Underworld Player Chapter 11 - Players

It was some time before noon, and the searing rays of the sun warmed everything it touched.

"Ah... These books don't contain anything useful at all..."

Deep inside the mostly empty library, a girl was sitting on the floor with a book between her knees. She was a petite, young-looking girl—a loli, some might say—with white hair and crimson eyes, and at the moment, she was looking quite irritated.

The book was titled "Analysis and Research into Human Psychology" and was one that few students ever checked out.

"By all accounts, seeing a young girl suddenly step out of a bamboo thicket, alone and giving a death stare, should cause humans to react with some degree of fear! What kind of human reacts by simply greeting her?! That guy has got to be the most oblivious clod in the world!"

As she recalled the embarrassing encounter, the girl grit her teeth in anger.

Despite being new to the job, she felt herself to be one of the more talented of her peers. Given that her unique powers made it nearly impossible to detect her presence, she had felt sure she would be far more successful than them.

But so far, she had been thwarted on her first hunt, and on her next two attempts with the new target, the first had ended with her having to wait hand and foot on her prey, while her second appearance—which she had so carefully prepared for—had been met with total indifference...

The thought of her associate, who had made a killing in the past two days, made her green with envy!

Speak of the devil. As she brooded alone in her quiet corner, who should show up but a cute little boy with a schoolbag slung over one shoulder. The bag was stuffed with four marionettes with faces strangely contorted into expressions of horror, while the boy carried another one in his arms.

"So, two days and nothing to show for it, huh."

He showed off the doll in his hands proudly and sounded almost gloating as he said, "See, I've got five, myself. What do you think, need me to share one with you, sweaty?"

At the sight of the doll, a spark of loathing flashed

…