As I gazed out over the misty horizon, the wind whipped around me, sending a shiver through my body. It was one of those nights that felt like a memory slipping through time—detached but familiar. I could recall standing on this very spot before, with echoes of past events swirling in my mind.
*"What the hell is that?"* I muttered back then, turning to see if anyone was behind me. But no one had been there—just the wind and the house that seemed to hum with its eerie life, the kind that crept under your skin. "I'll be back, Master. I need to go somewhere,"_ Sesy’s voice, smooth and reassuring, had echoed in my mind, though it was just as much a part of me now as my own thoughts. I remember turning again, this time seeing the ghoul butler and the Evil Spook. They had both nodded before vanishing into the shadows, leaving me standing alone. "My lord," the ghoul butler had said before disappearing, "I also need to leave for a while. Too many spirits are causing disturbances. You cannot come with us, not until you've met the Lucist Elders." The house felt heavier after they left, pressing down on me with its silence. It was almost suffocating. _"This place is definitely haunted,"_ I muttered to myself. But for all its dark and foreboding aura, I was still thankful. _"At least my father gave me this place."_ Back in my room, I eyed the plastic bag of canned food and instant noodles—my makeshift dinner. Hunger gnawed at me, so I opened one of the cans and ate quietly, each clink of the spoon against metal echoing in the silence. Curiosity had gotten the best of me after a while. Setting the food aside, I cleared my throat and said, _"Status,"_ with a confident tone, even though part of me wasn’t ready for what I might see. --- **[STATUS]** > **Profile** Rank: F Rank Title: Page Tamer (Trainee), Esquire Medic Healer (Candidate) Title: Head of Lucist Family, Loved by His Powerful Grandfather, Master of Butler Ghouls, I Can Tame Even the Evil Name: LU SHIAN Age: 21 Race: Human > **Stats** Strength: 3 Agility: 1 Intelligence: 28 Health: 11 Endurance: 6 Charm: 2 Magic: None Mana: 6 > **Skills** Clerical Magic: 2/1000 Miracle Manipulation: 5/1000 Possession Resistance: 6/1000 Rune Manifestation: 3/1000 Sealing Bolts: 1/1000 Space-Time Magic: 400/1000 Cutting: 3/1000 Throwing: 4/1000 > **Ability** Magic Merging: 0/1000 Combat Merging: 100/1000 > **Pets:** None (Available Stat Points: 0) > **Currency** Gold: 600,000 Coins: 50,000 Wealth: Unknown I frowned at my stats. _"This system looks cool, but what's with my stats?"_ I grumbled. My journey had only just begun, but the numbers staring back at me felt like a frustrating reminder of how much further I had to go. And then came that familiar sound— *Ding*—breaking the quiet. **[Assigned Quest!]** An upgraded house is equal to an upgraded person. Upgrade your house and become the first person in centuries to achieve this. **§ Reward:** 100,000,000 gold, Title: I'm the Great Head *"A hundred million gold! Is this for real?"* I had exclaimed, my heart racing with excitement. The reward felt unreal. "And no consequence this time? Not like that beginner quest..."_ But reality quickly settled in. _"How do I even upgrade the house?"_ Right on cue, the system responded. **[House upgrades are available in the System Market. To open the market, simply say "market market."]** I took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill my lungs. Closing my eyes briefly, I muttered, _"Market market."_ The hologram flickered to life, revealing a list of options. **[System Market (open)]** **Currency** Gold: 600,000 Coins: 50,000 > **Market** - Skills - Magic Potions - Combat Weapons - Armor - Food - **House Upgrade** *"Ho... so many choices,"* I had murmured, intrigued. But then, in classic Lu Shian fashion, I decided to check the **Food** category first. _Priorities, right?_ **[Food]** Breakfast Lunch Dinner **Snacks and Drinks** Others I chuckled to myself. _"I should focus on the house upgrade... but food first!"_Scrolling through the snacks and drinks, I couldn’t help but indulge my curiosity. *"Only 10 coins? I’ll buy everything here!"* I grinned, excitement bubbling up inside me. Sure, the house upgrade was important, but I couldn’t resist. _"I'm happy I checked the food first,"_ I had thought with a small twinge of guilt. After the purchase was confirmed, I waited patiently as the system prepared to send my items. **[Successful purchase! Your items will be sent to your inventory shortly.]