And the biggest question was—why couldn’t his teammates contact him?!

What the hell went wrong...

When he was designing this, he’d considered nearly every possible outcome, but not once did it cross his mind that someone could keep violating the rules non-stop.

So if it wasn’t a flaw in his game design, then it could only mean “Sin” was actively and repeatedly breaking the rules on purpose.

Then what was his goal?

Is he crazy? Just trying to hand me a win?

Even though Park Bu Seong had always fantasized about winning, he never imagined it happening this easily.

Is this top player really that weak? Am I the Chosen One or what?

The corners of Park Bu Seong’s mouth twitched between a cocky smirk and a cold sweat, his forehead damp, his brain completely scrambled.

“No matter what, it’s him who’s breaking the rules now. He’s the one being punished.”

“I haven’t been affected. He chose Hell Mode himself. It’s natural that the game is targeting him.”

“This challenge is him versus me and the game. I have the advantage!”

Who asked him though?!

Let’s just say... he was giving himself a pep talk.

After hammering himself with enough motivational slogans, he finally felt a bit better and his mood started to settle.

Three minutes passed, and this time he didn’t hear the game’s punishment alert. He felt weirdly off without it, even lifted his head in confusion.

“Huh?”

A moment later, the game alert sounded again.

【Seven Mysteries of the Campus—Human Model in the Biology Classroom: Black-side player has completed it.】

【Current progress: 1/7. Time remaining: 23:17:08.】

“Hm... huh?!”

Hearing the alert again, but after clearing his thoughts, he realized something was different! It wasn’t what he expected!

“He cleared it?!”

How the hell did he clear it?

Park Bu Seong was stunned. Wasn’t the advantage supposed to be on his side? How long had it even been? Why was the level cleared already?!

And he had been breaking the rules nonstop—how did he even pass the level? Is his horror game instance something that could be cleared by violating the rules?

Was it his teammate?

But his teammate was clearly brought in to make clearing it harder, not easier.

“I object! Chosen’s Paradise, can you hear me?”

“How did he clear it? I need to know. I’ve never heard of a game where you can win just by breaking the rules!”

“He was breaking them non-stop just minutes ago, and now he cleared the stage?!”

Park Bu Seong couldn’t handle the blow and actually started questioning the game out loud.

But the game completely ignored him. Not everyone is Lu Ce, someone who can provoke the game and still win and get achievement badges.

【......】

After being thoroughly ignored, Park Bu Seong had no choice but to sulk in silence, pacing back and forth.

He was miserable, but there was nothing he could do. He wasn’t like Lu Ce, who had the guts to test the game’s limits with his life. All Park could do was stew in frustration.

This is way too messed up...

“Wait a minute!”

His overloaded pig brain finally recalled something and he re-read that notification.

Biology classroom... human model...

Biology classroom!

Isn’t that where his teammate was?!

He panicked immediately. Was that guy completely useless? The other guy kept violating rules and still cleared the level. Park just wanted to get in touch quickly and figure out what had happened.

Then, the game alert sounded again—and this time, it completely shattered his composure.

【White-side player “Kim I Ru” has exited the game.】

【The game continues!】

And this Kim I Ru was Park Bu Seong’s teammate in the biology classroom!

“What?!”

Huh?

Park Bu Seong’s face instantly morphed into a meme, exactly like that Black guy with the question marks.

Violations, then stage clear, then his own teammate quits?

What the hell?! This game is supposed to be Hell Mode for “Sin,” right? Or is it Hell Mode for me?!

......

A few minutes ago—

After the punishment ended, Lu Ce stood up from the pool of blood, adjusted his clothes and collar, and looked at the last remaining person.

That person was just standing there numbly. His comrades—those fake humans—were now all corpses on the floor.

His eyes, full of fear, stared straight at Lu Ce. Just a moment ago, he had been swinging a stick at Lu Ce with all his might.

But a stick couldn’t kill the strongest player in the world.

Now, he probably realized his life was over.

He was lucky—Lu Ce had randomly saved one to be the last.

But also unlucky—because now he had to face Lu Ce directly.

“What a shame.” Lu Ce finally spoke. No one knew who he was even talking to. Then, he raised his gun.

Fake human: What the hell do you mean, shame?!

Bang!

Gunshot. The last one fell. The classroom went quiet.

Lu Ce turned and looked at Xie Antong, who had been standing at the back of the classroom the whole time.

Xie Antong immediately raised her hand and waved. “Me! It’s me, I’m your teammate, I’m not with them!”

Lu Ce: ......

“I know.”

And just then, the pile of corpses on the ground turned into black smoke and disappeared, leaving behind only parts—body components that made up a human, reeking of a synthetic odor and bizarre stench.

At the same time, the stage-clear alert chimed.

Xie Antong walked over, wanting to ask “Sin” why he insisted on doing things this way.

But then she noticed that Sin was standing there, head down, silently staring at the scattered limbs. He slowly raised his gun again.

What, gonna shoot the dead bodies?

Suddenly, some of the body parts on the ground shot up, forming a human shape mid-air and running toward the door.

Xie Antong didn’t even have time to react—bang, a gunshot. Lu Ce blasted a hole in the thigh.

“AHHH!!!”

A scream echoed from mid-air, and a figure dropped down, clutching his leg in agony.

“No! I’m not Park Bu Seong! I’m just...”

Before he could finish, Lu Ce, already in second gear, fired Hell Roar.

Kill!

Kim I Ru had no time to think. He used his Exit Token. A scream echoed through the searing heat, and then he vanished—quit the game.

And that’s when it all came flooding back to Xie Antong.

Kim I Ru’s special ability—Substitution Technique.

He could split his body into multiple parts, with only one part being the real fatal point. The rest, even if hit, wouldn’t kill him—not even the heart!

Xie Antong had been unable to figure out which part of the fake humans was their core because their bodies included components from Kim I Ru. Those parts could also move and pretend to be the core!

If they attacked the wrong part, they could take out all the fakes and still not clear the game—leaving her and Lu Ce misled, thinking they had guessed the method wrong.

So... Lu Ce had insisted on risking constant violations just to kill every single fake human?

“You already figured it out?” Xie Antong turned her head in shock, looking at the masked, silent “Sin.”

Lu Ce: ?

Figured out what?