Chapter 2 Contract

How did I summon that door?

It seemed like all I did was think to myself, "Escape through the door."

"Door."

Shen Ye thought to himself.

Without making a sound, the door to the sickroom once again appeared before Shen Ye.

A notice was posted on the door:

"You can call upon the 'door' to come at any time."

"However, only during the first time you open the 'door' each day will you receive an Evaluation Entry."

"The higher the evaluation, the more powerful the entry, and the more Attribute Points you'll be able to convert."

"Moreover, the current world connected by the 'door' is:"

"Nightmare World."

Tsk.

You can only refresh the entry once a day.

—My beautiful wish to accumulate Attribute Points has been dashed.

What to do?

In order to get a better evaluation tomorrow, perhaps it's better to make some preparations.

Shen Ye pressed his head against the window glass and looked inside.

That four-meter-long skeleton creature had returned to the other end of the hallway and was busy gnawing on a corpse.

With my current strength, there's no way I can defeat that kind of monster.

Communication.

Communication is the cornerstone of human survival.

Shen Ye took a deep breath and forcefully twisted the doorknob open.

A chilly breeze blew in.

"Hi!"

He steadied himself and loudly said:

"I'm sorry to disturb your meal, but you see, after several months of development, we've introduced a revolutionary new smartphone, its performance—"

The skeleton creature roared and charged over.

Bang!

The door to the sickroom was fiercely closed by Shen Ye, immediately severing the connection between the two worlds.

Immediately after,

The door gradually vanished, and with it, the monster.

Shen Ye was left standing in place, hand to his forehead, struggling to stabilize his mind.

—I was so tense just now that I blurted out the sales pitch from my previous life.

How embarrassing.

Good thing no one knows.

"Keep it up, Shen Ye, you can do it."

He encouraged himself.

"Door."

The sickroom door reappeared.

Looking through the window into the hallway, he saw the skeleton creature had returned to its original spot, mouth wide open, ready to resume eating the corpse.

Shen Ye opened the door and said with a smile:

"I hate to disturb your meal again, but I was thinking, why don't we become friends?"

The skeleton creature charged over again.

Bang.

The door shut, and communication failed.

Shen Ye fell into thought.

From its reaction, it seemed like I was on its menu.

If I put myself in the monster's place, I wouldn't communicate with my food either.

So when would I ever communicate with my food?

...Got it.

"Door."

Shen Ye muttered to himself.

The sickroom door reappeared before him.

Looking through the glass window toward the inside,

He saw the skeleton creature's head pressed against the window glass, chewing on the corpse while coldly staring at Shen Ye.

It was separated from Shen Ye by only a pane of glass.

—This creature has gotten smart!

As soon as I open the door, it's going to come through and eat me!

But Shen Ye still managed to stay relatively calm.

The "door" was his ability; if it were destroyed, the connection between the two worlds would be immediately cut off.

And he could summon or dismiss the "door" at any time.

He was safe.

The skeleton creature blocking the door might just be because it found him annoying!

Shen Ye sighed and said sincerely:

"I really don't want to keep bothering you, but I would very much like to enter your world."

The skeleton creature reached out and scraped a handful off the corridor wall.

The wall crumbled like tofu under its grip, turning into powder, silently scattering from its bony claws.

The monster looked at Shen Ye, saying nothing.

But Shen Ye could feel its mockery.

—Mock me all you want; I'm just a normal human being.

He observed the skeleton creature carefully, only to see it still leaning against the wall in a semi-recumbent position as if to communicate with him.

Following the outline of its skeletal frame, he could see its left leg bone was full of cracks, and the right leg bone was missing a chunk.

No wonder it was posed like that.

An idea suddenly struck Shen Ye.

"Esteemed Big Skeleton, would you like a wheelchair?" he asked.

The Big Skeleton looked at him, motionless.

—Maybe wheelchairs don't exist in the Nightmare World!

Getting up, Shen Ye grabbed his mobile phone, turned it on, and did a search directly.

"Look!"

He directed the screen towards the glass door, showing a video of a person in a wheelchair.

Shen Ye said enthusiastically:

"This is a wheelchair, a very useful mode of transportation for the disabled. If you need one, I can arrange to have one custom-made for you."

The Big Skeleton stared at him with its hollow eye sockets as if looking at an idiot.

Shen Ye persisted:

"Not interested in a wheelchair? OK, we have other options."

He searched for another item and presented the picture to the creature on the other side of the window.

"How about this, it's called a hula hoop, great for exercising waist and abdominal strength."

"I'll buy one for you, free shipping, and afterwards, you can use it to work out your pelvic bones and lumbar strength."

"That way, you'll be able to get up faster and more spirited."

"Let me demonstrate how to use it."

"Look—"

"You have to wiggle your butt like this, have you learned it?"

The large skeleton silently watched the phone screen, then glanced at Shen Ye.

It clenched its bone claw and struck the hospital ward door with all its might—

Boom!!!

The hospital ward door shattered into pieces, the link between the two worlds immediately severed, and the skeleton along with the corridor behind it vanished in an instant.

