Chapter 3: Chapter 2: The Ninth Hour
[[One who doesn't fear time has no right to fear death.]] - the Author.
Chapter 2: The Ninth Hour
Help… help me!
I don't want to die…
I have a family waiting for me. Please… I just want to be with them!
End it… End it!
The noise assaulting Asher's ears was messing with his brain, giving him a massive headache. It was as if someone had opened his cranial vault/brain cap and was continuously piercing the brain matter with a steel rod, churning it to make tofu.
Asher's eyes were closed tight, but his quivering eyeballs were noticeable even through his lids. On top of that, he was sweating a lot. His breath was uneven, like he was in distress.
"Please! I-"
Kwargh!
Asher opened his bloodshot eyes, the edges covered by visible blood vessels. Adding to that, his eyes had pale yellow tint, as if he was suffering from jaundice.
In a quick motion, he turned his gaze left and then right, spotting eight other hunters who had entered the gate earlier, now lying unconscious or asleep on the wooden floor.
Huff huff…
He gradually regained control of his breath. It was time for him to scan the surroundings.
'A room?'
There was a chandelier at the ceiling giving off a faint yellow glow. In the front, there was a fireplace, devoid of any fire. To his left and right, there were many other wooden pieces of furniture, all placed at the corners of the room. They themselves were within a huge circle drawn in red ink.
Asher's attention soon turned to the box beside him. An old wooden box, damp and chilly, with the name 'Asher' engraved on it.
Huff…
Taking deep breaths, Asher opened the box with utmost care, lifting the lid slowly. His concentration didn't waver.
After opening it, Asher found a piece of paper inside. Setting the box aside, he unfolded the paper.
There were few lines written on it:
Dust settles, and so do memories. Sacrifice a cherished memory and you shall be granted with Authority. But beware of the void left within, for the darkness doesn't lie. It may take everything.
Asher was so engrossed in this that he missed the part where Dan woke up. Glancing left and then right, finally straight, Dan asked, "What place is this?"
But Asher didn't reply. He was lost in the words written on the paper.
Dan's gaze then landed on Asher, his confusion even more evident.
"W-what are you doing here!?" His eyes widened. Obviously, an unawakened person can't enter the gate! So, a porter being here before the story had been completed made no sense!
Asher saw this as the perfect moment to share what he had witnessed.
"Sir Dan, you won't believe what happened. I-"
"No way, are you a Hidden Ranker?"
"Huh?" Asher was taken aback by Dan's seemingly misguided assumption. A porter absolutely could not enter a gate. But what if a high-ranking hunter had disguised himself as a porter?
"You-" Dan tried to continue when, one by one, all the unconscious people began to wake up.
"Ugh, what a splitting headache!"
"Uff, I want to puke… My stomach… It feels as if I've drunk 5 bottles of beer…"
"Arck, this-"
Everyone experienced a nauseating pain that resulted in a massive headache. It took a minute or two for the pain to subside, and Asher wasted no time in taking a good look at what was written in the paper. He kept reading and re-reading it again.
The best course of action here was to understand and memorize the words.
'I'm inside the gate. I don't know why and how it happened, but I'm inside.' Every time he thought this, his breathing became erratic.
'And, this gate… it turned red right before I was sucked in!' He clenched his teeth, urging his brain to process the situation.
'Just what is going on? What is happening?'
'I'm an unawakened. And if this is indeed an S rank gate, then-' Asher considered informing everyone, hoping they would contemplate an exit.
However, he realized that revealing the truth would be futile. Currently, everyone likely thought it was a low-ranked gate. If he disclosed it was an S rank, chaos would ensue! Moreover, without a means to contact the Guilds after entering the gates, it would be pointless!
'We need to get out…'
Is this a clue? A hint? Some answer for escaping this Story? - these were his thoughts while glancing at the paper.
Raising his head, he glanced at the others. Observing that they also had boxes beside them, he wondered, 'Maybe they too?'
