Chapter 6: Departure

Realizing this, Gu Wuji's whole body went stiff, cold sweat beading on his face, as he felt the vengeful ghost's fingertips slowly trace downward across his cheek.

The slick, damp sensation clung like maggots to bone; even his blood seemed to freeze. Waves of cold air slipped inside his T-shirt, slowly lifting the fabric...

"You're so sweet."

Behind him, Ren Hui couldn't hear the ghost's voice at all and had no idea what was happening between them, but being so close, she could clearly feel Gu Wuji's body trembling faintly.

She could almost imagine what a horrific situation he was facing. Gu Wuji, who had faced other ghosts with humor, composure, and even thrown punches in all directions, was now trembling in fear—this vengeful ghost had to be terrifying beyond measure!

Gravely injured and powerless, she couldn't help him at all...

Ren Hui deeply hated her own uselessness. Thinking of Gu Wuji, terrified to the extreme yet still shielding her from the ghost, her heart filled with emotion—no great figure praised in any poem could compare to him.

Meanwhile, a very unsettling thought surfaced in Gu Wuji's mind.

C-could this villain boss be gay!?

Not that Gu Wuji had anything against gay men—or gay ghosts, for that matter. But he was a single young man with zero interest in romance. If becoming entangled with a ghost meant having to date, that was way too much of a loss of freedom!

The scene fell into a strange silence.

Seeing Gu Wuji suddenly looking 'frightened,' the vengeful ghost found this posture, so different from before, rather adorable. It chuckled softly: "Unfortunately, the rules cannot be broken. As things stand, I must send you away now."

"But before you go, let me give you a small gift."

"...?"

Before Gu Wuji could even process that, he felt an icy fingertip press between his brows. The next instant, a wave of cold swept through his entire body. His vision went black, and he passed out on the spot.

...

When he woke again, Gu Wuji found himself lying on the kitchen floor. Through the window he could see the sky outside had begun to lighten.

"Looks like I made it back safely."

Gu Wuji stood up and surveyed the kitchen, which looked like a crime scene. In the end, his heart ached most for his free-range black-boned chicken—left out all night, who knew if it was still edible.

Having eaten nothing all night, he was starving, so he hastily brewed some instant cereal and made do with that.

[Congratulations, player, on successfully clearing your first dungeon. Base reward: 100 points. For resisting both vengeful and ordinary ghosts, making contact with the dungeon's main clues, and ultimately saving a teammate, bonus reward: 300 points. Current total: 400 points.]

"Oh?" Gu Wuji could easily guess that acting proactively in the dungeon had paid off. "But what are these points good for? Can I exchange them for money?"

His need for money was truly urgent. Because everything had happened so suddenly, he couldn't even afford to eat out right now. Thankfully his rent had been paid a year in advance—otherwise he'd have been kicked out already.

[No,] the system's voice replied flatly. [But players may purchase items in the shop. Some items can be used in reality and should help with the host's situation.]

[Additionally, due to the special nature of this world, the host has gained a new skill.]

The system's words quickly caught Gu Wuji's attention. This had to be the thing that vengeful ghost said it would give him.

[Ghost Mastery: LV1. Having received a vengeful ghost's gift, you have gained the ability to temporarily control low-level ghosts without consciousness. Restrictions vary between dungeons. Also usable in reality.]

Gu Wuji was genuinely startled. He hadn't expected the villain boss ghost to be so generous—truly a good person! His favorability toward it skyrocketed. If he'd known, he would have thanked it properly back then.

Though, come to think of it, even at the very end he'd never seen what the ghost actually looked like.

But according to the notebook's warning, if he really had seen it, he probably wouldn't be here anymore.

[Furthermore, everyone chosen to become a player in our Infinite Horror World—] here the system's voice actually sped up, as if it remembered Gu Wuji mocking its name for being tacky last time, [—must enter a dungeon world at regular intervals. You may choose to enter voluntarily; if you don't, you will be forcibly pulled in when the day arrives. Player, please take note.]

"Got it." Gu Wuji nodded. He'd understood since that first day: after being chosen by this system, his life would probably be spent in the company of ghosts from now on.

...Though, honestly, that had been true for the past twenty-some years anyway.

Whatever. For now, let's see what good stuff the system shop has.

With a thought, a virtual screen appeared before his eyes—the system shop.

