Chapter 4 | My Tavern-Keeper Boss Is Secretly an Ascended Immortal

His system was called the "Otherworld Survival Support System," though in his own words, he preferred to call it "Debao."

Currently, it had two main functions. The first was scanning and translating conversations.

It could scan the basic information of a target without being affected by any shielding methods.

No matter how high-level the monster was, a quick scan would reveal its basic information.

Although some data on high-level monsters would be hidden, it would at least provide a danger assessment and advice. Naturally, the more hidden information there was, the higher the target's rank.

The second function was Death Return. However, there was a limit to the number of times he could return from death, and he hadn't even figured out the saving mechanism yet. All he knew was that after escaping the demonized pigmen in the starting village, his respawn point had updated from the starting village to the forest in the east.

Furthermore, the only way to obtain more rollback attempts was to find a way to complete the quests issued by the system.

However, he kept quiet about the fact that each time he leveled up, there was a chance the system would unlock more functions.

Chen Jiu glanced at him. “So, you can bypass any shielding methods?”

“Theoretically, yes...”

The young man nodded and took another gulp of cold water. “At least, everything I've scanned so far has shown up. It's just a matter of whether the data is complete.

“Back in the starting village, I scanned a wild dog, and the data was so detailed it went back three generations. But scanning her—”

He pointed cautiously at Lumu. “It only gave me her name, race, and a lethal warning. I couldn't even scan her level.”

Chen Jiu fell silent.

Lumu also fell silent.

Although she didn't know what the two were talking about, she could tell that the young man was comparing her to a wild dog on the side of the road.

Chen Jiu's fingers tapped unconsciously on the bar counter, creating a rhythmic, light clicking sound.

If this young man's system really could ignore all shielding methods to scan, it would be an absolute godsend for his plan to delve deep into the dungeon core a month from now.

The area where his true body resided was shrouded in a chaotic field of spiritual energy (magicules), making it impossible for his divine sense to probe deep inside.

He was completely in the dark about what kind of monsters were inside, how strong they were, or if there were other dangers.

But if he brought along this guy who could scan—not to mention his incredibly broken rollback ability—it would practically be a budget version of omniscience.

And practicalities aside, this young man was a fellow transmigrator.

They came from the same world, spoke the same language, and might have even been sent packing by the same batch of trucks in the same city.

It had been one thousand three hundred and eighty years.

He had spent so many years in the cultivation world, yet he had never dared to mention his origins to anyone.

In that world, possession, soul searching, and mind reading were standard tools for old cultivation monsters. If you let a single slip of the tongue escape today, your memories would become reference material in someone else's jade slip tomorrow.

He had kept himself tightly guarded, keeping his divine sense barrier active even while sleeping.

After arriving in this world, things hadn't been much better.

Various factions were coveting the power within the dungeon. As a mere Nascent Soul remnant soul, he had to start by cautiously running this run-down tavern, slowly gathering his strength, without a single person he could talk to normally.

Lumu had been with him the longest, but a succubus was a monster after all. Their relationship was purely a transaction of mutual benefits; talking about feelings was utter nonsense.

And the young man before him, though he looked incredibly weak, would at least... likely be one of his own.

“What is your name?”

Chen Jiu asked.

“Ah? I... my name is Lu Mao.”

The young man scratched his head. “That's the name the system displays for me. I don't know if it's my original name or just something the system made up.

“I don't remember anything after transmigrating. I only remember hanging out with my friends until two in the morning, riding a shared bicycle, and then the high beams of a large truck...”

“Alright, I get that you got hit by a truck. No need to keep emphasizing it.”

“...”

Chen Jiu sized up the ragged young man from head to toe.

His gear was trash, his level was low, and his combat experience was practically zero—though his experience with dying was probably quite extensive.

In the past, an adventurer of this caliber wouldn't even have been qualified to do odd jobs in his tavern.

But now...

“Do you want to live?”

Lu Mao froze for a moment, then nodded frantically.

“Do you want to become stronger?”

He continued to nod, doubling his speed.

“Do you want to defeat the Demon King?”

“Uh... can I refuse that one?”

“No.”

“Then why did you even ask me?!”

Chen Jiu smiled slightly. The curve of his lips was very faint, but he was indeed smiling.

