We're about to be number 1—or so?

Chapter 81 We're about to be number one—or so? (3/6 Seeking first-day subscriptions!)

The darkness was fleeting, like falling from one space into another.

Krum suddenly saw the light again.

However, the fall did not stop.

Krum looked down, his pupils suddenly contracting!

What awaited them directly below was a group of sharks eyeing them menacingly!

The dark blue seawater churned, and several sharks with their gaping jaws stared intently at them as they fell in, ready to tear them to pieces!

Those fierce and bloodthirsty eyes, and rows of sharp teeth streaked with blood, were like the sharpest meat grinder!

This is a deadly trap that leads straight to death!

***!!

Krum cursed.

In a flash, he shouted, stomped heavily on the shark with one foot, and leaped out!

The moment he landed, Krum hissed as he felt a sharp pain in his ankle.

However, his teammates weren't as muscular as him.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

They were thrown into the sharks, screaming in terror as they struggled desperately to escape their encirclement.

Ok?

Krum frowned, having spotted the key point.

Why is this shark flat?

Then, I took a closer look.

They discovered what they called "turbulent waters" and "a ferocious and terrifying school of sharks."

It's just a giant oil painting.

lifelike.

It faintly exudes a magical power.

In their panic, they would perceive the ocean and sharks as real.

"Shut up, all of you stop howling," Krum said in a deep voice. "This shark is fake."

"Ah—ah?"

The team members then stopped struggling and stared blankly down at the scene.

They then realized that they had been struggling on a flat painting all along.

The men's faces flushed red, and they scrambled to their feet, standing beside Krum.

Still shaken, he glanced at the shark out of the corner of his eye.

—It's so real.

Those distinct sharp teeth, that glossy skin, and those tiny eyes filled with bloodlust.

Unless you look closely, you can see the brushstrokes of the paint.

It's just like a real living thing.

Even those who don't understand painting could tell that the painting was of extremely high artistic quality.

"The organizers really put in a lot of effort in decorating this time, but it's a bit too eerie."

The team members muttered to themselves.

"How did they teleport us from the doorway to the inside? Was the floor in front of the doorknob a key?"

Krum frowned, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.

If that's the case, then the organizers are far removed from humanity.

For some reason, he always had a premonition that things weren't over yet—

uneasydesu

But in any case.

He was always the first to arrive at the mansion.

The supreme glory of first place has already been claimed by him!

Wanting to see this so badly, Krumwin proudly puffed out his chest.

"Let's start looking for the door key."

"yes!"

The four split up, working in pairs, and began searching room by room from the first floor.

Ben and Leon are in the same group.

They started their search from the study.

"The Strange Ritual: The Blood Cup" and "The Rising Appetite"

As he flipped through the books, the tattered old books stained with dark red dirt sent a chill down his spine.

Although the content has been edited, it's impossible to actually give the contestants advice on the spot.

But this eerie atmosphere makes one feel uneasy and apprehensive.

Ben took out a white crystal pendant from his pocket.

This is a magical item; the higher the concentration of magic power in the item, the deeper the red color of the white crystal will become.

Used to distinguish which one is the door key.

It is efficient and fast.

This victory will surely belong to them!

He curled the corners of his mouth and swept the white crystal across the bookshelf one by one.

Just then.

The white crystal suddenly lit up with a red light.

And with Ben's movements, a dazzling light finally burst forth!

"Found it!"

Ben shouted with delight, calling over his companion Leon from the other side.

He raised his hand and took the book that Bai Shuijing was pointing to.

The two huddled together, excitedly looking at the old book with its black cover.

Turning to the inner pages, the yellowed paper was completely empty.

"A wordless book—it's so special, it must be a key!"

Ben said with certainty.

Just then.

"Guji."

In their line of sight, a round eyeball opened from the pages of the book in their hands.

It gurgled around and finally settled on the two people's faces.

It bends, as if it's smiling.

As if a bucket of ice water had been poured over their heads, the smiles on Ben and Leon's faces froze.

This is not a painting.

Instead, it was a real eyeball that looked as if it had just been ripped from a living creature.

It grew on the pages of the book, and suddenly, the pages seemed to turn into human skin.

His dark pupils were filled with endless evil and malice, and he looked at them with a mocking smile.

—【You have disturbed us■■】

A stinging, itchy sensation spread across my face.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

He was startled awake by the scream beside him and turned his head sharply to look.

I saw Leon, whose face was covered in red sores.

Large, red blisters appeared on his face like mushrooms after rain, bursting and then reappearing.

Just like a living thing.

But what made Ben's heart stop was the terrified look in Leon's eyes.

It was as if he was the "monster".

Ben looked down and saw that red rashes were appearing on his arms, one by one, like snakes slowly crawling.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

Krum and another teammate exchanged a glance upon hearing the shouts and immediately ran towards the study!

What came into view was the scene of two teammates lying on the ground, writhing in pain.

He was scratching his face and arms frantically.

On that skin, a shocking red rash appeared.

As the scratches continued to break, red and yellow liquid oozed out.

What... what on earth happened?!

Krum's eyes widened, his heart pounding.

Turning his head, he saw an old, blank book lying on the floor not far from the two of them.

"Stop arresting me!"

Krum rushed forward and grabbed Ben's hand.

He then winked at his stunned teammate, signaling him to grab Leon's hand.

"Eyes—eyes—!"

The two were crying and shouting, their bodies convulsing, completely unable to come to their senses.

Krum awkwardly cast a Healing Touch, but it had virtually no effect.

He is skilled in offensive magic and has hardly ever used healing magic.

What exactly happened to these two?

"Eye"?

What are "eyes"? Did they see something they shouldn't have seen?

But didn't the organizers check everything? How could there still be such a dangerous and evil curse?!

Officer Krum looked at the open, wordless book, but couldn't make heads or tails of it.

All I could say was:

"They can't continue the match. Take them away from the manor and find the Aurors who are guarding the area to help."

After a pause, Krum added, "Leave through the window."

"—Yes, yes!"

The only remaining teammate hurriedly responded.

With Krum's help, they dragged the two of them out of the window with great difficulty.

Hukrum rubbed his forehead, took a deep breath, and frowned.

This house is so eerie.

They searched the first floor for a long time, but couldn't even find a trace of the door key.

Instead, I saw a bunch of strange paintings.

It was like a procession of a hundred ghosts.

This makes an already tired mind even more tense, causing one to see ghosts everywhere.

Was Herbo really such a passionate art lover?

As expected of the patriarch of black wizards.

I wonder if it's just psychological.

Krum always felt that the mansion was targeting them.

Two of the four were eliminated in the blink of an eye.

Now, only he and another teammate are left.

His ankle was also injured, and even after treatment, he still had difficulty moving around.

What seemed like an easy victory suddenly felt so far away.

Had I offended the owner of this mansion in the past?

That shouldn't be the case.

Herbo's remains have all turned to ash.

Krum was completely baffled and had no choice but to put the idea out of his mind.

After the last teammate returned, Krum said, "Let's rest for a while and recharge." Before he finished speaking...

"Bang!!"

A loud bang came from the main entrance!

It was as if some heavy object had smashed open the door and burst in!

Krum and his companion abruptly turned their heads and glared at the door, their slightly relaxed nerves tensing up again!

Noah, the only remaining teammate, wore a pained expression.

Seriously? Again??

They really treated us like Japanese!