What truly excited Lucas wasn't just the explosion or the chaos—it was the unexpected reward he received after unlocking the hidden world view of the dungeon.
"So it turns out... If I want to increase my attribute points quickly, I need to trigger special missions or uncover hidden plots."
Lucas stroked his chin thoughtfully.
It was about time, he realized, to return to that abandoned horror cruise ship—the one he'd left half-explored—and complete the plotlines he had shelved.
But for now, he focused on the immediate gain:
20 freely assignable attribute points.
Without hesitation, he dumped all 20 into his mental value.
In Lucas's philosophy, mental power was the deciding attribute in these dungeon runs.
When your brain short-circuited, your strength, stamina, and everything else meant nothing.
---
[Player: Lucas]
Life: 100 (You don't have a scratch on you. Impeccable self-preservation.)
Stamina: 87 (Used a bit of energy, but quickly recovering.)
Strength: 101 (Enhanced through repeated physical exertion.)
Luck: 1 (You're officially unluckier than 99.999999% of players. Impressive!)
Brainpower: 96 (Your intelligence is terrifying—at least compared to the crowd.)
Spirit: 129 (+20 bonus applied)
Skills: None
Points: 63,236
Evaluation: Pending—Comprehensive assessment by the trial team in progress
---
Lucas stared at the new stats, his mouth twitching.
"I gained 9 mental points through hard work over several rounds…"
"And now 20 points come in all at once from just blowing up a school?"
He sighed in mock disappointment.
"That's it? Should've been 50."
---
Viewers in his live stream immediately exploded in protest.
"WHAT do you mean 'That's it?'"
"Twenty points is a godsend! Are you kidding me?!"
"So… blowing up the dungeon gives you rewards like this?! This opens up a whole new strategy!"
"Yeah right, as if anyone else could pull off blowing up the whole map. Only Lucas could be that crazy!"
---
Elsewhere, amidst twisted rebar and cracked tiles, the Dean stirred.
With the help of other Faceless invigilators, he slowly crawled from the rubble, arms trembling with exertion.
His once-pristine suit was shredded. His crutches gone. He now dragged himself forward using only his arms.
But the pain didn't matter.
[Chase all candidates]—this command echoed in every fiber of every Faceless.
The Dean grinned. His smile grew wider. Then warped into something feral.
He turned toward his followers and bellowed, "Let's kill them all!"
"Yes, Director!" they roared.
And so began their march—grotesque and vengeful.
---
"Director!"
A Faceless invigilator pointed forward.
"There's a candidate! Up ahead!"
Excitement spread like wildfire.
The Dean's sunken eyes gleamed.
Above the ruins stood a lone figure, isolated—like a sacrificial lamb.
"Perfect."
He cracked his knuckles and commanded, "Let's operate on him!"
The humiliation he'd endured today—
He would take it all out on these pathetic test subjects.
---
They moved quickly.
But as the Dean got closer,
The lone figure turned.
The light hit his face just right.
It wasn't a lamb.
It was Lucas.
The moment his face came into view…
All the Faceless froze.
Even the Dean stopped mid-crawl.
His blood ran cold.
His nonexistent scalp prickled in horror.
"Him…"
Suddenly, he felt his missing legs ache all over again.
The Dean reflexively clutched his stumps.
What he saw wasn't a boy.
He saw a devil.
A devil whose kitchen knife glinted under the sunlight like a reaper's scythe.
"RUN!!! HEAD TO THE SCHOOL GATE! TOO MANY CANDIDATES THERE!"
The Dean turned.
With all his might, he scrambled away, face drenched in sweat, body dragging like a desperate worm.
---
Lucas stood atop the ruins, puzzled.
"I was gonna say hi…"
He watched as the Dean fled with the other Faceless invigilators in tow.
"Am I… scary?"
Lucas tilted his head.
"Maybe it's a system glitch. I don't think I'm that intimidating."
---
Viewers: ???
Viewers again: ???
Comment Section:
"You really think that you're not scary with your stats and that massive explosion???"
"Poor Director. First thing he sees when he crawls out of the rubble is Lucas."
"Man lost his legs AND his will to fight."
---
[20,036 new viewers have joined your live stream.]
[9,635 new viewers sent gifts. Total: 9,635 points.]
---
Back to business.
After recovering from his confusion, Lucas looked down at the mask in his hands.
The legendary item: Mask of the Faceless Man—his reward from completing the hidden mission.
"Twelve hours is a long time to be hunted. This mask… came just in time."
He didn't hesitate.
Lucas raised the mask to his face.
The moment it touched his skin—
It merged, seamlessly.
---
[System Notification: Player Lucas has equipped the Mask of the Faceless Man.]
[You may change facial features at will. Current status: Ghost form.]
[Duration Remaining: 23:59:59… 23:59:58…]
---
A tingling sensation spread across his face.
His features disappeared.
Where his eyes, nose, and mouth had once been—
There was now nothing. A blank slate.
Lucas touched his smooth, empty face and nodded.
"Perfect disguise."
Then he activated the second feature.
In the blink of an eye, his facial features shifted back to resemble the dungeon's native characters.
His aura? Completely masked.
The kitchen knife at his side shivered slightly—its edge resonating with the ghostly energy now pulsing from his body.
Lucas calmly tucked the knife back into his inventory and stepped forward.
"The best way to hide…"
"Is to walk straight into the enemy's ranks."
---
Viewers: ???
Comments flood the stream again:
"Wait, WAIT—he's seriously going undercover as a ghost?!"
"How many more tricks does this guy have?!"
"This is insane—if you gave me that mask, I'd still never dare mingle with the Faceless!"
"Lucas isn't just playing the game. He's reprogramming it."
---
Lucas, now faceless, vanished into the crowd of monsters.
And once again, he wasn't just surviving the dungeon—
He was rewriting it.
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