Hearing the voice in her ear, the one who reacted the most wasn’t Xie Antong—it was Park Bu Seong, who had just barged in.

He’d only been gone a few minutes, and that guy already cleared the stage?

D*mn it, an A-tier Sealed Artifact, and that’s it? The so-called gaze of the Old Gods—what the h*ll did you gaze at?

Did that guy really not cheat? Why didn’t it have any effect? Wasn’t it supposed to favor me because he chose Hell Mode, so the rules and freedom of the game would lean toward me?

Park Bu Seong didn’t have time to dwell on all that. If he wanted to win—or rather, if he didn’t want to die—this was the only move he had left.

Ssh*bal...

“Little Ah, let me in!”

This stage was tough, sure, but it didn’t compare to the Thirteen Steps. After witnessing “Sin’s” power firsthand, Park Bu Seong had already let go of all his illusions.

He knew—his only path to victory was to deal with the “Blank” in front of him!

But Ye Ah clearly no longer trusted him. Even after Park Bu Seong threw out all his cards and got the game’s favor, he still lost.

And he was in this sorry state, with a broken arm—he looked downright terrifying.

“But…”

Ye Ah’s voice faltered as she tried to act cute again. Normally, that little move always worked, and Park Bu Seong would immediately cave and buy her whatever. But now? Useless.

“Cut the cr*p! I don’t have time for this.”

Park Bu Seong roared, and the ugliness of human nature began to show. Eyes wide, he strode toward the mirror.

He knew “Sin” was making a move. The second he heard that stage-clear sound, he felt that masked devil was about to appear right behind him.

That sense of urgency—he’d never felt anything like it. Back in Da Han Mingguo, he had power, status, a family, background, and money. No matter what kind of trouble he caused, it could always be handled.

Because he knew exactly what kind of power was behind him. Even in this challenge to become Number One, he had the universe’s most powerful country backing him. He had never known fear.

But now, he felt utterly alone. Nothing could help him. He was like a stray dog being hunted.

He didn’t dare think. He could only charge ahead, hoping for a shot at victory.

Xie Antong’s face was calm, and her muscles relaxed as much as possible. She suspected Park Bu Seong might attack her, but she didn’t plan to react.

She was going to stick to her plan—wait for “Sin” to arrive!

It wasn’t even really a plan, honestly. Kinda pathetic, even. But there was one good thing about it—it was a guaranteed win!

As long as she didn’t move, didn’t look, didn’t trigger anything that could boost the power of the horror mystery, she could hold out.

The pain in her ankle came in waves, but it was bearable.

The hair around her neck made it hard to breathe, but that wasn’t fatal.

All of it—all of it was fine. Just paper tigers. Annoying, but not enough to make her lose.

She could’ve started solving the puzzle, figuring out how to clear the stage—but she wasn’t going to risk it. She still didn’t know this place well enough.

If she lost, she couldn’t imagine how she’d face “Sin’s” gun barrel.

What she didn’t expect was that Park Bu Seong didn’t even have time to attack her and waste time. He headed straight for the mirror.

In that moment of crisis, his brain actually worked for once. He knew he couldn’t beat “Blank” by force—it’d just be venting. So he didn’t waste time.

“Don’t, Park Oppa…”

Ye Ah’s voice carried fear. Park Bu Seong’s drastic shift made it clear that something was seriously wrong—something big.

“Shut it, we’ll talk later!”

As he spoke, Park Bu Seong stepped into the mirror. Technically, in this game, he was the protagonist, the one with the highest authority, the leader of the White Side. So even if Ye Ah wanted to resist, she couldn’t.

So, Park Bu Seong took control.

The next second, a long-haired ghost girl was forced out of the mirror. She looked terrifying, yet somehow lonely.

That was “Hanako” possessed by Ye Ah. And now, she was in a state of being controlled by Park Bu Seong.

Control—a pretty interesting kind of play.

But neither of them was in the mood for “play” now. And Ye Ah’s so-called control was basically just being turned into cannon fodder.

Still, she didn’t dare exit the state easily. Without it, she wouldn’t even get the horror mystery buffs—just an ordinary player. Honestly, even Xie Antong could probably kill her then!

The permissions for the horror mystery controlled by Park Bu Seong had definitely increased. Even though Xie Antong hadn’t triggered anything, the damage she took was already higher.

The hair around her neck started tightening. The liquid on her ankle felt like knives slicing her skin.

She started to suffocate. Her instincts screamed at her to fight back—but doing that might increase the game’s difficulty, make her more likely to lose!

She was torn.

Luckily, the struggle didn’t last long—just a few seconds. Her throat loosened. The pain in her leg faded.

And then, that familiar pressure returned behind her. A voice echoed in her ear.

“Open your eyes, I’m here.”

Xie Antong’s eyes flew open. The All-Seeing Eye activated, scanning everything in the game scene—and the figure behind her.

She spoke:

“Took you over an hour... tough fight, huh?”

“Not bad. Welfare Bureau.”

Lu Ce replied coolly. His Mysterious Cloak was intact, and his wounds were already healed with some pills. He looked totally fine.

As he spoke, he casually pulled out his gun and shot a nearby mirror, shattering it—intensifying the horror mystery in the scene.

He was here for the win. He didn’t have Xie Antong’s caution or hesitation. He’d just faced demons and gods—you think he’s scared of some mirror in the women’s restroom?

The atmosphere in the restroom went wild. The Hanako formed from Ye Ah let out a sharp screech and lunged forward.

She didn’t want to!

But this was Park Bu Seong’s command and task—she had no choice but to obey. Rush in, burn out, die.

All that previous talk about love? Worthless now.

Lu Ce was already in combat mode. The Wrath Mask activated. He didn’t care about any of that—just slapped Ye Ah straight into the wall with a scream of pain.

Xie Antong stood to the side, the All-Seeing Eye showing her the control Park Bu Seong had. Her voice dripped with disgust:

“The rotten nature of privileged kids. And another girl who’s lost her mind.”

The Sin Mask beside her suddenly glowed. It spoke calmly:

“What, you’re not the same kind of people?”