Qi Wu woke in utter darkness. He knew he must have died; the sensation of a corpse piercing his heart was still fresh in his memory. He just wondered why he had not appeared in the underworld.
[Qi Wu, you were only one step away from escaping the dungeon. I can give you a chance to start over, but you will lose all your memories of the dungeon.]
A voice that sounded neither male nor female rang out in the darkness. It came from every direction, making its source impossible to pinpoint.
"Who are you?"
A soft chuckle came from the darkness.
[I am the creator of the dungeon. You may call me the Person in Charge.]
"I'm dead now, right?"
[Yes. I can give you a chance to start over. The price is forgetting everything.]
Qi Wu remained silent, giving no immediate answer. The Person in Charge did not hurry him, either. He had plenty of patience.
This was his wager with the Puppeteer.
Six months earlier.
"Will you kill him? Or will you let him die?"
The Person in Charge answered with a smile, "Has my dear Puppeteer fallen in love? But you should know I don't do good deeds for free. You'll have to pay a price."
Chu Qingjiu answered almost without hesitation, "All right. I agree."
But after a moment, he added, "However, I want to make a wager with you."
The mention of a wager surprised and intrigued the Person in Charge. He asked with interest, "My dear Puppeteer, what would you like to wager on?"
The Puppeteer lounged against the Throne, his right leg crossed over his left. He looked down at the darkness beneath the steps with a faint curl of his lips, as though victory was already his.
"That Qi Wu