Weird Rules Rumor: At The Beginning, He Insisted That He Was Not Dead

Images, like waves, flashed before Bai Lian's eyes. With each moment, the scene grew increasingly blurred, and his surroundings shifted!

When everything became clear again, Bai Lian was standing before the gates of a large mansion.

A middle-aged man with Western features and chestnut hair, dressed in a tailcoat, stood ahead.

“Welcome, newcomers, to work at our estate. I am the butler, David Milne! You will be assigned various tasks, and all work details and recommendations are in this employee handbook. I hope you read it carefully!”

With these words, he picked up a stack of booklets and handed one to each player.

Employee Handbook.

Bai Lian glanced at the thin booklet in his hands and looked up to observe the other players.

Ten players had entered this dungeon alongside him—men and women of varying ages.

Their expressions differed: some were calm, clearly not new to dungeons, while others appeared nervous, their eyes betraying anxiety. This was likely their first official dungeon, though it could also be tactical camouflage.

“You have ten minutes to review the handbook. In ten minutes, I will escort you into the estate, and you will begin your work.”

Hearing this, the players began flipping through their handbooks.

Bai Lian opened the thin booklet in his hands.

Estate Employee Handbook

The estate’s working hours are from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. During non-working hours, do not appear on the estate grounds unless you can remain undetected.

While working, do not touch items within the estate. If someone asks you to help move something, refuse immediately.

At night, when staying in the staff room, ensure all lights are off. If you see a dark shadow outside the window, close your eyes for three seconds and do not attempt to look.

If you hear knocking on the door, make no sound. If the door opens, pretend to sleep until it closes again.

Do not enter the master’s and mistress’s rooms on the same day. If you do enter, ensure the door is closed and locked.

There is a lamp in the estate that remains lit at all times. Do not unplug it—it may provide unexpected aid when needed!

Do not inquire about the mistress or master. If someone initiates a conversation about them, interrupt them immediately!

If you find a photograph of yourself in the estate, do not panic. Recall whether you took that photo. If you did—keep it. If not—discard it in the trash.

Objective: In seven days, the master and mistress will return to the estate to distribute salaries. Survive until then!

Eight rules and one objective. Bai Lian skimmed through them, mentally reinforcing his memorization.

Dungeon rules often prove lifesaving in critical moments. Forgetting them could mean death without even realizing it.

The other players kept their eyes glued to the handbook, not daring to blink lest they forget a crucial detail.

At that moment, a familiar notification sound echoed in all players’ minds.

【Skill extraction in progress… Extraction complete!】

【Lawless Criminal】: Rules hold no meaning for you. You may ignore them without facing consequences!

This skill…

Bai Lian froze, then his face lit up with joy.

Wow, ignoring rules without punishment?

This meant he could do whatever he wanted!

Phew~

Bai Lian took a deep breath, decisively closed the handbook, and tucked it into his pocket without hesitation.

This action drew the attention of the other players.

Watching Bai Lian stash the handbook away, they stared at him in confusion.

“What’s with this guy? Why’d he put the handbook away? Did he memorize the rules that fast?”

“Who could memorize them that quickly? It’s only been a minute! Even with good memory, you’d need at least a few minutes, right?”

“Exactly, I’ve only memorized four or five rules. No way he’s done already.”

“Who knows? Maybe he really can memorize everything at once.”

“Whatever, let’s just focus on writing down the rules ourselves before it’s too late.”

A few players whispered among themselves before returning to their handbooks to memorize the rules.

What others did was none of their concern. Survival depended on knowing the rules.

In the real world, as Bai Lian entered the dungeon, viewers flooded his stream’s chat.

【First comment—mine!】

【[Is this streamer live again? Didn’t he just clear a dungeon?】

【This guy’s insane—SSS rating! The only player in the world to max-rate a Mysterious World dungeon!】

【His last stream had me so stressed I almost exploded!】

【To the person above: Watch some Boruto to chill out.】

【This is his third dungeon, right? Dude’s efficiency is off the charts—like a factory!】

【Fifth Estate? I’ve seen this dungeon before. The rules are pretty tricky.】

【Compared to Lab No. 45, Fifth Estate is easier. Just follow the rules, and you’ll survive.】

...

While viewers debated, the players in the estate finished reviewing the handbook.

After all, those who survived beginner dungeons always had some aptitude.

“Follow me!”

Butler David scanned the group, turned, and opened the mansion’s grand doors, leading the ten players inside.

Walking across marble floors, the players glanced curiously around the estate.

The mansion was staggeringly large, with rare and expensive flowers potted near the entrance.

Approaching the villa, David opened the door, turned, and addressed five players:

“Starting today, you five will be responsible for plant care and shrub trimming on the estate grounds!”

Hearing this, three of the five players sighed in relief.

They weren’t dungeon newbies and knew the Fifth Estate’s rules.

In this dungeon, players split into two groups: one works outside the villa, the other inside.

Outdoor tasks were far simpler.

This was evident from the handbook: outdoor work had fewer rules.

“As for you,” David said to the remaining six players, including Bai Lian, “you will handle cleaning inside the villa.”