Forgiveness

He set down his knife and fork, picked up his napkin, and wiped the corner of his mouth with extreme elegance. Then, he slowly turned his head.

The eyes that should have been filled with fear or confusion were now hollow and pitch-black, and his face wore the same standard red smile as the faceless jester.

He looked at the player nearest to him and spoke in a flat, monotone, yet strangely enthusiastic tone: "You seem to have some doubts about this feast? Perhaps I can provide some answers. After all... maintaining the order of the feast is the duty of every attendant."

【Attendant】!

The word exploded in everyone's minds like a thunderclap!

This assimilated player had actually revealed that his faction was the "Feast Attendants"!

The player he questioned turned deathly pale, stammering, "N-no, it's fine... I don't have any doubts..."

"Is that so?" The assimilated attendant’s smile remained unchanged, his pitch-black eyes unblinking. "But your eyes tell me you are afraid. Fear... is a blasphemy against this perfect feast. Do you need me... to help you eliminate this fear?"

He slowly stood up, maintaining that strange elegance, and began to press toward the player.

The scene was terrifying enough for bystanders, but the player facing it was so frightened that he collapsed to the floor.

No one knew what was waiting for him.

Cheng Shuili narrowed her eyes and, after a moment of silence, used Insight on the attendant.

【Insight successful!】

【Assimilated Guest Attendant】

【Description: A unique product of the dungeon! Originally a player, now a puppet assimilated by the rules. It has no thoughts or behavioral standards of its own; all actions are based on pre-set rules! Although its mind is unified by the dungeon, its body remains that of the original player. If it begins to force you, perhaps you can engage in some perfectly normal self-defense. However, killing too many attendants might invite the dissatisfaction of a powerful entity.】

【Weakness: Its entire body is a weakness.】

That was good.

Cheng Shuili said nothing, simply watching the development of events quietly.

The player targeted by the attendant was not from the Dragon Country grand region, so Cheng Shuili had no reason to intervene. It was better to wait and see if she could glean any new clues.

The attendant’s smile was rigid and terrifying. He tilted his head and moved slowly toward the unfortunate player, "You seem even more afraid now. Are you sure you don't need my help?"

The player, collapsed on the floor, had been staring at the attendant initially, but now he didn't even have the courage to look. He turned his head away, whispering "I'm sorry" over and over.

This scene was quite surreal.

Cheng Shuili thought to herself, why are these people so fond of apologizing at the brink of death?

But then, an even more surreal scene unfolded.

The approaching attendant seemed to have been hit with a pause button. A standard smile appeared on his face as he straightened his posture and articulated clearly: "First error, your offense is forgiven."

As soon as the words fell, he sat back down as if he had never been triggered, picked up his knife and fork, and resumed cutting his meat with the clinking of dishes.

Everyone’s gaze was fixed on him. The table remained silent for a long time until, once again, a voice spoke up—it was that same Kyle: "So... was he just forgiven?"

That was the most critical question.

The person who had faced death and escaped climbed up from the floor, panting heavily. After catching his breath for a while, he whispered, "What did he say just now? 'Your offense is forgiven'?"

"Why would that happen?"

Other voices finally surfaced at the dining table.

"Do these rules only apply to the attendants? If the host is the one offended, is it a guaranteed death sentence?"

"Not necessarily."

It was Panshi’s voice.

He turned to look at Cheng Shuili. Seeing that she wasn't surprised at all—as if she were being validated—he whispered his guess: "Perhaps it is because he acknowledged his mistake."

Panshi’s gaze swept across everyone’s faces before settling on the platter of human limbs on the table. "This person... do you remember what he shouted before he was turned into this?"

Someone immediately replied: "He said he wouldn't play this damn game anymore and that he wanted to leave."

"Exactly!" Panshi’s voice grew slightly louder, confirming the other person's point as if he had found a kindred spirit. "Isn't leaving a form of refusal? He not only violated the second rule, but he also showed no remorse! But this person just now..."

