Chapter 10: Main Quest Triggered

【Apartment Notice】

【1. Do not have any contact with the administrator.】

【2. The administrator is responsible for cooking and notifying the residents to eat.】

【3. Each day, a resident will take turns according to their room number to perform daily duties, which include clearing the dining room plates, cleaning the first-floor bathroom, and purchasing ingredients for the next day.】

【4. No resident is allowed to enter the third-floor area.】

This notice is somewhat old, and the writing is not fresh, indicating that these rules were established a long time ago.

Even though the residents of the apartment may have changed several times, these rules have never been altered.

"It seems normal, but given the strange situation in the apartment, each rule seems to carry a fatal danger, for example..."

Su Qi turned his head and looked at today's duty resident, the tentacle man. He was holding a tray, trembling all over, and standing outside the kitchen, too afraid to enter, with a look of fear on his face.

"If you keep shaking, you'll drop the tray."

The tentacle man was startled to see that Su Qi was still on the first floor. He trembled and whispered, "You should go back to your room. It's my turn to do the duty today, no need to get involved."

Su Qi said, "Then tell me what's going on here."

"And about my palm eye."

His palm eye was closed, only opening when activated.

The tentacle man gave Su Qi a strange look and paused, "You must be an outsider. No wonder you don't know anything, you haven't been contaminated yet."

He waved his tentacles, "We are all contaminated. Although the contamination gives us special abilities, prolonged exposure will lead to mental breakdown, and eventually, we turn into monsters."

"There are many terrifying things on the first floor. Each resident must be extremely careful when performing their duties. If they make a mistake, it will worsen their contamination."

Su Qi quickly understood what he meant by contamination.

Because some sauce from the tray accidentally dripped onto the carpet, a terrifying low growl came from the kitchen.

Then,

The tentacle man's body stiffened.

Su Qi also felt a moment of dizziness, as if his ears were ringing.

【Spirit -1】

I see.

In other words, it's a loss of sanity. The lower the spirit, the more severe the monster transformation.

But the tentacle man's reaction seemed more intense. He not only trembled all over, but his tentacles also started spraying water.

Is he peeing in fear?

Su Qi dodged the water and stabilized the tray in his hand to prevent it from breaking, which would likely cause even more terrifying things to happen.

Fortunately, the low growl only lasted a few moments.

The tentacle man regained his senses, his face pale.

"It's over, I'm going to die, I'm definitely going to die."

Su Qi looked at the dark kitchen, "You won't die. Just finish everything carefully and don't make any mistakes."

"That's not the key. The real danger is going out to find ingredients," the tentacle man trembled, "This apartment, though always requiring caution against contamination, is the safest place. The city outside has already collapsed."

"We only gain abilities and the strength to survive through contamination."

Su Qi paused, then asked, "What will happen if you don't find the ingredients?"

The tentacle man was silent, his dry lips trembling, "I will become food."

Everything became clear. This is the world of this place.

At the same time,

After learning this information,

The system also displayed a message panel.

【Main Quest Triggered】

【Survive for ten days — Investigate the third-floor rooms — Find the source of the collapse】

【Completing any one of the three main quests counts as passing】

The main quest has finally appeared.

Su Qi looked at the three tasks, and the difficulty was obvious.

Surviving for ten days is the easiest, but it's only relatively easy. Whether it's the daily duties or going out to find ingredients, there's always a risk of losing spirit, and most importantly, he has been targeted by the residents.

Investigating the third-floor rooms means he will become an enemy of the administrator.

Finding the source of the collapse is the most difficult task. The source is definitely outside the city, which is already completely contaminated, and is likely full of various monsters.

Su Qi suddenly asked,

"By the way, do you know why those residents are targeting me?"

"Because you are normal," the tentacle man laughed bitterly, "Normal is an anomaly here, and it also means you haven't been contaminated. If they eat you, it will alleviate their contamination symptoms."

"I see."

Su Qi's eyes flickered. He didn't immediately choose a task but had an idea.

"How about I take over the duties today?"

"Why?" The tentacle man was shocked.

"Because I'm a sunny, cheerful, and helpful guy," Su Qi patted his shoulder, "Besides, I have something I want to verify."

The tentacle man hesitated, wanting to agree but then shook his head, "I can't do that. You just gained your ability and don't know anything. You'll die."

Su Qi smiled, "You're not a bad person, but are you sure you can get through today?"

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

The tentacle man's expression was hesitant, but ultimately, his fear of death overcame his hesitation. He handed Su Qi a notebook, "This is a record of all the precautions I've noted during my duties. You must read it carefully. You've just been contaminated, so as long as you don't make any major mistakes, you'll be fine."

Su Qi took the notebook and nodded, "I will remember."

After the tentacle man returned to his room on the second floor,

Su Qi opened the notebook and flipped through it, then picked up the tray and entered the dark kitchen.

【Kitchen Precautions】

【Wash the plates thoroughly, and never look up while washing. Make sure the freezer door is locked.】

Su Qi placed the tray under the running water.

Instead of looking down, he looked up, and saw a strange monster's body impaled on a hook, staring at him with its lifeless, oily green eyes.

In an instant,

Su Qi felt a sharp pain in his eyes, as if various strange illusions appeared before him.

【Spirit -1】

The strange sensation disappeared when he averted his gaze.

Su Qi's expression was strange and somewhat speechless.

"Indeed, something is wrong."

"Is the damage from this contamination a bit too low?"

How is it all -1?

Didn't you see my 85 spirit points? How long will it take to reduce them?

Su Qi fell into deep thought.

He didn't try again, even though the cost of trial and error was low, there was no need to waste it.

And he realized something.

"My spirit seems to be higher than the normal level for this scenario?"

If it were other players, this level of strength would be reasonable. Normal players have limited attribute points, and they usually prioritize stamina, strength, and agility, which can quickly translate into real power.

No one in the early stages would allocate attribute points to spirit, which currently has no visible effect.

So, the spirit of most players is usually just the initial 10 points, giving them only a few chances to make mistakes.

But Su Qi,

Is clearly an exception.

(End of Chapter)