Chapter 139 – Hide-and-Seek Paradise (Part 3)

“Broad Horizons” was a handsome male character with white hair and golden eyes. White hair was already a rare choice for male avatars, and his golden eyes were set to an extremely light shade—almost transparent. Normally, such a delicate face would appear frail, but the creator had worked wonders, crafting a strikingly handsome look. His handsomeness was pristine, like the first ray of morning sunlight—clear and warm.

However, no matter how clear and warm a boy might be, once he curled up inside a tiny hole behind a painting, any sense of aesthetics was lost =_=

Fortunately, the cramped space couldn’t constrain Broad Horizons’ vast imagination. As he quietly hid, he envisioned a bright future.

This round, he was the “ghost,” so he couldn’t exactly go all out. But statistically speaking, the next round would likely turn him from ghost to human. Then, armed with his dagger, he’d pick off the ghosts one by one—Backstab + Bloodseal Strike. Just thinking about it got him a little excited…

Click!

The sound effect of the painting being lifted clearly transmitted through his headphones, startling Broad Horizons. This had already happened once five minutes ago—some clueless ghost had tried to squeeze in with him. Of course, he hoped this newcomer was also a ghost, so even if negotiations broke down, there’d be no risk of losing points. But he also knew that one must always prepare for the worst. So, holding his breath, he adjusted his camera angle…

Outside the hole, three people were also adjusting their angles to peer inside. They had only come to check on a whim, never expecting the intel to be true—there really was a ghost hiding behind the painting. They weren’t naive enough to think the informant was the one currently inside the wall, but it didn’t matter. Points were points, so as soon as they confirmed the presence of a pair of eyes inside, they unleashed their attacks without hesitation!

Broad Horizons saw the three people first, then realized—Hey, I know these guys! He quickly yelled in YY: “Don’t attack, it’s me!”

Alas, it was too late. A flurry of light and shadow crashed down, and his 36 points dropped to 24.

Broad Horizons felt like choking on his own blood. “Dammit, I told you it’s me!”

His three comrades were also stunned, muttering after a long pause: “Fuck, how is it you?”

Turns out, all four were from the same legion—just on opposing sides this round. Who’d have thought they’d end up fighting their own?

After some back-and-forth, Broad Horizons pieced it together. The only one who knew he was here and had a grudge against him was a certain someone.

Crossplayer watched as the painting was lifted and three attack beams blasted inside, grinning from ear to ear. The three attackers stopped after landing their hits—which was normal. Only a sociopath would keep attacking after securing their points.

But instead of leaving, the trio stepped forward and clicked the painting back into place.

Attacking someone and then helping the ghost cover its tracks? This level of moral integrity shattered Crossplayer’s worldview (⊙o⊙)!

Strangely, even after restoring the painting, the three still didn’t leave. They stayed in place, seemingly chatting privately. Crossplayer wondered if they were exchanging strategies, but then a private message popped up:

[Whisper] □□□□: You dare scheme against me? You’ve got guts.

Crossplayer was startled. His first thought was that his snitching had been exposed, but that didn’t make sense. The three on the ground showed no signs of hostility, so he mustered his courage—

[Whisper] □□□□□: Who the hell are you? Watch your tone! And if you’re here for revenge, don’t get the wrong person!

[Whisper] □□□□: Cut the crap. I’ve memorized that loli face of yours. No girl would pull this crap—you damn catfish. You’re dead meat.

[Whisper] □□□□□: I’m sorry, okay?! You wouldn’t let me hide, so I panicked! Please spare me TAT

A wise man knows when to yield =_=

[Whisper] □□□□: Oh, now you’re sorry? Too late! Wash your ass and wait for me!

[Whisper] □□□□□: Uh… why wash my ass?

[Whisper] □□□□: …

Broad Horizons had blurted it out without thinking, but now that it was pointed out, the conversation seemed to be veering into uncharted territory. Decisively, he ended the chat unilaterally =_=

Seeing that the other party had gone silent, Crossplayer didn’t dare push his luck. His first attempt at snitching had ended in failure, teaching him a valuable lesson—You can’t just be sneaky whenever you want. There’s only one Commander in this world, and we must cherish him.

