"Why?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Explaining the reason is prohibited."

Bullhorse shook its head.

"Fine. What other rules are there?"

"Second rule - don't leave the break room without having received an order."

Bullhorse continued.

"What about basic needs?"

"Employee meals will be placed in your locker on time every day. As for using the bathroom, you'll have to make time during deliveries."

Bullhorse shrugged its shoulder blades.

"Very humane indeed."

Liu Zheng nodded approvingly.

"Be grateful. If not for the new owner, you wouldn't even get employee meals - just scraps and slop." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NoveIꜰire.net

Bullhorse detected his sarcastic tone.

"When did we get a new owner?"

Thinking of that enchanting noblewoman, Liu Zheng pressed the question. With Si Xue's presence, she was either the big boss or a key NPC.

"Thr..."

Bullhorse barely got a syllable out before freezing.

Its thick lips locked unnaturally together, body stiff as if injected with excessive sedatives. Yet its eyeballs vibrated violently, bloodshot and bulging.

A pungent odor assaulted Liu Zheng's nose. Looking down, he saw a dark yellow puddle forming beneath Bullhorse.

Liu Zheng recognized an emergency, but with limited information, staying calm seemed wiser than panicking.

*Bang.*

Five minutes later, Bullhorse's eyes finally stopped shaking. Its first action upon recovery was kicking Liu Zheng with a hoof.

The truck-like force sent him flying uncontrollably into the wall.

*Cough!*

Liu Zheng retched, tasting blood.

"You bastard! You nearly killed me!"

Bullhorse roared.

"I didn't mean to."

He explained.

"I know. Otherwise you'd already be dead."

Bullhorse snorted.

"Remember - never ask about the owner again."

"Understood."

Liu Zheng nodded. Attempting to stand, blinding pain in his chest made his vision darken. That kick had broken at least three ribs.

"You're finished, human brat."

Bullhorse looked at him pityingly. Such injuries would prevent Liu Zheng from working.

*Is this really a beginner dungeon?*

Liu Zheng internally complained. Random death flags, sanity loss everywhere, and the only friendly NPC might kill you - if this was average newbie difficulty, the game's survival rates were truly concerning.

"I may be finished, but what about you?"

He coughed. "Delivering all those orders alone will be tough. And no more massages either."

Bullhorse studied Liu Zheng's calm face with bloodshot eyes, searching for weakness but finding none.

"First time seeing a human like you."

Bullhorse muttered, walking to the wall cabinet. It spat out a key, opening one locker.

Inside the door was a photo of what appeared to be Bullhorse wearing a maid outfit.

"Drink this."

Bullhorse hooked a bottle with its horn, dangling it before Liu Zheng.

The semi-transparent glass bottle contained murky, viscous liquid teeming with hairy worms.

"Name: Ascending Hairy Moss 53°"

"Type: Item"

"Quality: Fine"

"Effect: Rapidly heals wounds, slightly increases Strength and Constitution, slightly decreases Spirit and Perception, chance of Drunk status"

"Note: Ingredients include sorghum, wheat, water, hairy bloody worms, dung moss, and things you'd rather not know"

"Quality ranking from low to high: Inferior, Common, Excellent, Fine, Perfect, Legendary, Epic, Mythic"

"Ascending Hairy Moss..."

Liu Zheng accepted the bottle with a complicated expression. The system seemed to be hinting at something, and he had proof.

Without hesitation, Liu Zheng unscrewed the cap and took a big swig. The hydrochloric acid-like fumes made him dizzy, but worse were the worms squirming down his esophagus.

Their mouthparts chewed at his muscles and mucous membranes while secreting sticky vomit to heal the damage. The torturous itch-pain only stopped when stomach acid finally dissolved them - a process intense enough to break even the toughest spy.

After the agony came a rushing warmth flooding his body. Liu Zheng scratched frantically at his skin, feeling swollen like a stuffed roast pig.

"Intense, right? My private stash - you're getting it cheap."

Bullhorse boasted, but Liu Zheng found it noisy and checked his character sheet instead.

"ID: Liu Zheng (editable)"

"Level: Lv1"

"Strength: 17"

"Constitution: 15?"

"Spirit: 9"

"Perception: 8"

Strength and Constitution increased by 3, Spirit and Perception decreased by 2. Numerically a win, and no drunkenness - decent luck.

Touching his chest, the broken ribs had healed though still tender. No real-world medicine could match this, yet here it was just a deliveryman's private stash. Truly a game for selecting the extraordinary. Liu Zheng felt renewed anticipation for the future.

"Remember, you owe me two grand now."

Bullhorse ruined the moment.

"What's our salary?"

He asked.

"One thousand a month plus bonuses."

"Fine, I'll pay you at month-end."

Liu Zheng agreed cheerfully. Debts you needn't repay are the most comfortable.

"Back to work rules."

Bullhorse nodded as if nothing happened.

"Third rule: Never speak to meal preparers."

"What if they make a mistake?"

"Return it to the cart and wait in the break room for re-preparation."

Bullhorse answered.

"Understood."

Liu Zheng noted it prohibited speech, not all communication.

"Fourth rule: No loud noises after 7pm."

"Fifth rule: Don't disclose Bloody Restaurant matters to outsiders, nor discuss outside matters with staff - except me."

"Isn't that the same as rule three?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Rule three only applies to meal preparers. You can talk to other staff, though I advise against it to avoid trouble."

"That's about it. Obvious stuff like no eating deliveries, no tampering, and punctuality I won't bother explaining."

Bullhorse licked its lips, apparently thirsty.

Liu Zheng promptly shoved the bottle into its mouth. Bullhorse tilted its head back, draining the dregs.

"Since you're so considerate, one more tip."

It raised a hoof, patting Liu Zheng's shoulder.

"Outside... be bold. You're restaurant staff now."