July 04, 2023 by Wyrd
Cold, it’s just too cold.
Their body’s temperature was rapidly dissipating as if entering a refrigerated room in the dead of winter, so cold that it made one’s teeth chatter uncontrollably.
Even tightly wrapping oneself in clothes had no effect at all because it’s not just a mere drop in temperature, but a coldness that could not be resisted, like maggots gnawing at the bones, chilling one to the core.
It’s not just the coldness; an uncontrollable feeling of fear arose from the depths of their hearts.
The air gradually became cold and damp, almost solidifying into Yin energy, as if mist was condensing in the air, carrying a terrifying sense of danger.
Even though nothing had appeared yet, the sheer gloominess they felt was like when facing the entire world with no power and significance, as if vaguely seeing a terrifying behemoth before them, rendering all existence feeble.
It’s even difficult to summon the slightest resistance, as if even struggling would be as futile as a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
The hearts of all the players sank to the bottom of the abyss, their faces far from pleasant, including Pei Yan and Li Shuyang, who had always seemed detached from the situation.
Although they hadn’t seen any ghosts yet, the Yin energy was so strong to the point where it was evidently unimaginably powerful.
Perhaps today, they would truly die here.
This was by no means the kind of ghost that should appear in an intermediate-level instance.
Although this instance still imposed certain restrictions on this ghost, barely qualifying it as an intermediate-level instance, once the ghost broke free from these limitations, this instance was highly likely to become an advanced-level one.
Although players could not see information about the instance while inside the dungeon, they could make an educated guess.
This midnight blessings seemed like a kind of sacrifice, perhaps... allowing the ghost to gradually break free from its constraints.
The side quest released in this instance seemed to be... nurturing this ghost.
Using players to nurture it.
Ruan Qing also thought of this, but he felt it wasn’t necessarily the case because although the teacher and classmates’ eyes were filled with fear and panic, there was a hint of genuine surprise mixed in.
Obviously, they were also surprised by this turn of events.
In other words, this formidable monster had never appeared before, at least not until now.
Or perhaps it’s not that it had never appeared, but rather it shouldn’t have appeared during this period of time, which was why they were so surprised.
Was it a matter of luck? Or... did they do something different from past midnight blessings?
Ruan Qing carefully thought about the entire process of their prayer for blessings, but it seemed like they didn’t do anything particularly special.
Did other players secretly do something?
But no matter what they did, they were now in an extremely dangerous situation because it’s difficult to predict what would happen once the powerful monster arrived.
Moreover... this aura felt so familiar, giving Ruan Qing a bad premonition.
Ruan Qing looked up at the teacher, raising his hand once again, as if he hadn’t noticed the thick gloominess, and asked, “Teacher, the exam is already over. Can the students who scored above average leave?”
The teacher looked at Ruan Qing for a few seconds and ultimately nodding his head, revealing a bright smile. “Of course you can.”
“But... you have to give me something.” After the teacher’s words fell, his figure instantly appeared beside Ruan Qing, and he directly plucked a strand of Ruan Qing’s hair.
Obviously, what he referred to was Ruan Qing’s hair.
Ruan Qing flinched and covered the spot where the hair was pulled. He tightly pursed his lips while looking at the strand of hair in the teacher’s hand, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.
Just as the classroom grew darker and darker, a dizzying sensation came over them. Ruan Qing’s vision went black in an instant, and before he could react, he was grabbed by the hand and then lifted horizontally.
It was pitch black all around, without a trace of light, but the aura that appeared felt very familiar.
They were now... back in Class 1-1?
Before Ruan Qing could think clearly, the sound of footsteps echoed, and the person holding him began to run. Moreover, it wasn’t just one person’s footsteps, but several.
The number of people seemed... incorrect!
Ruan Qing remembered the scores of every person and was well aware of how many people exceeded the class average. However, it seemed that there were three additional people.
He remembered that three people had died in the examination hall.
Of course, it was also possible that some players who scored below the average managed to escape from that eerie examination hall.
It was too dark, and Ruan Qing couldn’t distinguish which situation it was exactly.
Perhaps it was because it was too dark to see clearly. Someone bumped into a desk while running, causing a squeaking sound, followed by a muffled groan.
Ruan Qing’s heart sank; that sound should have come from a classmate who had already died.
There was no need to guess about the other two additional people; it was highly likely that they were the two who died in the examination hall.
They had been replaced, just like monsters in a mirror.
