[Location: The Carnival of Despair (Dissolving)]
[Time: 07:00 PM]
[Status: Mission Complete]
[Current Viewers: 250,000+]
The massive, terrifying circus tent began to fade away like morning mist dissolving under the sun. The twisted illusions, the infinite mirrors, the neon lights—all of it crumbled into grey dust, blowing away in the wind.
The nightmare was over.
The "Tower of Silence" was gone. All that remained was a barren, rocky wasteland and a single, glowing Loot Box sitting exactly where the Jester's throne used to be.
Ryan stood there, stretching his neck until it cracked. He felt different. Heavier.
The encounter with the "Admin" inside his mind had changed something fundamental. His Pandora watch on his wrist felt colder, humming with a dark, hungry energy that it didn't have before. It was no longer just a weapon; it was a leash, and he was holding the handle.
"Okay chat," Ryan addressed the floating camera drone, forcing a cheerful smile despite the mental exhaustion. "The Clown is dead. The circus is closed. And no, there are no refunds on the tickets."
[Livestream Chat]
User_Slayer69: "That ending... did you just eat him with a cannon? WHAT WAS THAT WEAPON?!"
User_RichKid: "I have never seen an Artifact transform like that! Is that S-Rank? SS-Rank? [Gift: Yacht x2]"
User_GovAgent: "Ryan, this is Agent Zoya. Report to the Bureau immediately. We detected an energy spike that matches a Demon Lord."
User_Troll123: "Fake! CGI! He paid the clown actor to disappear!"
Ryan ignored the government message and the trolls. He walked over to the golden Loot Box.
"Felix," Ryan called out.
"Y-Yeah, boss?" Felix tripped over a small rock, did a somersault, and landed on his knees perfectly next to the box.
"Touch it," Ryan commanded. "I need your weird luck. If I open it, I'll probably get a pair of socks. If you open it, maybe we get something useful."
Felix gulped. "But... what if it explodes?"
"Then Grog will catch the explosion. Touch it."
Felix tapped the box with a trembling finger.
CLICK.
The box opened with a heavenly sound. Golden light spilled out, blinding them for a second.
[System Notification: Raid Boss Drop Acquired.]
[Item 1: Mask of the Laughing Demon (Rank A)]
Type: Accessory
Effect: Increases Mental Resistance by 200%.
Active Skill 'Taunt': Forces all enemies within 50 meters to attack YOU (and ignore your team). Duration: 5 minutes.
Description: "Why so serious?"
[Item 2: Jester's Dagger (Rank B)]
Type: Weapon
Effect: Applies 'Madness Poison' on hit. Enemies struck will hallucinate their worst fears.
[Item 3: Skill Book - 'Nightmare Weaving' (Rare)]
Effect: You can create minor illusions to confuse enemies or hide yourself.
Ryan whistled, impressed. "Not bad for a dead clown."
He tossed the poisoned dagger to Annabelle.
"Here, Annie. An upgrade for you. Don't lick it."
"Yay! Shiny!" Annabelle hugged the dagger, her button eyes gleaming. She immediately slashed a rock, leaving a purple scar on the stone. "It cuts good, Papa!"
Ryan kept the Mask and the Skill Book for himself. He tapped the book against his forehead.
Whoosh.
The knowledge flowed into his brain instantly. He now knew how to create basic holograms.
Then, the System screen flickered. It turned from Blue to Gold.
[Ding! Congratulations!]
[You have reached Level 10 (MAX).]
[Novice Phase Complete.]
[Experience Points are capped until you choose a Class.]
[Class Advancement Quest Available!]
Ryan's eyes narrowed. This was it. The moment every Hunter dreamed of.
In the Hunter world, moving from E-Rank (Novice) to C-Rank (Professional) required a "Promotion Exam".
For System Users, it was a Quest. A test to prove you are worthy of true power.
"Open Quest," Ryan commanded.
[Quest: The Trial of the Abyssal Monarch]
[Difficulty: Hell (S)]
[Location: The City of the Dead (Zone Z).]
