When Lucas returned to the lounge, a strange silence hung in the air. He could feel the eyes of his teammates on him, their expressions full of quiet curiosity and subtle concern. No one said anything directly, but the inquiring looks told him they were all dying to know what had just happened.
Lucas offered them a polite smile and nodded in acknowledgment. He changed out of his uniform without a word and lay back on his bed. Within moments, he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Even under such tense circumstances, Lucas managed to sleep soundly—something not lost on his companions.
In the corner of the room, Natalie stood beside the captain, whispering with a half-playful smirk, "You two used to be pretty close. Why don't you ask him what's going on?"
The captain, chewing betel nut with a contemplative look, kept his eyes fixed on Lucas's peacefully sleeping form. His tone was weighed with quiet nostalgia and wariness. "In the past, every time he came back from a run, he'd fall asleep first. I thought it meant he had a big heart."
He paused, narrowing his gaze.
"But now...seeing him sleep so soundly even after what just happened...I don't think it's just a big heart anymore." His voice lowered. "It feels more like he has something else to rely on."
His words hung in the air like a truth too heavy to fully grasp.
He turned to Natalie, his voice deep and filled with weariness. "Do you really think I dare ask him now?"
Natalie shrugged, her expression unreadable. "Whatever went down between you two isn't my business. But I'll say this—I'm thankful he ended that nightmare early. Even if he's a big-shot disguising himself and playing with us for fun, I'm not angry."
The captain scoffed under his breath and bit harder into the betel nut. "Damn it...he probably lied to me about his name too."
Despite their efforts to act normal, an uneasy feeling gnawed at both the captain and Natalie. Something felt off.
"The reproduction rate of this dungeon is really low," the captain muttered. "Since the timeline was cut short...that means tomorrow's the final day."
He glanced toward the dormitory door, eyes narrowing. "Which means any danger still lurking will likely show up early. No one should sleep too deeply tonight."
Natalie nodded, her demeanor suddenly serious.
---
Midnight.
Like clockwork, Lucas opened his eyes.
He had trained himself to compress rest into small intervals during copies—dangerous simulations with unknown threats. The less time he spent asleep, the safer he felt. Only once a copy ended would he allow himself to truly rest.
He glanced at the system panel and reviewed the spoils from the day's ordeal.
50 blank attribute points.
Without hesitation, he dumped them all into Spirituality. He murmured to himself, "A little luck wouldn't help anyway..."
---
[Player: Lucas]
[Life: 100 (You're seriously injured, recovering automatically)]
[Stamina: 74 (Adequate sleep improves recovery rate, recovering automatically)]
[Power: 231 (Recovering automatically)]
[Luck: 2 (Still pitifully low)]
[Brainpower: 98 (Your odd thought patterns might be signs of genius)]
[Spirit: 362 (20 attribute points added, recovering)]
[Skill: Dismantling]
[Evaluation Score: 25455 – Trial team will re-estimate score soon.]
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"Both Strength and Spirit have exceeded their previous caps… and yet they're still 'recovering.'"
His eyes sharpened as he turned off the panel. Something clicked in his instincts. His gaze shifted toward the far-left corner of the room.
Rustling.
Then a shadow stirred.
Nathan, one of the other players, groaned and stood from his bed, muttering irritably, "What does 'be cautious at night' even mean? I'm just going to the damn toilet."
As he passed by Lucas's bed, Nathan paused. He seemed to remember something and sneered.
"That bastard's still pretending to be harmless, like some fake saint."
He spit in Lucas's direction and walked toward the door with a noticeable bounce in his step.
---
Lucas watched him leave. His eyes turned cold.
[Danger assessment initiated based on host's own strength…]
[Player Nathan: About to surpass intermediate danger]
The danger system kicked into motion. New readings blinked across Lucas's vision.
[Modeling...]
[Wall: Low-level danger]
His gaze shifted to the corridor—still within his line of sight.
There it was.
A single translucent box floated in front of the wall, text etched inside.
It was slowly...creeping toward the dormitory door.
"If the danger is from the wall...why just that one piece?" Lucas thought sharply. "No. It's not the wall itself...it's what's inside the corridor."
He blinked again.
Nathan's threat level was moving.
The other box was closing in.
Two assessments. The space between them was shrinking fast.
[Danger level recalculating...]
[Wall: Intermediate]
[Wall: Advanced]
[Wall: Approaching critical danger]
Lucas silently reached under his blanket and gripped the kitchen knife strapped to his chest.
Then—everything stopped.
Nathan's risk assessment vanished. Instantly.
[Wall: Advanced Danger]
[Wall: Low-level Danger]
[Wall: No Danger]
Silence.
---
Natalie jerked awake. Her body stiffened as her eyes rolled under her lids, focusing on a sight only she could perceive.
The captain sat up instantly. "What's going on?!"
Light flooded the room as everyone stirred awake.
Natalie's skin had turned pale, her breathing shallow. Her eyes remained closed, but her finger raised—pointing directly at the door.
The captain didn't hesitate. He sprang to his feet and rushed to the entrance.
Nothing.
Empty corridor.
But then a realization hit him like a bullet to the chest.
"Wait… who's missing?!"
Eyes darted around the room. Then fell to one bed.
Empty.
The captain's face drained of color. He slapped his forehead and ran for the hallway.
But Lucas's calm voice stopped him mid-step.
"No need to look. He's already dead."
The captain froze.
He turned slowly, barely breathing, and locked eyes with Lucas, who hadn't even gotten out of bed.
---
The air in the room turned heavy.
Everyone realized it at the same time—this wasn't just another night in the dungeon.
This was the beginning of the final hunt.
--
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