A bizarre and terrifying experience; I messed up the dungeon world.

Zhou Lang picked up the key; the metal felt cold to the touch but not piercing, completely different from the bronze mirror.

"Let's go," he said. "Let's go back."

The three of them returned the way they came. When they went upstairs, the corridor was still teeming with ghosts, but this time the way they looked at Zhou Lang had changed.

It was no longer spying, but—fear.

Zhao Qiang also sensed it, "Why...are they avoiding you?"

Zhou Lang gripped the key in his hand. The manor owner's key—its significance was self-evident.

Back in his room, Zhao Qiang plopped down on the bed, panting heavily. "I swear, I never want to look in the mirror again in my life."

Han Yingying leaned against the door, looking at Zhou Lang. "How do you know an oil lamp can suppress it?"

"Just a guess."

"A guess?"

"Did you notice? There's a light in the room in the mirror, but it's yellow. My oil lamp is green, and it's a tool specifically for dealing with ghosts. If the person in the mirror is truly the rules themselves, they wouldn't be afraid of a lamp. The only thing afraid of a lamp can be a ghost—a ghost impersonating the rules."

Han Yingying was silent for a moment. "What if it's not afraid?"

"Then go into the mirror and fight it."

"...You..." Han Yingying shook her head and went back to her room before finishing her sentence.

After Han Yingying closed the door, Zhao Qiang leaned close to Zhou Lang's ear and asked, "Is there something going on between you two?"

"What is it?"

"That kind of... ambiguous relationship?"

Zhou Lang picked up a pillow and threw it at him. "Go to sleep."

Zhao Qiang hugged his pillow, chuckled twice, and then fell silent—he was too tired today.

Zhou Lang lay in bed, not asleep.

He kept thinking about the bronze mirror. The expression on that aged face at the last moment was not just pain, but also a kind of relief.

I don't know how long I've been trapped inside the mirror.

He closed his eyes.

We should be able to finish this dungeon tomorrow.

Fourth day.

The butler appeared half an hour earlier than a few days ago. At 6:30 in the morning, he was already standing in the hall, holding a silver tray and waiting.

The difference is that there is no task list on the tray today.

"No work today," the butler said.

The four men looked at each other in bewilderment. Xiong Batian was the first to speak: "No job? What about the salary?"

"No pay." The butler's tone remained unchanged. "Today is the last day. The manor lord will return tonight. At that time, all servants will be inspected by the manor lord."

"Inspection?" Zhao Qiang asked. "What do you mean?"

"Those who pass the inspection may leave." The butler paused. "Those who fail will remain in the manor forever."

After saying this, Butler Killer placed the silver tray on the table and turned to leave. His gait was still stiff, but his steps were much faster than usual.

The hall was silent for a few seconds.

Xiong Batian leaned back in his chair, his expression grim. "The manor lord is back… what does that mean? The final boss?"

Zhou Lang ignored him and walked to the window to look outside. The fog outside the manor was thicker than it had been a few days ago; nothing could be seen more than ten meters away.

Han Yingying walked over and stood next to him. "You have the manor owner's key."

"Um."

"So how do you plan to use it?"

"Let's talk about it tonight."

"Couldn't you have told me about the plans in advance?"

"Even if I told you, it wouldn't help."

Han Yingying choked for a moment.

Zhou Lang added, "It's not that I look down on you. The mechanics of this instance mean that the final stage will most likely be a one-on-one duel. I have the key, so I have to go."

"And what about us? Just stand by and watch?"

"Your mission is to survive," Zhou Lang said before going upstairs.

Han Yingying stood still, pursed her lips, and did not chase after him.

Zhao Qiang drifted over from the side: "That's just how he is, he's bad with words."

"I know."

"He was actually worried that something might happen to you."

"I said I know."

Zhao Qiang wisely kept quiet.

Xiong Batian, who had been listening the whole time, interjected, "That key—did you get it from the basement last night?"

Zhao Qiang and Han Yingying both looked at him at the same time.

"I wasn't asleep," Xiong Batian said. "I heard you coming downstairs."

"Then why didn't you come along?" Zhao Qiang asked.

"I'm not stupid enough to run to the basement in the middle of the night." Xiong Batian stood up. "But now that you've obtained the key item to clear the level, I want to participate in tonight's events as well."

"You'll have to ask Zhou Lang," Zhao Qiang said.

"I'll just ask you. You're his brother, so put in a good word for me."

Zhao Qiang thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask him for you, but I can't guarantee he'll agree."

Xiong Batian nodded and said nothing more.

The days are maddeningly long.

With no mission and nothing to do, the four of them stayed in their rooms. Zhao Qiang slept all morning and woke up hungry at noon, running to the kitchen to find something to eat. The pots and pans were still there, but the refrigerator was empty—or rather, it was crammed with unidentified objects. Zhao Qiang opened the door, glanced inside, silently closed it, and decided to go hungry.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Zhou Lang came out of the room with a piece of paper in his hand.

"I drew a map of the manor." He spread the paper on the table. "First floor: hall, kitchen, dining room, living room. Second floor: four bedrooms, a bathroom, a storage room. Basement: one floor, the bronze mirror is broken."

He drew a circle on the map with a pen, marking the location of the lobby on the first floor.

"The butler said the manor owner will be returning tonight, and the inspection should take place in the main hall."

"What form do you think the inspection should take?" Han Yingying asked.

"Two possibilities. First, a question-and-answer session. The manor owner will ask questions, and you'll pass if you answer correctly. Second, a battle. You'll fight directly."

Which one do you prefer?

"The second one," Zhou Lang said, "is evaluated based on the quality of labor, not a knowledge competition. Moreover, the description of the Manor Owner's Key says 'Open the Exit Gate,' which means the gate is somewhere, and I need to find it, rather than waiting for someone to let me go."

Zhao Qiang pulled up a chair from the side and sat down: "So your plan is—"

"When the manor owner appears tonight, the three of you stay in the hall to handle the inspection and distract him. I'll get the key and go find that door."

"Do you know where the door is?"

"I don't know. But the key will tell me." Zhou Lang squeezed the key in his pocket. "Since last night, the key has been getting slightly warm. The closer it is to a certain direction, the warmer it gets."

"Like navigation?" Zhao Qiang said.

"almost."

Han Yingying frowned: "What if you go to find the door alone and encounter danger on the way—"

"I have an oil lamp."

"Is there enough oil left for the lamp?"

Zhou Lang paused for a moment, then took out the oil lamp and looked at it. There was less than a third of oil left.

"That's enough," he said.

Han Yingying stared at him, her expression clearly saying: You're lying.

But she didn't expose it.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the four people sat in the lobby waiting.

Xiong Batian broke the silence: "I have a skill called 'Iron Wall,' which can form a protective shield around my body for thirty seconds. If the manor takes action, I can withstand the first wave."