The Butler's Guide to Working for a Living

Another batch of servants had died in the old castle, and there weren't enough staff to wait on guests in the foyer, so the butler transferred Shi Yu, who had been tending the kitchen fire, to the front of the house.

Shi Yu hadn't worked here long, but had already heard all the horror stories:

To survive in the castle, he nervously memorized the employee handbook:

First, do not speak to the castle's guests.

Second, do not leave your room after 9 p.m.

Third, do not approach places at night that candlelight cannot reach. Unforeseeable dangers lurk in the shadows.

Fourth, do not anger the duke. Anyone he sets his sights on becomes his dinner.

The butler tossed his little booklet aside and handed him another one. "This is the one for you."

Shi Yu opened to the first page: Bed-Warming Instructions???

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Rose Castle is the most dangerous S-rank instance in the Infinite Game.

The final boss, the duke, is pale and handsome, gloomy and violent. The instance is fraught with danger, the castle reeks of blood, and the death rate is always above 90%.

But danger and reward go hand in hand. The duke possesses astonishing wealth, and legend says whoever claims his treasure can sweep through the entire Infinite World.

Players flock to the instance, suffering countless casualties. No one has ever cleared it,

and Rose Castle remains the only S-rank instance without a single walkthrough.

Then one day, a player added the following tip to the forum's walkthrough thread:

Rose Castle Survival Guide:

Bribe the duke's manservant to get clues to clearing the instance and a chance to escape death.

The forum erupted.

Usually, an NPC without even a character profile was obviously a disposable extra. But who exactly was this little manservant?

As Shi Yu collected item after item, he couldn't help thinking:

Just saying, is it possible he doesn't have an NPC profile because he has a player interface?

-

No one knew that in the instance world players couldn't see,

the duke would shed his bloodstained clothes and change into clean ones,

then open a wooden door hidden in the shadows, revealing a cozy room utterly out of place in a horror instance.

Warm sunlight spilled across the floor. Soft cushions and fluffy toys filled the warm-toned room,

and a rosy-cheeked boy slept in a soft, spacious bed.

The duke's cold gaze softened. He quietly closed the door, climbed into the warm bed, and carefully gathered the drowsy boy into his arms,

like a monster imprisoned in an endless abyss, clinging tightly to the only ray of warmth in the darkness.

The blurb may be adjusted to match the outline before the story begins.

2023.1.13

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