Advanced danger.
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
Lucas stopped in front of the captain's lounge door, his expression unreadable. He stared at the glowing text for a few seconds, then—without hesitation—turned on his heel and began walking away.
The waiter blinked, completely stunned.
"You… aren't you looking for the captain?" he asked, voice cracking with confusion.
Lucas didn't even slow his pace. "It's too dangerous," he said calmly. "Life is more important."
The moment those words left his mouth, the live chat exploded.
> : "Bro, what? This guy's been slicing waiters like bread and now he's scared?!"
: "Did Lucas just say life is important? From his mouth?"
: "Someone please clip that, I need to watch it on loop."
> [8,539 viewers tipped player Lucas. 634 viewers disliked player Lucas. Tip points earned: 7,905.]
His reputation had drawn crowds.
Lucas's cold-blooded strategies and fearless approach had caught the attention of players across the platform. "Terror Cruise" was a relatively new dungeon, and Lucas was the first player to trigger a hidden mission here. Naturally, that meant all eyes were on him.
> [Player Gugu (Global Rank #399) has entered the stream.]
[Player Fang Shaobei (Global Rank #416) has entered the stream.]
[Player Cat's Eye Toy (Global Rank #208) has entered the stream.]
Top 500-ranked players.
Their arrival caused a ripple effect. The viewership surged as fans and analysts flooded the stream.
> : "Legends have entered the chat."
: "Gugu watching a rookie? That's rare."
: "Cat's Eye Toy too? This dungeon just went from C-tier to S-tier."
The pros didn't hold back with their comments either.
Gugu: "Shame. I would've pushed it."
Fang Shaobei: "It's his second dungeon. Retreating here is smart. This level of danger would end most new players."
Cat's Eye Toy: "He didn't even try the captain's trigger. Funny how confident he seemed until now."
Cat's Eye Toy: "Boring. I'm heading out."
More viewers joined. More opinions clashed.
But Lucas?
He stood silent.
Except he didn't leave.
Just as he took a step away, he paused again.
He remembered something.
[Female Ghost's Blessing]
A special status. A buff from a prior encounter. Would it protect him here too?
Lucas slowly turned his head toward the door once again.
> [Royal Blue State Captain's Lounge: Advanced Danger]
[Royal Blue State Captain's Lounge Door: Advanced Danger]
Even the door was dangerous.
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "The door is dangerous. Not necessarily what's behind it."
He tilted his head, thinking, then asked the waiter plainly, "What's the trigger for the captain to start attacking?"
The waiter blinked again. It was rare for a player to ask an NPC a direct and logical question like this.
He swallowed nervously.
"I… I'm not sure. I only perform my own tasks. I've never entered that room either..."
Lucas tapped the side of his face with the flat of his kitchen knife, thinking.
He walked up to the door. His fingers hovered an inch above the handle—but he didn't touch it.
Instead, he leaned closer.
There was a peephole on the door.
Except it was backward.
A reversed peephole.
From outside, you could see in. Lucas's instincts screamed caution. He glanced around. Opened his inventory. His escape route was primed.
He leaned forward carefully.
Just inches between him and the steel.
Through the peephole—
Darkness.
Dim lighting. Barely anything visible.
And then—
A flash of red.
Crimson color surged through the tiny lens.
A bloodshot eye filled the peephole.
The thing inside the room was staring right back at him.
It had been watching him all along.
> : "HELL NO."
: "Bro I dropped my phone. Not cool."
: "Classic ghost tactic. That eye was too human. Too hungry."
Gugu: "Looks like the door is the trigger. You open it—you die."
Fang Shaobei: "Even I'd back off if I didn't have stat suppression active. Lucas is playing smart."
> : "Fang Shao 666!"
: "Please carry me in your next dungeon, Mr. Fang!"
Still, Lucas didn't blink.
Neither did the thing behind the door.
They just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.
Eventually, Lucas stood upright again.
> : "Wait... is he really giving up?"
> : "Lucas doesn't look like he's retreating."
> : "Wait a damn second… what's he doing?!"
Lucas opened the in-game shop.
> [Search: Axe]
[Filter: Price — High to Low]
Thousands of items appeared on the interface.
Lucas scrolled quickly. Found one. Selected it.
> [System prompt: 20,000 points required. Confirm purchase?]
[Confirm.]
---
Item: Thor's Axe
Type: Weapon
Quality: Dilapidated
Attack: Unknown
Note: A counterfeit version of Thor's Hammer. Heavier and sharper than an ordinary axe. No idea who would spend this many points on it.
---
A large, rusty axe appeared in his hands. It took both arms for Lucas to raise it. The blade shimmered faintly with a ghostly edge.
> : "Is he going to attack the door?"
: "He's actually insane."
: "One chop and it's instant death."
But Lucas didn't aim for the door.
He turned slightly—to the wall beside it.
> [Royal Blue State Iron Wall: No Danger]
Lucas smirked.
"If the door's the danger… then the wall is my path."
BOOM!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!!
Three massive strikes.
The rusty axe tore into the iron with shocking force. Sparks flew. A hole cracked open.
The wall crumbled—and the space behind the door was revealed.
Inside, a grotesque humanoid creature crouched low, pressed against the door, its eye peering through the peephole.
It was watching. Waiting.
But now, it turned slowly toward the hole in the wall—its mouth stretched wide in a soundless gasp.
Lucas's grinning face peeked through the hole.
"Of course," he said casually, "we just make a way that isn't dangerous."
> : "BROOOO."
: "What?! That was brilliant!"
: "GAN?! How is that even allowed?!"
> [System prompt: Viewership increased by 23,000. Current viewers: 178,022.]
> [Player Lucas now holds 15.2% of all live viewers in the central zone. Rank: #1]
Lucas stepped back from the hole. Calm. Confident. Still breathing.
The ghost didn't move. Maybe it was stunned.
Maybe it had never encountered a player who attacked from the side.
Or maybe…
It was preparing to retaliate.
But Lucas didn't care.
He proved the system could be challenged.
And the audience? They couldn't get enough.
_________________________________
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