Yu Deng started speaking with a guilty conscience at first, but after rambling for a while, he gradually found his confidence and began to sound utterly convinced of his own words — painting himself as an unparalleled alpha male.
Perfect. There's no way anyone would associate that description with him!
Zhou Ji was completely fooled. He even pulled out a notebook to take notes, sighing as he wrote.
"This Yu Deng definitely has a bright future ahead of him. I bet he'll be moving to the central district soon."
"Central district?" Yu Deng asked.
"Yeah," Zhou Ji explained, "this area is the outermost residential ring. The higher your level and strength, the closer you can move toward the center. The houses there get bigger and better too."
Yu Deng cared about only one thing: "Does the rent go up?"
Zhou Ji: "...Uh, well, yes. It does get more expensive."
Yu Deng immediately lost interest in the new housing.
Zhou Ji couldn't help but laugh as he glanced at the little newcomer.
Even though the newcomer was wrapped up tight in a cloak and mask, it didn't stop Zhou Ji from thinking he looked obedient and cute.
He offered, "Let me tell you a bit about dungeon types."
"Okay!" Yu Deng said, listening attentively.
Zhou Ji cleared his throat. "So, there are several known dungeon categories so far — battle royale type, mystery-solving type, story-mission type, and a small portion that don't fit neatly into any category. What was your newbie dungeon about?"
Yu Deng summed it up: "Finding the murderer."
"Oh, then that's a reasoning-type instance." Zhou Ji scratched his head. "But well, these are just general classifications players came up with after experiencing many dungeons. There could still be types we haven't discovered yet… The Infinite World can generate anything. So every time you enter a dungeon, it's best to just adapt to the situation."
"Dungeons are ranked from D to S. Newbies usually get D–B rank dungeons — medium difficulty."
Yu Deng nodded. He knew that part already; he'd checked his personal info earlier — he was a beginner player, and anyone with less than one million points was still considered a beginner.
As they talked, Zhou Ji led Yu Deng to a small park. They sat on a bench, and he continued,
"No matter the type or level, you'll always have a role to play inside the dungeon. As for how strictly you have to play that role... the system won't tell you. You'll have to figure it out through experience."
Yu Deng thought for a moment — yeah, that was true. The dungeons really were mean-spirited.
"Usually, dungeons are multiplayer, but players can be either allies or enemies."
Zhou Ji's smile faded, and he said seriously, "I remind every newcomer of this — never let your guard down around other players."
In this kind of Infinite World, human malice was infinitely magnified. It wasn't uncommon for players to turn on each other.
Yu Deng took the warning seriously and quietly scooted a bit farther away.
Zhou Ji: "..." Okay, maybe not that seriously.
After chatting for a while longer, Zhou Ji got up to leave. Before going, he asked if they could exchange contact info.
Yu Deng blinked. "?"
Huh? You could exchange contact info?
[Yes. Every player has a unique ID number that serves as their identity code. It can be used for communication and to log in to the player forum.]
"Oh…"
Yu Deng figured Zhou Ji seemed like a good person, so he agreed. Five minutes later, he received a message.
[Zhou Ji]: By the way, little newbie, I forgot to ask your name. Mind telling me?
Yu Deng replied honestly: "I mind."
Zhou Ji was disappointed but didn't press further.
Yu Deng closed the contact app, bought a matcha cone from a nearby stall, and carefully lifted one corner of his mask to eat, savoring it happily.
Then, the main system's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Ding. Dungeon "Cheng Mansion" has been completely cleared. The instance sustained severe damage and will be permanently closed.]
[Player Yu Deng will be penalized with a deduction of 100,000 points.]
Yu Deng was stunned by the main system's ugly behavior. "You already finished calculating my score, and I got a 100% completion rate! Why are you deducting my points?!"
[You did complete the mission, but the final boss caused irreversible destruction to the dungeon. After a comprehensive evaluation, this punishment was deemed necessary.]
And with that, the main system vanished.
System 01 hadn't expected that either — its signal buzzed with static.
Yu Deng, wronged and pitiful, said, "System, the main system's so mean."
System 01 soothed him, siding with him:
[Yes, the main system is a bad system.]
[I'll submit an appeal to revoke the penalty for you.]
Yu Deng blinked, touched. "System, I bet other people's support systems aren't as nice as you!"
System 01 paused for a beat.
[Host, you're the only one with a personal support system. Other players don't have one — all their interactions and transactions are handled by a shared customer service system.]
Yu Deng: "Wait, really??"
[Yes. So please don't tell anyone about it.]
"Okay, got it."
Yu Deng walked slowly back toward his residence, still sulking over the lost 100,000 points.
When he passed a player shop hanging a big promotional banner, he suddenly had a mischievous idea.
"I can hang a banner on the leaderboard screen too, right?"
[You can.]
Half an hour later, two little paper ghosts snuck near the leaderboard, pulled out a banner, hung it up, and quickly flew away.
The banner read —
[Trash system, no logic, doomed to fail! Trash dungeon, give me back my hard-earned points!]
——
Yu Deng had no idea that the banner he'd put up went viral on the player forum.
Everyone trapped in the Infinite World had plenty of resentment, but no one had ever thought to publicly curse the system like that.
Now that Yu Deng had set the example, players' creativity exploded.
