Chapter 1309: Chapter 1309

"I'll use the Viscountess's [Nolan Lore] skill."

The five players, each holding a new character card, announced their actions in turn. But in the end, only the dice rolls for the merchant's daughter and the sailor succeeded, yielding the following information:

"The merchant's daughter had heard about this abandoned hospital from her father, a notoriously stingy magnate. He didn't know why it was abandoned, only that many people had died here in an accident over a decade ago."

"The sailor, who often frequented the docks and the slums, had heard street rumors that this abandoned hospital was haunted by countless vengeful spirits and lingering resentments. Night was their time to roam."

Corpse Gentleman relayed the information to the group. Before he could announce the next step, Mr. Hood hurriedly interjected:

"In that case, the objective of this story is clear: investigate why this place was abandoned. Everyone, before we take our next action, I have a question. Do any of you know about this hospital in the real Nolan?"

"Exchanging out-of-game information is forbidden; it ruins the spirit of the game. The merchant's daughter receives one warning. For your next skill check, add five to the roll."

Corpse Gentleman declared, then met the eyes of each person in turn. Seeing that no one else spoke, he prepared to advance the story:

"Wait, Williamette still has an ability to use."

"But his [Nolan Lore] check already failed. According to the rules, you can't use the same ability twice in a row, except during special action rounds."

"Yes, but he's a writer. In his background description, it says he collects rumors to enrich his books, so he has the [Folklore and Rumors] skill. Williamette will use this ability to search his memory of the hospital."

Since Jenkins's own identity as a writer was based entirely on past memories, his [Folklore and Rumors] skill was very low, only 24. Even so, Hathaway still passed the roll. It was anyone's guess whose luck was at play.

"The young writer, searching his memory, recalled some information he stumbled upon while collecting material. Starting fourteen summers ago, a malevolence began to permeate this once-illustrious private hospital. Due to a series of strange accidents, the death rate within its walls steadily rose. By the time the municipal authorities decided to shut it down, the hospital's eerie influence had even begun to spread beyond its grounds. Left with no choice, the Orthodox Church intervened. After determining that the situation was beyond their control, they had the hospital abandoned completely."

This was a considerable amount of information—everything Jenkins himself had learned from the old elf. He began to suspect that Corpse Gentleman had recited these details precisely because "Jenkins" the character knew only this much, and no more.

If that were the case, Jenkins grew intensely curious about what exactly was written on the character card Hathaway held. Of course, more than curiosity, he was worried about the safety of Briny, whose character he was playing. He was not skilled at this kind of game.

After Corpse Gentleman finished relaying the information, the five players glanced at one another. Magic Miss asked in a low voice:

"Mr. Silver Flute, does that writer have any other useful skills?"

So far, the writer character had already proven unexpectedly useful twice.

"No, he's just an ordinary writer."

Hathaway answered, then looked up and gestured for Corpse Gentleman to continue speaking.

"Having exchanged what they each knew about the hospital, the five adventurers' journey now officially begins. The hospital grounds are vast. They must choose a building to start their exploration. So, make your choice."

No dice roll was required for this. After a brief discussion, Jenkins and his friends decided to start with the main building directly opposite the front gate. This time, Corpse Gentleman didn't give them any trouble, simply stating that the main doors were wide open and they could all enter directly. The moment they stepped inside, however, he had a "surprise" for them:

"Your arrival has disturbed the resentment slumbering within the hospital. As the five of you step into the room, a wail echoes from the top of the staircase. Then, an evil spirit appears."

The buildings on the table were constructed from wooden frames without walls, allowing the players around the table to see what was happening inside. A white, metallic figurine of a malevolent spirit now stood there, confronting the five adventurers who had just entered.

"You can, but the evil spirit will pursue you."

Corpse Gentleman replied.

Mr. Hood shook his head, signaling his opinion, then looked at the other four.

"Friends, this game has certainly taken an unexpected turn. But things have reached a point where we have to be honest with each other. The five adventurers in this game are likely connected to you all in very personal ways, so we can't let them die. It's time for everyone to tell the truth, at least to some extent—"

He paused, then asked in a low voice, as if plotting some conspiracy:

"Which of them are actually Enchanters?"

This question was a serious breach of privacy. Knowing a person's name and appearance, and then learning whether they were an Enchanter, could pose a great threat to that individual.

But Mr. Hood had a point. The situation now forced them to cooperate and trust one another. In the end, after everyone swore an oath to their gods to strictly guard today's secrets, Hathaway admitted that the writer was an Enchanter, level 4 according to his character sheet. Magic Miss also conceded that the foreign viscountess was an Enchanter, but only level 2.

"Are they the only ones?"

Mr. Hood asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. But that was truly all there were.

The order of combat was determined by the adventurers' positions in the story. Since the sailor and the writer were the only men among them, they were positioned at the very front and very back, respectively. Therefore, Mr. White Cat's sailor would be the first to act. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel[f]ire.net

And as everyone knew, physical attacks were useless against spiritual entities.

"The sailor is a devout believer in the Righteous God, the [Storm Lord]. He prays for his god's protection."

This was all Mr. White Cat could do. After a successful roll, Corpse Gentleman announced that the evil spirit would not attack the sailor first.

What caught Jenkins's attention, however, was that the sailor's [Prayer] skill was an astonishing 87. He suspected that even his own character card didn't have a [Prayer] skill that high, leading him to wonder if the sailor Mr. White Cat knew was perhaps a high-ranking member of the Church of the Storm Lord.

"The foreign viscountess uses [Repel Spirit]. This should make the spirit retreat."

Magic Miss said, taking the dice from Mr. White Cat. She rolled a 99. Fortunately, this wasn't the 'Call of Cthulhu' role-playing game from Jenkins's memories, or the result would have been far worse than a simple failure.