Chapter 65: Werewolf Shenanigans

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Werewolf Shenanigans

She knew how to play Werewolf, though she wasn’t exactly a top-tier player. But it was just for entertainment—a great way to relax and unwind.

After Wyatt Winslow gathered everyone, he set up a twelve-player Miracle Merchant game and hired a male moderator to host.

Rian Sinclair took Seat 9. Ruby Forrest was in Seat 1. Seats 2 and 3 were girls, Seat 4 a boy, Seat 5 Wyatt Winslow, Seat 6 Ulysses Shepherd, Seat 7 a boy, Seat 8 a girl, Seat 10 Jason Rivers, and Seats 11 and 12 were boys.

Rian glanced around. Naturally, those not playing sat nearby to spectate. The moderator then began dealing the cards, and Rian looked at the one in her hand.

"Oh, an Alpha Wolf card," she thought.

The moderator scanned the room. Seeing that everyone had checked their cards, he announced, "Behind each player is a private booth. Please step inside. You may come out when you hear the ’daybreak’ announcement."

Rian stood up and walked straight into Booth 9 behind her, observing the interior. A sign on the door read: [Excellent soundproofing. Please speak freely.]

Soon, the moderator’s voice came through a small speaker overhead. "Night has fallen. Please close your eyes. Werewolves, please open your eyes and identify each other."

Standing in the booth, Rian looked up at the lit screen. It displayed Player 6, Ulysses Shepherd, along with two unfamiliar boys in Seats 7 and 12. Ulysses and the other two now also knew Rian’s identity.

She was the Alpha Wolf.

A Wolf Gunner.

Ulysses paused for a few seconds before speaking. "Boss, what’s the play? Give us some ideas. Should I fake claim a role while you stay off the Sheriff’s campaign?"

Rian chuckled softly. "What’s the fun in hiding off-campaign? I want all of us to fake claim power roles."

"Damn, we really gotta listen to the Boss," Player 7 said. "We all claim power roles and completely confuse the good guys! Make them lose all sense of direction!"

"That strategy works," Player 12 agreed. "How are you going to claim, Boss? If we mess this up, it’s game over for all of us!"

Rian analyzed the pros and cons of having all the werewolves fake claim. This strategy relied heavily on luck and the innocent players being total idiots.

Essentially, it was a gamble that the good guys didn’t know how to play. But they had to accurately accuse a power role of being a wolf to get them voted out, making the game much easier to navigate.

After weighing everything, Rian quickly assigned their tasks. "I’ll claim Miracle Merchant. Number 6, you claim Lucky Seer—you’ll be the one I gave Skills to. Number 7, claim guard. Number 12, claim witch. You two shouldn’t rush to claim, though. Listen to the speeches first. The Lucky Seer and I will lead the charge, and you two can step up later."

"Understood!"

The moderator’s voice echoed again. "Werewolves, please choose your target."

Player 12 chose to kill 2, Player 7 chose 3, and Players 6 and 9 chose 1.

"Werewolves, please close your eyes.

"Witch, please open your eyes. Witch, you have one bottle of poison and one bottle of antidote. This player died tonight. Do you want to save them? You have one bottle of poison. Do you want to poison anyone?

"Witch, please close your eyes.

"Seer, please open your eyes. Seer, whose identity do you want to check tonight?

"Seer, please close your eyes.

"Guard, please open your eyes. Guard, who do you want to protect tonight?

"Guard, please close your eyes.

"Daybreak."

The booth doors opened. Rian stepped out, looking calm and composed, and sat down in her chair. Everyone scrutinized each other. The inexperienced players had caution written all over their eyes.

Rian scanned the room. She noticed the usually obedient girl currently pressing her lips together, keeping her head down, and avoiding eye contact. A fleeting smirk tugged at the corner of Rian’s mouth.

"Well, isn’t this the perfect weak link?" she thought.

Once everyone was seated, the moderator continued, "Those who wish to run for Sheriff, please raise your hands."

Rian decisively joined the race by pressing the hand-raising button on the table. Seats 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12 opted in sequentially. Finally, Seat 1 hesitantly raised her hand as well.

"Player 1, please begin your Sheriff campaign speech. Player 4, please prepare."

Seat 1 thought for a few seconds before speaking. "I’m the Miracle Merchant. The person I gave my Skill to is running for Sheriff too. It’s over."

After that, Seat 12 immediately withdrew from the Sheriff race.

"Player 4, please speak."

Since Seat 4 spoke early on, he likely had no special role or didn’t know how to play, so he simply passed.

"Player 5, please speak."

