Dangers Lurk Everywhere, the Ball is Nigh!

The group left the Starry Bar.

Batman was left there forever.

They couldn't even retrieve any equipment from him to strengthen themselves. His death was utterly worthless; he couldn't even provide a final bit of help.

After he had completely transformed into an Alcohol Person, the bartender had the bar's security drag the body away. He then warned the players.

"You are all esteemed guests. Such dirty work would tarnish your hands, and desecrating a corpse is a very impolite act."

The meaning was obvious.

You are not to touch the body!

They had no choice but to leave. They certainly couldn't stay for a drink.

No one was confident they could replicate the bartender's drinks, and they knew they weren't worthy of drinking there anyway.

"Hey! Do you all really believe that Kamen Rider can mix every single cocktail?" Miss Rose couldn't help but ask, her voice full of doubt.

Miss Black Cat nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. He must have used some kind of item. And that treasured bottle of liquor he got is probably a useful item. Should we go look for him?"

"But this ship is too big, and there are over a thousand passengers," Thorny Show-off sighed helplessly. "Where would we even begin to find him?"

Only Bei Lang was lost in thought. After a moment, he spoke with uncertainty.

"What if... what if he really does know how to mix them?"

The other players stared at him, bewildered.

What the hell is he talking about? they all thought. Who would be so bored as to learn bartending and practice until even a veteran bartender felt inferior?

He immediately laughed at himself.

"Right. What kind of player would be so bored?"

The group continued to discuss where to go next when several nearby attendants exchanged glances.

One stepped forward with a smile.

"Esteemed guests, it is time for your meal. Please make your way to the nearest restaurant. This way, please."

With that, she began to lead the way.

The other attendants followed silently behind the players, sticking to them like shadows. What was strange was the rhythm of their steps. Their strides were of an identical length, as if they were all copies of the same person.

As they walked, a cold sweat began to break out on the players' backs.

When the attendants were separate, they hadn't seemed particularly strange. But together, they gave off an inexplicable, eerie feeling, like the uncanny valley effect.

They finally made it to the entrance of the restaurant. Before they even entered, they saw that the place was packed, yet it was disturbingly quiet.

Inside the vast dining hall, the only sounds were the soft chewing of food and the scraping of knives and forks against plates. The room was completely devoid of any lively atmosphere.

The creepy feeling was like a centipede crawling up their spines.

"Esteemed guests, a reminder," the attendant said with her fixed smile. "Don't talk while eating. The Captain dislikes people shouting in his restaurant. Please enjoy your meal in silence."

With that, she led the group to an empty table that could seat exactly five people. After watching the players take their seats, all the attendants stood beside them like exquisite porcelain dolls.

In front of every dining table stood one or two such attendants. They had different appearances and skin colors, seemingly from all over the world, but they were all, without exception, beautiful and elegant. To say they were a feast for the eyes would be an understatement.

If each guest has one assigned to them, there must be at least a thousand attendants on this cruise ship!

It's hard to imagine where the host found so many high-quality beauties and trained them so perfectly.

Clang!

"Mmph... mmmph... save..."

Before the group could even order, a man at a nearby table suddenly collapsed to the floor, hands clutching desperately at his throat. His expression was one of extreme agony, his entire face turning a purplish-red from suffocation. He foamed at the mouth, his words impossible to understand.

The players watched in horror as the man's head grew longer and a new shape bulged from his eyes and forehead. His back arched further and further, until his body curled into a ball like a cooked shrimp.

No, that wasn't right. It wasn't like a shrimp.

In just ten seconds, the collapsed guest had completely transformed into a massive, fresh shrimp. It even hopped a few times on the floor, as if it were dehydrating.

An attendant saw this and immediately went forward to hold it down.

How can such a slender woman pin down a giant shrimp taller than a person and stop it from moving an inch?

One of the attendants, her perpetual smile finally fading, gave a quiet order.

"Send it to the Back Kitchen to be processed."

Her words shocked everyone. As quietly as possible, one of the players asked, "Could you please explain what the Back Kitchen is for?"

They hadn't ordered yet, so speaking didn't count as a rule violation.

But the attendant turned her head, her face once again blooming with that copy-pasted smile.

"Esteemed guest, I don't understand what you are saying. This cruise ship does not have any Back Kitchen. Please do not ask about such baseless and imaginary things."

You were the one who just said Back Kitchen, damn it!

The players' expressions turned ugly, but there was nothing they could do. They couldn't possibly use force to coerce her.

Using force in a Nightmare-level Instance is the most foolish course of action!

The attendant continued.

"Also, if any of you have food allergies, you must state them in advance. Otherwise, you won't be able to return a dish after it has been served. Wasting food is shameful."

That person just now must have eaten seafood he was allergic to.

