“She just… vanished?” [Sheets and Covers] looked utterly stunned. “NPCs can use items too?!”
[Inch of Time], who had been quietly observing Su Shisan the whole time, raised a hand awkwardly.
“It wasn’t an item. The tile under her foot suddenly cracked open, and she jumped down. I wanted to shout, but the tile sealed up too fast.”
It was [Overlord] who broke the silence first.
She smiled and said, “Honestly, it’s no big deal. The whole point of an undercover is to blend in with players, right? Now that she’s outed and driven off, she can’t stir up much trouble.”
“It still pisses me off!” [Blackback] growled through clenched teeth.
“She got so many of our people killed!”
Let’s be real—[Heaven Above] and the guy with the middle part were clearly tricked to death by her.
The glasses guy barely made it out alive. And the rift between [Fire Queen] and [Semiconductor]?
That whole mess had her fingerprints all over it.
[Old Qian] sighed, shaking his head.
“She even tried to pin everything on me… What a terrifying woman.”
After a long pause, [Overlord] suddenly asked, “Are we still going to Basement Level 3?”
She might’ve let go of chasing the mole, but they still had to deal with the fallout she left behind.
Everyone instantly understood what was really being asked—could they still trust the information Su Shisan had left them?
After all, it was her who revealed the existence of Level -3. She was also the one who lured Glasses Guy and Middle Part down there to start the fight.
That alone made it clear: Level -3 was a dangerous place.
Even if it held a possible route out of the prison, none of them dared make a rash move.
“I’m absolutely not going back down there,” [Gushan Temple North] declared first.
“I’d rather take my chances on the advanced mission than go back to that trap-riddled hellhole.”
He’d nearly died there—just thinking about it gave him the shakes.
[Sheets and Covers] hesitated.
“Could it be… that the difficulty in this dungeon is reversed? Like, escaping the prison is actually harder than destroying it? Maybe that’s why the mole gave us clues to escape—because that path is a deadlier trap.”
That kind of dungeon did exist—where the “normal” path was secretly harder than the “advanced” one. It tricked players into walking into what looked easier, only to get them killed in the end.
“Sounds exactly like something that snake Su Shisan would pull,” [Blackback] said firmly.
“Wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
[Inch of Time] wavered.
“But… if it’s a trap, why hide it so well?”
A good question. Sure, Su Shisan had handed them the info on a silver platter, making it seem like Level -3 wasn’t all that hidden. But if she hadn’t told them, they wouldn’t have even found it before the second day.
While everyone was still torn, [Blackback] made a call:
“Look, whether it’s safe or not, it all comes down to what we choose. Personally, I think the advanced mission on Level 3 is the better bet. If anyone disagrees, we can split up.”
“Go with what feels right. But me? I’m not changing my mind.”
With only six of them left, splitting the group wasn’t ideal. So, they voted. A few minutes later, they left the prison cell with their decision made.
“How… did she pull it off? They’re going… to the third floor?”
Watching the players on surveillance, [Sparta] raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Su Shisan calmly took a sip of coffee and said flatly, “I told them about Level -3.”
It was the truth—but coming from an undercover, even truth sounded like a lie.
If she hadn’t been exposed, she would’ve used that information to cement her “good guy” persona. As long as the players believed her, she could’ve led them to ruin without breaking a sweat.
But once she was exposed, well… Even the truth became poison. No one would dare believe her now.
[Sparta] was no fool. She immediately caught the implication and gave Su Shisan a thumbs-up.
“Impressive.”
Then she turned toward the third-floor surveillance feed, eyes gleaming with confidence.
“Now that they’re there… they’re not coming back.”
Level 3 was heavily guarded. The patrols there were a tier stronger than anywhere else. Whether it was surveillance or combat, it was nearly impenetrable.
Su Shisan also knew that high-tech devices had been installed—perfect for detecting invisible players.
Suddenly, the red light at the third-floor entrance flashed. [Sparta] removed her white gloves and strode to the door.
“I’ll fight. You enjoy the show.”
Slouched in her chair, Su Shisan gave a lazy nod.
“Got it.”
