Day Four — Ranger Cabin
The fourth day began with the kind of silence that was always wrong inside a dungeon.
When Ming Sulin opened her eyes, it was to the faintest shift of air pressure—an omen she'd already learned to trust. Her lashes fluttered, her senses stretching.
Nancy stirred across from her.
The others were sprawled across the cabin floor, half-asleep, caked in grime, their clothes stiff with blood. The smell of rot clung to everything.
Tsk.
Ming Sulin's sharpened glance swept the cabin. Nothing moved. She didn't bother waking them. She got up quietly and peered through the cracked window.
No zombies.
No hounds.
No blood trails from the chaos of last night.
Just an untouched forest. Silent. Erased.
The dungeon loved pulling tricks like this.
Her jaw tightened. Feeling glitchy again, huh? she thought.
It had broken the camper. Then it had dangled that "Safety Zone This Way" sign in their faces like bait on a hook. Now? A clean slate.
The dungeon didn't care. It swallowed them one by one, and then reset the table like a sadistic dealer.
The Ranger Cabin creaked, wood groaning as though it resented holding them inside. Shadows flickered with the hearth-fire.
Nancy had woken now, eyes fixed on Ming Sulin like she was waiting for her to break. She'd be waiting forever.
The others—characters and freed survivors both—sat around the fire, jittery, chewing at scraps of salvaged food.
Day Four. The dungeon hadn't reset. That meant the rules were bending again.
Ming Sulin leaned back against the wall, eyes closed, mind sharp. Her module interface flickered open.
The cabin shivered.
Not from wind.
Not from weather.
From him.
The Dungeon Master's voice slid like oil into her mind:
"You're ahead of schedule, little wanderer. Too sharp for a yellow-grade. But tell me—will you save them, or prune them like weeds?"
Her jaw twitched. She didn't answer. No one else could hear him.
"The book knows, Ming Sulin," he went on, amused. "The little black one you carry. It never lies. It will outlast even you."
Her gaze flicked to her pack. The Little Black Book pulsed faintly, its cover frayed, mocking.
"Yeah? Outlast me, huh?" she muttered. "Good luck finding someone else willing to carry your cursed bedtime stories."
The Dungeon Master chuckled.
"Careful. I've broken sharper mouths than yours."
"Then try harder," she hissed, shutting the module window with a thought.
⸻
The quiet shattered.
Scraping.
Something dragged across the porch.
The shuffle of bodies.
Nancy stiffened. "There weren't any zombies here before—"
"It's the dungeon," Ming Sulin cut in, voice flat. "Not the module. It bends. It repeats. It lies."
The cabin door rattled—then splintered.
Yellow-grade zombies poured in, unfortunate souls among them. Their faces were grotesque, but familiar.
Ming Sulin drew her blade without hesitation.
⸻
[You have killed x1 Yellow-Grade Zombie (unfortunate soul player Mei Hana) | 5 kill points | 90 EXP]
[Loot: x1 yellow-grade sewing kit, x1 blue-grade raincoat, x15 silver coins, x1 player identity card]
[Unfortunate Soul freed 20 / 30 | You receive 25 points]
Their release tugged at something in her chest. She crushed it flat.
Nancy whispered, "They… they were people."
"They were lost already." Ming Sulin's blade dripped red in the firelight.
⸻
[Locate characters and unfortunate souls, and freedom! 5/6 | 20/30]
Only one character left. Eight unfortunate souls still bound.
And outside, the night crawled on.
⸻
Not an hour into the march, the dungeon struck again.
The hounds came first—ribs jutting, eyes glowing, fast enough to blur. One of the slower survivors in the back line screamed too late.
Ming Sulin moved before anyone else could.
⸻
[You have killed x1 Yellow-Grade Zombie Hound. You received 2 Kill Points | 15 EXP]
[Loot: x1 yellow-grade reinforced leather boots, x1 bundle of dried herbs, 15 copper coins]
Nancy caught another, blade driving through its eye socket. Blood spattered her cheek.
The rest tried to hold formation, but panic spread like fire.
The Dungeon Master's laughter threaded through the chaos:
"Run, little rats. Let's see how many make it to dawn."
Ming Sulin spat blood from her lip, snarling, "I'm going to shut you up myself one day."
"Promises, promises," he purred.
⸻
The cabin shivered again, just faintly, like it was trying to warn them. Ming Sulin rubbed at her temples, groaning.
"Alright, you glitchy bastard, let's see what you've got this time."
Nancy flinched, glancing nervously at the door. "Ming Sulin… you don't think it's going to—"
"Relax. Not the module. The dungeon. It likes to play tricks," Ming Sulin cut her off, eyes scanning the shadows. "Just… follow my lead."
⸻
Before Nancy could answer, a dozen yellow-grade zombies creaked into view, limbs misaligned, faces… familiar. Unfortunate souls, all of them.
Ming Sulin stepped forward, fillet knife gleaming. "Guess we're starting the day with a breakfast buffet."
The first zombie lunged at Nancy.
"Watch out!" Ming Sulin shouted, yanking her aside and jabbing her blade straight into the creature's head.
