chapter 160 arrival of chaos

The restaurant was a high-end buffet, the kind where the food was almost too pretty to eat—almost. Mark, Brainless Girl, and Mist Low had already taken a table, their drinks arriving just as the doors swung open, revealing the rest of their chaotic crew.

Daniel, Ana, and Liz stepped in together, each reacting in their own way.

Ana's eyes widened the moment she took in the extravagant decor. "Ohhh, fancy." She smirked. "Mark, I see you finally developed good taste."

Liz crossed her arms, glancing around suspiciously. "Okay, where's the catch? There's no way you're treating us to a place like this out of the kindness of your heart."

Daniel, however, had a very different priority. He was scanning the restaurant with the sharp gaze of a man prepared for battle. Then, he locked eyes with Mist Low.

Silence.

Mist Low grinned, lifting his glass in a mock toast. "Ah, my favorite rival has arrived."

Daniel exhaled sharply. "I should've known."

Ana leaned toward Liz, whispering, "Bet you five credits Daniel lasts ten minutes before snapping."

Liz smirked. "Five minutes. Max."

Daniel sighed, dragging a chair out and sitting down like a man who had already accepted his fate. "Fine. Let's just eat."

Mist Low beamed. "Yes! That's the spirit, my dear friend." He clapped his hands. "Now, let us embark on this glorious journey of indulgence!"

Brainless Girl raised an eyebrow. "You've been eating this whole time."

Mist Low dramatically waved a hand. "Mere warm-up rounds. Now begins the true battle."

Mark leaned back, watching his so-called friends descend into their usual madness. He took a sip of his drink, knowing that peace was officially off the menu.

Daniel narrowed his eyes, glancing between Mark and the unfamiliar girl sitting beside him. "Alright, Mark. Who's this?"

Mark barely looked up from his drink. "Brainless Girl."

Ana and Liz both paused mid-sip, their heads slowly turning toward him in sync, eyebrows raised in pure confusion.

Liz frowned. "Wait. What?"

Ana squinted. "Did I hear that right?"

Daniel wasn't letting this slide. He leaned forward, his expression dead serious. "That's not a name, Mark. That's an insult."

Brainless Girl, completely unbothered, leaned her chin on her palm and smirked. "No, that's my name."

Daniel blinked. "Excuse me?"

Brainless Girl gave him a slow, amused nod. "I am Brainless Girl."

Silence.

Liz rubbed her temples. "I feel like I just lost brain cells."

Ana whispered, "I think she might actually be perfect for this group."

Daniel, still trying to process this nonsense, turned back to Mark. "Dude. What the hell?"

Mark sighed. "Listen, don't question it. Just accept it and move on."

Mist Low grinned, clearly entertained. "Yes, yes, embrace the madness, Daniel." He leaned forward dramatically. "For she is Brainless Girl, the enigma, the mystery, the legend."

Brainless Girl smirked, throwing Mist Low a mock salute. "Exactly."

Daniel exhaled, rubbing his temples. "I hate this group."

Liz chuckled. "Too late. You're stuck with us."

Ana leaned back in her chair, grinning. "So, Brainless Girl, tell us—how exactly did you get that name?"

Brainless Girl just smirked, sipping her drink. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Daniel groaned. "Great. Another cryptic lunatic."

Mark sighed again, already bracing for the chaos that was only just beginning.

Mist Low, ever the opportunist, leaned forward with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Brainless Girl," he purred, his fingers twitching ever so slightly, "you seem awfully protective of those melons."

Brainless Girl, unfazed, took a slow sip of her drink. "And?"

Mist Low smirked. "And I, as a dedicated connoisseur of fine things, must inspect them."

Before anyone could react, Mist Low's hand shot forward, aiming straight for the melon slices on her plate. But the moment his fingers were about to touch—

Whoosh!

Brainless Girl moved like a ghost, effortlessly flipping backward, her chair scraping against the floor as she landed on the table, balancing on the balls of her feet.

Mist Low blinked. His hand was still outstretched, fingers grasping at empty air.

Brainless Girl smirked down at him, casually holding her plate of melons aloft, completely untouched. "Tsk, tsk, Mist Low. Hands off my melons."

Daniel, who had been mid-sip, choked. "What the—"

Ana burst out laughing. "Oh my god, that was so smooth!"

Liz whistled. "I take back my earlier judgment. I like her."

Mark simply shook his head. "You had that coming."

Mist Low, however, was grinning. He placed a hand on his chest, as if deeply moved. "My dear Brainless Girl, I see now that you are not just another meal-hoarder. You are an artist of evasion, a maestro of movement!"

Brainless Girl twirled a melon slice between her fingers. "Flattery won't get you my food."

Mist Low smirked. "Oh, but it was worth the attempt."

Brainless Girl popped the melon into her mouth, chewing with smug satisfaction. "And it'll be worth the beatdown if you try that again."

Mist Low chuckled, leaning back. "Ah, feisty. I do love a challenge."

Daniel sighed, shaking his head. "This is going to be a long meal."

Mark smirked. "Oh, you have no idea."

As the laughter finally settled, Mark leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against his glass. "Alright, listen up," he said, his voice cutting through the lingering amusement.

Daniel, Ana, Liz, Brainless Girl, and even Mist Low turned their attention to him, sensing the shift in tone.

"We're going to Hell Dungeon – Serpent, Level 3 tomorrow," Mark announced. His voice was calm, but the weight of those words hit like a bomb. "First clear."

Silence.

Then—

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Wait. First clear? As in… no one's done it yet?"

Mark nodded.

Ana blinked. "Oh, so we're just casually walking into hell for fun now?"

Liz raised an eyebrow. "Mark. Do you even know what's inside that place?"

Brainless Girl, who had been quietly eating her melon, smirked. "Sounds fun."

Mist Low let out a dramatic gasp, placing a hand over his heart. "My dear Mark, are you truly inviting us on a grand adventure into the unknown?" He grinned. "How romantic."

Daniel sighed, rubbing his temples. "We don't even know what kind of monsters are in there."

Mark shrugged. "That's why we'll be the first to find out."

Ana whistled. "Well, damn. I was just here for free food, but now I get danger and free food? Nice."

Liz stretched her arms, sighing. "Fine. But if I die, I'm haunting you."

Brainless Girl smirked. "If we die, we respawn. What's the worst that can happen?"

Daniel shot her a look. "You do realize that 'Hell Dungeon' isn't just a name, right?"

Mist Low grinned. "Oh, come now, Daniel. Where's your sense of adventure?"

Daniel exhaled sharply. "I left it behind the moment I saw you in this restaurant."

Mark smirked. "So that's a yes from everyone?"

There was a beat of silence before—

Ana: "Hell yeah."

Liz: "Guess I'm in."

Brainless Girl: "Let's do it."

Mist Low: "Ah, a glorious endeavor! I accept."

Daniel: "…You're all insane."

Mark chuckled. "Perfect. See you all tomorrow."

Mist Low raised his glass. "To certain doom!"

Daniel groaned. "To regretting my life choices."

And just like that, the meal was back to its usual chaos—except now, everyone knew that tomorrow?

Tomorrow was going to be a hell of a day.