The search for the puzzle pieces went smoothly. During the process, Pei Guang gained a deeper understanding of those floating words, and soon, the puzzle was complete.
When the puzzle was finished, its picture transformed into a real door. Pei Guang calmly opened it and prepared to go in.
But the moment the door opened, all three of them froze.
Pei Guang blinked. "Well damn. This corridor, this creepy atmosphere—this monster really knows how to set the mood. Honestly, if I didn't already know what's inside, I might've been spooked."
Hearing that, Stelle shuddered and grabbed Pei Guang's shoulder. "Stop scaring me! What do you think it'll do to try and freak us out?"
Pei Guang rubbed his chin. "Let me think… Definitely a dark corridor, maybe the door slams shut behind us, some weird noises, maybe even a maze so we wander around slowly getting creeped out. And once we're fully unsettled—bam! That's when the monster ambushes us."
"Impressive! This monster's gone from brute strength to strategy. Can't even imagine how terrifying it'd become if it lived any longer."
Firefly shivered. "That sounds… really scary."
Pei Guang smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. These kinds of scenes are only scary when you're alone. There's three of us—and now that we know who's behind it, it's not scary anymore."
Firefly hesitated. "Then do you know what'll happen next?"
Looking into the dim hallway, Pei Guang calmly took Firefly's hand and walked forward.
"Can't say for sure. But, based on experience, I'd guess: once we walk a bit further, the door will suddenly close behind us, the lights go out, and if they really want to mess with us, creepy music will start playing."
As the three walked in, just as Pei Guang finished speaking and took a few more steps, the entrance door slammed shut. The corridor instantly darkened.
Firefly's eyes widened. "You actually guessed it right?! So what happens next?"
Pei Guang tilted his head. "My guess? There's definitely something in the room meant to draw us in. When we get close, some eerie music will start, and the whole place will start to distort."
After the first correct prediction, Firefly relaxed a little, though she still held tightly onto Pei Guang's hand as they walked forward.
They pushed open the next door.
Inside was a dark room, a single beam of light shining on the center, where a treasure chest sat, the kind that would normally stop both Pei Guang and Stelle in their tracks.
But looking at the chest, Pei Guang just grinned like a kid.
"See? Just like I said—something to grab our attention. Huh? It's circular here? Lots of doors… and TVs? Oh, I get it. Once we approach or open that chest, all those TVs will suddenly flash on to scare us. Classic horror game move."
The atmosphere was eerie and tense, but after hearing Pei Guang's breakdown, both Stelle and Firefly suddenly found themselves curious: would everything really play out just as he said?
Stelle stepped forward. "Then I'll open the chest and find out. You better protect me."
Pei Guang gave her a thumbs-up. "Go for it."
Since they entered, he'd been fully focused—watching the minimap, scanning the surroundings.
For Pei Guang, what's the scariest kind of horror game? The kind you play alone. Especially when there's an unstoppable pursuer. That's when the fear hits max level.
Stelle swallowed nervously and tiptoed up to the chest. Carefully, she opened it.
The moment she did, the entire room lit up, and eerie background music began to play.
Normally, both Stelle and Firefly would've been startled, but since Pei Guang had already called it out, the two just smiled brightly at him instead.
Stelle grinned. "You actually predicted it."
Firefly tilted her head. "Can you… tell the future or something?"
Pei Guang shrugged. "Nah. I'm just well-trained in horror games. Once you've played enough of them, you can read the signs. Come on—let's keep going. I'm guessing next we'll start hearing random creepy sounds to mess with us.
And finally, when we're at our most tense—that's when the boss will make its grand, terrifying entrance and try to wipe us out. But…"
Pei Guang glanced at the minimap and noticed that the marker for Something Unto Death, which had been motionless all this time, was suddenly moving.
He didn't say anything, just looked over at Firefly and Stelle.
The two didn't understand what his expression meant, but they knew something was wrong: the normally easygoing Pei Guang's sudden serious look could only mean danger. Both of them immediately tensed up and instinctively moved closer to him.
Meanwhile, Something Unto Death, which had been watching them since they entered the room, was completely stunned.
Its original plan was to slowly wear down their willpower, then make a sudden appearance to take out one of them instantly. While the other two were still in shock, it would stab another through the heart, and finally, finish off the last one while they writhed in despair.
Three moves, three kills. Send all three straight to the real Penacony.
A flawless plan.
But now… that tormenting human had guessed its setup?
Screw this: die, all of you!!!
Abandoning its plan to weaken their will, Something Unto Death decided it was better to just kill them outright and send them to meet the Watchmaker.
As for who to send first? After scanning its targets, it locked onto Firefly.
All three would die eventually, but compared to the others, she'd caused it the least suffering. She'd get the mercy of a painless, clean kill through the heart—first.
Target locked. Aim and charge!
This time, it didn't bother with any dramatic entrance. It shot straight toward Firefly from above, claws raised high.
Closer and closer, it had already entered the room, its claws swinging down in a strike powerful enough to shatter her heart.
But at that very instant, as it burst into the room, Pei Guang raised the four-leaf clover.
A sudden, violent gust of wind erupted, blasting Something Unto Death mid-charge and hurling it straight toward himself.
Pei Guang's face lit up with a brilliant grin, while Stelle raised her bat high, aiming for where it would land.
Pei Guang called out, "Hey~ surprised? Didn't see that coming, huh?"
Something Unto Death, locked helplessly in midair, suddenly felt a chill of dread. It realized something was very wrong with these three.
The last two times they'd encountered it, they'd done nothing but run and hide. But now… they were facing it?
Not just that—they even had this terrifying ability to control it?
And in that instant, it had a horrible premonition: its eyes were in danger.
It let out a furious roar, almost as if it wanted to shout at Pei Guang: "You don't fight with honor! Do you even want to go to the real Penacony?!"