No one knew what those two had gone through, but their Fear Values shot straight to 100 and that was the end of them.

Just then, I got a private message from Elaine.

【Nina, are you okay? I was dealing with the entity on the second floor all night and didn’t have time to warn you. You need to focus on bonding with your “family” during the first three days. I watched the top player’s previous livestream, and this is everything I know. Consider it compensation for not telling you the room rules earlier, that’s how you ended up on the 30th floor.】

Elaine also shared tips in the group chat, patiently answering questions from the other new players. Jethro popped in once in a while just to complain.

【Why are you helping them? You’re too soft. Helping these newbies won’t do us any good.】

Elaine replied calmly: 【We’re all stuck here together. There’s no need to be selfish.】

Because of that, every surviving player felt deeply grateful toward her.

These two veteran players were… interesting, to say the least.

I smiled slightly, pressed my face close to the screen, and typed back.

【I’m fine, but thanks for checking on me.】

The Headless Boss was in front of me, holding his own head in one hand and Lily still in her white dress in the other, using them like dumbbells.

When he noticed me clutching my phone, he frowned slightly, as if realizing something.

“Don’t get too close to—”

Before he could finish, he suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed.

Lily’s little face scrunched up in worry as she hurried to hold him, and I rushed over too, catching his body before it hit the floor.

The game’s rules clearly prevented NPCs from revealing any direct information about how to clear the scenario.

Then came the sound of footsteps outside the door—‘thump, thump, thump’—each one heavy enough to rattle my eardrums.

Lily leapt into my arms, trying to shove the fallen boss aside with her tiny body.

“Mommy, don’t be scared. Grandpa and Grandma are back.”

The boss, clearly unwilling to lose his spot, didn’t move an inch. After a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed my hand and blushed as he muttered, “Don’t be afraid.”

What a shy and awkward boss.

Don’t be afraid? Please, I couldn’t even see clearly. As far as I was concerned, everyone was just a regular person.

Honestly, I was even excited. New NPCs meant new storylines, new chances to survive. Maybe they were just a nice, healthy old couple.

As the key turned in the lock, the livestream chat lit up again, arguing furiously:

【We’re finally gonna meet the Grandpa and Grandma! Let’s see if they can handle this crazy Nina.】

【What’s wrong with you people? If she clears the game, it’ll help future players too!】

The lock clicked, and the door creaked open.

Two figures entered. Elderly, slightly hunched, each carrying a large burlap sack slung over their backs.

When the old woman saw the Headless Boss lying on the floor, she screamed and rushed forward, shoving me aside. Her voice shrieked with rage.

“You wicked, heartless woman! How dare you hurt my son? I’ll make you pay with your life!”

Black mist swirled around me like a curse.

When she came closer, I finally got a good look at her. The old woman was so thin she was practically a skeleton, her clothes barely hanging off her bones.

Her scalp was bare, not a single hair left. Her features looked melted together, her mouth the only thing still moving.

The skin on her exposed arms was completely charred, black like burnt wood.

If it weren’t for her voice, I wouldn’t even have realized she was a woman.

I quickly grabbed the charcoal woman’s burnt hand and tugged it gently, concern in my voice. “Ma’am, your skin’s so dry. I made a cucumber mask earlier, want to try it?”

She froze mid-rant, then stammered, “Ah… o-okay.”

Of course, what woman doesn’t want to look better? When I actually brought out a bowl of sliced cucumber and started applying the mask, the old man wasn’t pleased.

“You wicked hag,” he snarled. “Weren’t you supposed to scare off the new daughter-in-law?”

I stared at the Headless Boss and shrugged. “So you had a previous wife, huh?”

His face fell.

Black smoke curled from him as he nonchalantly unscrewed the charcoal woman’s skull and tossed it aside.

He gave me a crooked, half-guilty smile. “No, she never came in. Lily killed them.”

The charcoal woman awkwardly screwed her head back on, patted the cucumber on her face, and fixed the old man with a deathly glare. “You blabby old fool. Go cook.”

He shut up right away, dragging the burlap sack and the spill of intestines on his belly toward the kitchen. Wherever he walked, the floor turned blood red again.

Lily picked herself up and politely tried to decline. “Grandma, sorry. I think Grandpa’s cooking is… bad. Maybe he shouldn’t—”

Before she finished, the old man yanked at his belly, flung out a length of intestine like a lasso, and wrapped Lily up in an instant. He cackled. “Oh my dear granddaughter, come help Grandpa cook.”

