A torrential downpour lashed against the old stone-paved streets, the rain acidic enough to corrode flesh and bone. The last trace of crimson light on the horizon was swallowed whole by the heavy clouds above. At such an hour, no one in their right mind would dare to step foot outside.
Yet through that curtain of rain, a woman with disheveled golden hair ran desperately down the deserted street.
Her clothes were in tatters, soaked through, clinging to her trembling frame. Each step splashed up muddy water that struck her bare calves, eating through her skin in seconds. Pale flesh cracked open, raw and bleeding but she seemed not to feel the pain at all.
A monstrous roar erupted behind her, loud enough to split the air. It was not a sound any human throat could make, deep, distorted, vibrating through the bones. The creature that produced it charged forward, its presence a wall of pressure and malice.
Terror seized her body so completely that she couldn’t even scream. Not a single streetlamp still worked, the entire city plunged into darkness as if abandoned by the world itself. There was nowhere to hide, no sanctuary to run to. Where, where could possibly be safe?
Just as her strength finally began to fail, her blurred vision caught sight of a faint, warm light in the distance. It glowed like a small yellow star amid the black storm. Without hesitation, she stumbled toward it, every step driven by instinct alone.
She pushed through the heavy door of the small shop, slammed it shut behind her and collapsed onto the wooden floor.
The welcome bell hanging above the entrance clanged violently from the impact, swaying for a long while before settling. Behind the counter, a man calmly set down the cup he had been holding.
When she finally caught her breath and raised her head, she realized she had stumbled into what looked like a general store. The space was lit by a gentle amber light that wrapped the room in warmth.
Two lush green tropical plants stood near the entrance, the air smelling faintly of soil and tea. Simple wooden shelves lined the interior, displaying peculiar trinkets and strange items whose shapes defied logic. Larger goods were arranged neatly deeper inside the shop.
“Player number 5367126, Miss Amanda.”
The woman froze, disbelief flashing through her eyes. “What…?”
Her gaze shifted toward the counter. A man sat there, looking down at her with an almost indulgent expression. His lips curved faintly, polite and unreadable.
The shopkeeper was dressed immaculately in a white shirt with lace at the collar, a dark brown vest fitted perfectly to his frame. His long black hair was tied loosely at the end, draped over one shoulder.
The pale skin at his wrist showed faint blue veins beneath the surface, his slender fingers wrapped elegantly around a porcelain cup that still steamed faintly with tea or coffee.
His golden eyes gleamed with detached curiosity. His features were beautiful to the point of being unnatural, as though sculpted by a god with meticulous care. Amanda was certain she had never seen him before yet something about him stirred a strange familiarity in her chest.
“Your teammates,” the man said softly, “have all perished in this instance. A pity. You are the last one… the final hope.”
“Hope?” Amanda let out a bitter, broken laugh. The word itself triggered a flood of memory, the screams, the blood, the moment life was torn away from her companions. Her voice trembled. “What hope?”
“The hope of victory,” he replied with a faint smile. “You haven’t lost yet.”
Her face twisted into a wild, despairing grin. Tremors wracked her body; the reopened wounds dripped fresh blood onto the floor. After a long, unsteady breath, she muttered hoarsely, “Who are you… and why did you save me?”
“That’s not important,” he said lightly, draining the last of his drink. “I merely run a small branch store here. And you, Miss Amanda, can purchase anything you desire from me, even the chance to turn everything around.”
Her eyes widened. “A system shop?”
Instinctively, she brought up her player interface. A blue holographic screen appeared before her, still displaying the same error as before: Connection lost. System store unavailable.
She was trapped in a global horror survival game, thrown again and again into dungeons filled with anomalies and nightmares. All she could do was fight for a fleeting chance to live.
This instance had been especially brutal; the system store was down, their supply of items cut off. Her team had fallen one after another. A few more seconds and the mission would have ended in total annihilation.
“What is this supposed to mean?” she shouted, trembling all over. “The store’s been down this whole time and now it just opens up out of nowhere?!”
The shopkeeper remained unruffled. “Occasionally, unexpected malfunctions prevent online access. When that happens, I open a physical branch instead. You were simply lucky enough to pass by.”
“Lucky?!” she spat. Rage surged through her exhaustion. “I should kill you, kill you right now!”
She tried to leap to her feet but her body refused to obey. Pain tore through her muscles like lightning, scattering her thoughts into static.
The shopkeeper, Ye Jinran, sighed helplessly and spread his hands. “Why so aggressive? The last owner only died a short while ago and already someone’s trying to replace me. Players these days are so impatient.”
He had even prepared to recommend her a full set of recovery items and anti-tracking gear. Instead, his potential customer was wasting her last breath attempting to stab him. Truly, being a system shopkeeper was a high-risk profession.
