Chapter 70: The Struggle Is Yours, Not Mine

"Everyone, let’s be honest—this Nightmare-level dungeon is one misstep away from a bottomless abyss; if we keep scheming against each other, we’re headed for total annihilation," said Uncle Graywolf.

His voice carried a sense of weariness.

It sounded older than his appearance suggested.

With that, he publicly revealed his player ID and level to show sincerity—

【Prophet • North Wolf】【Lv15】

This was the same opening line as Baili Dao’s, and the wolf mask Shi Shi had mentioned to him.

Clearly, Uncle Graywolf was a member of the Strange Affairs Bureau—and the unlucky soul he was here to rescue.

Wu Wang could tell.

In truth, Shi Shi didn’t believe Wu Wang could save this man; the pressure of a Nightmare-level dungeon was undeniable.

The 【Masked Ball】 forum had mentioned it too, roughly ten times.

No one had ever survived.

Fortunately, it hadn’t been publicly released yet.

Otherwise, with this many failures, the dungeon would have already collapsed into reality.

“Uncle’s words ring true, and I too wish to be open with all of you~” Miss Rose continued radiating her boundless charm.

Hearing her own youthful voice call herself “sister,” yet referring to Uncle Graywolf as “uncle,” she called herself “this humble servant.”

Hmph. A fickle woman.

No sooner had she spoken than Miss Rose revealed her player ID—【Smiling Charm】【Lv17】

She cast seductive glances at the others.

Everyone shrugged and revealed their IDs in turn.

Fox Loli 【Xiao Xiao】【Lv18】

Black Cat Miss 【Liu Jiang】【Lv15】

Bat Man 【Batman】【Lv14】

Thorny Showoff 【Elegant Gentleman】【Lv16】

This was somewhat unexpected.

Everyone stared in surprise at the white-haired little loli still poking the carpet with her high heels.

She was the highest level among them!

Only Wu Wang looked at Bat Man.

“You really are named Batman! May I ask after your parents? I once picked up a string of pearl necklaces in an alley.”

“...”

As a loyal DC fan, Bat Man immediately recognized the kid was mocking him.

He rolled his eyes and refused to reply.

“Don’t forget why we came to this insane room,” the Fox Loli finally spoke.

Her voice clashed violently with her appearance.

It carried a chilling coldness.

“Oh~ Little sister, you almost made me forget. May I ask, Mr. Masked Rider, why haven’t you responded to us until now?” Miss Rose’s voice dripped with allure, making one instinctively want to answer.

“Huh? Did I not? Probably network lag—I just logged in,” Wu Wang said calmly, telling the truth.

He’d already noticed the issue.

He’d just entered the game, yet six others were already gathered outside the door.

The Soul Disaster game couldn’t possibly leave him alone while others were already together, could it?

Clearly, Wu Wang had experienced a delay—he entered the dungeon several minutes after the others.

After thinking it over, it must be the Abyss God’s fault.

The Abyss God’s account had some issue.

It caused his entry time to mismatch with everyone else’s.

With that, he revealed his own ID—

【Yan Shuangying】【???】

The three question marks for his level stunned the others.

Their eyes held a hint of suspicion.

What’s this? We all revealed our info honestly—now you’re playing mysterious?

"Don’t worry, everyone. This is a curse I received in a previous dungeon—it’s called 【Lie】. It obscures my information whenever I reveal it, making it impossible to earn my companions’ trust. I’m just as frustrated."

Wu Wang lied without blinking.

“Let me introduce myself—Yan Shuangying, level 17.”

The others studied the Masked Rider with mixed doubt.

They didn’t trust his words at all.

But if the 【Lie】 curse was active, then what he said was true?

It was a fascinating logical loop.

Only Uncle Graywolf showed a flicker of surprise.

Clearly, Shi Shi had told him beforehand about Yan Shuangying—and that Wu Wang was an ally, not an enemy.

So Uncle Graywolf stepped forward to ease the tension.

“We’ll accept your name and level for now. Let’s focus on the current problem—where should we explore?”

At this, the other five fell silent.

Seeing Wu Wang’s puzzled expression, Uncle Graywolf continued: “When we woke up, each of us found a note on the bedside table, listing one ship rule—slightly... complicated.”

“Spill it,” Wu Wang said, reaching for snacks on the table to toss into his mouth—only to realize his mask blocked his mouth. Annoyed, he threw the snacks into the trash.

No one cared about his erratic behavior.

They simply compiled their individual findings.

They gathered the current information—

1. 【All areas are open for free exploration】

2. 【All private areas, except common zones, have unique rules; violators bear the consequences】

3. 【Meals may only be eaten in the dining hall】

4. 【There is no kitchen on board; if anyone claims to be kitchen staff, contact a server—they will handle the issue】

5. 【Servers will do their best to fulfill guest requests; do not harm servers】

6. 【It’s best to go out with your partner】

Hearing their report,

Wu Wang couldn’t help grinning.

