The same old formula, the same old flavor

"What the hell! What's with your getups?"

A surprised voice sounded from beyond a large red cloth.

It sounded thuggish, conjuring the image of a blond punk on a scooter before anyone even saw his face.

Wu Wang peeked through a gap at the side of the cloth.

Well, I'll be. This was even more unexpected than he thought.

A skinny guy with blue hair was clutching his stomach and roaring with laughter, his finger pointing rudely at everyone present.

Looking around, Wu Wang counted a total of four men and three women, including himself. Each person's face was painted with strange, elaborate opera makeup.

This wasn't a mask like the ones they'd worn when entering the last Instance. This was makeup, painted directly onto their skin.

"What the hell are you laughing at! Aren't you a big painted-face too?"

The person closest to the skinny guy was a hulking man, about 1.9 meters tall, with muscles as solid as granite. He glared viciously at the blue-haired punk.

The others also glanced at the surrounding bronze mirrors and other reflective surfaces, catching sight of their own faces.

"Everyone, this is a Nightmare-level Instance. The initial safe period likely won't be long."

A man in the corner, with a somewhat effeminate build and voice, spoke up.

"How about we first discuss what we know about the pear garden? As far as I know, the profession has a lot of taboos and rules."

He immediately added, "My name is 【Shutong】【Lv26】."

As he spoke, his ID and level appeared above his head.

A moment later, a woman in a blue gown with more delicate makeup than the others picked up the conversation.

"Since this is 'Anecdotes of the Pear Garden' and we've all appeared with makeup, the Role Category each of us represents should be different."

She paused, her expression serious.

"However, opera culture varies by region, leading to different rules. The rules in this Instance will likely have similarities to the outside world, but also differences. Everyone, please be careful."

After speaking, she pointed to her own face, then to the brawny man's.

"In the Instance introduction, we should only know our Role Category, not our specific character," she continued. "Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou."

"Based on my understanding, I should be the Qingyi Zhengdan in the Dan category, as Dan roles portray female characters of various ages, personalities, and statuses."

"This big brother is most likely a Wu Sheng. Of course, within the Jing category, there are also Wu Jing roles that demand extremely high skill in acrobatics and posture. It's hard to be certain without more information."

"My name is 【Zi Jin】【Lv28】."

Seeing this, the others didn't delay, revealing their own IDs and levels.

The brawny man was named 【Power King】【Lv25】.

The skinny guy's name was 【Executioner】【Lv24】.

The expressions on the other two women, however, were rather unpleasant. The one who looked slightly older and chubbier was named 【Qiao Biluo】【Lv20】.

The other, a small loli who looked like a child, surprised Wu Wang.

It was an old acquaintance.

【Xiaoxiao】【Lv19】

Isn't this the fox loli he met back in the 【Masquerade Ball】 Instance?

Her opera makeup was almost identical to Zi Jin's. Both faces were covered in a simple base layer, with almost no extra colors or patterns.

"Level 19? How did you get matched with us? And you're just a kid?" Qiao Biluo said with a hint of mockery.

In the 【Spirit Calamity Game】 matchmaking system, it was rare for an Instance to have players with such a large level disparity. Wu Wang's situation last time, where he joined as an extra, was an exception.

Among players, every ten levels was a watershed. To them, a level 19 player was no different from a novice. The experience needed to get from level 19 to 20 was almost the same as the total needed to get from level 10 to 19.

This gap represented a vast number of Instance experiences.

Right now, she was a sheep who had wandered into a pack of vicious wolves. Unless, of course, she got lucky and survived an Instance with an excessively high difficulty rating. If this kid made it out alive, she would almost certainly reach level 20.

But that was a problem for later.

Xiaoxiao said nothing.

She couldn't be bothered to respond to Qiao Biluo's ridicule. Her appearance was the result of a curse, and it wasn't something she could just announce with a megaphone.

"Are we missing someone?" the man named Shutong asked, smiling as he looked toward the large red cloth. "Little bro hiding over there, what do you say?"

Zi Jin nodded. "Right. The six of us can be classified as Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Mo. Only the Chou, the Clown Role, is missing."

She turned toward the cloth.

"Friend over there, you must be the Chou, right?"

After all, the facial features of a typical Chou role were far too distinct. The white "tofu block" patch smeared on the bridge of the nose was hard to miss. She had noticed a player was missing, but she hadn't expected Shutong to have already found them.

"Since you asked so sincerely!"

A voice drifted from behind the curtain.

"I'll tell you out of great mercy!"

Hearing the familiar Team Rocket lines, a bad premonition rose in everyone's hearts.

Swoosh!

With a bizarrely fast movement, Zi Jin appeared before the red cloth. She whipped it open, revealing the true face of the Clown Role hiding behind it.

But the moment the cloth was pulled away, everyone froze.

They saw a man dressed in an all-purple tuxedo, complete with purple gloves, a matching purple tie, and even a fake flower pinned to his chest.

His familiar attire, paired with dark green hair, a deathly pale face, and an exaggerated red smile painted across his mouth, made the character instantly recognizable.

"Holy shit! The 'Chou' in 'Clown Role' means this kind of clown? That can't be right!" the punk, Executioner, couldn't help but retort.

This was clearly that character from DC Comics. Batman's arch-nemesis. The permanent resident of Gotham City's Arkham Asylum.

The Joker.

Isn't your appearance a little out of place in this Instance?

"Friend, that makeup might put you in danger," Zi Jin said flatly after a sigh. "I suggest you change back to the original Clown Role look."

She wasn't joking. If the Instance assigned everyone different roles from the start, there had to be a reason. No one knew the consequences of ruining the makeup ahead of time. It was an instinctive caution that high-level players had long since developed. Otherwise, Executioner would have wiped the paint off his own face instead of just mocking everyone else's.

Wu Wang shrugged and smiled.

"It's fine. Keeping a smile helps me think."

This maverick behavior was all too familiar. It instantly made Xiaoxiao think of Yan Shuangying's Decade suit from their last encounter. A flash of excitement crossed her eyes. Throughout the entire 【Masquerade Ball】, she had no memory of what the man looked like.

Could it be? Have I been matched with that big shot again?

The next second, the Joker's ID and level appeared above his head.

【Pending Death】【Lv10】

A trace of disappointment flashed across Xiaoxiao's face.

Too bad, it isn't Yan Shuangying.

Then, she noticed the other players' expressions becoming increasingly strange. Everyone was staring intently at the Joker's level.

"Hm? Is there something strange?"

"Wait! What level!?"

【Lv10】!!!

Holy crap! An even bigger expert!?