The moment the butler answered Mo Xue, the door diagonally across from them creaked open.

Ten maids spoke in unison, their voices booming through the corridor.

"Dear Guest No. 7, what are you doing?"

Their synchronized voices were so loud that they even startled the usually composed Mo Xue.

From the cluster of maids came No. 7's voice.

"The dessert No. 4 ordered, give me two servings of the same. And besides hot water, I'd like a cup of black coffee, thank you."

Mo Xue: "…"

Was that girl… imitating her? What a copycat!

The butler's polite smile nearly slipped. Tugging at his white gloves, he instructed the gap-toothed maid, "Go fetch the food for Guest No. 4."

The maid disappeared in a blur, like a shadow vanishing down the hall.

The handsome middle-aged butler nodded to Mo Xue, then turned toward the opposite door. The ten maids parted neatly into two rows along the walls, giving him space to confront Guest No. 7.

From her angle, Mo Xue could finally see her neighbor clearly. Before, she'd only caught a glimpse of her face.

The girl with a high ponytail looked about fourteen or fifteen, yet stood at nearly 1.7 meters tall. She wore a dashing riding outfit, and beneath the tailored jacket was a white, fitted shirt. Its collar was slightly open, giving her a look of effortless ease.

Her outer coat was a deep brown trench, its hem left unbuttoned for easy movement.

High-waisted dark trousers hugged her long legs, tucked into supple black leather riding boots.

Aside from the handkerchief pocket on her chest and a few buttons at her cuffs, there wasn't a single unnecessary accessory on her.

Mo Xue glanced down at herself. Lace upon lace, bows and pearls, layers of ruffles, and a long skirt brushing her ankles. Seeing all these attachments, she couldn't help but feel the stabbing pain of envy.

They were both girls! Why did the clothes on the other side look so practical, while hers felt like a cage of frills?

The butler pressed a hand to his chest and bowed slightly. "Guest No. 7, I regret to inform you that we have run out of desserts."

"Didn't you just say there were no limits?" the girl protested, clearly displeased.

"Yes," the butler replied smoothly, "but we only prepared twelve servings in total. Guest No. 4 has already claimed five."

"Then just give me the other seven," she said with a small sigh. "I'll make do."

The butler's smile didn't waver. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. Your personal maid has been punished, which means that for the next seven days, no one will serve you. No one will bring your desserts, nor tidy your room."

Just then, the gap-toothed maid darted back, balancing a large tray stacked with Mo Xue's desserts.

The tray was huge. The maid reached it through the doorway, and Mo Xue, careful not to cross the threshold, took hold of the portion that had entered her room.

But before she could pull it fully inside, the maid flashed a nasty grin. She suddenly released the tray and gave it a sharp slap.

Only a small portion of the tray was inside the room. If Mo Bai failed to hold it steady, everything on it would spill out into the corridor.

If the food crossed the boundary, Mo Xue wouldn't be able to eat it since Players weren't allowed to step outside their rooms.

But Mo Xue had already noticed the maid's little trick.

She could use her Physical Manipulation ability up to seven times. Three of those consumed as much energy as one Chemical Alteration. After using Chemical Alteration twice, she had just enough energy to use Physical Manipulation once.

Mo Bai focused her ability on the tray and everything on it the moment the maid handed it over.

Though the pile was large, its total volume was under 5 liters, which was well within her control range.

With her Physical Manipulation ability, the tray hovered steadily midair, allowing her to pull it safely into the room.

Across the hall, Guest No. 7 arched an eyebrow at the sight.

Mo Xue, fully aware of being watched, picked up a piece of chocolate, stuffed it into her mouth, and mumbled through a sweet smile, "Too sweet. Way too sweet."

Unable to bear it, the copycat neighbor slammed her door shut.

Mo Xue happily closed her door and began enjoying her feast in peace.

After devouring everything until her stomach was pleasantly full, she asked Xiao Qi to display her energy progress bar.

Her regeneration speed had improved after leveling up. She would be fully recharged in just twelve hours.

By 10 p.m., her energy would be back to full. That wasn't even considered late-night yet, so the danger should be minimal.