Panshi didn't name anyone explicitly, but everyone knew who he was talking about. "He kept saying he was sorry, which is why he was forgiven."

"Heh." A sharp, mocking laugh cut in. "Dragon Country people, so all of this is just your speculation? You don't even know the real rules, yet you spout these theories based on mere guesses?"

It was Kyle again.

Cheng Shuili frowned. This type of contrarian personality usually met a very miserable end.

He would likely be no exception.

Panshi’s temper seemed decent; when questioned, he simply countered with a question: "Then, Mr. Kyle, do you have any better suggestions?"

Kyle hadn't expected the question to be thrown back at him, but he still pulled out the talking points he had prepared: "Is this all you Dragon Country people can do? If you really lack the ability to think, you could donate your brains to someone in need."

Seeming to feel that his retort was quite good, he laughed smugly.

The teammates sitting beside him also smiled, clearly taking pride in him.

Panshi remained gentle, asking other players with a smile: "Does anyone else have any thoughts on this matter?"

The four-man team that arrived first spoke up immediately. "I actually think this gentleman from the Dragon Country makes a good point, as does this young lady from the Dragon Country."

She gestured toward Cheng Shuili, who returned a gentle smile.

"If it weren't for your intelligence, we might have lost more people in the skirmish with that monster earlier."

"That’s right. Since we need to cooperate, we should talk things over properly."

The last person hinted pointedly: "If certain arrogant people think they can handle things on their own, why bother discussing it with us at all?"

Kyle, being targeted, turned red with rage. Just as he was about to say something to save face, he was interrupted by a player from another team. "I think this gentleman's theory has some merit. We know too little right now; all we can do is speculate. Since the speculation has been put forward, the next step is to verify it."

She turned to the player who had been questioned by the attendant earlier. "Do you remember what you said that drew the attendant's attention?"

The player pondered for a moment and replied with a hint of uncertainty: "I think I asked a question."

"What question?!"

He glanced at the attendant, seemingly struggling with whether he should say it directly.

He had already used his one chance for forgiveness. If he made a mistake next time, his most cherished possession would be taken away, and he didn't want to lose anything.

The others understood his concerns.

A player took a notebook with a pen clipped to it from his person and passed it to him through several hands.

The man wrote a line of text in an unknown language, and the others immediately began passing it around to read.

This game was unexpectedly thoughtful regarding translation; whether written or spoken, it automatically translated into the language the player mastered.

Therefore, the moment Cheng Shuili saw the line, she understood its meaning: "Can we only speculate whether we are guests or attendants?"

The notebook passed among the players. Everyone who read the question immediately understood the key to triggering the attendant!

Mentioning or discussing faction identity directly!

"It seems that in front of that monster, or within the rules of these attendants, discussing factions directly is a taboo," Panshi said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "At the very least, we cannot discuss this openly until we have confirmed our identities."

"But if we don't discuss it openly..." a player voiced his skepticism, "how are we supposed to know which faction we belong to?"

Cheng Shuili was noncommittal about this question. She had many guesses of her own, but they all needed to be verified slowly.

Everyone had one chance to be forgiven. Judging by the attendant's reaction to the player earlier, he must belong to the guest faction.

If they were both attendants, there would have been no need for the attendant to speak like that.

In other words...

Cheng Shuili tapped the table lightly, the action quickly drawing the attention of everyone at the long table.

But her gaze fell on the transformed attendant.

Then, she parted her lips slowly and spoke the words: "Am I a guest or an attendant?"

Cheng Shuili’s voice was clear and calm, yet it was like a boulder dropped into stagnant water, creating violent ripples across the long table.

Everyone stared at her in shock. Even the attendants, who had maintained an elegant posture while eating, stopped in unison. Their stiff necks twisted, and their hollow black eyes locked onto her.

The air solidified instantly.

