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_______________________________________________________________________ After the director had escaped from Lucas's terrifying ambush,
he felt like the entire ruin had become his personal killing ground.
Screams echoed from every corner,
limbs littered the ground, organs lay exposed, and the stench of death hung thick in the air.
Still soaked in blood, the director cackled madly.
"So what if I've lost both legs?! I can still tear people apart with just these hands!"
Yet behind his arrogant laughter, a cautious voice echoed in his mind:
"As long as I don't run into that man again..."
The thought of Lucasāthe shadow that had nearly broken himā
sent a shiver down his blood-smeared spine.
He paused and carefully scanned the area around him.
No sign of the monster in disguise.
The director let out a shaky breath of relief.
Just thenā
"Director!" a faceless teacher called out, limping over while wiping blood from his chin.
"Director, we've been circling the outer ruins for a while.
Shouldn't we check deeper in? There might still be candidates hiding out there!"
The director didn't hesitate.
He waved a hand dismissively.
"No need. Don't tell me you've forgotten what's in the center of those ruins?"
The faceless teacher paused, thinking... and then a flicker of realization struck.
His voice lowered, clearly nervous.
"You meanā¦ the principal?"
The director's eyes narrowed with a wicked grin.
"Anyone heading there... is just asking for death."
---
Meanwhile, Blue Kill had finally reached the depths of the ruins.
His earlier use of the [Investigation] skill had proven accurate.
Not a single faceless creature lurked in the area.
Blue Kill pulled up his system panel.
[Time Remaining: 8:36:49]
Eight and a half hours left.
If he could lie low here...
He might just live long enough to see this instance close.
His body ached.
More than a hundred points of stamina had already been drained.
And he was still carrying injuries from when he escaped earlier.
Had his stats been just average,
he probably wouldn't even be able to walk anymore.
---
[Player: Blue Kill]
[Life: 72 (recovering)]
[Stamina: 216 (recovering)]
[Power: 523]
[Luck: 53]
[Brainpower: 89]
[Spirit: 77]
Closing the gradually reddening stat panel,
Blue Kill raised his head and surveyed the area.
A mostly intact office stood at the center of the ruin.
He activated his investigation skill once again,
checking for any signs of danger around the structure.
Nothing. It was clear.
"Good. I can rest here for a while..."
His strained nerves relaxed just a little,
and he stepped toward the office.
---
But the moment Blue Kill set foot insideā
His instincts screamed: Something's wrong.
There were faint traces left behind...
Someone had been here. Recently.
He reached toward his waist instinctivelyā
Only to stop when his eyes caught movement on the worn-out sofa.
Someone was... sleeping?
A man in a school uniform lay there,
his chest rising and falling with calm, peaceful rhythm.
Completely unaware of the chaos outside.
Blue Kill narrowed his eyes.
"A candidate?"
He lowered his hand from his weapon slowly, cautiously.
But that small rustle was enough to wake the sleeper.
---
Lucas sat up abruptly, his eyes locking onto Blue Kill.
An interface blinked before Lucas's vision.
[Danger Evaluation in ProgressāBased on Host's Stats]
[Player Blue Kill: Advanced Threat]
[Empty Office: No Hostile Presence Detected]
Lucas's gaze sharpened.
Blue Kill?
He remembered him.
The player who had blocked the school bus door during the opening scene.
A calm strategist. And very dangerous.
Blue Kill didn't relax either.
"Candidate?" he asked, voice firm.
Lucas's expression lit up like he had just found a long-lost friend.
"I'm a player! You're a player too!"
He jumped off the sofa, beaming.
"Finally! I found one of my own!"
For once, the faceless weren't after him. Someone else could take the heat.
---
> : Weren't you infiltrating the enemy? Why did you suddenly switch sides again?
: Lucas, are you not afraid of developing a split personality from all this flipping?
: Oh, right. He's literally mentally unstable!
: But wait, players can now team up! If Lucas and Blue Kill form a team, this dungeon's finished.
: We were expecting a peak battle, not a hot pot hangout. Disappointed.
: What can a noob like Lucas even do against Blue Kill?
: Blue Kill fansāplease leave Lucas's livestream alone!
---
Later that afternoon, a bonfire crackled quietly.
Atop it sat an iron pot, steam rising from a rich, bubbling broth.
The savory smell of hotpot base filled the air.
Blue Kill sat at a small table, holding a ham sausage in hand,
still trying to wrap his head around what was happening.
According to Lucas,
he had survived the explosion by sheer dumb luck,
crawling out of the rubble before the collapse completely buried the building.
He had hidden inside since.
"Eat. Come on, it's fresh!" Lucas urged cheerfully.
Blue Kill raised a brow.
"You used your points... to buy this?"
Points in the instance were precious.
You could use them to buy equipment, healing items, escape tools.
Spending them on food...
seemed like madness.
Lucas scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Honestly, I'm not that strong. Who knows if I'll survive the next instance?
If I die and still have points left, isn't that a bigger waste?"
Blue Kill went silent.
"You make a lot of sense."
The two clinked bowls,
and began eating hotpot under a collapsed ceiling.
---
"I'm going to grab some oil dip. Want anything?"
Lucas stood up.
CLANGā
A kitchen knife slipped from his arms, hitting the floor with a cold metallic thud.
Both men looked down.
The blade was smeared with fresh blood.
The pot continued to bubble.
The room fell silent.
Lucas smiled awkwardly.
He bent down, picked it up, and tucked it back into his coat.
"Picked it up off the road. For self-defense."
Blue Kill stared at him.
The sausage in his hand suddenly felt less appetizing.
Who would believe that? Who in their right mind would believe that?!
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