Horror :The Cautious Titan

---

The moment Lucas flipped open his answer sheet, his expression froze.

[Topic:]

1. On what day did Amy and Lily die?

2. How did Amy and Lily die?

3. What method did you use to survive?

...

That was it.

Just a few vague, almost cryptic, questions—based on a single abstract sentence from the reading passage. It wasn't even a proper narrative. No context, no backstory, no hints.

And yet, the candidates were expected to derive clear answers from it?

"Is this even a serious test?"

Players watching the live stream began coughing from sheer disbelief. A wave of complaints echoed through the broadcast chats.

> "The reading question only has that one weird sentence! How do you even begin to analyze that?!"

> "I thought the listening test was ridiculous, but this is on another level."

> "What even are 'Amy' and 'Lily'? Colors? Names? Ghosts?"

Everyone in the stream chat erupted into a storm of confusion. The outrage wasn't about losing; it was about being asked to solve a riddle wrapped in a sentence hidden inside a fever dream.

Soon, a new theory emerged.

> "Wait... isn't the second-level dungeon difficulty supposed to scale based on the average performance of the players inside? If it's this difficult, maybe it's because someone with a super high score got pulled in."

Everyone suddenly paused. Eyes turned toward the real culprits.

> "Well, for sure one of them is Blue Kill. He's been in less than 50 dungeons, so he can still be randomly dropped into a second-level one."

> "And the other reason is obvious…"

The camera panned to Lucas.

> "Lucas. That crazy newcomer with perfect scores in every dungeon."

Even the players watching his live broadcast had mixed feelings.

Some were amazed.

Some were terrified.

Some were... envious.

---

Zhi——

The system announcement played again:

> "Candidates now have twelve hours to complete the exam. Early submission is allowed. If the submission time is exceeded, 40 points will be deducted. Wrong answers will also result in a deduction of 40 points."

And then, unexpectedly—

Melodic classical music began to play.

The oppressive atmosphere lightened slightly, and every candidate in the examination room began standing up in eerie synchronization.

They packed up their test papers and answer sheets without hesitation and walked out in silence.

No one whispered. No one looked around.

Under the emotionless gazes of twelve faceless invigilators, Lucas calmly walked toward the nearest one.

The faceless invigilator's body visibly stiffened.

The others braced themselves like soldiers facing a wild beast.

> "Teacher," Lucas called politely.

The invigilator's legs trembled, and he clung to the nearest table for support.

> "Where should I go now?" Lucas asked, tilting his head innocently.

There was a moment of hesitation.

Then a hoarse voice emerged.

> "Return to your dormitory."

Lucas frowned.

> "Hmm. I think... I may have forgotten where that is."

"Forgotten?!"

The invigilator nearly collapsed from the pressure.

But somehow, swallowing his fear, he responded:

> "I'll take you."

Lucas smiled brightly.

> "Wow. The teachers here are so considerate!"

---

The dormitory assigned was a quadruple room. Lucas, escorted by a literal formation of twelve faceless invigilators, naturally drew attention like a spotlight.

> "Is that a player?"

> "He's nothing like the dull NPCs we usually see."

> "Wait—isn't that the guy who killed the teacher during the last broadcast?!"

> "It's him! Oh god—he's actually kind of handsome!"

The hallway buzzed with chatter and awe.

Lucas arrived at the dormitory entrance. As always, he was courteous.

> "Thank you, teacher."

The faceless invigilator's featureless face seemed to crumple inward with stress.

He waved awkwardly—then bolted as if his life depended on it.

Lucas entered the room. The sound of whispered gasps and peeking eyes stopped the moment the door clicked shut behind him.

---

The dormitory had already been populated.

Three roommates were there. They froze when Lucas walked in.

Two of them quickly grabbed their coats and fled for dinner, their eyes avoiding his.

Only one remained.

And then—

He walked over.

> "Hey," he said softly. "You're... amazing. Everyone's saying you were the one who killed the teacher."

Lucas raised an eyebrow in surprise. This was the first candidate to act like a normal person since the dungeon began.

The boy glanced toward the door, cautious.

Then he lowered his voice.

> "I only dared to speak once the others left. You should know how it is…"

He pointed at Lucas, then at himself.

> "People like us... we're treated like freaks."

Lucas sat down on the only empty bed in the room.

> "How do you stay sane?" he asked.

The boy didn't even blink.

> "Skipping class, of course."

"But I'm always on edge. If I fail an exam, I could die. That tension… it keeps me functional."

He shivered, probably thinking of the exploding-head scenario they had all witnessed before.

> "How about you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "How do you stay normal?"

Lucas gave the safest possible answer.

> "Same as you."

The boy nodded. No suspicion, no challenge. Just acceptance.

That made Lucas curious.

This one—he was different. Too different to be a generic NPC.

> "Do you know where the Faceless Men come from?" Lucas asked carefully.

The boy's face paled. His eyes darted to the corners of the room, and he lowered his voice again.

> "No one knows for sure… But based on what I've seen, the ones who perform better tend to become Faceless."

Lucas frowned.

That… was unexpected.

So doing well in the exam didn't save you. It might actually condemn you.

---

Meanwhile, outside the dormitory, night descended.

Within the world of the reading test, the snowy day from the story turned real.

The mysterious young author—who had burned his last review ticket just for warmth—was found frozen into a perfect ice sculpture by dawn.

And yet, that one chilling sentence remained:

> "It was a snowy day, and Amy and Lily were dead."

How did they die? What day was it? How did the reader survive?

That was the test.

And Lucas?

He was determined to pass.

No matter what twisted rules this dungeon tried to enforce.

---

End of Chapter 35

------------------------------------------------------

Extra chapters available in patreon

patreon.com/Dragonscribe31

----------------------------------------------------------