Chapter Summaries

Bo Shuo explored the corridor at night and discovered a mirrored passage with an empty, eerie version of Room 201. He returned safely to his room, and the next morning the examinees gathered downstairs, wary of him.

• Bo Shuo took an oil lamp into the dark corridor and found that its fuel burned away quickly, while the lamp’s flame kept him safe.
• Bo Shuo discovered a hidden passage beside Room 201 and opened its mirrored counterpart, where a rocking chair swayed beside the window and no oil lamp remained.
• As Bo Shuo returned, strange shadows lined the corridor and he saw the dead bespectacled man walking away; he ignored him, went inside, and lit a fresh lamp.
• At sunrise, the inn returned to normal and the examinees gathered downstairs, where Ding Chengyun greeted Bo Shuo and the others watched him warily.

Bo Shuo captured the D-Class Ghost hiding in the river, then encountered a Raincoat Monster heading for the Deep Mountain Inn. The monster traded body parts for Points and booked every Third-Class Room, leaving the examinees without affordable lodging.

• Bo Shuo dismissed the examinees’ suspicions and went to inspect the river.
• Bo Shuo used a silk thread to pull the Little Octopus from the river and handed it to 007, raising the Instance Core Boss containment progress to 1/2.
• Bo Shuo saw a two-meter-tall Raincoat Monster emerge from the White Mist and walk toward the Deep Mountain Inn.
• The Raincoat Monster arrived at the inn with a bundle of severed hands and eyeballs, which the boss valued at fifty Points.
• The Raincoat Monster booked all five Third-Class Rooms, alarming the examinees who could not afford more expensive rooms.

Bo Shuo’s terrifying power made Raincoat Monster kill Flower Shirt Man, then kneel and beg for mercy. The chapter ended with Raincoat Monster offering Bo Shuo all its keys and a rare E-rank Ruby Earring as an apology.

• Flower Shirt Man tried to ingratiate himself with Raincoat Monster by scolding Bo Shuo.
• Raincoat Monster chopped off Flower Shirt Man’s head with its machete.
• After noticing Ghoul Face Octopus, Raincoat Monster dropped its weapon and knelt before Bo Shuo, begging to be spared.
• Raincoat Monster offered Bo Shuo its keys and a Ruby Earring that defended its holder against E-rank and weaker ghosts.
• Bo Shuo looked over the gift and retracted the blade that had appeared at his fingertips.

After the hotel announced staff openings as the next assessment, the examinees fought over the limited jobs. Bo Shuo ignored the listed positions and demanded to become the boss, forcing the boss to face the threat of his Silver White Thread.

• The boss announced that staff positions needed to be filled and posted jobs for kitchen staff, cleaning staff, and waiters.
• The examinees learned they had to become hotel staff and survive, then rushed to claim the limited positions; Ding Chengyun chose Cleaning Staff, while the Yan Shun'an Trio chose waiter jobs.
• As the remaining examinees fought over jobs, the boss slowly handed out work IDs and provoked the crowd with updates on vacancies.
• Bo Shuo used his Silver White Thread to clear the area in front of the counter and told the boss he wanted to apply for a job.
• Bo Shuo demanded the boss's position, and his Silver White Thread threatened the boss when he tried to refuse.

Ding Chengyun recognized Bo Shuo as the inn’s new boss and shamelessly asked him for a job, hoping to secure a safer path through the exam. Bo Shuo made him steward, but after other candidates tried to copy him, Bo Shuo restrained them and hinted that he had seen through Ding Chengyun’s motives.

• Ding Chengyun approached Bo Shuo and offered to serve him in exchange for a job.
• Bo Shuo used his administrative authority to appoint Ding Chengyun as steward, giving him a daily salary of 20 Points.
• Seeing Ding Chengyun’s success, several candidates knelt and tried to plead for jobs.
• Bo Shuo silenced the kneeling candidates by sending a silver thread across their jaws and threatening their necks.
• Ding Chengyun returned to Bo Shuo’s side, and Bo Shuo remarked that he was very smart, leaving Ding Chengyun frightened that he had been exposed.