Seat 5 was Wyatt Winslow. "I ran for Sheriff to listen to the earlier speeches and look for flaws. But someone claims Miracle Merchant and doesn’t announce who they gave the Skill to? Am I supposed to just guess? Pass."

Resting her chin on her hand, Rian listened to Wyatt’s aggressive speech without much reaction. However, she wondered if his salty tone would make him a target for the players speaking after him.

"Player 6, please speak."

Seat 6, Ulysses Shepherd, cleared his throat. "I am the Lucky Seer! Player 5 is a checked wolf; Player 3 is confirmed innocent! I’m the Lucky Seer, but I didn’t get my Skill from Player 1. If I get the Sheriff badge, I’ll check Player 11 next, then Player 8. My thought process for checking Player 5 was simple: I didn’t like the look of this redhead, so I decided to check him."

Ulysses successfully earned a death glare from Wyatt. If it weren’t for basic sportsmanship, Rian guessed Wyatt would have flipped the table on the spot.

After hearing Ulysses’s speech, Rian immediately withdrew from the race. Naturally, she had to help her underling sell his Lucky Seer act. Seats 7 and 8 quickly followed suit, and then Seat 4 dropped out as well.

Out of the nine players who originally ran for Sheriff, five withdrew, leaving four still in the race.

"Player 10, please speak."

Jason Rivers looked around before finally locking eyes with Rian. Unfazed, Rian smiled back at him.

"Player 3 is confirmed innocent," Jason said. "Player 6 is a fake-claiming wolf. We vote out 9 first, then 6. Rian, not to call you out, but why did you withdraw? You’re not the Miracle Merchant, are you? Vote out 9 first, then 6. Pass."

Rian remained utterly composed, showing no signs of panic at being called out. His speech was far too weak; it was highly unlikely he would get the Sheriff badge.

"The vote for Sheriff will now begin."

"Player 3 voted for Player 1. Player 11 voted for Player 6. Player 2 abstained. Players 1 and 6 are tied and will now enter a run-off."

Seat 1, Ruby Forrest, pursed her lips and frowned. "I didn’t give the Skill to Player 6. Actually, I didn’t give out any Skills last night. If Player 10 is the Seer, I’ll give him a bottle of poison to use."

Hearing her speech, Rian completely believed her. This was a god-tier opening. By not giving out Skills on the first night, their fake-claim strategy was already half successful. Player 12 could just stand up and claim witch. Once Player 12 claimed it, they would see if the good guys were confused. The entire game would be nothing but Seers, Miracle Merchants, and witches!

Jason chuckled. "Player 1, that speech makes you a dead-to-rights wolf. Seriously, you’re cracking me up. I don’t even know why a wolf like you is playing so aggressively. I’ll just check Player 4 next. Pass."

"The run-off vote for Sheriff will now begin."

"Players 3, 4, 8, and 10 voted for Player 1. Players 7, 9, 11, and 12 voted for Player 6. Players 2 and 5 abstained."

"There is no Sheriff this round. Last night was a Peaceful Night; no one was eliminated. Since there is no Sheriff, speeches will proceed in reverse numerical order, starting randomly from Player 9. Player 9, please speak. Player 8, please prepare."

Rian smiled faintly. She swept her gaze across the room before resting her eyes on Seat 1’s nervous face.

"I am the Miracle Merchant. I gave my Skill to Player 6 because I had a good impression of him. He looks like an Innocent little puppy—that’s my exact thought process. Among Players 3, 4, and 8, there must be some good guys, right? Didn’t Player 1 completely expose herself? I’m the Miracle Merchant, and I gave my Skill to 6. It was a Peaceful Night, yet Player 1 claimed she didn’t give out any Skills. Would a Miracle Merchant who didn’t use their Skill out themselves on the very first day? Aren’t they afraid of getting killed?"

After saying her piece, Rian decisively passed. It was obvious Ruby Forrest had no idea how to play this game.

"Player 8, please speak."

"If you put it that way, Player 1 is an undeniable wolf," Player 8 said. "Pass. I’ll listen to the rest of the speeches. If anyone can make a better argument than Player 9, I’ll take your side."

"Player 7, please speak."

"I’ll listen to the rest of the speeches, but right now, I think Player 9 sounds pretty credible," Player 7 said. "She’s not nervous at all. Player 1 claimed Miracle Merchant, but judging by her micro-expressions, I think it’s highly possible she’s a wolf fake claiming. Let’s see what the others have to say."

"Player 6, please speak."

"Are you kidding me? Are the good guys really this foolish?"