***
Bonus chapter! Thank you to JustSomeOne for the donation! ^^
***
Ruan Qing was startled by the sudden appearance of the man, instinctively taking two steps back as he looked up.
The man standing before him was a stranger—unfathomably handsome, as if meticulously carved by the gods, with sharp features and an aura of detached elegance.
Had they met anywhere but this horror-filled dungeon, he might have seemed like nothing more than a refined, extraordinary man.
But this was a high-level horror dungeon, and the man’s words had already revealed his identity.
He was the dungeon’s 'Him'.
Ruan Qing’s face paled as he retreated further, his fingers tightening around the dagger Lan Xu had given him earlier.
The man seemed unbothered by Ruan Qing’s wariness. His gaze lingered on Ruan Qing’s fair face as he chuckled softly.
"If you wanted to know my name, you could’ve just asked."
"Feng Ye." The man gave an elegant bow before taking Ruan Qing’s hand—his grip unyielding—and pressing a light kiss to it. "My name is Feng Ye."
"And it will stay with you for the rest of your life."
"No." He immediately corrected himself, lifting his eyes to meet Ruan Qing’s, his gaze brimming with delight. "For all eternity."
This time, no one would interfere.
The boy truly belonged to him now.
Excitement, barely restrained, burned in the man’s eyes—a stark contrast to Ruan Qing’s panicked, helpless expression.
Ruan Qing’s delicate face was etched with fragility and despair, his skin so pale it seemed almost translucent.
If there was any dungeon Ruan Qing least wanted to die in, it was one infested with vengeful spirits.
A man who appeared this refined and gentlemanly on the surface was, in truth, far more terrifying.
And a "god" presiding over a dungeon of vengeful ghosts? That was no human at all.
But now, the choice was no longer his to make.
The sheer dominance in the man’s gaze told Ruan Qing everything—he was already the final victor.
Ruan Qing pressed his lips together, trembling as he prepared to speak—
—when suddenly, the man’s expression darkened. His head snapped toward the window, his eyes radiating a horrifying, murderous aura.
At the same moment, Ruan Qing felt it too. His gaze flicked to the floor-to-ceiling windows nearby—
—and his eyes widened in shock.
Snow.
Outside the window... it began to snow.
Countless snowflakes swirled and fell, pure and untouched by dust.
The man's expression had been dark and sinister—how dare someone wield power so brazenly within his dungeon?
It was nothing short of a provocation.
Though he knew such reckless use of power would only lead to the intruder's demise, the man would not tolerate such defiance. His fingers twitched, ready to shatter this unnatural scene and erase the offender from existence.
But then he paused.
Because he noticed the change in the boy beside him.
Ren Yanqing’s room was on the first floor, opening directly into the central garden of the complex.
After a moment of stunned silence, Ruan Qing stepped outside, drawn into the snow-covered courtyard.
Dawn was approaching. A pale light stretched across the horizon, piercing the gloom and illuminating the entire neighborhood.
At some point, the complex had been blanketed in snow—a vast, unbroken white, rendering the world pristine.
Snowflakes drifted like willow catkins, silent and weightless, burying all traces of sin and filth beneath a flawless veil.
The world was utterly still.
In this moment, there was no horror game, no danger, no death—only the quiet, endless fall of snow.
Peaceful. Serene. Untouched by corruption.
And as Ruan Qing walked deeper into the garden, something extraordinary happened.
Green shoots pushed through the snow. Life stirred.
In the blink of an eye, the barren ground erupted in color—vibrant flowers blooming in profusion. Vines snaked up the buildings, weaving a tapestry of blossoms in every shade imaginable.
Pink, yellow, green, blue... a breathtaking mosaic, as fleeting and dreamlike as a mirage.
Yet if one looked closely, they would notice something peculiar.
Amidst the riot of hues, two colors were conspicuously absent: black and red.
As if the flowers themselves knew the boy’s aversion to them—rejecting even the most common crimson blooms.
The air filled with fragrance, sweet and intoxicating. Butterflies flitted between petals, completing the surreal portrait of beauty.
And all the while, the snow continued to fall—gentle, relentless—framing the blossoms in a scene too exquisite for words.
