The hot pot meal they'd just had…
Only Lucas truly enjoyed it.
As the countdown to the instance's closure slowly ticked into the seven-hour mark, the tension hadn't faded—only changed shape.
Satisfied, belly full and spirits high, Lucas flopped back onto the worn-out sofa.
"Do as you like. I'm going to get some rest," he said lazily, eyes half-closing.
Blue Kill said nothing.
He remained seated at the table, arms folded across his chest, eyes cold and sharp.
His vigilance never faltered.
After surviving 30 brutal dungeon instances, he had developed a sixth sense for danger.
And right now…
Something about the silence was too quiet.
Even the faintest sound was like thunder.
Then—
Ssssssshhhhhh...
The sound of something soft sliding across the ground reached his ears.
Not footsteps. Not wind. Something… wrong.
Blue Kill activated his detection skill.
His senses sharpened instantly.
He spun around—
And saw it.
A tentacle. Covered in red and black splotches. Slithering across the ground.
And it was headed straight for—
The hot pot.
His eyes widened. "What the hell—?"
Without hesitation, he reached for the pistol strapped to his waist.
Bang!
---
[Item Name: BERETTA92F (Five-Element Bullets)]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Attack Power: Unknown]
[Attribute: None]
[Remarks: This BERETTA92F has infinite ammo with five-element bullets. Ideal for survival dungeons. Come on, you didn't really think normal bullets worked on ghosts and monsters, did you?]
---
The bullet struck the tentacle—
BOOM!
A section of the tentacle was blasted off, flopping to the floor and twitching violently.
Blue Kill frowned.
"What is this thing?"
But the danger wasn't over yet.
From the severed end, a fresh tentacle began growing—fast.
Covered in a clear, viscous liquid, it writhed and lashed—
Then wrapped itself around the hot pot and flipped it over.
SPLASH!
Broth flew everywhere.
And then—
A voice roared from above.
---
"HOW DARE YOU EAT HOT POT IN SCHOOL! YOU TWO ARE COURTING DEATH!"
Lucas's eyes snapped open. The haze of sleep was instantly gone.
His system panel flickered—
[Reassessing Danger Level Based on Host's Strength...]
Blue Kill: Advanced Danger
Office Above the Ruins: Advanced Danger
Half-Tentacle on Ground: Minor Threat
Tentacle That Flipped Hot Pot: Major Threat
Tentacle at Window: Major Threat
Tentacle at Door: Major Threat
Every single reading had jumped.
Moments ago, the office was peaceful.
Now? The whole place was rated a death trap.
All thanks to the sudden invasion of red-and-black tentacles.
They slithered across the windows, the doors, the floors—
And then—
CRACK!
The tentacles ripped the ceiling clean off.
Concrete dust exploded in the air.
Broken steel bars jutted out of the ceiling.
Lucas looked up.
And saw it.
A giant creature.
Eyes glowing yellow with fury.
A face barely human, almost featureless.
Its entire body squirmed with hundreds of writhing tentacles.
---
[Boss Identified: Principal — Danger Level Approaching Maximum]
---
> : WHAT does the principal of your school look like?!
: Yep. Knew it. The principal's always the scariest.
: He didn't show up in the last "Exam" instance... guess now we know why.
: This is the hidden boss! Lucas and Blue Kill are dead meat!
---
The creature surveyed the chaos below.
The aroma of hot pot still lingered in the air.
And that made him even angrier.
"SCHOOL RULES! I've emphasized school rules countless times!"
"AND YOU DARE TO COOK HOT POT ON CAMPUS?!"
With a wave of his tentacles,
he hurled the ripped ceiling fifty meters away.
Dust exploded outward like a bomb blast.
His tentacles quivered violently in the air,
as though they mirrored his wrath and sorrow.
"What has become of this school I built with my own hands?!"
---
The principal had clearly lost what little sanity he had left.
Blue Kill's body went rigid.
He turned to Lucas. For a brief second—
Their eyes met.
A silent exchange. Maybe...
If they teamed up, they'd have a 10% chance of defeating the principal.
But just as Blue Kill began analyzing weaknesses—
The principal leaned down, screaming:
"WHO?! WHO BLEW UP MY SCHOOL?!"
"WHO DARED TO DESTROY EVERYTHING?!"
His spit flew like rain.
Blue Kill scanned the monster frantically—
But every scan returned the same answer:
No weaknesses.
He had none.
---
"Principal!"
Lucas suddenly shouted.
Both the principal and Blue Kill turned to him, startled.
Lucas casually stood, brushing dust off his uniform.
He had weighed the odds—
And decided: Screw loyalty. I'm choosing survival.
He pointed dramatically at Blue Kill.
"It was him. He blew up the school!"
---
Blue Kill: ???
Principal: "YOU—"
And before anyone could react—
Lucas's face began to morph.
His features flattened.
His eyes, nose, mouth—
Vanished.
He had become—
A faceless man.
Lucas bowed deeply.
"Principal, I have upheld my responsibilities as a teacher.
I infiltrated this student's circle just to bring him to justice!"
"I've been monitoring the culprit ever since the incident—waiting for your return!"
---
The principal paused.
He was stunned.
Then deeply moved.
"You... You've done well. What dedication!"
His tentacles stopped squirming.
His glowing yellow eyes filled with moisture.
"Such professionalism... such loyalty!"
"Thank you, Teacher."
---
Blue Kill: ???? I'm going to [CENSORED]—
---
> : You thought he'd finally pick a side? Think again.
: That scapegoat move? Absolute pro-tier betrayal.
: 66666666 Lucas!
: Blue Kill's rage is astronomical right now.
: Imagine getting thrown under the bus AND denied hot pot.
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