Chapter 38: Instance Background - The So-Called Rent

Chapter 38: Instance Background - The So-Called Rent

Ji Yan pushed open the door to find the room in complete disarray, scattered with knitted garments everywhere.

The Grandmother sat there, her aged body shrouded in a layer of black mist, her face terrifyingly distorted.

"Warning: The Supernatural Entity family member [Grandmother] is currently in a Blackened state. Avoid unnecessary danger and interact with caution."

Once a Supernatural Entity blackens, any Player's favorability toward them will plummet drastically.

That was why even Liu Yitong, her most beloved granddaughter, had been treated coldly and denied an A+-ranked Mission.

Ignoring the system's warning, Ji Yan dismissed the prompt and picked up a sweater from the floor.

"Grandmother, Elder Sister told me our home was robbed."

The Grandmother, her hands covered in black corpse spots, fiddled absently with a Silver Needle. "That thief stole my most precious sweaters."

"Without those three sweaters... I’ll be evicted from the apartment, and you’ll never see me again."

Ji Yan’s expression shifted. "That serious?"

Then, as if struck by a thought, he ventured, "Are those three sweaters your Rent?"

"Correct. The Rent for the next two months."

"And the result of three months of my labor."

The Grandmother’s hunched figure trembled slightly.

This was the first time Ji Yan had seen such obvious unease from the Grandmother Supernatural Entity.

Compared to the composed figure who had effortlessly eliminated two parasitic Supernatural Entities in the hallway last night, she seemed like an entirely different being!

Just what kind of world lay beyond the apartment’s fog?

Something that could frighten even the Grandmother Supernatural Entity—something all Supernatural Entities desperately avoided by clinging to the apartment, terrified of expulsion.

Some sweaters could serve as rewards for Players.

Others could be handed over as Rent to the Landlord.

Ji Yan was still baffled by the concept of Rent.

Originally, he hadn’t planned to dig too deep, wary of touching on the Main Storyline. But now that he’d already accepted the [Main Storyline Task], he had no reservations and pressed further.

Surprisingly, the interaction yielded answers.

The Grandmother Supernatural Entity stood up, gripping a Silver Needle, and sliced open a section of the wall.

The wall split like fabric, oozing blood.

But this time, within the wall, Ji Yan saw something different—pulsing, veined flesh, streaked with blood vessels!

Ji Yan’s eyes widened.

The flesh writhed with vitality, like a violently throbbing heart.

"Neither your mother nor I are the original residents of Room 404. These things embedded in the walls are."

"They decay bit by bit every day inside these walls. We outsiders, if we want to avoid being driven out, must feed them—to keep the apartment’s walls from crumbling."

"And what we feed them is the Rent."

Ji Yan listened, still half in the dark. He reached out tentatively to touch the flesh.

As expected, his Talent [Omniscient Understanding] activated.

Through the acquired Hidden Information, he finally pieced together the last of his doubts.

"Ding! Through interaction, the Player has triggered their Talent and successfully obtained the complete Instance Background information."

【Once, a great fire broke out in the apartment, claiming the lives of all 176 original residents. Their flesh and blood fused into the walls and floors, becoming indestructible building materials in the Eerie World—materials saturated with agony.】

【Though indestructible, the apartment suffers countless damages and injuries daily as it struggles to endure in the Eerie World.】

【New tenants must take on the duty of "nurturing" the original residents. They are required to restore items left behind from the fire and deliver them to the Landlord, who then feeds them into the walls to "nourish" the original residents.】

【The remnants of that fire can amplify the resentment of the original residents, causing their flesh to grow and reinforcing the walls' durability.】

"So the so-called rent is just items left behind by the original residents after the fire!"

With this missing piece of the Instance's information filled in, Ji Yan suddenly saw everything clearly.

No wonder the rent varied so wildly—some rooms demanded exorbitant prices, while others were cheap.

Thinking carefully, Room 801 was indeed the most sinister and expensive.

It housed over a dozen original residents!

For Miss Xu to live in Room 801 and keep the flesh of so many original residents adequately nourished was no ordinary feat for a supernatural entity.

