Knights and Assassins

[The game rules are as follows.]

[① Players have one of two roles: Knight or Assassin.]

[② Knights must find the correct Prince inside the castle to successfully awaken the Princess.]

[③ The number of Assassins is unknown.]

[④ Assassins must kill the Princess before she is awakened.]

[⑤ Assassins do not know one another's identities. During the game, they must identify one another using several code phrases designated by the system.]

[⑥ If the Knights successfully awaken the Princess, the Assassins lose the game. If the Assassins successfully kill the Princess before she is awakened, the Knights lose the game.]

[Friendly reminder: both before and after entering the castle, players will encounter situations that require cooperation. Please keep as many players alive as possible.]

[Attention, attention: you must find the correct Prince to successfully awaken the Princess.]

[We wish all players an enjoyable game.]

After reading the rows of large, bold black text on the enormous screen, everyone looked at the other players again with a little more wariness in their eyes.

The moment Zhao Xun saw the enormous screen appear above everyone's heads, he guessed that this game's objective would be different from the last one. It would probably require players to cooperate.

But with two opposing roles among the players, cooperation would be difficult.

The game rules placed particular emphasis on the need for cooperation, which meant that, at least in the early stages, they couldn't simply kill someone because they suspected their role.

They had to cooperate while guarding against potential threats. What a hassle.

Zhao Xun unconsciously rubbed the copper ring on his right index finger.

Still, it wasn't as though there were no easy ways to clear the game.

He had thought of one almost the instant he saw the rules.

But if he wanted more points, he couldn't take shortcuts.

Forget it. For the points, I'll put up with the hassle.

Just then, a personal pop-up appeared in front of Zhao Xun.

[Player Zhao Xun's role is-Knight.]

A second later, the scene before him wavered briefly.

Zhao Xun was prepared, so he didn't move.

The image quickly stabilized, and his surroundings had changed.

A vast thicket of thorns lay ahead, with a vine-covered castle not far beyond it.

The other seven players were all standing beside him. Not one had been separated from the group.

This game really did require the players to move together.

At least until they entered the castle, they would have to stick together.

The players exchanged a few glances, but none of them made the first move.

"What are you all dawdling for?" Earring Woman, a veteran player, urged impatiently. "Do you think standing here doing nothing will let you clear the game automatically?"

No. 018, Bald Scorpion Man, frowned, displeased with Earring Woman's attitude. "Then do you have any good ideas?"

"I might not have any good ideas, but that's still better than you all standing here doing nothing." Earring Woman snorted. "The rules said cooperation is essential, and we need to keep as many players alive as possible. So even if we have two opposing roles among us, we can at least move together until we find the sleeping Princess."

She swept her gaze over everyone and said matter-of-factly, "There's no need to be so wary of each other right now. Knights and Assassins alike have to enter the castle and find the Princess. Along the way, we all share the same goal. The conflict between the Knights and Assassins will only really come into play once we find her."

"I think she has a point," Cloaked Man agreed. "Once we find the Princess, the Assassins will have to make a move if they want to kill her. It won't be too late to kill them then."

"That does make sense, but..." No. 015, the slightly plump woman, glanced at Earring Woman with suspicion in her eyes. "Your attitude makes me think you might be an Assassin."

Earring Woman glared at her. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"As a Knight, it's perfectly normal to want to figure out who the Assassins are before taking action," No. 015, the slightly plump woman, reasoned. "But you immediately said there's no need to identify them right now. Your reasoning sounds sensible, but I can't help feeling you deliberately said that because you don't want your identity exposed so soon."

Earring Woman laughed in anger. "How many games have you even played to be so sure your judgment is right? Don't make a fool of yourself pretending to be an expert when you're just a rookie."

"Let's not argue." Zhao Xun smiled, his expression mild as he spoke politely. "Both of you have a point, and it's only natural to be suspicious of each other. There's no need to resort to personal attacks over it."

No. 015, the slightly plump woman, fell silent, but her gaze remained fixed on Earring Woman. Clearly, her suspicions of her had only deepened.

Earring Woman rolled her eyes. Turning to Zhao Xun, she asked, "So you suspect me too?"

"That's not what I meant." Zhao Xun shrugged. "We've barely spent any time together. How could we figure out who the Assassins are so quickly?"

"Then do you agree with my suggestion?" Earring Woman asked again, staring hard at Zhao Xun as though trying to force him to take a stance.

Instead of answering, Zhao Xun turned to the others and said, "My suggestion is to put it to a vote."

Everyone paused in surprise.

Zhao Xun explained with a smile, "As we all know, we only have two and a half days for this game. Wasting more time arguing here won't help anyone. If we want to decide quickly, voting is the fairest way. This game requires us to act together, so the minority should follow the majority."

"That's a good idea." No. 015, the slightly plump woman, nodded, then raised another question. "But what if it's a tie?"

"That's easy to resolve too," Zhao Xun replied with a solution right away. "If it's a tie, each side picks a representative to play rock-paper-scissors. One round decides the winner, and we follow whichever side wins."

The others exchanged glances and voiced no objections.

It really was the quickest way to settle on a plan right now, and certainly better than continuing to waste time standing around.

Zhao Xun spoke up. "If you agree with Earring Woman's suggestion to set aside the players' roles for now and work together to enter the castle and find the Princess, please raise your hand."

As soon as he finished, everyone except the woman with twin ponytails and the man in denim raised their hands.

Looking utterly speechless, Earring Woman challenged No. 015, the slightly plump woman. "Didn't you suspect my role? Why did you raise your hand?"

"I made myself pretty clear earlier," No. 015, the slightly plump woman, replied, looking equally speechless. "I said right from the start that I thought your suggestion was good. I may doubt your intentions, but I'm not against everyone moving together for now. I only brought up my suspicions to remind the others to keep their guard up around you."

Thanks to [Melancholy Parting Song] for one monthly ticket.

Thank you all for your recommendation votes. Another happy day today~