This round, Crossplayer stayed hidden under the floor the entire time, while the poor soul behind the mural, after suffering a second wave of attacks, abandoned his hiding spot and fled the now-compromised location at top speed. Only then did Crossplayer get a clear look at the guy’s appearance, committing it to memory so he could avoid him in the future.

Thanks to the floor’s excellent concealment, Crossplayer lasted the full round, earning 36 points and raising his total to 192.

Though he’d been instantly killed in the first round, his perfect score in the second restored his confidence. The moment he exited, he clicked to re-enter, launching Round 3.

[System] Dear guest, welcome!

Back to being human again. Crossplayer was a little disappointed—he’d just discovered a great hiding spot and wanted to reuse it…

Wait!

Humans could hide under the floor too, ambushing lone ghosts by leaping out of dark corners. Just thinking about it got him a little excited~\(≧▽≦)/~

Actions spoke louder than thoughts. Crossplayer immediately guided his loli to the fourth floor, encountering three ghosts along the way—he hit two, and one escaped. By the time he reached the fourth floor, he’d already earned 8 points. Instead of hiding right away, he walked up to the mural again and double-clicked. The painting swung open, revealing—actual eyes inside!

Overjoyed, Crossplayer cast Rally on himself and attacked!

(Technically, Rally wasn’t needed here since landing a hit guaranteed points, but habits were hard to break…)

The ghost inside the wall took the hit but didn’t make a sound. Following the noble example set by the trio last round, Crossplayer kindly closed the painting for them before clicking the floor to slip underneath.

His 8 points had now become 12.

Clearly, as time passed, the space behind the mural had become an open secret. Over the next few minutes, the poor ghost inside was repeatedly ganged up on, eventually meeting his end at the hands of a ruthless Blood Warrior who just had to overkill.

Crossplayer winced in sympathy just watching.

But oddly, while the ghost was alive, only humans came. Once it died, Crossplayer finally encountered his first ghost since setting up his ambush.

Without hesitation, he flung open the floorboards and swung his staff!

The ghost bolted!

Crossplayer immediately slithered back under the floor—16 points!

Rinse and repeat. This round, Crossplayer earned a whopping 40 points, skyrocketing his total to 232—a landslide victory!

Round 4: Crossplayer became a ghost again. Without a second thought, he hid under the floor, only to be quickly discovered. By the time the forty minutes ended, he was left with only 4 points. Clearly, this spot was no longer a secret, just like the mural.

Round 5: Still a ghost. This time, he hid in a third-floor bedroom, managing to hold onto 12 points. His total rose from 236 to 248.

Round 6: 40 points.

Round 7: 24 points.

Round 8: 16 points.

Round 9: 0 points.

Round 10: 36 points.

Round 11: 44 points.

Round 12: 28 points.

Round 13: 8 points.

Round 14: 36 points.

Round 15: 8 points.

After fifteen rounds, Crossplayer’s total stood at 488.

By now, it was past 4 AM. Most of the Ghost Server Legion had logged off, but Crossplayer was surprisingly energetic—perhaps due to the excitement of nearing 500 points, or maybe because he’d genuinely found joy in Hide-and-Seek Paradise. But Crossplayer wasn’t ambitious. He didn’t care about topping the leaderboard; he just wanted to enter Lover’s Constellation sooner.

After fifteen rounds, Crossplayer had become a natural in Hanako-san’s Manor. He strongly suspected the designer was PK-challenged, which explained why the game was so accommodating to PK noobs. Just one swing, and 4 points were yours—this was heaven. Crossplayer’s Blessing was made for this manor TAT

With more players flooding in, relying on a single hiding spot was no longer viable—90% of them had been exposed. For example, if Player A hid in Spot B as a ghost in one round, they’d naturally check Spot B first when human in the next.

Still, a few spots remained undiscovered by all but the most observant—like the giant crystal chandelier in the center of the fourth-floor ballroom ceiling.

Originally, Crossplayer had hoped to find a second “bomb shelter” under the fourth-floor floorboards, but to no avail. So, he turned his attention to the ballroom. After bold and meticulous scouting, he discovered the chandelier’s secret.

To be precise, there was a red curtain beside the chandelier, hanging all the way to the floor. By standing on it and clicking, players could ride it up to the chandelier.

The space atop the chandelier was spacious—more than enough for one person.

