I hauled my aching back up to the fourth floor.

The busted wooden door of Dorm 4404 creaked open, and a foul stench hit me.

It had me gagging and hacking for breath.

A sickly yellow glow leaked out through the crack, along with a sound that made my teeth ache. It sounded like bones being gnawed and chewed to splinters.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Lord have mercy! The place was a landfill come to life.

There were broken bowls, moldy bread rolls, rotting cabbage leaves, and piles of filth everywhere. The floor was coated in a black, sticky grease that sucked at my shoes.

Inside, a scrawny little boy, thin as a stick, was hunched over in the corner. He was straining over some dark, shapeless heap I could barely see.

He whipped his head around when he heard the noise of me stepping in.

His face nearly stopped my heart. His cheekbones were sharp enough to cut, his eye sockets were sunken deep like black holes, and his lips were split and peeling back to show yellow teeth.

Thick, dark red saliva hung and dripped from the corners of his mouth.

It was his eyes that froze me solid.

His eyes glowed sickly green, like a wolf that had been starved all winter. They locked on me as though he could leap at any second and tear me apart.

“Hungry! So hungry… Meat…”

…

The voice came out ragged, like his throat was full of gravel. He hunched lower, shuffling toward me step by step.

The reek of rot and blood pressed heavier on me with every move.

Everyone who was watching the live broadcast was frightened.

[The Hungry Dead’s about to lose it! Granny, run! He’ll eat you alive!]

[Oh, hell nah! That’s a sight I did not need burned into my brain…]

My stomach lurched, bile stinging my throat.

However, when I saw him—skin stretched over bones, stumbling like he could barely stand—the fire in my chest flared up.

Instead of running, I reached out and grabbed his twig-thin arm.

“Would you look at yourself, child? You’ve been starved nearly to death!

“Don’t your parents feed you? What kind of mom or dad doesn’t put a hot meal in front of their boy? Busy or not, a kid needs supper on the table!”

The little boy froze at my outburst, like he did not know whether to lunge or listen.

Even the wolfish gleam in his green eyes faded for a moment.

I seized my chance, sweeping the room with a quick glance.

There—in the corner!

Half-buried in trash lay a big old clay jar, its lid weighed down with a slab of rock and a sheet of filthy plastic.

From underneath drifted a faint tang. It was sharp, sour, and unmistakable!

Pickled cabbage! Oh, sweet heavens, pickled cabbage!

I heaved the rock off and tore the cover back.

A rich, tangy scent burst out, chasing away the stink of rot.

Inside, golden cabbage gleamed, crisp and slick, practically begging to be eaten.

The boy blinked in confusion, sniffing instinctively. For a moment, he forgot the dark, sticky drool sliding from the corner of his mouth.

“Hold on, honey. I'm going to make you a meal!”

I spoke decisively and dove into the trash heap.

By some miracle, I dug out a chipped clay pot, a beat-up little stove, a knife, two sprouting potatoes, and some dry kindling.

I got the little stove set up in no time, stacked the firewood, and pulled out the box of matches I stuffed in my pocket earlier.

Scratch! A flame leaped up immediately.

I set the cracked clay pot on top, fished a big head of pickled cabbage out of the jar, and gave it a few good chops into rough strips. Then, I grabbed a couple of spuds, frozen solid but not yet rotten, peeled them, hacked them into chunks, and tossed the whole pile straight into the pot.

Blub-blub-blub…

Soon enough, water bubbled and hissed, steam rising with a mouthwatering sour-salty smell.

The boy did not move a muscle.

Bent over like a crooked stick, he lingered only a few paces from the fire. His green-glinting eyes fixed hungrily on the cracked clay pot, where the steam curled upward.

His throat no longer made that beastly growling noise.

Instead, it turned into a huge, wet gulping sound.

My actions once again shocked those who were watching the live broadcast.

[You’ve gotta be kidding me. Granny’s cooking in a horror dungeon?]

[Pickled cabbage and potato stew! Holy crap, I can smell it through the screen! That’s insane!]

[Wait, did the Hungry Dead’s drool just… turn clear? It’s not bloody anymore?]

[Help! Why am I actually getting hungry watching this? That can’t be right!]

The pot kept bubbling until the potatoes turned soft. The broth boiled, and the rich aroma filled the room.

I stirred it with a cracked old spoon, scooped up a steaming mouthful, blew on it, and held it right under the boy’s nose.

“Look at you, drooling all over the place! Eat it while it’s hot, don’t just stand there gaping.

“A full belly’s the only way you’ll grow strong!”

The boy snatched the spoon right out of my hand. He did not even care that it was boiling hot. He shoved the whole spoonful into his mouth.

“Slurp—ahh!”

The heat made him suck in breath through his teeth, but he could not stop.

He crouched on the floor, hugging the chipped clay pot, shoveling the soup into his mouth with both hands.

He made urgent, greedy sounds that soon turned into satisfied grunts.

[Congratulations, player. You’ve earned the Hungry Dead’s approval. From now on, you won’t feel hunger in the game.]

