Was this right?
Something didn't feel right to Zhu Yan.
He still remembered that when he first got a day off, he'd thought zero people would choose to enter a dungeon.
But now he realized that he didn't seem destined for a long break.
He was on the verge of dying or mutating.
Under the circumstances, it would have been worrying if [Merry Happy Land] hadn't given him a dungeon to enter.
"Dungeon clearance reward: 50,000 yuan."
Whoa, that was 10,000 more than last time.
Why?
Was it because of the dungeon's difficulty, or because his method of clearing it had been "brilliant"?
"Forty thousand yuan is the base reward, and 10,000 yuan is a reward for your creativity."
All right, so it was the latter.
"You may choose to receive it in human currency or [Merry Happy Land] currency."
As soon as the voice fell silent, two lines of red text appeared before Zhu Yan's eyes.
After some thought, Zhu Yan chose to stare at the [Merry Happy Land] currency.
He remembered that the mall housing the [Hall of Mourning] had been completely surrounded by the police, and a little boy had been eaten by a Pseudo-human.
He probably wouldn't be able to go to the [Hall of Mourning] to exchange currency for quite some time.
Besides, [Merry Happy Land] had hinted that the current exchange rate wasn't high.
If the exchange rate went up by the time the [Hall of Mourning] reopened, he'd lose out badly.
"Very well," the pleasant female voice said. "Five hundred Bone Coins have been deposited into your account. I'll continue announcing your remaining rewards."
"Player level: Lv.3. Still low, but respectable enough in the current world."
"[Roleplay] ability level: Lv.5. Clear two closed-beta dungeons to level up. You can enter the [Player Center] to check the changes."
Right.
Zhu Yan had almost forgotten that [Roleplay] required three closed-beta dungeons to go from level five to level six.
"[Complaining] ability level: Lv.5. To go from level five to level six, you need to clear three closed-beta dungeons."
"If you'd activated this ability when you were joking with the Voodoo Doll just now, your rating might have been a little higher."
If that would let him level up, Zhu Yan wouldn't have minded saying something even more hellish.
"[Humiliation] ability level: Lv.3."
"I'm glad you finally used it, player."
Overall, Zhu Yan was pretty pleased.
At their current levels, all three abilities were a little lacking against horror creatures, but they were more than enough against players.
If he encountered another player-versus-player dungeon like today's, he'd have the confidence to take them on head-on.
Zhu Yan felt a wave of relief—
Pleasure enveloped him like warm amniotic fluid, while faint electric currents gently struck his blood vessels, bringing an intensely contradictory sensation of pleasure.
Unlike the previous times, the physical sensation was even stronger this time.
Even Zhu Yan's facial muscles began to relax completely.
A full dozen seconds or so passed before he abruptly snapped out of the sensation.
Here it comes again.
This feeling was addictive.
But addiction wasn't a good thing.
Zhu Yan bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, forcing himself to focus again and continue listening to the broadcast.
Today's broadcast seemed unusually long.
The female voice rang joyfully in his ear, like some kind of music.
"And congratulations on obtaining the treasure you needed."
"I will explain how to use the treasure and tell you where it came from."
Zhu Yan couldn't help feeling a little excited.
He reached into the middle of his bathrobe and grasped the tiny typewriter lying among a pile of miscellaneous items.
"This was originally a beloved little invention of an art student. He hoped to use this toy as a stepping stone into an art academy."
"However, the professor in charge of admissions saw through his prank and returned the item along with his application letter. As a result, the art student was rejected."
All of Zhu Yan's thoughts froze for a moment.
...?
What the hell did this thing have to do with art?
"[Merry Happy Land] found this little object interesting, so it stole it."
That was despicable, but Zhu Yan liked it.
If [Merry Happy Land] hadn't stolen it, he wouldn't have gotten his hands on the thing.
"After power was bestowed upon this little object, its printing and modification functions became more powerful than before."
"You only need to place an identity card in the designated slot, and it will generate a brand-new card with no duplicate."
"Furthermore, it can fabricate a background for you and produce the corresponding documents."
It's that amazing?
Zhu Yan was startled.
He wanted to take a good look at the interesting little thing, but the female voice continued its announcement.
"Once all the documents have been assembled, [Merry Happy Land] will automatically enter all your new information into human systems."
"The new information will not overlap with the old."
"However, we will retain your school information and other necessary details."
Zhu Yan's heart pounded.
Did that mean he could completely sever ties with his old identity as "Zhu Yan" and everything "Zhu Yan" had done?
He wouldn't have to be careful anymore or worry about the police checking his biometric information, and he could live in the sunlight again?
"You will be reborn and walk in the sunlight once more—even if that sunlight is about to disappear."
Zhu Yan instinctively gripped the small, cold machine.
The news even lessened his worry about "dying or mutating soon."
"Finally, I will present the last reward for this dungeon and explain the relevant matters."
There's more.
Zhu Yan began greedily hoping it had to do with the [Plague Ghost] virus, and reality proved to be just as he wished.
"[Merry Happy Land] has decided to grant you a ten-day [Plague Exemption Period]. This is special treatment for players."
"During your contact with the [Plague Ghost], you were unfortunately infected with the plague."
"Under the original course of events, you would have died a horrifying death within a day."
Zhu Yan recalled the legends and research concerning the Black Death in medieval Europe, and for a moment he didn't know how to feel.
Of course he was afraid of death, but he also couldn't shake the feeling that his allotted lifespan wasn't over yet.
"Player, we regret to inform you."
"Because an outbreak of [Plague] would greatly accelerate the progress of [Merry Happy Land]'s integration, [Merry Happy Land] will not take the initiative to provide you with a dungeon you can trigger."
"Such an action would run counter to [Merry Happy Land]'s objective."
Zhu Yan keenly picked up on the words "take the initiative."
Just because [Merry Happy Land] wouldn't provide one on its own initiative didn't mean he couldn't take the initiative to find one himself.
Given the choice between death and mutation, he would rather become a [Plague Ghost].
But if he could live, he didn't want to become a man-eating monster.
There was still a chance, a sliver of hope for survival.
He held his breath.
"However, you will not fall ill during the [Plague Exemption Period]."
"During this time, you may search for a dungeon that can save you, find a way to enter it, and obtain what you need."
"Player, you should be grateful for [Merry Happy Land]'s generosity and mercy."
"This concludes the broadcast. Good luck."
The female voice fell silent.
Zhu Yan leaned back gently in his chair without speaking.
He was glad he had boarded this tram and struck up a conversation with the Voodoo Doll.
"Witch" was a very useful clue.
Nothing mattered more than life and death.
Zhu Yan opened Coexisting with Forbidden Things and looked for witches in the table of contents.
He remembered they were in there.
Witches, page 735.
"[Witch], like [Plague Ghosts], are one of medieval Europe's famous products."
That was what the book said.
"Of course, medieval Europe was an era that produced horror creatures in great numbers."
"What makes [Witch] special is that they wrote and compiled the famous 'The Key of Solomon,' although the portions circulating in the world are rather nonsensical and full of errors and omissions..."
"But it can still be inferred that they can make deals with higher-level [Demon] through certain channels."
Zhu Yan read on intently.
"At the same time, because most [Witch] are fond of cleanliness, they often live deep in the mountains and are mortal enemies of horror creatures such as [Plague Ghosts]."
"They harbor considerable hostility and appetite toward humans, but are very fond of cats."
The section on [Witch] ended there.
There was still plenty of time before he had to get off.
After some thought, Zhu Yan began looking up [Demon].