Decade, You Seem a Bit Too Extreme

"Wow! I can really dance!"

Wu Wang shimmied his shoulders, approaching Captain Cook with a bizarre, outlandish dance. His absurd movements were wild even for the chaotic crowd on the dance floor, making him stand out instantly.

Captain Cook listlessly lifted his head.

It was the bastard who had forced him to reveal a secret that could get him killed.

Wait a minute…

Why isn't he affected?

At that moment, confusion clouded Captain Cook's own eyes. He felt an unconscious urge to move toward the dance floor.

He forcefully suppressed the agitation, trying to crawl toward the platform on the other side of the room—the same place he had spoken from the day before.

He had already collapsed on the floor. Now, he was afraid that standing up would make him lose control and stumble straight onto the dance floor. His only option was to crawl forward on his belly, looking as pathetic as a writhing maggot.

Even I am being affected!

Why! Why is he fine!

Captain Cook asked through gritted teeth, "You… who the hell are you? Why can you resist the Sound of Joy?"

Oh, so the piano music really is the problem.

Wu Wang came to a sudden realization. No wonder the captain had disappeared right after announcing the start of the ball yesterday. There was probably a lift hidden under the platform.

And now he was trying to run away again.

Wu Wang walked over and squatted down beside the crawling man.

He smiled. "Me? I'm just a passing Kamen Rider. As for why I'm not affected…"

He slowly rolled up his right sleeve.

"Let me show you a real treasure," he said, enunciating each word.

Stare—

A single, red, vertical pupil stared down at Captain Cook. It blinked, and its gaze held a magical power that made it impossible for him to look away.

His mind was already a tightrope walker, strained by the "Sound of Joy." Now, under the stare of the Abyss God's Mark, a torrent of corruption came roaring in.

A tightly wound string in his brain, the one called reason…

Snapped.

"Hehe… hehehe…"

In an instant, a dazed expression appeared on Captain Cook's face. A trickle of drool hung from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes filled with a vacant, simple-minded wisdom.

He no longer hesitated.

He stood up and walked toward the dance floor.

He joined the joyous, maddening dance.

After dealing with Captain Cook, Wu Wang turned to find Number Five preparing to walk back toward the wall.

He reached out and took her hand.

"My dear lady," he smiled. "Since the ball has already begun, why are you in such a hurry to leave? I was hoping to ask you for a dance."

The Number Five waitress was a bit surprised.

"Sir, there is no need to switch identities today," she said softly. "I am just a waitress."

As soon as she spoke, the helmeted figure of Decade shook his head.

"But I have other needs," Wu Wang's cheeky voice came from under the helmet. "I want you to… follow your own inner thoughts."

He pointed to the dance floor.

"Do you stay and enjoy freedom?"

Then, he pointed to the line of waitresses by the wall, who looked as if they had been copied and pasted from the same file. They wore unchanging smiles, standing straight as dolls in a perfect wall of beauties.

"Or do you let others manipulate you and forever remain a bystander?"

Thump, thump.

The Number Five waitress did not answer immediately, but her heartbeat had clearly quickened.

Ever since she had swapped identities with him yesterday, she'd felt her own thoughts increasing, becoming more distinct. She had never before considered that she could experience any of the services on the cruise ship herself.

But now… her heart was stirred.

It wasn't that she had romantic feelings for this surprising guest. After all, she didn't even know what he looked like. It was simply that, under his guidance, she was slowly beginning to understand what freedom was.

Freedom. A novel concept.

In the past, Number Five had considered herself free. She could go anywhere on the ship and could even enter and leave the 【Back Kitchen】 as she pleased.

These were things that guests, and even Captain Cook, could not do. Not even the cruise ship's creator, William, could enter the 【Back Kitchen】.

That was right. William couldn't enter. In a sense, that place represented Mary's consciousness.

And Mary resisted William.

So, in that sense, the waitresses were very free.

But now, it was different. Number Five had the strange feeling that her version of freedom was just another form of bondage, that the real thing was not as simple as she had imagined.