** The system instructed me to raise my hand and imagine retrieving the items. I followed the directions, and within moments, my purchased snacks and drinks appeared. *"Ho... so much food!"* I marveled. Then, out of nowhere, the system chimed again, almost as if it were mocking me. **[Heh... Gullible.]** _"What? Gullible? Wait... the system spoke?"_ I asked aloud, looking at the screen in disbelief. **[Of course, Light Headed.]** *"Yes, people call me that, but my real name is Lu Shian,"* I replied, smirking. Taking a sip of the strawberry lemonade, I was pleasantly surprised. "Wow... this tastes like a drink that would cost $276." [Frivolous daft, don't forget your quest. It's a one-day process. If I had known this would happen, I would've added a deadline.] *"You should have!"* I said, still distracted by the chocolate bar I was unwrapping. But now, as I stood here, in the present, I realized how distant that memory felt, like a dream. Everything that had happened—it was real, yet it was as though I had just stepped out of the past. I blinked, the weight of time settling around me. The misty horizon no longer seemed so far away. It was Nero’s voice that pulled me back. [Finally, we are back. Do you know what happened] I exhaled, letting the present moment sink in fully. No matter how far I’d come, or how many memories felt like a blur, one thing remained certain what happened a while ago is not real. “Nero?” I called out, half-expecting the familiar voice of my system companion to answer me. A moment of silence passed before his voice echoed in my head. [You're back in the present now." I exhaled slowly, letting his words sink in. "I know, it's all from the past right?" I asked, though part of me already knew the answer. The vivid memories, the status screen, [Not exactly] I paused, processing his words. "So, I’m living in the past and the present at the same time?" [In a sense, yes. Time is flexible for us now. What you went through was both a memory and reality. It's how the system works. You're learning, growing, and moving forward, even if it feels like you're going back.] I stood there, silent for a moment, trying to wrap my head around it. I wasn't sure if I fully understood, but I trusted Nero. I always had. As I scrolled through the system a new set of instructions appeared on the screen, neatly laid out in glowing text **[System Currency Overview]** *There are three main currencies in your system:* - **Gold** - **Coins** - **Neither Gold** **[Gold]** Gold is the primary currency, and it can be used in three different ways: 1. **Convert to Neither Gold** - *Neither Gold* is a specialized currency that can only be used in the 'New Underworld,' 'Underworld,' and 'Neither World.' 2. **Convert to Coins** - Coins can be used to level up skills, buy stat points, or acquire various system perks like gotcha tickets to boost your physical and mental capabilities. 3. **Convert to Real Money** - One Gold can be converted into real money, which will be transferred to your bank account. *One Gold is equal to $1 million or 50,000 Coins, and 100,000 Neither Coins.* **[Coins]** Coins are versatile and can be spent to purchase upgrades or boost your abilities within the system. **[Neither Gold]** Neither Gold is exclusively for use in the 'New Underworld,' 'Underworld,' and 'Neither World.' It cannot be converted back to Gold or Coins. **[Important Rules]** - You can convert Gold into Neither Gold or Coins, but you **cannot** convert Neither Gold or Coins back into Gold. - Real-world money can be converted into Gold, but the exchange rate is steep: *$500,000 is equal to 1 Gold.* **[Note]** You can earn more Gold, Coins, and Neither Gold by completing various system-assigned quests. "I see, even the currency change" I mumbled, [That's right, it was just two ways before but I think it's still like that to others] "Then aren't I too spoiled then?" [(+_+) yeah well, anyways I kind of feel un real why not look at your status now] "Fine.... Status" [•Status Window•] •Profile• ✓VIP-King Name: Lu Shian Nickname: SPHYNX Titles: 'King of new underworld 'Head of Lucist Family' 'Loved by his powerful grandfather' 'Master of Butler Ghouls' 'I can Tame Even the Evil' Level: 100 Rank: Page Tamer (Trainee), Esquire Medic Healer (Candidate), 1st Class: Summoner 2nd Class: N/A Species: Miracle Human Gender: Male Age: 21 Height|Weight: 185.5cm|75.5kg *Skills** Double Screen [Level 500]+500 Charme [Level 150]+150 Focus [Level 100]+100 Mist [Level 200]+200 Mana