Chapter 226
Chapter 226
Yun Youyou returned to the Lounge.
It was a long time before the Game appeared again.
It seemed to have been very busy lately.
It had said it would supervise Yun Youyou throughout her work, yet later on, it had gone off to deal with other things.
[Congratulations to Employee 003 for earning 600 Experience Points.]
[Titles earned in this Instance: Ghost Realm Limited-Edition Shamate, Workplace Dung Beetle, and Super Security Guard Cleans Up the Workplace.]
The Game’s electronic voice was as flat as a dead person’s.
At least it had awarded more Experience Points this time. A full six hundred points.
After all her tireless effort, her employee level rose again.
[Staff Level: Level 7 (Ordinary Staff). Experience Points: 400/900]
She was still only Ordinary Staff, but at least she had reached Level 7.
Yun Youyou was easy to satisfy.
Still, she missed her days in the human world a little.
“I heard the Game is short on ghosts right now. Why don’t you let me go up there and recruit a few more?”
Yun Youyou sounded it out, trying to find an opportunity to go back up.
The Game did not budge.
[That will not be necessary. The Game will soon hold a Player Marathon. The Player who takes first place will receive a generous reward.]
[Naturally, every Game employee must participate.]
Yun Youyou looked resistant. “I don’t want to run a marathon.”
[Naturally, you will not be the ones running.]
[Running alone would be boring, so we will set up supply stations along the highway. However, the food and drinks will not be free. Players must complete tasks to obtain them.]
Yun Youyou understood at once.
Got it. This was basically one enormous Instance.
“Will the tasks all be standardized, or can we make up our own?”
The Game would never waste so much time on minor details like these.
[Naturally, employees will create their own tasks.]
Yun Youyou nodded in satisfaction.
“Good.”
After some thought, she asked, “What kind of shop am I responsible for?”
[A cafe, fast-food restaurant, convenience store, or something similar.]
Every ghost in the Game had a bag full of tricks.
According to the Game’s statistics, one ghost even planned to open a bathhouse.
The Game wanted to prevent Players from focusing only on running and ignoring the supply stations.
So it had thoughtfully created a special rule.
Every time a Player completed a task at a supply station, they could receive a stamp from the Shopkeeper.
Each Player had to collect five.
Anyone who failed to do so would fail the event.
There happened to be an unusually large number of Players lately, while the Game was critically understaffed.
This was the perfect opportunity to weed out a few low-level Players.
It was a truly diabolical idea.
Yun Youyou observed a second of silence for the Players.
How was this a marathon? It was clearly a race to the death.
[Have you decided? What kind of shop will you open?]
[Due to the large number of Players, the marathon will take place over three days. You will have three chances to choose.]
Yun Youyou really had not decided.
She did not know what sort of task to set for the Players.
It could not be too easy, but it could not be too difficult either.
Yun Youyou lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a long while.
“Why don’t I open a restroom?”
The Game: […]
[That works.]
And so the first day of the marathon was settled.
The submitted shops came in every imaginable variety, but this was the first time the Game had ever seen a ghost ask to open a restroom.
Some Players were still training inside Instances.
That gave Yun Youyou plenty of time to think about what task she would set for them.
From this day forward, she would be the coolest Toilet Director for a hundred miles.
Once she put on her sunglasses, she would not give a damn about anyone.
Yun Youyou fell asleep while daydreaming.
The Game woke her up.
[All NPCs, please prepare yourselves. The First Marathon is about to begin.]
Yun Youyou climbed up sleepily.
She did not forget the sunglasses she had prepared in advance.
The Game cast her a disdainful glance but said nothing.
A dazzling light flashed before her eyes.
Before Yun Youyou even opened them, she felt a gentle breeze brush her face.
It was a little cool, wonderfully refreshing, and comfortable.
When she opened her eyes, Yun Youyou saw an endless grassland.
She was standing by the roadside.
A broad highway divided the lush green grassland in two and stretched toward the horizon, its end nowhere in sight.
The air was so fresh.
Yun Youyou took a deep breath, then turned to examine the white building beside her.
It was not large, just a small structure by the road.
A sign hung above it with two words: PUBLIC RESTROOM.
The letters WC were written beside them.
Yun Youyou went inside for a quick look.
It was no different from an ordinary restroom.
There were both men’s and women’s rooms. Neither was large, with only three stalls each.
The sinks were outside.
A display screen hung above them.
After a few glances, Yun Youyou lost interest.
Who had never seen a public restroom before?
They were everywhere on the street. What was so special about one?
She began examining the nearby supply stations.
In no time at all, numerous buildings appeared along the previously empty roadside.
Each supply station stood about a hundred yards from the next.
A takoyaki stand opened to Yun Youyou’s left.
The owner had barely begun cooking, yet the aroma was already drifting through the air.
The marathon had not started yet, so Yun Youyou followed the smell over for a look.
There was not much inside the tiny stall.
An unfamiliar Male Ghost sat on a stool, leisurely turning the takoyaki over.
Every time one finished cooking, he popped it into his own mouth.
He ate them one after another with obvious relish.
Watching him made Yun Youyou regret her choice a little. If she had known, she would have opened a snack stand too. Then she could watch the event while eating.
“Want some? I’ll pack a few for you.”
The Male Ghost was quite friendly and happy to share.
Yun Youyou still felt a little reserved around ghosts she did not know.
“That wouldn’t be–”
Before she could finish, the Male Ghost had already filled an entire box for her.
“What’s there to feel bad about? My dream when I was alive was to open a takoyaki stand. If you feel embarrassed, just share some food from your shop with me.”
Yun Youyou thought about her shop, and her gaze instantly became complicated.
“I don’t think you’d want to eat anything from mine.”
The Male Ghost did not believe her. “I’m not picky. What kind of shop did you open?”
Yun Youyou said, “A public restroom.”
The Male Ghost: …
“All right. I really wouldn’t eat that.”
He gave Yun Youyou a complicated look.
“How did you ever think of opening a public restroom?”
Yun Youyou bit into a piping-hot takoyaki ball and said gravely, “Probably because I always dreamed of becoming a Director.”
The Male Ghost said, “…Congratulations on achieving your dream.”
The two chatted briefly.
Yun Youyou warmly invited the Male Ghost to visit her supply station.
The Male Ghost declined very tactfully.
Yun Youyou did not press him.
Before leaving, she noticed a small sign beside the stall.
Challenge: Eat sixty takoyaki balls in one minute.
Penalty for failure: Replace the octopus inside the takoyaki.
Yun Youyou paused in the middle of eating.
“The octopus in these takoyaki balls is normal octopus, right?”