Chapter 15: The "Night" of the Spirit Realm

Chapter 15: The "Night" of the Phantom Realm

[Completed F-rank commission: I’m So Hungry (Perfect Completion)]
[Reward: 1. Spirit Energy +3]
[2. Phantom Coins 5,000,000]

Duan Ming’s mouth twitched slightly, even briefly entertaining the idea of eliminating every client who posted a commission, but he quickly abandoned the thought.

Setting aside the peculiar case of the starving ghost, his impression of the Phantom Realm in such a short time was clear: the phantoms here had already formed their own social system. This realm was no game; it would never offer a loophole for easy score grinding.

Most importantly...

He couldn’t win.

With his current strength, he could at best wander around the first floor; beyond that were fierce ghost-level opponents.

Even with a gun, it wouldn’t help.

Not to mention, he wasn’t even sure he could reliably take down every owner on the first floor.

The reason he came to this conclusion was that after absorbing the starving ghost through his Seventh Gluttonous Eye, his detection ability unexpectedly gained an important new function.

Duan Ming scanned the four ghosts before him.

[Rotten Ghost King Jue, Spirit Energy: 999]
[Gut-Ripper Ghost He Wei, Spirit Energy: 875]
[Jumping Ghost Zhao Gangmen, Spirit Energy: 866]
[Headless Ghost Chen Haolan, Spirit Energy: 915]

Now he could detect the exact spirit energy levels of his targets.

It was fine not knowing before, but now seeing this, wow—the four old comrades he had encountered were all top-tier malevolent ghosts, nearly on the verge of evolving into fierce ghosts.

Duan Ming looked at his own pitiful 956 spirit energy, which was actually ranked last...

Huh?

956?

Wasn’t it 856 before?

As he pondered, another piece of information surfaced.

[Completed hidden mission: Dream Fulfilled with Exhilaration]
[Reward: 1. Spirit Energy +100]
[2. Ghost Technique: Ghost Path Seventy-Eight — Severing]

Jiang Xiaoxiao was actually a hidden mission!

For an ordinary player, encountering this would basically mean failure, yet unexpectedly, he had completed it by sheer accident.

Duan Ming silently gave himself a thumbs-up.

But now was clearly not the time to experiment with skills. The group decided to leave Room 115 first. Having already climbed to second place, Duan Ming—with spirit energy nearing fierce ghost level—led the way, his strides brisk and confident.

The door now opened normally, and they filed out one by one. However, the further they walked, the more uneasy Duan Ming felt.

There were street lamps in the corridor, indeed, and the closer they got to the central hall, the brighter the lighting became. Yet the brightness of the hall was far different from when they first entered.

Duan Ming’s heart skipped a beat; his pace quickened involuntarily as he turned and asked, “How long have we been in Room 115?”

“No idea. Back then... ah, who cared about that?” Zhao Gangmen’s face flushed slightly.

Duan Ming fell silent and almost broke into a jog. Seconds later, a chill ran up his tailbone, making his scalp tingle.

It was dark outside.

At the start of the dungeon, there was a clear warning—not to leave the room at night. This was no baseless caution. Even in reality, the class had mentioned that while everything in the Phantom Realm could be explored on one’s own, the initial warnings must never be underestimated. Strictly following them greatly improves chances of survival.

Encountering this for the first time, Duan Ming felt helpless, not daring to step into the darkness even once.

Seeing him break out in cold sweat, He Wei stepped forward, glanced around, and then looked outside. “Big Brother, are you afraid of the dark?”

Wang Jue frowned in confusion and said, “You should be worried about the ‘night,’ right?”

Duan Ming glanced at him. The two words “night” were emphasized.

Seeming to see Duan Ming’s concern, Wang Jue smiled and explained, “If that’s the case, you don’t need to worry too much. The Phantom Realm’s night only begins at midnight.”

“Is that so?”

Zhao Gangmen finally understood and laughed heartily. “Haha, so you’re worried about that. Wang Jue’s right—in the Phantom Realm, those creatures only freely roam after midnight. Before then, you can rest assured; the rules don’t allow them to wander.”

“Those creatures?” Duan Ming’s heart tightened, feeling like he was about to uncover a secret.

“Yeah, those lost souls and wild ghosts,” Zhao Gangmen explained lazily. “They’re just some of the original inhabitants of the Phantom Realm.”

“Let me explain,” Wang Jue took over. “Although the Phantom Realm has many ghosts formed from the recently deceased, who over time have created their own system, there are also original inhabitants here. Their history is too ancient to trace, but honestly, we’re actually the invaders.”

“Some unknown big shot set the rules that the original inhabitants can only be active from midnight to six in the morning. Because of this, they fiercely resent us ‘outsiders.’ But due to the rules, they can’t cause havoc recklessly. That’s why there’s this saying: after midnight, as long as you stay in a sealed room, you’re generally safe.”

“Though the original inhabitants vary in strength, they have special abilities. Even against slightly stronger opponents, they’re not without a chance. Plus, their reckless fighting style means they’re still a threat to us. After midnight, our ghosts generally don’t go out casually either.”

“Oh, I see now.” Duan Ming understood and relaxed his stiff body upon seeing a few ghostly figures moving outside.

“Where’s the dorm they assigned me?”

Wang Jue pointed to a small building near the property office that still had its lights on. “There, over there.”

“Alright.”

Duan Ming rubbed his stomach. “Come to think of it, I’m a bit hungry. What time is it? I should see where I can find something to eat.”

He Wei glanced at the pretty girl’s watch on his hand casually. “Eleven fifty-five.”

∑(o_o；)!!! ×5

In a flash, the five of them—the man and four ghosts—vanished in five different directions.

The dormitory was only a few hundred meters away. With Duan Ming’s current physique, he could reach it in several dozen seconds, but his eyes were filled with anxiety.

At the dormitory entrance, a pale-faced, stout middle-aged woman was already closing the door, preparing to lock it.

“Auntie, wait, please wait!” Duan Ming shouted.

The dorm supervisor’s face immediately showed strong disdain, but she opened the door anyway, grumbling, “You damn pests, what are you doing! Wasting my rest time—get inside already!”

Smiling awkwardly, Duan Ming finally entered the small dorm building, forced to quietly watch her lock the door.

He dared not have any improper thoughts.

This auntie was a fierce ghost.

After locking the door, she went to a small room behind the service desk. Duan Ming had no choice but to grit his teeth and ask, “Auntie, I’m new here and don’t know where my dormitory is...”

The woman’s flesh trembled slightly as she impatiently walked to the desk. “Name? Hurry up!”

“Oh, Duan Ming.”

She rummaged and tossed a key his way without a glance, then walked off muttering foul words.

“Damn bad luck, just before rest time and this happens. No idea what the higher-ups were thinking hiring such useless trash. I still have to clean up their rooms. In a few days, they’ll just be empty again. Might as well die sooner.”

“Damn, the angrier I get the more I need to listen to Kun Kun’s songs to calm down.”

Duan Ming stood awkwardly.

No way around it—he was weaker and couldn’t retaliate.

He looked at the key.

First floor, Room 104.

He checked the direction, then headed left, pulling out a small notebook covered with dense writing. He vaguely saw the words “Headless Ghost” and “604.”

He thought for a moment and added a note.

[The dorm supervisor called me trash and cursed me to die early.]

Thank you all for your support and votes!

(End of chapter)