! As fate has seen it fit to bring us together for this Newbie Run, let us put our hearts and minds together to clear it, shall we?"

As he spoke, he revealed his handle.

[ Mustachio: Level 1 ]

God only knew what he was thinking when he chose that handle.

"I agree. This is clearly a team challenge and we need to cooperate if we hope to survive." said a sweet-looking girl as she nodded, then pushed her glasses up. She, too, displayed her information.

[ Temperance Gentleheart: Level 1 ]

Bai Zhi and the remaining girl followed suit.

[ Black&White: Level 1 ]

[ Late Night Kitty: Level 1 ]

Unlike the bookish, bespectacled Temperance, Late Night Kitty seemed like a much more energetic sort with a quirky personality. Then again, what they looked like here had been altered for the purpose of the quest, so it was hard to say what they really looked like.

"I take it that everyone has agreed to cooperate. Now, please allow me to begin sharing my analysis of our situation."

Mustachio was clearly aiming to complete the quest with a good rank, and he seemed eager to establish himself as the one who called the shots.

He pointed to the four hiking backpacks strewn on the floor. "The bags over there tell me that in this scenario, we are four people who were just out for a hike over the holidays, except they were suddenly met with a raging thunderstorm, which forced them to take shelter in this... dilapidated old house, for the night.

"Our objective is to survive until daybreak, which is six hours away. There is no doubt that there is some sort of hidden hazard in this run-down house, something that very likely will cause our deaths before the time runs out... So, considering our present circumstances, I have two suggestions."

Mustachio extended an arm and held up two fingers.

"One, stay inside and find some way to survive the next six hours. Keep in mind that anything can happen during that time, since we have no knowledge of what the house may be hiding. This option is high-risk. My next suggestion—"

"Is for us all to run far away from this shelter in the middle of the night and brave the biblical levels of rain out there to find a way off the mountain?" Bai Zhi quipped as he turned to look pointedly at the window, and at the pitch-black darkness outside.

"If the threats to our lives all come from whatever is in the house, then running away would mean refusing to play by the rules. Besides, going out in this stormy weather and trying to get off the mountain might pose an even higher risk of danger, since we\'re all just normies at this point. Leaving the house is a patently unwise course of action."

"Uh... of course! It\'s just an option to consider."

Mustachio cringed slightly at the blunt analysis, but forced a smile and clapped again.

"As I was saying, my next suggestion is for us to search the backpacks or our phones for some sort of clue, since we will be holed up here. Eventually, we may need to organize search efforts targeting the rest of the building, but be warned, the place is very dark, so—"

While Mustachio was speaking, Bai Zhi had silently retrieved, from his Inventory, four military-grade flashlights capable of very powerful illumination, which he set on the table. As the others looked on incredulously, he also pulled out several jerrycans of gasoline and some canvas tents.

"Instead of sneaking around under such risky conditions, I have a better idea," said Bai Zhi. Looking each of the others in the eye, he continued gravely, "Why don\'t we take this gasoline and completely torch this dump?"

"...How— Why did you even think to bring these things in your Inventory?" Temperance wrinkled her nose at the sharp odor of the volatile fumes.

"I know we have thirty slots in our Inventories and it can carry up to ten times our body weight, but to have these, of all things!"

"Get with the times, honey, we\'re not in the Dark Ages anymore. We need efficient methods of ghostbusting! Before nuclear power, all lives are equal." said Bai Zhi in complete earnest. "See, instead of us four playing detective and flirting with danger, if we just blow this load, what else is there to worry about? None of this pussyfooting around."

The other three Players could only stare in stunned silence.

*Ground floor in British English (just in case anyone is confused).