【Follow your own inner thoughts.】

The gentleman's words pointed to another kind of freedom. Freedom of thought.

She glanced at her waitress sisters by the wall. Their designations ranged from one to over a thousand. She should have been the fifth among them. That spot was vacant, waiting for her to return.

One step forward was all it would take to fill the vacancy.

But today, she had a different answer.

"Thank you for your invitation. I choose to enjoy all of this, even if it's just for once."

Number Five placed her other hand on Wu Wang's, assuming the starting position for a dance.

Seeing this, Wu Wang smiled. His goal was nearly accomplished.

Now, he just needed to expand his influence.

He pulled Number Five one step sideways toward the wall.

"If it's only for once," he said softly, "then let everyone see you take this step."

With that, he led her into a dance. It was mostly an impromptu disco, wild and free.

They didn't limit themselves to the center of the floor. Instead, they danced right in front of the wall of beauties formed by the waitresses at the very edge of the hall.

Their steps began to move, carrying them in a wide circle around the entire Main Hall.

Wu Wang wanted all the surrounding waitresses to see that his dance partner tonight was Number Five.

One of their own.

His idea was insane. From yesterday's ball, it was clear that the waitresses were not affected by the Sound of Joy. Since every waitress was a clone of Mary's consciousness, and he could awaken the Mary within Number Five in the 【Back Kitchen】, why couldn't he awaken the others?

He wanted these waitresses to see what Number Five could do.

You can do it too!

For Number Five, the act made her heart race with an emotion she could barely suppress. Even yesterday's ball, when she was hidden inside the Decade Suit, hadn't been this thrilling.

But now, she was herself.

Perhaps after tonight, Miss Mary would make her disappear from this world.

But that no longer mattered.

What mattered was enjoying the freedom of this very moment.

The ball continued for several hours.

Besides Wu Wang, Number Five, and the surrounding waitresses, no one knew what secret changes this night had wrought.

Just like the night before, hours of dancing left most people exhausted to the point of fainting. The waitresses moved in to carry them away.

Only the players managed to conserve enough stamina to remain conscious.

But strangely, only three players were left standing.

Thorny Show-off had also fainted and been carried away.

Bei Lang looked pitifully at his bruised and purple hand, inwardly complaining that Fox Loli, that King Kong Barbie, had nearly crushed it. His eyes, however, were surveying the surroundings.

Before he could speak, Wu Wang made a preemptive strike.

"Hey! I've got an idea!"

The other players' expressions grew strained. They silently prayed he had a real idea this time. This whole farce was his fault. The Instance's original tempo was definitely not meant to expose everything and cause a panic among the passengers.

They didn't dare to imagine the chaos that would erupt when everyone woke up tomorrow morning.

It was only the second day.

"Look," Wu Wang began, "didn't Captain Cook say that most people have to die at the ball for it to count as a sacrifice?"

He continued, "The ball doesn't start until nine in the evening. So, what if we kill them all in other parts of the cruise ship beforehand? If everyone is dead before the ball starts tomorrow night, wouldn't the revival ritual be broken?"

The other players stared. "!??"

They were wrong.

This guy didn't have an idea.

He was completely brainless.

"It's not that, pal, you're…" Bei Lang stammered, at a loss for words.

Fox Loli's gaze sharpened. She could feel a killing intent from Decade so strong it was almost tangible. He wasn't joking. He was seriously considering this method.

This person… really had some screws loose.

"Hm? What's wrong? Can't kill them all?" Wu Wang asked. "Then how about I take care of half the ship, and you guys just handle the other half? Sigh. Who told me to be so helpful."

He spread his hands. "It's perfect, they're all passed out now. I Enjoy Killing in Dreams!"

Seeing everyone's stunned silence, Wu Wang couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.

At this moment, even Ms. Black Cat, who prided herself on her emotional control, couldn't keep a straight face.

You call this being helpful?

Her mouth twitched. "I don't think it's a question of whether we can do it, but rather…"

She couldn't bring herself to say the rest, but the same thought surfaced in all their minds.

Decade, you seem a bit too extreme.