Uncle Graywolf shook his head and sighed: “On the surface, it says free exploration—but we have no idea which areas are private, or what their rules are. One wrong step means death.”

“Then what’s your room’s rule?” Bat Man challenged.

They hadn’t seen any note in this room—so the Masked Rider must have hidden it.

Wu Wang: “?”

What note? I didn’t see any!

Before he could speak, an anomaly erupted.

Knock knock knock—

The knocking echoed through the room again.

Everyone exchanged glances.

All seven players were inside.

Then who was outside?

Surprisingly, the first to act wasn’t the steady Uncle Graywolf, nor the highest-level Fox Loli—but Miss Rose.

She walked calmly to the door, smiling.

She reached out and opened it.

Standing before them was a female server in a white shirt, black suit, and tie, wearing a pure black half-mask covering only the area around her eyes, her lips curled into a standardized smile.

“Respected guest, how may I assist you? This is Server 05.”

Miss Rose stepped forward naturally, taking the server’s gloved hand in hers and praising: “Little sister, your mask is lovely—I adore this minimalist style. Could you tell us the rules you know?”

Everyone present could see—

Miss Rose possessed some ability to charm others—likely a player who’d specialized in boosting 【Charisma】 to gain NPC favor and clear the dungeon.

Yet, after her confident question,

the server merely smiled unchanged, saying nothing.

“...”

The atmosphere froze instantly.

Miss Rose immediately apologized with a smile: “Sorry, little sister—did I put you on the spot? I don’t need service. Ask them instead.”

Though her face beamed,

inside she was screaming.

Only she knew how absurd that moment had been.

My charm stat was a full 30 points high; with all my gear and item synergies, even NPCs I met for the first time in previous dungeons would show me maximum favor.

This let me always learn secrets other players desperately sought, straight from the NPCs.

Even in [Hard] difficulty dungeons, this held true.

Favor subtly influenced everyone, regardless of gender—this was the first time I’d ever received a cold shoulder from an NPC.

The others exchanged bewildered glances.

They didn’t know what services to ask for, or whether this server might bring danger.

Nightmare dungeons were truly grueling!

Then, our crimson Imperial Rider stepped forward with a cheerful grin: “Me, me, me—I pressed the room service button.”

Everyone spun around sharply.

Only then did they notice the call button beside the bed had been lit up.

Fuck! Does this guy have no idea what he’s doing and just act so recklessly?

Shit! Does he want us all wiped out right at the start?

Wu Wang walked to the door; Miss Rose stepped aside to let him pass.

The meaning was clear.

You caused the trouble—you handle it.

The next second, Wu Wang walked straight out of the room.

He patted the server’s shoulder and said, “Take me on a tour—especially the places guests rarely go. I’m curious.”

“Of course, sir. Please follow me.”

The server turned mechanically and led the way, each step perfectly measured.

As he left, Wu Wang glanced back at the six stunned figures inside the room.

Even behind their masks, they could feel his infuriatingly smug expression.

His meaning was equally clear—

The grueling part is you.

Not me.

“Fuck! So confident? You’re not afraid of being the first dead guy, huh?” the Bat Man muttered under his breath.

The other five also thought the lunatic was far too reckless—this impulsiveness might truly make him the first to die.

Even Gray Wolf Uncle felt helpless.

Boss, you brought this reckless idiot to rescue me? Isn’t that too rash?

He ignored his teammates’ thoughts.

Wu Wang followed the server, gawking down the corridor like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden—exclaiming “Wow!” here and “Incredible!” there.

He bounced around like a monkey.

Only after leaving the lodging area did—

The server ahead suddenly stop.

Without warning, she turned her head toward Wu Wang and said, “Sir, please don’t harbor murderous intent toward me—such thoughts will get you expelled from the ship.”

Strangely, her head turn—

Was only a head turn.

Her body remained completely still; only her head twisted one hundred eighty degrees backward, in a motion no living human could achieve, yet her smile didn’t waver—not a single curve of her lips changed.

Wu Wang shrugged.

He answered indifferently: “You sense murderous intent? Can’t I even think about killing you?”

This openly admitted it.

He had indeed, for an instant, intended to kill her!

“If you can sense I wanted to kill you, then you should know why, right?”

Wu Wang followed with deliberate, slow words:

“Why did you take my room’s rule card ahead of time? Hand it over.”

The server: “...”

She didn’t answer.

Instead, she slid her hand into her coat pocket.

When she pulled it out again, she slowly opened her palm.

There lay a white slip of paper.