The Tavern Keeper's "beginner tutorial" was far from professional.
However, it was like a key that instantly opened the door to a new world.
Those Adventurers who had originally planned to "spend it all and run" looked at the five hundred uniquely shaped happy coins in their hands, then at the surrounding board game tables exuding a mysterious allure; the resistance in their eyes had long been replaced by curiosity and a hint of imperceptible excitement.
"Want to try a round?" someone suggested first, their voice tentative.
"Let's try it then, we have to spend this stuff anyway before we can leave here."
The Adventurer who had been making the most fuss initially now spoke with less conviction, even showing a hint of eagerness.
Soon, all the dozen or so board game tables in the tavern were filled with people. The Tavern Keeper leisurely puffed on a cigar, lightly tapping his finger on the bar, and from the center of each table, an ancient-looking hourglass and a set of cards glowing with a faint light slowly rose.
Soft magical light focused on each card table, creating independent, small stages filled with a gambling atmosphere.
When the game began, players deeply engrossed in the game noticed a change in their surroundings.
Except for their table, other areas became pitch black, and it seemed as if something was whispering in the darkness, or perhaps not.
All of this felt both dreamlike and full of mystery.
The most boisterous, rowdy Adventurer who had been shouting "Geneva, refund!" looked left and right, clearly already somewhat stunned by these special effects.
"The game is about to begin!"
An ethereal voice echoed from above, somewhat like a witch's low chuckle.
"Adventurers, please place your chips!"
The voice pulled the rowdy Adventurer's attention back, and he roughly slapped the table, placing a hundred happy coins worth of chips with a "thwack" into the chip area.
"This is actually interesting, the atmosphere and environment are much better than when that old Tavern Keeper was explaining it. I'm going to see how this 'weapon of lies' is used! First, let's be clear, whoever draws the Werewolf card, don't be a coward!"
The game began, and roles were distributed.
The rowdy Adventurer looked down at his card.
A smile that he could barely suppress spread across his face.
Good luck, he actually drew the Werewolf!
"Night falls, please close your eyes!"
As this voice sounded.
Night descended.
When darkness enveloped the table, the rowdy Adventurer felt his heart race, and a secret thrill, tinged with the pleasure of the hunt, spontaneously arose.
"Werewolves, please open your eyes!"
The rowdy Adventurer opened his eyes, and in the darkness, he saw three other pairs of glowing green eyes, also sizing each other up.
After the appraisal, the four Werewolves grinned.
Then, they used hand gestures to discuss tactics, silently pointing out their target in the darkness.
When the designated player was torn apart by some force in the darkness, the rowdy Adventurer actually felt a thrill of successful hunting.
Day arrived.
The rowdy Adventurer instantly put on an expression of inexplicable grief and indignation, slamming the table: "Where's the Prophet? Prophet, come lead the way! This kill is clearly aimed at a divine role!"
He cleverly guided the direction of suspicion, pointing it towards a Civilian player who looked a bit nervous.
When that Civilian was voted out amidst everyone's suspicion, innocently crying out about the injustice, a strange sense of "controlling the whole situation" swelled in the rowdy Adventurer's heart.
"Hahahaha, is this the weapon of lies? So exhilarating!"
When the Werewolves' plot succeeded on the first night, and the good faction fell into chaos.
This rowdy Adventurer couldn't help but inwardly gloat, his smile almost uncontrollable.
His previous vows of "resolute resistance" had long been thrown to the winds, his eyes now only filled with a desire for victory and control over the whole situation.
At another table.
A somewhat refined-looking young Adventurer named Evan drew the Prophet card.
He took a deep breath, his palms slightly sweaty.
When the narration in the darkness announced, "Prophet, please open your eyes," Evan cautiously opened his eyes, scanning his companions seated around him in the darkness.
"Please choose the target you wish to investigate." The narrator's deep voice seemed to carry magic.
Evan's gaze swept over the blurred faces in the darkness, finally pointing to a guy sitting opposite him, whose expression seemed somewhat unsettled.
"He is a Werewolf!"
Hearing this news, Evan's heart gave a sudden leap.
A confirmed kill!
He suppressed his excitement, quietly closing his eyes without showing any emotion.
Day arrived, and when it was his turn to speak, Evan tried to make his statement sound steady and credible: "I am the Prophet, and last night I investigated Player 5, who is a Werewolf!"
Instantly, everyone's gaze focused on Player 5.
Player 5 was startled but managed to remain calm.
When it was his turn to speak, he immediately retorted: "I think you're the Werewolf, trying to impersonate the Prophet! Player 5, who died last night, was clearly a Civilian. You're deliberately investigating me to divert attention!"
Evan never expected his accusation to be turned against him by the other party.
What surprised him even more was that the four Werewolves united at this moment, launching various unfavorable remarks against him during the discussion phase.
And his not-so-clever teammates seemed to be swayed by them.
When the final voting round arrived.
As everyone, half-believing, half-doubting, voted him out of the game, Evan felt a great sense of frustration.
Even his strenuous explanations were useless.
"Damn it, I'm not giving up, let's play another round!"
Evan left his seat and started a new table; he now understood how to play.
Among these Adventurers, not everyone could get a divine role or a Werewolf role.
A petite female Adventurer drew the Civilian card.
Initially, she was a bit disappointed, feeling she was just "cannon fodder."
But as the game progressed, she found that she was not powerless.
During the day's discussion phase, she carefully listened to everyone's statements, observing their expressions, tones, and logical flaws.
When two players both claimed to be the Prophet, the girl sharply noticed that one of them was somewhat evasive when describing the "investigation" process and was too eager to push someone out of the game.
The true Prophet, although also somewhat nervous in his speech, was more meticulous in his logic when analyzing the situation.
"I think Player 7's analysis is more reasonable."
After careful consideration, the girl mustered her courage to speak, "Although Player 6 seems very assertive, he has been avoiding explaining why he didn't investigate the clearly suspicious Player 2 on the second night, but instead directly investigated the more mild-mannered Player 4? I don't think this aligns with a Prophet's usual strategy for finding Werewolves."
Her statement was clear and logical, pointing out key doubts, and successfully guided the good faction's voting direction.
When the Werewolf imposter was successfully exiled and the good faction won, the girl looked at the approving glances from her companions, her heart filled with pride.
It turned out that in this game, even the most ordinary role could become the key to influencing the battle by relying on meticulous observation and calm analysis.
This sense of accomplishment, based on wisdom rather than brute force, deeply fascinated her.
