The barrage of comments in the livestream chat window came crashing in like a tidal wave:
cream of the crop:
????
????
"Question marks can no longer express my mood at the moment!"
"Who in their right mind cuts off someone's head before even hearing their story?"
"We were just getting into the creepy part—and you go and decapitate her?! Seriously?!"
"So he closed the door earlier not to hide—but to trap the ghost inside?!"
"666. This guy isn't human!"
"Forget the ghost, the newcomer's the real nightmare!"
"This rookie is out of his mind—and I love it!"
"Okay, okay. I take back everything I said. He's not just brave—he's clinically insane in the best way!"
cream of the crop sent a 'Super Rocket'.
...
> [1,021 people are now watching Lucas' live broadcast. 853 have followed. 67 have sent gifts, totaling 67 points.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Initial Reputation"]
[Congratulations! The player has entered the Central Game Hall broadcast window.]
In the Newcomer Zone, Lucas' screen went dark for a brief moment.
Then, inside the glowing core of the Central Hall, a new screen blinked on.
It was a small frame, nestled quietly on the edge. But even there, it drew eyes like a beacon in the dark.
"I've never seen a rookie step into the Central Hall this fast…"
"He's something else. That ghost didn't even stand a chance."
...
> [Player Lucas stroked the female ghost's long hair for five minutes. Hidden mission completed.]
[Reward: A Bloody Kitchen Knife]
Lucas' confident grin froze.
"…A what?"
A bloody kitchen knife.
Kitchen knife?!
He looked down at the weapon in his hand. Sure enough—it was drenched in a deep, sticky red. The very blade that had sliced through the ghost's neck now pulsed faintly in his inventory.
"Really? I get a bloodied kitchen knife for that stunt?"
Opening his inventory screen, Lucas tapped on the knife to view its stats.
> [Item: Bloody Kitchen Knife]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Attack Power: Medium]
[Attributes: None]
[Note: This isn't a knife for fish. It's a knife for fate. Once bloodied by the dead, it can never return to the kitchen.]
Lucas gave a long, deep sigh. Still… an excellent-grade item was no joke.
At that moment, the system's risk detection module blinked back to life.
> [Second Floor, Women's Restroom: No Danger]
"Huh?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.
The hazard rating dropped?
He glanced toward the wall across the corridor.
> [Second Floor, Men's Restroom: Low Danger]
Understanding clicked into place.
The danger levels were now being re-evaluated based on Lucas' updated strength.
The ghost's death rendered the women's restroom harmless. And now armed with a better weapon, Lucas posed a greater threat—thus dropping the difficulty of nearby zones.
And then—
> [Player Lucas has triggered the Hidden Mission: "Fulfill the Female Ghost's Wish."]
[Reward: Unknown]
...
: A chain quest?!
: Dude's got blood on his hands and EXP in the bank. This is a win.
: Wait—he didn't even listen to her story.
: How's he going to complete a spiritual request without the spirit?
: Can he even do the next part?
cream of the crop:
"Let's not forget: normally, you need to earn a ghost's trust first. Then help fulfill their final obsession. That's the proper way to handle chain quests."
"But hey, I'll admit—even I didn't see this coming from a newbie."
cream of the crop sent another 'Super Rocket'.
: Bold take.
: Solid breakdown.
...
The Central Hall's viewership surged as more avatars stopped in front of Lucas' stream.
"That's the guy? The one who broke the chain event wide open?"
"Spirit value: 100… I'm scared just looking at his stats."
"Changming Ghost School was never meant for this level of chaos. What's his Luck stat again?"
"Zero. Completely cursed."
> [3,012 players are now watching the stream. Player's popularity is increasing at the highest current rate in the dungeon.]
[Promoted to Featured Position. Maintain momentum for extended visibility.]
Lucas ignored the view counter.
He didn't care who was watching. His focus was survival.
His fingers gripped the knife's handle tightly. His other hand... held something cold.
The ghost's severed head.
He pushed open the restroom door.
The corridor outside was silent, blanketed in unnatural white fog.
> [Changming High School Fog: High Danger]
[2nd Floor Corridor: Low Danger]
[Trash Can in 2nd Floor Corner: Low Danger]
[Classroom 1, Grade 2: Low Danger]
[Classroom 2, Grade 2: Low Danger]
[...]
Each assessment flew past his eyes like radar scans.
Only the fog still posed a true threat.
Lucas smiled faintly. He had a plan now.
With confidence in his step and a weapon in hand, he moved forward.
One hand held the bloodstained knife. The other, the decapitated head.
Drip… drip…
The faint sound of water trickling off the hair echoed behind him.
...
: What the... what's he doing?!
: Carrying the head? Really? Why not just leave it?!
: Never try to understand a madman's logic.
...
But Lucas was no fool.
His logic was grim—but clear.
If the ghost still had an unfulfilled obsession, the head might be part of it. Without it, the next step of the hidden mission could be impossible to complete. Maybe the key wasn't just her death—but guiding her to rest.
He descended into the corridor, every sense alert.
Fog swirled around his ankles like living mist, but the path was clear.
Every footstep echoed like a drumbeat. Every breath carried tension.
Still, Lucas moved forward—not with fear, but purpose.
He wasn't just playing for rewards now.
He was playing to survive, to dominate, to conquer.
A rookie no longer. Lucas had become something else entirely.