The black fog outside the window had dissipated at some point, revealing the moon suspended in the air, casting a faint light over the entire First High School. Although it wasn’t bright enough, it dispelled some of the coldness and fear.
Only then did the others see the three people who should have died reappearing with them. Their eyes showed astonishment, but they didn’t speak out; they only remained cautious of these three.
Just as the group had already reached the corridor, Ruan Qing spoke up with a somewhat inexplicable weakness in his voice, “Put me down.”
Xiao Shiyi paused for a moment, eventually stopping in his tracks and letting Ruan Qing down.
The others also halted and turned to look at Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing paid no attention to their gazes, took out his phone and checked it. He had signal reception now, and without hesitation, he turned back and started walking.
Xiao Shiyi reached out to stop him but eventually withdrew his hand, allowing Ruan Qing to walk up to the entrance of Class 1-1.
Ruan Qing turned on the lights in the classroom.
The lights in the classroom were incandescent bulbs, bright enough to illuminate the entire room.
The floor of the classroom was littered with several white candles, and some desks and chairs were askew, as if the classroom had been messed up by mischievous students.
There’s nothing particularly special about it, as if everything just now was a dream they had created.
But obviously, it wasn’t a dream because besides the few of them who got a score above average and the three who died, everyone else was missing.
Including Pei Yan, whom Ruan Qing considered quite strong.
Ruan Qing walked silently to the edge of the classroom, then stepped on a stool and stood on the desk, taking down the famous calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall.
After the painting was taken down, a white wall was revealed.
Xiao Shiyi looked at Ruan Qing’s actions with some confusion. “Brother Su, what’s wrong?”
Ruan Qing pursed his lips and looked down at Xiao Shiyi. “Is there a mirror in this classroom?”
Xiao Shiyi’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly for a moment, and finally, he spoke slowly with a very certain tone. “No, there’s no mirror in our classroom.”
Ruan Qing looked around the classroom, seemingly not believing Xiao Shiyi’s words. He got off the table and walked to the spot where the second famous calligraphy painting was, once again stepping on the table to take it down.
Xiao Shiyi and Mo Ran didn’t know what Ruan Qing was thinking, but they went up to help take down those paintings as well.
Although the others didn’t understand, they also helped take down all the paintings hanging in the classroom.
Underneath the paintings were white walls with no abnormalities and no mirrors.
Ruan Qing fell into contemplation. Could it be that he was mistaken?
Finally, Ruan Qing shifted his gaze to the last wall, which had no paintings hanging on it. All the drawings and words were written with a pen.
After looking at it a few times, he slowly walked up to the wall, reached out to touch it, and then knocked on it.
Ruan Qing’s hand paused for a moment, and then he walked to the left wall and knocked again.
The sound was particularly abrupt in this silent night, and these two sounds had a slight difference, but it wasn’t very clear, making it difficult to distinguish.
Xiao Shiyi walked to the back of the classroom and knocked on the wall, and Ruan Qing also knocked on the wall again.
This time, the sounds were very close in timing, and everyone could tell the difference.
The wall at the back of the classroom had a muffled sound, as if there was... a cavity.
Xiao Shiyi’s expression turned serious, and he grabbed a nearby chair and forcefully smashed it against the wall. At the moment of impact between the wall and the chair, the chair immediately fell apart, leaving only a piece in Xiao Shiyi’s hand.
And the wall had a hole smashed into it, revealing something inside that was reflecting the light from the classroom.
It was... a mirror.
That mirror was like an eye, eerily reflecting everyone in the classroom, sending shivers down their spines.
Seeing this, Xiao Shiyi’s pupils contracted, and Mo Ran quickly pulled Ruan Qing away, then picked up a book nearby and pressed it against the mirror.
Xiao Shiyi also realized what was happening and found some tape from someone’s desk to stick the book to the wall. They even used two desks to block the wall.
Ruan Qing wasn’t too surprised to see the mirror.
After all, the feeling he had when the previous exam ended, it was very similar to the feeling of encountering “himself” in the bathroom.
But the difference was that the monster in the mirror came out back then, while this time they seemed to have... entered the world inside the mirror. So their phones had no signal, and they seemed to have returned to the past Class 1-1.
Ruan Qing couldn’t be sure, but his intuition told him that his guess was highly likely to be correct.
At midnight, when it was twelve o’clock, only his white candle was not extinguished. He was the chosen one, and it was almost certain that the monster in the mirror had chosen him.
