***
Bonus chapter! Thank you to JustSomeOne for the donation! ^^
***
The neighborhood was plunged into utter darkness, devoid of even a sliver of light. The black mist surging from the ground was too vast to be fully absorbed by the man, leaving the excess swirling ominously around him.
Wherever the mist touched, everything vanished into nothingness—only to eerily reappear the next second.
It was as if the destruction had been an illusion, yet the things the mist consumed were undeniably annihilated.
The space around the man cycled endlessly between obliteration and restoration, sometimes even beginning to reform before it had fully dissolved.
The sight was both uncanny and chilling.
A rare flicker of shock passed through Lan Xu’s eyes. Even within his own dungeon, he couldn’t effortlessly restore things the way this man could.
And it wasn’t just him—in all the dungeons he’d traversed, not a single boss had ever demonstrated such power.
This was far beyond the strength of a high-level dungeon boss.
Restoration alone wouldn’t be remarkable. The true impossibility was the simultaneous destruction and rebirth.
Their powers were inherently destructive, capable of reducing everything to ruin with the slightest misstep. To annihilate and reconstruct something at the same time was unthinkable—unless one’s control over their power reached an almost supernatural precision.
And that was something none of them could ever achieve.
What the hell is going on here?
Lan Xu couldn’t make sense of it. But the system, watching from the shadows, understood instantly.
He also understood now why the dungeon he had selected had been forcibly altered back then.
At the time, he had assumed the sudden surge of power—combined with the subsystem operating at merely 1% of its full strength—had allowed the dungeon to be hijacked.
But this wasn’t the work of a high-level dungeon boss.
At least, not one.
This dungeon didn’t have just a single high-level boss.
There were three.
Three dungeon bosses, fused into one.
The system stared at the man, whose power eclipsed any boss he had ever encountered, his gaze darkening with unprecedented intensity. Yet he couldn’t intervene.
Because the merging of dungeon bosses didn’t violate the rules of the Infinite Horror Game’s operating system.
Nor did it disrupt the dungeon’s function.
The source of the dungeon was indeed the power of 'Him,' but most dungeons didn’t require 'Him' at all—only the key NPCs corrupted by 'His' power were enough to sustain their operation.
That was why the Infinite Horror Game’s system didn’t care whether 'Him' remained in his own dungeon or not. And 'He' couldn’t interfere with this matter either.
When bosses from other dungeons fought outside their own domains, it easily disrupted the dungeon’s stability.
But now, the three bosses had merged, and the fused entity carried the aura of this dungeon’s boss. The system had already recognized the merged man as the legitimate boss of this dungeon.
Which meant there was no longer any risk of external bosses destabilizing the dungeon.
As soon as the black-robed man in the sky finished speaking, he moved—clashing instantly with Lan Xu.
The man was already this dungeon’s boss, and after absorbing the other two bosses, his power had reached terrifying heights. Lan Xu stood no chance.
In less than a minute, Lan Xu was forced onto the defensive.
If this continued, he would die.
But Lan Xu could not die.
He was likely Ruan Qing’s only chance to clear the dungeon—his sole hope.
Though Lan Xu had once been a major dungeon boss, the moment he deceived the Infinite Game’s system to become a player, the system reclassified him as human.
Meaning, if he could merge with Ruan Qing at the exact instant of clearance, there was still a chance to drag Ruan Qing through to victory.
But the System couldn’t intervene directly. If he did, the Infinite Horror Game’s core system would erase him first.
The System turned his gaze toward a shadowed corner.
Five figures stood there, equally transfixed by the brutal fight.
They were unmistakable—the five who’d died by 'Ruan Qing’s' hand that very day.
When Yan Lulin noticed the System looking, he stepped forward, his tone firm. "You’re not Zhou Jinchen."
There was no time for explanations. The System waved a hand, flooding their minds with everything they needed to know.
After processing the truth, Yan Lulin stared at the System, hesitation thick in his voice. "You want us… to merge with you?"
The System gave a faint "Mn." Only by fusing with this dungeon’s NPCs could he disguise the use of power beyond 'Zhou Jinchen’s' limits—only then could he save Lan Xu.