Curious about the contents of those boxes, he wasted no time trying to ask, "Guys, the-"
But his voice was suppressed, not by any supernatural entity, but by one of the members - the lady named Lia.
"K, kkkkyaaachk!"
"Uwaa?! Uwaack… Kak!?"
Everyone turned their attention towards her, looking at her perspiring forehead. Her eyeballs were shaking tremendously.
"Lia?"
"What happened?" Dan asked. Lia raised her right hand and pointed at something on the wall ahead.
All eyes turned toward the direction Lia was pointing. And there it was—an old painting of a gruesome man, entirely composed of blood. The figure was soaked in crimson, holding a sickle in the left hand and a scythe in the right.
"A painting?"
"Y-yes! I- I saw it move!" Lia's voice trembled as her fingers continued to shake.
"Huh? What?" Confusion spread among everyone in the room. It seemed impossible for a painting to move.
After all, there were several other paintings in the room, each distinct. While the front painting was larger and more gruesome, the idea of it moving was deemed implausible.
"Haha, come on Lia. Don't try to scare the kids now." Dan noticed the twins wearing horrified expressions.
"No, I-"
"I felt it."
"As I looked at the painting, that horrifying figure looked back at me. It stared right into my eyes and then gave a creepy smile… And then- Then when I closed my eyes, I felt someone gripping my neck!"
"I was scared… I wanted to call for help, but I couldn't. My voice wouldn't come out!"
"Believe me! There is something wrong with that!" Lia's entire body trembled, but even after that, no one was ready to believe her.
"Uff, come on Lia. A painting coming to life? I've never heard of something like that happening even in a high-ranked gate! This is merely an E ranked gate; there is no way that-"
"No. It is entirely possible," Asher said, tapping his chin with wide-opened eyes, interrupting Kim.
Lia turned back instantly, staring at Asher, who was sitting not too far from her. Dragging herself and crawling, she came toward him.
"You believe me! You believe me, right?" Her face was drenched in tears, mucus, and saliva. Her hair stuck to her chin due to the wetness! It was the face of someone who didn't care about how they looked! She was serious!
As she clung to his legs, Asher could feel her entire body trembling, the tremble getting harder by the second.
'This is a serious situation. I need to at least inform Sir Dan about the transformation of the gate.' Asher shifted his gaze from Lia to Dan. Gathering his strength and courage, he muttered the words, "Sir Dan, can you please come here?"
'I also need to clarify about the previous misunderstanding.'
He didn't want to announce it openly, but first, he needed to inform Dan, their leader. Dan, nodding his head, walked toward him.
"Lend me your ears, please."
Dan bent down, moving forward to listen closely.
Asher, taking one last deep breath, whispered, "Sir, this gate actually-"
But no, his voice was not supposed to be heard! Or rather, it got silenced as a deeper, creepier, and hoarse voice reverberated in the room, surprising not only Asher but everyone present there!
『Welcome players!』
The moment the voice echoed, the twins, the middle-aged men, Lia, Dan, and even Asher - all of them were startled. Large chunks of dry saliva were swallowed audibly. Their heartbeats had skyrocketed, echoing in their eardrums. Uncontrollable tremors ran through their bodies.
『Welcome to the Story: The Ninth Hour!』
『The rules:』
❖ At every hour, a player has to be sacrificed.
❖ The players are forbidden from talking to anyone other than the House-Keeper. They may do so only when asking a question, as specified in the fourth rule.
❖ The players are forbidden from leaving the mansion during the story.
❖ Each player can ask only one question to the House-Keeper.
『Warning: Failing in either of the tasks will lead to the death of the player that has violated the condition.』
As the eerie voice faded, Asher barely managed to complete his sentence, "...an S-rank gate."
Just as he finished saying that, the dormant fireplace suddenly lit up with bright red flames!
『Let the story begin!』
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone