Buddhist player

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the lobby on the first floor returned to its initial silence.

In the darkness, only the campfire burned eternally.

However, on this stormy night, although he was leaning against the campfire, the Tiger King felt a strange chill.

He breathed on his palms and warmed himself by the fire in front of him.

The familiar squad, the familiar group assignments, the only difference was that he and Fallen Maple Leaf, who was also injured, no longer needed to risk exploring; they could simply wait quietly in the lobby for their teammates to return.

—Just to be safe, the bard took the kitchen knife with him before leaving.

Raising his head, the Tiger King glanced across the fire.

He rested his chin on his knees, hugged his legs, and huddled together in a small ball by the fire, blowing away maple leaves.

"Ahem... Thank you for what happened before."

After coughing heavily, the Tiger King thanked the other party somewhat awkwardly.

"If it weren't for you, I might be dead here. Don't worry, I have the car keys. If anything unexpected happens, I'll take you with me when we escape."

"They won't die."

It remained with its head bowed, and the sound of the falling maple leaves was inexplicably soft.

"We went to great lengths to bring you in; they won't let you die so easily."

"What?"

Unconsciously, the Tiger King paused for a moment.

"It's very simple."

Slowly raising her head, she blew down a maple leaf, her voice soft and melancholic.

"Because their wishes have not yet been fulfilled."

As the words from the fallen maple leaf fell, she just happened to raise her head and stare blankly in the direction of the Tiger King. When the Tiger King saw her face, his two eyeballs rolled out of their sockets and fell into the fire.

"You won't live to see the dawn."

"!!!"

As if waking from a nightmare, the Tiger King suddenly opened his eyes and gasped for breath.

"Um... are you alright?"

Just then, a slightly worried voice, as if blowing away a maple leaf, came from the other side.

Before anyone knew it, Fallen Maple Leaf was already standing on the sofa. Although she asked in a worried tone, her actions were quite genuine. She assumed a posture as if she was about to run away at any moment, and she also grabbed a few skewers of barbecue to use as weapons.

"……Dream?"

After staring at the wary falling maple leaf for a while, Tiger King, confirming that the other party was not in any danger, reached out and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with lingering fear.

"A dream? What dream?"

A maple leaf was blown down, leaving him looking bewildered.

"It's nothing, I just had a nightmare."

Taking a deep breath, the Tiger King forced a smile onto his face.

However, although it was a dream, he had no idea when he had actually fallen asleep.

"Okay... then."

After cautiously looking the Tiger King up and down from the sofa, Fallen Maple Leaf nodded somewhat reluctantly.

"Next time you go berserk and lose control, remember to tell me in advance so I can run away first."

As she spoke, she hesitated and sat back down by the fire, but now she was in a position where she could easily run away.

Tiger King: "..."

"Um... what did you dream about just now?"

After hesitating for a while, unable to contain her curiosity, she blew off a maple leaf and asked in a low voice.

"I thought you were resting with your eyes closed, but I didn't expect you could actually sleep in this kind of environment..."

"No, it's nothing."

While covertly picking up a skewer that had been grilled earlier by Dao Ke Dao Fei Chang Dao from the barbecue grill and stuffing it into his mouth, Tiger King's expression was vague and ambiguous.

"It wasn't really a nightmare, I was just startled by some sudden, low-level kill streaks... huh?"

Suddenly, the Tiger King frowned.

I don't know how Ke Dao Fei Chang Dao grills it. The skewers he just ate tasted really strange. They even burst with juice when he bit into them... That's just absurd.

Subconsciously, by the light of the fire in front of him, the Tiger King looked down at the kebab in his hand.

Just as he looked down and saw the skewers in his hand, the sound of falling maple leaves suddenly rang out softly.

"What's wrong? Don't my eyes taste good?"

"!!!!!!"

He opened his eyes again with a start, and this time, the Tiger King practically jumped up from beside the fire.

"Or...a dream?"

Looking at his empty hands, the Tiger King's eyes were bloodshot.

Although it was a dream, everything that just happened felt incredibly real to him. He could even vividly recall the taste of the eyeball exploding in his mouth, and the sight of that roasted eyeball...

As if he had thought of something, the Tiger King suddenly raised his head.

Opposite him, Fallen Maple Leaf was hiding behind the sofa with a wary expression, only showing his head. It seemed that he was closely observing his every move, and he was holding a few skewers left over from the barbecue.

"Stop, don't come any closer."

Seeing that he was about to make a move, Blowing Maple Leaf quickly called for him to stop.

"Are you lucid or confused right now? I don't want to be chased by you anymore."

"...I had a dream within a dream."

He glanced at the barbecue grill next to him, and Tiger King's voice was hoarse.

"Also, I'm not sure if I'm still dreaming."

"A dream within a dream...?"

After a slight pause, the fallen maple leaf became even more alert, instinctively tightening its grip on the iron skewer.

"So, you can't distinguish between dreams and reality now? Was it like this when you chased me around the house with a kitchen knife? Back then, you not only slashed me, but you even slashed yourself... Seriously, you're doing this again?"

Seeing the fierce tiger king in front of him, who hesitated for a moment before decisively picking up the iron skewer and stabbing it into his arm, the fallen maple leaf let out a mournful cry.

However, at this moment, the Tiger King had no mind to care about the other party. Looking at the wound he had cut on his arm and feeling the real pain, it was as if all his strength had been released. The Tiger King let out a long sigh of relief.

"Alright, it's nothing."

Tiger King casually tossed the iron skewer into the fire, and, covered in a cold sweat, looked up at the direction where the maple leaves were falling.

"Don't worry, I won't go berserk again."

"Are you sure?"

She looked him up and down, and blew away the maple leaf with a suspicious expression.

"Don't turn on me and start stabbing me with iron skewers after I get there... One bad experience is enough."

"Whether you come or not is up to you."

Too lazy to pay attention to the other party, Tiger King sat down on the bench, looking very tired.

The first fright was bad enough, but the second time, he almost suffered cardiac arrest.

"Hmm... okay."

After a long period of contemplation, Fallen Maple Leaf stood up hesitantly from behind the sofa.

"However, for safety reasons, I won't go near the fire; I'll just sit on the sofa."

"what ever."

Rolling his eyes, Tiger King casually glanced over there as he poured himself a Coke.

—The next second, his blood stopped flowing.

He stood up halfway up his head from behind the sofa.