The viewers in Lucas's livestream stared at their screens, mouths agape.
One by one, each "Aunt Chloe" fell.
There wasn't a single one willing to give up her finger voluntarily. But it didn't matter.
There were too many children.
And when they swarmed around a target...
The choice was simple: give up the finger or be slaughtered.
And if they refused?
They were killed.
Then the fingers were taken.
Dozens of smaller screens flickered around the main view, following the chaos.
As the blood spilled and fingers were carved from flesh, the system applied mosaic filters to the children's perspectives.
But Lucas's main screen?
Still clear. Still quiet.
That eerie calm in the center of the storm.
Children laughed.
They held up fingers like trophies, cheering, wanting their rewards from their beloved big brother.
It looked like a carnival of blood.
> : "There were five sisters still alive, right? Plus the two that Lucas already killed—that's seven Aunt Chloes in total."
> : "Imagine if Lucas had faced all five surviving ones at once by himself. That would've been game over."
> : "Good thing these kids aren't normal. Aunt Chloe had no defense against them."
> : "Bro's building a mini-army inside this orphanage… is he trying to convert the entire NPC population?"
> : "And this all started as a side mission from the system! How the hell did Lucas turn it into a player-led massacre?!"
Now, five fingers were placed neatly in front of Lucas.
The system chimed.
> [System Prompt: Player Lucas has completed the hidden side-branch "Aunt Chloe's Sisters" in The Orphanage instance]
[Exploration Progress: 60%]
[Reward: +10 Blank Attribute Points]
"Death is not the end…"
The entertainment period ended.
The children skipped back to their dorms, faces glowing with satisfaction.
Charlie wiped his mouth and looked up at Lucas, beaming.
"Big brother, I want to play again tomorrow!"
Lucas chuckled softly.
"So it's true... once all the Aunt Chloes are eliminated, the plot opens up."
The total cost to reward the five children?
400,000 points.
Not cheap—but Lucas didn't care.
"Spending points to stay safe is worth it, no matter how much it costs."
His eyes dropped to the system notification: +10 blank attribute points.
He reviewed his character panel.
Mental value had risen high enough for now—he could feel it in the stability of his thoughts.
So he focused on the one stat that had always bothered him.
Luck: 1.
He poured all 10 points into Luck.
And watched.
Luck: 1… flickered… then blinked…
→ 2.
Lucas stared at it.
Then closed and reopened the panel.
Still 2.
He tried again.
Still 2.
"All that… just for one lousy point."
> : LOL this game is rigged
: He dumped 10 attribute points and only got 1 Luck?!
: Honestly, this just proves how rare Luck really is.
: Still, I'd rather have 300+ mental value than luck.
: Bro's one finger away from becoming a final boss.
Then it happened.
Every player in the instance saw the system tip:
> [System Notice: Hidden Side Plotline "Aunt Chloe's Sisters" Fully Explored by Player Lucas]
Viewers from all other streams rushed to his room.
> : What the hell did he do?!
: Wait… how did he unlock a hidden side plot?!
: This room's been insane. I've only been watching for five minutes and I'm already hooked.
: New guy? Check his stats—Mental Value: 312.
: Jesus. He's not a player—he's a myth in the making.
: Future Grandmaster confirmed. Subbing now.
: This is only his fourth instance. And he's already a Supernova?
Lucas's popularity exploded.
> [705,536 viewers currently watching Lucas's stream]
[634,891 viewers have sent gifts – 634,891 points earned]
[Rank: #2 livestream in the entire instance, just 50,000 away from 1st]
[Lucas is now the most followed player in the current dungeon]
Even players who hadn't paid attention before were shaken.
> : Wait… the captain has lower popularity than Lucas now?!
: Well, the top 100 are always popular. Lucas being this close is impressive for a newbie.
: Doesn't matter. At this rate, Lucas will pass everyone by the next dungeon.
—
By morning, the orphanage was quiet again.
The five dead Aunt Chloes were burned in the backyard.
The Dean, dressed in mourning black, wiped away tears in public—but didn't investigate the murders.
Of course, no one suspected Lucas.
How could a single player kill five high-level NPCs on his own?
Even the captain laughed.
"Good thing five of them died. If they hadn't, we'd all be in trouble by now."
Lucas nodded slowly, recalling their faces.
He didn't regret it.
Now that the Aunt Chloes were dead, their responsibilities needed to be redistributed.
The Dean smiled sweetly, but her words were cold:
"An excellent employee should always set an example."
She looked straight at Lucas.
"The kitchen has the heaviest workload. I'll assign it to you."
Lucas sighed.
"So that's what 1 point of Luck gets me…"
> [System Prompt: Player Lucas has triggered a Hidden Mission]
[Hidden Mission: Complete the Dean's Assigned Work & Become Outstanding Employee (Phase 2)]
[Reward: Unknown]
He remembered seeing something from the kitchen window the night before:
black, muscular hands
...moving in the dark.
Lucas took a deep breath and rested his hand on the kitchen knife at his waist.
"If I want to remain top of this orphanage… I need to perform again."
Ding dong!
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