Vol. 6 Ch. 28

The storage room in this game was quite large. After completing the “Reversed Notes” puzzle, Leon didn’t leave with his daughters. Instead, he decided to explore further to see if they could uncover more clues.

“Muse, come here! There are so many paints over here!”

“Where? Where?”

Leon turned toward the sound.

The two little dragon girls were crouched in a corner of the storage room, where an array of jars and bottles filled with colorful paints were arranged.

“Look, there’s white, red, purple, orange… and Dad’s favorite silver and Mom’s favorite black!”

“Sis, there are even brushes here!”

“Yeah! Dad, can we use these paints to draw?” Moon tilted her head to ask.

Leon glanced at the white wall behind them and the paint containers stacked nearby. It was hard not to suspect that this area was meant for players to draw on the walls.

Then, his eyes landed on a small sign in another corner. It read:

“Let your imagination run wild. Feel free to paint. Note: This is a recreational activity in the game and does not involve any clues or tasks.”

“So it really is meant for kids to doodle,” Leon thought. That meant he didn’t have to worry about breaking any game rules by letting them paint.

“Sure, go ahead. What do you want to draw? Dad will help you.”

“I want to draw a family portrait!”

“Alright, let’s do it.”

Though time was tight, Leon didn’t rush his daughters to focus on tasks or clues. After all, this outing was meant to let them relax and have fun.

He even joined them, helping to paint on the wall. A devoted father like Leon knew that nothing—not even an impending disaster—was more important than his daughters.

An hour later, the artwork was complete.

The drawing on the wall, while undeniably childish, was a heartwarming family portrait. It depicted Leon and Moon on either side of Muse, with the four little dragon sisters in various colors at the center.

Thankfully, there were enough paint colors to meet their creative demands; otherwise, the girls might have had trouble finishing their masterpiece.

Moon and Muse, their faces smudged with specks of paint, admired their work with proud smiles.

“All done! Let’s get back to solving puzzles now!”

The trio continued exploring the storage room. In addition to the “Reversed Notes” task, they stumbled upon a hidden clue:

“The master locked himself in the bedroom and never left, not even on the day he died. No one ever moved his body out of the room. Could something strange be hidden in the bedroom? —The Castle Servant”

After reading the clue aloud, Leon murmured, “This is pretty straightforward. We need to check out the castle master’s bedroom.”

“Let’s go! Adventure time!” the girls cheered.

Their next destination was the bedroom.

The staff had conveniently placed a detailed map of the castle in the main hall, marking routes that weren’t part of the “path-finding puzzles.” The master’s bedroom was clearly labeled on the second floor.

Leon and the two little ones immediately headed there.

“They’ve already been here,” Muse pointed out as they climbed the stairs. She gestured toward some markings in the hallway. “The ‘Hell Jokes’ team must be responsible for the upstairs clues. They might even be inside the room.”

“Let’s check it out,” Leon said.

“Yeah!”

They entered the bedroom.

Sure enough, as Muse had guessed, the “Hell Jokes” team was there.

Aurora and Hefei were crouched in one corner, engrossed in examining something, so much so that they didn’t notice Leon and the others entering.

Meanwhile, Constantine stood by the window with his arms crossed, gazing seriously outside as if the view could solve all his problems.

The bedroom itself was lavishly furnished, perfectly fitting Leon’s stereotypical image of what a wealthy person’s room should look like.

In the center of the room was an extravagant bed, and on the bed lay… someone.

Leon and his daughters approached cautiously, only to discover that it was just a mannequin meant to represent the castle master.

On the bedside table sat a flute and several medicine boxes, likely containing some kind of sleeping aids based on their packaging.

Noticing movement, Constantine shifted his gaze from the window to Leon and his group.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working on the first floor? What are you doing up here?”

Leon shrugged. “We found a clue suggesting there might be something hidden in the castle master’s bedroom, so we came to check it out.”

Constantine furrowed his brow, nodded thoughtfully, and said nothing more, turning back to stare out the window.

Meanwhile, Aurora asked Hefei and Muse, “What are you two working on over there?”

“There seems to be a mechanism here. Solving it should reveal a clue,” Hefei replied.

“We’ll help!”

The little dragon girls crowded together, kneeling in the corner to tinker with the mechanism.

Leon didn’t join them right away. Like with the "Reversed Notes" puzzle, he wanted to let the kids work on it themselves first. He would step in only if they got stuck, allowing them to feel more involved in the game.

He wandered over to Constantine, following his gaze. What Constantine appeared to be watching was a simulation of the castle’s backyard, projected by a large Memory Stone.

“Admiring the view, huh?” Leon asked casually.

But what Leon didn’t know was that the fiery dragon beside him wasn’t admiring anything. Constantine was busy calculating how to take Leon out without anyone noticing.

“What do you think? Who’s the vengeful spirit player?” Leon asked nonchalantly.

The question startled Constantine, who quickly composed himself. He glanced at Leon, wondering if the man had caught on to something.

But judging by Leon’s relaxed demeanor, it seemed like an idle question.

“Hard to say. The game’s only been going for about an hour; there’s not enough to go on yet.”

Constantine hadn’t played many games with Werewolf elements, but he knew better than to act recklessly. A traitor who revealed themselves too soon would only draw suspicion.

The best strategy was to blend in with the “good players,” completing tasks while secretly waiting for the right moment to strike.

Given the numerical disadvantage of the vengeful spirit team, a head-on confrontation was out of the question.

“Yeah… I feel the same,” Leon replied.

Constantine blinked, then asked, “How many tasks have you completed so far?”

“Two.”

Hearing Leon’s response, Constantine let out a smug chuckle. “We’ve completed three.”

Even though he tried to suppress it, Leon could still detect a trace of pride in the dragon’s voice.

Why are dragons always like this? They have to turn everything into a competition, Leon thought, amused.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re amazing,” Leon replied with a wry smile.

In truth, they could have also finished three tasks if Leon hadn’t spent time helping his daughters paint.

The two chatted idly as they waited.

A few minutes later, Aurora’s voice rang out from the corner.

“It’s unlocked!”

But before the little dragon girls could celebrate, a dull thud echoed through the room.

“The door just closed!” Moon exclaimed, spinning around to face the doorway.

She ran over and tried to push the door open.

Hefei and Muse quickly joined her, each taking a side and attempting to shove the door.

But it was no use—the door felt like it had been sealed shut, as if welded in place.

Aurora frowned. “Was the mechanism a trap? Did we just fall for it?”

If it was a trap—

Aurora’s mind raced. She quickly turned toward the large bed in the room.

The bed was shaking violently.

A moment later, the lifeless mannequin that had been lying there began to stir, sitting upright bit by bit as if it had come to life.

At the same time, an identical notification appeared on everyone’s Memory Stone:

“Unfortunately, you have disturbed the vengeful spirit of the castle master. To proceed, you must pass this challenge without using violence to destroy the mannequin.”

“Note: The castle master died from the plague. Anyone who touches his corpse will also become infected.”