It wasn’t her blown cover that had her so unenthused. It was something else—this entire dungeon had brought her zero joy.
Only now did she realize the flaw in her plan: the higher a player’s rank, the harder it was to scare them.
They were already B-rank veterans.
They’d seen all the tricks, all the deaths. In a dungeon like this—familiar and formulaic—they might not clear it, but they sure weren’t going to be afraid of it.
So no fear meant no fun. If she really wanted to watch players tremble in terror, she’d need to either roleplay as an NPC in low-level dungeons, or find something radically new.
The unknown was always the most terrifying.
Still, it wasn’t a total waste. Su Shisan had seen a lot of cool tricks from the players, learned a few things about B-rank dungeons, and—most importantly—got a referral from a B-rank architect.
That’s right—[Sparta] had promised to recommend her to others in the builder circle.
Once a dungeon builder finished their NPC roleplay, the usual process was to settle payment, then leave a rating. Five stars being best, one being worst.
Referrals, however, were personal. And with [Sparta] vouching for her, Su Shisan wouldn’t be lacking invitations anytime soon.
As long as she could keep feeding her thrill addiction, even playing a background NPC was fine by her.
Back on the big screen, [Sparta] was fighting three players at once—and not losing ground.
Su Shisan didn’t know whether that was part of the dungeon’s script or [Sparta]’s real skill, but either way, it was impressive.
But something seemed… off.
Her eyes narrowed at [Overlord]. Even someone like her, with nearly zero combat stats, could tell that [Overlord] wasn’t pulling her weight.
She barely engaged the guards and hadn’t used any items.
Frowning, Su Shisan quickly switched the feed to the command room entrance.
“Ah… there it is.”
The real [Overlord] had reached the command room. The one fighting?
Just a decoy—an illusion created by an item.
The invisibility had worn off. She was now at the door, casually turning the handle.
Click.
The door swung open to reveal an empty command center. Her breathing quickened as she spotted the surveillance screens. She knew she’d found the right place.
All she had to do was plug in the USB the game had given her, and the floating prison would go offline—mission cleared.
A smirk tugged at her lips. Good thing she’d brought the others as cover. Without their “distracting” the NPCs, she never could’ve slipped in.
Unfamiliar with the brain structure of the central computer, [Overlord] circled the massive monitors for a while, trying to figure things out.
Outside, the other players finally noticed something was wrong. With only six of them, one person missing made a big difference.
“Damn it! That sly woman!” [Blackback] cursed for the first time that day as he realized the [Overlord] beside him was just a doll.
He didn’t curse when the mole was exposed. Didn’t curse when he got framed. Didn’t curse when they fell into the trap. But being outsmarted by another player?
That pushed him over the edge.
[Sheets and Covers], still locked in combat with a guard, gave a bitter laugh.
“So what now? Do we surrender and go after her, or keep helping her?”
Sure, if she completed the advanced mission, everyone would get a reward. But she’d get the biggest prize—and they were just the suckers who made it happen.
“What else can we do? Keep going,” [Gushan Temple North] said through gritted teeth.
“Might as well bleed out a few more HP.”
They were down to five players—[Old Qian] was already dead. If they couldn’t end this dungeon in one final push, it was game over.
[Inch of Time] nodded in agreement. Then, noticing [Sparta] commanding the guards to fall back, she raised her voice:
“[Overlord]! Hurry the hell up! I’ll hold them off!”
And just like that, time in the corridor ground to a near halt. Everyone moved in slow motion, caught in a temporal freeze.
She had activated her ultimate skill.
Inside the command room, [Overlord] heard her shout and smiled. She jammed the USB into the port.
“Thanks for the assist, everyone. I’ll be taking that reward now.”
But nothing happened.
No end-of-dungeon prompt. No system notification.
Her stomach dropped.
Shit.
She’d plugged it into the wrong terminal.
BOOM!
White light erupted from the port. The explosion blew [Overlord] straight out of the dungeon.
In the real command room hidden behind the fake one, Su Shisan shook her head.
“Come on. The real HQ out in the open, with no guards? Who’d fall for that?”
Watching the players, their faces pale from the blast, completely defeated, she stood and stretched.
“It’s over.”
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