No wonder the butler returned early—was it because the child delivered to this floor earlier had failed to satisfy the monster inside the coffin?
And because of that, the butler had no choice but to bring up the child from Secretary No. 2’s household?
Just as these thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind, the voice inside the bronze coffin spoke again.
The old butler, who had been smiling, suddenly paused and said in surprise, “You believe there is a better choice?”
“Who is it?”
“……”
As the voice from within the coffin echoed out, Han Su instinctively tensed up.
This was the first ti he had heard a “preference” from the monsters regarding the children. What exactly were their criteria for choosing?
And why had he always been left behind? He had to figure this out—only by doing so could he ensure that he remained “unselected.”
But just as Han Su pricked up his ears and listened intently, the Crew‑Cut Boy beside the butler, still unaware of his own situation, was sneakily glancing around. By sheer coincidence, he spotted a mottled hole in the wall.
From inside the hole, sothing soft and fluffy poked out.
He stared fixedly at the furry thing, trying hard to identify it, and finally realized—it was a cat’s tail.
Suddenly, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Cat! Uncle Butler, it’s that cat! It knocked over everything in the hall! Catch it, I’m on your side…”
“Eat him, eat him! Just don’t eat …”
“……”
His sharp cries instantly disrupted the conversation in the room. The butler whipped around violently.
His face, covered in cracks, bore a gloomy and bizarre smile.
In that very instant, Han Su felt his Spiritual Power drain dramatically. His head even spun under the butler’s gaze.
He quickly turned his head and saw that the black cat had already darted off with a swish. Cursing inwardly, he dashed out in pursuit.
Following the crevice within the wall, he rushed into another room. Under the gaze of rows of massive Bronze‑Cast Statues, he yanked open the door and charged out, then turned the nearby corner, thundering up to the sixth floor.
Behind him ca the sound of the butler approaching the stairs.
Han Su’s heart leapt to his throat. Just as he was about to look for a hiding spot on the sixth floor, he turned his head—and instantly froze in place, chills running down his spine.
It felt like he had been swallowed by a nightmare in an instant.
Right beside him, in the corridor, stood a towering black figure, large enough to engulf him entirely. The figure had a bloated boar-like head and stood silently, holding a tattered butcher knife that seed to choke the very air around it.
This was the sixth floor—the Pig‑Head Butcher’s territory.
He was also the first monster to have killed a child. And now he stood only about three ters away, watching him silently and coldly, the killing aura around him almost tangible.
That dangerous, icy presence enveloped Han Su in an instant.
He even forgot to breathe. He dared not move forward, nor even turn to run, fearing the butcher’s cleaver might co flying at him.
“So, this is where you were hiding.”
From below, the butler’s voice rang out lightly with a chuckle. He had reached the stairwell’s turn and lifted his stiff head to gaze at Han Su with appreciation, saying, “You’re a lucky child.”
“Won’t you co with ?”
“……”
In front of him was the Pig‑Head Butcher; behind him, the butler. Han Su found himself stuck in a dilemma.
Only the Crew‑Cut Boy behind the butler seed slightly smug at this mont. He recognized Han Su as the one who had hit him back in the Earth Cellar. Seeing him about to be caught by a monster, he was overjoyed and even wanted to clap.
“Careful, Sixth‑Floor Mister doesn’t like naughty children. Back away slowly, don’t make too much noise……”
The butler spoke slowly as he stepped onto the stairs. The invisible pressure spread through the narrow space like a tide.
As he ascended toward Han Su, he raised his hands.
It was as if he wanted to clap them together—at just the right mont and without provoking the butcher.
As the Pig‑Head Butcher’s heavy breathing grew more labored, Han Su knew this monster could kill him in a single instant.
So he reached for his back and drew out the kitchen knife he had swiped earlier. Was it better to gamble his life against the butler?
But at that very mont, a small, thin figure suddenly stepped out from behind the Pig‑Head Butcher. He wore a neatly pressed tuxedo, the kind used for stage performances. Though petite, he radiated a ticulous elegance. His dark eyes slowly scanned Han Su, then turned toward the butler climbing the stairs, and the Crew‑Cut Boy peeking from below.
In that short instant, he sized up the situation.
Then, he slowly reached out—and took the butcher’s hand.
And it was the hand holding the cleaver.
“He…”
At that mont, Han Su’s heart skipped violently.
It was the Tuxedo Boy.