⸻
[You have killed x1 Yellow-Grade Zombie (unfortunate soul player Amir Khan) | 5 kill points | 90 EXP]
[Loot: x1 yellow-grade backpack, x2 yellow-grade rations, x1 player identity card, 2 gold, 1 silver, 215 copper coins]
[Unfortunate Soul freed 21 / 30 | You receive 25 points]
Nancy's eyes widened. "I… I did it?"
"You did," Ming Sulin said, wiping the blood off her knife with the back of her sleeve. "Congratulations, welcome to surviving another day."
⸻
A zombie hound yipped and lunged from the corner.
Ming Sulin rolled her eyes. "Really? A dog? You couldn't have just sent a cat or something?" She spun, slicing clean across its glowing neck.
[You have killed x1 Yellow-Grade Zombie Hound. You received 2 Kill Points | 15 EXP]
[Loot: x1 yellow-grade bone club, x1 bundle of herbs, 10 copper coins]
Nancy managed to stab another unfortunate soul—Lena Dubois—with a harpoon spear Ming Sulin tossed her.
[You have killed x1 Yellow-Grade Zombie (unfortunate soul player Lena Dubois) | 5 kill points | 90 EXP]
[Loot: x1 yellow-grade first aid kit, x1 necklace, x1 player identity card, 1 gold, 5 silver, 350 copper coins]
[Unfortunate Soul freed 22 / 30 | You receive 25 points]
⸻
Ming Sulin ducked under a swinging arm of a hound, muttering, "Honestly, if I get a cut from this thing I'm suing the dungeon for malpractice."
The Little Black Book quivered, pages flipping wildly:
"Finally… more chaos! More limbs! Delightful screaming! Collect all, record all, savor all."
Ming Sulin snorted. "Yeah, yeah, I see you, creepy little book. Don't think I've forgotten who's keeping tabs here."
⸻
A lanky unfortunate soul, Rajiv Patel, charged, arms flailing. Ming Sulin sidestepped and jabbed her knife into his chest.
[You have killed x2 Yellow-Grade Zombie (unfortunate soul player Rajiv Patel & Haj'vr Patel) | 5 kill points | 90 EXP]
[Loot: x2 yellow-grade flashlight, x2 yellow-grade rope coil, x2 player identity card, 1 gold, 2 silver, 125 copper coins]
[Unfortunate Soul freed 24 / 30 | You receive 25 points]
"Not bad, huh Nancy?" Ming Sulin said, tossing the corpse aside. "Day Four, and I still haven't had my morning coffee."
Nancy grimaced. "Please don't joke about this…"
"Oh, relax. If you can't laugh in a dungeon while people keep coming back from the dead, what's even the point?"
⸻
Two more unfortunate souls barreled toward them—Yara Ivanova and Ethan Blackwood. Ming Sulin's daggers flashed, one spinning in her hand as she drove the other into Ethan's chest.
[You have killed x2 Yellow-Grade Zombies (unfortunate soul players Yara Ivanova & Ethan Blackwood) | 10 kill points | 180 EXP]
[Loot: x2 yellow-grade tactical vests, x1 yellow-grade map case, x2 player identity cards, 4 gold, 7 silver, 780 copper coins]
[Unfortunate Soul freed 27 / 30 | You receive 25 points]
Nancy let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Twenty-seven… we're almost there."
⸻
A final wave surged in—three yellow-grade unfortunate souls: Hana Schmidt, Diego Alvarez, and Sofie Johansson.
Ming Sulin twirled, knives flashing, landing every strike with precision.
[You have killed x3 Yellow-Grade Zombies (unfortunate soul players Hana Schmidt, Diego Alvarez & Sofie Johansson) | 15 kill points | 270 EXP]
[Loot: x3 yellow-grade first aid kits, x3 yellow-grade rations, x3 player identity cards, 6 gold, 9 silver, 945 copper coins]
[Unfortunate Soul freed 30 / 30 | You receive 25 points]
⸻
The tally blinked into place:
[Locate characters and unfortunate souls, and freedom! 5/6 | 30/30]
Ming Sulin leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. The Little Black Book vibrated in her lap, ink scribbling:
"The wanderer persists… ruthless, clever… entertaining."
She snorted. "You've got a weird sense of humor, I'll give you that."
The Dungeon Master's voice slithered into her head again:
"Ah… yes. Clever indeed. But how will you handle what comes next, little wanderer? The final character… remains hidden. Will you succeed, or merely… survive?"
Ming Sulin tilted her head, one corner of her mouth twitching in a grin.
"I guess we'll find out. And hey… if you're lucky, I might let you take notes for the next unlucky player."
The cabin creaked again, shadows flickering over walls, and the Little Black Book quivered like it was laughing.
Ming Sulin looked down at Nancy. "Ready for round… whatever it is next?"
Nancy gulped. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Ming Sulin sheathed her daggers with a flourish. "Good. Let's see what Day Five has in store. Dungeon, module, or whatever the hell you are—bring it on."
Somewhere far above in the dark, the Dungeon Master's laughter echoed like thunder rolling through the cabin.
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Ming Sulin's Player Profile Update:
Level 5 | ????/ 4800