Murder Mystery: Prologue

A mysterious letter, an open invitation to a mansion in a remote location, supposedly belonging to an extravagant rich elite pair of twins. I had heard one or two things about them in the past from colleagues, but never would have I imagined they'd challenge me with such a boringly easy riddle. The contents of the riddle laid out very plainly a location, a date and a time. Fine, I suppose I can humor them for this time.

• The badge has been revealed in the Murder Mystery: Last Chapter
• You will receive 1 point total and the badge when successfully completing the Murder Mystery: Last Chapter Challenge

Weeks passed, and, upon the time of the established meeting, a distinguished crowd of people amassed in front of a sumptuous mansion.
After being orderly let in, a tall figure took the stage on top of the central fairy-tale-like staircase.

“Greetings,
It is with immense pleasure that I, Count von Geheimnis, am welcoming all of you to my humble abode.
On this beautiful night, we are hereby reunited for a particular reason, a reason that is very dear to me.
Some of you might have already grasped the situation at hand. After all, many distinguished figures are currently present.

Only the upper echelon of detectives, agents and investigators have received this very special invitation. You must be feeling very proud of yourself if you are currently attending this gala, as you are considered among the top of your field, and I will be eternally thankful if you could hear my plea.

My brother, yes, my dear brother. Many had given up hope, saying I was on a fool's errand. Presumed dead for several decades.
But no, I was right all along. I knew it. All these years, restless nights, burning money and time, all whilst surrounded by dastardly comments and snickering… Our bond was stronger than them, our brotherly bond will prevail!
A first trace has been found, no matter how faint it is, it is still a trace, and I will be requesting your assistance. Yes… You, you who are the crème de la crème, unyielding to fate.

We will make it. I am certain. I can feel it.

The threads of fate have been woven and spun until we reached this very moment. There must be a meaning to today.
Emotions overflowed inside me, and I knew that I would not be able to properly convey my message, my request, as my feelings would prevail.
Alas, the allotted time is ticking, as I fully realize I might not be the best suited for motivational speeches. I shall now pass on the baton to my trusty and beloved twin brother, to whom I owe everything. Everything…”

And with that, the well dressed, tall figure exited the scene. Mere moments soon after, a perfectly matching one took their place. Your discerning eye could pick up at a glance how astonishingly identical the two figures looked, from the dress down to the centimeter of their slender build.

“Once again, welcome. I am sure my brother has already bored you more than enough, so I will be as succinct as possible. We are originally a triplet of brothers and new details about our missing brother surfaced. We would like to hire all of you and find him, those who succeed will be generously rewarded, on top of the regular fee we will be paying to all of you. A briefing with further details will be hosted tomorrow morning. For now, enjoy the luxurious evening hosted specifically with you in mind. You can feel at home and go wherever you want in this mansion, for any doubt, you can ask the maids or butlers who you can find around. Bonsoir.”

As if trying to keep the given word to be as brief as possible, the one who should presumably be our host quickly left the stage, leaving the crowd stunned. But that didn't last for long, a handful of people quickly rushed up the stairs, either to try and get a head start on the mission or simply to explore the huge mansion. Others, instead, seemed more relaxed, almost as if indicating that everything was under their control already and had instead redirected their attention towards the appetizers.

Now, the first dilemma: What should I do?

• Go after the brothers: Watch an anime with the genre “Action”

• __Event Time Limit:__ __July 20th, 2025__, 00:00:01 UTC — __August 3rd, 2025__, 23:59:59 UTC
• You can still submit your challenge after August 3rd, however, your vote will not count towards the poll and will not affect the story
• With the poll finished, this thread has been updated with the winning choice. With this update, you can no longer choose the losing option anymore

• Rewards will be given with the last chapter resolution, so stay tuned!

• Do you want to be up-to-date and know when the next chapter will be out? Join the [__AWC Discord__](https://discord.com/invite/fbp2YH8)! We will post an announcement there once we release the next chapter

• **You must include the full name of the challenge** along with the chapter name once you submit it to the Submission Thread. For example, when submitting for this challenge, you will need to state “Murder Mystery: Prologue”

• Read the rules below carefully

• Runtime: Each anime must be a **minimum of 60 minutes**
• You can calculate the runtime of completed anime by multiplying the episode duration by the number of episodes

• You __cannot__ use anime you started watching or completed before entering this challenge

• You __cannot__ rewatch anime for this challenge

• The anime you watch __must__ be [correctly logged on AniList](https://i.postimg.cc/XJ1rvW7p/A1.png) to count
• To log watched episodes, set an anime to watching and increment the episodes via the Anime In Progress panel on the AniList home page
• An activity showing the episodes as watched or completed will appear in your feed

• You __can__ use any number of anime from other challenges as long as they allow sharing
• You __cannot__ use the same anime to fulfil multiple requirements within this challenge
• You __cannot__ use speed watching to complete this challenge
Speed watching is watching an anime at 2x speed / 3x speed, etc. This goes against the spirit of AWC challenges.

