"The Task from the Water Ghost"
The eerie prompt echoed through the chilling air, as the Water Ghost's voice resounded, "The Water Ghost of the Death Resort is assigning you a task. Will you accept?"
As soon as the words left the Water Ghost's mouth, the ominous game notification sounded, signaling the moment had arrived.
"Accept."
Yi Bai muttered the word silently in his heart, then waved his hand at the Water Ghost, who promptly stepped back with a knowing nod.
"Grapes? Apples, and bananas?" Yi Bai mused aloud, eyeing the strange fruits laid before him.
The fruits on the tray resembled the appearance of eyes, their skin a blood-red hue, much like grapes. The bananas looked eerily like fingers, their skins dark purple. The apples seemed just like the common variety, but their bright, almost glaring red color made them stand out. Each fruit emitted a faint ghostly aura, soothing yet curious to Yi Bai.
He picked up one of the "grapes" and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed through its skin, a sweet, slightly refreshing taste spread across his senses, leaving him impressed.
For someone as hungry as he was, especially after finishing off all the blood bags Liu Zhen had prepared before the game, these exotic fruits from the horror world were more than satisfying.
As he sipped on what was called "Tiger Demon Blood Wine" and nibbled on the eerie fruits, Yi Bai couldn't help but think—if only there was a sun above to complete the scene, this would have been a perfect day.
However, his high-class treatment did not go unnoticed by certain spirits.
Several peculiar-looking ghostly creatures, lounging around the outdoor pool, cast curious glances at Yi Bai. Their eyes, full of awe, observed him from a distance.
"Hey, who's that? They don't seem familiar. I haven't heard of anyone like that from the Underworld City," one ghost with a long tongue whispered to another with large ears.
"Yeah, I've never seen someone from the core families of Underworld City act this way. Could they be from an outsider family?" the large-eared ghost speculated.
"I wonder what this young master's temperament is like. If he's easy-going, maybe we can…" The greedy ghost with a sharp chin and scraggly hair eyed Yi Bai with a glint in his eye.
"Don't even think about it!" A stern voice suddenly interrupted, and another Water Ghost appeared from the pool, its form emerging quietly. "That person is a guest of Mr. Ralph. No one is to disturb him. If you cause any inconvenience to him, you won't be able to bear the wrath of the Kroel family!"
The mention of Ralph's name immediately shut down any further conversation. The ghosts stared at Yi Bai with a mixture of respect and wariness. It was clear—this was not someone they could casually approach.
The ghostly creatures knew all too well that the real power came from these high-ranking family spirits, and they were not on the same level. They could only envy but never compare.
Elsewhere, near the poolside, a group of young female human players stood nervously, clearly uneasy.
As temporary employees, they had received a disheartening task: to serve the guests. However, this wasn't the same as the virtual service seen in ordinary games. Their job was to fulfill the customers' every whim, no matter what, to ensure the guests were pleased.
The harsh reality weighed on them. To refuse was death. To comply, however, was their only slim chance of survival. It was a dilemma between life and death, one that felt almost impossible to escape.
"Hey, stop standing around. Can't you see our guest in the pool needs your service?" A large, burly, and obviously malicious ghost, who looked like a walking barrel of fat, sneered at them, her voice dripping with jealousy.
The young players, trembling in fear, exchanged glances. One more experienced player, trying to keep calm, whispered urgently to the others. "We'll go right now."
But as she looked at the pool of strange ghosts, the reality hit her: they were walking straight into the jaws of danger.
"Wait!" Just as despair crept over the group, a cold voice stopped them in their tracks.
The large, fat ghost scowled, turning towards the Water Ghost. "What are you doing? Don't you see I'm instructing the employees to work harder?"
The Water Ghost's response was cool and unbothered. "Don't forget, there's a distinguished guest today. Everything should be arranged to ensure his comfort."
The ghost's words instantly caused the fat creature's face to flush with embarrassment. She had nearly forgotten about the special guest's arrival. Realizing her mistake, she hurriedly spoke, "Apologies, I made a mistake with the arrangement. That young master is also a player, and he probably prefers to be served by his own kind. I'll leave the arrangements to you. I've got something else to attend to."
Without waiting for a reply, the ghost hurriedly fled the scene, clearly anxious not to attract Yi Bai's attention. In the presence of such a powerful figure, even the smallest mistake could be fatal.
"Such ignorance," the Water Ghost muttered, watching the ghost escape. He felt contempt for her actions but did not notice the human players' reactions.
When they heard they would be serving the "young master," their faces turned ghostly white, and their eyes were filled with pure terror.
"Well... I think I'm not suitable to serve such an important guest. How about I just go and take care of those ghosts by the pool instead?" One of the players suddenly spoke up, trying to avoid the dreaded task.
The Water Ghost was taken aback. "Huh?"
This was strange. Normally, players would be grateful for such an opportunity, wouldn't they? Why were these players reacting this way, as if they had lost their parents?