Perhaps the monster in the mirror needed a catalyst to leave the mirror, like staring into the mirror for a certain period of time, or perhaps praying for blessings in this room at midnight.
After all, high school students wouldn’t look into the mirror every day at school, so the duration might not reach that limit, or perhaps the monster that came out based on the duration of staring into the mirror would be greatly restricted, such as their limited existence time.
However, if someone died in the examination room after seeking blessings at midnight and the monster took over their body, there would be no restrictions anymore.
Even distinguishing based on the heart would no longer be possible, as the body still belonged to a human but with a different owner inside. It would be extremely difficult to discern.
Therefore, after briefly appearing in the mirror, the thing inside would try to tempt humans to seek blessings at midnight.
The purpose was to appear openly in broad daylight.
In short, as long as blessings were not sought, the monsters inside the mirror would face many limitations.
During this time, they must investigate what happened in the previous Class 1-1.
Otherwise, they might end up confronting the monster head-on in the later stages.
The players glanced at each other, clearly understanding the importance of the mirror as a crucial clue, but also recognizing the danger it represented.
Too many things happened tonight, and everyone was already exhausted. However, the dormitory had long been closed, and they had no way to go back.
Staying at the First High School was not safe. Mo Ran, familiar with the school area, led everyone to a certain wall and effortlessly climbed over it, then reached out to Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing looked at the height of the wall and then at Mo Ran’s hand, not believing that he could jump up and grab it.
Fortunately, Xiao Shiyi also felt the same. He directly lifted Ruan Qing horizontally and effortlessly threw him towards Mo Ran.
Mo Ran caught him steadily, but Ruan Qing, startled by the sudden elevation, instinctively held onto Mo Ran’s neck, his eyes filled with panic, fearing that he might be accidentally dropped to the ground.
Fortunately, Mo Ran landed steadily while holding him.
Others did not receive such treatment and had to climb the wall on their own. However, those who were here now were either players or replaced individuals, and they were all very agile.
Ruan Qing glanced at the three people who were supposed to be dead.
Let’s not mention the player for now. The other two ordinary students were obviously different. Their skills were much better than when they participated in the blessings. In fact, it was easy to tell that they were not the same people as before.
July 04, 2023 by Wyrd
Cold, it’s just too cold.
Their body’s temperature was rapidly dissipating as if entering a refrigerated room in the dead of winter, so cold that it made one’s teeth chatter uncontrollably.
Even tightly wrapping oneself in clothes had no effect at all because it’s not just a mere drop in temperature, but a coldness that could not be resisted, like maggots gnawing at the bones, chilling one to the core.
It’s not just the coldness; an uncontrollable feeling of fear arose from the depths of their hearts.
The air gradually became cold and damp, almost solidifying into Yin energy, as if mist was condensing in the air, carrying a terrifying sense of danger.
Even though nothing had appeared yet, the sheer gloominess they felt was like when facing the entire world with no power and significance, as if vaguely seeing a terrifying behemoth before them, rendering all existence feeble.
It’s even difficult to summon the slightest resistance, as if even struggling would be as futile as a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
The hearts of all the players sank to the bottom of the abyss, their faces far from pleasant, including Pei Yan and Li Shuyang, who had always seemed detached from the situation.
Although they hadn’t seen any ghosts yet, the Yin energy was so strong to the point where it was evidently unimaginably powerful.
Perhaps today, they would truly die here.
This was by no means the kind of ghost that should appear in an intermediate-level instance.
Although this instance still imposed certain restrictions on this ghost, barely qualifying it as an intermediate-level instance, once the ghost broke free from these limitations, this instance was highly likely to become an advanced-level one.
Although players could not see information about the instance while inside the dungeon, they could make an educated guess.
This midnight blessings seemed like a kind of sacrifice, perhaps... allowing the ghost to gradually break free from its constraints.
The side quest released in this instance seemed to be... nurturing this ghost.
Using players to nurture it.
Ruan Qing also thought of this, but he felt it wasn’t necessarily the case because although the teacher and classmates’ eyes were filled with fear and panic, there was a hint of genuine surprise mixed in.
Obviously, they were also surprised by this turn of events.
In other words, this formidable monster had never appeared before, at least not until now.
Or perhaps it’s not that it had never appeared, but rather it shouldn’t have appeared during this period of time, which was why they were so surprised.
Was it a matter of luck? Or... did they do something different from past midnight blessings?