Unless players drastically adjusted their camera angles, they’d never spot the tiny figure hidden within the massive fixture. This was an even better ambush spot than the floorboards in Round 2. As a human, Crossplayer was very satisfied.

With the spiderweb set, all that remained was to wait.

Two minutes later, the first prey arrived.

Crossplayer quietly zoomed in, about to strike, when he realized the figure looked familiar. Pausing his attack, he racked his brain, afraid of accidentally targeting an old friend.

Broad shoulders, muscular build, giant ringed blade, bushy beard…

Finally, the beard triggered his memory—along with the Black Cat Candy incident.

An acquaintance, yes, but one who’d one-shot him out of a round definitely didn’t qualify as a friend. Smirking, Crossplayer unleashed Blade of Blessings with a clear conscience!

Whitebeard hadn’t noticed anyone in the ballroom until the light enveloped him, costing him 4 points. He spun around, searching for his attacker—but where were they?

Crossplayer was smug, confident he wouldn’t be found. His mischievous fingers itched for more—

[Whisper] □□□□□: What, no Black Cat Candy this time?~

[Whisper] □□□□□: You’re so tough, right? Come at me! Do it!~

The figure beneath the chandelier froze for half a minute, seemingly recalling their history, before locking onto the source of his rage—

[Whisper] □□□□: Fine. You’re dead meat. Pray I don’t catch you.

[Whisper] □□□□□: I thought you’d say, ‘Be a man and fight me fair and square’ ╮(╯_╰)╭

[Whisper] □□□□: Are you a man?

For Crossplayer, this was a loaded question.

Answering yes would be truthful—but his avatar was a loli.

Answering no would be a lie—he didn’t have the Commander’s thick skin TAT

So, he stayed silent.

Whitebeard didn’t expect an answer anyway. He’d already recalled his enemy’s appearance—a generic loli. Revenge was a dish best served cold, and with 500 points to grind, there’d be plenty of time to play. The person behind the avatar didn’t matter—they’d all end up crushed beneath his heel!

But Crossplayer didn’t care. He’d hit 500 this round, then peace out~\(≧▽≦)/~

No sooner had Whitebeard left than a second unlucky ghost stumbled into the trap.

When he looked closer, Crossplayer’s eyes widened—Another familiar face!

This one was much easier to recognize: a fiery red Mohawk, with emblem tattoos on his face and a skull necklace around his neck.

The old lady’s hut feels like a past life, yet here we meet again.

Crossplayer wondered if the chandelier was divine intervention, delivering a message: Child, repay grievances with vengeance.

Once Mohawk entered attack range, Crossplayer struck again—Blade of Blessings!

Like Whitebeard, Mohawk was briefly stunned before frantically scanning the area.

Crossplayer pitied his aimless flailing. Though he wouldn’t reveal himself, he at least wanted the guy to die informed—

[Whisper] □□□□□: You’ll never find me. But since you killed me twice in the old lady’s hut, one payback’s fair, right?

The figure below stopped searching.

[Whisper] □□: Show yourself! I won’t attack—just wanna see what you look like!

[Whisper] □□□□□: If you want me to be the wind, I am the wind. If you want me to be rain, I am rain. If you want me to be a god, I am a god. My form doesn’t matter—what matters is that I’ve imprinted myself on your heart ^_^

[Whisper] □□: I’ll fuck your mom…

The Commander loves this~\(≧▽≦)/~

The Deputy swears by it ^_^

Both styles worked great >_<

Fuming but outmatched in the taunt department, Mohawk gave up and hid behind the curtains. It wasn’t a great spot, but with 36 points left, he seemed determined to wait out his unseen foe.

As a human on the chandelier versus a ghost behind the curtains, Crossplayer had the upper hand. He let Mohawk be, betting the guy would be wiped out by other humans within ten minutes.

But Crossplayer soon realized his naivety.

With Mohawk lurking, Crossplayer couldn’t attack new ghosts—Mohawk might trace the skill’s origin!

After letting four ghosts slip by, Crossplayer resolved to gamble.

He was at 8 points—one more hit would make it 12.

He’d wait until the last possible moment, strike, then stall until time ran out to secure those points!

Unnoticed, three ten-minute intervals passed. Checking the timer, only five minutes remained.

4:59…

4:08…

Just as Crossplayer focused on the entrance and timer, the figure behind the curtains suddenly—vanished!

