'Awake now.'
Wen Shichun replied to Yue Cheng.
As soon as the message was sent, the other side immediately fired back with an adorable cat GIF.
For a moment, even Wen Shichun—who had managed to keep his composure after being dragged into this alternate space—was at a loss for words.
This guy… really had a talent for killing any sense of horror in an instant.
And on top of that, it always felt like he could see right through Wen Shichun’s real emotions.
Wen Shichun stared at the rolling cat in the chatbox.
At the same time, his system spoke up in its usual rigid tone: [When entering a dungeon without familiar teammates, disabling chat functions is the optimal choice. It is advised not to trust unfamiliar players.]
The implication couldn’t be clearer.
Wen Shichun was slightly surprised by the system’s sudden warning.
He hadn’t expected his newbie system to be so diligent.
Maybe he should spend more time browsing the forums later—check out the experiences and strategies veterans had compiled. Otherwise, he’d be missing out on making the most of his resources.
After all, the system really wasn’t that bad.
The system, once again silenced by its host’s thoughts: […]
"Making the most of it," huh. Ha.
Wen Shichun’s gaze returned to the chatbox.
Yue Cheng.
Of course he knew Yue Cheng was suspicious. But the emotions and motives this guy displayed were so surface-level, it was practically an announcement of "I’m up to something." And so far, the other man hadn’t taken any real action—his true intentions buried beneath layers of obvious tells, forcing Wen Shichun to stay even more alert.
In a way, both Yue Cheng and He Yi were the same kind of people—unshakably confident.
But Yue Cheng… seemed different somehow.
On the screen, the cat kept rolling.
Due to the nature of his work, he had encountered plenty of morbid mission targets before. But in this game, the frequency of people with psychological issues was absurdly high.
Then again, it was probably hard to find anyone normal in a game like this.
Wen Shichun tapped on the panel, switching the page back to the District 10’s information exchange and discussion channel. After finding posts related to the districts, he began scrolling through them page by page.
His mind started filtering through the flood of information.
District 4—Fairy Tale District.
The district’s name came from the current ruler’s main card, the "Fairy Tale Card."
...
Wen Shichun skimmed through the objective descriptions of the District 4.
[Under the influence of the ruler’s main card, all District 4 players possess a surface-level deceptive charm, subtly impairing others’ judgment and lowering their guard.]
Mixed in with the factual summaries were some District 10 players’ blunt opinions on the District 4:
‘The District 4 is the most hypocritical of them all.’
‘Almost as bad as the District 7 folks.’
‘Did their district skill get upgraded again? Or did they unlock a new one? Just came out of a dungeon, and their buff interference was mind-numbing.’
‘No idea. Anyone wanna go scout it out?’
...
‘Ran into another District 4 player in a dungeon recently. Nearly got me killed—looked all sweet and innocent, then turned around and kicked me straight into a death trap.’
‘Bro, if you thought they were "sweet and innocent," that’s on you for not keeping your guard up.’
‘Next time you see someone from the District 4, max out your alert level.’
‘Don’t be fooled, don’t be fooled, don’t be fooled!’
...
District skills?
Amid the lengthy discussions, Wen Shichun latched onto something that seemed immediately useful.
Then he switched the page back to his own player panel.
On the panel, to the right of the character information, was that white card with the golden rose.
And this was what the players called the "Main Card"—the initial card generated when first entering the game, based on the player’s unique stats.
Wen Shichun’s gaze shifted back to the information on his left.
Game Alias: Shi (One rename right unused)
Rating: E+
Main Card Level: S-Class White Card
Affiliated District: District 10 (One transfer right unused)
District Skill: Not yet activated
...Why hasn’t it activated yet?
Looks like he couldn’t count on it in this instance.
But the rename and transfer rights were worth looking into.
If he could make it out of this instance, that is.
[Don’t be so pessimistic.]
This time, the system popped up on its own: [After your first instance ended, you never officially entered District 10. The relevant data couldn’t be retrieved, which is why the skill failed to activate.]
Listening to the system’s explanation, Wen Shichun acknowledged it silently.
The first instance?
Thinking of this, he pulled out the sapphire-blue brooch he had tucked away earlier, turning it over in his hand, lost in thought.
