At the entrance of the newcomer area, the atmosphere was desolate.
This round, out of all the new players who had entered the dungeon, only one person had cleared it—Lucas.
Because of that, there was almost no one around. The system had already removed the rest.
Lucas stood alone.
His breath was steady, eyes calm.
He reached into his inventory and pulled up the reward he hadn't had time to inspect earlier—the mysterious item from the hidden mission.
> [Item Name: Female Ghost's Blessing]
[Type: Consumable]
[Quality: Legendary]
[Attack Power: Unknown]
[Attributes: None]
[Note: As a female ghost, how could she accept being butchered by a kitchen knife? Before dying, she cursed the one who killed her—but the system converted the curse into a blessing. The ghost hunter now receives her last wish as a life-saving charm. This item can block one fatal blow.]
Lucas raised his eyebrows slightly as he read.
So her final curse had been forcibly converted by the system into a life-saving buff?
"Not bad," he muttered.
As someone who valued life above all else, being able to negate death once... gave him immense peace of mind.
After examining the reward, Lucas pulled open his personal status panel.
> [Player: Lucas]
Health: 100 (Perfect condition)
Stamina: 70 (Constant ghost-killing drains energy. Recovery in progress...)
Strength: 50 (Can easily overpower a high school-level ghost)
Luck: 0 (If someone must suffer the worst fate, it'll be you.)
Intelligence: 90 (You think differently, but brilliance is undeniable.)
Mental Fortitude: 100 (Emotionless or just very stable? No breakdowns detected.)
Skills: None
Points: 21,884
Lucas's eyes paused at the Points value.
"Over twenty-one thousand? Not bad at all."
Curious, he navigated to the live broadcast panel.
He hadn't checked it yet, but sure enough—there were 99+ friend requests flashing on the side of the screen.
Lucas didn't even bother opening them.
He clicked 'Block All'.
> [System Notice: Player Lucas has exceeded 1,000 points and unlocked access to the Game Mall.]
[Balance: 21,884. Items can now be purchased.]
[Would you like to enter the mall now?]
He browsed through the Game Mall quickly.
The items that were labeled as "Rare" or "Legendary" all started at 100,000 points or more.
Lucas closed the panel.
"Too expensive. I'll save it for now."
Just then, the system's cold voice echoed again:
> [Warning: Players must enter the next horror game within 3 days, or their life will be forfeit.]
[Countdown Begins Now – 2 Days, 23 Hours, 59 Minutes]
[Wishing all players a happy game!]
Lucas exhaled slowly.
"So I'm just going to keep playing with my life on the line..."
There was no rest for long in this world. He understood that now.
Still, he needed to recover.
Lucas exited the game interface and walked to the rest zone. It was a space built specifically for players between dungeon runs—a place to eat, rest, or sleep.
He stepped into a small room with bare concrete walls, laid down on the single bed, and closed his eyes.
He needed all the strength he could muster.
---
Three days later...
Lucas re-entered the game right on time.
He was no longer wearing the hospital gown from before.
Now, he wore a plain black t-shirt and jeans. His messy black hair hung loosely, casting shadows over his pale skin.
During the break, Lucas had studied everything he could about the Thriller Game.
He'd read every post, theory, and strategy guide. He'd memorized mechanics, dungeon types, and even rumors.
But one thing was clear—
Game copies were randomized.
Unless a player had already cleared a dungeon once before, they had no control over where they were sent.
If you cleared a dungeon, you could revisit it by choice—but doing so wouldn't count for progress or rewards again.
There were some guides circulating online, but the accuracy was questionable.
No one fully trusted them. And rightfully so.
Lucas didn't hesitate.
He clicked "Start."
> [Welcome back, Player Lucas.]
[Now selecting next dungeon based on your previous performance...]
[Please wait while the scenario loads...]
---
Light. Water. Wind.
Lucas blinked as the world shifted around him.
The sound of waves gently crashing filled his ears.
He opened his eyes.
A vast ocean spread out before him.
The sky was blue, the horizon wide and endless. In the distance, a massive cruise ship loomed, painted brilliant white and towering ten stories tall.
Lucas looked around.
He was standing on the shore with eleven other players.
Behind them: the endless sea.
In front of them: the "Royal Blue State", a luxurious cruise ship with gleaming railings and wide decks.
It had seventeen restaurants, twenty-three bars, a rock climbing wall, casino, mini-golf course, gym, spa, and even a waterpark.
A floating city on the sea.
On the deck above, cheerful waiters in white uniforms waved energetically at them.
"Welcome, guests! Your three-day tour is about to begin! Please board quickly!"
> [Danger Detected. Activating System Scan...]
[Modeling Situation...]
[Generating Risk Rating Based on Player Lucas's Strength...]
[Location: Royal Blue State – Risk Level: Moderate]
Lucas frowned slightly.
Moderate danger?
He glanced at the others around him. The system had labeled them with the same medium threat level.
That made him uneasy.
If everyone's rating was the same, it could mean one of two things:
Either everyone here was equal in strength...
Or something was being hidden.
The system's next message confirmed his suspicions:
> [Dungeon Name: Horror Cruise]
[Level: Tier 3 – Player Death Rate: 50%+]
[Mode: Confrontation Mode]
Confrontation mode? Lucas's eyes narrowed.
The text continued:
> [In confrontation dungeons, players are split into two hidden camps. Identities are secret. If your camp completes its objective, your side wins.]
[If you die mid-dungeon, you may still be resurrected if your side wins.]
[Primary Objective: Survive three nights aboard the cruise ship.]
[Special Notice: Three of the players are ghosts. Player Lucas has been assigned to the Human Camp.]
Lucas exhaled slowly.
"So… we've got moles onboard."
Three of the twelve players weren't human. And no one knew who.
The goal was simple in theory—survive three nights.
But in practice, that meant paranoia, deception, betrayal, and violence.
And ghosts. Always ghosts.
He looked back up at the cruise ship, where white-coated staff smiled too cheerfully.
Too welcoming.
And then he looked at the water beneath the ship—
Black.
Deeper than it should be.
---
The other players were murmuring to one another.
Some had already stepped forward to board.
Lucas remained still.
He wasn't ready to trust anyone yet.
Not even the system's words.
Because if there was one thing he had learned from the Changming Ghost School…
It wasn't always the ghosts you had to fear.
Sometimes it was the players.
Sometimes it was yourself.
And sometimes... it was the game.
___________________________________
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