Who Says This Isn't a Mask?

【Nightmare-level Team Instance Matched】

【Welcome to the Mary Cruise Ship】

【Instance Name: Masquerade Ball】

【Number of Participants: 7】

【Instance Introduction: This is a cruise ship renowned as a legend even among high society. A top-tier ball is held on it annually, and invitations are coveted by people at the pinnacle of every industry, from famous authors to financial magnates, from international socialites to aristocratic young ladies.】

【The cruise ship has many rules. Those who violate them have never been seen in the outside world again. Today, you have been invited here to accomplish an unprecedented feat!】

【Main Quest: Replace the ball's organizer and become the new master of the cruise ship (Vision of Truth has been twisted)】

【Side Quest 1: Gain Mary's Favor】

【Side Quest 2: Understand the Truth of the Back Kitchen】

【Side Quest 3: Figure Out the Identity You Represent】

【Clearance Rewards: 5000 Calamity Coins, one Epic-level item, one Myriad Treasures Auction Warehouse Lottery Chance, one opportunity for an Audience】

【Hidden Reward: Conditions Unknown】

【May you find the death that belongs to you】

As the notifications vanished, the scene before Wu Wang shifted from the deep blue sea to a resplendent, magnificent room.

The room was vast, almost the size of a presidential suite in a five-star hotel. The decor was extremely luxurious and elegant; even the carpet was of an expensive, high-quality grade reserved for foreign royalty.

Some of the oil paintings on the walls were genuine artifacts that should have been on display in a museum.

They didn't look like fakes.

"Tsk, tsk. The disgusting scent of the upper class hits you right in the face."

Wu Wang remarked, casually picking up a piece of blue-and-white porcelain to examine it. It was genuine, and of excellent quality. Out in the real world, it could fetch at least a million at auction.

Yet here it was, just sitting in a guest's room.

Simply inhumanly extravagant. Most likely, every room was filled with such items.

He had put a lot of hard work into antique appraisal, so much so that he was nearly blacklisted in the antique market. That was because after Wu Wang entered the market with a fake identity, he would always find ways to hide slips of paper reading "I am a fake" inside counterfeit antiques that were about to be sold.

The value of the deals he had ruined was enough for the market bosses to hire a hitman.

What happened next was a story for another time.

In short, the result six months later was that the fake identity was also blacklisted by Dark Web assassins.

No one was willing to take the job.

To this day, that fake identity still hangs on the Dark Web's bounty list, but the appended note, 【Failed 48 times】, was enough to make any potential assassin shrink back in fear.

Knock, knock.

Before Wu Wang could finish inspecting the room, a knock came from the door.

Looking through the peephole, he saw a petite girl with dyed white hair in a qipao, wearing a small fox mask. Following behind her were five others, also dressed in formal attire and wearing different masks.

Including the fox girl, there were three men and three women. They had to be the other players for this Team Instance.

Wu Wang lightly caressed the 【Heilan Home Brooch】. The clothes on his body and the mask on his face began to transform.

A moment later, he opened the door.

"Hello everyone! Please come in!"

Wu Wang greeted them with fiery enthusiasm, even moving half his body aside to invite them into his room. Players always needed to have a meeting before an instance began, and besides, he still needed to find out what their main quest was.

His own, after all, had been twisted by the Abyss God.

Everyone was stunned by his sudden enthusiasm.

A man with a mustache wearing a Batman mask couldn't help but speak up.

"Dude… how did you even get into the instance wearing that gaudy pink thing? Is the definition of formal wear that broad?"

The others also looked on in confusion.

Wu Wang looked down at himself. There was nothing wrong with it!

"Isn't this a Masquerade Ball? How is a Kamen Rider not a mask?" he retorted. "And let me correct you, this is magenta!"

At that moment, he was, shockingly, dressed in the full attire of Kamen Rider Decade. The barcode-like mask completely enveloped his head. If he hadn't spoken, you wouldn't even be able to tell if he was a man or a woman.

After a brief, tense stalemate, they reluctantly entered the Kamen Rider's room. They did indeed need to have a meeting.

The discovery that one of their teammates might not be mentally sound only made the need for a meeting more urgent. At the very least, they needed to confirm that the others were sane.

Wu Wang sized up everyone's appearance.

The three men were an uncle in a Grey Wolf mask, a lecherous-looking man in a Batman mask, and a flashy weirdo with a thorn mask.

