Chapter 17
For Lu Chuan, though—what was clearing the dungeon compared to gold?
After all, dungeons existed all the time, but not every dungeon had gold in it.
Compared to something as trivial as progressing the story, taking these golden items back was far more important.
Lucas gave Lu Chuan a long, searching look, beginning to suspect something was wrong with his brain.
Was this guest perhaps descended from some gold-hoarding demon bloodline?
To waste such a good opportunity—just for his gold?
No, maybe it was just a ruse.
“Very well.” Lucas decided this bargain was very much in his favor.
“Great. Then prepare the contract and we can start right away.” Lu Chuan raised his brows at him. “Don’t tell me you don’t have one? That wouldn’t make sense—otherwise, how do you ensure trades are fair?”
Any well-run game would know that fair trades were essential.
Without contracts, how could trades between players, or between players and NPCs, ever work?
“Indeed, we do.” Lucas wasn’t surprised Lu Chuan made the request, and he agreed at once.
“This is the Seal of Contract. Under its effect, neither side can lie.” Lucas pulled out a medal-like item from his pocket and tossed it into the air. Instead of falling, it floated there, suspended.
[B-rank item detected: “Seal of Contract.” Under its witness, neither party may break the agreement or attack each other. Violators will suffer the dungeon’s maximum damage once and be entered into the “Dishonored List.”]
Dishonored List? The system had something like that?
This time, Lu Chuan was genuinely shocked.
The Dishonored List even worked in a dungeon world? Judging from Lucas’s attitude, it was binding—meaning the system had a whole mechanic in place to punish those on the list, effective for both NPCs and players.
Hmm. If possible, he really wanted to win this Seal of Contract from Lucas—study it properly.
Now that he had his eyes on it, Lu Chuan was determined to get it somehow.
“Alright, we can begin.” Lucas, oblivious that Lu Chuan was already coveting the item, only wanted to gather more information about this strange guest.
If the guest turned out to be troublesome, Lucas could always leak his information as a bounty. Then, when the guest entered someone else’s territory, life would be much harder for him.
“Alright.” Lu Chuan nodded. “Then let’s play the simplest version—dice. Whoever rolls the higher number gets to make a demand, and the loser has to choose Truth or Dare. Of course, I hope you pick Dare, Mr. Lucas, because if you do, I’ll just ask you to haul some gold for me. You might not know this, but I really, really like gold.”
Anyone could see that from a mile away!
Lucas, rarely, was roaring inwardly.
“Fine.” Lucas saw Lu Chuan bring out five dice. He wasn’t worried about him tampering with them—
Under the Seal of Contract, any form of cheating would be judged as a breach.
And once someone was added to the Dishonored List, the Burial Squad dispatched by the Main System God would come for them, clearing from the top name down to the bottom. That was a nightmare feared by countless high-level NPCs and players alike.
“Well then, Mr. Butler, why don’t you start? You can check these dice yourself too, make sure they’re clean.” Lu Chuan pushed the dice toward Lucas, letting him examine them however he pleased.
“No need.” Lucas had a fondness for little games; he understood some tricks for rolling dice big or small.
“Oh, by the way, Mr. Butler, I should at least introduce myself, as a show of good faith for the Seal of Contract.” Lu Chuan smiled as he gave his information. “My name is Lu Chuan, and I just finished my newbie dungeon.”
Lucas froze.
What?
He’d just cleared a single newbie dungeon?
And the terrifying part—the Seal of Contract stayed silent. Meaning Lu Chuan was telling the truth.
Lucas began to question his whole existence.
“Seems you don’t mind, Mr. Butler. Perfect. Let’s play until neither of us can lose anymore.” Lu Chuan glanced at the floating seal and spoke cheerfully.
“I’ll make you pay for deceiving me!” Lucas was beyond furious now, wishing he could tear Lu Chuan to pieces.
But once anger takes over, judgment and precision falter.
Especially with dice—the more of them, the harder to control.
Soon, Lucas tossed five dice. The total was nearly max.
“What a high roll. Seems I picked the wrong method.” Lu Chuan looked surprised, then casually picked up the dice and rolled.
Five.
The lowest possible score.
“Looks like I’m unlucky this round.” Lu Chuan shrugged indifferently. “I’ll pick Truth. Ask away, Mr. Butler—I’ll answer honestly.”
“Good.” Lucas checked the Seal of Contract—no reaction. “What level traveler are you?”
High-level NPCs in dungeon worlds had their own awareness, and they despised the word “player.”
