10: Chapter 10 A group of beggars forcibly broke into the princess's castle.

In the early morning, the thin mist was pierced by sunlight, which spilled lazily onto the red carpet at the end of the second-floor corridor.

An expensive, soothing woody fragrance drifted in the air.

"Mm..."

Pei Duo nuzzled into the cloud-soft velvet of the large bed; this sleep had been simply wonderful.

The effects of the soothing incense wood burning in the fireplace last night were surprisingly good, even giving her the illusion that she was sleeping in late in her own bedroom.

If one ignored the grey sky outside the window, this was practically a five-star hotel vacation experience.

However, this was the s-rank instance "Midnight Mansion," and this very comfort possessed a sense of terrifying absurdity.

Bang! Bang!

A series of violent bangs on the door interrupted the tranquility.

Pei Duo instinctively gripped the black jade pendant by her pillow, stepped barefoot onto the carpet, and cautiously pushed open the heavy oak door.

As soon as the door opened, the sense of disconnect was like two worlds colliding.

Inside the door were fragrance and sunlight; outside were two "door gods"—Xu Mo and Lin Sa—standing tense and shielding her.

And further out were five "evil ghosts."

They were the survivors from the back garden and kitchen areas.

Last night, they had fed the mosquitoes outside all night and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with ghosts for half the night, only managing to scramble into the second floor with great difficulty.

The leader, a scarred man named Lei Lie, held a dripping fire axe. His entire body seemed pickled in black blood and sludge; the nauseating stench could be smelled from three meters away.

The visual impact was too strong.

On one side was Pei Duo, looking like a princess on the run from Disney.

On the other was a gang of beggars emitting a foul stench.

The livestream chat exploded at that moment.

[(IP: Dragon Country) Holy crap! Isn't this contrast too tragic?]

[(IP: Japan) Baka! On what grounds? We're watching a horror movie, and this woman is filming an idol drama?]

[(IP: USA) Is this the privileged class? I'm starting to pity the guy with the axe; if I were in his shoes, my mind would have snapped too.]

Lei Lie's mind had indeed snapped, but he wasn't stupid.

Anyone who could make it to an s-rank instance and survive the night had at least some brains.

His bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Xu Mo's spotless leather shoes, his mind racing.

Too clean.

It wasn't scientific.

In an s-rank instance, everyone was a dog rolling in the mud. Why was it that your hair wasn't even messy?

Unless... they had some kind of powerful item in their hands!

"Move."

Lei Lie's voice was hoarse, his axe dragging a trail of blood on the floor. "My brothers and I were risking our lives in the back garden, hacking ghosts until our arms nearly broke. And you guys are here sleeping on Simmons mattresses? Does that seem right?"

Xu Mo pushed the gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose, the lenses reflecting a cold light.

He didn't retreat; instead, he fastidiously pulled out a handkerchief to cover his nose and took a step forward.

Those polished leather shoes stepped right onto the edge of the carpet, drawing an invisible line in the sand.

"This is the resting area for the Count's distinguished guests."

Xu Mo's voice was soft, yet it carried an elite air. "The Butler specifically instructed last night that unauthorized personnel are not allowed entry. Especially..."

He glanced at the bloody footprints beneath Lei Lie's feet. "...people in your state. If you soil the carpet and the Butler is displeased, there's a high probability he'll treat you as 'non-recyclable waste' and incinerate you immediately."

"Ha? Distinguished guests? Are you shitting me?"

Lei Lie acted as if he'd heard the joke of the century, grinning savagely as he brandished his axe. "Don't fucking use NPCs to scare me! We're all players, so stop pretending to be big shots!"

He took a step forward, beads of blood from the axe blade dripping onto the carpet. "You don't have a single wound on you, no fluctuations of ghost energy, and no high-tier equipment. I bet you just got lucky and found some item, right?"

The greed in Lei Lie's eyes was no longer concealed.

