Mary of the Back Kitchen

Humm…

A strange, humming roar echoed in Wu Wang's ears. He could faintly hear someone muttering, but he couldn't make out the words, as if he had momentarily lost the ability to comprehend language.

The capillaries beneath his skin squirmed and twisted. Every strand of his hair seemed to possess its own consciousness.

This was Mental Contamination from the Abyss God!

"I said… that's enough!"

Wu Wang gritted his teeth and selected 'Switch Account' on his personal panel. The moment Yan Shuangying's ID vanished, all the surrounding abnormalities disappeared along with it.

Panting heavily, he looked at the inside of his wrist.

The Red Vertical Pupil was blinking at him.

The mockery in its gaze was completely undisguised.

"Abyss God, what are you trying to do?" Wu Wang muttered to himself. "Is this the so-called truth you want me to see? Ridiculous!"

Ten minutes ago.

The moment he entered the 【Back Kitchen】.

He had felt a mental strength so powerful it could kill him instantly. It reverberated through the space, as if an entity was guarding something, preventing any outsiders from trespassing.

Fortunately, the so-called 【Permission】 he carried blocked it.

Just as Wu Wang was about to take a breather and begin exploring the 【Back Kitchen】…

The Abyss God started making trouble.

The Red Vertical Pupil spun wildly.

It devoured the 【Permission】 bite by bite!

This instantly exposed Wu Wang to the terrifying mental impact, and he was immediately targeted as an intruder.

Thus, an endless cycle of resurrection and death began, just like when he had looked directly at the Abyss God's projection.

Last time, the Instance collapse had broken the cycle.

This time, Wu Wang broke it himself.

The rate at which he died grew slower and slower. At first, he thought he was gradually adapting to the bizarre mental impact.

To his surprise, the Abyss God's Mark was frantically devouring the attacks aimed at him.

It seemed to be treating this as a grand feast.

After ten minutes of this continuous devouring, Wu Wang was shocked to discover that his deaths were no longer being caused by the 【Back Kitchen】's attacks, but by the overwhelming Mental Contamination from the Abyss God's Mark.

Only then did he realize.

Hasn't the Abyss God shown up a bit too early this time?

In the previous two Instances, the Abyss God's Mark had waited until a critical moment to start revealing the so-called 【Truth】. His ability to see through illusions and people's inner thoughts had always manifested gradually.

But this time.

From the moment he entered the Instance and met the Number Five Waitress, he had possessed this ability.

Thinking back, it was likely because he was using the 【Yan Shuangying】 ID. That account seemed to make it easier for the Abyss God to exert its influence and display its abilities.

After all, it was an account created by the Abyss God.

Rather than being surprised that this account had a problem…

Wu Wang actually breathed a sigh of relief. The suspense was finally over.

Now this was the familiar feeling.

Fear not the thief who steals, but the thief who covets.

He felt much more at ease now that he knew the thief was living in his own house.

And so, he decisively switched accounts to interrupt the contamination.

I can't let this guy devour everything inside the 【Back Kitchen】! What the hell would be left for me to explore!

【Pending Death】【Lv6】

After he switched to his own account, the hazy, psychedelic world created by the Abyss God's contamination began to return to normal.

The curtain on the 【Back Kitchen】 slowly lifted.

Although it was called the 【Back Kitchen】, it didn't look like a kitchen at all. Instead, it was a white corridor with no visible end.

Pure white wooden doors lined both sides of the corridor at regular intervals. Occasionally, he could hear movement from behind some of them.

He took two tentative steps forward.

Wu Wang no longer felt the bizarre mental impact from before, so he confidently began to explore the rooms.

He pushed open the first door.

Inside stood a girl dressed in an exquisite Lolita-style outfit, carefully eating with a knife and fork. On the plate before her was a cooked shrimp.

She seemed unaccustomed to the cutlery. The fork kept slipping as she tried to peel the shell. After failing several times, the girl frowned, a flicker of anger on her face.