Even if it weren't fully recharged, by 4 p.m., she would have enough to perform one Chemical Alteration, two Physical Transformations, or three Physical Manipulations. (TN: Respectively pertains to Chemical Property/Change, Physical Property/Change, and Physical Movement)

She learned several key things, so the tests were worth it.

First: The maids were B-rank monsters, about as strong as enhanced mutants. Their advantage was speed and flexible, rubber-like bodies. The mutants, on the other hand, had iron-hard skin and rapid regeneration.

She mentally simulated a fight between one of the maids and Daddy. Neither could kill the other easily. The mutant wouldn't land a hit, and the maid couldn't pierce that iron-like flesh to reach his heart. It would be a battle of endurance, so whoever got tired first would lose.

Second: The butler's speed was faster than the maids', and his attack power was stronger. Since a B-level dungeon only allows one A-rank monster, the butler was likely not A-rank yet. Probably an elite B+ rank monster.

That meant he had a weakness. His speed came at a price, so his body wouldn't be as tough as Daddy's. The butler should be at most slightly stronger than an ordinary person. He could be killed.

The real threat lay in his ability to cut through diamonds. Mo Bai had examined the broken diamond grabber: the maids' damage was jagged, but the butler's cut was too clean to be smashed apart, so it must have been sliced.

She inferred that his ability was something like an Air Blade or Spatial Slash.

And that motion where he'd tugged his glove before confronting No. 7? That wasn't an idle habit. It was a combat-readiness cue: tightening his gloves so they wouldn't slip during the attack.

Mo Xue suspected that the gloves themselves were key to his hand-blade power. Probably a B-tier equipment, just like Corrosive Claws or Ironhide Skin.

If she ever got the chance, she had to steal those gloves.

The same might go for the gap-toothed maid's teeth. Mo Xue regretted returning that tooth earlier. Though, on second thought, the maid hadn't even been able to bite through a metal rod, so it was probably a B-level item at best.

The butler and the maids had intelligence and emotions, just like Daddy. The maid had clearly been angry when Mo Xue tricked her and retaliated within her permitted authority. On the other hand, the butler was wary of dangerous guests.

All of them seemed bound by certain rules.

For instance, Daddy was compelled to form a family with the Homebody Corpse and could never leave her. He also had to finish any alcohol within his sight. The maids, likewise, were forced to bite anything that crossed a doorway, even if it could break their teeth.

Third: Every word of the dungeon rules had to be studied carefully. The rules weren't just restrictions on players. They were also loopholes to exploit against the monsters. Until she was sure she could handle them, she must never leave her room outside the designated safe hours.

However, the so-called free time between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. might not be safe at all, and it could even be the most dangerous period.

Fourth and most terrifying:

According to the butler, each player had one personal maid. There were ten players in this Count's castle dungeon. If you include the Phantom Butterfly, why were there twelve maids?

Did that mean the Count invited not just players but also two other guests?

Who were they? Monsters?

That meant the dungeon contained twelve maids, two mysterious guests, one butler, one hidden Phantom Butterfly, and one unseen Count. At least fifteen B-rank and two A-rank monsters.

Seventeen monsters in total. She and Gu Tiandong together weren't even enough to fill their teeth.

They needed allies!

So far, Mo Bai had ruled out the possibility of the No. 7 copycat being the Phantom Butterfly. Maybe they could team up.

The girl had effortlessly sliced through a maid, so she clearly had the power to fight all eleven maids alone. If they joined forces, clearing out those nuisances would be far easier.

Besides, the fact that she kept mimicking Mo Xue's every move meant she trusted Mo Xue's judgment. Both had already seen each other's power. Neither was dead weight, so a partnership made sense.

Besides the above four points, Mo Bai also summarized a fifth, relatively less important piece of information: never ignore the free food in daily dungeons.

If she ever got sick of eating steamed buns, she could always find another dungeon's buffet.

Before lunch, she organized all her findings and planned to share them with Gu Tiandong later.

When the clock indicated 11:50, a Maid knocked at her door.