Raincoat Monster 2 attacked the hotel and demanded to see the boss, but the young man killed the first Raincoat Monster and frightened it into realizing it had picked a fight with someone far more dangerous. The chapter ended with Raincoat Monster 2 frozen in terror before the young man and his scalpel.

• The examinees realized that most of the hotel's later guests were monsters, then saw Raincoat Monster 2 arrive with a bloody chopper and severed heads.
• Raincoat Monster 2 demanded that the boss come out and hacked at the hotel, but a silk thread caught its axe in the wall.
• Raincoat Monster 2 rushed inside and threatened the examinees before demanding that the young man tell it where the boss was.
• Raincoat Monster 2 noticed the dead body of its kind by the doorway and realized the young man had killed it.
• The young man twirled his scalpel and told Raincoat Monster 2 not to move, leaving the monster paralyzed with fear.

Bo Shuo and Ding Chengyun found a hidden passage by placing Bo Shuo’s Work Badge against a marked spot on the wall, then entered Room 201 to investigate. Inside, they discovered a mirror that showed a candle absent from the room, leaving Bo Shuo wary of what might be on the other side.

• Bo Shuo learned from 007 that Ding Chengyun had been his younger sister’s classmate.
• Bo Shuo found the word “Passage” marked on the wall and used his Work Badge to open a hidden passage.
• Bo Shuo lit an oil lamp and entered the passage with Ding Chengyun as strange footsteps and an opening door greeted them.
• Bo Shuo and Ding Chengyun entered Room 201 and found a mirror that reflected a burning candle despite there being no candle on the table.

During ward rounds, Bo Shuo refused to play Rock Paper Scissors with the Mirror Person, which won every round until it matched his appearance and shattered the mirror. A shadow emerged and attacked him, and Bo Shuo warned Ding Chengyun that he could turn back as they faced the danger ahead.

• The Mirror Person played Rock Paper Scissors alone, winning each round and gradually copying Bo Shuo's appearance.
• The Mirror Person touched the glass, shattered the mirror, and plunged the room into darkness as the kerosene lamp began to fail.
• Ding Chengyun spotted a shadow matching Bo Shuo's height and warned him that the monster had come out of the mirror.
• Bo Shuo dodged the shadow's White Silk Thread attack and cut the thread, estimating that the shadow could copy ten percent of his strength.
• Bo Shuo told Ding Chengyun he could turn back, but Ding Chengyun grew uneasy at the warning.

Bo Shuo trapped Mirror Person with an S-grade ghost weapon and silver threads, overpowering it in the dark. Ding Chengyun realized Bo Shuo was far beyond an ordinary examinee and tried to hide that he understood.

• Mirror Person failed to harm Bo Shuo and tried to escape through a mirror.
• Bo Shuo threw a scalpel that entered the mirror and blocked Mirror Person's escape.
• Mirror Person charged at Bo Shuo as the candle went out, but Bo Shuo ensnared it with silver threads.
• Mirror Person cried out that Bo Shuo could not possibly be human, alarming Ding Chengyun.
• Ding Chengyun hid his suspicions and acted as though he knew nothing about Bo Shuo.

After defeating the Mirror Person, Bo Shuo went to inspect Room 202 and discovered its door was a living mass of flesh. Ding Chengyun joined him in the hallway as the door’s disguise began to fade.

• Bo Shuo relit his nearly empty oil lamp and noticed Ding Chengyun remained behind, frozen and pale after the encounter with the Mirror Person.
• Bo Shuo left Room 201 and knocked on Room 202, whose door shuddered and triggered an emotional-point message from its guest.
• Bo Shuo saw that Room 202’s door looked like a dripping, heaving lump of scarlet flesh and backed away, squeezing 007 in alarm.
• Ding Chengyun came into the hallway and, following Bo Shuo’s gaze, spotted a patch of scarlet seeping from the doorway as the sound of dripping grew clearer.