The smartest one of them all.
He was also part of the first tier in Han Su’s escape plan.
Back in the dining hall during the first monster selection, this boy had realized that the Pig‑Head Monster—who had killed a child early on—was actually the most soft-hearted. So while other children nearly wet themselves in fear, he had boldly chosen the Butcher. It proved to be the right choice, as he had no injuries when they t again later.
During their collective escape earlier, this guy had also helped Han Su a lot. But now, the two of them didn’t know each other.
Still, at this crucial mont, he had stepped forward and held the butcher’s hand.
Then, he subtly glanced at Han Su and made a discreet signal.
The Butcher, feeling the trembling little hand in his own, slowly lowered his head to look. The aura around him seed to soften.
Even the old butler was briefly stunned by this unexpected scene.
And in that split second, Han Su suddenly stepped forward, summoned his courage, and walked a few paces. Seeing that the Butcher—restrained by the Tuxedo Boy—made no move, he hurriedly ran past him and bolted toward the stairs to the seventh floor.
The Pig‑Head Butcher didn’t even look at Han Su.
Instead, it was the Tuxedo Boy holding the butcher’s hand who turned around to watch the fleeing figure, his eyes reflecting a look that seed to say, “Though I disapprove of your recklessness, I still wish you luck.”
Below, the butler’s face suddenly darkened.
This unexpected twist had clearly caught him off guard. He quickly accelerated his steps and strode up the stairs. The withered vines coiling around him even seed to revive, like snakes locking onto Han Su’s fleeing figure.
But at that mont, the Tuxedo Boy took a step forward with the butcher in hand.
His small fra clearly couldn’t move a giant like the Butcher, but the Pig‑Head Butcher followed obediently.
That one step blocked the butler. The heavy, ominous aura didn’t just force him to halt—it even stilled the now-awakened vines around him.
The Tuxedo Boy continued to act afraid, hiding behind the Pig‑Head Butcher.
Yet behind the mask of fear on his face, a pair of calm eyes peeked out and stared at the butler.
A flash of fury passed across the butler’s face. His gaze turned icy and bore down like an ice pick on the Tuxedo Boy.
Startled, the Tuxedo Boy ducked behind the Butcher, his hand trembling as it held the butcher’s—intentionally showing his fear to provoke a response.
The Butcher was instantly enraged. The aura around him ballooned, filling the entire stairwell with pressure.
The cleaver in his hand slowly rose. The blade, covered in dark, bloody flesh, emitted an overwhelming stench of blood, along with echoes of human screams and struggles. A massive shadow lunged toward the butler’s face.
In that mont, the butler’s face changed. He backed down two steps. The withered vines on him raised their heads like snakes.
A disturbing tension filled the hollow stairwell.
Behind the Butcher, the Tuxedo Boy’s eyes shimred with delight.
But amidst that thick tension, the butler stepped down from the stairs. Though his eyes flickered, he quickly forced a change in expression and cast a bizarre look behind the Butcher.
Then, he squeezed out a sycophantic smile.
He stepped back, placed a hand over his chest, and bowed slowly. “Please forgive my intrusion…”
“I ant no offense to your dignity. I was rely chasing so disobedient little mice wandering in the castle…”
……
……
“Brother Xiaobei, I owe you one.”
“When I find a way through this secret passage to safety, you’ll be one of the first I take with .”
On the other side, Han Su, having rushed up to the seventh floor as though granted a royal pardon, was panting hard, thinking anxiously.
Xiaobei was the Tuxedo Boy’s na. Han Su knew both his na and identity—he was the grandson of a scholar from the Central City’s Library.
But he was an illegitimate child.
Normally, soone of his status wouldn’t have entered Qinggang’s elite circles. But because he was a Go prodigy and had made the newspapers as a child, he had gained attention.
Though incredibly smart, he had now helped Han Su even without knowing him. That favor was now enormous.
As his thoughts raced, Han Su looked around quickly to assess the seventh floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the butler had been blocked on the sixth floor, which steadied his heart a little. Then, he spotted a black cat squatting just a short distance in front of him.
‘This damned mutt…’
Han Su instinctively reached for the most insulting word he could think of for a cat and cursed it in his mind.
Back on the fifth floor, it had exposed his position and alerted the butler. Then, sensing danger, it slipped away—leaving him to nearly die.
Was this really a reward for rescuing ilan? It felt more like punishnt.
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