Soon, the player center was filled with banners cursing the system. The main system, upon seeing them, nearly crashed — its code flooded with chaotic error signals.
Yu Deng couldn't care less. Back home, he followed System 01's prompts and briefly reviewed his first dungeon.
The players he'd encountered there were all terrible at reasoning — they'd just followed the story like headless chickens, and so had he.
After reviewing, Yu Deng realized he'd learned nothing at all — except how many times the "bad man" had kissed him.
"..."
Over the next few days, Yu Deng rested in his quarters, occasionally went out for walks, and spent the rest of the time napping or scrolling through the forum.
He dawdled until the seventh day before finally preparing himself mentally for the second dungeon.
Following System 01's advice, he bought some basic healing potions and useful tools from the system shop, storing them in his inventory.
"Ugh, ten thousand points gone just like that… Good thing I still have enough, thanks to the livestream viewers," he muttered.
He pitied the newbies who didn't earn enough points — they probably had to rush back into dungeons without rest or supplies.
After cursing the Infinite World a few more times in his heart, Yu Deng's stay timer hit zero.
The next instant, everything went dark. He was teleported into a new dungeon.
"So dizzy…"
The teleportation made his head spin, and the dim lighting didn't help. He could only feel that he was sitting on something uneven.
Before he could look around, the system's broadcast echoed —
[Ding. Welcome to C-rank dungeon "Castle Blood Feast."]
[In the town of Skartar, there stands an ancient and hidden castle. A mysterious race lives there — powerful, temperamental, and not human.]
[Every three years, the castle's master hosts a grand feast for non-human guests. But each time, there are always humans disguising themselves as non-humans, sneaking in among them…]
Yu Deng managed to process the words after a moment.
So, in this dungeon, the players' roles were… humans disguised as non-humans?
[Players must reach the castle within one hour. Those who fail will be eliminated.]
[After one hour, the dungeon will officially begin.]
Yu Deng shook his head to clear his vision, ready to set off...
But when his eyes finally focused, he realized where he was.
Before him stretched a pitch-black forest, every tree tall and twisted. The ground was covered in thorny brambles, and above him hung a blood-red moon that made the forest look even more ominous. At the forest's edge, he could faintly see the spires of the castle.
And he — was perched high up in one of those massive black trees.
Below him lay a thick bed of thorns.
At least ten meters from the ground.
Yu Deng: "!!?"
He clung to the tree trunk, trembling. His eyes turned red. "System, I'm afraid of heights…"
[Don't worry.]
[Upon entering this dungeon, your special identity and corresponding abilities have already been activated.]
Yu Deng was surprised. "Already activated?! What's my role this time?"
[You're a high-ranking vampire, newly awakened after being turned. Your powers are currently weak. You're of noble status — spoiled, short-tempered, and proud. Please remember your character setting.]
Yu Deng blinked. "Okay."
Wow, a vampire… That means he doesn't even have to pretend!
[You can switch between human and vampire forms, but since your powers are unstable, transformations may occur uncontrollably.]
Yu Deng touched his teeth, then his back — no fangs or wings yet. So he was in human form.
Which led to the big question... how was he supposed to get down?!
Yu Deng went pale. "Am I just supposed to stay here for an hour and get eliminated?! No way!!"
Just then, a dark shadow flickered in front of him. It flew fast, stopping right before his eyes.
Startled, Yu Deng hugged the tree tighter, trying to scoot backward. He looked up —
It was a young man with black hair and striking emerald-green eyes. Dressed in a tailcoat and white gloves, with bat wings gently flapping behind him.
The man bowed slightly. "Young master, so this is where you were."
Yu Deng blinked in confusion. "Huh? Young master?"
[Host, he's your butler.]
The man continued politely, "His Highness the Prince instructed me to look after you before he awakens. Young master, may I ask what you're doing up there?"
Yu Deng said softly, "I can't get down."
The butler was silent for two seconds, clearly not expecting that answer. "I see."
Yu Deng glanced at the countdown — fifty minutes left — and ordered without hesitation, "Then hurry up and carry me down!"
The little vampire was truly beautiful. His delicate features were doll-like, his skin paler and smoother than any vampire the man had ever seen — but not in a sickly way.
It was clearly a haughty command, yet with his red-rimmed eyes, quivering lips, and soft, tear-tinged voice — all while clinging tightly to the tree trunk — it was impossible to dislike him.
Like a little kitten stuck in a tree, furious yet helpless, mewling for help.
A strange feeling stirred in the man's chest.
"…As you command."
He leaned forward, wrapping an arm around Yu Deng's waist. "My apologies, young master."
The man's scent was cool and clean — Yu Deng didn't mind it. But then his back started to itch a little.
A cool breeze swept through the night ...
And before the man could move further, a rip sounded. Yu Deng's shirt split open at the back, revealing two small holes.
From them peeked out a pair of tiny, trembling wings.
The butler's movements froze. His gloved hand brushed lightly against the soft wings.
The coarse fabric brushing against them sent a ticklish shock through Yu Deng.
The little wings trembled harder, curling at the tips.
Yu Deng was suddenly overwhelmed by a strange, shivery feeling, and his voice came out soft and drawn-out —
"...Ah."
The man lowered his gaze, emerald eyes gleaming faintly. His tone remained polite as ever.
"Young master, your wings are trembling."