It was a surreal fusion of winter and spring—two seasons that should never coexist, yet here they were, blending together in eerie harmony.
At this moment, the residential complex looked breathtakingly beautiful, like something out of a fairy tale.
The central garden, enclosed by ten towering buildings, rarely let wind through. But now, a soft breeze occasionally swept in, tilting the falling snowflakes and brushing icy coolness against the skin—as if it could soothe every unsettled emotion.
Ruan Qing felt the cold touch on his face and assumed it was snow. He reached up absentmindedly, then froze.
It wasn’t snow.
It was a tear.
He… was crying?
Strange. Why was he crying?
His heart pounded harder than usual, and tears kept falling uncontrollably. His nose tingled with a sour ache, and his throat tightened uncomfortably, as if blocked.
He cried often—but only as a calculated tactic. He had long mastered the skill of summoning tears at will.
And he had long forgotten what it felt like to cry for real.
Ruan Qing stared blankly at his damp fingertips.
So… crying could feel this joyful?
The snow-blanketed world was stunningly beautiful, and utterly silent.
So silent that he could hear the whisper of the wind, the rhythm of his own breathing—even the faint sound of snow settling.
Slowly, he walked to the flowerbed and scooped up a handful of pristine white snow.
The cold had tinted each of his fingers a delicate pink. Against his palm, the snow looked especially striking.
Ruan Qing lowered his gaze, watching the snow in his hand—then his beautiful eyes widened slightly as the sensation registered.
Cold.
So cold.
Colder than his own body temperature, as if it could pierce straight to his heart.
Yet this chill was nothing like the bone-deep dread of being haunted by vengeful ghosts. Instead, it made his heartbeat quicken.
He had always loved this kind of natural ice, just as he loved snow.
This was his first winter, his first time seeing real snow.
Ruan Qing lowered his gaze to the snow melting in his palm, allowing it to dissolve—just as he allowed his emotions to spiral beyond control.
The man had stopped the moment he noticed Ruan Qing's unusual state.
...Was he happy?
Frowning at the snowy landscape, the man considered: Did he truly enjoy such a scene?
In the end, the man did nothing, letting the other reshape his dungeon into something it was never meant to be.
This was a sight he could never create—his power was inherently corrosive and destructive, incapable of crafting a world brimming with life. If the boy wished to see snow again, he could only construct an illusion so perfect it would be indistinguishable from reality.
And after today, the boy's body would complete its transformation, forever losing the capacity for genuine human sensation.
No longer able to smell real flowers. No longer able to truly feel the snow's chill.
...He would indulge him this one last time.
The man's fingers twitched, tracing an eerie sigil in the air that instantly merged with Ruan Qing's body.
As the strange symbol disappeared into him, the mutation progress bar displayed beside the live stream froze abruptly, as if glitching.
[Mutation Progress: 98.33%]
In the shadows of a nearby corner, a translucent figure stood motionless against the wall.
The System watched silently as the young man stood amidst the falling snow, his own power surging recklessly.
With each passing moment, his silhouette grew fainter, his edges dissolving into near-invisibility.
This was likely the last thing he could do for him.
After today, he would never be able to enter this dungeon again—and Ruan Qing would never be able to leave.
No one could kill 'Him', a dungeon boss born from the fusion of three entities. No one would ever rescue Ruan Qing from this dungeon.
Unless a miracle occurred.
Unless another dungeon boss chose to merge, creating an even more formidable existence.
But most dungeon bosses slumbered eternally, with only a rare few awake. And given 'His' inherent arrogance, the chances of voluntary fusion were vanishingly slim.
To call it a miracle was nothing more than wishful thinking—a futile hope with odds approaching zero.
In the end, the system withdrew its gaze. Leaning against the wall, it stared at the sky, its deep eyes unreadable.
***
The snow seemed to have fallen all night, blanketing the ground in a thick layer that completely obscured the road.
After the snow melted in his palm, Ruan Qing rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing wrists as pale as jade, then began gathering the snow together.
He built a snowman.
Perhaps it was his first attempt—his grip wasn’t quite right, and the result was rather lopsided. Loose clumps of snow kept crumbling away.
Ugly and incomplete. Even a child could’ve done better.
Yet as he looked at the misshapen snowman, the corners of his eyes softened slightly, and a faint smile appeared.
