I Met My Online Boyfriend—He Was the Horror Instance Boss - Chapter 6

The chef picked up the saltshaker, walked to the server, and sprinkled salt over him twice.

The server’s features twisted violently, blurring into an indistinct mass as his body turned black.

At last, he vanished with a piercing shriek.

The rules had played a word game.

They said anyone without a candle was an “uninvited guest,”

leading us to assume the impostors would be mixed in among the diners.

In reality, they could disguise themselves as servers too.

The servers were absolutely loyal. Their impostors were not.

The servers didn’t have candles to begin with, and naturally, neither did the things pretending to be them.

The rules had not lied.

The chef nodded. “It appears he truly was the thief.”

With that, he returned Buzz Cut’s candle.

Then he turned to me. “The person who successfully reports a thief deserves a reward.”

As soon as he finished speaking, my candle visibly lengthened.

But the extra length was nothing compared with the entire candle he’d almost given Gu Heng.

“Five pieces remain before all the missing cutlery has been recovered,” the chef said.

Then he disappeared into the darkness.

We all realized the same thing at once.

There was only so much golden cutlery. If we shared the rewards evenly, our candles would never last until midnight.

At the same time, if a piece of golden cutlery appeared beside someone and they failed to notice immediately,

the only possible outcome was certain death after another person reported them.

My nerves wound tight.

Then, beneath the table, Qin Zheng passed me something.

I took it and saw that it was a saltshaker.

Only the “uninvited guests” secretly planted golden cutlery.

So why not keep them from coming near us at all?

I understood Qin Zheng’s meaning immediately and poured a ring of salt around my seat.

For the rest of the meal, everyone stared at their own place setting with absolute focus.

A golden spoon appeared soundlessly beside Jiang Fu.

She reported it at once, exposing the disguised server.

When the chef came to reward her, he asked her to hand him her candle.

Fortunately, Jiang Fu was sharp. She remembered that no one was allowed to give their candle to another person.

Only when the real chef appeared did everyone discover that the chef who had asked for her candle was another “uninvited guest” in disguise.

But we all knew the rewards from the golden cutlery still weren’t enough.

We would never make it to midnight.

Then an even greater problem emerged.

Either the names of the dishes were becoming increasingly abstract, no longer as simple and clear as they had been at first,

or the ingredients had become impossible to identify by sight.

Qin Zheng refused to gamble and sent two dishes back.

The first time, she guessed correctly. The announced dish was roast squab, but the plate held roast quail.

The second time, she couldn’t tell what kind of fish was on her plate and asked for it to be removed. That time, she was wrong.

Despair spread through the restaurant.

After a long silence, Gu Heng spoke.

“The next person who finds golden cutlery at their place should keep quiet.”

He left the rest unsaid, but everyone understood.

The next person to receive golden cutlery would accept the blame for stealing it and surrender their candle to someone else.

“Even if your candle lasts until midnight, can you identify every dish?” I asked.

Gu Heng went silent for a moment. “At least we’d have some chance of surviving. Otherwise, everyone dies.”

Qin Zheng did not object either.

She knew Gu Heng was right.

Besides, the ring of salt protected her. His proposal could only benefit her.

The live comments agreed.

[This must be how you’re supposed to clear the round.]

[They should’ve proposed it sooner. The earlier they started, the longer everyone’s candles would be and the fewer people they’d have to sacrifice.]

[They only figured it out now. Does that mean only one person can survive at most?]

I didn’t want that, but I had no alternative.

All I could do was examine the rules again and search for another way to clear the round.

So far, every rule had been true.

But they played word games.

The rules said the banquet would end no later than midnight.

Once the banquet ended, all guests could leave.

That wording was strange.

Why “no later than”?

Did that mean there was another way to end the banquet?

Watching a bead of wax slide slowly down the top of my candle, I suddenly understood.

“Blow out all the candles,” I said.

Qin Zheng looked at me in confusion.

I kept my explanation concise. “The rules are playing with words. We have to protect the candles, not the flames.

“Burning is itself a way of consuming a candle.

“The rules never lied. They told us how to clear the round right from the start.”

Qin Zheng frowned. “But Rule Two says our candles must continue burning normally until the banquet ends.”

“Word games,”

I said.

“‘Until the banquet ends, ensure your candle continues to burn normally.’

“What if the banquet ends when every candle goes out?”

Qin Zheng stared.

“Blowing out all the candles is how we end the banquet.

“This is the Duke’s birthday feast. That’s why it lasts until midnight at the latest.”

I looked at her, my expression solemn. “If we blow them all out at the same time, no one will be harmed.

“The birthday boy can’t blow out his candles until the lights are off, can he?”