Chapter 3- Serendipity Inn (3)
Clyde silently watched the farce feeling slightly bored
After wasting another 15 minutes arguing they finally decided that they would do their own thing
Look for clues or look for John?
That became a matter of personal preference rather than a unanimous team decision
Clyde left the room leaving the chaos behind, deciding that he would stick to his usual ways- looking for clues and completing his task
That being said, he glanced at the blue panel in his vision
[MAIN TASK: MET YESTERDAY, BONDING TODAY, PARTING THE NEXT, A DECADE WITH YOU PASSED IN A BLINK OF AN EYE BUT A DAY WITHOUT YOU FEELS LIKE FLOATING MEANINGLESSLY IN THE RIVER OF TIME
SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF THE SERENDIPITY INN]
The details for the main task was (ridiculously) a cliche poem with a concept that couldn't have been more overused- longing
Despite ridiculing the task inwardly Clyde still seriously studied it
But being a literature retard with no artistic sense, he took the poem literally
"Should I look for a river?"
"Maybe I'll find a floating body"
Those that heard his mutterings would really stop and wonder what brain supplements he was taking
Though his musings weren't without merit, sometimes it's not just the players that are uncultured but also the system
There had been instances where the clues and details given were somewhat..... outside the box
He walked in the direction of the forest behind the gate in the garden. When they arrived in the inn 3 days ago the caretaker had mentioned that there was a clean river that was often visited by tourist in the forest
Famous for it's clear waters and gentle current, it was a hotspot for conoeing and other water activities, the wildlife around was also gentle and braver, often approaching humans without fear either for food or curiousity
He wanted to check it out, he might see something floating within it, preferably a corpse
Most of the time when a body is found, clues would follow
The main task asked to solve the mystery of the inn but after asking around and investigating there was nothing about the inn that stood out aside for it's high price
The inn was built twenty years ago by a retired couple in their 70's, though they owned it and was listed under their name the person that actually runs it is their nephew
It appears that they have a daughter but she passed away 3 years ago while studying abroad
He crossed the gate in the garden and entered the forest
But after walking for a long time he saw-
Nothing but trees
"..."
"I couldn't have gotten lost right?"
Looking around he felt slightly tense, as a veteran player having a good sense of direction was something that saved his life multiple times
But in this woods he couldn't tell which was north or south
The dark forest felt sinister and malicious, the gaps between the trees felt like vertical mouths ready to devour you and never spit you out
And it was quiet, too quiet
The only sound in this forest was him moving around and a slight rythmic rustling of the wind
Sound of animals, insects or forest activity was completely absent
If felt like the forest was dead yet at the same time he felt it was pulsing with life
This place was strange
The grass was short looking like it was cut just recently, the piles of dead leaves were also inconsistent like someone swept some away and left the rest, the crowns of the trees were densely packed together allowing for little to no light to pass through
It wasn't weird that no other plant grew in this forest, it just couldn't get any sunlight
Except for the well maintained grass, there was no other life apart from the trees
Suddenly the harsh sound of someone peeling a tree bark echoed in the forest
The atmosphere suddenly tensed and even the rustling wind stopped, it felt like someone pressed a button with unknown effect so people could only wait with bated breath anticipating if the result was a disaster or a miracle
It was more likely the former
Clyde walked towards the sound cautiously, careful to not make a sound
It only took less than a minute when he saw a scene that he would remember for a long time
A suspicious looking woman plucking out her own hair, Clyde froze and he was instantly reminded of people that suffered from Thricotillomania, a psychologal disorder that are characterized by an irressistible urge to pluck one's own hair
Is this woman a mental patient?
She was wearing white so she was certainly dressed the part
It wasn't long before she started checking her own hair, going through them strand by strand before nodding to herself and looking satisfied then not long after, her expression slacked looking melanchonic and sorrowful
"..."
'She's schizophrenic isn't she?'
But he couldn't deny that even if she was mentally ill, she was a good looking crazy person
White hair, green eyes, long lashes, structured nose and red lips = good looking person
Being unfamiliar with the use of artistic languahe, he couldn't offer flowery words to praise her beauty and she wasn't just physically good looking, she carried herself with some sort of charm, maybe confidence?
He couldn't really tell but she very easy on the eyes, like a meticulous and flawless piece of art that you can never get tired of admiring
His thoughts were halted when her head suddenly snapped to his direction, it turned so fast he could almost hear a non-existed crack
It really made people worry if she breaked her neck
Chills ran down his spine when he looked in those emotionless pair of green eyes, that look was haunting, seeming as if she was gazing upon something that's already dead
But it only lasted for a fraction of a second before her expression turned towards pleasant surprise before she gave a smile in his direction making people believe that they were just seeing things
But Clyde trusted his instincts and that bone chilling coldness was something that sent alarms in his head
This woman isn't simple
***
[SYSTEM NOTICATION: BALEFUL AURA EXPANDING]
[PASSIVE SKILL 'BEHIND THE GRAVE' TRIGGERED]
[SEARCHING FOR THE SOURCE OF THE BALEFUL AURA]
[BALEFUL AURA DETECTED TO BE WITHIN 2 METERS AHEAD]
A series of notications suddenly distracted her from her musings
'Baleful aura? Is there another living creature nearby?'
She suddenly snapped her head instinctively towards a certain direction, then she saw a man hidden in the shadows
No wonder she hadn't noticed him, he was carefully concealed and his presence almost non-existent
It weren't for the tree with the pair of names suddenly emitting some foul aura alerting her of a living creature in the vicinity she wouldn't have noticed him
He looked extremely suspicious and so was his conduct, hiding in the shadows while watching her secretly could he be a pervert? Or some sort of psycho?
She gave him a polite smile in greeting, but it froze when she saw him taking a step back
"?!!"
'Ex-fucking-cuse me?!'
'wow-ah hah! You fucking dare?! Unbelievable! My smile could win a guiness world record and you dare act like it's some sort of horrific visual?!'
Quickly stopping her expressiom from getting distorted, her smile became a bit constrained, trying to supress herself from cursing
'I'm an elegant beauty, full of grace and charm, a high-class lady like me born in a respected family must retain her composure'
'Elegant, lady-like, elegant lady-like...'
But her smile ended being a bit strained despite her best efforts, looking at such a stiff smile on that beautiful face, it only made people think that she was a bit hurt from his reaction (because to be honest it was kinda rude)
Clyde nearly doubted himself but he quickly shook that thought away, he trusted his instincts more