[Objective: Enter the Necropolis alone (Summons allowed). Retrieve the 'Crown of Shadows' from the Lich King.]
[Time Limit: 7 Days.]
[Reward: Class Change -> 'Necromancer Lord' (Unique).]
[Failure Penalty: Loss of System. Immediate Death.]
Ryan stared at the text.
The City of the Dead.
It was a forbidden zone in the far frozen North. A place where the Spirit Era outbreak was so bad that the government nuked the city three years ago... but the ghosts didn't die. They just got angry. And radioactive.
Even A-Rank Hunters refused to go there. It was a grave for the living.
"Lich King, huh?" Ryan muttered, rubbing his chin. "Sounds like he has good loot. Maybe he drops a cool cape."
He turned to the camera.
"Alright guys, stream is over for today. I have some... administrative work to do. Make sure to follow my socials. Next stream is going to be from a very cold place. Bring a jacket."
[Stream Ended.]
[Total Earnings: $55,000 + 100,000 Fear Points.]
Ryan turned to his team.
Grog was eating a leftover popcorn bag he found in the dust.
Annabelle was playing with her new dagger, carving a smiley face into a rock.
Felix was trying to untie his shoelaces, which had somehow tied themselves into a triple knot.
Bob (Shadow Butcher) stood silently, radiating loyalty, his axe resting on his shoulder.
"Listen up," Ryan said seriously, his voice cutting through the wind. "We are going North."
"North?" Grog shivered, dropping his popcorn. "Cold place? Grog hates snow. Snow gets in Grog's loincloth. Very uncomfortable."
"Buy some pants then," Ryan said, transferring 10,000 Credits to Grog's account. "We are going to the City of the Dead."
Felix turned pale. He looked like he was about to faint. "Th-The Zombie City? Zone Z? Boss, that's a suicide mission! There's radiation! And Lichs! And Bone Dragons!"
"We have a Bone Dragon too," Ryan patted his pocket where the summon scroll was kept. "And besides..."
Ryan looked at the sky, where the stars were beginning to fade.
He remembered the Admin's words: 'Keep climbing the tower.'
He remembered the feeling of helplessness when he faced the Grey Hood.
He remembered Sarah lying in the hospital bed.
"If I stay a Novice, I'm just a pawn," Ryan whispered to himself. "I need to become a King. I need power that makes even the Demon Lords hesitate."
He reached into his inventory and pulled out the [Mask of the Laughing Demon].
For a second, he put it on his face. The mask fused with his skin, giving him a terrifying, frozen white smile.
"Pack your bags, Suicide Squad," Ryan's voice distorted slightly under the mask. "We have a Crown to steal."
[Location: National Bureau of Paranormal Affairs - Director's Office]
[Time: 08:00 PM]
Director Malik and Agent Zoya were watching a replay of Ryan's stream on a massive screen.
They watched him obliterate the Jester with the Pandora Cannon. The sheer destructive power made the coffee in Malik's cup ripple.
"That weapon..." Malik wiped sweat from his forehead. "That's not Earth technology. That's not even Dungeon technology. That weapon eats souls."
"He's evolving too fast, Director," Zoya said grimly, clutching her file. "Level 10 in a week? Defeating Raid Bosses? Taming Demons? If we don't control him, he will become a threat greater than the Monsters."
Malik shook his head. "We can't control him. Look at him."
He pointed at the screen, at Ryan's fearless eyes.
"He fears nothing. Not death, not us, not the monsters. If we push him, he will push back. And he has an army."
"So what do we do?" Zoya asked. "Arrest him?"
Malik pointed at the map on the screen. A red blinking dot showed Ryan's next location.
"He is heading North. To the City of the Dead. That is Lord No. 6's territory."
Malik leaned back in his chair.
"Send a support team to monitor the perimeter. Do not engage. Let's see if our little Necromancer can survive a true King. If he dies, the problem solves itself. If he survives..."
Malik's eyes gleamed.
"...Then we make him a General."