Refill [Level 100]+100 Fire Magic [Level 100]+100 Earth Magic [Level 100]+100 Water Magic [Level 100]+100 Wind Magic [Level 100]+100 Purification [Level 100]+100 Clerical Magic: [100/1000]+100 Miracle Manipulation: [500/1000]+500 Possession Resistance: [600/1000]+600 Rune Manifestation: [300/1000]+300 Sealing Bolts: [100/1000]+100 Space-Time Magic: [4000/10000]+4000 Cutting: [300/1000]+300 Throwing: [400/1000]+400 **Ability** Magic Merging: [10/1000]+10 Combat Merging: [1000/10000]+1000 [Hp: 20000/50000]+20000 [Mp: 25000/30000]+25000 [Strength: 1500/5000]+1500 [Vitality: 1600/2000]+1600 [Agility: 15000/100000]+15000 [Intelligence: 6000]+6000 [Luck: 2500]+2500 [Life Force: 50000]+5000 *You have unspent Attribute Points* [Remaining Points: 150000]+150000 **Since you have a ‘Double Screen’ skill, all skills, stats, and remaining points will be x2. You will also have 2 different classes, which is only possible for you.** "The fuck!?" [The Hell] Nero's voice trembled with shock as the status window displayed numbers that made no sense. [Error!][Error!] [Unable to access full system data for user: Lu Shian.] [Retrying...] For the first time, the system seemed rattled, and I could feel the hesitation in its responses. I blinked at the screen, completely caught off guard. "Wait, what's going on?" As I stood there, staring at the misty horizon, the wind howled around me, carrying the weight of that strange encounter. I had no idea what kind of chaos was unraveling within my system. "Status," I called again, half-expecting everything to look normal, but instead— *Ding* [Error! Neither System, New Underworld System, Exorcist System…conflict detected.] [Cannot access the status window.] "What the hell…?" I blinked in confusion, watching the error messages flash across the screen. My status window was glitching out, a garbled mess of numbers and symbols I didn’t recognize. “Uh, Nero? What’s going on?” I asked, feeling a growing sense of unease. Nero, normally so calm, seemed equally taken aback. [It’s… unu
[You acquire Double Body] [Welcome to Sixth Close Global Menace] [Title of the Dungeon: Underworld Food Resto] [Task: Work harder and survive for 7 days] [Players in the dungeon: 11] The moment the system announcement ended, I found myself surrounded by darkness, a deep red glow pulsing faintly from the bloody, cracked walls around me. I took a deep breath, trying to ground myself in the reality of this bizarre place. "So this is the Underworld Food Resto," I muttered, surveying my surroundings. The smell of charred flesh and strange spices filled the air, making my stomach churn. I glanced at my hands, feeling the weight of the task ahead. Serving, cooking, and taking orders from creatures straight out of nightmares was not what I’d envisioned when I woke up this morning. [As you have the Double Body skill, you also have a double body. Your system, Nero, can possess it, and he will use your double skill. Remember: whenever you activate Double Body, you can only use your norm
The grim atmosphere in the Underworld Food Resto had thickened over the last day. Two of the players from another team were now gone—killed due to failure. Their screams still echoed in the back of my mind, a chilling reminder that survival here wasn’t guaranteed. The system wasn’t merciful, and every mistake carried a price.**[11 players remaining: 9]**We were gathered in the dining hall, and as the notification vanished, the doors to the kitchen swung open. The top patrons and the grotesque supervisors of each team strode in with their haunting presence.Gorbul, the massive ogre-like figure who oversaw the kitchen, cracked his knuckles with a disturbing grin, while Drallith, the shadowy wraith in charge of service, hovered silently, his cold, mist-like fingers curling in the air. Zargath, the skeletal overseer of the order-taking team, moved with eerie precision as he floated by.“Today, things change,” Gorbul growled, his deep, gravelly voice vibrating through the room. “You’ll
