"Phew, this inspection work is exhausting."
Shen Jian let out a long breath.
After his thorough and professional inspection, Miss Mary met all requirements.
She was officially recruited.
The Yama Hall now had enough staff to keep it running.
Sadako took charge of the reception desk.
Miss Mary was in charge of guiding incoming ghosts.
He also carried two ghosts with him at all times, constantly generating Yin Energy.
It was perfect.
He planned to repeat this process several more times.
With the obedient Miss Mary following him, he left the room.
Behind them, another crimson-clad girl sat stiffly on the bed, lost in thought.
Was something wrong with her… or was something wrong with this "boss"?
He'd rather train a female ghost than touch her once?
"Damn it. Sure, my figure isn't great, my face isn't charming enough, my chest isn't big, my legs aren't long, and my skin isn't pale and glowing… but I'm human!"
Room 404 was filled with sorrow.
She had survived.
She had lived through this deadly one-star dungeon.
But why…
Why did she feel as if she would've been better off dead?
Warning! Warning! Red-level alert!
The Rebirth Manor dungeon is undergoing catastrophic collapse! All special guests have been lost. Players will now be forcibly transferred.
Please check out within ten minutes to settle your dungeon rewards.
The Rebirth Manor dungeon will soon shut down!
Warning once again!
Just as Shen Jian descended to the second floor, he froze.
What was going on?
Why was the dungeon shutting down just like that?
He had just completed his plan to assemble a reinforced unit.
From four different rooms, four panicked players rushed out.
Dungeon collapse.
They had never even heard of such a thing before.
But with warnings painted so vividly red across the game panel, staying behind would clearly mean disaster.
One by one, they scrambled downstairs.
At the front desk, they found the receptionist.
The receptionist was still the slit-mouthed woman.
Her hollow sockets, her eyes gouged out, still held that eerie allure.
She pulled her lips into a chilling smile.
"The Rebirth Manor dungeon has suffered unknown damage and is under emergency repairs. It will not reopen in the short term. We ask for your underst—"
Her words cut off abruptly.
As though she had just seen something terrifying.
"You… why are you still here?"
The players turned to look.
Shen Jian was coming down from the second floor.
His expression was weary.
He had searched every room but hadn't found a single ghost.
So upon seeing the receptionist, it felt like reuniting with a long-lost family member.
He strode toward her.
His shadow stretched unnaturally long, unlike any normal human's.
Trailing behind him was Sadako, hair hanging over her face, pitiful and reluctant, her long black hair twined around Shen Jian's fingers as though she were being led on a leash.
Behind her, Miss Mary followed, already showing early signs of training. She strode with long legs in black heels, her veiled face faintly flushed, disturbingly alluring.
The receptionist was dumbfounded.
These… weren't they the dungeon's special guests?
No wonder the dungeon had lost its uniqueness and collapsed the moment they left their rooms.
So the collapse's source was standing right here.
The receptionist seemed to understand.
She wanted to assert her authority.
To intimidate this human.
To show the power of Rebirth Manor.
"Guest, could you please… let them go back?"
Shen Jian raised an eyebrow.
"Ghosts I've tamed can't be taken out?"
Her tone weakened. "But those two behind you…"
"I've tamed them."
Shen Jian answered plainly.
Behind him, Sadako stirred.
Her hair coiled tightly around his wrist, dripping with grievance.
Miss Mary tilted her head, imitating her.
Her long legs hooked lightly around Shen Jian.
Receptionist: …
"You see?"
Shen Jian leaned in closer as he spoke.
Warning: Attacking dungeon staff will result in permanent removal from the game.
Shen Jian: …
This damned horror game was really asking for a beating.
He had no choice but to withdraw his hand.
He left behind a room card for Room 101.
Originally, he'd planned to abduct this slit-mouthed woman.
After all, she was experienced — perfect for running the front desk.
She could even help teach Sadako the ropes.
The receptionist grew even more terrified.
Under his oppressive presence, she could only obediently process his checkout.
The crimson panel lit up with text:
This game has ended.
Congratulations on completing the Rebirth Manor dungeon.
Evaluation: S.
Reward: Ghost Die.
Experience gained: 500%.
Note: You have leveled up to Level 5.
Reward: 300 Horror Coins.
Note: Can be used in the horror world.
Special Reward: Rebirth Manor Inheritance Rights (1/2).
Note: Achieve an S-rank evaluation twice to inherit ownership of this dungeon property.
"Property in the horror world?"
Shen Jian blinked.
He hadn't seen that one coming.
Could it be that this horror world, like the Underworld itself, had become its own independent realm?
A complete, functioning world?
He pondered the thought.
Just before teleporting out, he turned to look back at Rebirth Manor.
The slit-mouthed woman crept outside the manor's entrance, planting a sign into the ground.
She glared at him viciously as if blaming him.
The sign read:
"Dogs and the player [The True Yama King] are forbidden from entering."
Shen Jian: "???"
When he opened his eyes again
He was back in the real world.
Immediately, Shen Jian opened the special reward panel.
He wanted to reopen Rebirth Manor.
Have a little chat with the slit-mouthed woman about her future.
Attention players: Due to scumbag-related deception, the dungeon 'Rebirth Manor' is under urgent maintenance. This dungeon will remain closed until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Shen Jian: …
He turned to check the rest of his interface.
Player: The True Yama King
Level: 5
Identity: Yama King
Abilities: Divine Ghostly Pressure, Nether Ghost Qi
Strength: 25 (average human maximum: 10)
Speed: 25
Yin Energy: 120
Horror Coins: 300
Items: Ghost Die
For Shen Jian, it had been a busy but very rewarding day.
All his attributes had improved greatly.
The more he looked, the more satisfied he became.
Especially when he noticed the four ghosts now present in his room — his sense of fulfillment grew.
His shadow stretched long, black and thick…
A pair of old black cloth shoes emerged on the floor, a blurry silhouette forming.
Sadako stood by the bed, hair hanging low, her pale feet hidden beneath her long white dress.
Miss Mary, flushed in a sickly red, her eyes half-hidden by a black veil, fixed her stare on Shen Jian as her sharp teeth ground together in feverish anticipation.
Shen Jian smiled faintly.
From today, the Underworld was officially operational again.
The long-lost Netherworld would return.
"Netherworld."
He whispered the word.
The rented apartment suddenly drained of all color.
Everything turned ashen gray.
A dark brown road revealed itself, stretching into the distance.
The Netherworld's Gate.
A pathway to the Underworld.
A passage through which a living human could enter the realm of the dead.
Shen Jian rose to his feet and stepped onto the Netherworld Road.
He followed the path, crossing into the Underworld.
In a daze,
He found himself in a vast, desolate land.
Dim and shrouded in gloom.
Ghostly mists coiled endlessly.
The ground was dark brown and ominous. With each step, his feet crunched down on brittle bones, the snapping echoing through the silence.
It was barren, abandoned for who knew how long.
At the end of the path,
A great hall slowly came into view.
The ghostly mists parted, revealing four looming characters:
Yama Hall.
(End of Chapter 6)
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