Yin Xiu drew the curtains and curled up on the sofa to watch TV.
The town's television never broadcasted anything related to the outside world. Like the screens in the square, it only showed footage of players currently navigating instances.
At the moment, one player was hunched over his desk in a classroom, silently copying text. Beside him stood a slender, twisted figure barely recognizable as a teacher, staring down at him with a grotesque smile. The eerie grin sent chills down the spine, and the player under scrutiny trembled, not daring to look up. The entire classroom was deathly silent.
A live comment drifted across the screen: "This instance is too hard. Has anyone from our town ever cleared it?"
"Nope... Lately, more and more players are dying in instances. Maybe we'll get newcomers tonight when it rains. It's been a while since anyone new arrived-our town's been well-organized."
"Sigh. Who knows how long the newcomers will last? If you don't memorize the rules the first time you enter an instance, you're as good as dead."
"Maybe I should just stay in town like Yin Xiu. Why bother with instances? Survival comes first."
"Are you kidding? Staying here too long is just asking for trouble. Did you see the guy who died in his house the other day? His neck was snapped."
"...I saw it. Had nightmares for two days. Now I freeze at the slightest sound at night."
"Same. It's getting unbearable. Meanwhile, Yin Xiu just glanced at the body and walked away without a flicker of emotion. He's the real Monstrosity in this town, isn't he?"
"Speaking of which, normal players get pulled into instances periodically, but he's stayed in town the whole time. No idea why..."
"He's always been weird. Night Goddess visits him every night. Living on the same street as him means sleepless nights."
"Hey, cut it out. Remember, the town's live comments are shared—Yin Xiu can see them too. Don't piss him off."
The screen instantly went silent, not a single message left.
Yin Xiu propped his chin on his hand, his drowsy eyes half-lidded as he stared at the TV, his tall frame curled up on the sofa, nodding off.
Before long, another comment floated by: "If you're still awake, go to bed. Heads up—Night Goddess is here."
As the comment faded, lights across the town flickered out one by one.
The streets fell into eerie silence, a cold wind whistling through the dark alleyways.
Faint footsteps echoed through the alley, yet no figure appeared-only a massive, indistinct shadow shifting between the cracks in the walls.
The footsteps paused briefly in front of every door. With each stop, a heavy, gnawing sound came from outside—a sickening crunch that made scalps tingle in the dead of night.
The sounds continued down the street until they finally halted outside Yin Xiu's door. This time, there was no chewing.
Knock knock!
Someone tapped lightly on Yin Xiu's window, but the entire frame shuddered from the impact.
Yin Xiu lifted his heavy eyelids, his gaze flicking toward the door.
He rose and walked to the window, yanking the curtains open. Under the moonlight, a pale woman's face was pressed against the glass, her lips curled into a smile as she stared straight at him.
Her long, disheveled hair draped to the ground, her face devoid of color, yet the corners of her smiling lips were stained with an unknown red liquid. Her massive form nearly filled the entire narrow alley as she crouched in a twisted, eerie posture.
"What is this?" The Night Goddess lifted the small iron bowl with her index finger, the clear water inside sloshing with two bloated tea leaves floating on the surface.
"Tea," Yin Xiu replied calmly, casually pouring himself a cup by the window.
The Night Goddess's smiling face stiffened, her expression gradually contorting into something sinister. Her voice dropped low, almost seething as she asked again, "What is this?"
"It's just tea," Yin Xiu said dismissively, raising his cup toward the woman outside the window. "Care for a sip?"
With a sharp crack, the small iron bowl crumpled in her grip. The Night Goddess pressed her ghastly pale face against the glass, her widened eyes bloodshot, reflecting Yin Xiu's impassive expression. "I am dissatisfied with your Sacrifice. I demand another."
Her finger slowly pointed at Yin Xiu inside the room, her voice a guttural growl. "You... will become my Sacrifice."
"No."
Yin Xiu's refusal was swift, his eyelids drooping lazily. "Can you stop bothering me every night? I can't even sleep properly. After eating so much meat, what's wrong with drinking some tea? Why so picky?"
Their voices carried clearly through the night, and nearly everyone in the alley could hear Yin Xiu's words, making them shudder beneath their blankets.
They had seen the Night Goddess in a rage bite off a man's head in one snap. They had witnessed houses flattened overnight and streets littered with mangled corpses.
In the entire town, only Yin Xiu dared speak to the Night Goddess like this—dancing on the edge of death.
The Night Goddess's face twisted further. Her enormous palm slammed against Yin Xiu's window, the glass cracking with a sharp snap, sending a jolt of fear through the onlookers.
"I will devour you alive, Yin Xiu! I swear I will devour you alive!" Her gnashing shrieks filled the night as her body rammed against his door and window, the screeching sound piercing eardrums.
Even more terrifying were the groans of the doorframe and the splintering glass.
The fragile door rattled violently, screws loosening, the trembling window now veined with cracks.
Though the rules stated that houses were safe at night as long as doors and windows remained shut, no one had ever tested whether they could actually be broken down-until now.
"So noisy." Yin Xiu yanked the curtains shut, pushed a table against the door, and returned to the couch to watch TV.
Three hundred sixty-five days a year, for six years—however long he had lived here, the Night Goddess had tormented him just as long.
Yin Xiu had long grown accustomed to nights filled with TV and days spent fishing and dozing.
Amid the Night Goddess's howls, hushed whispers rose from the darkness of the town. "He's angered the Night Goddess again, even though he knows how short-tempered she is."
"But the Night Goddess can't do anything to him. He hasn't broken any rules, so she can't enter."
"How long does this man plan to stay here? He doesn't enter Instances or leave. Who lives in a place like this for six years?"
"Other Players fear us, fear the Night Goddess. But he doesn't fear anything. And that knife he carries..."
"Forget it, let's go check on the others. The town feels unusually damp tonight, really uncomfortable."
"Maybe it's about to rain."
A few minutes later, raindrops began to fall from the sky, pattering softly across the entire town. A moist wind swept through the alleys, and almost simultaneously, the violent banging and shaking against doors and windows abruptly ceased.
Yin Xiu paused, turning to look at the window. Had they gone back so early tonight? Normally, they wouldn't let him sleep until dawn.
He stood up and pulled back the curtain. The deep alley was now empty of that massive figure, leaving only raindrops tumbling from the sky, splattering onto the ground and soaking the scattered Rule Sheets.
In the distance, lights flickered on one after another through the rain and mist, and voices gradually rose.
Rainy nights were the only time doors could be opened. For the Players in town, it was a rare moment of freedom—a chance to seek out newcomers and perhaps gain some companions.
But none of that concerned Yin Xiu. He yanked the curtain shut and quickly returned to bed. A night undisturbed was a rare luxury, and with the sound of rain and distant chatter outside, he was sure to sleep well.
Curling under the covers, his consciousness began to drift. Yet amid the steady drumming of rain, an unusual set of footsteps suddenly emerged at the entrance of the alley.
His eyes snapped open, sharpening his focus on the sound.
The footsteps splashed through puddles, moving steadily down the narrow alley. Unlike the scattered steps of other Players, these moved with purpose, drawing closer to his place.
No one stopped them. No one even seemed to notice them—as if the entire town had turned a blind eye. The footsteps cut cleanly through the rain until they halted right outside his door.
Yin Xiu lay still, gaze fixed on the door.
Beneath the fragile doorframe, already weakened by the Night Goddess's relentless pounding, a long shadow now stood.