A piercing scream shattered the dawn, yanking Su Luo from sleep before seven o’clock.
Unfazed, as if she’d anticipated this chaos, she calmly rose, slipped into her clothes, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and tidied herself with deliberate care.
Only then did she step outside to investigate.
As expected, the commotion erupted from Shuibei’s room.
Su Luo entered to find him clutching his face, his screams bordering on hysteria.
“Why do I look like this? That food was poisoned!”
His eyes, wild with panic, locked onto her as she approached.
His jaw dropped, and he wailed, “Why? Why are you fine? We all ate the same meal! Who’s trying to ruin me?”
Faint red splotches marred his face, with patches of skin peeling away in grotesque flakes.
The cat ears that once perched atop his head had morphed into oversized, Mickey Mouse-like rounds.
His fur, once sleek, was now a dull gray—a dead giveaway that he’d become a rat.
‘So, beyond disfigurement, this is what happens,’ Su Luo mused, almost leisurely, marveling at the transformation.
‘Little Hua’s quite the mastermind,’ she thought, impressed.
The girl had moved with lightning speed, tricking two players into handing over their cosmetics.
Su Luo’s tip hadn’t been wasted.
Footsteps echoed outside.
Su Luo turned to see Ji Hei arrive.
He glanced at her briefly before taking in the scene on the bed.
With a quiet sigh, he said nothing, waiting for the others to gather.
To Su Luo’s surprise, the third to arrive wasn’t Little Hua but Brother Hu.
Little Hua was conspicuously absent.
‘Did she get outplayed?’ Su Luo wondered, a flicker of shock crossing her mind.
Then came Uncle Ai, his sharp eyes glinting as he surveyed Shuibei, still whimpering and clutching his face.
A grin split Uncle Ai’s face, his pointed fangs catching the light.
“So, a filthy rat, huh?”
Shuibei’s head snapped up, terror flashing in his eyes as he shrank back.
“You… stay away! I…”
Before he could finish, Uncle Ai’s mouth yawned open, impossibly wide, like a predator’s maw.
In one swift gulp, he swallowed Shuibei whole.
“Rats deserve no less,” Uncle Ai declared, a smug edge to his voice.
His cat-like eyes swept over the group, probing, as if sniffing out any other rodents among them.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he added casually, “I’m taking you all for a feast at noon.”
At breakfast, the three remaining players ate in silence.
Just the second day, and only three were left—the game’s brutality exceeded all expectations.
Su Luo’s gaze drifted to Brother Hu, her mind turning.
If Little Hua had known what to do, why was Brother Hu still here?
He wasn’t the fool he played.
‘Maybe he’s the real mastermind.’
After the meal, Brother Hu’s warm facade from the previous day vanished.
He left without a word, his face cold.
Su Luo turned to Ji Hei and said, “Fancy a trip to the cave entrance?”
He nodded, and the two set off.
Uncle Ai hadn’t lied.
A shimmering blue barrier blocked the cave’s mouth.
Ji Hei tossed a frog he’d caught along the way toward it.
A faint crackle of electricity sparked, and the frog landed, charred and twitching faintly.
‘An electric barrier,’ Su Luo noted.
‘Find an insulator, and we’re out.’
But another task gnawed at her—she sensed the cat-and-mouse tale held deeper secrets.
Ji Hei glanced at her and asked, “Did you find anything last night?”
Su Luo nodded and replied, “Brother Hu’s no simpleton. I told Little Hua she needed two sets of cosmetics to survive. She likely went to him, but he’s the one standing, and she’s gone.”
Ji Hei mulled this over, then asked, “What did Little Hua tell you?”
Su Luo sighed inwardly—smart people always caught the smallest slip.
“What if I sabotaged her but gave her a way out because of guilt?” she countered.
Ji Hei’s eyes narrowed.
“Unlikely. If guilt drove you, you’d have shown some regret when you saw Brother Hu. But you were just surprised. It was a fair trade, no strings attached.”
He paused, then added with a faint smirk, “Still, tipping off someone you tricked? That’s softer than I expected.”
Su Luo grinned, unfazed.
“Guess all you want, I’m not spilling.”
Ji Hei choked on a laugh, then leaned in.
“How about a trade? My info for yours.”
Su Luo tilted her head, playful and replied, “My secrets are pricey.”
He scoffed and said, “Mine’s just as valuable. I found a hidden task: make one cat villager stop hating rats. Last night, after dinner, I was thinking—beyond escaping the village, what other hidden tasks could there be?”
He paused for effect, savoring the moment.
“I remembered a forum post from a big shot: hidden tasks are about defying the impossible. The villagers’ hatred for rats runs deep, so…”
He trailed off, but both knew the task’s weight.