"If you don't like it, just say so, what's with the violence?"

Shen Ye muttered under his breath.

He paced back and forth in the room, thinking about how to break the situation.

Tomorrow he could get a new Evaluation Entry.

If he could deal with this large skeleton today, tomorrow's entry would definitely be stronger than the grey entry "Polite Person".

He would get more Attribute Points as well.

This was about his strength—

Strength was needed for the middle school exams, and even more so to evade that enemy lurking in the shadows using the "King of the Fallen Wicked Ghouls' Cursed Sculpture."

—No matter what, he had to come up with a way to engage with the large skeleton.

But it seemed to really dislike him.

Shen Ye felt a bit disheartened, but quickly perked up again.

That's okay!

Winning over clients required a bit of professional spirit.

He would try harder!

—So, what exactly did it need?

After some thought, Shen Ye gradually came up with some new ideas.

"Door."

He voiced a command.

The hospital ward door reappeared.

This time, the large skeleton was no longer pressed against the glass window.

It had gone back to the other side of the corridor, turning its back on Shen Ye, continuing to devour the corpse.

Was it planning to ignore me?

Shen Ye's fighting spirit was ignited.

He cleared his throat and spoke in a solemn and serene tone:

"Friend, do you feel that your legs are not as nimble, having lost your former vigor?"

"Friend, do you ever feel powerless during combat?"

"—I can help you!"

"No charges, no gifts, just become my friend."

"Give it a try!"

"Give me a chance to renew your second youth!"

"Don't hesitate, you should remember how amazing you were when you were young! I can bring you back to that state!"

He continued speaking while stealthily glancing at the large skeleton.

When he began the first two sentences, the large skeleton was still intently eating the corpse.

But as he spoke, it gradually stopped moving.

It seemed his words were stirring some emotion within it.

Shouldn't he add fuel to the fire?

Shen Ye took a deep breath and said loudly through the door:

"Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, make a decision, and today you can regain a man's confidence!"

The large skeleton still didn't turn around or move.

Suddenly—

A "clang" was heard, and a parchment was nailed to the hospital door, written on it were lines of blood-colored small print:

"You have received a Nightmare World contract."

"Signatory: Mother of Dark Skeletons, King of Ghouls, Defeated Underworld Lord Miket Tikaxiwa…"

Shen Ye was jolted.

—Could this monster's origins be this astonishing?

But why were there "…" after the name "Underworld Lord Miket Tikaxiwa"?

Shen Ye thought for a moment and tapped on the "…".

"…" instantly unfolded to reveal a section of folded-up small print:

"Fifth Battle Squad Battlefield Quartermaster under the Skeleton Army."

So, the entire signature should be "Mother of Dark Skeletons, King of Ghouls, Defeated Underworld Lord Miket Tikaxiwa, Fifth Battle Squad Battlefield Quartermaster of the Skeleton Army."

Alright, alright, so that's how you want to play.

Shen Ye narrowed his eyes and read on:

"Contract Content: Equal Exchange."

"Postscript:"

"I remember that 7,000 years ago, humans impressed the eternal Destiny Clock to buzz twelve times with their talents in creating culture, art, and technology, an event even gods paid attention to."

"Human, I hope you can help me restore my strength."

"—I never sign contracts with beings other than divine spirits, so you'd better understand the value of this contract."

"Sign your name on the next line, and the contract will be established."

"Signatory: ( )"

Shen Ye was enveloped in a faint white glow, resonating with the contract.

An epiphany came to him.

This Nightmare World contract nailed to the door meant it was based on his capabilities.

If he and this skeletal soldier were unsatisfied with each other, he could cancel the contract at any time.

On the other hand—

The contract was correct and effective.

—But if he couldn't help it, then the contract would be nothing but a scrap of paper.

Shen Ye took a fountain pen from his stationery box and solemnly wrote down his name:

"Shen Ye…"

—To his surprise, a line of "…" also automatically generated after his name.

I have this too?

Shen Ye couldn't help being somewhat astonished.

He saw the large skeleton rushing over, pointing its long phalanx bone at the contract through the door.

Instantly, the line of "…" after Shen Ye's name unfolded:

"Human who overcame the curse of the King of Ten Thousand Fallen Evil Spirits, guardian of dreams and reality, the sole controller of Two-World Space."

—So, I've got such a title?

Shen Ye thought to himself, stealthily looking at the skeleton who also seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the words.

Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong!

A solemn and grave bell started chiming from somewhere.

Above the hospital ward door, runes etched in gold appeared, converging into two hands, one pointing to the newly generated golden print: "Mother of Dark Skeletons, King of Ghouls, Defeated Underworld Lord Miket Tikaxiwa, Fifth Battle Squad Battlefield Quartermaster under the Skeleton Army."

As for the other hand, it was pointing to the line of text glowing with white light:

"Human who overcame the curse of the King of Ten Thousand Fallen Evil Spirits, guardian of dreams and reality, Shen Ye."

The hands and the dual names continued to shine, sustaining for several breaths before gradually fading away.

The contract was established!