Chapter 4 Dinner with Death

A young woman suddenly burst into tears.

"Then what are we supposed to do? We all made the same wish as him! Does that mean we're all going to die?"

Nobody answered. Judging by their pale faces, everyone was thinking the same thing.

The red-haired woman pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a slow drag.

"Not necessarily."

Everyone turned toward her.

"Remember what the system said? There'll be side quests over the next three days. Complete one, and you get another chance to make a wish."

She exhaled a thin stream of smoke.

"As long as we figure out the correct wish, we can still survive."

The tension in the room eased slightly.

"You're right," someone muttered. "We're not out of options yet."

"My name's Claire," the woman continued. "Before I ended up here, I was a senior executive at a corporation. I'm used to making difficult decisions and handling crises."

She looked around the room with quiet confidence.

"If you're willing to trust me, I'll lead us through this dungeon. We stand a much better chance of surviving if we work together."

That sounded reasonable.

Then again, my previous experience with powerful executives mostly involved private jets, expensive hotels, and questionable workplace relationships.

I probably wasn't qualified to judge.

The others, however, seemed impressed.

After watching a teammate age fifty years overnight, they were desperate for someone who sounded like they knew what they were doing.

Within minutes, Claire had become our unofficial leader.

She was halfway through a motivational speech about teamwork when the system interrupted.

[SIDE QUEST UNLOCKED: THE BOSS'S DINNER.]

[ALL SURVIVING PLAYERS ARE INVITED TO DINE WITH THE BOSS.]

[TIME: 8:00 P.M. TONIGHT.]

[PARTICIPANTS: ALL SURVIVING PLAYERS.]

[EACH PLAYER MUST SELECT ONE DISH FROM THE DINNER MENU AND PRESENT IT TO THE BOSS.]

[NO TWO PLAYERS MAY PRESENT THE SAME DISH.]

[THE PLAYER WHO PRESENTS THE BOSS'S FAVORITE DISH WILL EARN HIS FAVOR AND RECEIVE ONE ADDITIONAL WISH.]

[THE PLAYER WHO PRESENTS HIS MOST HATED DISH WILL DIE.]

I stared at the floating words.

So dinner came with a complimentary execution.

Lovely.

Claire, on the other hand, smiled.

"See? There's our opportunity."

We had most of the day before dinner.

Under Claire's direction, everyone split up to search the mansion for clues about the boss's preferences.

I wasn't particularly thrilled about wandering around a haunted mansion, but even I understood that choosing the wrong dish could get someone killed.

Besides, finding out what Lucian liked to eat might come in handy.

A man had to eat, right?

Even if he was technically a murderous supernatural entity.

An hour before dinner, we gathered in the living room to compare notes.

Claire took charge immediately.

"I found tonight's menu in the kitchen. There are six dishes, exactly enough for the six of us."

She unfolded a sheet of paper.

"Escargot, Caesar salad, roasted lamb chops, pan-seared cod, creamy vegetable stew, and fruitcake."

I raised an eyebrow.

Escargot?

Apparently, even death gods had expensive taste.

"Did anyone find anything useful?" Claire asked.

A tall, skinny guy raised his hand.

"I found a notebook in the servants' quarters. It belonged to someone who worked here."

He flipped through a few pages.

"There's a line complaining that the young master loves vegetables and hardly ever eats meat. The writer was worried he wasn't getting enough nutrients."

"The young master?" Claire repeated.

"Probably the boss. This mansion belongs to him, doesn't it?"

That made sense.

Before anyone could respond, a young woman spoke up excitedly.

"I found something too! The refrigerator was full of milk, cream, and other dairy products."

She glanced at the menu.

"If he loves vegetables and dairy, wouldn't his favorite dish be the creamy vegetable stew?"

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then several faces brightened.

"That has to be it!"

"Vegetables and cream. It fits perfectly!"

"Looks like we found the answer!"

Even I had to admit it was a pretty convincing theory.

Then again, I'd spent my entire fictional life surrounded by men whose favorite meals were apparently protein shakes and expensive steak.

What did I know?

Claire tapped her long fingernails against the table, looking thoughtful.

"Excellent work, everyone. I think we've identified the boss's favorite dish."

She paused.

"But there's still one problem."

The excitement faded.

"Who gets to present it?"

Oh.

Right.

The system had been very clear.

No duplicate dishes.

Only one person could earn the boss's favor and receive another wish.

Suddenly, everyone was looking at everyone else.

The silence grew awkward.

Claire cleared her throat.

"Actually, I've already figured out what the correct wish might be."

Every head turned toward her.

Seriously?

She'd figured it out already?

"Of course, I can't be absolutely certain," she continued. "But I have a strong theory. And if I'm right, I believe I can get all of us out of here alive."

The room immediately grew more attentive.

"So here's what I propose. Let me present the creamy vegetable stew and earn the extra wish."

She glanced around the table.

"I'm not asking you to trust me blindly. But someone has to take responsibility, and I'm willing to do that."

I watched her carefully.

She certainly knew how to make a proposal sound like she was doing everyone a favor.

Then again, what was the alternative?

Fight over a bowl of stew until someone got murdered before dinner?

The others exchanged hesitant glances. After a long moment of deliberation, they finally nodded in agreement.

Just then, the girl who had first figured out the dish spoke up in a small voice...