Su Luo’s lips twitched.
‘Tricky, but doable.’
She raised a brow and said, “Not bad, but mine’s better. I got a confirmed hidden task: uncover the secret of Cat Village.”
Ji Hei caught the hidden meaning in her words but didn’t press.
Instead, he asked, “Which task do you think is easier?”
Su Luo smirked, leaning back with a playful glint in her eye.
“Escaping Cat Village, obviously.”
Ji Hei’s expression remained calm, his hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“It’s tricky. During the day, this place is crawling with villagers. We can barely get close to the barrier without a dozen eyes tracking us. One wrong step, and we’re mobbed. At night, we can’t even leave the inn. So, how do you plan to get out?”
Su Luo’s smile widened.
“I’m more interested in uncovering Cat Village’s secrets.”
She kept her true thoughts to herself: ‘Nothing’s stopping me from escaping, though.’
Once she crafted a simple insulated suit, her skills would carry her past the barrier.
Still, attribute points were always in short supply, and the village’s mysteries tugged at her curiosity.
Realizing the barrier was impassable for now, they turned back.
Su Luo broke the silence and asked, “What do you think the village’s secret is tied to?”
Ji Hei pondered for a moment before answering, “Maybe the cat-and-mouse story.”
He quickly turned the question back on her.
“Where do you think we should dig for answers?”
Su Luo sighed—his knack for flipping questions was exhausting.
“Uncle Ai or the village chief, probably.”
“Let’s go unlock a new NPC!” Su Luo called out to an old farmer trudging by with a hoe, flashing her most charming smile.
“Excuse me, sir, do you know where the village chief lives?”
“Oh, a new beauty in town!” the old man chuckled, his weathered face creasing with warmth.
“What’s got you heading to the chief’s place?”
Su Luo froze for a split second, ignoring Ji Hei’s curious glance.
“We’re new here,” she said earnestly, “and we’ll be staying a while. It’s only polite to pay the chief a visit, right?”
The old man beamed and said, “I like a polite girl like you!”
He eagerly pointed out the path, adding, “Come by my place sometime, lass! I’ll whip up something tasty for you!”
Once they left the farmer behind, Su Luo quickened her pace, eager to reach the chief’s house—and maybe shake off Ji Hei’s scrutiny.
He, however, lagged behind, hands clasped behind his head, strolling leisurely.
“Hey,” he called out, his tone teasing, “how come the NPCs don’t think you smell weird anymore?”
Su Luo’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Caught.’
“Oh, that?” she said, waving it off.
“We’ve been here a day. The stench probably wore off.”Â
Ji Hei wasn’t buying it.
“Really? Should I ask an NPC to confirm?”
Su Luo groaned.
“Fine, fine! I found some perfume in my bag. I’ll let you use it later, okay?”
She hated compromising, but she needed his help for the exploration ahead.
No sense burning bridges now.Â
But then a thought struck her, sharp and sudden.
‘My hidden item?’
The game wouldn’t be so unfair as to give her a unique item without balancing it for others.
Every player likely had something special.
“Ji Hei!” she snapped, her voice edged with suspicion.
“What are you hiding?”
His face betrayed a flicker of guilt.
“Uh, well…” he coughed, stalling.
“Spit it out!” Su Luo said, her smile tight and menacing.Â
“Alright, alright,” he relented.
“I’ve got an insulated suit.”
Su Luo’s eyes widened, “Are you kidding me? That’s way better than my perfume!”
She could barely stomach the injustice.
Perfume versus an insulated suit to bypass the barrier?
Was this the gap between a luck-blessed emperor and a cursed nobody?
But then she reconsidered.
The suit wasn’t perfect—it couldn’t be worn all the way to the barrier, and changing in front of it was impossible.
Her perfume, though?
She could use it anytime, charming NPCs and coaxing out secrets with ease.
In some ways, it was more versatile.
Still, that didn’t stop her from smacking Ji Hei.
‘This guy!’
Hiding his own item while grilling her?
If she hadn’t caught on, he’d have played her for a fool.
‘Double standards, ugh!’
Her mind raced.
If everyone had a unique item tied to their tasks, her perfume likely connected to “Uncover Cat Village’s Secret,” while Ji Hei’s suit aligned with “Escape Cat Village.”
The others’ items were still a mystery.
“Wait!” Su Luo froze mid-step.
Ji Hei glanced over and asked, “What’s up?”
A realization hit her like a spark.
This beginner’s dungeon might not be as brutal as she’d thought.
Forgetting the village chief entirely, she broke into a run, heading straight for the inn.