The explosion echoed like a bomb detonating inside their eardrums.
For a moment, the world went silent—like a muted film scene.
One by one, the buildings collapsed from the base, toppling downward like giants falling in slow motion. Concrete split. Steel groaned. Dust, thick and grey, surged into the sky, cloaking everything in a curtain of destruction.
No one knew who gasped first.
But then—
"Holy crap…"
The stunned murmur broke into a wildfire of exclamations:
"The school just exploded!"
"That blast! That was insane! Who did it? Who was on the radio just now?!"
"No idea! But whoever they are—they've gotta be a player!"
A tidal wave of excitement swept through the candidates.
In that moment,
No one cared about the school buses.
No one cared about the exam.
Everyone was yelling the same phrase—
"THE SCHOOL EXPLODED!"
---
Elsewhere, buried beneath a cement slab, the Dean emerged slowly, pulling his disfigured body out from the rubble.
Covered in ash, his faceless head turned toward the devastation.
"The school... really exploded..."
Even his mechanical tone seemed laced with disbelief.
---
Meanwhile, the young representative and his three teammates, who had reached safety beforehand, were watching from afar.
Teaching buildings crumbled before their eyes—one after another.
But instead of fear, their eyes were shining.
"I don't know where Jason got all those explosives..." the young representative whispered in awe, "but he actually did it!"
He clenched his fist with joy.
"Quick! Get the answer sheets!"
The group pulled them out and began scribbling answers at random.
Minutes passed.
No invigilators appeared.
No strange powers struck them down.
No sudden deaths.
The young representative's hands trembled.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Everything Jason said… it came true."
For the first time in this nightmare—
There was hope.
Real, undeniable hope.
---
On the ruins of the destroyed campus, Lucas stood tall, closing the [Captain's Door] behind him with a resounding click.
He looked around at the wreckage with a calm smile.
"The 50,000-point explosives pack was worth every single point."
Everywhere he looked—collapsed buildings, demolished towers, scorched earth.
"This is so much better than trying to kill every faceless invigilator in the school one by one."
"Destroy the school, and the exam system itself collapses."
Right on cue, the system pinged:
---
[System Notification: Anomaly detected in instance. Main mission is being adjusted...]
[System Notification: Major anomaly confirmed...]
[Updated Main Mission: Survive for twelve hours while being hunted by the Faceless Men]
[Instance Closure Countdown Initiated: 11:59:59… 11:59:58…]
---
Lucas blinked.
"A twelve-hour survival challenge, huh? Sounds manageable."
Then another message popped up:
---
[System Notification: Player Lucas has unlocked the full world lore of this instance]
[Reward: +20 attribute points (can be assigned freely)]
---
And another:
---
[Hidden Mission Complete: Prevented Jason's transformation into a Faceless Man and destroyed the examination framework]
[Reward Unlocked: Mask of the Faceless Man]
---
[Item: Mask of the Faceless Man]
Type: Drama-related
Quality: Legendary
Attack Power: Unknown
Attributes: None
Usage: To be worn on the face
Note: Wearing the mask transforms you into a ghost for 24 hours. Usable once every 72 hours.
"The mask on your face isn't the one to fear… it's the one inside your heart."
---
The system's reminder repeated again:
---
[Main Mission: Survive for twelve hours while being hunted by the Faceless Men]
[Time Remaining: 11:59:58… 11:59:57…]
---
At the school gate, Blue Kill looked at the updated mission log with growing disbelief.
He had gathered all his teammates.
He was ready to board the bus and complete the exam with full marks.
But now?
The mission had changed completely.
He'd have to start over from zero.
His entire strategy—worthless.
His preparations—wasted.
His patience snapped like a brittle twig.
"Whoever blew up the school…" he muttered, eyes dark with fury,
"…you better pray I don't find you."
---
Meanwhile, millions of players watching Lucas's live stream erupted with excitement.
"He actually did it! Lucas just fulfilled every school kid's dream!"
"The school BLEW UP! Lucas, you're a madman!"
"Absolutely legendary! Who else has cleared a dungeon like this?!"
"Is he seriously competing with Blue Kill now? Because Lucas is a freaking god!"
"Come on, everyone! Lucas's popularity isn't even close to Blue Kill's yet—let's change that!"
Within minutes, gifts and donations began pouring in.
---
[Viewers: 439,635]
[Gift Senders: 364,462]
[Total Gift Points: 364,462]
[Live Broadcast Ranking: #1 in rising popularity for this cycle]
[You are only 50,000 views away from surpassing the most popular player in this instance. You're doing amazing—keep it up!]
---
Fireworks of digital currency.
Gifts named Piao Piao, Hua Hua, and Hung Hung exploded across his stream window.
Lucas, standing calmly on the ruins, had killed three birds with one stone:
Destroyed the exam framework
Completed a hidden mission
Overwhelmed his rivals in popularity
The school might've been reduced to dust,
but Lucas's name was now carved in stone.
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