“Slow down! No one’s fighting you for it!”

I nagged him, unable to help myself.

“You’ll choke, silly child. If you like it that much, I will make it for you every day…”

The boy finally lifted his head. The pickled cabbage and potato mush was smeared on his lips, and there was a human expression on his gaunt, ghastly face for the first time.

He looked at the half-empty pot in his arms, then at me. The feral light in his green eyes slowly faded.

He licked his cracked lips. “It’s… so good.”

“That’s right. It’s good!

“My cooking used to be top-notch back in the village, let me tell you!”

I raised my chin proudly.

“But listen, kid. No more gnawing on random people when you’re starving. Just come and find me, and I’ll cook for you!”

For the next few days, I, a creaky old lady, somehow turned into the dormitory’s shared granny.

Armed with nothing but my flowery padded coat and my legendary pickled cabbage stew, I went door to door, knocking on rooms.

In Dorm 2103, I found a wailing banshee ghost curled up in the corner, sobbing and soaking the whole room with damp misery.

I whipped out my big peony handkerchief and wiped her nose and eyes without hesitation.

“What’s all this crying for? Crying doesn’t fill your stomach! Tell me what happened. Who bullied you? I’ll stand up for you!”

The banshee blinked at me, totally stunned, and forgot how to cry momentarily.

Dorm 3104 had a hot-tempered poltergeist smashing things left and right.

I marched right in and yelled, “You’re a grown man! Why are you throwing tantrums? Do you think breaking stuff makes you tough? If you’ve got strength, use it where it counts! Now get over here and help me fix this busted stool leg!”

He glared, ready to explode until I shot him a sharp look. Then, unbelievably, he slumped over and went digging for nails.

Those who were watching the live broadcast became active again.

[No way! There’s just no way! Granny’s turned this horror dungeon into a dorm-mediator reality show.]

[The ghosts are going completely off-script! Did that poltergeist just… fix a chair for her?]

[Mrs. Wade, you’re amazing!]

As I went from room to room, handing out warmth and lectures, I became the brightest thing in the whole gloomy dormitory.

The surviving players, who had been hiding in corners and living in fear, were now watching with their eyes about to pop out.

Some of the remaining players were scheming.

Day seven.

There was one day left to beat the level.

The last three surviving players exchanged glances and sidled toward me.

“Mrs. Wade! Mrs. Wade!”

The one with big eyes put on a fake smile.

“We found a spot. It looks like there might be a clue to finish the level! But it’s dark, and we’re scared. Could you lead the way?”

My old eyes squinted, but I did not see through their scheme.

I figured that I would help if I could. I followed them toward the rooftop.

The moment I stepped onto the last stair, before I regained my balance, Scar Face and Skinny Monkey lunged from either side, wrenching my arms tight.

“Hey! What are you doing? Let go!”

“What am I doing?”

Big Eyes’ fake smile vanished instantly.

“You old hag! You call yourself the granny of the dormitory. You’re so up your own ass!”

Scar Face growled along, “Yeah! You’re buried up to your neck in dirt and won’t be alive for much longer! You might as well do something useful and clear the way for us!”

...

Darkness swallowed everything.

The seventh night had fallen.

In the dormitory, the residents waited as usual for their granny to check in.

They waited and waited, but she never came.

The frost wraith tightened her floral coat, and for the first time, a worried look appeared on her gray-blue face.

She floated out of Dorm 4101.

“Granny? Granny?”

The Hungry Dead hugged an empty bowl, his stomach growling loud enough to rattle the walls.

He scraped his nails against the plaster, shrill and maddening. The green fire in his eyes flared again.

“Hungry… Granny… Food…”

The wailing banshee’s cries grew louder and more desperate.

The hot-headed poltergeist kicked half a door panel across the room.

“Where is she?! Who took Granny?!”

[Alert! Alert! All dungeon bosses are entering frenzy mode!]

The three players felt the energy shift. It was an overwhelming, terrifying pulse from downstairs.

Their faces were drained of color.

Big Eyes tried to stay calm.

“Listen up, all of you! That old hag’s ours now! Move an inch, and she’s dead!”

To prove his point, he whipped out a fire axe from behind and slammed it against my fragile neck.

“See? The axe doesn’t care about whether she’s your Granny or not!”

Skinny Monkey added, shrill as ever, “It’s the last day! If you try to touch us, I’ll slice her head clean off!”

The ghosts' anger all came to an abrupt halt!

From up here, I could see every single ghost downstairs staring at the axe and at me.

None of them dared to move.

Seconds ticked by.

Then, the system’s chime rang in everyone’s ears:

[Survival countdown: Ten, Nine, Eight…]

“It’s done!”

Big Eyes’ face contorted into wild ecstasy.

“Hahaha! Old hag! You’re done being useful!

“I won’t even let you leave with us!”

[System: Four… Three…]

He lifted the heavy fire axe high and brought it down with all his strength toward my graying head!

Shhk!

It was the sound of bone snapping.

At the final second of the countdown, my skull was cleaved in two in a single blow. Blood and bits flew everywhere!