The blue sheen within the gemstone seemed to contain some kind of pure energy.
Was this something he obtained from that instance?
His head ached slightly when he tried to recall.
Just what had happened in that first instance?
Before boarding the train earlier, the system had even specifically "requested" that he remove this brooch.
...
“You still haven’t told me.”
Wen Shichun raised the brooch to eye level.
He examined it carefully.
Was it even useful?
“What exactly is this?”
As expected, the system fell silent for a moment after his question. Back on the platform, he’d already sensed the system’s dislike for this brooch.
But when the system finally replied:
[That is the mark of an agent.]
[A symbol of authority.]
...
Hearing this, the man leaning against the headboard paused for a second before quickly putting the brooch away, looking almost disgusted.
Once it was safely stored, Wen Shichun felt a little closer to the system.
A system that shared his instincts—that had to be a good system.
System: [...]
[Actually...]
“Go on.” Sensing the system’s hesitation, Wen Shichun spoke calmly. “This thing is useful, isn’t it?”
System: [Yes.]
[I told you to remove it earlier to avoid drawing unwanted attention.] Though you’ve already been noticed.
[Also, a serious incident occurred during your first game, which led to your temporary memory loss.]
[This is normal. Once this game ends, you can choose to return to the real world. At that time, you may try to recover the missing memories there.]
Everything the system said made sense—until the end. Wen Shichun frowned. “Recover memories… in the real world?”
Wasn’t it just the memories from that game he’d lost?
What did the real world have to do with it?
...Right. He still needed to investigate that photo.
However...
"You can't just tell me what happened?"
Wen Shichun grew even more puzzled.
Was he not even allowed to recount what happened in the previous instance?
The system was left momentarily speechless by the question.
It really couldn't say.
"Also, clearing this instance requires catching the killer," Wen Shichun said. Although the main quest progress bar had already reached three-fourths—which, considering the seven-day time limit, should be considered fairly fast—this task had almost nothing to do with actually clearing the instance.
Even if they fully reconstructed the case to 100%, it would be useless if they couldn't catch that thing.
This kind of gameplay felt somewhat illogical.
And then there were his teammates...
If everyone had the same goal, it wouldn’t be a problem.
But ever since learning about the existence of "turning into a ghost," ...he couldn’t help but suspect that everyone around him was a ghost.
At that thought, the person on the bed shivered slightly.
No, he had to get out of this instance as soon as possible.
Wen Shichun's gaze swept across the bedroom. The light seeping through the gaps in the curtains was growing brighter.
"Catching the killer... what exactly counts as catching them?"
The murmur lacked his usual cool detachment.
It sounded even more pleasant than usual.
Unexpectedly, he received an immediate reply.
[Kill him.]
The system's icy voice rang in Wen Shichun's mind.
Wen Shichun: "..."
So it had to be that violent, huh.
But he couldn’t help agreeing with the system’s suggestion.
Once again, the host and the system were on the same page.
However...
“But it’s a ghost.”
At this thought, Wen Shichun felt a little disheartened.
Could it even be killed?
Though it seemed possible to harm it inside the alternate dimension.
The system: [...]
Watching its host lost in thought, the system felt a fleeting impulse—should it remind him that this was, in fact, just a detective-themed dungeon? Even if it had been tampered with, that thing that had scared the host so badly his hair flattened… really wasn’t a ghost.
The host had already gathered enough clues to solve the case.
If only he could correct his misconception about the ghost, he’d be one step closer to clearing the dungeon.
But the host… was just too terrified.
Even though he appeared calm and composed after waking from the alternate dimension, the system’s readings showed his fear levels hadn’t dropped at all.
What kind of bizarre mental fortitude was this?
The system furrowed its nonexistent brows.
Remaining in a state of extreme fear while still thinking and acting as if nothing was wrong… That couldn’t be healthy.
...
When Wen Shichun raised his eyes, he had no idea what his system had been going through in its own mind.
He got up and walked to the window. After pulling back the curtains, he could see the snow outside had piled up to a fifth of the iron gate’s height.
The light reflecting off the snow was harsh. As he looked away, his gaze fell on the closed bedroom door.
Maybe he could test whether it was possible to hurt that thing in the normal dimension.
