Night fell upon the restricted zone like a curtain drawn in complete silence.
A notification flashed before Lucas.
[Modeling...]
[Analyzing...]
[Underground Laboratory A2: Low-Level Danger Detected]
[Underground Laboratory A2: Intermediate-Level Danger Detected]
[Underground Laboratory A2: Exceeding Intermediate-Level Danger Threshold...]
Lucas's eyes narrowed as he looked around. The glowing risk prompts weren't limited to just A2 Lab.
The entire underground facility was turning dangerous.
"What changes here after dark...?"
The thought barely formed before he spun on his heel, heading straight toward the exit. There was no time to hesitate.
"Staying inside this lab at night might trigger mutations... but becoming a restricted zone entity doesn't always mean elimination."
He moved quickly—almost jogging through the corridor.
"Getting out is still the safest route."
After emerging from the sealed "620" passageway and crossing into the laboratory's open perimeter, he exited into a wooded path. Trees rustled softly under a moonless sky.
The road ahead was barren.
The vehicle that had once been parked in the middle of the road was gone.
"Someone's been here..." Lucas muttered under his breath.
He turned and moved quickly toward the nearest structure—an abandoned dormitory once used by workers of a nearby factory.
The zone was deathly still.
No crickets. No birds. Just... silence.
Only his own footsteps echoed in his ears.
Suddenly—he stopped.
Muscles tensed. He raised his kitchen knife, senses sharp.
But then—his posture relaxed.
He tilted his head slightly.
As if... trying to hear something.
> :??
:??What is he doing?
:Is there a sound? I maxed my volume and still can't hear anything!
:Am I deaf??
At first, it was only a murmur—a whisper soft as wind brushing leaves.
Lucas strained harder.
And then he heard it:
A woman's voice.
Like a warm breeze brushing against your soul. Disarming. Seductive. Deadly.
"Stay... be me..."
"Stay...…"
"Survive...…"
The whisper repeated in fragments.
Lucas focused intensely.
"It's saying... survival is only possible by remaining in the zone and becoming one of its creatures..."
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
"The will of the zone... it's speaking directly to me."
He clenched his kitchen knife tighter and frowned.
"None of the other players who transformed ever mentioned hearing whispers. Does this mean only I can hear it?"
A realization struck.
"My mental strength... it's too high. That's the difference."
> :???
:Why is Lucas monologuing like a villain??
:Did he really hear something?? We can't hear anything on the feed!
:I swear this game is breaking my brain...
"Stay... be me..."
The voice kept repeating.
Lucas stood his ground for a moment longer. But no physical change occurred in him.
He looked at his hands.
"Nothing's happening... it's not working."
As if in response to his defiance—or perhaps as punishment—the whispers abruptly fell silent.
The quiet was unnerving.
And then—
[System Prompt: Player Lucas has been targeted by the Forbidden Zone. Mental Value -1... -6... -18...]
His spiritual stats began to collapse.
On screen, the livestream audience saw it in real time.
> "IT'S REAL! That red-haired NPC was right! If you stay outside at night, the zone will break your mind!"
> "Lucas is being mentally attacked by the forbidden zone itself?! The zone has a WILL?!"
> "Formless... shapeless... a dimensional strike—how are we supposed to fight that?!"
The previously roaring chat went dead silent.
All eyes were on the bottom-right corner of the stream.
Lucas's mental value was plummeting.
Yet... no one was afraid.
Instead—
> "Why... why am I excited and terrified at the same time?"
> "Same here... this is madness and I love it."
> "The forbidden zone is breaking his mind... that's the real attack."
Lucas stood trembling, lips tightly pressed together.
He forced a smile—but even that was distorted.
"Mental cap is 620... that should hold me for a while."
Suddenly, footsteps.
Coming from... everywhere.
Lucas turned, alert.
Footsteps from all directions.
[Modeling...]
[Analyzing...]
[Creatures in the Restricted Zone: Intermediate-Level Danger Detected]
[Creatures in the Forbidden Zone: High-Level Danger Detected]
[Creatures: Surpassing Intermediate Threat Threshold...]
Risk boxes appeared around every exit, every shadow, every hallway.
And then—
The truth hit the livestream audience like a freight train.
> "Wait... they're not monsters..."
> "Those are PLAYERS!"
> "They've been... controlled! Controlled by the forbidden zone!"
> "Those who stayed outside... their minds were taken... and now they're puppets!"
The players under the forbidden zone's control were now closing in on Lucas.
> "He's cornered! If he fights, he risks killing the wrong player and being eliminated!"
> "If he doesn't fight, they'll kill him!"
But—
Lucas didn't hesitate.
He turned and sprinted toward the nearby factory dormitory building.
> "Where's he going?!"
> "He's not even going to try and fight?!"
The controlled players gave chase, silent and mechanical.
They followed him into the dormitory's ground floor.
Inside—it was dark. Empty. A maze of rooms.
Lucas vanished.
The puppets scattered, methodical and eerily synchronized.
Searching.
In one room—
A player opened the door cautiously.
He stepped inside—
And froze.
A hand lashed out from the dark, wrapping tightly around his throat.
Before he could scream, Lucas's voice murmured behind him:
"Number 195…"
It wasn't the target.
The player kicked wildly, choking, but Lucas didn't loosen his grip.
With his free hand, Lucas lifted the strange vacuum-like device Jason had found earlier.
The button glowed red.
FLASH.
White light engulfed the room.
And then—he was gone.
[System Notice: Player Daniel eliminated. Number: 19]
[Current Dungeon Players: (32/50)]
Lucas pressed against the door, listening.
More footsteps.
They were closing in on his room.
"The zone can't see inside the building... but these players are its eyes."
Without another word, Lucas slipped through the hallway and vanished.
> :????
:Did Lucas just kill a player?! But... why wasn't HE eliminated?!
> :That machine! What does it DO?! It's not killing—it's transporting?
> :Lucas knew exactly how to use it. He always knows...
> :I swear this guy is a walking cheat code
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