Chapter 24: Catching a Weakness, Grandmother’s Gift

"So, what exactly is this task?" Ji Yan asked in a low voice.

"You'll know at midnight. Go back and get some rest."

"As for this mess, I'll clean it up for you. I don't usually care to chat this much with any of you, kid. Whoever makes the mess should be the one to clean it up."

"But since you've got a sharp mind and you're quick on your feet, I'll give you this chance." The old man stroked his beard and spoke slowly.

"What about that guy, Long Yuan? He's quite capable. Why don't you ask him?" Ji Yan specifically brought up Long Yuan.

"You're not in the same league as him. That kid doesn't make mistakes, and he doesn't owe any rent."

Ji Yan realized, "I see. He has no dirt on him."

"And I, on the other hand, made a mess and got caught red-handed by you."

The landlord replied, "Sharp."

"..."

"Alright, go back. Stop standing there getting in the way."

The landlord, clutching his smoking pipe, stepped aside.

Ji Yan didn't linger; chatting too long with a dungeon boss like this might trigger another death-defying task.

As he watched Ji Yan head upstairs, the landlord shook the ash from his pipe and called out toward the corridor on the side: "Come out and get to work. Be quick about it, it's almost dark."

Inside the corridor, as the voice echoed, the walls on both sides began to writhe, revealing one pale, hollow eyeball after another...

***

Back upstairs, Ji Yan confirmed the completion of the announcement task as the game notification chime sounded.

"Ding! Congratulations, player. You have completed the announcement task: helped the apartment complex resolve the sewer plague and established a better living environment. All tenants have increased their favorability toward you by 5%."

"Ding! Because your method of completing the task was incorrect, the first-floor tenants have collectively developed 15% malice toward you."

"Announcement task reward: Rent for your unit, 404, is halved for the next seven days. You have received a Collector's Grade Purple Treasure Chest!"

"Congratulations, player, you have collected a [Talent Fragment]. The talent upgrade progress is currently 1/3. Keep up the good work and continue collecting!"

Two more fragments?

Ji Yan curled his lip. He felt like he had been tricked; this point hadn't been made clear at the start, misleading him into thinking one fragment was enough to upgrade.

Is this system learning from those "slash-the-price" marketing tactics?

If he collects all three, is there going to be another progress bar?

Ji Yan shook his head and looked at the fluctuating favorability scores, feeling even more speechless.

So, after doing volunteer work for the apartment all day, not one person said thank you, and he even offended a bunch of tenants.

Ji Yan really couldn't think of a better way to handle the task. If he hadn't let the Kan-Jing ghost in, he wouldn't have been able to resolve its obsession and let it leave voluntarily, and forced expulsion wasn't an option...

But seeing the rewards, Ji Yan felt a little more balanced.

***

He wasn't in a hurry to open the chest. He went back to room 404 first to report back to Grandma.

Just as he stepped into 404, a prompt appeared.

"Congratulations, player! Because you halved the rent for room 404 for seven days, [Mother] and [Grandma] consider you a sensible child who has grown up. Their favorability toward you has increased by 20%."

Ji Yan’s eyes flickered.

In the living room, Liu Yitong had already returned and was sitting at the dining table eating dinner.

Seeing Ji Yan covered in filth, she almost didn't recognize him, thinking some ghost had broken in. When she looked closer, she couldn't help but be stunned.

"You... didn't you just go to deliver a sachet?"

"How did you end up like this?"

"It's a long story. Just assume I fell into a sewer," Ji Yan said helplessly.

"Speaking of which, it seems very lively downstairs on the first floor. I heard someone say that some reckless idiot actually broke through the apartment building and turned the first-floor hallway into a pool of filth, making the ghost tenants on the first floor absolutely furious."

"I bet that unlucky fool is going to die a miserable death!"

"How could one person cause such a huge mess?"

"..."

Ji Yan had no energy to explain. He took off his shirt and headed to the bathroom.

After washing off the grime, Ji Yan knocked on Grandma’s door and went inside.

"Grandma, the sachet has been delivered. The landlord took it."

On the bed, Grandma was wearing her reading glasses, knitting a sweater, looking kind and gentle.

"It's good that it's delivered."

"However, you've gotten yourself into a lot of trouble now."

Grandma didn't look up, but she was clearly aware of Ji Yan’s current situation.

He had just crawled out of the pit of the announcement task, only to fall into another pit dug by the landlord.

Ji Yan bit the bullet and said with a stiff smile, "Helping the apartment with some volunteer work is the right thing to do; it's not trouble."

Grandma chuckled softly and said, "You're just like a duck."

Ji Yan: "Huh?"

"Even when you're cooked through, your beak stays hard."

"..."

Grandma put down the sweater and looked at Ji Yan: "That old landlord is very shrewd. He never does a deal where he loses out."

"This apartment building of ours may seem solid, standing tall in this world, but in reality, it is riddled with holes."

"He will always find ways to make you out-of-towners fill these gaps."

"He cleaned up the mess on the first floor for you, and you think you've gained, but in reality, he's just handed you an even worse mess."

"You shouldn't have looked at that announcement."

Ji Yan didn't speak.

***

There was no point in saying anything more now.

"What kind of job did that old man dump on you?"

"I don't know yet, only that it's after midnight."

Hearing "after midnight," Grandma shook her head: "That's a rotten errand."

Clearly, she knew, but she didn't say, and Ji Yan tactfully didn't ask.

"Alright, this is something I knitted for you personally. See how it looks?"

Grandma handed over a sweater—a dark red turtleneck cardigan. It didn't look unfashionable at all.

Ji Yan took it, and a hidden information box immediately popped up.

"Congratulations, player, you have obtained a Ghost Item—[The White Silk Ghost's Sweater]. It can withstand three fatal ghost attacks and increase the player's Mental Value by 25%." (The higher the Mental Value, the stronger the immunity to ghost assimilation.)

"Hidden Info: When the sweater is 95% damaged, it will trigger a backlash effect, causing a burning sensation."

"Backlash effect?" Ji Yan raised an eyebrow.

Grandma continued, "I added a little 'extra' into this sweater, Grandma did."

"If you encounter danger tonight, the sweater will protect you, but the time is limited. Within that time, find a way to save yourself."

These words implicitly indicated that tonight's mission would be quite dangerous!

Grandma was speaking in riddles. But she didn't know that these little riddles had already been completely deciphered by his talent, [Omniscience].

"I understand."

"Then I'll head out."

Ji Yan accepted the extra reward from Grandma and prepared to leave the room.

Perhaps due to the accumulating favorability, Grandma added one more piece of advice: "If you really run into trouble you can't shake off, find a way to run home. Once you're inside, Grandma can help a little bit."

"But not much."

"Thank you, Grandma." Ji Yan nodded and exited the room.

"Ding! You have completed the daily task assigned by [Grandma]. You have now accumulated 45% favorability with this ghost character."

"Congratulations! You have triggered the 'Intergenerational Affection' favorability. Ghost Grandma now has a protective instinct toward you. If danger or threats appear within the confines of room 404, Grandma will provide you with a certain amount of protection."

"Keep it up and unlock more intimate relationships!"

"Ding! You have received Ghost Grandma's dinner for today. She has personally prepared a nutritious meal for you. Please collect your food in the kitchen."

"So this is the benefit of favorability? Damn, I've been surviving in this dungeon for days, and only now do I get to enjoy something like this."

Whenever he thought of this, Ji Yan felt a surge of anger.

It was all that damned Nightmare-Eating Ghost that gave him such a disastrous start.

Even if that drunken father was already dead and gone, Ji Yan still wanted to drag him out and lash him thoroughly.