Underworld Player

Nobody knew the exact criteria that determined which Players were assigned mandatory quests, but for whatever reason, there were more than a few independent, eccentric types among the seven Players who were thrust together this time.

Aside from the youth with the gold-rimmed glasses and the haughty girl, the one Player amongst the remaining four who caught Bai Zhi's eye was a large, brawny fellow.

[ Iron Blood : Level 8 ]

He was the only one of the Players gathered who stood tall and straight. With his piercing eyes set in a serious face, he gave off the strong impression of being a military man. He was also the highest-leveled among all the Players.

Standing to the left of Bai Zhi was a youth who was snacking indifferently on some melon seeds. He looked like an arrogant high-schooler, and had a handle to match.

[ Douchey, SoWhat : Level 6 ]

When they saw Douchey's handle, all the Players instantly reacted with varying degrees of disdain, but not Bai Zhi.

"Huh, I didn't know they accepted symbols in the handle..." He stroked his chin, looking regretful. "If only I'd known, I would've given myself a handle like 'яєηєgα∂є'! My handle right now doesn't stand out at all..."

As he thought out loud, Bai Zhi followed suit and revealed his own handle and level.

[ Black&White : Level 5 ]

"That's not true, I think your handle is pretty unforgettable," quipped a bookish, glasses-wearing young lady as soon as she heard Bai Zhi. She also revealed her handle and level.

[ Temperance Gentleheart : Level 6 ]

The fact that Temperance Gentleheart had managed to surpass himself by one level, despite being one of the Players who had completed the Newbie Run together with him, was quite a shock to Bai Zhi. She looked different from how she had during the Newbie Run, but whether this was what she looked like in real life or just another avatar was anyone's guess. Either way, she looked prettier than before, by far.

Not that Bai Zhi remembered her for her looks. The Temperance he remembered from the Newbie Run was someone who'd been a dead weight for the later half of the challenge, and didn't even outshine Late Night Kitty in terms of overall performance...

Temperance Gentleheart, on the other hand, had a profound impression of Bai Zhi, known only to her as Black&White. In fact, it was his handle and unique manner of speaking that helped her recognize him in the first place.

There was one other girl in the party of seven, who wore a bob cut and stood out with her esoteric-looking handle.

[ Daoloth : Level 6 ]

After everyone had revealed their handles, the last one to do so was the arguably attractive, if haughty, girl from before.

[ Viridescent : Level 7 ]

Her level alone placed her only one position behind the buff, soldier-like Iron Blood.

In group challenges like these, teamwork was paramount and sharing Player information with one's team members was an essential first step, because when up against an unknown threat, there was no telling what abilities the supernatural entity or entities might possess. Without clear knowledge of the number of Players in the team and their identities, it would be all too easy for a supernatural entity to infiltrate the team while posing as a Player.

It would not be the first time something like that had happened, either. Imagine a Demon King disguising himself to join the very party of heroes on their way to defeat him*, and it is not difficult to see how that story ends.

Simply knowing each other's Player handles was already a preventive measure, as those handles could not be tampered with—knowledge of each other's handles gave the Players an effective way to suss out any potential infiltrators.

Once everyone had been introduced, Traveler clapped his hands and said with a smile, "It's a pretty difficult quest this time, so I hope everyone will give their full cooperation. I'm sure none of us want to die here.

"I have some pertinent analysis of the quest objectives, which I'd like to share, if I may. Firstly, the supernatural entity or entities are most likely to be found within the orphanage proper, in other words, the big building behind us right now. Keep in mind we have two objectives. Objective 1 asks us to save the normal people; meaning the building will also contain survivors. Objective 2 asks us to find six hidden sources of 'strange activity' and neutralize them somehow; these must be the root causes behind this supernatural incident. Note, also, the lack of a time limit. My guess is that it's a cleverly-worded trap, and the catch: the threat level will somehow increase in severity over time, such that we find ourselves in ever more deadly situations. We should all pay close attention to the time..."

Traveler had seized the opportunity to lead the conversation, and certainly seemed to know what he was doing. With his direct and plain explanations, he ensured the team was up to speed with the situation at hand.

This orphanage out in the middle of nowhere had apparently been built decades ago. There were three main buildings in its compound—the guardhouse, the six-story main building, and a cafeteria, a single-story structure located to the left of the main building.

The whole area around the orphanage seemed cut off from reality, as neither phone signals nor internet connections worked, and there were no other people in sight anywhere on the compound. The guardhouse had been empty, and through the wide-open doors to the cafeteria, a similarly empty interior could be seen.

The most suspicious-looking building in the whole orphanage was definitely the main building. Unlike the other buildings which had their doors wide open, the doors to the main building were firmly and undeniably shut, as were the windows, but looking through them simply revealed more silent, empty space inside.

The Players conducted a thorough search of the grounds and inside the cafeteria, but there was no sign of anything suspicious. However, they did confirm that, until they resolved the supernatural incident, it was not possible to leave the area within a 100-meter radius of the orphanage.

After a group discussion, the Players unanimously decided to enter the main building. If there were no clues to be found outside of it, then the key to resolving the incident and rescuing the survivors could only be found within the foreboding building.

The door was closed, but did not seem secured by any locks. It yielded smoothly to a light push, and the brawny Iron Blood led the way, his eyes darting around cautiously as he ventured inside.

However, once the last person entered the building, there was a dull thud behind them as the door slammed shut again. The Players rushed to the door, but it would not budge no matter how hard they pushed or pulled, as if it had been instantly welded shut.

Like so many prey animals lured into a hunter's snare, the Players were now well and truly trapped inside the building.

*Seems like a reference, but I was unable to pinpoint a specific story that matched the plot and the intended message. If you know it, leave a comment!