Ethan Blake opened his eyes.
Gone were the single, pure-white wards of the psychiatric hospital.
Instead, he found himself in the corridor of a school building.
The conclusion that it was a corridor came from the harsh sound of a class bell that jolted Ethan's consciousness awake.
The corridor was dark.
The overhead lights flickered inconsistently, dimming and brightening.
The scent of decaying wood, mixed with dust, filled the air.
[Welcome to the thriller game. You can earn scores by completing copies in the game, and rewards will be based on those scores.]
Three months ago, a supernatural energy suddenly descended upon the world.
Globally, people began being selected to enter this horror game.
There was no pattern,
No warning!
Players must survive encounters with ghosts and mysterious entities to complete the dungeon.
This cruel game,
The entire event is also broadcast live.
The inescapable nature of thriller games,
Has the whole world shrouded in panic.
The virtual panel before Ethan's eyes,
Displayed prompts visible only to gamers.
[The copy is loading... loading completed.]
...
[Copy Name: Whispering Shadows School]
[Level: Level 1 (player mortality rate is less than 50%)]
[Mode: Single player mode]
...
[Player information loading...]
[Player: Ethan Blake]
[Life: 100 (when life reaches zero, the player dies; always pay attention to your life)]
[Stamina: 90 (In today's world, where people are constantly pushing themselves, you already have a higher starting point than most.)]
[Strength: 50 (the strength to easily defeat a will-o'-the-wisp boy)]
[Luck: 0 (Your life must not be easy)]
[Brain power: 90 (your mind will help you overcome many difficulties)]
[Spirit: 100 (Your composure is truly amazing)]
[Skill: None]
Below the panel, there are also comments.
(When health reaches 0, mental power is 0, or the player is eliminated, the player becomes a creature in the copy.)
[Your comprehensive attribute evaluation is G. You are a novice player without any foundation. Please work hard to survive.]
Ethan looked down.
There is also an inventory.
[Item: A kitchen knife (an ordinary item, hasn't even been used to kill a fish)]
Ethan has a slender figure, and his white hospital gown hangs loosely on his body.
This kitchen knife was a privilege given to him by the doctor.
Logically speaking, dangerous items like kitchen knives are absolutely forbidden around mental patients.
But Ethan's situation is a bit special.
That's why he was allowed to hold a kitchen knife in the ward every day.
Ethan hugged the kitchen knife tightly and looked around warily.
It seems that the kitchen knife has become his source of security.
The panel cuts to the next page.
[You have started the live broadcast, but no one is watching it.]
A mediocre new player, without attracting traffic, naturally garners no attention.
Ethan doesn't care about the live broadcast panel.
Accidentally entering a thriller game,
His only thought,
Is simply—survive!
Another mechanical female voice sounded in Ethan's mind.
[Feeling that the host is in a dangerous environment, the danger assessment system is activated...]
[The system is being modeled...]
[Danger assessment has been generated based on the host's own strength...]
Ethan's expression did not waver.
The danger assessment system has existed for as long as he can remember.
When Ethan was young,
He told the adults about the risk assessment system.
It is precisely because of this that Ethan was sent to a mental hospital.
Mental illness is simply an ordinary person meeting someone special.
It just shows that it is incomprehensible.
Ethan sighed.
He doesn't blame them;
Anyway, he's out of the mental hospital now.
[Corridor on the first floor of Whispering Shadows University: low-level danger.]
This string of words appeared only in Ethan's sight.
It will not be broadcast live along with the thriller game.
Ethan's eyes moved to the left.
[Class 1, Grade 1, Whispering Shadows University: Intermediate danger.]
[Classroom of Grade 1 and Grade 2 at Whispering Shadows University: Intermediate danger.]
[Classroom of Class 3, Grade 1, Whispering Shadows University: Intermediate danger.]
...
At the same time, in the live broadcast hall specially established for Thriller Games.
Live broadcast zone for newcomers.
Ethan, wearing a psychiatric hospital gown and holding a kitchen knife, looked around warily, standing out conspicuously.
"This guy's clothes... is he from the second hospital?"
"Second Hospital?"
"Psychiatric hospital!"
"Ah, is he a psycho?"
"Wait, why is his mental energy still full?!"
This exclamation attracted everyone around.
"Holy crap, one hundred mental power?!"
"If he were an experienced player with no mental fluctuations entering the game, I could understand it. But a newcomer entering the game for the first time? How are there no ups and downs at all??"
"The last new player with 100 mental power is still number one on the overall list, right?!"
"Do mentally ill patients have such an innate advantage in thriller games?"
"No... Spiritual value is more than just about emotions."
"Regardless, his psychological quality is impressive. Though his expression is tense, he's much better than other newcomers who scream."
"Is it a copy of Whispering Shadows School?"
"Whispering Shadows School is the hardest dungeon for newcomers. I remember that there are NPCs in it that can actively attack. Newcomers who haven't improved their attributes will be really unlucky to encounter this dungeon."
"I recall last time, a group of newcomers just entering the game went to Whispering Shadows School, and none survived..."
Ethan's live broadcast panel slowly changed.
[Seventy-eight people have started watching player Ethan Blake's live broadcast, unlocking the barrage function]
[Please actively participate in the barrage discussion to add a little more fun to the terrifying horror game live broadcast]