Ti seed to screech to a halt.
The bustling market filled with rchants hawking their wares, people engaged in lively conversations, the gentle sway of lanterns, the whispers of the wind, and even the rustling of trees— everything abruptly ceased into silence as all eyes converged on the shattered statue lying on the ground.
In that instant, a wave of icy chills enveloped Gu Luoxin’s tiny fra – one that didn’t have to do with temperature. It was the primal instinct of an animal sensing imminent danger. His fur bristled, his heart plumted to the pit of his stomach, and he instinctively clung onto Lucius tighter, seeking comfort in the black cat’s presence.
What was going on? How did the initially warm and tranquil atmosphere suddenly turn one hundred and eighty degrees?
All these signs pointed to one thing— bad news!
If Gu Luoxin, who was not even the focal point of attention, felt this much dread, the male player reacted even worse. Upon seeing the broken statue, colors instantly drained from his face. His breathing grew erratic, and Gu Luoxin could even see huge beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks from where he was.
"I... I didn’t..." his voice echoed with an eerie tremor, allowing Gu Luoxin to hear the obvious chatter of his teeth. "I didn’t... I didn’t do it! It wasn’t ! It’s that bastard who pushed !"
The said bastard, naly the middle-aged NPC, was sprawled on the ground, having passed out drunk. Gu Luoxin noticed that the black smoke curling around the NPC had vanished without him realizing. Despite scanning the area, he couldn’t even spot its traces as though everything was just a fignt of his imagination.
Losing the person whom he could throw the bla onto, the male player seed to tether on the brink of madness. "I told you it’s not !" He yelled at the gathering crowd, his tone bordering on hysteria. "I’m not responsible for this. You should go and take it up with him!"
Gu Luoxin keenly sensed that sothing was amiss with the player, though he couldn’t put his finger to it. Tentatively, he poked the back of Lucius’ ear and leaned in to whisper despite knowing that no one would pay any attention to a mouse squeaking. "Psst, why did he react like that ciit? Isn’t it just a broken statue?"
Lucius’ furry ear flicked uncontrollably, feeling a little ticklish. He slightly tilted his head to avoid the brown mouse and gestured with his chin, "...Just watch ow."
In a desperate attempt to flee from the scene, the male player scrambled to his feet, only to crumple back to the ground once more before he could even stand fully upright. Gu Luoxin let out a horrified gasp when he noticed cracks spreading across the player’s skin as though the elastic surface had transford into sothing hard and brittle. It eerily reminded him of the shattered statue on the ground.
"Ah... AH—!" With a gut-wrenching scream, the male player waved a hand in panic and conjured up a green talisman from thin air, sticking it onto his body. It seed to work, as the cracks on his skin stopped spreading.
However, it did not an that the crisis was resolved, for he had just leaped from the frying pan into the fire.
If previously the NPCs were just gazing at the statue without moving, then right now, their eyes moved to fixate on the male player, murmurs echoing from their lips.
"Not one of ours..."
"He’s not a citizen of this town..."
"An outsider..."
"It’s an outsider..."
Gasping, Gu Luoxin’s eyes widened in shock when he realized that the male player had broken the most crucial taboo in a role-playing Cycle— OOC!
With mounting horror, he watched as the male player’s expression contorted in a mixture of agony and fear. He tried to crawl away, but his body no longer obeyed his command. The talisman, which succeeded in stopping the cracks earlier, seed to have beco a piece of useless paper.
The player’s body spasd and convulsed uncontrollably as his bones contorted in a weird angle. An agonizing scream wrenched out of his throat as he clawed on the ground, "Help— help —"
Gu Luoxin didn’t even realize he had ceased breathing; he felt like he was watching an origami being folded, or a piece of random clay being molded into a different form with every twist and turn.
In less than two minutes, the living and breathing player morphed into an exact replica of the shattered glass slipper statue he had broken earlier.
As if by command, two nearby NPCs sprang into action. One of them picked up the new ’statue’ and placed it back on its stand, while the other cleaned up the broken pieces. Once the scene was restored to order, ti seed to resu its flow as the bustling energy of the market returned once more. People laughed and chatted while rchants advertised their goods, filling the air with a lively ambience. It was as if the last five minutes did not exist at all.
Nothing had changed, except for the disappearance of one male player.
Chills arose from the depths of Gu Luoxin’s heart as he stared at the glass slipper statue, which used to be a player. Had he not witnessed everything with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have been able to discern any difference, for it looked just like any other statues around the town.
Then a realization struck him like a lightning bolt—
Don’t tell him... every statue in the town used to be...
Lucius’ composed voice cut through the thick fog in his mind, jolting him from his horrified daze. "That’s two death conditions. Have you learned them? Do not touch those statues if you don’t want to beco one ow."
Gu Luoxin nodded tensely. When all was said and done, he was soone who had witnessed Jin Jiuchi devouring a live rmaid and tearing into each other, so watching a living man turn into a statue did not seem to shake him terribly, much to his own surprise.
Taking a deep breath, he managed to regain his composure shortly after. "I... I know ciit..." he said quietly. "I won’t touch them— no, I won’t even get close to them! I will act like a real and proper mouse ciit!"
"Good," Lucius acknowledged his determination with a satisfied nod before resuming their stroll.
This ti, though, Gu Luoxin no longer had the heart to admire his surroundings. Whenever they ca across a statue, he couldn’t help but wonder if one of them used to be a player as well.
Eventually, Lucius brought him to a certain wooden house. He easily picked the window open with his claws and leaped inside, telling Gu Luoxin, "This is an empty house ow. We will stay here for the night before planning our moves tomorrow."
Gu Luoxin nodded, his heart feeling a little heavy. As Lucius lowered his body, he obediently slid down and landed on his all fours. Looking around, he noticed that the house, albeit bare and empty, still appeared clean. At least, it was a hundred tis better than the damp and foul underground sewer.
Lucius imdiately made himself comfortable by curling up on the floor, grooming his own body. "What is it ow? Scared?" he asked in a casual tone, though his keen gaze belied a hint of concern.
Shaking his head, Gu Luoxin gingerly scooted closer until he could feel the warmth Lucius emitted, but the black cat took it one step further and used his hind leg to push Gu Luoxin closer, so that the brown mouse was leaning against his furry belly.
With a sigh full of resignation, Gu Luoxin buried his face into Lucius’ fluffy tummy and soaked in the reassuring scent of warm sunshine emanating from it.
"I think... I was just having a reality check ciit," he mumbled, his voice muffled by the cat’s fur. "I thought I only needed to focus on helping Caen break his curse and defeat the evil queen, but I forgot that danger always lurks around the corner. One misstep, and I will be done for..." He couldn’t help but tremble when he recalled that he had not even received his personal task yet.
What would it be? And would he successfully complete it this ti?
Lucius paused. Then with a gentle nudge, he began grooming Gu Luoxin’s fur, licking the ssy cowlick on the top of the latter’s head. Gu Luoxin let out a startled squeak, but Lucius’ words cut through the tension with calm and unwavering reassurance.
"Don’t be afraid ow," he said solemnly. "As long as we’re here with you, you will be fine."
We. As the words echoed in Gu Luoxin’s mind, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that the one who uttered that sentence was not only Lucius, but Noir as well. The notion brought tears into his eyes and he sniffled, deeply touched,
"You’re so kind..." he murmured, his voice trembling with emotion. "Why are you so kind to ciit? I... I am a coward, a scaredy-cat, and I wouldn’t have been able to reach this level without my teammates. I’m just lucky to have been chosen by them. I don’t possess any outstanding qualities and I have nothing to offer you in return, yet you’re still so kind to ciit..."
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