Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Mushroom Factory
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1.
Joker.
A consumable item you can get from the 《Joker Random Box》.
It costs a whopping 30pt for one pull, but its effect lives up to the hype of being "the one card that can change your fate."
A prime example: if I hadn't had that opening ritual charm at the start of this run, I'd have kicked things off as Shanks due to the death penalty [One-Armed].
And the most important part here...
Is that the Joker was spawned from the 'Gacha' in my status window.
"......"
「The Abyss Hotel, Suite Room Voucher」
So what the hell is this?
An illegitimate child born from my status window cheating on me?
While I was standing there dumbfounded, Arong and Akit crept up to me.
"Bro Guts, what the heck is that thing?"
"First time I've seen a hotel employee act like that."
"She's totally taking your side."
In the last run, Akit and Arong were my buddies, but since we've regressed, this is basically our first meeting.
Even so, they'd been acting way too chummy from the get-go.
"Hmm."
I knew it right away.
This was the whole "toss me some scraps too" routine.
Once word gets out that you've made a killing on investments, people start swarming like this.
Is it really that big a deal? I glanced around...
The fixers scattered around the lobby in little groups were all staring at me.
Fuck me.
I didn't want this much attention.
I'm a wanted man on the run, and I didn't even bother with a disguise today.
I'd realized they weren't tracking me by face, so I'd slacked off.
Wiping my record clean is a pain in the ass anyway.
Whatever.
The scarier part was that the hotel employee had handed me a Joker right in front of everyone as an apology gift.
Suddenly, every whisper around me sounded like "that guy's a golden goblin" or "kill him and take it."
In the slums, they'd just reverse-mug me, but this was a hotel.
Full of top-tier fixers...
I was getting cold feet.
I glanced around warily and showed the voucher to Arong.
First things first—I needed to figure out what this voucher really was.
"What the hell is this? The thing she gave me earlier."
"Oh, that. Happens sometimes. Isn't it just a blank business card?"
"Blank business card?"
Arong shrugged like it was no big deal.
"Yeah, a card with nothing written on it. I hear hotel staff hand them out like that sometimes. Never gotten one myself, though."
Nothing written on it?
I looked down at the voucher again.
White background with gold-foil edging and embossed lettering—super luxurious.
No matter how you slice it, this was a classy-designed voucher.
"Focus! Don't just skim it—look closely."
"Why? Something there?"
Arong took the voucher, examined it from every angle, and said,
"It's a blank business card, alright."
"Look even closer. Try the magic eye too."
"Come on, you're messing with me."
Akit checked it too—same reaction.
To everyone else, this voucher looked like a "blank" card.
That's why they call it a business card even though it's clearly a voucher.
"Hey, wanna take a look at this too?"
Something clicked, so I pulled out the 'Truth Coin Toss' as a test.
"What does this look like to you?"
"Just a coin, right?"
"Anything written on the fronts and backs?"
"...Nah, nothing. Just a plain old coin."
To me, it was a coin engraved with TRUE/FALSE on each side.
Okay, got the setup.
Only I can identify and activate the Joker as a Joker.
I'm the only one who knows about the Jokers in this world.
Hell yeah.
That's the monopolizing thrill you need in a possession-regression genre!
"Hmm."
But this hotel was a Rift too.
One that served as a hub for other Rifts.
A suite room in a Depth 6 Rift or something? Use the ticket and just die?
Nah.
The hotel treats guests like "kings," so maybe it's fine?
"Eh, it'll be useful somehow."
No time to overthink it anyway.
I'd already wasted too much time.
I tucked the hotel voucher safely into my pocket.
2.
After the minor scuffle with those extra nobodies.
We went through the procedures to enter the 'Mushroom Factory.'
On the surface, it looked like a hotel, so most of the process was just like checking into a real one.
First, the goat lady staffer heads to the check-in counter.
"Mushroom Factory, three people."
For reference, no extra fee up to Depth 2 Rifts.
The staffer wordlessly bared her yellow teeth and handed over a brass key.
"Whoa, bro, you're popular. The lady staffer's already flashing a friendly smile!"
"Guts bro's handsome, after all."
"Shut your traps."
"Ehehe, playing coy."
Maybe showing off in front of Sunming had paid off.
Or the hotel staff's special treatment looked too impressive.
Or maybe, with Sunming being Grade 7 and ditching me, they figured they'd suck up to stay on my good side.
Whatever the case, Akit and Arong were overdoing the buddy act.
I could see right through them, but it didn't bother me.
They saw me as a stranger, but I had a week's worth of memories with them.
This distance felt familiar, if anything.
We grabbed the key and headed to the elevator.
By lore, the hotel itself was a Rift that "floated" into reality—a hub to other Rifts.
Each floor was its own Rift.
Refer to the rules here.
27) Elevators board one team at a time, per staff instructions.
28) Elevator capacity is 5 people.
The elevator line was long, but there were 8 cars.
As soon as one team went up, the next arrived instantly—no wait.
-Ding
We boarded the antique elevator, where a staffer stood by the buttons.
The panel naturally had hundreds of buttons.
