A Guide to Surviving the Mysterious Dungeon and the Twelve Talismans

Friendly reminder: Don't steal your pet's food, or you'll suffer a terrible fate.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Zhou An looked at the ingredient list and his lips twitched slightly.

Fake human flesh, fake human blood, and corpse fluid—Zhou An simply couldn't bring himself to eat these things.

Stealing food? That's impossible.

However, there are only three bags of feed here, and one bag needs to be fed each time, so the feeding needs to be done four times a day.

"Are you kidding me? One bag is already missing on the first day?" Zhou An frowned.

Okay, let's feed them first, and then see what to do. At least it's safe before midnight.

Zhou An immediately tried to lift a bag of feed, but it was too heavy, weighing a full 100 jin (50 kg).

In the end, Zhou An exerted tremendous effort to carry the feed to the iron cage.

The iron cage was very large, and the gaps between the bars were also large enough that Zhou An could squeeze through directly.

It must be very large; it could probably swallow Zhou An whole in one gulp.

However, there was no sound from inside the iron cage, as if there was nothing inside.

Zhou An ignored it and threw the feed bag directly into the iron cage.

He stood there, waiting quietly, but still saw no movement from inside the iron cage.

Zhou An thought for a moment, then ignored him and left the rooftop. Before leaving, he locked the door again.

Zhou An then took the elevator down to the first floor.

The first floor was completely empty at that moment, except for the old man who was mopping the floor.

"Pah!" The old man spat as soon as he saw Zhou An.

Upon seeing this, Zhou An frowned. That damned old man deserved to die.

He didn't bother with it, went to the storage room, grabbed a broom, mop, bucket, and dustpan, and went up to the third floor.

The zookeeper has fed them, so now it's time to clean up.

The next second, Zhou An realized something, quickly reached into the dustpan and rummaged around, then pulled out a piece of paper.

Cleaning Staff Code of Conduct

1. Make sure to clean the area you are assigned to thoroughly, otherwise you may be subject to complaints from tenants.

2. If you see someone littering, please loudly reprimand them and make them pick it up.

3. If a tenant wants you to clean their room, they must pay you a certain amount of money as a service fee.

4. During the cleaning process, the tenant cannot lay a hand on you in his room.

5. Cleaning must be completed within working hours.

6. Must clean a room for one tenant every day.

Six rules, clear and concise.

Zhou An silently put the note away and then began his cleaning work.

However, the work is actually quite easy, because the corridor is not dirty. I estimate that it will take about fifteen minutes to sweep and mop it.

"Squeak~~!" Just then, the door to room 304 next door opened.

"Cleaning staff? My room is a bit dirty, could you clean it for me?" A hoarse voice came from the fat, greasy monster's mouth.

The fat monster was obese, its entire body composed of a lump of flesh, and its whole body was shiny with oil. When it walked barefoot on the ground, it made the ground greasy.

"How much are you offering?" Zhou An asked in a deep voice.

"Money? Aren't you a cleaner? It's your job to clean the rooms for the guests, why are you asking for money?" The fat, greasy man's tone became sharp.

Zhou An ignored him and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait a minute, okay, I'll pay one dollar," Fatty Ghost said quickly.

"Ten yuan, and I'll clean for you." Zhou An wanted to earn money.

"Ten yuan? Are you crazy for money?" Fatty Gui was greatly shocked.

However, seeing that Zhou An was about to leave again, he quickly said, "Okay, ten yuan it is."

"Pay me first." Zhou An reached out for the money.

Fatty was furious, but in the end he still took out ten yuan and handed it to Zhou An.

The fat, greasy man gritted his teeth and said, "I want to make sure there isn't a single grease stain left in my room."

Zhou An accepted the money and went straight into the house.

The room reeked of grease, a very strong smell.

Looking at the floor, the sofa, and even the bed, everything was greasy.

Zhou An almost slipped and fell when he went in.