The attendant she questioned saw his standard red smile widen, almost stretching to his earlobes.

He slowly set down his knife and fork; the metal clashing against the porcelain plate made a crisp, jarring sound.

He stood up, moving with that same uncomfortable, pre-set elegance, facing Cheng Shuili.

"Are you... asking about your identity?"

His tone was flat, but that eerie enthusiasm became more pronounced, as if he had caught the scent of something he had craved for a long time. "Confusion regarding one's own belonging is also a disturbance to the order of the feast."

He took a step, moving toward Cheng Shuili at an unhurried pace.

"Do you need me... to clarify your identity for you?"

A terrifying sense of oppression followed.

The surrounding players subconsciously held their breath; some even moved their bodies backward, trying to stay away from the center of the storm.

Kyle wore a gloating expression, seemingly anticipating Cheng Shuili’s miserable end.

Panshi’s brows were locked, his hands slightly clenched into fists, his body tense. But seeing Cheng Shuili’s steady profile, he restrained himself from moving.

Cheng Shuili was, of course, confident.

This thing—didn't the Insight describe it quite clearly?

It was so trash that its entire body was a weakness.

Cheng Shuili didn't care about rules or regulations. As long as this thing dared to make a move, she dared to retaliate.

Just as the attendant was three steps away from her, and she could almost feel that inhuman chill, she spoke again: "So, what is my identity?"

"Serving you is my duty," the attendant bent down slightly, "but answering such questions is clearly outside the scope of my responsibilities."

That was an interesting statement.

Serving Cheng Shuili was his duty.

What kind of person would be served by an attendant?

Cheng Shuili had a calculation in her mind, and the other players wore complex expressions.

If this method worked, they would also be able to find out their own identities.

The attendant stood back up straight, though he was now holding a table knife. As he raised it high, the players noticed the weapon in his hand. "You clearly know your own identity, yet you still ask me. Is causing trouble for an attendant the kind of fun you seek?"

The attendant’s tone shifted from gentle to cold and hard, finally leaking a trace of icy killing intent.

Cheng Shuili didn't react, but the attendant’s lips split into a smile.

"Perhaps attacking you can also bring me joy."

The raised arm fell abruptly. Just as everyone thought Cheng Shuili could not escape death, a flash of blade light swept across.

In the stunned gaze of the other players, the attendant’s head rolled to the floor. The standard red smile on his face hadn't even had time to shift, his hollow black eyes reflecting the dim light from the top of the restaurant.

The headless body stood rigid on the spot, the table knife held high still maintaining its downward strike posture. A moment later, it collapsed with a crash.

Dead silence filled the dining table.

All the players stared blankly at the scene, looking at the Dragon Country woman who stood with her blade retracted, her expression calm.

She hadn't even left her seat; she just happened to have a long blade that looked extraordinary in her hand.

The gloating on Kyle’s face froze completely, turning into unbelievable horror.

His teammates also turned pale.

Panshi’s pupils constricted as he looked at the blade in Cheng Shuili’s hand and then at the dismembered attendant on the ground. He slowly relaxed his clenched fists, a flash of realization and even deeper gravity passing through his eyes.

"You... you killed him?!" a player shrieked, his voice distorted by fear. "How could you kill him?"

Cheng Shuili swept a glance at him. He was pulled back by his companion, who then offered an apology to Cheng Shuili.

"So these monsters can be killed?" Panshi finally reacted.

"And..." another clever player glanced at Cheng Shuili before continuing: "You’ve already figured out your own identity, haven't you?"

Her gaze fell back on the player who had triggered the attendant earlier. "There are only two people on the field who know their identities, and both of you are guests."

"Wait!" her teammate interrupted. "Determining it just like this is a bit too sloppy, isn't it? Does what an attendant says necessarily have to be the truth?"

Once this question was raised, one of the members in Panshi’s team suddenly realized: "I get it! To determine our own identities, we have to ask these guests who aren't players!"