If those outsiders were called “players,” then what did that make them—fake?
Why wasn’t it said the travelers forced their way into this world and arrogantly called themselves “players”?
So, high-level NPCs almost universally used “traveler” instead.
“Let me see.” Lu Chuan checked his game panel carefully. “Hmm, I’m C-rank now. Oh? That rose quickly—I thought I was still D-rank!”
Lu Chuan was surprised. He’d only cleared one dungeon. Normally, a player’s level would be lower than the difficulty of the dungeon assigned to them.
But the system had consistently matched him with C-rank dungeons; he was the one who had chosen to try a B-rank.
As a newcomer, his starting point was already higher than most.
Many players who cleared their newbie dungeon were still stuck struggling at E-rank or D-rank, grinding for upgrades.
Lucas’s growing despair was confirmed.
He had thought maybe this traveler was one of those who reset their records, discarding past dungeons to start anew. That would explain low dungeon history but high level and more high ratings.
Many travelers made that choice to try and climb the God-tier ranking.
Lucas even suspected Lu Chuan might be one of them—that would explain how someone so skilled had only one dungeon under their belt.
But no.
He was really a total rookie?!
This little worm, barking orders, demanding things left and right, fooling them all—he was truly a newbie?
Lucas’s breathing turned rough with rage. He wanted nothing more than to crush this insolent insect right then.
“Come on, Mr. Butler, don’t hold back.” Lu Chuan even stretched his neck out a little, making it easier for Lucas to attack.
Lucas’s claws came close to his skin… and then pulled back with a hateful tremor.
He could withstand a B-rank’s maximum damage—but he could never risk being marked on the Dishonored List.
Falling into the Burial Squad’s hands was a fate worse than death.
“On to the second round.” Lu Chuan looked at him regretfully. If only Lucas had dared attack—he might’ve been killed by the system’s rules.
Killing a high-level NPC like that would’ve skyrocketed Lu Chuan’s rating.
The second roll: Lucas scored 28.
“This time, I’ll ask your player nickname. Even if you slip away with some trick, I’ll put a bounty on you!” Lucas couldn’t swallow the humiliation of being tricked—he thought victory was within his grasp.
Lu Chuan sighed. This butler was far too easy to provoke.
So what if his level was low?
Didn’t every high-level player start from the bottom?
Lucas was too blinded by anger, losing his reason.
Lu Chuan exhaled lightly and rolled—30.
The maximum score.
“Oh dear, looks like luck is with me. I win this round, Mr. Butler.” Lu Chuan propped his chin with one hand. “Truth, or Dare?”
Lucas was convinced this man had sinister motives.
This insect kept pushing him to pick Dare, asking him to haul gold—obviously a trap.
He was sure Lu Chuan had tampered with the gold somehow. If he touched it, he’d be harmed, and under the Seal of Contract, he’d be forced to comply, walking straight into the snare.
“Truth.” Lucas raised his chin, refusing to give Lu Chuan any opening.
Heh. Go ahead—wasn’t the man just fishing for the castle’s secrets?
As for the real secret, he couldn’t say it aloud anyway.
Secrets that couldn’t be revealed were judged by the Seal of Contract as not breaking the rules.
Many knew this little loophole.
Lu Chuan was disappointed.
Really?
Clearly the man valued his gold—but he refused to admit it. Gold was nothing to him? Asking for a little shouldn’t be a problem!
[Wahhh host, you’re amazing! Quick, ask about the dungeon’s secrets!] #888 had been watching silently, too scared to disturb his dice-rolling.
“Fine then. Mr. Lucas, how much wealth do you have in total?” Lu Chuan ignored the system and asked what he truly cared about.
Lucas’s “I can’t say” stuck in his throat. His eyes went wide. What kind of question was that?!
Even #888 was baffled. The host’s sanity wasn’t dropping—so why ask that?
“Why are you staring at me like that, Mr. Butler?” Lu Chuan asked innocently. “Surely you don’t think I’d waste such a chance on something trivial like castle secrets? I’ve already guessed most of it—just waiting for the others to bring the map fragments. It’s only a B-rank dungeon. Nothing difficult.”
Gritting his teeth, Lucas finally confessed his assets.
“This castle is one of my properties. Beyond that, I own five manors, three farms, investments in a club, and as for jewels and gold, I’ve never counted them—but I also own a mine…”
This time, it was Lu Chuan who felt his blood boil.
Damn it.
Just a high-level NPC—yet so rich?