And only then could he gamble on Ruan Qing’s chance to escape.
"I have no objections." Xu He, who had been leaning against the shadowed corner of the wall, slowly stepped forward. "But I have one condition."
He turned his gaze to the System. "You cannot erase our memories or consciousness—only fusion is acceptable."
Xu He emphasized the word "fusion" deliberately.
Though "fusion" and "assimilation" differed by just a single character, their meanings were worlds apart.
Assimilation meant surrendering their identities as dungeon NPCs, along with their powers—retaining no trace of their memories or consciousness. They would vanish without a ripple.
But fusion was different. They would preserve their minds and memories, merging completely with the System.
They would remain themselves—yet also become part of the System.
The System swept a cold glance over the five of them. Under normal circumstances, he would have mocked their audacity—how dare mere dungeon NPCs bargain with him?
But this time was different. After a brief silence, the System replied quietly, "Fine."
The moment he spoke, the five figures instantly merged into the System’s form.
And the System sensed his power surging dramatically.
This fusion was interpreted by the dungeon’s rules as the System consuming the five, hence the substantial boost in strength.
He could now wield power slightly beyond what the six of them combined should possess—but only by a fraction.
Too much, and the Infinite Horror Game’s operating system would detect the anomaly. Still, this was enough.
The System swiftly joined the battle, intercepting the man before he could kill Lan Xu.
Lan Xu was taken aback by the System’s intervention.
Ever since 'Zhou Jinchen’s' death, he had noticed something unusual about him. And when he proposed his plan to the young man, that strange, frozen tension in the air confirmed his suspicions.
Zhou Jinchen was the System governing the Infinite Horror Game.
Who would have thought the supreme System would resort to deception, secretly defying the game’s own operating rules? It was almost unbelievable.
Unexpected—yet, in a way, inevitable.
No one could watch over the boy forever and still keep their heart untouched.
The System blocked the man’s dark mist, its form flickering faintly from the impact. Urgently, he sent a mental transmission to Lan Xu.
[I'll hold 'Him' off. You go find Ruan Qing.]
[He’s a vengeful ghost now—he’s lost his qualification to clear the game. He needs a living soul to help him pass.]
[And you’re the only living person left in this dungeon.]
Normally, even if no players survived by the third day, a new batch would be thrown into the dungeon.
But after Ruan Qing entered, the dungeon was sealed. Nothing—no one—could enter or leave.
Which meant Lan Xu was the only living person left.
After hearing this, Lan Xu finally understood why the System had helped him. Without hesitation, he disengaged from the fight and sprinted toward Building D’s first floor.
If nothing went wrong, the young man was definitely in Ren Yanqing’s room, searching for clues about the "god."
The moment he found out 'His' name and submitted the answer, it would all be over.
Because if the System was telling the truth, submitting the answer while possessed by a vengeful ghost would count as a failure.
The Infinite Horror Game didn’t allow players to clear a dungeon and leave while under a ghost’s control.
Just as Lan Xu was dashing toward Building D, a surge of black mist—carrying an aura of apocalyptic destruction—hurtled toward him.
It reached his back in an instant.
"Dodge!"
The System’s eyes widened as it shouted a desperate warning.
A living body had its limits. And after the beating Lan Xu had taken, his strength was nearly gone—his condition already teetering on the edge of death.
Lan Xu… couldn’t dodge.
Without a second thought, the System vanished from the spot and instantly possessed Lan Xu’s body, forcing it to roll violently to the side, narrowly evading the lethal black mist.
But he couldn’t avoid the next wave.
Another surge of black mist pierced straight through Lan Xu’s heart the moment the System finished rolling.
"Ghk—"
The impact sent the System flying before he slammed into a wall. Clutching his chest, he collapsed to his knees.
If not for one arm barely propping him up, the fall would’ve been far more brutal.
But things weren’t much better now. The black mist was relentlessly corroding his heart—this body… wasn’t going to survive.
The last chance to clear the instance was gone.
No. There was still one way.
And that was… to kill the final boss.
The System clutched his heart, tainted by the black mist, and turned to glare at the man towering above them. His eyes were dark with resolve.