"Those three sweaters were the clothing of three children belonging to the original residents."

"Without them, the walls will gradually crack, and your grandmother will be expelled from the apartment."

The Grandmother threaded her Silver Needle and meticulously stitched the wall back together until no trace remained.

She turned to Ji Yan. "Grandson, you must help me catch the thief as soon as possible."

As she spoke, she retrieved a dark knitted sweater from under the table and handed it to him. "Your sweater from last night was damaged. I’ve knitted you a new one."

"If you go out at night, wear it properly. Don’t catch a cold."

Ji Yan’s eyes lit up.

He hadn’t expected that interacting with the blackened Grandmother would yield new equipment.

This sweater could save his life at critical moments—far more practical, in his eyes, than flashy gear.

Ding! Congratulations, Player, for obtaining the Supernatural Artifact—[Grandmother’s Knitted Sweater]. Quality: [Collector’s Grade].

Effect: Can withstand three fatal attacks from ordinary supernatural entities. Maximum resilience: 110 points of Specter Power. Higher Specter Power damage increases the degree of damage. No Backlash Effect.

Having gained such a boon, Ji Yan was naturally eager to help. "Grandmother, do you have any impressions of the thief?"

She didn’t answer, sitting back in her chair with lowered eyelids and shaking her head.

Her lips kept murmuring: Find the sweaters, find the sweaters…

Seeing no further information could be extracted, Ji Yan had no choice but to leave the room.

It seemed none of the new tenants had any leads on the thief. He’d have to wait for tonight.

Ding! Congratulations, Player, for completing today’s Mission—delivering the gift to Room 801. The Mother Supernatural Entity’s favorability toward you has increased by 5%. Resident of Room 801’s favorability has increased by 10%.

You have gained 30 points of Specter Power. You have obtained the Supernatural Artifact [Perception Ring].

You have acquired a piece of Hidden Information—the Mother has also fallen victim to the mysterious thief, losing a necklace belonging to the original residents.

Fearing expulsion, she chose to "gift" her way into a deal with the occupant of Room 801.

"As expected, even the Mother wasn’t spared."

"Unlike Grandmother, Mother has a backup plan—Miss Xu from Room 801. It seems if Mother can’t pay the rent, Miss Xu will lend her a hand."

But what’s so special about that set of cosmetics? How could it compel Miss Xu to help Mother?

Ji Yan shook his head.

No point dwelling on trivial matters.

Right now, the mysterious Thief is like a walking Top Merit!

Every Player wants to catch it.

Succeed, and it’d be like rescuing half the Supernatural Entity tenants from their misery.

A single Main Storyline Task might just complete half the apartment’s progress!

Not to mention the Privilege Key.

Ji Yan naturally wouldn’t miss out either.

...

Night fell quickly.

Ji Yan stepped out of his room, wearing the Nighttime Action Privilege Badge.

The moment he opened the door, Liu Yitong next door did the same.

On her chest was the same [Nighttime Action] Privilege Badge.

"When did you get this privilege?" Ji Yan was slightly stunned—this badge had cost him considerable effort.

"Didn’t you know? Every Player who joined the Announcement to catch the mysterious Thief was assigned this Privilege Badge," Liu Yitong countered.

Ji Yan broke into a sweat.

Great.

A privilege he’d only enjoyed for two days had already become common.

"So you also think the Thief will show up at night?"

"Not just me—the entire Thief-hunting team thinks so."

"First, the Apartment Rules are inactive at night, making it easier for the Thief to move. Second, the Supernatural Entity tenants’ items were mostly stolen at night."

"So tonight’s bound to be lively."

Seeing Liu Yitong’s eager expression, Ji Yan warned, "Don’t forget, the Mission mentioned the mysterious Thief is highly dangerous."

"With so many Players, the Thief might not even be scared."

Ji Yan had a feeling

many Players were blinded by the Mission rewards, treating the Thief like some Rat everyone could chase off.

But this is the real deal—a Main Storyline Task boss!

Definitely not some pushover...