Dave felt compelled to walk towards the painting depicting dancing musical notes. They slowly moved in a pulsing rhythm as they played an imaginary tone soothing his very soul. His eyes flickered over the rest of the painting, where he was surprised to find the musical notes wrapping around a dagger dripping blood.

A seething, scalding feeling erupted deep inside of him, persuading sweetly, failing to cover the thunderous sound of his beating heart. This was it, this was survival and much more.

'What could go wrong?' He thought loudly to cover his insecurities.

Dave absolutely knew there were things which could go wrong. He had to stop thinking in those directions multiple times as his thoughts drifted to darker outcomes like demonic possession.

He knew he wasn't omniscient, he didn't have enough information about the situation to deduct the full extent of what could go wrong. So he forced himself to think about the situation as a whole.

'The wall of brushes trying to block the way to the building, the story about six brave fighters and a broken painting of the seed? Everything I've seen before points towards someone having been here before.

They saw what I saw, only a different painting chose them.

The painting urges me to touch it. My survival trait is compelling me to stop dallying and touch the painting too.

The person before me chose their painting but what does that mean?

Did they win? If they won the survival game why does it still exist? Are they still alive? Did they really win?

...

Game status.'

Active game found.

Name

Edmund's jollification. Participants(7/6)

Rules

Stay inside the fenced area.

Penalty: Title +1

Main objective

Survive till dawn.

Rank +1

Side objective

Collect the hints and solve the mystery.

item +1 rank +1 trait +1

Beat the hunter

rank +1

Break the throne

item +1

Personal objective

Pick your path

Make sure as many competitors as possible survive

rank +1/2 for each survivor

title - Every little bit helps.

Hunt down as many competitors as possible

rank +1 for each person killed

title - You had eyes, but didn't see Mount Tai.

'The main objective is survival, that means the successor of the plant guy could still be running around somewhere. I remember there were hidden objectives in the last game..how do I get the maximum reward.. just beating Edmund wouldn't cut it.. Wait, beat the hunter? Why would it say beat the hunter and not beat Edmund in his game? Sev..-'

A cold droplet of water fell on his neck and shocked him out of his reveries. Dave quickly touched his neck while looking around the room. There was nobody but him and his hand was completely dry.

'This survivor trait is really saving my ass.'

Chuckling slightly, Dave put on a steadfast mien and walked towards the glowing picture.

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The surroundings faded out as he softly stepped forward. A beautiful song, mesmerizing to the ear, gently lulled him into a feeling of safety as his hand reached towards the parchment.

His breath hitched as a sharp burst of pain rattled his mind.

Unable to move his arm away he was forced to watch in resignation, as his blood drained from his hand. Was this how it would end? With his body left behind as a dried husk, feeding a painting with his blood?

The musical notes danced excitedly as the painting bloomed red. A glimmer of hope reignited in Dave as the outer edges of the painting started to dissolve into motes of light. He watched the process with morbid curiosity as the flecks of light crawled up his arm and suffused into him. His expression turned into a grimace as pressure continued to build inside of him, bloating him, making him feel ready to burst at his seams. With a silent whimper he absorbed the last flakes of light.

🎊Congratulations!🎊

You found a hidden piece!

Legacy class accepted: Jester

Dave let out a sigh of relief. A gamble with his life on the line would always be nerve-wracking, especially with only a few simple clues and lacking information.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on his body, the awful feeling of almost exploding had left him the moment the status screen popped up. Taking a few gentle steps while rolling his shoulders, Dave realized he didn't feel any different from before he touched the painting.

Opening his eyes again, he stared at a hole in the wall where the painting hung before.

Inside of it lay a lute with an intricate piece of paper on top of it. Having just survived a gamble with his life on the line, Dave hesitated. He could just turn around and leave. Nothing would stop his retreat. Looking towards the exit a soft light caught Dave's attention, moving his graze back to the objects. 'Nothing will stop me from leaving but my will to survive..'

His features twisted into an ugly smile as he gathered his resolve once more to grab the paper.

Upon contact Dave felt distinct markings on the paper. His confusion grew as his eyes wandered over the chaotic mess of musical notes strewn around all directions. Comparing the arrangement to the ones printed on sheets of music paper made no sense to him. His fingers traced the depressions in the form of musical notes on the paper as he was lost in thought.

An odd memory surfaced in Dave's mind as his fingers moved intuitively.

In his memory he looked up at an indistinct figure who gesticulated energetically while talking. "Music is feeling, Dave. It's not just aesthetics or acoustics. You have to feel it with your very being."

He slowly rearranged the mess of musical notation as his hand roamed over paper, creating and listening to a song inside his mind.

Song: Finale has been found, compatible with class Jester. Learn?

Yes No

He didn't hesitate to press yes. Images of the final battle scene and other battles flooded his mind, of jesters giving different performances and ending it all with a finale. At the same time other memories passed by his inner eye, times after the finale where past users were utterly exhausted, sometimes even unable to move.

Blinking once, then twice, Dave understood.

A finale in a song needed to be a masterful finish.

'So no matter the performance as a whole, if the finale is bad people will only remember the bad end? But a performance.. Was the battle a performance too? The jester in the painting delivered an amazing finale to barely tip the scales of the battle and draw out a pyrrhic victory..'

While in thought, Dave subconsciously took the lute and gently plucked it's strings. He pressed down the strings on the neck's fingerboard and gently strummed a melody. His musings shifted to the instrument he was holding. He was surprised how intuitive it felt to hold the lute.

It felt like remembering a long forgotten memory, as if it had always been a part of him and only now after they reunited, did he remember how much he had missed it.

He continued strumming chords as the dirt and leaves sticking to him got blown away. Finishing his impromptu song he found himself invigorated and clean, with his body being in prime condition ready to run a marathon. His head felt clear and he felt himself grow more determined. He felt absolutely in tune with his body, feeling as if music in the form of electricity gently strummed his muscle cords.

'I became.. buff.. heh. I'm able to myself and probably others with music. Why do I only get a vague feeling? It doesn't feel like there is any clear buff being given, instead it's a way of conveying my.. feelings and intentions?'

Hoisting his new lute he looked around the room for the first time since accepting the legacy. All paintings dimmed down, as if trying to be inconspicuous, with the biggest painting showing the scene of a victorious jester bowing to the audience.

Dave gave a bow to the jester and turned around. He had gotten enough hints and even an upgrade, he was determined to thrive instead of only surviving.

As he walked out through the same corridor, the murals on the left wall drew him in the same way the other side did when he came in. Gazing over the other wall he saw the mural and it's drawings moving in a chaotic way, making it indecipherable.

Focusing his attention to the left wall, Dave watched another tale unfold. A short and simple tale where the despair was kept at bay and the different races came together to rise to prominence. Reaching the door to the outside, Dave looked over both murals once more, watching them morph into a grotesque shadow sitting on a throne. A maniacal grin split the beings face into inhuman proportions while it raked one of its claws towards 6 indistinct figures and hugged a seventh one with the other.