Chapter 1 The Sound of Bells

"Dong..."

The striking of the bell tower resonated, sound waves rippling through the misty air like circles on water.

As the heavy toll faded, a drawn-out "Dong," "Dong," "Dong" echoed, growing steadily clearer.

The two distinct tones overlapped, as if gradually merging with another dimension.

Suren felt a flicker before his eyes as the surrounding scenery began to transform rapidly.

He recognized the sensation; he was being drawn into a cursed space.

...

It was a cold night.

The scene shifted, and Suren found himself at an "X" shaped intersection.

He quickly surveyed his surroundings.

To the left was a towering red-brick clock tower, a hundred meters tall, its peak illuminated;

The echoing "dong, dong" persisted.

He looked up at the clock face. The black hands on the white dial pointed precisely to twelve.

Midnight.

To the right, a hundred meters away, stood a majestic white abbey.

The streets at this midnight hour were desolate, still, shrouded in a thin, dark mist.

The ground was damp cobblestone, narrow and marked with distinct, thin grooves, like the tracks of a carriage.

On both sides of the street, antique hexagonal gas lamps cast their glow over roadside flowerbeds enclosed by wrought-iron fences.

Ahead, a row of red-roofed houses glowed with the flickering light of hearth fires through frosted glass windows, adding a touch of warmth to the frigid winter night.

Was it snowing?

"Does Dawn City a thousand years ago get snow..."

Suren looked at the well-preserved buildings around him, recognizing the scene of Dawn City from a millennium past.

At that moment, a black carriage sped past on the road. Sleigh bells jingled merrily from the chestnut horses, their hooves clattering against the cobblestones.

Through the carriage window, Suren glimpsed an elaborately dressed old gentleman seated inside.

The carriage rushed past, swirling snowflakes, as a gust of wind nipped at the collar of his windbreaker.

It sent a shiver down his spine.

Figures moved, lights flickered, and smoke curled from chimneys.

It felt like a real world.

This feeling was surreal.

As if stepping into history, the historical canvas vividly unfolded before him.

"Mr. Johnny? Where are we?"

Nearby, a thinly clad boy tentatively spoke, clutching a bundle of matches.

The little match seller?

Suren didn't recognize Tommy, but he recognized his voice. He replied dryly, "A cursed space."

He glanced at Tommy's attire, surmised the situation, and asked, "What do I look like?"

Tommy answered, "A patrol officer's uniform."

Suren looked down at his own Wasteland Hunter gear, a dawning understanding in his eyes.

He then examined the badge pinned to his chest.

[Dawn City Patrol Badge]

Intimidation +3

Details: An alchemic trinket, proof of a Dawn City patrol officer's identity. With it, you are a patrol officer with law enforcement authority. But beware, it will attract the attention of murderers.

"A patrol officer? A role-playing cursed space? Interesting..."

Suren raised an eyebrow, unconcerned with the warning about attracting monsters.

He looked down at his hands.

They held a vellum envelope.

He opened it to reveal a case file.

[Clock Tower Street Homicide Case Patrol Officer's Statement File]

Case Code: mst-07 Serial Murders

Case Status: Unresolved

Chief: Flower Scott

Witness/Assistant: Patrol Officer Johnny

File Record: This morning, a male corpse was discovered in an alley at 44 Clock Tower Street, the face and viscera devoured; this is the seventh homicide in this district, the killer's methods identical to the previous six; a cloaked figure was sighted wandering near the 'Red Tower Street' intersection at midnight; suspected aberration incident, handle with caution, request support from the City Guard's special forces if necessary...

"A cursed space with a story; am I supposed to find the killer?"

Suren scanned the file, his eyes quickly moving down the text.

But the contents of this file were misleading.

He had already used the All-Knowing Eye to see that this cursed space was called [The Legend of the Clock Tower Monster], and he guessed the killer was likely in the red brick clock tower to his left.

Moreover, the way out wasn't to catch the killer.

It was to fulfill some lingering wish.

The file pointed to finding the killer...

But since the All-Knowing Eye judged it to be a "D-level" difficulty space, Suren was in no hurry.

Besides, he had his gun, his storage ring, and his living corpse scythe.

There was more than one way to break the game.

But all said and done, the scene was remarkably real.

Looking at the vivid ancient streetscape, he found himself more curious about the era than about the killer.

The prosperous Dawn City of a thousand years ago piqued his curiosity!

...

Entering the cursed space for the first time, Tommy appeared somewhat nervous: "Mr. Johnny... where do we go now? Are we going to find the source of this cursed space?"

"Yes. But no rush."