"Dear Guest No. 4, your personal maid, Eileen No. 4, will escort you to the dining hall. Please do not be late."

Mo Xue opened the door. The gap-toothed maid, Eileen No. 4, stood there with her two impossibly long arms crossed neatly at her waist, looking perfectly polite, nothing like the feral creature from earlier.

So her name was Eileen No. 4. Did that mean the others were all Eileens too? Were they mass-produced somewhere?

"Is it really safe to go out now?" Mo Xue asked.

"Yes,"  the maid replied.

To be sure, Mo Xue extended the half-broken grabber through the doorway first. When the maid didn't bite, Mo Xue finally wheeled herself out under Eileen No. 4's hateful glare.

Outside, she realized the place resembled a grand hotel. Each person had their own room, and every door had a maid waiting to escort their guest to dinner.

Mo Xue was the first to emerge. One by one, other guests appeared. Among them was Gu Tiandong.

The dungeon must have identified him as female. His apparent age had been dropped to around 14 or 15, and his height was barely 165 cm. He wore a Rococo gown that was almost identical to Mo Xue's. But hers was pale green, while his was lake-blue.

Everyone else wore the same riding outfit as No. 7.

It was clear. The contrast seemed to divide them neatly into Observation Group and Combat Group.

The system's role for Observation Group members was clear: to serve as an entertaining decoration by fully utilizing their appeal value and the passive abilities granted by their titles to survive.

Soon, all the guests except No. 7 had gathered in the corridor. No. 7, lacking a maid, emerged a bit later, cautiously testing the doorway with an object before stepping out once she was sure nothing attacked.

The doors were soundproof, so no one inside could have heard the others leave. That meant No. 7 must possess some kind of clairvoyant skill or item.

Since she had no maid, she naturally drifted toward Mo Xue.

Gu Tiandong spotted Mo Xue too. The moment someone approached her, he hitched up his skirt and started to run over protectively.

But Mo Xue shook her head slightly.

They'd agreed beforehand to pretend to be strangers in front of outsiders.

That way, the Phantom Butterfly wouldn't target Gu Tiandong, and they could still covertly watch each other's backs.

Gu Tiandong stopped immediately, adjusted his skirt, and obediently followed his own maid.

The butler appeared just then, glanced once at No. 7, and smiled faintly as he informed, "The castle's layout is rather complicated. Please stay close to your personal maid so you don't get lost."

Since No. 7 had none, she immediately placed her hands on Mo Bai's wheelchair and whispered, "The maids walk fast. You won't be able to keep up in a wheelchair. Let me help."

Mo Xue took a gamble. She didn't believe this impulsive monster-slayer was the Phantom Butterfly.

The Phantom Butterfly had infiltrated the Count's castle. It was an outsider. And from what Mo Xue knew, not all monsters were allies. The Daddy and Mommy monsters, for instance, were enemies.

If the Phantom Butterfly killed one of the Count's maids, it might provoke the Count himself.

Thus, unless absolutely necessary, the  Phantom Butterfly wouldn't attack the castle's own monsters.

That meant the girl beside her was almost certainly just a daring player.

Mo Xue nodded and allowed her to push the wheelchair, keeping up with the maid's seemingly swift pace.

The maids moved in formation down the corridor. After they turned a corner, Mo Xue glanced back and was surprised to find that the path behind her had turned into a solid wall.

This castle was a spatial maze whose structure could change at any time. Players couldn't find their way on their own and needed a maid to guide them.

Mo Xue murmured under her breath, "Don't kill all the maids before we clear the level. We'll need one to lead the way."

It sounded like she was talking to herself, but she was actually speaking for No. 7 to hear.

Sure enough, the girl's voice came from above her head.

"Got it. I'll keep that in mind."

Mo Xue's heart finally settled.

That meant they had formed a temporary alliance.

 

 

 

The Author Has Something to Say:

Mo Bai: Copycat, let's team up!

No. 7: What did you just call me?

Mo Bai: A tall, long-legged, super agile girl with a high ponytail. So… let's team up?

No. 7: That's more like it.