Inheriting a Ghost Market from the Start

Xia Mingtang transmigrated into a world full of demons and monsters.

The good news was that he inherited his aunt's estate and became the master of the Ghost Market from the start.

The bad news was that the previous manager had run the place so badly that he also inherited a debt of tens of billions.

While secretly inspecting his market, Xia Mingtang discovered that some of the shopkeepers seemed like ordinary small-business owners on the surface, but were actually top bosses in infinite-flow game worlds.

Looking at all those fabulously wealthy bosses, he drooled:

“...Open up and pay your property fees!”

In the Age of Declining Dharma, humans live alongside demons and ghosts, and dance with gods and devils.

The many immortal sects and special-ability organizations tirelessly tackle escape-room games, hold back the invasion of the spirit realm, and protect the human world.

In the present day, on the game-strategy app Ghost Tales, a thread is making the rounds:

[Breaking news! The god-tier roaming dungeon “Penglai” recently appeared in Modu.]

[Am I the only one who thinks the new kid from “Fangtu” is seriously weird? Let's lock him up in the next dungeon.]

[Unbelievable. I saw a dungeon boss bowing respectfully to a player and handing him a business card.]

Xia Mingtang, the weird new kid: Huh? Isn't collecting property fees (extortion money) on my own street perfectly normal?

Reader's guide: The male lead has no romantic pairing. The protagonist is neither ruthless nor a saint, just someone with a few moral boundaries.

This is my first story, so please be gentle with the criticism., From the author, who's going bald

Pre-release male lead crossover story: How Can a Beautiful Horror NPC Survive a Dating Game?

Wen Wei never imagined that he'd get a chance to come back to life after dying. Because he was prettier than a flower, he was specially hired by a horror reality-show System as an NPC with good looks, with a monthly salary of 30,000 and resurrection benefits.

System: All you have to do is play your role in different game dungeons, scare the players, and earn 100,000 fear points to be reborn.

Wen Wei: Got it!

Then the idiot System sent Wen Wei into a dating sim.

In the first dungeon, on a campus overflowing with pink hearts, a gang leader from Meteor City, Italy's future mafia boss, and Yokohama's bandage-wearing eccentric competed on the same stage. Wen Wei foolishly showed them his deathly appearance to scare them, and then...

The bandage-wearing eccentric was delighted: “Wonderful, Wen Wei! Let me die with you!”

Wen Wei: “Stay away from me!!!”

In the second dungeon, inside a bittersweet café, liquor and detectives faced off. Wen Wei failed to scare anyone and ended up a suspect instead.

A certain elementary-school detective: “He's not the culprit. There's only one truth! That is...”

Wen Wei: “Your Honor, I swear! You can have all my affection points!”

In the third dungeon, a thrilling dating reality show, a ridiculously energetic spicy teacher, a fruit farmer who loves raising apples, and a controlling, long-haired rich kid went on a killing spree, resetting the game three times in a row.

The fourth dungeon, the fifth dungeon... the NPCs collecting fear points kept getting scared themselves.

Wen Wei: “System! I want to go home! This dating game is too scary, waaah, ”

Just as he thought he'd be working until the end of the universe, the dating game discovered the intruding man and System and directly recruited them in the spirit of solidarity among Systems.

The revamped System: “We've gone right back to square one. You have to collect 100,000 affection points to... Wait! You've already maxed them out?!”

Wen Wei was baffled, holding his newly acquired resurrection card and not knowing what to do.

Theme: Be honest and cherish life