Chapter 4: He Must Be One of Them
"What the actual fuck?" Dean had muttered suddenly.
The reward for completing the task was supposed to be the ’Sacred Pill’. Yet he’d only received a stick.
Although he couldn’t make sense of what was happening, he couldn’t think of what to do either.
There was another task waiting for him.
He’d thought he could complete it, but his spirits were well and truly low.
He took a deep breath, then immediately closed the system window in front of him.
He’d thought the system was having a laugh at his expense or something.
Still, he was aware that there was a dungeon he needed to complete right now.
So he’d returned to the warehouse.
As soon as he did, he saw that Urdur was waiting for him, looking rather stressed.
As he approached Urdur, the ghost monster immediately turned round and said, "Oh, sir! You’re all right."
At Urdur’s words, Dean shook his head and asked, "Have you managed to find anyone willing to work?"
Urdur rubbed his hands together once more, then replied, "Yes, sir."
In an instant, he pointed out several people.
Each of them had enormous bodies.
With their green skin, long, sharp teeth protruding from their mouths, and blood-stained bodies, they stood there in a row.
Even if the young man had chosen to ignore the atmosphere and the scene outside, he would still have found himself faced with a sight that might have struck him as strange.
The Ghosts were whispering amongst themselves one after the other. They knew they’d gathered here for a job, but they hadn’t realised they’d be dealing with a human.
"I’ll pay 50,000 each for three days’ work."
When Dean spoke these words, the murmuring around him ceased instantly.
As all eyes turned to Dean, the young man produced nine fifty-thousand notes and handed them to Urdur.
"At the end of the three days, distribute these to the workers. I needn’t tell you what will happen if you steal them," Dean said simply.
Urdur smiled and replied, "Of course, sir. Rest assured," before taking the notes from the young man’s hand.
Urdur was well aware.
Every single banknote that came from Dean’s hand carried an incredible amount of pure spiritual energy.
There was no need to explain what kind of effort had gone into creating these banknotes, what materials had been used, or anything of the sort.
In Urdur’s eyes, Dean was someone who had come from the sacred realm, incarnated in a human form.
For him, he was like an angel...or maybe someone even higher than that.
There really could be no other explanation for it.
That was why Urdur realised he could not provoke him.
For a low-level ghost like himself, that would be no different from ending his second life.
In the blink of an eye, Urdur had put nine ghosts to work.
Dean, not knowing what to do, had begun to wait inside the warehouse.
Urdur had left the warehouse several times, returning each time with something different.
First came a chair; when Dean didn’t like the quality, it was subsequently transformed into a couch.
Within a short time, the young man had a comfortable spot to sit in.
This went on for nearly eleven hours, until Urdur’s words signalled the end of the day’s work.
The air, already a mix of red and black and so dark you could barely see your hand in front of your face, had grown even darker.
When lamps burning with green and blue flames appeared all over the area, Urdur had gathered everyone together.
That is to say... the survivors.
Twenty-six people had entered the dungeon. Dean could see clearly that only fifteen remained.
Exactly 11 people had died.
Eight of them had been killed instantly for showing ’disrespect’ to the guest ghosts remaining in the main inn.
But that wasn’t all.
Their bodies were nowhere to be seen. The ghosts might well have devoured them by now.
The remaining three were three of the four from the restaurant.
One had been killed for spilling a customer’s drink, whilst the other two had been killed for angering the head chef.
A total of 11 people had died.
Right from the very first day.
"You fools! You can’t even manage to do your jobs properly!" Urdur had shouted, before adding, "Ah... of course, I don’t mean you, sir."
Dean had merely smiled.
Urdur had continued to berate the rest of them for a while longer and had stated that from tomorrow onwards, everything would be monitored under stricter rules.
After that, everyone, including Dean, had been sent to the dormitory.
Once everyone had settled into their beds, all eyes were fixed on Dean.
None of them dared to sleep.
It would be fair to say that they didn’t trust one another, and especially not Dean.
From the most experienced to the least, it seemed as though every single one of them had their eyes locked on him.
Dean, of course, was well aware of this.
To be honest, he was a little scared.
Although he could see that the nether coins he’d used were keeping the ghosts at bay, he didn’t know if the same applied to people.
It would be fair to say he wasn’t sure whether he could keep himself safe against 14 separate individuals.
That was why the young man had chosen the bed closest to the door, and then gone to sleep.
The mood in the room was very different.
The most experienced among them kept glancing at the others, signalling with his eyes that they should not do anything sudden.
The first person to speak when they entered the dungeon kept muttering to himself in a very low voice, "He must be one of them."
The fact that Dean had lain down on the bed by the door was a warning sign for them.
Each of them was well aware of just how hard it was for people to earn Nether and Aether coins.
This man, however, had mined tens of thousands in a single day and had spent many of them as if they were mere gifts.
It was impossible to know just how much more he possessed.
What could it possibly mean that he was standing by the door?
Each of them was consumed by this thought.
For them, it was almost like a warning.
Dean was telling them:
"Come any closer or leave; without my permission, you’ll force my hand."
That is... at least, that was what was in their eyes and minds.
Dean had fallen asleep within a short time.
The group, realising this, had come to realise, albeit reluctantly, that they now needed to sleep.
The next day would be here before long.
It could be said that this day would be more interesting than the others.
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