• There is __no time limit__ to complete this challenge

• Your watching activity __must__ be visible on your profile — This includes __all episode progress__ and an activity showing each anime as completed

• Your activity __must__ include the start and end dates, which can be added in the [AniList List Editor](https://i.postimg.cc/T2yVWN8Z/A3.png)

• ___Your profile must be set to public so we can verify your anime list and activity___

• __How To Enter The Challenge__
  Post a comment in this thread to enter the challenge. Use the code we have provided below
• The date you post the entry comment is your challenge start date
• You can keep track of your progress through editing your comment here, or update it when you are finished

Murder Mystery: Prologue Challenge Code

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• You **must use the challenge code we have provided** for your challenge entry
• You should only change the text in red to add the information for your challenge
• You can still customise and personalise your challenge entry in the ways described below
• _For more information about personalising your entry, please read our [Challenge Code Update](https://anilist.co/forum/thread/17826) post_

• All dates **must** use the YYYY-MM-DD format
• These dates must match the dates in your list editor and your profile activities

• All requirement numbers must use a 01) format

• You may use either title links or preview cards for requirements
• These should always be placed alone on the next line after the requirement text
• Title links are provided by default in the code and can be included using the format: `[Anime_Title](anime_link)`
• Preview cards will be automatically generated by simply including a link to the anime or manga: `anime_link`
• You must use title links for hentai and adult anime, even if the rest of your challenge uses preview cards

• When additional information is required, you must use `//` to separate the information as shown in the challenge code
• You should not add any extra new lines or include any more than the required information
• Do not place any information inside a spoiler tag: if an image or screenshot is requested, you must include it as a link

• You can change the status indicators to any symbols or emojis of your choice
• The status indicator must be located between the requirement number and requirement text
• You must use different symbols or emojis for each status, if they are too similar then your submission may be delayed or rejected
• The status indicators must be noted in the legend located in the header of your post
• You may add additional statuses to the legend, such as “Watching” or “Rewatched”

• You can change the size of text, center it, make it bold, italicized, or strikethrough it
• Each requirement number must be the first thing on their line, so do not add any formatting options directly before them

• You may customise the header of the challenge code as long as it includes the same information
• The header is the section above the first `

  ---

  ` in your entry comment, before the actual requirements
• For example, you may wish to add a challenge banner, anime graphics or other visual elements

• You may customise the footer of the challenge code in any way you like
• The footer is an optional section below the requirements in your final reply only
• You should include a `

  ---

  ` to separate out your footer, if one is not already present in the code
• For example, the footer can be used to personalise your entry with more graphics or links to your other challenges or who you think the murderer is, and any thoughts about the current situation

• __Submitting a Completed Challenge__
  When you have fulfilled all of the requirements for a challenge, make sure your entry comment has been completely updated and then fill out the [AWC Challenge Submission Form](https://awc.moe/submit). If you do not want to use the form, you may post a link to your finished challenge in the [Challenge Submission Guide](https://anilist.co/forum/thread/38857) thread instead You can get a link to your challenge post by clicking on the link icon on your entry comment. Enter that web address into the challenge submission form, or post it as a reply to the challenge submission guide Be sure to include the name of the challenge and the mode you have completed<br>

• An AWC Staff member will check your challenge to ensure that you have followed the rules and requirements correctly. If you have completed the challenge successfully, you will receive a profile message from them, including any rewards. If not, you will receive a profile message with the details of any changes that you need to make. If you used the challenge submission guide thread, you will get a message about any changes you need to make as a reply to your comment there instead
• Only submissions via the [AWC Challenge Submission Form](https://awc.moe/submit) or AniList forum will be accepted. This means submissions via Discord, or other unofficial documents will not be reviewed

• __Help & Recommendations__
  Please head over to the [AWC Discord](https://discord.com/invite/fbp2YH8) if you need any help with this challenge or would like some recommendations from our lovely community members <3

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If you are having a difficult time finding an anime to fulfil a certain requirement, please feel free to ask us on Discord, ask in our Challenge Discussion Thread, or ask a fellow AniList member for a recommendation.

Credits
Challenge Editor: @akaDry, @Tssubaki and @Samurai
Badge Design: @Tssubaki
GFX Design: @Kanta<br>
Badge: Beatrice & Battler Ushiromiya (Umineko no Naku Koro ni)
GFX: Conan Edogawa (Meitantei Conan), Maki Himena (Kubikiri Cycle: Aoiro Savant to Zaregotozukai), Sakurako Kujou (Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru), Ryuuichi Naruhodou (Gyakuten Saiban: Sono "Shinjitsu", Igi Ari!), Makoto Naegi (Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei - The Animation), Ron Kamonohashi (Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri), L Lawliet (DEATH NOTE), Nana Hiiragi (Munou na Nana)