Chapter 4: The First Role-playing Session (2)

Words : 899 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

chapter 4: the first role-playing session (2) "the game will officially start in ten seconds." only now did liu xing realize that he seemed to be locked in some way. he could move his eyes, but his body was completely unresponsive, and he couldn't speak. ten seconds passed. "the game begins!" it felt as if his soul had returned to his body. liu xing regained control over himself. silence. the four people seated around the table eyed each other. none seemed eager to speak. after all, faced with such an inexplicable situation, they were fortunate not to be undergoing a sanity check. (in the cthulhu rpg game, "san value" is a critical player attribute, representing one's sanity. encountering shocking or horrifying events, like gruesome bodies, mythical creatures, or magic, would prompt a sanity check. a failed check results in a permanent decrease in san value. if the value drops to zero, the character goes permanently insane, equivalent to death. specific details can be searched online, as delving deep into these mechanics could fill an entire chapter.) who in their right mind would want to chat with strangers now? but liu xing was not one to sit idly. rather than wait in anxiety for the game's one-hour duration to end, he decided to take the initiative and try to identify the cultist among the other three players. to identify the cultist, he needed to start a conversation. while liu xing had never played a cthulhu role-playing game, he had played similar online board games like "werewolf." he believed he could identify any telltale signs in the cultist's speech. "i am old chinese doctor, just an average office worker in reality." given the game's background where all four players met online, liu xing revealed his online gaming id and the role he was assigned in this game. "i'm shan he, a college student," said the man to his right, wearing a hat. "i am wu gen cao, the owner of a small business," said the older man to his left, nodding with a smile. "my name is bai wan, the initiator of this haunted house exploration. i am a student at magic city no. 7 high school." the young woman didn't raise her head, her voice slightly quivering. liu xing looked at her, puzzled. the name "bai wan" didn't seem like something a girl would choose. "oh, bai wan, as the initiator, you must know some details about this old mansion," liu xing said, convinced she held essential clues. every player would receive unique information based on their game roles, and bai wan, as the exploration's organizer, would undoubtedly have more insights. liu xing pretended to adjust non-existent glasses, gazing intently at the candle, his thoughts racing. being someone who relished challenges and had a touch of obsessive-compulsive tendencies, liu xing felt compelled to complete any task presented to him, especially after triggering a side quest in the beginner's room. from the game's context and data provided by the other three, he inferred a few things: first, this ancient mansion likely housed three mythical creatures. however, their powers seemed limited since a single candle could restrict their movements. second, based on the main task, guarding this candle shouldn't pose any significant challenge. yet, since the side quest was triggered so easily, merely guarding the candle would likely yield a low evaluation. thus, the crux of this game hinged on the side quest. to ensure a better card rating and longer survival in future cthulhu rpg games, liu xing knew he had to complete it. third, if the other three players held clues about the side quest, why didn't he? had he missed something? with this thought, he began searching his pockets, finding only a wallet and a phone. this phone was a classic nokia 5230, a model liu xing remembered using during high school. "it seems i'm a bit out of touch, using such an outdated phone. but it looks brand new. i wonder where one even finds such antiques nowadays," liu xing mused silently. he awkwardly powered on the phone to find basic pre-installed nokia apps with no network signal, ruling out online research. checking the contacts, he found unfamiliar names. however, the call log showed the last call was from shan he, made an hour ago, lasting 12 seconds. "shan he, we spoke on the phone an hour ago. what did we discuss? i can't recall," liu xing inquired, suspecting something. "oh, i remember asking why you hadn't arrived. you were already ten minutes late, while wu gen cao, bai wan, and i waited outside," shan he replied without hesitation. "that explains the 12-second call," liu xing said with a chuckle, continuing to search for clues on his phone. in the messages, hundreds of texts from over ten contacts awaited him. believing these messages held crucial information, liu xing began meticulously reading each one. sure enough, he found a message from a contact named "girlfriend" from two days ago: "dear, i've placed the protective amulet i prayed for at the draken temple inside your wallet. please don't lose it. i've heard it's potent and can fend off all evil." opening his wallet, liu xing indeed found an amulet, its design bearing a familiar symbol - the elder sign!

Chapter 4: The First Role-playing Session (2)

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