Not surprised.
Everyone knows the inside of the Ghost Story Hotel is Hilbert's Hotel, right?
"Mushroom Factory."
Show the key, and the she-goat staffer grins and presses the button.
"Whoa, smiling again."
"No way, bro, is this how it always is for you? Why bother fixing? Quit and become the king of the night."
Akit and Arong giggled and made a fuss.
I scowled.
"Cut the crap."
"Aw, you love it deep down."
"I know they're monsters, but damn, these hotel staff have pretty faces. And those bodies... I'd charm one and—"
"What?! You into that?"
I was shocked by Arong's inhuman tastes I'd never clocked last run.
Necropolis changes people, huh?
Even as a joke, it was gross.
What's the point of a hot body with a goat head!
Furries and human lovers alike—no demand for that supply.
As I recoiled from peering into Arong's abyss.
-Ding!
We arrived at the Mushroom Factory floor fast.
The doors opened—not to a neat hotel hallway, but a massive factory interior.
A wave of hot, humid air hit us.
Mixed with mossy smells and the weird fishy rot of decaying topsoil.
"Creepy."
"That's Rifts for ya."
True to its name, the Mushroom Factory was a factory inside.
Just with a ceiling so high the concept was meaningless, and width that defied reality.
Saw a massive furnace—steel mill vibes?
Clearly not operational now.
Lights out, so the only glow came from phosphorescent caps of mushrooms sprouting everywhere.
All over the factory, rusting steel machines were colonized by mushrooms and moss.
Eco-apocalypse, mushroom edition.
"What're you doing?"
After stepping out, I'd watched the doors until they closed.
Sure enough, per the rules, they vanished like magic once shut.
"Gone for real."
That's how the hotel elevators work: they drop check-in guests randomly into Rifts and despawn.
To leave, you hunt down the randomly placed exits inside.
-Ding!
A notification rang.
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::: New Area Entry (NEW!):::
Blue life blooming over a tomb of rusted steel.
A massive mushroom colony blanketing stalled machines and dead furnaces.
This is the Rift, 'Depth 1: Mushroom Factory.'
Don't stay too long.
You might become part of the colony.
*** TIP ***
- The rule here is 'humans are mushrooms.'
- Never stay in the factory for 24 hours straight.
- Mushroom Factory is prime fairy meat territory.
- Telling poison shrooms from edibles is damn tough.
:::Challenge (New!):::
- Enter a Rift via the hotel +1pt
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Four points already, right at the start of the run.
Switching up playstyles I'd never tried racks up those challenge points nice and steady.
Handy status tips too.
"Let's get to work."
What came next was simple.
Hunt monsters.
Fastest way to make money.
Why do Rifts make bank?
Why does Aden keep shoving fixers into the human-shredder Rifts?
Because Rifts are resource goldmines.
Truth is, Depth 1 monsters don't drop much scrap.
But lower Depths mean less black syrup contamination, so you can eat the monsters.
In Necropolis, where cockroach blocks are staple grub, Mushroom Factory's a killer fairy meat source.
"Bro, found one. Over there. That's a mushroom fairy."
"Yeah? Lemme see."
-Mmm... Umm... Mmm...
Not far off.
We huddled behind cover, checking out the Mushroom Factory mascot: the 'mushroom fairy.'
"Hmm... Fucking ugly."
No metaphor.
Straight description.
I'd pictured cute orange shrooms or horned puffballs hopping around.
Reality? Giant button mushroom with buff limbs slapped on.
"Fuck, the fairy meat I've been eating was that?"
"Krr, chewy deliciousness."
"If we don't bail in 24 hours, we turn into those?"
"Ah, probably fine. Depth 1 has tons of exits."
Suddenly queasy.
Max disgust.
Plus low moans echoing from everywhere.
-Mmm... Mmm... Ummm...
-Mmm... Umm... Mmm
Like an uncle mid-colonoscopy. Double the gross.
But danger-wise, not too bad.
They shuffled slow.
And those moans? Total dogshit.
Save bullets, no need for Hero—just beat 'em down?
"Those things dangerous for real?"
"Obviously, bro. I'm shaking. Only sticking around 'cause I figure you'll handle it."
I rolled up my sleeves and drew the machete from GetMoney Agency.
"Look at these punks. I'm taking point."
No Hero needed—I've got Laplace's Eye.
Turns rock lee trash into counter-god tier.
I strode right at the mushroom fairy.
"Be careful!"
"Careful my ass. Wait here. Dinner's mushroom salad."
"You gotta be careful! Not super agile, moves slow. But strong as hell. Grab your clothes wrong and... oh, like that."
Arong pointed to a corner amid factory machinery.
I squinted where he pointed.
A beach ball thing between mushroom shelves.
"Ugh."
One look and my stomach turned.
Limbs and torso crumpled into a ball, mushrooms sprouting wild on the corpse.
Grotesque visual—best gore site bait.
Grabbed and what? Body gets factory-machined?
I backed off.
"Hey, good ears on those?"
"Can't hear shit, probably."
"Good."
I drew Hero.
Just shoot.