The Grey Wolf uncle appeared rather steady. He wore a Zhongshan suit with a proper posture, his expression barely changing.

The lecherous Batman, dressed in a flippant, light-blue, ornate suit, kept stealing glances at the female players.

The Thorny Show-off was also a bit greasy. The mustache on his lip was an attempt to look like a gentleman, but paired with his bright red suit and slicked-back hair, so greasy it was reflective, it was hard not to laugh.

The female players, on the other hand, were all exquisite and elegant. Their masks were a fox, a black cat, and a rose.

The fox girl was a cold, white-stockinged loli in a qipao. She seemed uncommunicative and always wore an icy expression.

The black cat lady, in a shawl evening gown, appeared elegant and grand. She had a faint, friendly smile, giving off the distinct impression of a rich young lady.

Miss Rose was absolutely heavenly. Her backless, black, deep-V evening gown featured a slit that went halfway up her thigh, revealing tantalizing flashes of skin with every step. One look was all it took to know she was a socialite who frequented high-class banquets and was never intimidated.

The man in the Batman mask spoke through gritted teeth.

"Bro, we can let it slide that you've been giving a running commentary on our appearances since we walked in. But why is there such a huge difference in your descriptions of the men and women!"

He continued, his voice rising.

"The guys are 'a lecher' and 'a show-off,' while the ladies get all sorts of praise! And when was I 'constantly peeking at them'? Don't force me to fight you right here and now!"

The others' expressions also turned a bit unnatural. This Kamen Rider spoke so quickly that they couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Only Miss Rose was smiling so wide she could barely contain it. She stared at Wu Wang with her naturally coquettish eyes.

"I quite like this little brother. Witty and humorous. Want to come to my room later to discuss the instance's plot?"

You'd better be talking about the plot! Not some special plot that wouldn't pass censorship!

Wu Wang shrugged nonchalantly.

"Wasn't I just trying to liven up the atmosphere? Everyone looks so tense in a Nightmare-level instance."

"Uncle Grey Wolf's expression has gotten a bit stiff. You, lecherous Batman, were trying to relieve stress by ogling the ladies. And Show-off, stop touching your mustache. Haven't you already pulled out two strands? Doesn't it hurt?"

"I won't call out the ladies by name, but little white-haired loli, it's fine to be nervous. Just stop poking my carpet with your heels. This thing is quite expensive, and I was planning on swiping it when I leave. If you poke a hole in it, I'll have to bill you a few million!"

The moment he finished speaking, the entire room fell into a dead silence.

Even Miss Rose, who had just been teasing him, now had a trace of coldness in her eyes. Those he had called out grew rigid, adopting defensive postures.

They had only been in here for less than two minutes.

In an instant, everyone mentally slapped a label on this seemingly unhinged man. Highly observant. A dangerous person.

One had to be extremely cautious with someone like this, lest they expose a weakness for him to seize. It seemed he wasn't so brain-dead after all.

"Right, about this instance," Wu Wang's tone suddenly became solemn. "I have a very serious question to ask."

Finally, back to business. The others were eager to hear what brilliant insight this man had. Their main quest, in particular, seemed far too simple for a Nightmare-level instance.

But there were always exceptions.

The Batman rolled his eyes and interrupted.

"If you're about to ask why the main quest is so simple, just 'find a partner and attend the ball on the last day,' then don't bother. We don't know where the difficulty is either."

He didn't want to waste time on the matter.

But unexpectedly, Wu Wang shook his head. With an extremely disdainful tone, he said, "What I wanted to ask is, do all of you know how to ballroom dance?"

"This is a ball! If you can't dance, what are you even doing here? Did you really come aboard to scam some free food and drinks? Especially you, Batman. Bro, with those bow legs, are you sure you won't step on your partner's feet? The three ladies should be careful when choosing, hah."

At these words, the room fell silent once again.

Everyone suddenly felt they should take back their previous evaluation.

This guy's brain really wasn't screwed on right. His focus was actually on dancing.

And what was all that about scamming free food and drinks?

Motherfucker, you think we wanted to get on this ship?

Who in their right mind would come to a Nightmare-level instance just to scam some free food and drinks!

As everyone traded glances, their eyes couldn't help but drift toward Batman, specifically his legs.

Hiss… He really was a bit bow-legged.