The sheer quantity of goods was staggering: everything from ordinary furniture and food to supernatural items and curses, even discounted plane tickets for sale. It was practically a legitimate online shopping platform.

There was also an interface where players could sell unwanted items brought back from dungeons, plus a forum for player discussions. Very thoughtful, all things considered.

What caught Gu Wuji's eye most was an item that could grant an extra temporary life inside a dungeon—but the points required were astronomical, enough to make one doubt anyone could ever afford it.

And all these items came with various restrictions. There was no possibility of breezing through dungeons like a tourist just by having lots of points.

Even the most ordinary items cost upward of a hundred points. No wonder Ren Hui, despite having cleared her first dungeon, still seemed so weak—she probably only had the base points and couldn't afford anything.

Abilities were even more expensive. The most basic Yin-Yang Eyes ability cost over ten thousand points.

Gu Wuji noticed that the Ghost Mastery ability the vengeful ghost had given him didn't exist in the shop at all. So it seemed acquiring abilities and items from within dungeons was the better deal.

If anyone else knew what Gu Wuji was thinking, they'd feel utterly cursed. Who else was as lucky as him—getting an ability gifted by a vengeful ghost in his very first dungeon, and a BUG-tier ability at that, the power to command ghosts?

For ordinary people entering a dungeon, just surviving was hard enough. Who had the leisure to think about anything else?

Just then, his phone buzzed. Gu Wuji picked it up—another message on his Weibo account.

He tapped it open carelessly and found countless messages denouncing him. His first post was buried under abusive comments, and even the hashtag #GuWujiGetOutOfShowbiz# had climbed the trending list.

"I honestly don't get it. How does a pretty boy with such a rotten personality still have fans? Bullying a newcomer on set—absolutely disgusting!"

"I've unfollowed him. Just thinking that I used to stan someone with such low character makes me feel sick."

"Gu Wuji, get out of the entertainment industry!"

...

But who was Gu Wuji? A man who could face a horde of ghosts without batting an eye—how could any of this stir a ripple in his heart?

True, he'd only been roped into filming a horror movie by chance in the beginning—and who would've thought the set actually had real ghosts?

But to everyone else, Gu Wuji was a once-in-a-generation genius. His acting was so superb that anyone who didn't know better would think the ghosts were real! And so a terrible film produced an astonishingly good result. Combined with his stunning looks, Gu Wuji shot to fame overnight.

As for how things had come to this, there was no dramatic grudge or tragic backstory. A few days ago, while playing the male second lead in a web drama, he'd had a clash with another minor celebrity... who happened to be pursued by the son of an entertainment company executive. The little star complained a bit, and the executive's son immediately felt his beloved had suffered a grievous injustice. He parachuted in as an investor to give his crush more screen time—and, at the same time, to utterly destroy Gu Wuji's reputation.

So he had someone shoot some ambiguous footage, hired an army of paid posters to smear Gu Wuji online for acting like a diva on set, and pulled strings left and right until things escalated to today's state.

Gu Wuji wondered if the guy just had too much free time. He'd only become an actor because it was easy money, and now he was already considering a career change.

But now he'd been bound to this system... Forget it. He'd deal with work first.

Gu Wuji nonchalantly reposted a few silly memes from his feed, which left the people flaming him feeling utterly exasperated.

What was wrong with this guy? At a time like this, he still had the mood to browse funny pictures?!

...

Gu Wuji arrived at the film set. The surrounding crew members all looked at him with sympathy, and one he knew well patted his shoulder in consolation.

Originally, a newcomer like Gu Wuji—with stunning looks, solid acting, and a humble personality—would have had a boundlessly bright future. Who knew he'd offend the young President Cheng? His days in the entertainment industry were surely numbered.

In truth, the production crew couldn't possibly risk offending the investor by keeping Gu Wuji around. But the young President Cheng had said Gu Wuji could stay—probably harboring some intent to humiliate him.

Gu Wuji didn't care about anyone's attitude. As long as he could film properly and get paid, that was enough.

But from the moment he walked through the door, an ominous feeling brushed through his heart. Today, on this set... there was definitely a ghost!

Normally, Gu Wuji couldn't actually see ghosts—he could only sense them. Only in places thick with yin energy, or when a ghost wanted to be seen, could he catch sight of one.

Gu Wuji's gaze swept around and quickly landed on the young President Cheng, surrounded by admirers like stars around the moon, and beside him, a young man who looked bashful but whose eyes betrayed a trace of smugness.