Still, duty was duty. He rose from his seat, fetched a roll of bandages from the cabinet and walked toward the barely conscious woman. There was no point angering anyone, not when his direct superior was the Lord God who created this game.
When he drew close enough, the bandage slipped from his fingers and floated on its own, winding gently around Amanda’s limbs. Her wounds sealed partially, the bleeding slowed.
This was no ordinary bandage but one of the shop’s enchanted items, tools that players called “props,” each capable of bending the laws of nature.
“Better?” Ye Jinran crouched beside her, tilting his head. “Can you lift your head now?”
The woman’s body sagged against the floor, exhaustion carving lines into her face. She raised her eyes weakly, no longer sharp and defiant but filled with the heavy fatigue of someone who had survived too much.
“Your progress isn’t ideal,” he murmured, then smiled faintly. “I mean, I think your team could have done better.”
When she managed to sit up, he straightened and snapped his fingers. A holographic projection shimmered into view before her, an image of a sleek helmet.
“Diving Helmet: allows extended underwater activity. Invisibility Cloak: won’t hide sound. Catnip Spray: that thing out there really hates the smell…”
As he spoke, he switched through several projections, describing the features with professional ease, comparing advantages and drawbacks while his eyes flicked absently toward the blood-smeared floor. A trace of distaste crossed his face.
Tch. As long as she doesn’t die here, it’s fine.
Amanda hesitated, then said quietly, “I’ll take the scent-masking item. It can’t see, can it?”
“Good choice. That spray costs three hundred points.”
He reached behind the counter and retrieved the small bottle of catnip spray.
The woman grimaced at the price but her survival instinct overrode her reluctance. She took the bottle and opened the transaction screen, transferring the points. Her expression froze when she saw the total.
“The treatment fee is included,” Ye Jinran said pleasantly. “Thank you for your patronage.”
The door behind her creaked open by itself, letting in a gust of cold, rain-soaked air. The bell jingled again.
Amanda didn’t dare linger. She bowed slightly, sprayed herself from head to toe and slipped back into the storm.
Silence settled over the shop once more. The heavy door shut, sealing away the noise of the rain and whatever cries might have been outside.
Ye Jinran returned to his seat, poured himself another cup of tea and laughed quietly to himself, as though he could already see the woman’s inevitable death beneath the creature’s claws.
The mutated werewolf would indeed be driven away by the scent; it loathed catnip. Ye Jinran hadn’t lied.
But catnip naturally attracted cats.
And in this dungeon, there was another entity, one born from the legend of the cat demon.
He pulled a map across the counter, tracing the red dot that marked his shop’s location. Not far away, a small icon shaped like a cat’s head pulsed faintly. Amanda’s choice hadn’t been wrong, exactly.
If she had chosen the helmet, she would have met new horrors in the lake or sewers. If she had chosen the cloak, it would have been useless against a blind creature that hunted by sound. Every aid he offered only solved one problem while leading her straight into the next.
Sustainable business requires long-term customers. If he solved all their troubles at once, how would he ever clear out the old stock gathering dust on his shelves?
Unfortunately, the dimensional passage was still under repair, meaning the online store couldn’t connect to this instance. He had to sell items in person, what a nuisance. Ye Jinran sighed and glanced at the wall clock, its ticking hands forming a slowly shrinking countdown.
Two hours left until the end of the dungeon. Maybe he would go collect from her again before it was over.
Just as he was tapping his fingers on the desk, a notification flickered into view.
[Dimensional passage restored. System Store is now online.]
His eyes lit up instantly.
Finally, some good news. He could leave everything on autopilot for a while.
When the store functioned normally, it automatically suggested items to players, complete with search and shopping cart features. Purchases and point deductions all processed instantly, no need for him to waste time explaining anything.
Ye Jinran dropped everything on the counter, muttered the key incantation and a tunnel of blue and white light opened before him. He stepped through, the world spinning for a brief second before he emerged back in reality.
The portal deposited him in his own apartment. It was already two in the morning. He glanced at the window, at the quiet, dark city beyond and sighed. A hot shower sounded like the perfect reward.
The physical store back in the dungeon was filthy thanks to that bleeding player and he wasn’t about to clean it. The system would automatically reclaim the leftover items anyway.
But the metallic tang of blood still clung to his skin. He stripped off his clothes with a grimace. Normally, he wasn’t one for neatness but tonight the scent was intolerable.
In the silence of deep night, he filled the bathtub and let the steam cloud the air. The water was perfectly warm, wrapping around him as he sank in.
He had barely begun to relax when another blue notification blinked before his eyes.
[S-grade item “Mist Veil Flower” has been out of stock for 13 days.]
[Detected: imminent drop of S-grade item “Mist Veil Flower.” Please retrieve promptly.]
[Dungeon ID: 3280.]
