Chapter 21: Gold-Tier Mutation
The pounding on the apartment door continued.
"Hey, Shen!"
"Pay your debt!"
"Keep playing dead and I’ll tear your damn door off!"
The voice echoed through the hallway.
Inside the apartment, Shen Xi instinctively flinched.
Shen Yu gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Stay here."
Then he walked toward the door.
The moment he opened it, three burly men were standing outside.
The leader, a bald man with a thick scar running across his cheek, sneered.
"Oh."
"It really is Shen Yu."
The man glanced around the apartment.
His expression carried the confidence of someone used to bullying the weak.
"Good."
"Your father owes us money."
"You pay."
Shen Yu leaned against the doorway.
"How much?"
The scarred man laughed.
"Two hundred thousand principal."
He raised three fingers.
"Plus interest."
"Five hundred thousand total."
"Must be paid today."
The other collectors laughed.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew Shen Yu’s family was poor.
Demanding five hundred thousand was simply extortion.
But they expected him to kneel.
To beg.
To panic.
Instead, Shen Yu calmly extended his hand.
"Show me the IOU."
The scarred man frowned.
"What?"
"The debt contract."
"Show it."
Annoyed, the collector pulled out a folded document.
Shen Yu took it.
Opened it.
Read it carefully.
Then smiled.
"I see."
The collector grinned.
"Now you understand?"
Shen Yu nodded.
"Loan amount."
"Two hundred thousand."
"Signed."
"Stamped."
"No problem."
The collector’s grin widened.
Then Shen Yu continued.
"But interest isn’t written anywhere."
The smile vanished.
"I only recognize what’s written on this paper."
"Two hundred thousand."
"Not the extra three hundred."
The hallway became silent.
The collectors stared at him.
Then burst into laughter.
The scarred man pointed at Shen Yu.
"You kidding us?"
"Paying interest is common sense!"
"Want to play lawyer with me?"
His expression twisted.
"I’ll kill you."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Something moved inside the apartment.
A shadow.
Dark.
Cold.
Wrong.
The collector suddenly felt a chill run through his spine.
Before he could react—
Black hair erupted from the floor.
SHHHHHHK!
The strands wrapped around his arms and legs instantly.
"W-What is this?!"
The man screamed.
The other collectors stumbled backward.
Hair continued crawling up the walls like living snakes.
The scarred man’s face turned pale.
"Let me go!"
"Boss!"
"We give in!"
"Just two hundred thousand!"
"Two hundred thousand is enough!"
Shen Yu smiled.
"Good."
"Bring the original contract."
"You have three days."
"Two hundred thousand."
"Not a cent more."
The collector nodded frantically.
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"We’ll come back with the paperwork!"
The hair released them.
The three men fled down the hallway like their lives depended on it.
Because they probably did.
The apartment finally became quiet.
Shen Yu closed the door.
Behind him, Shen Xi stood nervously.
"Bro?"
She tilted her head.
"You’re back?"
"I heard noise outside."
"I wanted to open the door for you."
Shen Yu looked at her.
His chest tightened slightly.
She was standing near the wall.
Carefully feeling her surroundings.
Afraid of bumping into furniture.
Afraid of falling.
A blind girl navigating a world she couldn’t see.
"Why didn’t you use your cane?"
Shen Yu asked.
Shen Xi blinked.
"Cane?"
"What is that?"
Shen Yu froze.
Then remembered.
They had never been able to afford one.
For Shen Xi, walking blindly through the apartment had become normal.
A life of bruises and collisions.
His expression darkened.
No more.
He grabbed a sturdy wooden stick from a storage corner.
Returning, he placed it in her hands.
"Here."
She tilted her head.
"What is it?"
"A cane."
"Use it to feel what’s ahead."
"Tap the floor."
"Step slowly."
"No more walking blindly."
He demonstrated.
Then guided her hands.
"Left foot."
"Tap."
"Right foot."
"Tap again."
At first she was clumsy.
Then slowly—
Her movements became smoother.
More confident.
The smile on her face grew wider with every step.
"Bro..."
Her voice trembled.
"This is amazing."
"I don’t have to be scared anymore."
"I used to hit tables and walls all the time."
She laughed softly.
"My legs were always covered in bruises."
Then she hesitated.
"With this..."
"Can I go buy groceries by myself someday?"
Shen Yu smiled.
"Yes."
"Things will get better."
His gaze softened.
"Shen Xi."
"I’ll pay back the debt."
"And your eyes..."
He clenched his fists.
"I’ll find a way to cure them too."
For a moment the room became quiet.
Then the blind girl smiled.
A pure smile.
Without doubt.
Without hesitation.
"Bro."
"I trust you."
"I believe everything you say."
Something inside Shen Yu shook.
Because in his previous life—
Nobody had ever trusted him that completely.
Nobody.
He looked away.
Unable to meet her eyes.
Even if she couldn’t see him.
To hide his embarrassment, he changed the topic.
"I’ve decided."
"I’m going to become a booster."
Shen Xi tilted her head.
"A booster?"
"What is that?"
"Someone who solves dungeon problems for money."
"The pay is high."
"The top dungeon carriers earn more in a day than ordinary people earn in years."
His eyes narrowed.
"Big guilds constantly watch the rookie rankings."
"If I climb high enough..."
"If I attract their attention..."
"I’ll get a signing bonus."
