At the table nearest to the gate, Zaen saw a woman grab a cleaver and chop her own arm off before feasting on it like it was the tastiest thing she had ever eaten.
It was the same for the old man next to her. He was eating his fingers one after another. That wasn't all… at the farthest tables, flies and maggots had infested over a dozen rotting corpses.
Those people were one of the first 'customers' of the restaurant. Anyone's sanity would hit rock bottom after seeing such a sight. The only reason Zaen wasn't affected was because he didn't 'see' the horrors in the traditional sense of the word.
All he saw were hazy, static-filled human silhouettes eating themselves. Thankfully, there was no blood or details of that sort.
Fuck… what have I gotten myself into!?
As much as he wanted to run away and never set foot into the building, it wasn't an option for two reasons.
First, doing so would alert the anomaly, and it'd hunt him to the pits of hell. Second, there was no exit. The door he had entered through had disappeared, replaced by a solid wall.
[Eliminate the anomaly to reveal the exit.]
A new task had appeared for him.
[Due to the player's low presence, their odd behavior has gone unnoticed.]
[Please be mindful of the scenario and blend in.]
Blend into this godforsaken place? Did the system want him to eat himself, or what?
Before Zaen could ponder about it anymore, a sweet and gentle voice called out to him.
"Hello, sir, how many tables would you like to have?"
He looked up and saw the outline of a humanoid figure, but it clearly wasn't human. Why? Because unlike the others there, who had the static texture concentrated in their heads, the woman's entire body was filled with them.
[You're in the presence of an anomaly.]
[Sanity -2]
[Current sanity: 147/150]
The waitress before him was the anomaly!
"Just one for now," Zaen replied, trying his best to 'blend in'.
"Would you require assistance?"
"…I'll manage."
"Ok. I'll show you the seat if you'll follow me."
As the waitress turned, Zaen raised his stick to hit her, but then put it back down. Because the moment he did so, all twenty people in the room stopped eating and glared at him.
[Anomaly's suspicion: 78%]
Just raising the stick got the suspicion to shoot up by 77%.
Shit! They're linked!
Their static-filled brains probably meant they were under the anomaly's control and hence were killing themselves on its instructions!
"…why did you do that?" the anomaly snarled.
The sweet tone it had used before was long gone as its head snapped towards Zaen.
"O-Oh, I thought I stepped on someone, so I raised the stick to check if it was broken or something," Zaen laughed. "I haven't gotten used to it, so it's a bit awkward for me. I'm sorry for any inconvenience."
The anomaly stood there staring at him. A second later, one of its eyeballs shot out of its eyes and hovered around him as if looking for something.
Zaen could see the fuzzy structure moving around him, but acted like he couldn't.
[Anomaly's suspicion: 28%]
After confirming that Zaen was actually blind, the eye hovered back to its place, but this time the anomaly firmly held his hand.
[You've been touched by an anomaly.]
[Sanity -5]
[Current sanity: 142/150]
Zaen ignored the word and sighed in relief. Although the suspicion was higher than it had been when he entered the place, it wasn't as bad as it had been seconds ago.
Using game logic saved me here.
Before joining the military, Zaen had been an avid gamer. He had played multiple spy games, especially those with a bald assassin who often had to kill his targets while avoiding suspicion.
In those games, as long as the suspicion did not rise to a hundred percent, the player could make a comeback.
Similarly, since the suspicion was only 78%, Zaen took a gamble and used his blindness to his advantage. Thankfully, it worked, but the anomaly was still suspicious of him.
All these people. I need to get rid of them first.
If he could get rid of them without alerting the anomaly, he could sneak up on the anomaly and kill it. There was only a slight issue with the plan.
The anomaly had made him sit right in the middle of the room. The moment he moved, someone would notice him, raising the anomaly's suspicion.
"Here you go," the anomaly said. "One boiling-hot bowl of water, some sanitized tissues, a knife, a fork, and, most importantly, blood sealants! Would you like me to start for you?"
"No thanks, I can—"
"Please, I insist."
"…sure."
Zaen knew what was about to happen and clenched his teeth.
The anomaly smiled and raised the butchering knife before bringing it down with immense force. Blood gushed out from the severed little finger, but not one gasp of pain came from Zaen's mouth.
Since he was wearing a turtleneck, the anomaly didn't notice the bulging veins around Zaen's neck as he desperately tried not to scream.
[Anomaly's suspicion: 8%]
Once satisfied, the anomaly dipped the severed finger into the boiling bowl and applied blood sealant on the wound, and let go of Zaen's hand.
"You must let it cook for five minutes before consuming it," the anomaly instructed. "That's when the meat would be softest and come right off the bones."
"I-I will," Zaen replied, forcing a smile. "Thank you for the help."
"No need for all the formalities, sir. Enjoy your meal!"
Zaen hurriedly nodded as a stray tear fell from his eyes. The pain was immense.
Even after building tolerance through the obstacle course, it still brought him to tears. But it was worth it. At least the suspicion got lowered.
But I can't wait anymore, or this bitch will make me eat my finger!
She was close enough. If he were quick, he could end her with one blow.
As if the god was agreeing with his plan, the door chimed again, and the waitress turned to welcome the new guest.
Now was the time to strike.
Zaen grabbed the butcher's knife in his left hand while the stick remained in his right as he shot out of the seat, ready to kill her.
But before he could do anything, he felt another presence. He turned around… only to see another anomaly, much bigger than the waitress, appear before him out of nowhere.
"What… are… you… doing…?"
[Anomaly's suspicion: 100%]
[Warning: The player's cover has been blown.]
[Scenario's hidden anomaly: Hell's Chef Romsay has appeared.]
…I'm an idiot sandwich.