Ruan Qing carefully thought about the entire process of their prayer for blessings, but it seemed like they didn’t do anything particularly special.
Did other players secretly do something?
But no matter what they did, they were now in an extremely dangerous situation because it’s difficult to predict what would happen once the powerful monster arrived.
Moreover... this aura felt so familiar, giving Ruan Qing a bad premonition.
Ruan Qing looked up at the teacher, raising his hand once again, as if he hadn’t noticed the thick gloominess, and asked, “Teacher, the exam is already over. Can the students who scored above average leave?”
The teacher looked at Ruan Qing for a few seconds and ultimately nodding his head, revealing a bright smile. “Of course you can.”
“But... you have to give me something.” After the teacher’s words fell, his figure instantly appeared beside Ruan Qing, and he directly plucked a strand of Ruan Qing’s hair.
Obviously, what he referred to was Ruan Qing’s hair.
Ruan Qing flinched and covered the spot where the hair was pulled. He tightly pursed his lips while looking at the strand of hair in the teacher’s hand, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.
Just as the classroom grew darker and darker, a dizzying sensation came over them. Ruan Qing’s vision went black in an instant, and before he could react, he was grabbed by the hand and then lifted horizontally.
It was pitch black all around, without a trace of light, but the aura that appeared felt very familiar.
They were now... back in Class 1-1?
Before Ruan Qing could think clearly, the sound of footsteps echoed, and the person holding him began to run. Moreover, it wasn’t just one person’s footsteps, but several.
The number of people seemed... incorrect!
Ruan Qing remembered the scores of every person and was well aware of how many people exceeded the class average. However, it seemed that there were three additional people.
He remembered that three people had died in the examination hall.
Of course, it was also possible that some players who scored below the average managed to escape from that eerie examination hall.
It was too dark, and Ruan Qing couldn’t distinguish which situation it was exactly.
Perhaps it was because it was too dark to see clearly. Someone bumped into a desk while running, causing a squeaking sound, followed by a muffled groan.
Ruan Qing’s heart sank; that sound should have come from a classmate who had already died.
There was no need to guess about the other two additional people; it was highly likely that they were the two who died in the examination hall.
They had been replaced, just like monsters in a mirror.
The black fog outside the window had dissipated at some point, revealing the moon suspended in the air, casting a faint light over the entire First High School. Although it wasn’t bright enough, it dispelled some of the coldness and fear.
Only then did the others see the three people who should have died reappearing with them. Their eyes showed astonishment, but they didn’t speak out; they only remained cautious of these three.
Just as the group had already reached the corridor, Ruan Qing spoke up with a somewhat inexplicable weakness in his voice, “Put me down.”
Xiao Shiyi paused for a moment, eventually stopping in his tracks and letting Ruan Qing down.
The others also halted and turned to look at Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing paid no attention to their gazes, took out his phone and checked it. He had signal reception now, and without hesitation, he turned back and started walking.
Xiao Shiyi reached out to stop him but eventually withdrew his hand, allowing Ruan Qing to walk up to the entrance of Class 1-1.
Ruan Qing turned on the lights in the classroom.
The lights in the classroom were incandescent bulbs, bright enough to illuminate the entire room.
The floor of the classroom was littered with several white candles, and some desks and chairs were askew, as if the classroom had been messed up by mischievous students.
There’s nothing particularly special about it, as if everything just now was a dream they had created.
But obviously, it wasn’t a dream because besides the few of them who got a score above average and the three who died, everyone else was missing.
Including Pei Yan, whom Ruan Qing considered quite strong.
Ruan Qing walked silently to the edge of the classroom, then stepped on a stool and stood on the desk, taking down the famous calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall.
After the painting was taken down, a white wall was revealed.
Xiao Shiyi looked at Ruan Qing’s actions with some confusion. “Brother Su, what’s wrong?”
Ruan Qing pursed his lips and looked down at Xiao Shiyi. “Is there a mirror in this classroom?”
Xiao Shiyi’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly for a moment, and finally, he spoke slowly with a very certain tone. “No, there’s no mirror in our classroom.”
Ruan Qing looked around the classroom, seemingly not believing Xiao Shiyi’s words. He got off the table and walked to the spot where the second famous calligraphy painting was, once again stepping on the table to take it down.
Xiao Shiyi and Mo Ran didn’t know what Ruan Qing was thinking, but they went up to help take down those paintings as well.
