Chapter 77: Did I Say You Could Leave?

With just a thought, Lu Ce pulled up his personal stat panel.

Excluding equipment and other items, his raw stat points were nothing short of luxurious:

【Strength: 30】

【Speed: 15】

【Agility (Coordination): 15】

【Luck: 3】

【Spirit: 3】

Aside from Luck, which he had no clue what it even did and had never touched, all his other stats were far beyond the average player.

Spirit’s upgrade ratio was pretty bad—1:10—so Lu Ce didn’t think it was worth the investment.

From the last horror mystery instance, he’d racked up quite a bit of Pain Points. Including scattered bits from earlier, he had over 40 now.

Under the Wrath Mask, Lu Ce couldn’t be bothered with min-maxing. Since he was planning to really go at it with the guy, he decided to give himself a heavy boost.

With that in mind, he ramped up his Speed and Coordination in one go.

Basically, he went all in!

【Speed Increased: 15 → 30!】

【Coordination Increased: 15 → 20!】

Forget Strength for now. All in on Speed!

He doubled his Speed stat directly using Pain Points!

He didn’t know whether the thing hiding in the dark was human or ghost, another player or some game entity. But he was gonna drag it out into the open!

Being toyed with like this was seriously pissing him off. While Beom In kept thinking he was narrowly escaping death, Lu Ce definitely didn’t feel the same.

From his point of view, it was like some annoying rat kept dodging his attacks—and he still couldn’t catch it.

Every single failed strike only made his anger boil higher.

Beom In may not have stalled for long, but he’d definitely helped Lu Ce max out his Rage.

Even when he wore the Gluttony Mask, Lu Ce never wanted to eat anyone. But now? He actually wanted to eat someone alive!

That ghostly thing was like it could teleport. The ability was impressive, sure—but it was incredibly irritating.

Now, with his speed doubled, he felt like he had wind under his feet. His whole body felt lighter.

If before he could almost corner the target, now he was sure he could lock it down.

Far off in the distance, Beom In was hiding and holding his breath, eyes locked on “Sin,” waiting for the next move.

He didn’t know why Lu Ce had stopped, but the bad feeling in his gut wouldn’t go away. It was like a thorn pressing into his back.

Suddenly, Lu Ce turned his head toward Beom In’s hiding spot. In that instant, it felt like their eyes met.

Beom In was sure he was still invisible, but that look... made him feel totally exposed. His heartbeat skipped a beat.

“Friend, you forgot to hold your breath.”

The Wrath Mask twisted into a grin as it spoke toward Beom In’s position.

Fear was like blood in the water—it gave everything away.

Beom In’s muscles instantly tensed, holding his breath, bracing himself for the next round of pursuit.

But Lu Ce didn’t strike right away. He calmly adjusted his sleeves and walked a few steps in Beom In’s direction, speaking slowly and evenly:

“I hope you’re ready.”

“Boss just hit Phase Two.”

What?

Beom In blinked, confused. What the hell did that mean? Why did it suddenly feel like this guy’s personality had changed?

Then, without warning, Lu Ce’s calm footsteps burst into a sprint—no windup, no signs—he was instantly in front of Beom In.

Switch!

Beom In’s nerves had been tight the whole time. The moment Lu Ce moved, he already activated a switch.

But something felt off—he had switched, yet the roaring wind from the charge was still brushing his face!

—That pale green mask had already arrived!

No time to wonder how—how he’d just switched and Lu Ce was already there—Beom In had to instantly switch again. Only then did he barely avoid death.

Lu Ce’s charge had been a pre-read.

Driven by fear, Beom In always switched in the furthest direction from Lu Ce—at the widest escape angle possible. It gave him a greater sense of security.

But that also made his movements predictable.

So Lu Ce’s first dash wasn’t even aimed at catching him. Once he got there, he stomped the floor and used the recoil to launch himself backward!

Sure enough, just as he moved, his beastlike instincts locked onto a nearby presence.

He missed again.

But this time, Lu Ce’s arm shot out like an iron spike, slicing the air with a bloody streak.

There was nothing in front of him, but fresh blood sprayed out, splashing across the already wrecked floor.

A painful, muffled grunt echoed in the air.

Beom In had been wounded.

But he didn’t survive the third charge.

With no delay, Lu Ce’s third reversal finally made contact. His hand clutched something solid, and in an instant, his five fingers dug deep into the opponent’s flesh!

Smashing through two nearby advertising boards, Lu Ce slammed his target brutally into the ground—completely overpowering any resistance.

The air shimmered and distorted. A figure gradually materialized—

Beom In, who had spent all that time and effort hiding.

“Cough... cough!”

A sweetness surged up from Beom In’s chest and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. As expected from a pretty decent player—he didn’t die from that slam alone.

But the instant he was caught, his mind went completely blank. Truly blank. Overwhelmed by a domineering, irrational force.

The Wrath reduced Lu Ce’s own reasoning, but the mental pressure it exerted on others—especially opponents—was overwhelming.

The fear made him unable to think. The pain made him feel like his body was falling apart. It awakened something buried deep in his genes.

Especially with the two of them now in a predator-over-prey posture...

It was a fear etched into his bones. The terror of being hunted, slaughtered, eaten...

Beom In didn’t have time to process anything. Only one instinct screamed in his brain—

Survive.

With a flick of his hand, he pulled out his Exit Token.

But just as he did, a massive force grabbed his wrist. In a blink, it felt like his arm had been shoved into a hydraulic press. All sensation vanished in a wave of pain.

“AAAAAAHHHHH!”

His scream tore through the air as immense pressure crushed his muscles and tendons. A horrible cracking sound rang out, and he couldn’t grip anything.

The Exit Token had barely cleared his backpack when his fingers slipped—and it fell to the floor.

Inches from his face was that terrifying pale green, grinning mask.

“What’s the rush.”

“Did I say you could leave?”