Chapter 26: Forced Dungeon Entry
Rojo looked through the doorway.
"That middle-aged ghost inside looks ridiculously strong."
Shen Yu shrugged.
"We’re not here to fight."
Before anyone could ask what he meant—
A furious roar erupted from inside.
"You do nothing but cry!"
A man shouted.
"If you weren’t so useless, would people laugh at me outside?"
A loud crash followed.
Something shattered.
Then came a woman’s frightened voice.
"W-Who are you?"
The players stepped inside.
The room froze.
A middle-aged ghost woman stared at them with red, swollen eyes.
"What do you want?"
Shen Yu pointed silently.
"Look carefully."
A figure emerged behind him.
The ghost woman froze.
Her pupils contracted.
Then she screamed.
"My daughter!"
She rushed forward.
The little ghost girl standing beside Shen Yu looked exactly like the daughter she had lost.
Years older.
But unmistakably hers.
Tears immediately streamed down the ghost woman’s face.
"My daughter..."
"No."
Big Sister Xiaoya grabbed her shoulders.
"Calm down."
"She’s not your daughter."
The ghost woman shook her head desperately.
"No..."
"It can’t be..."
Her gaze wavered.
Confusion.
Fear.
Hope.
Everything mixed together.
Shen Yu sighed.
"Go check her room."
The ghost woman stumbled toward the bedroom.
Moments later—
A cry echoed from inside.
Her daughter.
Still sleeping peacefully.
Safe.
But dead.
The woman collapsed to her knees.
"But Akai wasn’t always like this..."
she whispered.
Her voice trembled.
"He used to be good to me."
The memories surfaced.
"He wouldn’t even let me open bottle caps."
"He always worried I’d hurt myself."
Her tears flowed harder.
"He wasn’t like this."
Shen Yu nodded.
"I know."
The room fell silent.
Before coming here, Shen Yu had already visited Floor Two.
He had found the younger Akai.
The version that still loved Xiaoya.
The version that still believed in a better future.
And he had told him everything.
Everything.
The drinking.
The abuse.
The debt.
The violence.
The murder.
The younger Akai had listened in silence.
Then he had cried.
"Don’t let old memories fool you."
Shen Yu looked directly at Xiaoya.
"The man who loved you once existed."
His voice softened.
"But the man standing before you now is real too."
The room became deathly quiet.
"Don’t let past kindness blind you to present evil."
The words struck harder than any weapon.
Xiaoya lowered her head.
Her shoulders trembled.
For the first time...
She truly saw the truth.
DING.
A familiar notification echoed through the dungeon.
The elevator appeared.
Golden light flooded the room.
The players immediately received system messages.
[Dungeon Clear Condition Achieved]
[Gold Dungeon: Homecoming Cleared]
Everyone froze.
Then cheers erupted.
"We did it!"
"Finally!"
"We cleared it!"
Shen Yu leaned against the elevator wall.
Watching quietly.
Human nature really was complicated.
The younger Akai had been willing to fight his future self.
The older Akai had become the very thing he once hated.
People weren’t simply good or evil.
Black or white.
Most broke somewhere in between.
Life.
Pressure.
Debt.
Gossip.
Regret.
Sometimes that was all it took.
As the dungeon dissolved around them, Shiau suddenly ran over.
"Brother Shen!"
Shen Yu glanced at him.
"Can I follow you?"
The young man looked serious.
"You’re amazing."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Shiau’s face collapsed.
"Ouch."
Shen Yu smirked.
"You’d die."
"...Fair."
The others laughed.
"Goodbye, Brother Shen."
Shiau waved.
"Hope we meet again."
Shen Yu raised a hand without turning around.
"Maybe."
A moment later—
[Dungeon Settlement In Progress]
Golden notifications exploded before Shen Yu’s eyes.
Reward after reward appeared.
Stat increases.
Equipment.
Titles.
Skills.
Then—
Congratulations!
Obtained Silver Two-Star Skill: Phantom Wind
Effect: Short-range teleportation in any direction.
Cooldown: 0.5 seconds.
Shen Yu’s eyes lit up.
"Now that’s useful."
Most movement skills had several-second cooldowns.
Half a second was absurd.
In high-speed combat, enemies would never predict his movements.
He immediately learned the skill.
His body flickered.
Gone.
Then reappeared several meters away.
Fast.
Silent.
Deadly.
A grin spread across his face.
"Not bad."
Very not bad. He also gained pain relive for dying.
The dungeon had been worth every death.
Especially considering he still had one final dungeon entry remaining today.
Shen Yu opened his status screen.
Then smiled.
"Business first."
__ __ __ __
The golden light of the dungeon settlement gradually faded.
Shen Yu opened his eyes.
The familiar ceiling greeted him.
Cracked white paint.
An old spinning fan.
The faint scent of instant noodles lingering in the air.
Home.
After countless deaths, murderous ghosts, and blood-soaked dungeons, the tiny apartment felt almost unreal.
For a moment, Shen Yu simply lay there and stared at the ceiling.
Silence.
No screams.
No system notifications.
No ghosts trying to tear him apart.
Just peace.
A rare luxury.
Then a familiar voice called from the next room.
"Bro?"
The corner of Shen Yu’s mouth lifted.
"I’m back."
The bedroom door opened immediately.
His little sister, Shen Xi, sat on the edge of her bed, her face brightening the moment she heard his voice.
