Circus of Horrors (2)
It wasn’t until Emily had walked away that Chen Li finally relaxed his stiff body and took the opportunity to quietly observe his surroundings.
Just now, the system had mentioned the word “castle.”
Now that he was taking a closer look, the opulence here far exceeded anything he’d imagined—it was just short of putting out slabs of gold and diamonds on open display.
The dark gold stair railings, the intricately patterned carpet, and the lavish decor of red jade and emerald all screamed luxury. Even the armrests of his chair were inlaid with deep blue crystals that felt slightly uncomfortable to the touch.
Chen Li: The owner of this castle must be insanely rich.
The cheerful voice of System 001 chimed in: [Hmm? What are you talking about? You are now playing the role of the castle’s owner—Rum.]
Chen Li froze. Instinctively, he looked down at his clothes. Right away, he noticed the lake-green pigeon-egg-sized gem at his collar, his polished black leather shoes, and the exquisitely tailored vintage European attire—he looked like a doll.
The fabric was luxurious too, with soft silk lining the inside.
System 001: [Don’t be too surprised yet—check your task panel first.]
As it spoke, the task panel opened with a soft chime.
Originally, he had 75 HorrorPoints, but after deducting the entry fee, only 25 were left.
This time, unlike the brief mission introductions he’d seen before, the panel was filled with rows of locked question marks.
Among the sea of unknowns, Chen Li could only find one clue: his identity.
He was a spoiled young master with a particularly nasty personality—and also the heir to a noble title. The death of his parents had made his character even more twisted and eccentric. He loved watching others perform, and every month, he invited people to the castle to entertain him—demanding they make him laugh.
Chen Li couldn’t help asking: [Why are all the others just question marks?]
There wasn’t even a background for the castle.
System 001 sighed helplessly: [All of that has to be exchanged using Horror Points. Do you have any?]
This host was honestly the poorest NPC it had ever seen.
System 001 was exasperated: [You have to collect Horror Points properly in this instance! Act scary and frighten them to death!]
By “them,” it naturally meant the players.
But just pretending to be scary… shouldn’t be too hard, right?
After thinking seriously for a moment, Chen Li nodded solemnly: [Alright. I’ll do my best to act scary.]
“Young Master Rum,” the butler appeared suddenly. His face was just as deathly pale as Emily’s, with deep shadows under his eyes that couldn’t be hidden. “Your guests have arrived.”
Chen Li was startled once again by the eerie, ghost-like appearance of the castle staff. Only after a reminder from the system did he manage to compose himself and reply, “Let them in.”
He was already starting to feel afraid. Everyone in this castle seemed… off.
As he hesitated, Emily appeared, dressed in a black-and-white maid outfit, leading the “guests” inside.
Guests invited by a noble—would they be nobles too?
Chen Li soon realized he was wrong.
The group that entered behind Emily was dressed in bizarre costumes, strange and grotesque in appearance—clearly performers invited to put on a show.
The most eye-catching among them was a clown in a dark green suit.
With his appearance, their identity became clear—they were a circus troupe.
To maintain his character as an unpredictable, arrogant young noble, Chen Li only gave them a quick glance before looking away, lounging on the main seat with an air of bored superiority. He toyed lazily with the crystal on the armrest and asked offhandedly, “You’re the ones here to perform for me?”
The hall suddenly fell silent, filled only with the sound of uneven breathing. All eyes were fixed on the young master seated at the head of the room.
[System, am I doing a bad job acting?]
001 pretended to be picky: [Passable.]
In truth, it was more than passable. The boy didn’t even need many lines or much effort to bring the character to life—as if he had been born for the role, raised high and worshipped with treasures and praise.
Just by sitting there, he exuded the aura of a pampered, elegant long-haired cat. Though he didn’t even spare them a proper glance, it only provoked a strange desire to conquer—to pin him down, humiliate him, and make those amber eyes mist over until he never dared look down on others with such haughty arrogance again.
His proud tone, spoken in that slightly soft, clear voice, was like a feather brushing over the heart.
Finally, someone broke the heavy silence in the hall.
Joker, his face painted with a garish clown’s smile, still couldn’t hide his sharp, handsome features. His voice was oily and dramatic: “Oh, my beautiful young master Rum, your beauty is once again breathtaking today.”
Chen Li’s face fell, his voice laced with warning: “Joker?”
The young master did not like having his looks complimented.
If the other guide NPCs were playing their roles based on prototypes, they wouldn’t have been teased for their looks, and thus there were no preset lines for this situation—he had to improvise.
Unexpectedly, it worked quite well.
Joker dropped his flippant smile and put on a mock expression of regret: “Forgive my rudeness just now. After all, if I die, who would be left to offer you your monthly performances?”
It was obvious that this wasn’t the first time they had made a deal.
As Joker spoke, the task panel—left open in the rush—began to shift and change.
Joker’s identity: [Ringmaster] [Core NPC of this instance] [???]
There was another hidden identity yet to be unlocked.
His scripted dialogue began appearing word by word.
Chen Li glanced at it briefly before lowering his eyes. “Then I look forward to the performance you’ve prepared for me this time.”
There was a hint of excitement in his tone, and he looked like someone completely detached from reality.
The players acting as circus performers were all secretly watching him, and their hearts grew even heavier at the sight.
Joker gave a bow. “Yes, Young Master Rum.”
Staying any longer would risk breaking character, so Chen Li had no choice but to rise with composed elegance and leave, casually instructing the butler beside him to arrange accommodations for the circus troupe.