Suren nodded, glanced at two shifty figures in the distance, and added, "Wait here. I'm going to kill two people."

Kill people?

Tommy was taken aback.

His tone was as casual as saying, "Wait here, I'm going to buy some oranges."

Before he could ask more, Suren was already walking towards them.

He showed his badge and addressed the two pipe-smoking figures in black coats. "Hello, please show me your identification."

The two were stunned, seemingly not yet adjusted to their new identities. "We're detectives, investigating..."

Before they could finish, Suren asked, "Are you from the Warblade Squad?"

"How did you..."

Before the man could finish, Suren expressionlessly drew his gun and put a bullet in each of their foreheads.

The bodies fell, Suren gained some experience points, and he silently looted the storage rings from the corpses.

He muttered to himself, "Ten in total, eight left."

After killing the two, Suren glanced at the stunned Tommy and called out, "Let's go."

Tommy trotted over and asked, "Mr. Johnny, why... why did you kill them?"

He was smart and guessed, "Were those two from the Warblade Squad?"

Suren asked, "You recognized them?"

Tommy replied, "Yes."

Suren didn't elaborate. "You'll find out soon enough."

Tommy asked, "Ah... where are we going now?"

Suren said, "To see what Dawn City was like a thousand years ago."

Leave?

Having come to such an interesting place, leaving just like that would be a waste.

Eliminating the Warblade Squad was just a small, secondary objective.

More importantly, he was now 100% certain that this companion space was related to the "Wailing Banshee," so he needed to find key clues within the space to unravel the entire story.

...

Suren led Tommy down the street. Instead of heading for the clock tower or the abbey, he went straight to a brightly lit, red-roofed house at the intersection.

Knock, knock, knock!

After knocking, Suren checked the nameplate by the door and called out, "Forgive the late hour, Mr. Smith. This is Officer Johnny. I'd like to ask you a few questions."

He adapted to his role instantly.

A woman's voice answered, "Oh, it's Officer Johnny. Please wait a moment."

He heard rustling sounds, as if she was getting dressed.

After half a minute, the door opened, and a blonde woman in a Victorian crinoline dress stood in the doorway.

She seemed to recognize Suren. "Officer Johnny, please come in."

Suren didn't stand on ceremony and stepped inside.

The room was elegantly decorated, with crystal chandeliers and mahogany furniture. Fine porcelain and silver cutlery adorned the table, and a fire blazed in the hearth. A deer head trophy and a shotgun hung on the wall.

This was a wealthy household.

Suren stepped inside and quickly glanced around. "Sorry to disturb your rest, Mrs. Smith."

The blonde woman muttered, "Oh, having to patrol the streets in all this snow, Officer Johnny, you must be exhausted. Has there been another murder? Heavens, so much bad news lately."

She paused and asked, "Coffee or tea?"

"Tea, thank you."

Suren replied casually, slipping into the role of a patrol officer. "Mrs. Smith, have you noticed anything unusual in the neighborhood recently?"

Mrs. Smith fiddled with a kettle on the hearth, poured Suren a cup of tea, and replied, "Last night, when the midnight bells rang, I thought I heard a very painful scream coming from the direction of the clock tower..."

As she bent over, Suren saw a expanse of pale skin and the steel boning of her corset through the neckline.

"Oh."

Instead of sitting on the sofa, Suren went to a decorative bookshelf and took down a thick, gilt-edged book.

He flipped through it, but the pages were blank.

The other books were the same, except for a few fragmented Ancient Gunderland words in a copy of *Basic Alchemy Compendium*.

Unsurprised, Suren continued to flip through the books while continuing his questions.

"Have you heard any news about Sir Isaac lately?"

"No, I haven't..."

"Is your family considering installing mechanical prosthetics?"

"..."

"Do you know of a tall, black tower?"

"..."

"Do you have any knowledge of alchemy?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not a sorcerer. Those are just books my city official husband bought for decoration. But he hasn't come home for three days..."

"Are there any alchemists nearby?"

"The old nun at the white abbey across the street seems to be a very powerful sorceress..."

"Mr. Smith won't be home tonight?"

"Oh, Officer Johnny, you're too direct. Perhaps you should be a little more tactful..."

"..."

"I want to ask about the abbey across the street. Have you noticed anything unusual?"

"There's nothing unusual there except for a few nuns and pigeons cooing all day."

"Do you have any particular impression of those nuns?"

"I only remember a little girl named Alice. She's very pretty. She often plays the harmonica alone in the attic of the abbey. Oh, it's a sorrowful tune that brings tears to one's eyes..."

"..."