The players all shook their heads, indicating they had no dietary restrictions. But in this oppressive environment, each of them still only ordered the simplest bowl of noodles in clear broth. They were terrified of eating something unclean.

They finished their meal in a swift ten minutes, not wanting to stay a second longer. Everyone scrambled to their feet and fled.

About half an hour after they left, a magenta Decade walked into the restaurant. The moment he arrived at the entrance, he started shouting.

"I want Australian lobster! Bluefin tuna and South African abalone!"

The staff member in charge of taking orders replied awkwardly.

"Sir, we don't have any of those things here."

Wu Wang retorted indignantly.

"Why not! Aren't you supposed to be the most luxurious cruise ship in the world? The most legendary ball! You don't even have these common dishes? I want to file a complaint against this restaurant!"

Faced with his bizarre logic, the female attendant who had accompanied him seemed to have gotten used to it. She stepped forward to help her colleague.

"Please stop making a scene."

She added pointedly.

"This is a Chinese restaurant."

Like a child who had just been placated, Wu Wang muttered, "Oh. Then give me a serving of egg fried rice. Hold the egg, hold the rice. Make it a large portion, I'm very hungry."

The restaurant staff was speechless.

Damn it! This guy is here to cause trouble, isn't he!

After leaving the restaurant, the players split up once again to explore the cruise ship. Even with the precedent of Batman's death, they couldn't just stop trying to understand this place. Sitting around and waiting for death would only lead to an even more miserable end.

This time, however, their exploration was far more cautious. Before entering any public area, they would stand outside and observe for over ten minutes, only daring to step inside after getting a rough idea of the rules.

A Nightmare-level Instance! As terrifying as they say! We have to struggle with every step!

They were afraid that one wrong move would lead to eternal damnation. They couldn't imagine how that lunatic who had run off early was handling these inexplicable rules.

Perhaps he's already dead.

The group proceeded as if there were only five players left alive.

Their exploration was long, continuing until nearly eight in the evening. Then, as if on a pre-set program, the attendant beside each of them spoke.

"Esteemed guests, the First Night's Ball is about to begin. Please follow me to the venue."

Under the guidance of the attendants, everyone on the cruise ship began to converge in one direction. The bustling scene made the players feel a new sense of nervousness.

Their Main Quest was 【Before the ball on the last night, find a partner to attend with】.

This was the First Night's Ball.

This ball is especially important! It's crucial for understanding the rules and the true difficulty of our Main Quest! There can be no room for carelessness!

The group met up first, then proceeded together to the venue with the utmost concentration.

A grand and dazzling hall awaited them, filled with honored guests in gorgeous attire. Countless ornate masks dazzled their vision. But even this scene couldn't stop them from seeing him.

Standing right at the entrance of the hall was that flamboyant, magenta Decade.

It was hard not to see an outfit like that.

Decade was smiling at every guest who entered.

"Entrance fee is 648 yuan per person! No refunds or exchanges! Hello, have you bought a ticket? If not, please come over here to pay."

But that wasn't the most critical part. What made all the players grit their teeth was the person standing beside him.

It was a familiar female attendant, the very same one who had led him away during the day.

She was now dressed in a bunny girl outfit.

Her tempting figure, combined with a warm and natural smile, made many passing guests stare slack-jawed. At this moment, she was reaching out to accept the bills being handed over for what Wu Wang called the entrance fee.

She looked for all the world like his accomplice.

"Dammit! What am I seeing? Am I hallucinating?" Thorny Show-off couldn't help but pluck out two of his own whiskers.

Miss Rose gritted her teeth in disbelief.

"What on earth did he do? How did he make an NPC so obedient?"

As she spoke, she glanced at the attendant by her own side. The woman still wore the same standardized, professional smile, without a hint of a living person's expression, as if she were just a robot executing a program.

Bei Lang was also dumbfounded. He suddenly understood why his leader, Xiezhi, had been so serious when he gave his instructions. Xiezhi had told him to add 【Yan Shuangying】 as a friend to facilitate their entry into this game, and had reminded him specifically.

"Don't contact him beforehand."

"Whatever he does after entering the Instance, he has his reasons."

"You can question him, you can choose not to listen, but do not disrupt his rhythm. I believe he can get you out."

Holy crap! Bei Lang thought. Just what kind of pro is this guy? In just one short day, we're still struggling with every single step, but he… he's already in his element and has somehow trained his attendant into a bunny girl?

How did he do it!?

At that moment, Wu Wang spotted them in the crowd. He waved his hand and shouted boisterously in their direction.

"Step right up, folks! Come on in and play!"

He spread his arms wide.

"Welcome to the First Night's Ball!"

Dangers lurking at every turn? That wasn't important.

What was important was that the ball was about to begin.