Even though her eyes couldn’t see him, she somehow always knew exactly where he was.
"Brother!"
A smile appeared on her face.
"You came back."
The tension Shen Yu carried through every dungeon instantly melted away.
"Of course I came back."
He walked over and gently rubbed her head.
"When have I ever broken a promise?"
Shen Xi pouted.
"You disappear for hours every time."
"I worry."
Shen Yu laughed.
"Then stop worrying."
"Easier said than done."
The siblings shared a quiet laugh.
For a brief moment, life felt normal.
Shen Yu glanced at the clock.
"I’ll head out for a bit."
"Need to buy some things."
Shen Xi immediately looked worried.
"Bro..."
"You’re not going to that dangerous place again, right?"
The smile on Shen Yu’s face softened.
"No."
He shook his head.
"Just going to the mall."
Mostly true.
Probably.
Hopefully.
"Remember what I told you."
His expression became serious.
"Don’t open the door for anyone."
"Not neighbors."
"Not delivery workers."
"Nobody."
Shen Xi nodded obediently.
"Okay."
Then she smiled.
"Come back soon."
"I will."
Several hours later...
The apartment door opened.
CLANK.
CLANK.
CLANK.
Shen Xi tilted her head.
"Bro?"
"What is that sound?"
"It sounds like metal."
A mischievous grin appeared on Shen Yu’s face.
"I’m making you a treasure."
"A treasure?"
Her curiosity immediately rose.
"What treasure?"
Shen Yu stepped aside dramatically.
"A wheelchair."
Silence.
Then—
"A wheelchair?"
Shen Xi froze.
Her hands tightened around her blanket.
"A real one?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"A proper wheelchair?"
Shen Yu nodded.
"Yep."
The girl sat there speechless.
For years, they’d been too poor.
Medical bills.
Debt collectors.
Interest payments.
Every month had been a struggle just to survive.
Something as simple as a quality wheelchair had always been out of reach.
"But..."
She lowered her head.
"It costs so much."
"We still owe two hundred thousand."
Shen Yu smiled.
"Not anymore."
Her head snapped up.
"What?"
"I sold some stuff."
"What stuff?"
"Two items I wasn’t using."
He casually sat down.
"Sold them on the Nether Trade Platform."
Shen Xi blinked.
"And?"
"They sold instantly."
"How much?"
Shen Yu grinned.
"Over 1.2 million."
The room went silent.
"..."
"..."
"...How much?"
"1.2 million."
The girl nearly fell out of bed.
"ONE POINT TWO MILLION?!"
Shen Yu laughed.
"Enough to clear our debts."
"Enough for your treatment."
"And enough so your annoying brother can finally stop worrying about money."
For a second, Shen Xi didn’t speak.
Then tears quietly appeared in her eyes.
Shen Yu immediately panicked.
"Hey."
"No crying."
"I’m not crying."
"You are."
"I’m not."
"You definitely are."
A small laugh escaped her.
The tears remained.
Happy tears.
The rarest kind.
Later that evening...
The siblings sat outside.
For the first time in years.
No debt collectors.
No threatening phone calls.
No anxiety hanging over their heads.
Just a gentle breeze.
Shen Xi closed her eyes.
"What is that sound?"
Shen Yu listened.
"Sparrows."
"They’re singing in the roadside trees."
A smile appeared on her face.
"And that?"
"A car passing by."
"And that?"
"The wind."
The girl leaned back.
Feeling the cool air brush across her cheeks.
For someone who couldn’t see the world...
Every sound painted a picture.
Every smell created a landscape.
Every breeze became a color.
"It’s beautiful."
She whispered.
Shen Yu looked at her.
His chest tightened.
"Yeah."
"It is."
Back home, they cooked dinner together.
Or rather—
Shen Xi instructed while Shen Yu attempted not to burn the kitchen down.
A few minutes later—
Cough.
Shen Xi frowned.
"Bro."
"What?"
"This sweet and sour pork doesn’t smell right."
Shen Yu froze.
"...Really?"
"Did you use sugar instead of salt again?"
"..."
"...Maybe."
The girl burst into laughter.
"How do you keep doing that?"
Shen Yu pointed accusingly.
"You can’t even see it."
"I can hear it."
"Hear it?"
"The oil."
She pointed toward the stove.
"The temperature is wrong."
Shen Yu stared.
"That’s impossible."
"Try the pepper stir-fry."
She smiled confidently.
"Put the vegetables in."
"Count to three."
"Then flip."
Shen Yu followed her instructions.
A moment later—
The aroma filled the room.
His eyes widened.
"Perfect."
Shen Xi smiled proudly.
"Told you."
"My ears are better than your cooking."
"That’s not a high bar."
The laughter slowly faded.
Then—
Shen Yu’s smile disappeared.
A strange chill ran down his spine.
His eyes narrowed.
The familiar sensation returned.
Cold.
Sharp.
Wrong.
Like invisible fingers brushing across reality itself.
His system suddenly flashed.
A crimson warning appeared.
[Warning]
[Abnormal Yin Fluctuation Detected]
Shen Yu stood up instantly.
The atmosphere in the apartment changed.
The temperature dropped.
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
His expression darkened.
"No..."
Shen Xi immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Bro?"
"What happened?"
Shen Yu didn’t answer immediately.
Because he already knew.
This feeling...
He had experienced it before.
The beginning of a forced dungeon entry.
