Two days later, Kai finished all his exams and was inside his room.
His parents weren't home today.
Knowing this beforehand, he chose to come home.
He was currently looking up at the ceiling while lying on his bed.
"Finally!" Ryker yelled excitedly.
Kai tapped yes, and he was immediately transferred away.
His eyes shone with excitement as well.
He didn't wait long to be put into a game.
<24 Players have been found>
Black flashed, and Kai's sight returned.
The first thing he noticed was the dimly lit room and the uncomfortable bed he lay on, which was nothing compared to his own.
He hummed and sat up to ease the discomfort.
He then scanned the entire room and came to a conclusion.
This place is old.
Kai thought when the game system announced,
Night?
He questioned as his gaze moved around the room.
There were cobwebs all over the ceiling, and dust floated everywhere as if it owned the place.
The furniture in this dimly lit room was nothing like modern furniture and gave off a rather rural feeling.
He chose to get up from the bed, and the floor creaked.
"What an old, rundown place," he noted before speaking in his mind.
Ryker, where are you?
It didn't take long for him to get an answer.
I'm in some old, rundown house!
Then came a curse.
Damn! This dust could kill a sickly kid with just one whiff!
Kai nodded before heading downstairs, but all that greeted him was more dust and cobwebs.
You're not in the house, Kai told him.
Maybe we're in two different houses?
Ryker wondered, which got Kai's mind spinning.
Then how far is our telepathy range?
Hehe, maybe it's boundless.
That's impossible, Kai stated before heading to the front door.
He pushed the doorknob, but that's when the game system popped up in his vision.
Kai paused.
"What is this game?" he thought, and at that exact moment, the system spoke once more.
Screens lit up around Kai.
<24 sheep, 24 roles>
<14 Sheep Dwellers>
<6 Hungry Sheep>
<2 Bad Sheep>
<2 Strange Sheep?>
Kai's attention was then drawn to the screens lit up beside him.
"Interesting," Kai hummed as he was reminded of a popular game on Earth.
This is just like the wolf game! Ryker shouted.
As someone who went to the club a lot, he was very familiar with this game.
Kai took his hand off the doorknob and went to sit on the couch in the living room.
It was torn up, its texture worn out by not being maintained for who knew how long.
Just sitting there caused his skin to itch, but he ignored it as there was a more pressing matter.
We are doomed.
Kai facepalmed.
He couldn't believe Ryker would be so unlucky as to get a role so useless and unreliable.
Not to mention that he was linked to him again just like their first game where they were both Clubs.
"This must be the Chained Twin's influence," he thought.
Hey! It can't be that bad... right? Ryker asked, unsure.
How the hell am I supposed to make an idiot like you get voted out? Kai questioned when a sudden burst of realization hit him.
Well, since you're an idiot, maybe this can work.
He said, his hand on his chin.
I'll take that as a compliment.
Ryker chuckled, his voice laced with excitement.
As usual, I will leave all the brain stuff to you.
Kai replied lazily,
And I will leave all the hard fighting to you.
Although he wasn't fully confident in getting Ryker voted out, that was the least of his worries.
"If this is truly like the wolf game, then a Fool isn't something the other players will care about."
"Though that's a big if. At the end of the day, luck will play a role in whether we win or lose, live or die, so it's best to stay cool-headed for now."
It's just the first night, so let's get some rest.
He told Ryker before finding some warm blankets and covering himself on the couch to avoid the itching.
Time passed.
Kai was woken up by the game's announcement.
The first thing he did was check the time.
"Six in the morning."
He said before pushing the front door open.
What greeted him was a path that he assumed led to the middle plaza.
There was also something else.
"Hello, neighbor."
A player called out.
Kai looked over to see a woman smiling at him.
Long red hair, red eyes that stared at him with blinking curiosity.
There was also a hint of cunning in her eyes.
She wore a dress made out of what Kai assumed were feathers that covered everything but her slender legs.
Her complexion was also pale orange.
A Hearts Handler?
Kai wondered as he gave the lady a nod.
He then looked above her head.
Strange name.
He thought. After his first win, he had unlocked the option to view other players' names.
"We should try and get along."
The feather-dressed lady smiled.
She then followed the path.
Get along? Maybe I should just turn you into a client.
Kai sneered to himself.
If she truly was a Hearts Handler, then from past experience and Officer#9373's warning, there was no way he was going to "get along" with this lady.
When her figure disappeared along the path, he followed after her.
Five minutes later, he arrived at the middle plaza.
What greeted him were the 23 other players waiting, including Ryker.
Kai scanned them all.
Of course, none of them were human—some were even species he had yet to see.
Of them all, two stood out to him, something he only realized after seeing that the other players were looking at them the most.
The first who stood out was a pale blue-looking man with messy black hair tied together with strands covering his face.
From the distance they were at, Kai could make out small details of his face, and the impression he got was of someone who hated talking but was battle-crazed like Ryker.
His eyes matched his skin, but they also showed an emotion that Kai assumed was disdain, as each time his gaze landed on a player, it carried a hint of disinterest, as if he despised the weak.
He wore loose black robes that, even from the distance between them, Kai could tell carried a huge stench of blood.
His body was similar to Kai's, but he was sure that unlike himself, whose slim body wasn't meant for prolonged combat, this player's body was made for long battles.
His username was:
Kai assumed he was a Phish similar to Amore.
From the whispers of all the other players around him, Kai got a single impression from the player named Fisher.
Dangerous.
But that's just your type, isn't that right, little bro? asked Ryker, who, unlike the other players, was staring straight at Fisher.
It was as if he were saying, Come bite me. Come fight me!
His stare got Fisher's attention, but just like every other player, he gave him a look of disinterest.
He then closed his eyes right after.
That, of course, got Ryker mad.
That fucker dares ignore me!
Kai shook his head.
He then said, The amount of discussion about this player is even greater than Amore, who was a Five of Hearts.
We should be careful of him.
He warned before looking at the second player.
This player made him raise an eyebrow.
He was the spitting image of Fisher.
However, unlike Fisher, he wore a lazy smile. His eyes were similar to Fisher's, but his disdain wasn't simply despising the weak. No—he was staring at everyone as if he was mocking them for being weak.
This was a clear contrast, and from the many hateful stares this player was receiving, it got Kai confused.
His username was:
And this player is the definition of scum.