But during the day… how was he supposed to find it?
He couldn’t just keep waiting for it to show up and scare him.
[Don’t worry. If real danger comes up, I’ll activate the brooch’s function for you.]
The system assured its host.
The key point was—it needed the host to leave this dungeon as soon as possible.
[Go ahead… if you must.]
Wen Shichun nodded, then added a reminder: "Better not use it."
Something of unknown origin like this.
[Understood.]
The system’s voice seemed to carry a faint trace of amusement.
***
When Wen Shichun opened his room door, he immediately saw Yue Cheng across the hallway, who had stepped out at the same time.
"Brother, where are you going?"
"..."
Hearing that voice, he suddenly felt like retreating back into his room.
As Yue Cheng spoke, He Yi from the next room also opened his door and stepped into the hallway.
Now, under the simultaneous gaze of two unidentified dangerous creatures in the corridor, Wen Shichun could barely restrain himself—even his teammates were starting to look like viable targets for a smash.
"Xiao Shi, did you sleep well last night?" He Yi asked, narrowing his eyes at Wen Shichun.
But he didn’t wait for an answer.
"Xiao E, you’re awake!" From the other side, Chang Zhao also emerged upon hearing the noise.
Within less than a minute, Xun Yi and Shen Jing had also taken their places in the hallway.
For a moment, everyone stood at their respective doors, the long corridor dead silent—the atmosphere slightly eerie.
Wen Shichun figured they were probably just as uncertain about whether any of their teammates had turned into ghosts overnight. Just like how he was deeply concerned that all five remaining teammates might suddenly transform at any second.
Though, all of them looked like they hadn’t slept a wink.
Chang Zhao’s dark under-eye circles were especially pronounced.
This observation sent a chill down Wen Shichun’s spine, and he immediately decided to keep his distance from Chang Zhao.
Sensing Xiao E’s coldness, Chang Zhao felt a little hurt.
"The main quest progress has reached 75%." Xun Yi broke the silence, his gaze sweeping over his teammates in the hallway. "Did any of you do something?"
He hadn’t slept all night, and the second floor had been eerily quiet. He was certain no one had left their rooms.
Xun Yi’s eyes finally settled on Wen Shichun. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the progress change was related to this E-rank player.
"I didn’t do anything," He Yi was the first to speak, also staring at Wen Shichun with interest.
The other players chimed in one by one, each claiming they hadn’t encountered anything all night. Eventually, all eyes turned to Wen Shichun.
Wen Shichun: "..."
He wasn’t planning to hide anything.
Even if all his teammates were ghosts right now.
At the very least, they still thought they were human, didn’t they?
"The killer and Lin Zhe met online. After their relationship grew close, the killer lured him here," Wen Shichun said flatly, his gaze shifting across the hallway.
The forums had clearly stated that after clearing a dungeon, players not only had a chance to obtain new skill cards but were also highly likely to receive reward items.
As high-rank players who had cleared countless dungeons, they should have plenty of tools and cards to aid their progress.
So why, since entering this dungeon, had he yet to see any substantial help from his teammates in clearing it?
How could he not suspect they weren’t actually alive?
"Xiao Shi, how do you always manage to find clues?" He Yi asked with a smile.
When Wen Shichun looked at him, he noticed the man’s smile hadn’t changed in the slightest.
Shen Jing, on the other hand, seemed a little embarrassed. She hadn’t expected the main quest’s high completion rate to be entirely thanks to an E-rank player.
"How… did you gather these clues?" she asked Wen Shichun in a tone of genuine curiosity, eager to learn.
But after hearing about the alternate dimension he mentioned, a look of refusal flashed across her face, followed by something almost pitying as she glanced at the team’s only little E-rank.
Wen Shichun’s expression didn’t change. Of course, no normal person would want that kind of experience.
"Thanks for your hard work, Brother," Yue Cheng said sympathetically.
The tone was half-serious, half-joking.
Xun Yi seemed to be deep in thought, and neither he nor Chang Zhao spoke.
"Brother, where were you trying to go earlier?" Yue Cheng returned to the initial question, his tone encouraging the other to answer.
Wen Shichun glanced at him before replying, "Open the room at the end of the corridor."
