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

I don't believe it.

"Never mind then." The woman turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Zhou Lang called out to her, "Tell me first, where is my sister?"

"Kill that monster, and I'll tell you."

How do I know you're not lying to me?

The woman turned around, her eyes vacant: "You had no choice."

After saying that, she disappeared.

Zhou Lang stood there, almost dropping the broom in his hand.

He took a few deep breaths and continued cleaning.

After cleaning the third floor, it was already afternoon. Zhou Lang went downstairs and saw Zhao Qiang and Han Yingying waiting for him in the lobby.

"You don't look well," Han Yingying said.

"It's nothing," Zhou Lang said, "I just ran into a little trouble."

"What's the problem?"

Zhou Lang recounted the story about the woman.

"She said she could tell you where your sister is?" Zhao Qiang's eyes widened. "Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

"I think so too," Zhou Lang said, "but it's strange that she knows about my sister."

"Could it be a trap?" Han Yingying asked.

"It's definitely a trap," Zhou Lang said, "but I have to try."

"Are you crazy?" Zhao Qiang said. "Killing the butler is the master of this manor. If you kill him, we will all die."

"Not necessarily," Zhou Lang said. "That woman said the current butler is an imposter. The real butler is already dead."

"Even if it's a fake, it's still a ghost," Zhao Qiang said. "How are you going to kill it?"

Zhou Lang didn't speak, but took out the oil lamp.

Use this.

"Can an oil lamp kill ghosts?"

"Why don't you try and see?"

At 7 p.m. sharp, the butler appeared.

"Xiong Batian, good rating, salary 200."

"Zhao Qiang, excellent evaluation, salary 300."

"Han Yingying, excellent evaluation, salary 300."

"Waves are awesome, perfect reviews, salary 500."

Zhou Lang took the money and stared at the butler.

The butler was also watching him; his face beneath the mask revealed no expression.

"That concludes today's work," it said. "Remember, don't leave the room tonight."

After saying that, it turned and left.

Zhou Lang followed.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Qiang grabbed him.

"Let's go see where it lives," Zhou Lang said.

"You really want to kill it?"

"Even if we don't kill it, we need to find out its details."

The three followed Butler Sha to a room at the far end of the second floor. Butler Sha pushed open the door and went inside.

Zhou Lang waited a few minutes to make sure it wouldn't come out before walking to the door.

The door wasn't locked.

He pushed open the door, and inside was a study. The bookshelves were filled with books, and a kerosene lamp sat on the table.

The butler sat in a chair with his back to the door.

"You've come," it said.

Zhou Lang was taken aback.

"I knew you'd come." The butler turned around. "You want to kill me, don't you?"

How did you know?

"Because you went to the basement," the butler said. "You saw the body."

"Is that your son?"

"Yes," the butler said, "and no."

"What do you mean?"

"He's my son, but he's dead," the butler said. "I just want to bring him back to life."

"So you killed him?"

"I didn't kill him," the butler said. "This manor killed him."

Zhou Lang frowned: "What do you mean?"

"This manor is alive," the butler said. "It needs sacrifices. My son is one of those sacrifices."

"Then why are you still staying here?"

"Because I was also a sacrifice," the butler said. "We all were."

It stood up and took off its mask.

Beneath the mask was a rotting face, with hollow eye sockets and a mouth split to the roots of the ears.

"You see, I am dead," it said, "but I am still alive. That's the rule of this manor."

Zhou Lang took a step back and gripped the oil lamp tightly.

"You want to kill me with that lamp?" The butler laughed. "It's no use. I'm already a part of this manor."

"Then I'll give it a try."

Zhou Lang lit the oil lamp, and the green light shone on the butler.

The butler's body began to smoke, and with a scream, it lunged at Zhou Lang.

Zhou Lang raised the oil lamp, and the green light became even brighter.

The butler's body melted in the light, leaving only a pool of black liquid.

The liquid crawled on the ground and slowly seeped into the floor.

Zhou Lang breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.

"etc."

A voice rang out.

Zhou Lang turned around and saw the pool of liquid recombine, forming a human shape.

It wasn't the butler who was killed, it was that young man.

"Thank you," the young man said. "You saved me."

"Who are you…"

"I am the true steward of this manor," the young man said. "My father offered me to the manor in order to resurrect me. But the manor did not resurrect me; instead, it has imprisoned me here."

"Are you free now?"

"No," the young man shook his head. "I'm still part of the manor. But at least, I don't have to wear that mask anymore."

He looked at Zhou Lang with a complicated expression.

"You want to know where your sister is, right?"

Zhou Lang nodded.

"I can tell you," the young man said, "but you have to promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Don't come back after you leave this manor," the young man said. "This is not a place for you."

Where is my sister?

"She's deeper down," the young man said, "deeper and more dangerous than this manor."

"Where?"

"The core of the game," the young man said, "is where all the missing people are."

Zhou Lang clenched his fist: "How do we get there?"

"We need to clear the S-rank dungeon," the young man said. "Only by clearing the S-rank dungeon can we enter the core."

"S-rank dungeon..."

"Yes," the young man said, "but I advise you not to go. It's a hundred times more dangerous than this manor."

"I have to go."

The young man sighed: "Then I can only wish you good luck."

His body began to fade and eventually disappeared into the air.

Zhou Lang stood there, the young man's words echoing in his mind.

The core of the game.

S-rank dungeon.

He turned and left the study, returning to his own room.

Zhao Qiang and Han Yingying were already waiting at the door.

"How is it?" Zhao Qiang asked.

"It's solved," Zhou Lang said.

"Is what that woman said true?" Han Yingying asked.

"I don't know," Zhou Lang said, "but I have to give it a try."

"Where to?"

"S-rank dungeon".

Han Yingying woke up from her dream.

The sunlight outside the window was blinding, so she squinted as she sat up and glanced at her phone.

Eight o'clock in the morning.

She rubbed her temples, the memories of the original work still lingering in her mind.

That manor, those ghosts, and Zhou Lang.

wrong.

She sat up abruptly.

Zhou Lang said she was going to an S-rank dungeon in the game, but now she's back in reality.

This isn't right.

Han Yingying got out of bed and walked to the window. The street downstairs was normal, with cars coming and going and pedestrians hurrying by.

She opened the door; the hallway was quiet. Her stepmother and stepsister were probably still asleep.

Han Yingying went downstairs; the living room was empty. She went into the kitchen; there was a note stuck on the refrigerator:

"Yingying, your sister and I are going shopping. We won't be back for lunch. There's food in the fridge, so make yourself something to eat."