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Bonus chapter! Thank you to --- for the donation! ^^
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Morning of the second day in the dungeon.
The players had been lost in the woods for a long time, and many were growing restless. They had only brought enough dry rations for a day or two, and even if they rationed carefully, their supplies would last no more than two days.
But in these woods, aside from countless worms, there was no food to be found—not even any living creatures.
It was as if this place belonged entirely to the worms.
Even more terrifying, no matter how careful they were, two or three players had already fallen victim.
This time, no one dared to hold onto any illusions.
Because one of the infected players was in an extremely dire state. His skin pulsed unnaturally at times, and it was even possible to see something squirming beneath the surface.
And not just in one place.
It seemed there was more than just one worm inside him.
The other players felt their hair stand on end just from watching the dense, wriggling movements under his skin.
The infected player was already delirious, drenched in sweat, his face twisted in agony.
The others had long since distanced themselves from him, but they hadn’t abandoned him outright. Instead, they stood at a wary distance, watching him with tense caution.
By now, the infected player couldn’t even stand. He writhed on the ground, clawing desperately at his own stomach.
His nails dug so deep that bloody scratches covered his abdomen, flecks of his own flesh lodged beneath his fingernails—clearly, he was suffering unbearable torment.
The pulsing beneath his skin grew more violent, something writhing densely inside.
There was no need to guess what it was.
In just a few short hours, a single worm that had burrowed inside had multiplied into countless others—a horrifying realization.
The undulations under his skin became more pronounced, until even the flesh itself seemed to inflate like a balloon.
Then, with a soft pop, the player burst apart. The sight nearly shattered the sanity of the remaining players.
After the explosion of flesh, the gruesome scene revealed countless squirming worms amidst the scattered chunks of meat and splattered blood.
The player’s internal organs had long been gnawed into ruin, even his skin and muscle partially devoured. Now, an uncountable swarm of worms wriggled through the gore, a sight so revolting it made their scalps crawl.
"Guh—vomit!"
One player retched on the spot. Even Mu Ye’an and Fang Qingyuan’s expressions had turned grim.
The livestream chat had already exploded, with dense waves of comments flooding the screen, completely obscuring the grotesque and horrifying scene.
[Streamer, I thank your ancestors eighteen generations back—was this close-up really necessary?! AHHH, MY EYES!]
[I’m about to puke last night’s dinner. I knew it’d be disgusting, but not this disgusting. Gag.]
[No no no, what about our wife?! Wife was force-fed a worm too—will he end up like this? Please no!]
[Probably not. Judging by that bastard’s attitude, he doesn’t seem like he wants to kill the streamer. More like he wants to fuck him. But if there is a worm inside his body, the system might flag it as carrying dungeon items… which means he might not be able to leave.]
The worm that had burrowed into that player earlier was tiny, but the ones now squirming over the corpse fragments had grown significantly, as if nourished by some premium feast.
But it still wasn’t enough.
Soon, the corpse was completely devoured. With no food left, the worms grew restless and began searching for their next meal.
Logically, such small worms shouldn’t possess intelligence or sharp vision—yet they unerringly targeted the nearby players. A seething mass of worms began crawling toward them.
Their speed wasn’t slow, nearly matching an average person’s running pace.
The players’ faces turned ghostly pale. Without hesitation, they bolted in the opposite direction.
They’d already learned the hard way: these worms feared fire and some physical attacks, but not death.
Even if cut in half, they wouldn’t die immediately. Once inside a human body, they’d reproduce and gnaw through organs just the same.
The players sprinted at full speed, leaving the worms far behind. Only when the wriggling horde was completely out of sight did they dare to stop, gasping for breath.
One bespectacled player crouched, wiping his glasses with trembling hands before putting them back on. "What kind of hell is this place? Why are there so many damn worms?"
The others weren’t faring much better—sweaty, disheveled, and struggling to steady their breathing.
A short-haired girl swallowed hard, her face pale as she glanced at the group. "We’re running low on water. If we don’t find the entrance to Miao Village soon…"
She didn’t finish, but everyone understood.
They’d start turning on each other for survival.
Without food, they could endure. Without water? Impossible. In dire straits, thinning the herd becomes the only option.
No—perhaps they wouldn’t even get the chance to turn on each other.
The players cautiously glanced at Mu Ye’an and Fang Qingyuan, who stood nearby without a trace of disarray, their eyes filled with dread and lingering fear.
With these two here, they would be slaughtered outright—without even knowing how they died.
Just like the first player who had been infested by the worms, and all the others after him.
Anyone infected would be mercilessly killed by these two. The only reason they had spared that last victim until now was to observe what would happen after the parasitic infestation took hold.
Mu Ye’an and Fang Qingyuan were nothing like the other players. Neither showed the slightest sign of distress, still appearing exactly as they had when they first entered the instance—as if the earlier horrors hadn’t fazed them at all.
Fang Qingyuan was still typing on his phone, though his entire aura grew increasingly oppressive, radiating danger.
Mu Ye’an frowned. “Still no reply?”
“No.” Fang Qingyuan shook his head.
Since last night, the so-called “village chief’s son” had gone completely silent—no answer to calls, no response to messages.
