Players, the Game Officially Begins

The Tian Kong was overcast, and only a few rays of light shone through the large French windows; it was not a good day.

"From Probability Theory of view, since you are so certain that we can't imagine you've discovered anything, then I think you probably haven't discovered anything at all."

A man dressed in casual black clothes reached up and adjusted his Glasses, speaking calmly.

As he spoke, he revealed his ID.

[Fengxi’s Bone]

Within the five-person team vaguely led by the March-shi, he maintained a completely indifferent expression throughout, showing virtually no change in demeanor at all.

"Oh? So you've made quite a few discoveries over there?"

He turned and glanced at the other person, then let out a Fireworks of Romance laugh.

"In that case, why don't you tell us about your findings first?"

"Can."

As if he hadn't understood the sarcasm in the Girl's words at all, Fengxi’s Bone adjusted his Glasses with his middle finger and spoke indifferently.

"First, the Mirror Maze itself is an Anomaly, so be careful on your way back. Second, Anna possesses the ability to turn humans or Life into dolls, but the triggering conditions are currently unknown. Third, the eyes of those dolls are Anna's field of vision, so remember to stay away from them when Hide and Seek. That's all for now."

"... Hmm? Sure?"

Looking at the Fengxi’s Bone over there, Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

"As expected of a top- S-rank Dungeon, it seems there are still quite a few smart people out there."

"Uh... how was the third one derived?"

Steel Bones asked in a low voice.

"It's quite simple. It's deduced from the fact that Anna was able to predict where we were coming from and wait there in advance."

Bai Zhi shrugged.

"I think the others were also cornered at the door by Anna beforehand, just like us."

"Is there anything else you'd like to add? If so, please feel free to do so."

Fengxi’s Bone glanced at Bai Zhi and spoke calmly.

"Cut..."

He snorted softly, Fireworks of Romance annoyed, and propped his head up with one hand on the table. He turned his head and looked to the side.

--She only noticed one thing.

"Alright, given the nature of this Game, I think we should all cooperate."

He clapped his hands, and the colorful black figure smoothed things over.

"Before we go on, how about we each introduce ourselves? I don't think you want any Anomaly to get mixed up with us, do you?"

This time, his suggestion was quickly adopted.

In the five-person team of the March-shi, apart from [March-shi] herself and [Colorful Black], the remaining three have the IDs [Fengxi’s Bone] and [I’llCarryYouGuys], and the youngest member of the team, who, judging by her physique, looks like a middle school student who has just started junior high school [Between Heaven and Earth’s Mountains and Seas].

However, even though she looked the youngest, none of the Player present underestimated her. After all, being selected to enter this Dungeon was enough to prove her potential and strength.

On Bai Zhi's side, they are [Black&White], [Dead Zero▪Indefinite], and [Steel Bones].

As for the last one, it's the rebellious Young Girl [Fireworks of Romance] who has always acted quite aloof. Judging from her posture, Bai Zhi felt that it wouldn't be surprising if Ignite a cigarette with a deep expression the next second.

"... Perhaps it's because I'm more Charisma."

When faced with questions from the crowd, Bai Zhi thought for a moment and then nodded solemnly.

"My Charisma attribute is naturally maxed out."

"Charisma have this effect?"

After hearing Bai Zhi's answer, Fengxi’s Bone frowned slightly.

Currently, the most direct indicator of a Player's strength is Player unique Attribute Panel; the higher the attribute, the stronger the Player.

The Three Main Attributes are: [Strength], [Agility], and [Constitution].

The Three Sub Attributes are: [Intelligence], [Perception], and [Charisma].

A mysterious attribute: [Sanity].

These are the seven attributes currently known to Players. Apart from [Sanity] and [Charisma], which have not yet shown any use, the usefulness of the other attributes is self-evident.

If you're going for a Mage build, prioritize [Intelligence] and [Perception]; if you're going for a Warrior build, prioritize [Strength], [Agility], and [Constitution].

Furthermore, based on these, many different skill point allocation paths can be developed. There are countless guides on Player Forum alone that instruct newbie player on how to allocate Walkthrough points.

The current mainstream approach to stat allocation is to allocate all points to each attribute except Charisma to 12, and then make further adjustments based on your future development.

After all, no one has actually discovered any use for Charisma yet...

But now... a seductive Anomaly?

Not only Fengxi’s Bone thought of this, but everyone else also thought of it, and their expressions immediately became quite strange.

"Well, to be honest, I originally wanted to make a living based on my talent."

Facing the strange looks from the crowd, Bai Zhi sighed, his face full of regret.

"But who could have imagined that in the Inner World, the appearance used by Player would be their real appearance?"

Nobody paid him any attention.

The castle was quite large, with many Empty Room. After some discussion, in order to look out for each other, the nine Player chose to stay in the nearest Empty Room, roughly distributed between the Second Floor and Third Floor of the castle.

This castle has everything you could want; all sorts of toys are everywhere— Doll, Rabbit, cats, dogs... and so on.

Because of Fengxi’s Bone's previous deduction, during those two hours at noon, everyone in the library was consciously cleaning up the ubiquitous dolls in the castle, putting them in bags, tying them up, and stuffing them into an Empty Room.

Regardless of whether this deduction is correct or not, if in the next Game Hide and Seek, being seen by the doll and thus being found and Game Over... no one wants to lose their life because of such a ridiculous possibility.

Lunch was left to everyone's own devices. Everyone tacitly avoided touching the food that had been prepared and placed in the kitchen and dining area at some unknown time. Since almost everyone had brought enough food for about half a month, there was no shortage of food.

As the Bell Sound struck two in the afternoon, Anna, riding on the giant Plush Cat, reappeared before them and announced the rules of the Game to them in an unusually cheerful tone.

"You have half an hour to hide. You can hide in any corner of the castle, but remember not to make any noise, or we'll find you very quickly."

Clutching the Rabbit Doll in her arms, Anna's tone was filled with joy as the giant Plush Cat carried her, leaping lightly from the window out of the castle.

"The Hide and Seek Game officially begins in half an hour, so get hiding!!"

Anna's impatient voice drifted from afar outside the castle.