He hated nothing more than people richer than himself.
Once penniless, Lu Chuan loathed about ninety percent of humanity—he was pure-blooded spite.
“You’re that rich, and you’re working as a butler?!” Lu Chuan snapped furiously.
“Just a personal hobby,” Lucas replied smoothly without hesitation.
“Third round.” Lu Chuan gnashed his teeth. He was determined to strip Lucas down to his last stash.
…
“Mr. Butler, you lost again. Truth or Dare?”
“Dare!” Lucas had finally realized Lu Chuan’s malicious intent—this man was prying into all his assets, one by one, clearly scheming.
Lucas actually wanted to end the game now, but suddenly realized—he and this man had never set a condition for when the game would end.
Wait—?
Only now did Lucas realize the fatal mistake.
Why had he forgotten?
Right, because Lu Chuan had dropped that bomb about being fresh out of his newbie dungeon, and anger had clouded Lucas’s judgment. He’d let Lu Chuan slip in the words: “Let’s play until neither of us can lose anymore.”
He’d been played for a fool!
He never should’ve agreed.
Lu Chuan grinned, flashing white teeth, toying with Lucas effortlessly.
Pity the NPC didn’t know—no matter how wealthy you were, once you touched the word gamble, you’d end up ruined.
Even NPCs were no exception.
On the other side.
Zhang Wanxi and the other players, overcoming countless difficulties and working together, had already collected four map fragments.
Only one piece was left. The system hinted it was in the banquet hall, so they had no choice but to go there together.
With the final fragment, they would complete their main quest—and with the restored map, they could also locate the true master of the castle.
If they had gone alone, just collecting the fragments would have been enough to kill them several times over.
“I wonder how Mr. Jin is doing now?”
“He’s all alone in the banquet hall, facing the butler and all those servants. It can’t be easy.”
“Not necessarily. For someone like Mr. Jin, maybe it’s just an appetizer.”
…
But when Zhang Wanxi and the others finally reached the banquet hall, the scene they saw was entirely different.
Lucas was already foaming at the mouth, his clothes hanging open, buttons missing.
Huh?
Could it be… Mr. Jin had that kind of hobby, toying with NPCs? As expected of a top player—playing like this was way too wild, something they could only envy from afar!
“Mr. Jin, th-this is the remaining four fragments…” Zhang Wanxi poked his head out cautiously, holding out the pieces with both hands.
Lu Chuan calmly stowed away the Seal of Contract before taking out his own fragment. As the five pieces joined, the full shape of the castle instantly appeared before their eyes.
Everyone was stunned.
The castle’s layout formed the shape of a human body.
The pool corresponded to the eyes, the building where their rooms were located to the stomach, and the main gate aligned with the mouth.
This was a castle built upon a corpse!
[Congratulations to the players for completing the main quest. The castle map has been restored.]
“I get it now—the castle master is the castle itself. We’ve been inside its body this whole time. That’s why the butler and the servants were so desperate to keep us from leaving.” Realizing they’d been moving about inside the master’s stomach, Zhang Wanxi shuddered with horror.
The castle lured them to linger only so the master could more easily “digest” them.
If they wasted too much time here, their lives would quietly slip away.
Thus, the servants, the butler, all the pleasures and dangers—everything existed merely to delay them.
“You can write down the castle master’s name and clear this dungeon right now.” Lu Chuan looked at them indifferently. “Don’t linger here. While I still haven’t changed my mind—get lost.”
“Yes, yes, thank you, sir.”
“Thanks for carrying us, big shot.”
None of them dared ask further questions. Since he’d given them an out, how could they possibly stay?
They opened their game panels, filled in “Castle” under the castle master’s name, and were immediately judged by the system as having cleared the dungeon. Without hesitation, they chose to return, leaving the dungeon world.
In an instant, only Lu Chuan remained.
He finally let out a sigh of relief and dragged out the bundle he’d hidden beneath the table.
“Damn it, Lucas still hasn’t finished making my golden bed.” Lu Chuan was annoyed. “So I had to make him haul over all this gold cutlery and ornaments instead. And look at him—after just a dozen trips, he was already done for.”
Inside the bulging bundle were golden tableware, ornaments, gold thread stripped from blankets, and even gemstone buttons pried off Lucas’s clothes.
[Host, I think this butler might have been driven half-mad by you.] #888 offered its opinion.
Lu Chuan was simply too bullying.
He never mentioned that he’d once worked as a casino dealer—skilled at dice, able to roll whatever number he wanted. Wasn’t this outright cheating?
