Location: Sect Laundry Hall
Time: Midnight
Mood: Betrayed by Destiny and Fabric Softener
---
I stood before the crumbling doors of the Outer Disciple Laundry Hall, holding a bucket, a broken broom handle, and a quest from hell.
> [System Side Quest Activated!]
"Investigate the Unrest in the Haunted Laundry Hall"
Objective: Survive one night.
Reward: Unknown
Hint: If you scream loud enough, ghosts might flee in confusion.
---
I opened the door.
Inside, mist curled around laundry baskets. Socks floated mid-air. The scent of old qi, mold, and injustice filled my nostrils.
On a nearby wall, someone had scrawled:
"Beware the Briefs of Vengeance."
---
"System," I whispered, "please explain."
> [System Analysis:]
This laundry hall was built over a minor spirit vein. Spiritual waste and discarded soul-thread clothing have mixed, creating unstable cloth spirits.
"You are now their target."
"Of course I am."
---
Movement.
A towel twitched.
A robe fluttered despite no wind.
And then…
A floating pair of undergarments rose from a steaming cauldron.
They turned toward me.
They were glowing red.
They had… fangs.
---
"SYSTEM!!"
> [Combat Alert:]
You have entered combat with: Cursed Soul Threads – Grade D++
Weakness: Fire
Resistance: Shame
Motivation: Kill all who stained the laundry.
---
I backed up, swinging my broomstick.
The ghost-pants hissed and charged.
I dodged, stumbled, and crashed into a laundry basket full of what I pray were socks.
Then came the second wave — bathrobes possessed by grudge spirits, old bras with sentient straps, and a massive duvet beast that roared, "WHO WASHED ME WITH RED ROBES?!"
I was going to die in a sock avalanche.
---
> [System Emergency Patch Activated!]
Activating Passive Skill: Trash Aura – "Unintentional Flame Spark"
(Causes minor combustion during emotional distress)
My panic caught the edge of the cursed bedsheet.
It lit.
Then everything did.
---
The haunted robes screamed and flew into walls, dissolving into smoky ghosts and spiritual threads.
I stood in the middle of a burning pile of socks, panting, half-covered in ash and regret.
Then I heard it.
Laughter.
A girl's.
---
From the rafters dropped a figure:
Pale, silver-haired, half-transparent.
She wore a tattered sect robe and floated an inch above the ground.
Eyes glowed blue. Her smile was mischievous and curious.
"You're the first disciple who fought back with a laundry pole," she said.
"…You're the ghost?"
She nodded. "Lin Xue. I died here doing laundry. They forgot my name. So I cursed the socks."
Fair.
---
> [New Character Introduced!]
Name: Lin Xue (Spirit Disciple – Ghost Rank)
Age at Death: 16
Curse Strength: Strong Enough
Mood: Teasing
Relationship: Curious About You
Possible Outcome: Sidekick? Warning? Future problem? Who knows?
---
She floated beside me.
"You're weird," she said. "But funny. So I won't haunt your laundry."
"Thank you?"
"But I'll watch you. There's something broken in your soul."
"Coolcoolcool. I'll… just wash these socks now."
---
> [Quest Complete!]
Reward: Blessed Spirit-Woven Cloth (can be used once to repair clothing or ego)
Bonus: Ghost Friend (unlocked hidden affinity with spiritual beings)
Secret: Lin Xue now knows your name and may follow you if she gets bored.
> Real reward (Ghost Silk Sash) has been transferred to "Nine-Tail Seduction System."
"…Of course it was."
---
Later, outside the hall—
Yura found me first.
"What happened to you?! You smell like haunted fabric softener!"
"Long story. Very long. You wouldn't believe me."
She looked me over.
"…Is that a ghost scarf?"
"Don't question my fashion."
---
Meanwhile, deep within the sect—
A figure in black watched a glowing orb, frowning.
"The boy again... He disturbs even the dead," the figure whispered.
"The prophecy said nothing about a broom-wielding idiot."
> [Villain Seed Unlocked:]
??? – System Merchant of Forbidden Threads
Watching. Waiting. Curious.