The suffocating darkness of the orphanage whispered with secrets long buried. The soul that had once died in torment, now reborn in resentment, had taken over the headmistress and rebuilt the orphanage anew— a place twisted by guilt, rage, and punishment.
But now, this "angel," who had once believed herself a guardian, was a grotesque sight. Her body was a nightmare of flesh and blood, malformed by sarcomas and guilt, a physical manifestation of torment.
A fresh sarcoma burst from her side, throbbing, growing.
And it was immediately cut down.
Lucas didn't hesitate. He never did when danger was involved. He had seen too much, known too much. Hesitation only bred death.
"Do you still call yourself an angel?" Lucas's voice was cold, surgical.
In the "angel's" eyes, Lucas was more terrifying than her own cancerous form. That soulless kitchen knife. That unwavering stare. A chill deeper than any ghost's touch crawled up her spine.
And yet, there was something else—something terrifyingly familiar in him.
"What on earth... are you?" she whispered.
But her question was drowned out.
Ding!
A system notification appeared in front of every player's screen:
> [Player Lucas has unlocked the complete hidden plot – Angels in the Angel Orphanage.]
[Increased exploration progress of the hidden plot in the dungeon: 100%]
[System prompt: Player Lucas unlocks the complete hidden plot of the current instance.]
[Reward: 200 bonus points to be freely allocated.]
[...At last, someone uncovered the truth about the angel. She is no divine savior—only a betrayer, cursed to wander for eternity, lost in her guilt... Shh, don't say it too loud. She might still be watching you...]
Only Lucas heard the last part clearly.
He squatted down next to her, expression unreadable, his left hand resting lazily on his knee.
The "angel" flinched.
That simple movement sent a ripple of dread through her. She trembled.
"Can this game even recreate the dead so accurately?" Lucas mused, not to anyone in particular.
Raising the kitchen knife, he poked at a necrotic sarcoma that had fallen to the ground—dead tissue, no longer fed by the "mother."
"Abilities... habits... memories..." His voice grew quiet. "You're more like the original than even my clone was."
Those words struck the "angel" like lightning.
Her eyes widened. Her breath caught. The weight of forgotten memories pressed down. Her expression twisted—from confusion to dread, and finally into utter terror.
Lucas let the rotting lump drop from the knife.
"At [beep——]…"
He stopped, looking around.
"…Why was my speech censored just now?"
He tried again.
"[Beep——]" came the reply.
His brow furrowed. "The system is censoring me?"
Ding!
The system rang out again:
> [System prompt: Player Lucas has unlocked 100% of the hidden plot ahead of schedule. The instance will close shortly.]
[Player Nathan, player Ellie, player Dali… deceased.]
[Remaining players in instance: (4/10)]
[One-minute countdown to teleportation initiated.]
[00:59:59]
[00:59:58]
(...)
Back in the dormitory room—
The captain was still alive, thanks to a legendary item. Natalie had barely survived, managing to cling to life. She even encouraged someone along the way. It was more than they had expected.
Clutching his wounded belly, the captain winced, "Phew… We made it through by doing nothing. All thanks to Jason."
Natalie gave him a side-eye.
"You're still calling him Jason? The system's shown it twice now—Player Lucas. You really fell for it."
The captain's smile froze. He clammed up instantly.
Meanwhile, Lucas watched the countdown, slowly stroking his kitchen knife. His gaze wandered across the "angel"—to the sarcoma she tried to shield.
"Such a waste…" he muttered.
The "angel" scrambled back, covering herself with her arms.
Then—a soft white glow began to envelop Lucas.
The countdown hit its final seconds.
"Thank God he's leaving!!" she gasped with relief.
She could finally breathe. The threat of Lucas vanishing from sight was the only comfort she had left. She shuddered to think what would have happened if he had stayed...
---
Ding!
> [Comprehensive evaluation of Player Lucas – Reward summary:]
• Completed Main Storyline "Orphanage" – 5,000 points
• Completed Side Mission "Orphanage" – 1,000 points
• Completed Hidden Mission – 1,000 points
• Unlocked Hidden Plot – 10,000 points
• Earned Title: "Brain Explosion"
• Total Rank: SSS
> [Player Lucas's live stream exceeded 1.3 million viewers.]
[His video has been added to the site library. Viewers must spend 200 points to watch; Lucas earns 100 points per view.]
[Achievement unlocked: Most popular live stream in this instance.]
[Ranked 2nd among Super Streamers.]
[Fastest promotion among all active players.]
[Highest-rated clearance of 'The Orphanage'.]
[First player to complete hidden mission.]
[First to kill dungeon character "Rainy Night Butcher."]
[First to unlock "Angel" as a dungeon character.]
> [During this session, Lucas was watched by 1,304,691 people and received 1,239,476 reward points. Peak viewership hit 1.5 million concurrent viewers.]
[He now has a permanent Super Live Slot.]
[Lucas is ranked #153 globally in site data.]
> [The wandering souls await rebirth. Their beliefs will live on—even in death... Will you return? Someone waits to be set free.]
---
After Lucas's confrontation with the headmistress…
The audiences in other streams began flooding into his.
In no time, Lucas's broadcast became the most-watched in the entire instance.
And then it happened—
The screen exploded with a golden "SSS."
Everyone watching burst out in disbelief:
> "A level-4 instance… and he cleared it with a triple-S rating?!" "He even uncovered the hidden plotline that even BlueKill couldn't complete! He deserves every point of that SSS!" "Lucas isn't more popular than BlueKill only because BlueKill is also streaming right now…"
As the settlement rewards scrolled, the viewers grew more intrigued by the mystery than the points.
> "What did Lucas try to say that got censored?!" "Why did the system end the instance so fast? It's like they didn't want us to hear that part!" "How does he know so much about the 'angel's' mechanics? Did he play the beta or something?" "The way she looked at him in the end… it was like she recognized him." "Wait… could they have known each other… before all this!?" "No way. There's no way that's just a coincidence..." "What even is this instance? What's going on behind the scenes?!"
The truth had finally been exposed… but with it came new mysteries.
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