When Lucas chose “Dare,” Lu Chuan had him completely cornered, forcing him to attack himself over and over until he collapsed.
The Seal of Contract only forbade mutual attacks—it never said self-harm wasn’t allowed.
Lucas could only look at Lu Chuan in despair and rage, and under the contract’s compulsion, injure himself again and again.
When Lucas finally lost consciousness, the game naturally ended, and the Seal of Contract fell back to the ground—where Lu Chuan picked it up again.
[Host, if Lucas hadn’t agreed to gamble, none of this would’ve happened, right?] #888 muttered. Gambling truly ruined people; a perfectly good high-level NPC had been drained to death by Lu Chuan.
“How could he not gamble with me? Why do you think I put on that act, pretending to be a big shot? To scare him, of course. Once Zhang Wanxi and the others brought the fragments, Lucas’s mission would’ve failed completely. He had no choice but to gamble with me—the decision was never in his hands. Lucas is a clever man; he believed he could win. Even if he refused, I had plenty of ways to force him into it. Don’t forget, I haven’t even used my Eye of Wealth yet.”
Smart people always made the same mistake—they were certain they’d win.
And once they realized they’d been tricked, their judgment crumbled instantly.
Tsk tsk. This guy just had it too easy in life—that’s why he couldn’t take a beating.
These bits of gold? Consider them tuition fees.
#888 suddenly realized the host hadn’t even used his skill to clear this dungeon, and was left momentarily speechless.
[Host, you do know the true effect of the Eye of Wealth…]
“Of course. Besides bargaining, it shows me the most valuable thing on the target. For NPCs, that’s always their core source of power. If Lucas had refused to gamble, I’d just activate the skill, call out his core, and he’d be forced to play. Simple as that.” Lu Chuan nodded.
#888 relaxed—at least the host understood the skill’s real power.
“But I still think it’s better for appraisal. Using it on NPCs is a waste. If I use it for bargaining and treasure hunting, it’ll be unbeatable.” Lu Chuan said firmly.
Alright, host, stop there. Any more and your cool factor drops.
Lu Chuan bundled everything up, preparing to carry it all back himself since #888’s system space couldn’t hold so much. He had no intention of leaving anything behind; once he returned, the main system would count it all as loot anyway.
[Host, some parts of the dungeon haven’t been fully explored. Don’t you want to raise your rating further?] 888 felt it was a pity to leave now.
“Don’t be greedy, System. Didn’t you see the earlier system hint? This dungeon connects to an A-rank instance. If I push the completion too high, I might get thrown straight into an A-rank. Do you think I could handle that? No thanks. This much is more than enough.”
#888 fell silent.
Satisfied—by the loot, obviously.
“Come on, System, let’s head back. Hahaha, I’ve struck it rich!” Lu Chuan laughed out loud, clicking the button to exit the dungeon.
Not long after Lu Chuan left—
Lucas, who had been lying on the ground, slowly stood up.
“To dare humiliate me like this?”
His eyes darkened as his body melted into the castle floor.
The next moment, the castle itself suddenly “came alive,” its eyes opening wide.
The ground quaked—the “giant” had awakened.
Lucas was the brain.
Once the brain rejoined the body, the castle master—who had preserved his “youth” by consuming a witch’s potion—was naturally revived.
[Warning: B-rank dungeon “Master of the Castle” has mutated. A-rank dungeon “Witch’s Potion” awakening in progress.]
[Dungeon has mutated.]
[Mutation detected. Information has been relayed to the Burial Squad.]
[Burial Squad member Number 9 assigned to intercept the mutation.]
*
Infinite World Realm.
“I don’t know if this Lu Chuan really has the ability. A rookie, and he dares make us wait this long?”
The next instant, the members of the five great guilds opened their game panels and saw a special notification.
The rookie leaderboard had updated.
[“Arrival of the God of Wealth” has risen to rank 7 on the rookie leaderboard!]
What?!
This was a once-in-a-lifetime genius!
——-
Author’s note:
PS: Normally, the dungeon flow should’ve been players dying once to explore the whole castle map, unlocking the main quest, then collecting fragments while being hunted by the butler and servants, and finally escaping.
But Lu Chuan didn’t do it that way, hehehe (?’?’?).
Both the explanation of how it actually would have worked and Lu Chuan’s way of doing things are very interesting! This is undoubtedly a dungeon, I might even use it as inspiration for a DnD game of my own.