Kylar had a pair of clear green eyes that looked like gemstones. With a smile on his face, he extended a hand.

“Please, help yourselves. My chef is quite skilled.”

The five players stared at the medium-cooked steaks before them, rich with juices, and swallowed nervously. But no one was willing to be the first to eat.

They were all thinking the same thing: Let someone else try it first. If nothing happened, then they could eat.

After everyone looked at each other for a full minute, a tall woman wearing a chef’s hat appeared. She stared at the players with a gloomy look in her eyes.

“Allow me to introduce her. This is my chef, Wendy. She has a bit of a temper, and she doesn’t like seeing food she worked so hard to prepare go to waste.”

There was an obvious threat in Kylar’s words, and Wendy’s gaze was equally intimidating.

Echo looked at the steak in front of her. It really did look delicious. Even if it was poisoned... well, this was only a game. And if she really did get poisoned because of it, at least she could warn her teammates. That would count as making a contribution to the team, right?

Just as she was about to eat the steak, Kylar spoke again. “However, Wendy is a kind lady. If you give her a reason she finds convincing, she won’t mind whether you waste the food.”

The main quest appeared immediately afterward:

Eat the steak, or convince Wendy and Kylar Reiner.

This... the main quest actually gives them the option of convincing the NPCs now. Could it be that there really is something wrong with the steak?

“Then let’s start with this gentleman. Oh, and don’t repeat anyone else’s reason.” Keller gestured toward Kairo, who was sitting farthest away from him.

The players were seated in the following order: Kairo, SunnyBoy, Echo, Bai Luoyin, and Su Lingyan.

There was obviously something wrong with this manor. Eating the steak was risky, but if he could convince these two NPCs, there was no need to take that risk, Kairo thought. Besides, he might as well treat it as part of the game. He actually found it rather interesting.

“I’m sorry, but I already ate before coming to the manor, so I’m not hungry right now,” Kairo said.

“Hmm... Is that so? You arrived about half an hour ago, and before that, you spent roughly five hours on the road. Are you really not hungry?” Kylar said. The implication was clear: that excuse wasn’t convincing enough. Wendy silently nodded beside him.

Looks like I need another excuse, Kairo thought. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Actually, the food I ate before coming here upset my stomach a little, so I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Hmm...” Kylar stared at Kairo. Just as the stare was making Kairo’s skin crawl, Kylar nodded. “All right. What a shame.”

Kairo breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like I passed.

Next, Keller picked up his knife and fork and cut off a piece of steak from his own plate.

“Well then, your turn next, sir,” Kylar said, before putting the piece of steak into his mouth.

Su Lingyan raised an eyebrow, then suddenly smiled.

SunnyBoy quickly thought of a reason. “I don’t like steak.”

That was a lie. He actually loved it.

“You don’t like it? Then I’ll have Wendy make you some pork instead,” Kylar said.

Wendy nodded and headed toward the kitchen.

“Wait!” SunnyBoy stopped her. His goal was to avoid eating any of the food here, so it didn’t matter whether Wendy brought him pork, chicken, lamb, or duck.

“Actually, I just don’t feel like eating anything. Work has been stressful lately, and I haven’t had much of an appetite,” SunnyBoy said.

Isn’t that excuse a little too casual? Bai Luoyin thought.

“I see. What a shame,” Keller said, accepting the excuse.

Looks like the key is logic. As long as you give a plausible excuse, it works. Bai Luoyin now had a few ideas of her own.

She glanced at her friend, who was resting her chin on her hand and staring at the NPC named Keller.

Well, this NPC is pretty handsome. Can’t blame her for staring.

The handsome NPC then spoke, signaling that it was time for the next person.

Echo nervously clutched the hem of her clothes. “I... I...”

Kylar patiently watched Echo, waiting for a few seconds before speaking. “Do you stutter? Why are you having such a hard time getting the words out?”

“Wahhh...” Unexpectedly, Echo let out a few sobs before saying, “My ex-boyfriend died not long ago. Waaaaah...”

Kylar: “...”

“If he’s your ex-boyfriend, why are you crying?”

“Because he still hasn’t paid back the ten thousand he owes me! Waaaaah...” Echo looked like she was crying her heart out, but in reality, not a single tear had fallen. As long as she covered her face, no one would notice.

Kylar: “...”

“I’m just too heartbroken. Waaaaah... I have no appetite,” Echo said.

Kairo and SunnyBoy looked at Echo with admiration. They had to admit, they were impressed by that excuse. They also suspected that Echo was having way too much fun with this.

Bai Luoyin and Su Lingyan were both surprised by Echo’s outstanding performance. They were used to her being so quiet that they had never expected this side of her.

You really can’t judge a person by appearances.

“I understand. Please, don’t cry,” Kylar said gently as he handed her a tissue.

Echo’s sobs gradually stopped. Looks like she passed.

However, she was starting to feel a little hungry. Was it because she had cried too hard just now? Or was the steak in front of her simply too tempting?

“Your turn,” Keller said to Bai Luoyin.

Bai Luoyin remained calm. “My stomach isn’t very good. I’ve been having acid reflux lately, so I don’t have much of an appetite.”

It was a simple yet effective excuse. You couldn’t exactly force someone with stomach problems to eat.

It was somewhat similar to Kairo’s excuse, but not quite the same. He had eaten something that upset his stomach, while she simply had a naturally sensitive stomach.

“All right,” Keller accepted the excuse.

Bai Luoyin breathed a sigh of relief, then licked her lips. Was she getting a little hungry?

Players didn’t need to eat while inside the game. Logically, she shouldn’t be feeling hungry at all. She had never felt hunger in the game before.

“Looks like it’s my turn,” Su Lingyan said.

Kylar nodded. “Yes.”

Everyone looked at Su Lingyan. What kind of excuse would she come up with?

“Have we met somewhere before?” Su Lingyan looked at Kylar.

Kylar: “...”

Between eating steak and coming up with an excuse, did she seriously choose to hit on the master of the manor?