"I'm telling you, our Double Happiness Town is one of the finest big towns for miles around..."
A long, narrow raft drifted along a cramped river, with steep mountains rising on both sides and blocking out the daylight.
The lean, gaunt Ferryman wore a straw rain cape and a bamboo hat, standing unsteadily at the bow as he paddled stroke by stroke.
As he rowed, he chatted idly. "Let me tell you this too—our feng shui here is first-rate. We're by the water, so wealth gathers here, but wealth mustn't be flaunted..."
Chen Hao crouched near the Ferryman, listening absently to the NPC's rambling. He knew that clues were likely hidden within these seemingly insignificant words.
He was twenty-five this year and had been a horror game designer in the real world. Perhaps because he had so often done things no decent person would do and been cursed by too many players, one day, while pulling an all-nighter at work, he failed to catch his breath and suddenly dropped dead.
Before he could react, an invitation from the Eerie Game had appeared, informing him that he could either become a player and enter terrifying Instances—or truly die for good.
—Naturally, he chose the former.
Because of his work, Chen Hao accepted all sorts of horror tropes with ease and was well versed in many puzzle-solving conventions. He navigated Instances with confidence, breezed through the Novice Pool, and even had spare time to gather material to add to his own game and scare players with.
He considered himself one of those people who adapted well to the Eerie Game, and the facts proved that this was no exaggeration. After clearing only four Instances, he had reached ninety-first place on the rookie rankings. As long as he did not die, he was