It was a subtle expression, but unlike his usual practiced smiles, this one was genuine—pure and unguarded. His exquisite face seemed utterly harmless, like a scene from a masterpiece.
Starlight shimmered in his eyes, as if reflecting a joy he’d never known before.
The sun finally rose. The blizzard ceased, and even the vines crawling up the buildings withered, dissolving into the air.
All that remained was the snow on the ground, the unspoiled flowers in the planters, and Ruan Qing’s lumpy snowman.
But none of it would last.
Without sustaining power, the out-of-season blooms would soon fade, and the snow would melt away.
Sunlight filtered through the branches, illuminating the snowman’s crooked form. It almost seemed to gaze toward the light—like salvation emerging from the abyss.
Unaware that the very rays sealing its fate would only hasten its end.
Just like the snowscape moments ago: beautiful, ethereal, and utterly fleeting.
The man had no interest in winter scenery. The moment the oppressive energy faded, he knew the other could no longer hold on. He withdrew the power he’d channeled into the boy’s body—along with the fragment of his soul that had shielded him from the corrupting influence of Yin energy.
At first, the boy’s body had been too frail to endure direct transformation. But now, his protection was no longer necessary.
When Ruan Qing felt the vanishing presence—both the force suppressing his mutation and that strange, lingering power—he turned to the striking man beside him and murmured softly,
"Feng Ye."
[Mutation Level: 99.67%]
"Hmm?"
[Mutation Level: 99.86%]
"Enjoying the view?"
[Mutation Level: 99.91%]
The man's gaze never wavered from Ruan Qing. His eyes locked onto Ruan Qing's as he murmured in a low voice, "Beautiful."
Ruan Qing let out a soft laugh but said nothing more.
[Submit answer.]
[Mutation Level: 99.98%]
[Feng Ye.]
[Mutation Level: 99.99%]
The moment Ruan Qing submitted his answer, his consciousness left his body and entered the mirror world - while another soul took possession of his physical form.
The man's eyes widened in shock as he whirled toward Ruan Qing's body.
The aura... had changed.
Without hesitation, he moved to kill the soul now inhabiting that body. But it was already... too late.
[Congratulations to player... player... player Ruan Qing for clearing the dungeon <Haunted Building>.]
[Congratulations to player Wang Qian for clearing the dungeon <Haunted Building>.]
The System had long since exhausted all his power. It had heard Ruan Qing submit his answer, but submission should have been useless - no player possessed by a vengeful ghost could ever be judged as successfully clearing a dungeon by the Infinite Horror Game's operating system.
Just as the System awaited his dissipation, the cold, mechanical voice of the operating system suddenly rang out with the announcement.
Cl-cleared?
Though the announcement stuttered, there was no mistaking those words: "Congratulations to player Ruan Qing for clearing the dungeon."
The System's heart pounded violently, as if he had been granted new life.
Though he couldn't comprehend what had just happened, it seemed the boy had emerged victorious once again.
The System closed his eyes and without hesitation mobilized all its power—the kind of overwhelming force that only the Game's Main System should possess—to forcibly extract Ruan Qing from the dungeon.
During the extraction, the System sensed a resisting force.
The corner of his mouth curled slightly.
Hah. Overestimating yourself.
Within the rules of the Infinite Horror Game's operating system, it was the absolute executor.
But in the very next second, the System's expression darkened.
Because that force wasn’t trying to stop him at all—it was trying to forcibly merge with him.
The whole dramatic resistance had just been a ploy to catch him off guard.
Damn it!
Even someone as composed as the System couldn’t help but want to swear.
He should have known. These three bosses, capable of merging into one, would never reject fusion—nor would they care who they fused with.
Now that they couldn’t keep their prey, they’d turned their sights on merging with him instead.
While absorbing a dungeon boss would make him stronger, the System was inexplicably pissed off. He immediately tried to withdraw his power.
But their power sources were fundamentally the same. And thanks to the ambush, it was already too late to pull back.
There was no stopping the fusion now.
(≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)
ReplyDeleteThey are solving the problem with the harem ending lmao
ReplyDeleteMay the kind system be the prevalent one
Thank you for all those bonus chapters!!