The candle flame flickered.
Perhaps because it wasn't a real flame, the candles gave off no warmth at all. Their orange-red light swayed through the air, creating an almost chilly illusion.
And Zhou You simply carried the candleholder as he walked toward the exit on the top floor of this haunted building.
When he passed the Fourth Floor, the candle immediately began to burn violently, just as it had before. But instead of quickening his pace, he kept walking steadily, brushing past the face and hand before reaching the Fifth Floor. He unlocked the heavy lock, then...
He grabbed it and casually tossed it down the stairwell.
"CLANG!!!!"
A deafening crash.
The whole building seemed to tremble!
With a commotion that loud, even if the Landlady were deaf, she would probably have been disturbed by now.
Besides, after their several encounters, Zhou You knew perfectly well that this monster's eyesight was poor, but its hearing...
That was sharp as could be.
He went into the room, shoved aside a few corpses, and found a place to sit on the pile of junk. As he tapped his arm, Zhou You counted time by his breathing.
Without a clock, the human body itself could serve as a substitute timer. Normally, counting one's pulse would be the easiest way, but because of his illness, Zhou You's heart rate was always erratic.
The methane still hung in the air. The low-oxygen environment made every breath more difficult, yet Zhou You showed no sign of discomfort. If anything, his smile grew brighter.
Two minutes later, a loud crash rang out as the wooden door was smashed open.
The Landlady's ugly face appeared before him, covered in wrinkles, with half her nose rotted away, like the bark of a decaying tree.
Seeing Zhou You still sitting there, the Landlady, who had hurried over in a panic, froze for a moment. It seemed she hadn't expected this either. But then she broke into a smile.
Unlike Zhou You's, hers was full of cruelty and malice. She looked like a cat that had finally caught a mouse, eager to toy with its prey.
"I never would've guessed you could fool the pets I keep and make it to the Fifth Floor in less than half a day. But how did you—"
The Landlady's gaze fell on the candle in Zhou You's hand. She narrowed her eyes and studied it for a moment, then suddenly sneered.
"Heh, I see. That brat must've made this thing, and there was still one left. I thought the room was too filthy, so I didn't search it carefully back then. Looks like that was a mistake. But you made the same mistake as him. What, you realized one little candle wasn't enough, and there's no way for you to escape now? What a pity. I—"
Her reply was only a soft sigh.
"Um, sorry to interrupt."
"...What?"
"I'll just cut in for a moment, since I really don't have much time left." Zhou You raised the candle, which had burned halfway down, and gently waved it. "So, could I ask you a few questions first?"
"...What are you talking about?"
The Landlady had imagined Zhou You's reaction: despair, pain, panic, tears, falling to his knees and begging. She truly hadn't expected this, and was left completely baffled.
But Zhou You simply smiled to himself.
"First question—and one I've been curious about for a long time. You're in this state, so why are you still so obsessed with money?"
The question seemed to hit a nerve. The Landlady shrieked like a rooster grabbed by the throat.
"Because money is the only thing that matters in this world! I worked so hard all these years, scamming, swindling, and doing whatever it took to build up this fortune. How could I hand it over to outsiders after I die? And it was only thanks to money that I was dragged out of my grave. Without money, how am I supposed to live?"
She seemed to be nothing more than greedy, but there was something else in her words. How had she been brought back to life with money?
Zhou You studied her shriveled face. He didn't think she would tell him the answer, so he continued.
"Then here's my second question. What happened to the tenant who lived here before me?"
"...Why are you asking that?"
"It's nothing. I only made it this far thanks to him." Zhou You waved the nearly burned-out candle beside him. "So if he's still alive, I was thinking I might try again and give him a hand. I'm a very grateful person, after all."
The Landlady suddenly grinned, revealing a cruel smile.
"No need. He's dead. He's hanging over there. But I didn't kill him myself. He was the one who wanted to die. When I found out he was trying to escape, I chopped off his two remaining legs. Then I'd go over every day and take a little piece of him. In less than a week, he was sobbing and begging me to kill him. I'm kindhearted, so I granted his wish. But don't worry, you won't get off so easily. I'll torture you for much longer, and make sure you don't die until the very end—"
"Okay, third question."
Zhou You cut her off again before she could finish her threat.
Looking at the monster, who nearly choked on her words, Zhou You smiled.
"This is my last question. I'll keep it simple. Um, can you smell the stench in here?"
"What stench?"
Zhou You's smile grew brighter.
"Looks like your half-rotted nose really has stopped working. Otherwise, you wouldn't have let this stuff pile up for so long."
He shook his head, lifted the candleholder, and walked step by step toward the other side.
The old woman didn't stop him. She suddenly furrowed her brow, as if she sensed something was wrong.
Taking advantage of the opening, Zhou You easily reached the wall and leaned against it casually, continuing to speak.
"But that makes sense. Only three kinds of people ever come here: you, corpses, and my poor predecessor. You and the corpses don't need to breathe, so this stuff wouldn't affect you. My predecessor was focused on escaping, and the candles he used didn't have the properties of real flames, so they wouldn't set this off either. And after you tortured him into madness, he certainly wouldn't have gone out of his way to mention any of this. So, in the end, it all worked out in my favor..."
A strange unease began to build in the Landlady's heart. She couldn't be bothered with anything else and barked, "What are you talking about?!"
But Zhou You ignored her. He looked up at the skylight and spoke to some unseen presence.
"Come to think of it, I rolled a talent at the start. Unfortunately, all I've run into so far are instant-death traps, so I haven't had a chance to use it. But I think I can use it now."
Then he abruptly changed the subject.
"Oh, right. This game only requires me to escape Escape Building No. 4. It doesn't say how I have to get out, does it?"
The Landlady finally realized the danger. She suddenly opened her mouth, trying to use the immobilizing ability she'd used at the beginning.
But Zhou You had already acted.
He pulled a matchbox from his jacket pocket and struck a match.
"You have activated the skill: Wuwo Ruding."
"You have entered a state of numbness. While in this state, you will ignore all effects of fear and impaired reason, and you cannot die from damage effects."
"This skill lasts for 10..."
Before the woman's announcement could finish, flames suddenly flared before his eyes!
In an instant, the methane that had built up in the room ignited!
A violent explosion swept through everything. The junk, the corpses, and even the old woman were swallowed by the raging flames. The blast wave that followed spread at incredible speed—the old attic couldn't withstand the force. In the blink of an eye, it split apart from the inside out.
And Zhou You was no exception.
He felt as if a truck had hit him head-on. Along with the shattered wall, he was flung through the air. The pain was so intense that his internal organs seemed to split apart, and even his brain felt as though it had been crushed.
This was far more damage than any human could endure. Zhou You knew that as soon as the skill's countdown ended, he would die an agonizing death.
But he was still smiling—more carefree than he had been at any point since entering this dungeon.
Because through his blurry vision, he could already make out a flash of azure.
—The azure of the sky.
"Congratulations on clearing the Novice Dungeon: Escape Building No. 4."
"Landlady confirmed dead. 'Shimen' confirmed dead."
"You have exceeded the requirements of the mission. You will receive an additional reward..."
Before you continue