Although the others didn’t understand, they also helped take down all the paintings hanging in the classroom.
Underneath the paintings were white walls with no abnormalities and no mirrors.
Ruan Qing fell into contemplation. Could it be that he was mistaken?
Finally, Ruan Qing shifted his gaze to the last wall, which had no paintings hanging on it. All the drawings and words were written with a pen.
After looking at it a few times, he slowly walked up to the wall, reached out to touch it, and then knocked on it.
Ruan Qing’s hand paused for a moment, and then he walked to the left wall and knocked again.
The sound was particularly abrupt in this silent night, and these two sounds had a slight difference, but it wasn’t very clear, making it difficult to distinguish.
Xiao Shiyi walked to the back of the classroom and knocked on the wall, and Ruan Qing also knocked on the wall again.
This time, the sounds were very close in timing, and everyone could tell the difference.
The wall at the back of the classroom had a muffled sound, as if there was... a cavity.
Xiao Shiyi’s expression turned serious, and he grabbed a nearby chair and forcefully smashed it against the wall. At the moment of impact between the wall and the chair, the chair immediately fell apart, leaving only a piece in Xiao Shiyi’s hand.
And the wall had a hole smashed into it, revealing something inside that was reflecting the light from the classroom.
It was... a mirror.
That mirror was like an eye, eerily reflecting everyone in the classroom, sending shivers down their spines.
Seeing this, Xiao Shiyi’s pupils contracted, and Mo Ran quickly pulled Ruan Qing away, then picked up a book nearby and pressed it against the mirror.
Xiao Shiyi also realized what was happening and found some tape from someone’s desk to stick the book to the wall. They even used two desks to block the wall.
Ruan Qing wasn’t too surprised to see the mirror.
After all, the feeling he had when the previous exam ended, it was very similar to the feeling of encountering “himself” in the bathroom.
But the difference was that the monster in the mirror came out back then, while this time they seemed to have... entered the world inside the mirror. So their phones had no signal, and they seemed to have returned to the past Class 1-1.
Ruan Qing couldn’t be sure, but his intuition told him that his guess was highly likely to be correct.
At midnight, when it was twelve o’clock, only his white candle was not extinguished. He was the chosen one, and it was almost certain that the monster in the mirror had chosen him.
Perhaps the monster in the mirror needed a catalyst to leave the mirror, like staring into the mirror for a certain period of time, or perhaps praying for blessings in this room at midnight.
After all, high school students wouldn’t look into the mirror every day at school, so the duration might not reach that limit, or perhaps the monster that came out based on the duration of staring into the mirror would be greatly restricted, such as their limited existence time.
However, if someone died in the examination room after seeking blessings at midnight and the monster took over their body, there would be no restrictions anymore.
Even distinguishing based on the heart would no longer be possible, as the body still belonged to a human but with a different owner inside. It would be extremely difficult to discern.
Therefore, after briefly appearing in the mirror, the thing inside would try to tempt humans to seek blessings at midnight.
The purpose was to appear openly in broad daylight.
In short, as long as blessings were not sought, the monsters inside the mirror would face many limitations.
During this time, they must investigate what happened in the previous Class 1-1.
Otherwise, they might end up confronting the monster head-on in the later stages.
The players glanced at each other, clearly understanding the importance of the mirror as a crucial clue, but also recognizing the danger it represented.
Too many things happened tonight, and everyone was already exhausted. However, the dormitory had long been closed, and they had no way to go back.
Staying at the First High School was not safe. Mo Ran, familiar with the school area, led everyone to a certain wall and effortlessly climbed over it, then reached out to Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing looked at the height of the wall and then at Mo Ran’s hand, not believing that he could jump up and grab it.
Fortunately, Xiao Shiyi also felt the same. He directly lifted Ruan Qing horizontally and effortlessly threw him towards Mo Ran.
Mo Ran caught him steadily, but Ruan Qing, startled by the sudden elevation, instinctively held onto Mo Ran’s neck, his eyes filled with panic, fearing that he might be accidentally dropped to the ground.
Fortunately, Mo Ran landed steadily while holding him.
Others did not receive such treatment and had to climb the wall on their own. However, those who were here now were either players or replaced individuals, and they were all very agile.
Ruan Qing glanced at the three people who were supposed to be dead.
Let’s not mention the player for now. The other two ordinary students were obviously different. Their skills were much better than when they participated in the blessings. In fact, it was easy to tell that they were not the same people as before.