One should pick the softest persimmons to squeeze. These people looked soft-skinned and pampered; even if they had items, they were likely defensive ones.

As long as he snatched them, his survival rate in this hellhole would instantly double!

"Brothers, if these pretty boys can live this comfortably, there must be treasures hidden in that room! Survival of the fittest—we'll take it for ourselves!"

At Lei Lie's command, the four thugs behind him immediately closed in, their eyes as fierce as a pack of hungry wolves.

This was the norm in the Thriller Game.

Compared to the ghosts that hadn't shown their faces yet, humans consumed by jealousy and greed were often more terrifying than ghosts.

Just as the conflict was about to erupt—

"Aaaah!!"

A scream filled with primal physiological terror suddenly shattered the morning's silence—it was the other newcomer who had shared a room with the college student last night.

Startled, everyone instinctively rushed to the door of the neighboring guest room.

The roommate was slumped on the ground, fingers trembling as he pointed into the room.

In front of the dressing table, the college student was sitting upright in a chair with his back to the door, as if quietly looking in the mirror.

"What are you screaming for? Mourning so early in the morning?" Lei Lie cursed as he walked over and yanked the back of the chair around.

Creak.

The moment the chair turned, everyone's breath seemed to be cut off.

The college student's face was still smiling.

But the skin below his neck... was gone.

The entire human skin had been peeled off intact, like a discarded garment slumped loosely around his waist, revealing the bright red muscle fibers and bone-white ribs beneath. One could even see the blood vessels pulsing slightly.

This scene had more impact than any horror movie.

[(IP: Dragon Country) Blegh—! High energy warning! High energy warning!]

[(IP: Sun Never Sets) Oh shxt! This dissection technique... is something else.]

[(IP: Kimchi Country) This is too disgusting! This is the person who was alive and well earlier? Aish, I'm going to puke...]

"Blegh—"

No matter how much Pei Duo tried to stay calm, seeing this hellish tableau made her clutch her mouth and dry heave, her stomach churning.

"What... what the fuck is this?" Lei Lie was also revolted, backing away two steps with a pale face.

But a second later, his gaze landed on the clean Xu Mo and Pei Duo.

Fear grew wildly in his heart, but he quickly seized upon a usable excuse.

"It was you!"

Lei Lie spun around, his bloody axe pointing straight at Xu Mo's nose. "You're the only ones who weren't injured last night! s-rank instances must have 'sacrifice rules'! You must have killed this kid as a sacrifice to the ghosts in exchange for that VIP treatment!"

He shouted loudly, as if to bolster his own courage. "Look at this skinning technique! So professional, like a piece of art. Who else but you would have the time to pull this off?"

This accusation was completely illogical.

But in this atmosphere of extreme panic, it was the most effective way to incite the crowd.

For this group of jittery survivors, the truth didn't matter; what mattered was finding a scapegoat and... having a justifiable reason to snatch the life-saving charms from their hands!

"A life for a life! Hand over the items!"

"Right! It must have been them! Using us as sacrifices!"

The people from the back garden group immediately chimed in, like a pack of hyenas that had found an outlet for their frustration, closing in step by step.

Lin Sa's eyes turned cold, and she gripped her dagger, ready to act.

In an s-rank instance, there was no point in reasoning with these mad dogs; one could only be more ruthless and send them to the afterlife directly.

Just then, a hand firmly pressed down on her wrist.

Xu Mo shook his head, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes behind the cracked lenses as he prepared to take control of the situation.

"If you want to frame someone, any excuse will do."

Pei Duo finally couldn't take it anymore.

Though her legs were still shaking, she forced herself to peek out from behind Xu Mo.

The girl's small face was pale, and she clutched the black jade pendant tightly.

Despite her fear, this time, she didn't hide.

"We were sleeping in our room all night! And..."

"If it really were a sacrifice, why wouldn't we sacrifice a hostile guy like you? Why would we go after an ordinary college student from our own side?"