He had come to a sobering realization: his character was basically just a tool NPC set up to provide food and lodging for the players.
The one the players truly feared was Joker.
The butler, who had been waiting off to the side, gave a perfunctory nod and walked unsteadily toward the players.
Chen Li couldn’t help but worry: [System, is he really okay?]
He looked like he might collapse at any moment.
System 001 replied nonchalantly: [He’s fine. Just a minor background NPC—pre-programmed routine.]
Following System 001’s guidance, Chen Li found out his room was on the fifth floor. The castle was astonishingly large, steeped in extravagant decadence. Each corridor was lined with golden picture frames. Strangely, the paintings inside had all been completely covered in black paint.
They were nothing but pitch-black oil paintings, and yet Chen Li felt a chill run down his spine, as though something was watching from within the darkness. He quickened his pace up to the fifth floor.
Only when he reached the corridor on the fifth floor did that unsettling feeling of being watched finally subside.
But he didn’t feel the least bit relieved. In fact, it felt worse. The frames here were completely empty—not even a canvas inside. There were exactly ten of them, lined up neatly from left to right.
The eerie atmosphere deepened.
Pretending not to notice, Chen Li opened the door and stepped into his room.
It wasn’t until the heavy black door closed behind him that he dropped all pretense and dove straight into the bed, curling up like a little ostrich under the thick blankets.
The heavy bedding was almost suffocating, yet it brought him a sense of security.
He didn’t want to go back down and face those scheming players or the bizarre NPCs.
Unfortunately, hiding wouldn’t solve anything. As night fell, someone knocked on his door.
Knock, knock, knock.
A butler in a black-and-white tailcoat spoke politely, “Young Master Rum, it’s time to come down for dinner.”
Chen Li asked System 001 listlessly: [Can I refuse?]
System 001 was merciless: [No.]
Reluctantly, he dragged himself out of bed and went downstairs. When he opened the door, he realized the butler had already left.
The servants in this castle all seemed to have a habit of vanishing into thin air.
Chen Li thought about it for a moment and could only chalk it up to them not wanting to deal with a spoiled young master.
After all, his character didn’t seem very likable.
By the time he arrived at the dining hall, everyone else had been seated for quite a while and was waiting for him. With all eyes on him, he felt a lot of pressure as he took his seat.
None of the players dared to complain or show any sign of displeasure.
After all, they were playing commoners, while he was a moody noble.
Being allowed to dine at the same table was already a blessing.
Only after the young master sat down did Emily speak to the plump chef: “Serve the dishes.”
The chef rushed to push the cart forward, as if a vengeful ghost were chasing him—he didn’t want to stay a second longer than necessary.
The dishes were served quickly. In no time, the table was filled with exquisite food, and the aroma instantly filled the air.
But everyone’s gaze remained fixed on Chen Li, making him frown. “What are you all looking at?”
He meant to act in character and lash out, but it came out weak, more like a mild complaint than genuine anger.
Just then, the butler stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Master Rum, please allow me to tidy you up a bit.”
Chen Li blinked in confusion until the butler reached out to adjust his crumpled necktie. Only then did his face flush red—he realized he must have rumpled it while rolling around in bed.
No wonder everyone had been staring at him strangely.
What he didn’t know was how refined and delicate he looked at that moment, tilting his head obediently and letting the butler fix his attire.
The players silently averted their eyes: …This NPC isn’t what we expected. He’s… kind of cute?
None of them dared to look too long—Joker had knocked on the table in warning.
Yet he was clearly watching with great interest himself!
This damn two-faced NPC.
Despite the butler’s skilled hands, it was inevitable that his fingers brushed against the young master’s skin.
In that instant, Chen Li shivered—it felt like being touched by a block of ice.
Is that really the temperature of a living person?
He tried his best to suppress the discomfort and feigned impatience. “Are you done?”
“All done, Young Master Rum.”
The butler stepped back respectfully, hands behind his back. He could clearly feel two hostile stares fixed on him—one violent, one cold—both laced with jealousy.
Jealous that he had touched the boy’s delicate skin.
Disgusting hyenas, the butler thought with mild contempt.
The tension rippling under the surface made the atmosphere in the hall even more strained. The players, unaware of the undercurrents, grew warier. Only Chen Li remained oblivious as he recited his line: “Enjoy your meal, my guests.”
No one moved, not daring to pick up their utensils, until Chen Li took a sip of cream soup with a silver spoon. Only then did the players begin eating.
They had already exchanged basic information before entering the castle, so the meal passed in total silence.
Chen Li ate quietly while secretly observing them.
If he was going to act intimidating, he needed to pick the most timid one.
Just like the last instance, there were ten players. All of them played circus performers, so most wore masks or face coverings, and their outfits were outrageously flamboyant.
Only two looked like newbies, both fidgeting and glancing around nervously during the meal.
One of them, a middle-aged man with red stars painted on his cheeks, even tried to sneak a silver spoon into his pocket.
Seeing his clear desperation for money over safety, Chen Li decided this guy would be his first intimidation target.
But maybe he had stared too long—because the man sitting next to the newbie, someone wearing a dark green mask, suddenly looked up sharply and locked eyes with him.
Those ink-black eyes were like a bottomless, stagnant pool. One glance was enough to send a chill down his spine.
Author’s note:
Another day of Li Bao unknowingly charming the NPCs.
My dumbass thought Chen Linwas the scary one, one can only dream
Not bad Chen Li! Nervous newbies are the best target for someone like you, since they’ll be scared of everything and anything!
FMY BETTER NOT BE THAT JOKER GOD PLEASE