Chapter 5 You're sick, you need treatment.

"You can start cleaning now." Fat Ghost slammed the door shut, his voice turning sinister.

He's been tricked, he's been tricked, this guy's been tricked.

Because of his physical condition, he was constantly oozing oil.

And these oil stains are very difficult to clean.

This human won't be able to leave this room without losing an arm today.

However, Zhou An did not clean up. Instead, he turned to look at the fat, greasy monster and said, "You're sick and need treatment."

"Uh...?" The fat, greasy, and sinister-looking face froze.

“I’ve been observing you for a while now. Your body must be unconsciously producing oil, which is why the room is so greasy, right?” Zhou An said.

"So what if I have? You've already taken ten dollars from me. You're not leaving this house until you've cleaned it up today, hehehe..." Fatty said with a sinister laugh.

“You have oily skin, which is a condition that needs treatment, and I can help you cure it,” Zhou An said with a confident smile.

The moment he saw the Fat Demon, the Horse Talisman sensed the disease within the Fat Demon's body.

The horse talisman can cure everything, whether it's human diseases or strange occurrences.

"You? You? Even the best Ghost People's Hospital in Yinsha City is helpless. You think you can cure him?" The fat, greasy, and grotesque-faced man sneered at Zhou An.

"Don't believe me? I'll show you." Zhou An said, taking a step forward and reaching out to grab the fat monster's arm.

Fat Ghost did not stop him, and just let Zhou An grab his arm.

Zhou An felt a greasy sensation on his palm.

It was very slippery and greasy; Zhou An would even slide down it if he exerted any force.

The next second, Zhou An activated the power of the horse talisman, directly enveloping the fat monster's entire arm.

A flash of white light, and the fat, greasy arm instantly became clean and refreshed.

A large amount of oil actually began to be absorbed by his arm.

The originally greasy texture has become bouncy and delicate.

"Ahhhhh..." The fat, oily monster let out a deafening scream.

"Human, please help me get better!" The fat, greasy ghost excitedly pulled Zhou An into his arms.

A strong smell of grease wafted over, giving Zhou An goosebumps all over his body.

At the same time, because he was hugged, his whole body was covered in oil and he became greasy.

This feeling is like being dressed and then covered in greasy cooking oil.

"Let go, let go of me, you're disgusting!" Zhou An shouted angrily.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just too excited." Fatty Ghost came to his senses, quickly released Zhou An, and apologized profusely.

Zhou An wiped his face, shaking off the grease. This feeling was awful.

"I'll help you, I'll help you." The fat monster rushed forward, grabbed Zhou An, and sucked all the grease off Zhou An's body.

Zhou An felt like he had been reborn.

“I can cure your illness, but treatment costs money. How much can you afford?” Zhou An said in a deep voice.

"Um... I just paid three months' rent yesterday, so I don't have much money left."

"How about I use props to pay off the debt?" Fatty Ghost looked at Zhou An somewhat awkwardly.

"Props?" Zhou An's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

“Yes, props. I have two more props on me. I’ll give them to you if you can help me.” Fatty Ghost said, taking out two props and handing them to Zhou An.

Although Zhou An doesn't know what props are, they seem to be very precious.

He took it, and the information about the prop immediately appeared before his eyes.

【Sensitive Bracelet】: Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and pain.

Effect: When worn, it can shut down certain senses.

Upon seeing this, Zhou An was slightly startled; this bracelet that seemed to possess incredible power.

Zhou An now possesses the power of the Horse Talisman, making him practically immortal.

However, he still has the ability to feel pain. If he wears this painless bracelet, the pain will no longer be tormenting.

This is good stuff.

【Pain-Preserving Bracelet】: Let the world feel your pain.

Effect: It can store the pain inflicted on oneself and then release it to the target in batches or all at once.

Upon seeing this, Zhou An's eyes lit up.

The combination of the Pain-Suppressing Bead and the Sensitive Bracelet is simply incredible.