After asking a few more questions, Suren realized he wasn't going to get much more information.

The answers were very mechanical and predictable.

This cursed space was a fragment of the "Curse Source's" memories, capable of recreating the streetscape but not a group of living, breathing, souled people.

These people were like NPCs in a game, capable of simple responses but without complex emotions.

Questions that were beyond their understanding or unrelated to the quest were selectively "unheard."

(This is a low-level space. The higher the level of the cursed space, the closer it is to the real world.)

...

Suren didn't linger in the house, but instead told Tommy, "You stay in the house, no matter what happens, don't come out."

Tommy was confused. "Why?"

Suren explained, "The monster comes out at midnight to kill people, but the files say all seven victims died in the streets, so it should be relatively safe in the house. Stay with Mrs. Smith and remember, don't come out at any time."

Tommy asked, "Oh. Mr. Johnny, what about you?"

Suren replied, "I'm going to look for clues."

He paused and turned to the blonde woman. "Mrs. Smith, would you be so kind as to look after him for me? I'll be back soon."

Mrs. Smith answered, "Of course, Officer Johnny."

Suren knew that while this cursed space was "D-level" for him, it was a high-casualty "A-level" for others.

Wandering around with Tommy might be dangerous.

Besides, Suren had some suspicions.

Since they each had their own "roles" in this cursed space,

it was possible that their two "roles" were destined to die in the streets.

Otherwise, the patrol badge wouldn't warn him of "particularly attracting the killer," and it wouldn't feel so "real."

The rules of plot-driven cursed spaces were simple: everything was constructed from the killer's memories.

Things existed in reality, but they wouldn't exceed the killer's knowledge.

For example, if the killer hadn't read the books on the shelves, they would be blank. Only the book he had read would have words.

Only if the killer had the concept that "the badge is an alchemic item" would it be identified as such.

This was a space where, as long as one was careful, the plot was simple.

A little investigation would reveal that all the clues pointed to two places: the Red Tower Clock Tower and the White Abbey.

But the difficulty lay in the fact that these were the highlights of the background story, not the key to breaking the game.

...

Suren walked out of the house and stepped back onto the damp cobblestone street.

Snowflakes fell from the sky, landing on his shoulders and hat, gradually accumulating into a thin layer.

Suren brushed the snowflakes off his shoulders and strolled down the street.

The cold wind cleared his thoughts.

He visited a few more houses, collecting a few ancient books with scattered information.

He asked a few questions, but the situation was similar.

The NPCs would only say a lot when asked about the nun named Alice.

An old woman whose attic window faced the clock tower said that she had seen a monster on the clock tower...

These were all key pieces of information.

The patrol officer who investigated back then must have found these clues as well.

The original process was that the "players" needed to gather this information and then be directed to the red brick clock tower to find the monster.

But Suren wasn't in a hurry to go.

Different choices lead to different endings.

Just like playing an open-ended story game, Suren could kill the monster in the clock tower or fulfill the wish, and not learn about the game's background, and still be able to clear the game.

But the story would end there.

He would have lost the point of coming to this cursed space.

Therefore, Suren chose the second option.

He went out into the street, intending to visit the abbey and see how the Wailing Banshee was formed.

Now that he was certain that this wasn't the "Wailing Banshee's Space," there wouldn't be too much danger at the abbey.

It was just an ordinary scene.

But it would fill in an important piece of the backstory.

...

As he walked, his thoughts raced. Suren accidentally stumbled upon some lost lambs.

In a tavern, he saw a table of detective-looking individuals arguing about something.

Although their appearances had changed, Suren recognized them from their words.

"Damn it! What is the answer to that question? Soro answered 'ugly,' Martin answered 'not ugly,' and they were both killed. Jick didn't answer and he was killed too! I suspect that the cloaked monster just wants to kill people for fun..."

"Stop complaining, think of other ways. We're safe in the tavern for now, but are we going to be trapped in this cursed space forever? I heard some news from the bartender. He said there's a monster in the clock tower..."

"..."

These people were also trying to find a way out. It sounded like the three who weren't there had already been killed by the "killer."

Suren walked in, without saying a word, and started shooting.

A series of gunshots echoed through the tavern.

Although the explosions from the enemies' counterattacks destroyed the tavern, all five of them, including the leader, "Bomb Maniac" Collins, were killed.

Suren put away his blast-proof puppets, as if he had just done something insignificant.

He walked out of the tavern and continued towards the white-walled abbey.

Why would an alchemist city that didn't worship deities have an abbey?

That was what Suren was most curious about.

And what was the relationship between the nun named Alice and the monster in the clock tower?