"Two hundred thousand will become nothing."
Hope slowly appeared on Shen Xi’s face.
"Then you’ll become the best?"
Shen Yu smiled.
"Of course."
That night—
After Shen Xi went to sleep—
Shen Yu opened the player rankings.
A holographic screen appeared before him.
Name: Shen Yu
Clear Record:
1. Haunted Apartment Dungeon
2. Coffin Calamity Dungeon
Rank:
SSS
Bonus:
+150 Points
Previous Failures:
3
Penalty:
-300 Points
Current Score:
0
Current Ranking:
9999+
Shen Yu stared silently.
Then laughed.
The previously he had failed dungeon attempts and had completely canceled out the SSS reward.
His rank was still at the bottom.
"Fine."
"Then I start from zero."
His eyes burned with determination.
More dungeons.
More rewards.
More strength.
The fastest route upward.
Meanwhile—
Far away within the Horror Realm—
Ghosts were still discussing him.
One analyst ghost adjusted his spectacles.
"No need to panic."
"Although Shen Yu possesses infinite revival..."
"Every ability must have limits."
The audience listened carefully.
The ghost continued.
"My theory is simple."
"There is a maximum resurrection count."
Someone asked:
"How many?"
The analyst proudly raised a finger.
"I estimate one hundred."
The audience gasped.
The ghost nodded confidently.
"So if you meet him in a dungeon..."
"Kill him repeatedly."
"Eventually he’ll run out."
The comments exploded.
Then another ghost shouted:
"I’d like to specially praise lily!"
The livestream instantly filled with applause.
"She killed Shen Yu eighteen times!"
"A role model!"
"A true warrior!"
Deep inside another dungeon—
Lily the ghost bride was watching the stream.
Her eye twitched violently.
"Twenty eight times?"
"He almost killed ME."
The comments immediately disappeared.
Nobody wanted to anger her.
Suddenly—
A portal opened.
A familiar woman stepped through.
Sister Sha.
One of the ancient ghosts.
The Ghost bride immediately stood.
"Sister Sha?"
"What happened?"
The older ghost’s expression was grave.
"Lily."
"You’ve got a problem."
Lily blinked.
"What?"
Sister Sha sighed.
"You were forcibly summoned into Hunted Apartment."
"That wasn’t random."
Lily’s expression changed.
"Then what was it?"
"You formed a pact."
The room became silent.
"A what?"
Sister Sha looked at her.
"A Yin Grudge Contract."
Lily’s face went white.
One of the most terrifying contracts in the Horror Realm.
A curse feared even by ancient ghosts.
Once formed—
Two beings would continue colliding through dungeons until one side was completely destroyed.
"No..."
Lily whispered.
Sister Sha nodded.
"Counting Hair Apartment..."
"Two rounds have already passed."
"You only have three remaining."
Lily nearly collapsed.
"Three?"
"Within three dungeons..."
"Either Shen Yu dies."
"Or you do."
The older ghost continued.
"And the contract forces you into whatever battlefield he enters."
"You cannot refuse."
Lily stared blankly.
Then remembered something.
Shen Yu’s smiling face.
His infinite revivals.
His terrifying growth.
Then she began crying.
"That’s impossible."
"He’s unkillable."
Sister Sha shook her head.
"No power is absolute."
"I have two theories."
Lily immediately looked up.
"Tell me."
"First."
"His resurrection may only function in Silver-ranked dungeons and above."
Lily nodded rapidly.
"And second?"
"It may only work in solo dungeons."
"If multiple players are involved..."
"The ability might fail."
Hope slowly appeared.
Then Sister Sha produced a black crystal.
"I paid dearly for this."
"It can interfere with dungeon matchmaking."
Lily’s eyes widened.
"You mean..."
The ancient ghost smiled coldly.
"The next dungeon."
"We change the battlefield."
"Bronze rank."
"Multiplayer."
"Force him into unfamiliar territory."
"Find his limit."
"Then kill him."
Lily clenched her fists.
Determination returned.
"Three dungeons."
"Fine."
"I’ll kill him myself."
At that exact moment—
The system activated.
A familiar countdown appeared.
Lily smiled.
"This one."
"Let’s test the theory."
The matching process began.
Then—
Everything glitched.
The system screen shattered.
A golden light exploded across reality.
Lily’s smile froze.
WARNING
Dungeon Mutation Detected
"What?"
The black crystal shattered.
The matchmaking changed.
Bronze rank vanished.
Gold rank emerged.
Lily stared.
"...that’s not supposed to happen."
At the same time—
Shen Yu was pulled from his apartment.
Golden light engulfed him.
He looked at the system notification.
Then slowly smiled.
Dungeon Mutation
Gold Tier Forced Multiplayer Dungeon
Code Name:
Haunted Elavator
Danger Rating:
One Star Gold
"Interesting."
"Gold dungeons give much better rewards."
"Maybe I’ll finally get that SSR card."
Elsewhere—
Hundreds of players appeared inside the same dungeon.
Some screamed immediately.
One fat player looked around in horror.
"Where am I?"
Another yelled:
"I chose Sweet Ghost Estate!"
"How did I end up here?"
A third player’s face turned white after reading the notification.
His voice trembled.
"Gold dungeon..."
"Forced multiplayer..."
"No..."
"Gold dungeons have over ninety percent mortality."
The crowd fell silent.
Someone whispered:
"We’re dead."
