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!