Bo Shuo and Ding Chengyun finished checking Room 202, but a violent quake shook the corridor and a crowd of Raincoat Monsters charged toward them. Bo Shuo realized their enemies were only D-rank at strongest and stopped 007 from fleeing, leaving them ready to face the monsters.

• Ding Chengyun safely checked Room 202, completing the room check while Bo Shuo watched.
• Ding Chengyun asked whether they should continue, but a powerful tremor shook the corridor and threw him to the ground.
• Ding Chengyun recovered and saw oil lamps light up as a crowd of towering Raincoat Monsters rushed toward them with Great Cleavers.
• 007 panicked and urged Bo Shuo to run, but Bo Shuo noticed the monsters' ranks were mostly F- and E-rank, with only a few D-rankers.
• Bo Shuo reminded 007 that they were B-rank Big Shots, and 007 stopped fleeing and resumed eating melon seeds.

Bo Shuo and Ding Chengyun were confronted by a swarm of Raincoat Monsters, but the monsters dropped their cleavers and knelt to beg Bo Shuo for forgiveness. The Raincoat Monsters feared him because their leader had shown them memories of their kind dying at his hands.

• Ding Chengyun braced himself as the Raincoat Monsters approached, while Bo Shuo prepared to draw his weapon.
• The Raincoat Monsters stopped, dropped their cleavers, and knelt before Bo Shuo to beg for forgiveness.
• Bo Shuo put away his scalpel as he and Ding Chengyun stared in confusion.
• The Raincoat Monsters’ memories revealed that their entity had warned them to avoid Bo Shuo after showing them how he had killed their kind.
• The Raincoat Monsters explained their surrender by recalling that Bo Shuo had been inspecting rooms and was about to find them.

Bo Shuo returned to the hotel reception area after finishing the ward rounds and found the examinees battered, injured, and terrified. His presence silenced them, while Yan Shun'an and another examinee were caught after provoking a Flowerbed.

• Bo Shuo assigned Ding Chengyun to check the remaining Raincoat Monsters, and Ding Chengyun hurriedly completed the ward rounds before fleeing after him.
• Bo Shuo returned to the Lounge Area and found that many examinees had been injured or killed during their work assignments.
• 007 showed Bo Shuo the long list of examinee deaths and explained that it had muted their death notifications.
• The examinees fell silent when Bo Shuo told them to continue, and 007 blamed their bald heads on a supposed special preference.
• Yan Shun'an and another examinee tried to hide by a Flowerbed, shoved a rag into its large mouth, and were caught when Bo Shuo turned to look at them.

Bo Shuo and the examinees at the inn were engulfed by a sudden Black Mist, which 007 identified as the aura of Bo Shuo’s archenemy. The mist found Bo Shuo and wrapped around him with unexpected fondness, leaving him with nowhere to escape.

• Bo Shuo told Yan Shun'an that many E-rank exam venues were about to appear in the East District without anyone garrisoning them.
• A bell rang outside as the Black Mist descended, turning the sky dark and destroying everything in its path.
• 007 recognized the mist as the aura of Bo Shuo’s archenemy and reminded him that he had deceived and provoked Him before leaving.
• Bo Shuo searched the inn for an escape route, but the Black Mist surged toward him and curled around him affectionately.

Bo Shuo tried to keep the Silver Haired Man, Yi Rong, from recognizing him, while learning from 007 that Yi Rong was only a derivative rather than the Deity’s main body. The chapter ended with 007 unsettled by how closely this derivative resembled the original.

• Bo Shuo asked Yi Rong what kind of room he wanted, and Yi Rong requested a first-class room.
• Yi Rong asked Bo Shuo whether they had met before, but Bo Shuo denied remembering him.
• Yi Rong restrained the black mist as it struggled toward Bo Shuo, then remarked that it seemed to like him.
• 007 relayed the World Consciousness’s message that Yi Rong was not the Deity’s main body and explained how derivatives were formed.
• 007 said it had never encountered a derivative so similar to its main body.

Bo Shuo discovered that Yi Rong’s Black Mist was a restrained SS-class Demigod whose presence was tearing the Exam Venue apart. As candidates died and the Proctoring System failed to appear, Bo Shuo watched Yi Rong remain untouched at the center of the collapsing space.