As I guided the massive creature to his seat, every muscle in my body screamed to run. I could barely hide the tremble in my hands as I forced a smile. "This way, please." The creature loomed over me, its voice a deep rumble. “You’re lucky you spoke up,” it growled. “For a second, I thought I might make you my next meal.”I couldn’t help but laugh—fiercely, even—as I bowed. "Thank you for sparing me." I could hear the tension in my voice, but I stayed composed. As the creature settled down, I approached, preparing to take its order. But something changed. It leaned in, sniffing the air around me, its massive eyes narrowing with suspicion.“What is it?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral despite the rapid thudding of my heart.“You… smell like someone of a higher rank.” The creature’s voice was quieter now, almost fearful. “I can’t let you take my order. I’m just a lowly being.”I froze for a second, my heart hammering in my chest. My knees buckled beneath me, and before I realized it,
As Eliana approached me again, her eyes were curious, with a tinge of suspicion. “So… is it true?” she asked, her voice low, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably. “Are you really a half-demon? And how on earth do you have all that gold?” I glanced at her briefly, sensing the weight behind her questions. My mind raced, calculating the best response without giving away too much. There was no way I’d tell anyone about my Ultimate Tycoon System—it was too valuable, too dangerous to be known. I shrugged, keeping my tone casual. “Why does it matter if I’m half-demon or not?” Eliana’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It matters because half-blood demons are rare. And the fact that you’re walking around with Nether Gold like it’s nothing? People talk, Lu.” Before I could respond, she launched into an explanation. “You see, in the Underworld, the currency system is broken down like this: copper, silver, gold, and then tokens. It takes 10 copper to make 1 silver, 15 silver to
Days had slipped by in the Underworld, each one more chaotic than the last. After the initial shock of the dungeon and the strange creatures that inhabited it, I found myself slowly adapting to the rhythm of life here. The tasks, the patrons, the dynamics of power—it was all a game, one I was beginning to understand. Now, as the time to return to the real world approached, I couldn’t shake the feeling of anticipation mixed with apprehension. The memory of the previous days loomed over me like a dark cloud, a constant reminder of the challenges I faced.**Ding!** [Time to return to your world.] *All players must prepare to exit the dungeon within the next 10 minutes.*I looked around at my fellow players, some of whom were still grappling with the reality of our situation. The bustling energy of the Underworld Food Resto was beginning to fade as the countdown started.Creatures I had served were now shuffling back to their respective realms, leaving behind the remnants of chaos a
As I bit into the chocolate bar, the sweet flavor of it melted in my mouth. It was a sensation I had never experienced before. This was the first time I tasted chocolate, and it was glorious. Every bite was better than the last, and as I washed it down with a swig of strawberry lemonade, a soft sigh of satisfaction escaped me. Suddenly, a familiar sound echoed in my head. **Ding!** [Emergency Assigned Quest! Upgrade the house.] **Reward: 100,000,000 golds, and Title: I'm the Great Head** **Failure: Food Market Closed** **Due Date: 1 hour** "Food market closed? Really? Isn't that a bit extreme? It's not like I won't do it... just, can't I enjoy my chocolate first?" I muttered, irritation growing as I set the bar down. "I swear you're too harsh sometimes." [I'm not the one who sells food, that's the system market's job. But it seems like it's taken a liking to you. I'm only responsible for assigning quests.] "So... you're just jealous because I'm prioritizing the market?" I r
As they entered, I couldn’t help but think about how my mother had kept me away from them my entire life. I had never been allowed to meet my father’s side of the family. And now, here they were, walking into my home as if it were the most natural thing in the world."Ah, we were just curious about the new upgrades to the house," a woman’s voice said from behind. I looked up to see my stepmother, Lu Shey Gen, standing by the door with a warm smile.I forced a smile of my own. "Well, since you’re all here, why don’t we have dinner together?"The room fell silent. My siblings, my stepmother, even I was surprised by my own words. I hadn’t planned to say that—it just came out. In my past life, I pushed them away because I felt they only wanted to be with me because I got power, but in the end I found that they're really sincere. But before anyone could respond, a familiar voice interrupted. "Sure! We haven’t eaten yet," my father’s booming voice filled the room as he entered. Lu Urcel