The sharp chime of a notification echoed throughout the live broadcast rooms of every player currently participating in the instance. The system had triggered a hidden mission—an event rare enough to stir interest across the board.
In an instant, thousands of players in other broadcast rooms redirected their focus to Lucas's stream.
[193,454 people are watching Player Lucas's live broadcast. 90,630 viewers are currently sending him gifts, earning him 90,630 points.]
[The popularity of Player Lucas's stream is rising rapidly. Only 380,000 more views to surpass the current top streamer. Keep it up~]
Comments flooded the screen.
> "That dean looks like a final boss! How on earth is he supposed to give Lucas a touching hug?"
> "I don't get it. Lucas's luck stat is literally 1. How does he always end up triggering hidden missions?"
> "Don't be fooled. Every hidden mission Lucas triggers is dangerous as hell. Just because he survives doesn't mean it was easy."
The chatter continued non-stop, but Lucas had already tuned it out.
The dean had been categorized as a medium-level danger, but Lucas was fortunate—or perhaps calculated—that the office was empty aside from the dean himself, significantly lowering the overall threat level.
That alone gave Lucas enough confidence to face the roaring dean with an unnerving calm.
The office trembled as the dean bellowed in fury. Then, slowly, his voice began to steady.
"As the Dean of Students, I carry the solemn duty of educating every one of my students to become useful members of society," he stated with cold authority.
From the comfort of their screens, one of the viewers suddenly shouted:
> "Wait! The dean might seem terrifying, but his behavior is still true to form! He's like a strict educator. So what's the best way to move someone like that?"
> "A prodigal student, of course!"
The insight spread like wildfire.
> "Oh! That's what the hidden task is hinting at!"
> "This isn't a dead end after all. It's a puzzle!"
> "Let's hope Lucas figures it out quickly… Fighting that guy won't end well."
Back in the office, the dean leaned forward and—shockingly—grabbed the two broken halves of a table. With brute strength, he squeezed them back together, forming a wobbly but functional desk again.
He pointed a finger the size of a broomstick at Lucas and thundered, "Hand over your collection of contraband knives!"
Lucas took a step forward, his movements steady and purposeful. The size difference between them was laughable. The dean resembled a tank—hulking, monstrous—while Lucas appeared small and calm, almost serene.
But the real tension crackled to life the moment Lucas reached into his coat and pulled out... a kitchen knife.
He placed it on the table with deliberate care. The dean's eyes immediately locked on the object, and his expression shifted in an instant.
The kitchen knife was soaked in old, dried blood. Some of the stains were nearly black, others still dark crimson. The gradient of decay clearly suggested a long and terrifying history.
The dean inhaled sharply.
"Student Lucas… answer me truthfully—how many lives has this knife claimed?!"
His voice cracked with a mixture of heartbreak and disbelief.
"I can't believe... a student I've personally mentored could turn out like this...!"
Lucas lifted his head.
"No," he said softly. "You've misunderstood."
The dean froze.
"Misunderstood?" he repeated, confused. "The evidence is right in front of me!"
Lucas continued, his voice eerily calm: "Only ghosts can leave permanent marks on this knife..."
He smiled—a gentle, almost childlike smile—but to the dean, it was more terrifying than anything he'd seen.
A chill ran up the dean's spine.
He glanced again at the knife—only to notice that it was trembling slightly.
His voice lowered. "Why is the knife... shaking?"
Lucas placed one hand on the blade, almost comfortingly.
"This knife reacts to ghosts. When there's one nearby, it gets... excited. The shaking? That's its way of saying hello."
The dean's face twisted in fury. His mouth opened wide, releasing a guttural growl of rage.
"STUDENT LUCAS! DISRESPECTING A TEACHER IS A GRAVE OFFENSE!"
He threw his arms into the air. Each limb stretched over four meters wide, and as he swung them, the ceiling groaned in protest, cracks spidering out from where his fists punched clean through.
The room trembled with his power.
With a howl that split the air like thunder, he brought his fists down on Lucas.
"DEMERIT ISSUED—PUNISHMENT IMMINENT!"
Lucas's strength value was 93, and the distance between them was now only a few meters.
A system notification flashed:
[Player Lucas's Mental Value -1]
His power, however, was still slowly rising…
Until it stopped.
101.
Lucas surged forward.
The blood-stained kitchen knife shimmered in his hand.
With a single fluid motion, he slashed at the dean's legs—
A scream erupted.
A leg the size of a tree trunk hit the floor with a wet thud.
The dean staggered, crashing to the ground. Before he could recover—
Another swipe.
Both legs—gone.
Blood gushed from the wounds as the dean screamed in agony.
> Chopping ghosts is just like chopping vegetables.
[Examination Center Instructor: Low-Level Danger]
Lucas approached.
He pressed the blade gently to the dean's neck.
But he didn't strike.
The dean was drenched in sweat, his massive body trembling, and yet he found the strength to spit out one last warning:
"Kill me and you'll never leave this school alive!"
Lucas blinked.
"I don't want to kill you…"
He tilted his head, eyes glinting with innocence.
"All I want... is a hug."
His voice was soft, like a child trying to win affection. It contrasted so sharply with the violence just committed that it sent a fresh wave of fear through the dean's body.
His broken legs throbbed with unbearable pain, a reminder of Lucas's strength.
Then, before he could react, Lucas bent forward—
—and wrapped his arms around him.
A tight, heartfelt hug.
The dean's thoughts scattered.
> Is this student... mentally ill?!
Lucas whispered, "Are you... touched?"
The dean stared, slack-jawed.
"I… I don't dare move..."
But then—
A chilling, sharp sting danced across his neck. The blade hovered a hair's breadth from cutting deeper.
"OH! OH! OH!!!" the dean yelled.
"YES! YES, I'M TOUCHED! I'M SO FREAKING TOUCHED!!"
The system responded at once:
[Player Lucas has received a touching hug from the Dean. Hidden mission completed.]
[Reward: Head Crusher]
[…Once the dean's favorite torture tool. Now gifted to his favorite student…]
---
As the mission reward was confirmed, the viewers watching the live stream exploded with excitement and disbelief.
> "Did that really just work?"
> "Lucas is insane... but somehow brilliant."
> "A hug got him through a boss fight. That's legendary."
Amidst the digital storm of cheers, gifts, and memes, Lucas quietly stood up, looked at the item in his hands—the Head Crusher—and tucked it away.
At his feet, the dean whimpered softly.
Far from triumphant or arrogant, Lucas's face showed only calm satisfaction. The objective was complete. The task was done.
He turned and walked away—
As though the entire ordeal had just been a conversation... and not a bloodbath.
Later, when the live stream faded to black, Lucas crouched beside a flower bush in the schoolyard.
He spotted a small, delicate flower lying on the ground. A single bloom.
"I don't know who dropped this," he murmured.
"But I think I'll keep it."
He smiled and slipped the flower into his pocket.
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