Even if he went to bed early, it was unlikely he’d have been asleep by seven.
Fang Qingyuan tightened his grip on the phone, an inexplicable irritation gnawing at him, his mind restless.
And there was something else—that voice. He was sure he’d heard it somewhere before.
Cool, melodious, hauntingly hypnotic—the kind of voice that could ensnare a person’s soul with just a few words.
At first, he’d wondered if it belonged to some kind of bewitching supernatural entity. But based on their previous calls and the clues they’d gathered, the other party seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary NPC.
A vulnerable one, at that—the type who might easily be bullied.
If this wasn’t some hidden boss, then it was unlikely they’d possess such an ability. Most likely, their voice was just naturally captivating.
Then, suddenly, it hit him.
Fang Qingyuan’s eyes widened, and he shot to his feet.
He remembered now.
That voice—he’d heard it before.
In the <First High School> dungeon.
It was the voice of Su Qing, the school bully.
Mu Ye’an frowned at Fang Qingyuan’s abrupt movement. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” Fang Qingyuan paused, masking the flicker in his gaze.
He had no intention of sharing his suspicions with Mu Ye’an.
Mu Ye'an was no fool, but he wasn't particularly interested in Fang Qingyuan's affairs. Their relationship was purely that of temporary teammates.
Even before learning the other's identity, Fang Qingyuan had been somewhat agitated. Now that he knew, his restlessness only grew worse.
Just as he was about to make an excuse to leave the group, a man's voice rang out from nearby.
"Hello, could you tell me how to get to Miao Village?"
The players' eyes widened at the sound, and they immediately turned to look at the man.
He had a bright, handsome face, dressed in a casual black windbreaker with a compact backpack. A walking stick served as his makeshift trekking pole, giving the impression of a tourist on vacation.
Noticing their stares, the man smiled politely. "I got lost here. Do any of you know the way to Miao Village?"
In an infinite horror dungeon, any NPC could be dangerous—let alone a man who suddenly appeared deep in the woods.
"I'm actually heading there for a blind date," the man added, seemingly unbothered by their wariness. He scratched his head sheepishly. "But I've been wandering these woods for a whole day without finding the village."
A blind date? The players instinctively glanced at Mu Ye'an and Fang Qingyuan.
Fang Qingyuan's eyes narrowed briefly before he responded with a gentle tone, "Can you contact your match?"
The question seemed to catch the man off guard. He paused, then shook his head. "No, I haven't."
He explained slowly, "This arrangement was set up by my parents. I never agreed to it. I’m only going to politely decline in person."
"Understandable," Fang Qingyuan replied with a knowing smile. "It's the modern era—no one should be forced into arranged meetings."
After a thoughtful pause, he continued, "How about this? We’re also heading to Miao Village. Once we arrive, we can explain the situation on your behalf. That way, you won’t even need to go."
The man visibly wavered, his handsome face flickering with hesitation. "...Wouldn’t that be rude?"
"Not at all," Fang Qingyuan reassured him warmly. "If the goal is to communicate your stance, avoiding the meeting is actually cleaner."
He added playfully, "Besides, with looks like yours, what if they take one glance and refuse to let you go? Then you’d really be in trouble."
Convinced, the man gave Fang Qingyuan a grateful look. "Then... I’ll trouble you with this."
The man took the initiative to explain his situation. "My name is Huo Chen'an. I was told my blind date was Miao Qing, the village chief's only daughter. She lives on the west side of Miao Village, with only an elderly mother—the village chief herself."
The players watched as the man relayed this information to Fang Qingyuan before his figure vanished into the woods.
Clearly, this man named Huo Chen'an had chosen to abandon his entry into Miao Village.
The players found it strange. The man had mentioned his blind date was the village chief's daughter, yet the voice on the phone had unmistakably belonged to a young man.
And who schedules multiple blind dates at the exact same time anyway?
Just as the players were lost in thought, the short-haired woman suddenly widened her eyes and pointed excitedly into the distance. "Is that someone over there?"
The morning woods were thick with mist due to the low temperature, but they could still clearly make out several figures dressed in coarse linen clothes, carrying hoes over their shoulders, walking slowly toward a certain direction.
They definitely didn’t look like tourists—they were most likely villagers from Miao Village.
The players grew excited. One of them immediately ran over. "Wait! Please wait!"
The villagers didn’t stop, so the player dashed ahead to intercept them.
"Hello, we’re here for a blind date. Could you tell us how to get to Miao Village?"
The villagers had initially ignored them, but at the mention of a blind date, they halted. Their expressions instantly turned eerie. "Here... for a blind date?"
The player’s hair stood on end, and he instantly regretted approaching so recklessly. But the villagers were staring at him unblinkingly, forcing him to stiffen and stand his ground.
Yet no matter how many times he opened his mouth, no sound came out. The villagers’ gaze was like that of men looking at a corpse—so terrifying it made his legs weak with fear.
By then, the others had caught up. Fang Qingyuan stepped forward and spoke in a refined tone, "Yes, we’re here to meet the village chief’s son for a blind date."
The villagers gave Fang Qingyuan a cold glance before brushing past them. As they walked away, they uttered indifferently, "No need."
"He’s getting married tomorrow."