I looked at the mess of guts on the floor and went back to my room to hunt for crochet tools. “Ugh… Why doesn’t Dad sew up this sweater himself?”

By the time the old man finished cooking, I’d found my crochet hook. I dutifully set the table for him, then grabbed him by the arm. “Here, let me mend this for you. It’s annoying dragging yarn around, and the colors are fading. I just mopped yesterday, you know?”

The four weirdos exchanged glances. The livestream chat suddenly lit up with a new realization:

【Turns out she’s not brave—she’s blind.】

【No, she does know where she’s going. I bet she’s severely nearsighted.】

【I’ll call her Nina the Miracle. She just opened a totally new way to clear this scenario.】

【Quiet—actually, she might be genuinely clever.】

No sooner had that scrolled by than I grabbed the old man’s intestines and started sewing. Keeping some distance, out of respect for the whole in-law thing, I still couldn’t tell exactly what I was handling, only that it was wet. I muttered, “Why’s this yarn still damp? Dad, did you drop the vegetables in the sink?”

He looked flustered and replied, flatly, “Ah… probably.”

Once I finished stitching up the old man’s belly, everyone sat down at the table in what could only be described as an awkward kind of harmony.

When no one moved, I took the initiative and picked up a piece of what looked like ‘chicken feet’.

As I brought it to my mouth, all four of them stared at me, their gazes dark and twisted.

“My good daughter-in-law,” the old man croaked, grinning. “Your father brought that up fresh from downstairs today. The meat’s from someone who died just last night.”

“Downstairs?” I repeated, frowning. “What else could be down there besides dead players?”

I immediately dropped my utensils, covered my stomach dramatically, and gagged. Then I leaned weakly against the Headless Boss.

“Ugh, I can’t eat meat. Must’ve been too much passion last night… I think I’m pregnant.”

Lily looked absolutely thrilled, like she was watching the best show of her life.

The old man with the intestines and the charcoal-skinned old lady both gasped in delight, shouting for their son to take me to the room to rest.

The Headless Boss’s face turned crimson. He scooped me up awkwardly and hissed in my ear, “Y-you’re talking nonsense! We didn’t even…”

Too pure. He couldn’t even say ‘have sex.’

I slumped against his chest, my hand brushing across his abs as I murmured, “It’s fine. If you want, we can fix that right now.”

The chat erupted.

【Nina, you shameless woman!】

【Do I really get to watch this for free?】

【Honestly though, they’re perfect together! He’s dark and brooding but innocent at heart, and she’s soft on the outside but wild inside. I’m officially shipping them!】

In the end, I didn’t actually get to “have sex” with the Headless Boss.

The moment we entered the room, his face was still red, but his voice turned serious.

“Nina, I’m sorry about your feelings. We haven’t known each other long, but I admit… I do feel something for you.”

He paused, looking guilty. “But Lily is my daughter. Even if this is just a game, I can’t make that kind of decision without her approval. As her father, it’s my responsibility.”

My eyes fell to his neck, the jagged scar where his head had been severed.

When I looked closer, I realized it wasn’t a single wound. It was dozens, maybe hundreds of cuts, as if someone had hacked at him again and again with a dull blade before finally slicing it through.

He’d been wearing a tie the past few days, hiding it.

I tugged the tie loose and pressed my lips to the scar before I could stop myself.

“Don’t,” he stammered, trying to pull away. “It’s ugly.”

I shook my head, tears slipping down as I kissed him again. “No. Not at all.”

My voice trembled. “Does it still hurt?”

For a moment, he just stared at me, then chuckled softly, like ice melting in spring.

“It used to,” he said. “But not anymore.”

My fake pregnancy had successfully fooled the intestine grandpa and the charcoal-skinned grandma.

For the next two days, I took over all the cooking myself, using only the groceries the Headless Boss had stocked in the fridge. I made sure not to touch anything from the old weirdos’ burlap sacks, their “ingredients” didn’t exactly look… human-friendly.

To keep up appearances, by the second night, I started sleeping in the same bed as the Headless Boss.

In the middle of the night, just as I was figuring out how to seduce him, a small, pouty face suddenly popped out from under the covers.

“Mommy,” Lily whined, her voice full of hurt, “you don’t love Lily anymore. What’s so special about Daddy? I smell better than he does!”

As she spoke, her tone turned sharp, and she glared daggers at the man beside me.

Her once-white dress began to stain crimson again, and the gash on the Headless Boss’s neck started to widen.

It was clear a fight was about to break out and I was caught right in the middle.