“Seriously?” Ye Jinran groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I just started my bath and now you’re sending me back to work?”
The glowing blue message hovered mockingly in front of him, bright and insistent. For a long moment, he simply stared at it, tempted to throw something through it.
What a pain.
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A wild translator appears! Their weakness: coffee. ☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
Next →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Blood Moon Town: ShhhChapter 2 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (1)Chapter 3 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (2)Chapter 4 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (3)Chapter 5 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (4)Chapter 6 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (7)Chapter 7 · The Mist of Nanjin Village (6)Chapter 8 · The mist over Nanjin Village (7)Chapter 9 · The Mystery of Nanjin Village (The End)Chapter 10 · Real WorldChapter 11 · Riding The Wind (1)Chapter 12 · Riding The Wind (2)Chapter 13 · Riding The Wind (3)Chapter 14 · Riding The Wind (4)Chapter 15 · Riding The Wind (5)Chapter 16 · Riding The Wind (6)Chapter 17 · Riding The Wind (7)Chapter 18 · Riding The Wind (8)Chapter 19 · Riding The Wind (9)Chapter 20 · Riding The Wind (10)Chapter 21 Part 1 · Riding The Wind (11)Chapter 21 Part 2 · Riding The Wind (11)Chapter 22 · Real World (1)Chapter 23 · Real World (2)Chapter 24 · Golden Sands Fade Away (1)Chapter 25 · Golden Sands Fade Away (2)Chapter 26 · Golden Sands Fade Away (3)Chapter 27 · Golden Sands Fade Away (4)Chapter 28 · Golden Sands Fade Away (5)Chapter 29 · Golden Sands Fade Away (6)Chapter 30 · Golden Sands Fade Away (7)Chapter 31 · Golden Sands Fade Away (8)Chapter 32 · Golden Sands Fade Away (9)Chapter 33 · Golden Sands Fade Away (10)Chapter 34 · Golden Sands Fade Away (11)Chapter 35 · Golden Sands Fade Away (12)Chapter 36 · Golden Sands Fade Away (13)Chapter 37 · Golden Sands Fade Away (14)Chapter 38 · Golden Sands Fade Away (15)Chapter 39 · Golden Sands Fade Away (16)Chapter 40 · Golden Sands Fade Away (17)Chapter 41 · Golden Sands Fade Away (18)Chapter 42 · Golden Sands Fade Away (19)Chapter 43 · Golden Sands Fade Away (20)Chapter 44 · Golden Sands Fade Away (21)Chapter 45 · Golden Sands Fade Away (22)Chapter 46 · Golden Sands Fade Away (23)Chapter 47 · Golden Sands Fade Away (24)Chapter 48 · Golden Sands Fade Away (25) The EndChapter 49 · Main God’s DomainChapter 50 · Anomaly Investigation Bureau (1)Chapter 51 · Anomaly Investigation Bureau (2)Chapter 52 · Item FactoryChapter 53 · Defrosted Friendship (1)Chapter 54 · Defrosted Friendship (2)Chapter 55 · Defrosted Friendship (3)Chapter 56 · Defrosted Friendship (4)Chapter 57 · Defrosted Friendship (5)Chapter 58 · Defrosted Friendship (6)Chapter 59 · Defrosted Friendship (7)Chapter 60 · Defrosted Friendship (8)Chapter 61 · Defrosted Friendship (9)Chapter 62 · Defrosted Friendship (10)Chapter 63 · Defrosted Friendship (11)Chapter 64 · Defrosted Friendship (12)Chapter 65 · Defrosted Friendship (13)Chapter 66 · Defrosted Friendship (14)Chapter 67 · Defrosted Friendship (15)Chapter 68 · Defrosted Friendship (16)Chapter 69 · Defrosted Friendship (End)Chapter 70 · The Real WorldChapter 71 · Matching TimeChapter 72 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (1)Chapter 73 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (2)Chapter 74 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (3)Chapter 75 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (4)Chapter 76 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (5)Chapter 77 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (6)Chapter 78 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (7)Chapter 79 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (8)Chapter 80 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (9)Chapter 81 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (10)Chapter 82 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (11)Chapter 83 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (12)Chapter 84 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (13)Chapter 85 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (14)Chapter 86 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (15)Chapter 87 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (16)Chapter 88 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (17)Chapter 89 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (18)Chapter 90 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (19)Chapter 91 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (20)Chapter 92 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (21)Chapter 93 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (22)Chapter 94 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (23)Chapter 95 · The Meaning of Endless Abundance (Complete)Chapter 96 · The Main God Invites You for TeaChapter 97 · The Player ForumChapter 98 · Training GroundChapter 99 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (1)Chapter 100 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (2)Chapter 101 · Eternal Night – The Stone-Striker (3)Chapter 102 · Eternal Night · The One Who Strikes the Stone (Finale)