• Bo Shuo saw spatial rifts open throughout the Exam Venue, killing many candidates and causing widespread panic.
• 007 revealed that Yi Rong was an SS-class Demigod, and Bo Shuo realized the Black Mist was Yi Rong’s true body.
• The Black Mist fixed its gaze on Bo Shuo and generated a huge emotional response, while the Proctoring System failed to intervene.
• Bo Shuo dodged the multiplying rifts as Ding Chengyun ran through the collapsing venue and more candidates died.
• Bo Shuo saw that the void left Yi Rong untouched, despite the destruction spreading around Him.

Bo Shuo approached Yi Rong as the Black Mist’s fury destroyed West Zhou and the Exam Venue. With 007 losing contact and Yi Rong seeming to invite his own death, Bo Shuo was left in the darkness searching for answers about the missing Proctoring System.

• Bo Shuo discovered that Yi Rong showed no emotion, while the Black Mist erupted when he approached the silver-haired derivative.
• The Black Mist expanded uncontrollably and swallowed West Zhou, causing the space to collapse into a black void.
• Bo Shuo cut Yi Rong’s neck, and Yi Rong’s golden blood was absorbed by the black-red patterns on Bo Shuo’s wrist.
• 007 warned Bo Shuo that the World Consciousness would maintain the Exam Venue and urged him to gain Emotion Points before losing contact.
• Yi Rong asked whether Bo Shuo wanted to kill him, producing a small amount of emotion and seeming to anticipate his own death.
• Bo Shuo questioned Yi Rong’s identity and the Proctoring System’s disappearance as they remained in darkness.

Bo Shuo realized that Yi Rong’s seemingly weak F-rank derivative was a spore that transformed into new derivatives when killed. As countless golden eyes appeared and fixed their gaze on him, mental pollution began consuming his Emotion Points to keep him sane.

• Bo Shuo stabbed Yi Rong, whose golden blood turned into black smoke as the Black Mist tried to pull him away.
• Bo Shuo saw that the Black Mist had complicated emotions toward him and no apparent intention to harm him.
• Bo Shuo watched Yi Rong’s body transform into black fog while his rank shifted from F-rank through higher ranks.
• Bo Shuo realized Yi Rong had deliberately let himself be killed so he could hatch into many new derivatives.
• Countless golden eyes opened in the void and focused on Bo Shuo, triggering mental pollution that consumed his Emotion Points.

Bo Shuo used the derivatives’ possessive fixation on him to keep the black mist at bay, then amplified his Cedar Fragrance to provoke them. The Yi Rong abandoned their attacks on him and began fighting one another for the chance to get close.

• The Yi Rong attacked the black mist surrounding Bo Shuo, weakening it with repeated blows.
• Bo Shuo realized the derivatives shared the Silver Haired God’s possessive desire for him and decided to use that fixation to his advantage.
• Bo Shuo asked the Yi Rong if they liked him, causing them to stop fighting and stare at him.
• Bo Shuo used Emotion Points to amplify his Cedar Fragrance, stirring the derivatives’ cravings.
• The Yi Rong rushed toward Bo Shuo and began battling one another for a place beside him.

Bo Shuo provoked the Black Mist into slaughtering rival derivatives by claiming they wanted to take its place and promising it could have him alone. After the battle abruptly stopped, he sensed that powerful beings called the Twisted had gathered around him.

• Bo Shuo told the Black Mist that the derivatives wanted to seize its position and urged it to kill them so it could have him to itself.
• The Black Mist spread through the void and slaughtered the surrounding derivatives, while more golden-eyed beings kept rushing toward Bo Shuo.
• Bo Shuo leaned toward and touched the other approaching derivatives, intensifying their jealous attacks and the cycle of slaughter.
• The battle suddenly stopped, and the golden eyes closed as their attention shifted away from Bo Shuo.
• Bo Shuo sensed countless covetous presences around him and realized that the newcomers were the Twisted.