Struck it rich

"This is Zhang Ya, my partner," Tian Xiaotian introduced the girl beside her. "We've been through life-and-death situations together—she's someone you can rely on."

"And this is the expert I told you about… I thought he was a monster, but turns out it's really him."

Zhang Ya wore a strange expression. Seeing Tian Xiaotian acting like an excited schoolgirl, she felt as if someone familiar had turned into a stranger. Though she muttered to herself internally, she still greeted Ye Chuan politely.

"Hello."

This person in front of her was likely a player who could help them clear the level. Being courteous couldn’t hurt—it might even increase their chances of survival.

But she was also deeply curious about Ye Chuan.

He didn’t seem like the usual players in this dungeon world. There was none of their usual caution or wariness. His relaxed demeanor made it seem like he was just here for fun.

"Alright, tell me what you know," Ye Chuan said, eager for information now that he’d run into familiar faces.

"You… don’t know?"

"Nope. I’m just here to collect rewards," Ye Chuan replied casually, leaving Tian Xiaotian and Zhang Ya at a loss for words. If they had a choice, they’d never step foot in this dungeon again—yet here he was, treating it like a reward run.

"[Muteness Academy] is an S-rank difficulty dungeon. In our region, no player has ever cleared it. The requirements to pass are either surviving seven days… or uncovering the truth."

Surviving seven days sounded simple enough.

But out of the dozens of players who entered, only a handful remained. And if Ye Chuan hadn’t intervened earlier, Tian Xiaotian and Zhang Ya would’ve already been dead.

"You couldn’t handle that monster earlier?" Ye Chuan asked.

"If it were just about survival, it wouldn’t be this hard," Tian Xiaotian sighed.

"The real problem is that this dungeon bans the use of items. All our equipment is locked…"

"The ‘Muteness’ part—being unable to use any items—is the scariest thing about it," Zhang Ya added. "And we’ve searched the academy. There aren’t any usable items lying around either."

Being stripped of their gear and items left them feeling powerless, like having strength with nowhere to direct it.

"Got it. Keep going," Ye Chuan said.

"Right… We do have some intel on this dungeon," Tian Xiaotian continued.

"The academy seems to be conducting some kind of experiment. We don’t know the details, but if uncovering the truth is the goal, it must be tied to that experiment."

"We also found the lab’s location…"

"Oh?" Ye Chuan’s eyebrows rose at the mention of the lab. "Where?"

"On the fourth floor. But there are a lot of teachers—no, monsters—guarding it." Tian Xiaotian hesitated, as if unsure whether to ask something.

She looked at Ye Chuan, her words stuck in her throat.

"What?"

"It’s just… um, that thing…"

Ye Chuan glanced at his skin, checking it wasn’t turning black, then raised an eyebrow. "Just say it."

"The monster."

"Monster?"

"Yeah, the one that called you ‘big brother’…" Tian Xiaotian seemed afraid of offending him, but Ye Chuan showed no reaction.

"Go on."

"Aren’t you scared?"

"Scared?"

"Yeah. That thing made of flesh, covered in eyes and tentacles… And you were so close to it…" Tian Xiaotian shuddered, struggling to describe it.

If it were just an enemy, fine. But seeing Ye Chuan act so familiar with it was terrifying.

"Covered in eyes and tentacles…" Ye Chuan pictured the description.

So that’s how others saw the white-haired girl?

"That’s how she looks to you?" he asked Zhang Ya.

Zhang Ya nodded.

Ye Chuan’s expression didn’t change. Clearly, something was altering his perception, making him see the girl differently.

Had his cognition been twisted by her?

"No, probably not. So that’s it…" Ye Chuan suddenly understood why the girl had been studying his face so intently before.

Was she looking for fear?

Or for him pretending not to be afraid?

[She’s adorable, but don’t make her angry.]

This rule likely existed because most players would see her as a hideous monster but force themselves to treat her like a little sister—only to anger her and get devoured.

But in Ye Chuan’s eyes, she was just a normal girl.

He could even sleep beside her without issue.

So instead, he’d earned her approval?

Was this what "trusted family" meant?

"I’m seeing something different…" Ye Chuan pulled out his phone and opened the logs.

[Special Effect: Under Lilith Ann’s protection, granted mental resistance.]

Was it this?

Or was the lingering influence of Chaos allowing him to see another side of her?

But if mental resistance and Chaos were at work, then the white-haired girl’s monstrous form must be her true self.

The strange tactile sensations had already made Ye Chuan suspicious, but Tian Xiaotian and Zhang Ya’s words clarified things.

A monster for a sister.

"Interesting," Ye Chuan mused, feeling no fear.

He wasn’t afraid of the bizarre—as long as it benefited him, she was a good sister.

And in his eyes, she really was cute.

"Whatever. Let’s head to the lab," he said.

"Expert, the lab’s a forbidden zone," Tian Xiaotian quickly warned.

"For you, maybe," Ye Chuan said. "You two shouldn’t follow. I don’t need dead weight."

Though his words were blunt, neither denied their status as dead weight.

But given the dungeon’s difficulty, Tian Xiaotian had no choice but to pin her hopes on Ye Chuan. "Expert… We won’t last long on our own."

They were in dire straits.

"Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you," Ye Chuan said, looking at Tian Xiaotian.

"Expert…" Her eyes shimmered with gratitude.

"You still owe me a lot of money."

Her expression instantly fell.

"Don’t die here. I don’t believe in ‘debts cleared by death,’" Ye Chuan said, opening his inventory. He rummaged through it before pulling out two swords.

Weapons were something Ye Chuan never lacked—especially as a sword cultivator. While collecting souls with the Emperor’s Banner, he never forgot to loot corpses for blades.

His inventory was overflowing with spirit swords.

"Here, one each." He tossed them the lowest-grade spirit swords, along with some healing potions. "These can regrow limbs if needed."

Tian Xiaotian and Zhang Ya stared dumbfounded at the weapons and recovery items.

Suddenly, it felt like they’d broken free from a survival horror game.

They’d struck gold!

Once he’d dealt with them, Ye Chuan prepared to check out the lab.