Then, she fiercely stabbed the large shrimp with her fork, shell and all, and stuffed it into her mouth in one bite.

But the shell was still on. After a few chews, she seemed to have trouble swallowing. With a look of disgust, she spat it out.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! I want to eat something else!"

The girl lifted her head and shouted at the empty air.

It was only then that Wu Wang noticed.

She had no face.

To be precise, her features were unclear. Her face seemed to be obscured by a mosaic. Or perhaps it was countless faces constantly switching, never settling long enough for him to see what she looked like.

As she made her request, another dish materialized on the table out of thin air.

What was both baffling and amusing was…

A lemon appeared.

Wu Wang raised his eyebrows in surprise. She's going to eat a lemon!?

Logically, no normal person would eat a lemon raw, right? This girl isn't planning on…

"Hey! Don't!"

Crunch.

Before Wu Wang could finish his warning, the girl took a huge bite, nearly swallowing the entire lemon, rind and all.

The next second, a whimpering sound filled the room.

"Wuwuwu… so sour! I want to eat something else!"

This time, a raw egg appeared.

Wu Wang didn't watch any longer.

He backed out of the room. The girl seemed completely indifferent to anything other than eating. He had stood at the doorway for a while and even called out to her, but she didn't so much as glance his way.

As for going inside…

Forget it. There's no need to explore the rooms of the 【Back Kitchen】 so deeply for now.

Wu Wang remembered very clearly that the 【Permission】 Mary had given him was only partial.

Who the hell knows if I'd be able to get back out after fully entering these strange rooms?

Getting trapped was the last thing he wanted.

Shaking his head, he walked on.

He pushed open the second door.

Inside was a miniature opera house. Other than the performance stage, there was only a single, lonely row of audience seats below.

Sitting upright in the seats were marionettes that couldn't speak or move, posed as if they were about to applaud.

On the stage, a girl was singing her heart out.

The beautiful, lyrical melody and the sincere, moving aria seemed to instantly draw him into the opera's story.

Wu Wang recognized it immediately. It was La Traviata, one of the most successful classic works in opera history.

It was a tragic love story, a song of longing and praise for a pure, true love.

The performing girl also had an indistinct face, just like the one who had been eating. Countless faces flickered across it, and even her singing voice was constantly changing.

The initial beauty and lyricism became bizarre and unbearable after only a few seconds, thanks to her constantly shifting vocal tone.

With a soft click, Wu Wang closed the door and left again.

It's impossible to communicate with these NPCs. I probably won't be able to get anything from them.

He continued down the corridor, opening one white door after another.

Behind every door was a faceless girl doing something. Some were exercising, some were practicing wellness, some were studying, some were meditating.

In short, if Wu Wang could imagine it being done on the cruise ship, they were doing it.

But without exception, it was impossible to communicate with any of them. They were solely focused on the task before them.

Just as his patience was about to run out, he finally discovered a special door.

It was magenta.

What a coincidental color…

Click.

He pushed it open and was shocked to find a simple bar inside. The starry sky hanging overhead was vaguely familiar, its style very similar to the Starry Bar he had visited the day before.

A girl sat at the bar counter.

Although her face was still flickering and shifting like the others, she turned her head to look at Wu Wang the moment he entered.

She did not seem surprised by his arrival.

She slowly lifted a freshly mixed cocktail. It was a vivid, brilliant red.

Using that constantly shifting vocal tone, she spoke.

"Hello. Please allow me to recall for a moment how I should introduce myself in a culture you are familiar with."

"Oh, I've got it."

"My name is Mary. Of the Mary Cruise Ship."

"You should have seen me already, haven't you? Those other versions of me, still lost in their bewilderment. Or perhaps… the other Marys."

"Welcome to my home, Mr. Mask."

"Would you care for a drink?"

"This is a cocktail I've mixed specially for you. It's a Bloody Mary."