Lan Xu understood this too. His figure materialized beside the System, his gaze equally grim as he stared up at the man looking down on them.
"Shall we merge?" Lan Xu asked, his voice low.
He had heard the System’s conversation with the five others and knew exactly what it intended.
Lan Xu hadn’t entered the instance in his true form. Now that the instance was locked down, his real body couldn’t break in—there was no way he could stand against the man who had merged with three bosses.
As long as the man hadn’t violated the rules of the Infinite Horror Game’s operating system, it would be nearly impossible for the System to interfere directly.
But Lan Xu was stronger than the NPCs, and as a player, he was the best chance the System had to slip past the rules.
He didn’t even need to ask—the answer was obvious. He almost felt foolish for voicing the question.
With three instance bosses sealing off the dungeon, no one could take the boy out now.
And they would never see him again.
No one could accept that. Not after meeting him.
In truth, they only had one choice.
Lan Xu’s form dissolved instantly, merging into the System. Abandoning the blackened, lifeless body, the System mustered every ounce of strength and launched himself at the man in midair.
Killing him outright was impossible—but if they could provoke him into collapsing the instance, the System might still find a way in.
And then… erase him.
Doing so would trigger the game system’s restrictions, reducing the System to nothing. But the man wouldn’t get what he wanted either.
A dungeon without its boss…
One day, someone would lead the boy out again, and he would once more become the Infinite Horror Game’s special player.
It would just mean starting over.
But the System had underestimated the man’s sheer terror.
Even merged with Lan Xu… they were no match for him.
It seemed the man had seen right through his intentions. His control over his own power was incredibly precise—every strike he unleashed would quickly dissipate or be withdrawn.
Not once did he cause any irreversible damage to the dungeon.
Even when the System actively tried to destroy the dungeon, the man would stop him.
Time passed little by little, and dawn was approaching.
The man was this dungeon’s "god." 'His' power wouldn’t be weakened or suppressed by daylight, but the system’s would.
Because whether it was him, those five individuals, or even Lan Xu—they were all vengeful ghosts now.
What couldn’t be accomplished at night would be even more impossible by day.
Not even this fragment of his avatar might survive until morning.
The System was unwilling, but there was nothing left to be done.
He had never imagined that dungeon bosses would merge together—just to keep Ruan Qing.
Several high-level dungeon bosses fused into one were practically invincible. Unless the game system itself ruled that Ruan Qing had cleared the dungeon, no one could take him away.
Not even 'him'.
Because if he forcibly intervened in the dungeon while Ruan Qing had failed to clear it, before he could either extract Ruan Qing or kill the man, he would immediately trigger a restriction—and everything would reset.
The sky was gradually brightening, and the System’s body was slowly dissipating. This wasn’t just because vengeful ghosts couldn’t appear during the day—it was also because his power was nearly exhausted, barely sustaining his spectral form.
In other words, his avatar was on the verge of being annihilated.
With one last desperate leap backward, the System vanished from the spot.
The man had been about to pursue him, but sensing something, he halted and disappeared as well.
***
[Mutation Level: 82.23%]
Ruan Qing abruptly returned to his own body—so suddenly that he was caught completely off guard, without the slightest understanding of why.
But there was no time to think. He immediately quickened his pace toward Ren Yanqing’s residence.
Ren Yanqing’s room was very likely to contain information about 'Him'.
His body was on the verge of collapse—there was absolutely no way he could hold out until the seventh day of the dungeon.
Ren Yanqing’s room was no different from the others. Ruan Qing headed straight for the bedroom and pulled open the drawer beside the bed.
Information about vengeful spirits was usually kept in the drawers, and Ren Yanqing’s was no exception.
The real challenge in this dungeon wasn’t finding the information—it was sneaking into the ghost’s room to search without getting caught.
Uncertain when 'Ruan Qing' would return, he quickly grabbed the documents from the drawer, skipped over the irrelevant details, and skimmed through the rest.
Graveyards, tombs, black mist… "God"…
Just as he was engrossed in reading, the papers were abruptly snatched from his hands. Then, a deep, magnetic voice sounded in front of him.
"So eager to know my name?"
