What Was Hidden in the Room
Aside from a banquet hall, the first floor was mostly taken up by rooms, with hardly any space for recreation. To ensure their safety, the players mostly stuck together. They were also very interested in opening the rooms. Many players weren't even pursuing Mermaid Masks, instead focusing their attention on the rooms.
Xu Huo wore an octopus mask, so whenever he appeared on the first floor, the groups of players there usually steered clear of him. By nightfall, few B-class players remained on the first floor; most were C-class players. Some clearly knew how the octopus mask had come to be, and were highly wary of him. They only breathed a sigh of relief once Xu Huo left or made it clear he wasn't interested in them.
Hypnotizing a crowd of players would make quite a commotion, so he didn't go looking for anyone directly. Instead, while observing the banquet venue, he occasionally listened to the other players discussing the fish feast.
Most of what they said were warnings from players who knew a little about the rules, aimed at the newcomers.
First was the matter of drawing lots. Those who drew lots could indeed avoid rooms that posed a risk, but they had only a fifty-fifty chance of finding a space. Players who got Mermaid Masks were at the very bottom of the fish hierarchy, so even a fifty-fifty chance of danger was a major risk for them. Leaving the banquet hall early didn't necessarily mean they were safe.
Second was opening the rooms. Players might occupy a room, but there was also a chance it would be empty. If someone occupied it, the moment the door opened became a fight to the death: win, and you'd reap a great reward; lose, and