A glowing prompt appeared before Lucas's eyes as he stood silently in the cold, clinical corridor of the forbidden zone.
[Risk assessment is being generated based on the host's current strength...]
[Player Caleb: Advanced Risk]
[Player Oreo: Advanced Risk]
[Player Ivy: Intermediate Risk]
[Player Jason: Intermediate Risk]
[Player Natalie: Intermediate Risk]
[Player Ellie: Intermediate Risk]
[Player Daniel: Intermediate Risk]
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "Two are high-level, the rest… manageable."
He glanced at the scalpel resting in his palm, weighing its usefulness for what was coming next. After a moment of thought, he slid it back into his coat pocket. In its place, he retrieved a large, blood-streaked kitchen knife.
"A kitchen knife is easier to use anyway..." he muttered.
The little red-haired assistant behind Lucas flinched the moment he saw the knife. His fingers twitched around the clipboard in his hand, nearly dropping it.
The seven players in the room stared wide-eyed at the sight before them.
A doctor. Holding a kitchen knife.
Not exactly a confidence-inspiring combination.
The contrast between Lucas's white lab coat and the stained blade created a silent wave of fear. The sense of oppression crept into the lab like a cold fog.
Among the players, someone finally spoke, voice low and cautious.
"What exactly is a sleep experiment…?"
The tone betrayed their curiosity—but also a spark of excitement. The words "hidden mission" always brought promise of great rewards. Even if no one knew what lay ahead.
The rest of the players remained confused, exchanging glances with growing uncertainty. But the word "sleep" didn't sound dangerous, at least on the surface.
"You know what," Caleb said, stepping forward confidently, "we're all physically stronger than normal people anyway. Shouldn't be a problem."
He shifted his gaze toward Lucas, a hint of unease flickering in his eyes.
"Besides… this NPC doesn't seem like someone we can offend. If it gets too rough, we'll figure something out."
The others nodded in agreement. After all, if anything went wrong, they could always escape. Seven experienced players. What could possibly go wrong?
Lucas noted their reactions and smiled faintly.
"Bring them into the test chamber. Begin documentation."
The red-haired assistant moved stiffly, as if his limbs resisted every step. He didn't dare challenge Lucas's authority.
The players were guided into a large, sealed observation room. A one-way mirror allowed Lucas to monitor every move they made, hidden just beyond the glass.
He stood by the console, flipping through a thick binder filled with research notes—records from the original doctors who had once run experiments in this restricted zone.
"This should be enough for a preliminary understanding..." Lucas murmured, closing the file.
Then, following the documented procedures, he began manipulating the chamber settings. Artificial lighting and temperature were programmed to fluctuate, accelerating the day-night cycle. The room was stocked with food, games, books—even a karaoke machine.
It looked more like a luxury retreat than a lab.
Except for one detail:
The participants were not allowed to sleep.
Lucas reached toward the console and pressed a large silver button. A faint hiss filled the air.
The sealed chamber was now being pumped with a gas—a colorless, odorless stimulant developed by the forbidden zone's doctors.
Its purpose: Keep the brain active. Prevent sleep.
Having set everything in motion, Lucas dragged over a chair and sat down with a note pad.
"Let's see how long they last..."
Just two hours passed on Lucas's side.
But inside the chamber, the altered environment had accelerated time perception.
To the seven players, it felt like five days had already gone by.
The psychological effects were fast and brutal. The players' speech became erratic. Their eyes twitched with agitation. When the lights went out, they didn't rest.
They screamed.
Lucas observed all of this without flinching, jotting down precise notes like a detached scientist.
"Symptoms of early-stage psychosis..."
He wrote meticulously into the experimental logs, picking up where the original doctors had left off.
He looked like a real scientist—one who had given everything to his research.
Then Caleb—sharp-minded and cautious—was the first to sense something was very wrong.
His internal thoughts had become fragmented. Patterns that once made sense started to unravel. His logical mind was being overwritten by chaos.
"No... we have to stop! This hidden mission is a trap! We need to break out!"
In desperation, he ran toward the glass wall. Fists pounded against it, but it was like hitting steel.
Not a single crack appeared.
"Impossible!" he gasped, backing away with a pale face.
Frantically, Caleb rummaged through his inventory.
[Item Name: Super Heavy Hammer]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Note: The more strength you use, the more powerful the impact.]
"Yes! This will work!"
With a strength stat of 200, Caleb raised the hammer with everything he had. His hands trembled, eyes wide with desperation.
BOOM!
The hammer struck the wall with deafening force. The room shook.
Caleb was forced back by the rebound, pain numbing his hands. But he gritted his teeth and looked up at the glass—
Nothing. Not a single fracture.
On the surface of the wall, a glowing line appeared:
[Captain's Door – Reinforced Glass Mode]
Lucas, watching from the console, wrote another line in his notebook.
"Mental mutation accelerating. Subject #1—Caleb."
He checked the countdown. "We're nearing the threshold..."
Another four hours passed.
But in the players' altered time perception, it had already been fifteen days.
When the chamber doors finally opened, the stench hit Lucas like a wave of rot.
Seven players had entered. Only corpses remained.
The untouched food lay in the corner, still perfectly edible.
But none had been eaten.
Who turned on who? Who killed whom? Who was devoured—and who survived long enough to know?
There were no answers. Only horror.
Lucas jotted down the final notes.
"Mental degradation supersedes physical durability. Insomnia triggers irreversible psychosis beyond the fourth subjective day."
The system began updating.
[System Notice: Player Caleb killed the wrong target. Eliminated. Number: 39]
[System Notice: Player Oreo killed the wrong target. Eliminated. Number: 21]
[System Notice: Player King Sledgehammer deceased. Number: 10]
[...Processing Remaining Players...]
[Current Dungeon Player Count: 33/50]
[System Notice: Player Lucas successfully completed the hidden mission: Sleep Experiment]
[Reward Acquired: Sleep Excitation Factor ×10]
[Item: Sleep Excitation Factor ×10]
[Type: Consumable]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Effect: Each factor can cover a radius of 100 meters. Prevents the user from being affected by fatigue or sleep-inducing effects.]
[Note: The most precious achievement of the restricted zone doctor, awarded to the most outstanding contributor to the experiment.]
Suddenly, another message flashed across Lucas's screen.
[World Revelation Triggered: Forbidden Zone Core Storyline Unlocked]
[Current Exploration Progress: 30%]
[In the Forbidden Zone, everything is subject to change…]
Lucas leaned back, exhaling slowly. Behind him, the red-haired assistant trembled at the sight of the lifeless bodies beyond the glass.
But Lucas… simply turned the page in the experiment logbook.
There were still more tests to run.
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