“Very well. Starting today, you are a temporary worker at my tavern.”

“Huh? A temporary worker? Is there a salary? What about benefits? Social security? Do I get...”

“Room and board are included, and I'll consider sparing your life once at my discretion.”

“Deal!”

Lu Mao replied incredibly fast, so fast that the system didn't even have time to pop up a warning.

【System Notification: You have joined the faction of "???"】

【Faction Information: ■■■■】

【Warning: This faction is in a high-risk environment】

【Warning: The danger level of the faction leader exceeds the system's evaluation limit】

【I will now give you the most blunt, direct, and straightforward advice: Flee this tavern immediately】

Lu Mao stared at the series of warnings in front of him. He fell silent for two seconds, then resolutely chose to close the notification.

If Debao said to run, then there was no need to run.

No matter what, after being transmigrated to this godforsaken place for so long, he had finally found a living person he could talk to who was also willing to take him in.

And the man had said room and board were included.

As for being spared from death once—it sounded pretty intimidating, but he would just treat it as the boss bragging.

“Um... Boss?”

“Yes?”

“Can I ask what your true body is? The system's scan of you is full of question marks, except for a note after your name that says 'Nascent Soul remnant soul.' What is a Nascent Soul? Is it some kind of monster?”

Chen Jiu's footsteps paused as he was walking back.

He slowly turned his head and stared into Lu Mao's eyes, which were filled with genuine curiosity, for three seconds.

“Scan me again.”

“Oh, okay—System, scan.”

【Target: Chen Jiu (?)】

【Race: Human (?)】

【Status: Nascent Soul Remnant Soul (Damaged Source)】

【Level: Soul Transformation Stage (Fallen)】

【Danger Assessment: ■■■■■■■■■■】

“S-Soul Transformation Stage?!”

Lu Mao's voice shot up an octave. “Isn't this a Western fantasy world? Why the hell is there a Soul Transformation Stage?”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Chen Jiu rubbed the space between his brows, suddenly feeling that his decision to take in this fellow countryman might have been a bit hasty.

But spilt water could not be gathered back, and cultivators valued karma above all. Since he had agreed, he could not go back on his word.

Besides, this guy's scanning ability was indeed useful.

“Lumu.”

Chen Jiu ordered without turning his head, “Go get him a change of clothes, then take him to the backyard to chop some firewood.”

“As you wish.”

Although she didn't quite understand their conversation, Lumu still replied with a beaming smile. She swayed her hips as she walked toward Lu Mao, her tail tracing an elegant arc behind her.

Lu Mao's face instantly turned pale.

“She's a succubus, Boss! Are you really okay leaving her alone with me?”

“I am.”

Chen Jiu sat back down behind the bar counter and picked up the half-wiped glass again. “Lumu might not be proper, but she knows her boundaries.”

Chen Jiu waved his hand, gesturing for Lumu to take him away quickly. “There are other things to do after you're done chopping wood. If you finish before dinner, come find me in the front hall. I have some questions for you.”

Lumu had already reached Lu Mao. She looked down at the shivering young man, her smile so sweet it practically dripped honey.

“Let's go, little boy. Big sister won't eat you.”

“Help! She definitely has bad intentions!”

“If you don't finish chopping the wood, I'll whip you as many times as there are logs left.”

“Boss, how can you turn hostile faster than flipping a page...”

Chen Jiu ignored his wails, lowering his head to continue wiping his glass.

The sound of Lumu dragging Lu Mao toward the backyard echoed in his ears, mixed with Lu Mao's continuous screams and the system's rapid succession of warning notifications. The racket made the entire tavern feel lively.

He set down the glass, took out the roll of parchment Lumu had left from the drawer, and unrolled it.

It was a detailed map of the dungeon compiled over three years. The terrain of each floor, the distribution of monsters, and the activity ranges of Overlord-tier monsters were all clearly marked.

His gaze swept down along the markings on the map, past the middle layers, past the deep layers, and finally stopped at the area at the very bottom covered in heavy shadow.

That was where his true body was.

There were only a few sparse notes about that area on the parchment, all of which were parts Lumu had been unable to investigate deeply. Even so, those few markings were enough to make Chen Jiu frown.