Newbie's Quest: Awaiting Challenge
Chapter 66: Room 501

"Damn! Did you guys see the date on that payment slip?"

"Isn't that today?"

"Could it be that someone is still living in this abandoned hospital? Don't scare me!"

"I'm getting goosebumps..."

"Let's analyze this rationally. If room 501 is still making payments, it means someone is still in the hospital. Could that be the final boss?"

"So, we need to reach the fifth floor to complete the game?"

"Does anyone remember how far Emerald Tempest Guild got last time?"

"I think it was the fourth or third floor. Definitely not the fifth."

"Five floors... How vast is this dungeon?"

"Wait, does this building even have five floors? I thought it only had four?"

"Come on! If there's a 501, there must be a fifth floor!"

"Who said I'm talking nonsense? Haven't you watched the replay of Emerald Tempest Guild's last game? They checked the elevator, and it only had buttons up to the fourth floor!" "Ah, I'm really getting scared!"

"Don't scare yourself. It's normal for the elevator not to go there. Maybe for safety reasons, the fifth floor can only be accessed by stairs?"

"In this Seventh Hospital, players can only use the stairs. Wouldn't the elevator be more convenient? If the fifth floor is stair-access only... doesn't that imply that the hospital's staff want to prevent something on the fifth floor from coming down?"

"I'm getting scared just reading this."

"Let's see what Ethan Walker has to say."

Ethan Walker, even if too busy to watch the chat, was aware of the issue with room 501.

In his simulation, he could only reach the fourth floor at most.

Contrary to the viewers' speculation, he found no passage to the fifth floor, neither stairs nor elevator.

And until the end of his simulated game, he couldn't figure out how room 501 related to the game's completion.

The Seventh Hospital seemed like a giant onion, with layers of secrets within secrets, an endless enigma.

He had only peeled back the outermost layer.

For now, Ethan Walker's priority was to lead James Mitchell to victory.

After a brief discussion, James Mitchell noted the significance of 501, urging extra caution.

Ethan responded, reminding him that they needed keys to access floors above the second.

They couldn't directly reach the fifth floor; they had to progress gradually.

James agreed, though he was slightly surprised.

Being half a fan of Ethan, James followed his streams religiously, except during training. He even watched replays if he missed a live session.

He thought he understood Ethan's character well - a man who prefers brute force over puzzles, direct action over endless talk.

Yet, in the Seventh Hospital, Ethan was more cautious than usual.

James remembered Ethan participating in even tougher SSS-rated games, where he seemed much more relaxed.

Maybe it's because of the dungeon's vast layout, James thought.

There was no need for a key from the first to the second floor, probably a deliberate choice by the game developers to reduce difficulty and prevent players from getting stuck right at the beginning.

To the left of the registration desk was the staircase to the second floor.

Ethan looked at the long, dimly lit stairs, the light at the stairwell casting a dull yellow glow. The lighting here was bizarre - starkly white in some areas, with occasional old bulbs flickering, and even more areas engulfed in darkness. In those unlit corners, who knows what kind of creatures lurked...

James tightened his focus, barely hearing Ethan mutter, "It's coming."

"What?" James Mitchell turned his head, "Ethan, I didn't quite catch that."

"It's nothing," Ethan Walker shook his head, "James, I have a feeling that we're about to encounter an NPC guide soon. This place is so vast, we really need one."

James looked puzzled.

"Alright... But during my last run, I didn't encounter any NPCs."

"Maybe they were secretly following your team without being noticed," Ethan suggested, then lowered his voice, "Or perhaps, they blended in with your team, and you mistook them for an extra member." Ah...

James felt a chill at Ethan's words.

Ethan smiled, his skill in weaving tales and jokes so advanced it was hard to distinguish truth from fiction.

He took the lead.

"I'll go ahead, James, stay close."

"Okay, okay..."

James didn't compete to shine but focused intently, following closely beside Ethan.

They ascended the cement stairs step by step, some parts already crumbling, revealing the raw material beneath. Yet, compared to old wooden stairs, these were at least stable, without the risk of stepping into nothingness. Ethan led the way, moving at a steady pace, with James cautiously following.

At first, dim light bulbs illuminated their path, but as they turned a corner and continued up the back half of the staircase, they found the lights broken, leaving them in darkness.

They had to rely on the light from behind. Ethan moved steadily, James still following closely.

As visibility diminished, it's easy to overlook details when nerves are stretched thin.

Halfway up, James stepped into a shadowed spot on the stairs and inadvertently stepped on something soft.

James was startled.

"It felt like something-"

"Oh damn! What's up with James?"

"Did he dodge something? What's in that shadow?"

"It looks like a plush toy..."

"A child?"

"No, wait! That's a person! Someone's sitting there, hugging their legs!"

The staircase, though wide, had limited space. James was very close to the other person.

He couldn't hear their breathing, only his own rapid heartbeat.

The person sat in the shadow, their shoe briefly exposed to the light before quickly withdrawing... green Crocs paired with black socks.

The "person" was a young man, barely into his twenties, short and thin, curled up on the step, barely more than a bundle. No wonder the viewers mistook him for a child. James was near breaking point.

Was he human?

Why was he sitting here silently?

Had Ethan noticed him when he passed by?

While the first two questions remained unanswered, Ethan addressed the third.

"Ah, I thought I felt something beside me. I thought it was just a trash can."

The chilling atmosphere was somewhat disrupted by Ethan's comment.

As they spoke, the "person" finally reacted.

He slowly turned his head, wearing blue and white striped hospital pajamas, his eyes lifeless like a rusted machine.

Upon seeing the two strangers, he moved his lips.

His first words were

"Meh."