Crossplayer panicked, thinking Mohawk had pulled some ultimate move, but quickly realized—his time ran out first!

Joy didn’t begin to cover it. Crossplayer was ecstatic!!!

As if to rub it in, a ghost entered the ballroom!

Alone!

No time to adjust the camera, but the newcomer’s white hair stood out even from afar.

This round was a reunion special. Crossplayer had accepted it ╮(╯_╰)╭

3:12…

Crossplayer took a slow breath.

Blade of Blessings!

As usual, the target below searched blindly, never looking up.

2:59…

Crossplayer could almost see Lady Luck’s olive branch…

Then the red curtain beside the chandelier moved.

Crossplayer jumped, first suspecting he’d misclicked.

But no—Mohawk was riding the curtain upward!

[Local] □□: Gotcha, baby~! [Flying Kiss]

Mohawk climbed up. Broad Horizons wasn’t stupid either—he adjusted his angle. Though the chandelier obscured the figure, logic dictated it was his attacker.

As for the beef between Mohawk and the mystery player, Broad Horizons didn’t care. But the enemy of his enemy was a friend. If Mohawk was going up, he’d stay below—trapping them both.

Seeing Mohawk approach, Crossplayer knew his options: flee or die.

Most ghosts ran after being hit; a few fought back to the death. Whitebeard was the latter. Mohawk seemed cut from the same cloth.

2:30…

Time was short, but waiting meant certain doom.

Steeling himself, Crossplayer cast Rally + Ironclad, chugged a defense-boosting potion, and leaped off the chandelier!

Broad Horizons had been waiting for his “beloved” to descend—and descend “she” did, right into his arms. Smiling, he timed his Bloodseal Strike perfectly as she landed!

Crossplayer lost half his HP from the fall, then another quarter from the strike. Scrambling up, he gulped a Major Health Potion and ran!

Humans didn’t lose points for being hit by ghosts—but dying voided the round!

Mohawk, now atop the chandelier, jumped down too!

Crossplayer fled the ballroom, dashing for the third floor with Broad Horizons in pursuit. Mohawk took the other stairs to cut him off.

Without a single word exchanged, Broad Horizons and Mohawk moved in perfect sync—kindred spirits united by vengeance.

Crossplayer reached the third floor, brushing past three ghosts and two humans along the way. All five stared in shock, wondering if they’d misremembered the rules—did ghosts get rewards for killing now?

Crossplayer’s speed helped him pull ahead of Broad Horizons, but Mohawk was waiting on the second floor. With three-quarters HP left, a direct clash might not kill him—but he couldn’t afford risks now. Gritting his teeth, he leaped off the spiral staircase just before the second floor, plummeting through the central gap straight to the first!

The fall was brutal, leaving him with only a sliver of HP.

His Major Health Potion was on cooldown, so he spammed Blessing of Healing.

[Local] □□□: Oh? Couldn’t wait for me to find you?

Crossplayer froze, scanning the empty first-floor hall.

As he puzzled over it, the floorboards flipped open, and a ringed blade swept out, its wielder’s bushy beard brushing against it as the weapon sliced toward Crossplayer!

No time to dodge. Crossplayer tanked the hit—thankfully, One Cut Kill didn’t trigger TAT

By then, Mohawk and Broad Horizons had caught up!

Three ghosts, six eyes—in that instant, understanding flashed between them.

There was a kind of love called shared hatred.

[Local] □□□: Stop running. You’re dead either way.

[Local] □□□□□: I’m sorry TAT

[Local] □□□□: Should’ve thought of that earlier.

[Local] □□: You really do have enemies everywhere, huh.

[Local] □□□□□: It’s all a misunderstanding…

[Local] □□□: Misunderstanding my ass!

With Whitebeard’s roar, all three struck at once. Crossplayer closed his eyes, awaiting fate.

…

When he reopened them, his loli was back outside the manor.

Sighing, he checked his score…

500?!!!

Rubbing his eyes, he looked again—still 500!

Meaning, in the split second before death, he’d lasted the full forty minutes and escaped! HAHAHA!!!

Like a jubilant chick, Crossplayer skipped to the NPC east of the lawn, submitting his application for Lover’s Constellation while bidding his three “dear friends” farewell—

[Whisper] □□□□□: Sayonara~ Mwah!