The Collapse of Absolute Defense, the Crisis of Being Stuck in the Toilet Instance, and the Server-Wide Social Death Announcement

The morning classes felt rather strange for the students of Class 1-West.

Lu Ren, sitting by the window, was like a Terracotta Warrior just unearthed.

During the first class, he remained motionless, hands clasped on his desk.

During the second class, he maintained his pose with one hand supporting his face, unchanged.

For the break-time exercises, he cited "deep meditation to restore Chakra" as his reason for refusing the sports representative's call.

He even merely glanced with the corner of his eye at the automatic pencil that had fallen on the floor, as if it were not his pen but a speck of dust in the mortal world.

"Aren't you going to pick it up?" the girl in front turned back kindly.

"No need," Lu Ren stared straight ahead, his voice cold and hard. "This is punishment for it leaving its owner without permission. Let it reflect in the cold wind for a while."

The girl: "..."

Only Kiyosawa Mashiba at the next desk knew the truth.

She looked at the slight tremor in Lu Ren's eye corners and had already seen through everything.

This guy wasn't unwilling to move.

He couldn't move.

After yesterday's hellish training and this morning's forced startup, Lu Ren's thigh muscles were completely locked up. He was now like a rusty mecha, every joint movement requiring immense fuel.

Sitting down was a seal.

The moment his backside touched the stool, his posterior thigh muscles would issue a sharp alarm, and any command to stand would be ruthlessly rejected by his body's system.

Lu Ren decided.

Before the club activities began this afternoon, he wouldn't move an inch from this stool, even if the sky fell.

As long as I don't move, the pain can't catch me.

However.

Murphy's Law tells us: when a player tries to slack off by going AFK, the system will always refresh with a sudden event.

Midway through the third class.

An unusual cramp suddenly struck Lu Ren's abdomen.

[System Warning: Gastrointestinal system attacked by unknown virus! Due to overeating last night + catching a cold, acquired Debuff: Harbinger of the Sprinkler.]

[Time until defense collapse: 10 minutes.]

Lu Ren's face instantly turned from pale to ashen.

Endure?

Impossible.

This kind of call, stemming from biological instinct, was not damage that Willpower could exempt.

"Teacher," Lu Ren raised his hand, his movement stiff as a robot's, "Request... to go to the restroom."

After receiving permission, Lu Ren took a deep breath and placed his hands on the desk.

[Command Input: Stand up.]

[Error: Insufficient power.]

"Get... up!"

Lu Ren gritted his teeth and used the inertia of his upper body to violently "pull" himself up.

In that instant, the tearing sensation in his thigh muscles was so excruciating that he almost spontaneously recited the "March of the Volunteers."

He moved with a strange, zombie-like gait, staggering with each step. With every step, he mentally deducted 1 HP.

The men's restroom.

This was the only lawless land in the school, and Lu Ren's sanctuary at this moment.

He painstakingly shuffled into the last stall, locked the door, and turned around.

Next was the most difficult QTE (Quick Time Event) of this Instance: squatting.

"Hoo..."

Lu Ren held onto the partition, like a Parkinson's patient, slowly sinking at a speed of 0.5 centimeters per second.

His thighs were screaming.

His knees were wailing.

But relying on the micro-control skills honed from years of playing "Dark Souls," he finally landed safely.

[Mission Complete: Release Memory.]

[Acquired Buff: Refreshment of Body and Mind.]

Five minutes later.

With the sound of flushing, Lu Ren happily pulled up his pants.

Everything was perfect.

Except...

He couldn't stand up.

Lu Ren braced his hands on his knees, trying to exert force.

No response.

His thigh muscles felt like two lumps of dead flesh, completely disconnected from his brain.

He tried grabbing the doorknob again, attempting to pull himself up.

"Hiss--!!!"

Intense pain shot through his nerves, causing him to collapse back down.

[System Notification: Character has entered "Paralysis" status. Cannot move.]

[Please await teammate rescue, or choose "Die on the spot".]

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

It was over.

Could it be that the legendary Grind King would ultimately die trapped in a squat toilet in the men's room? If this got out, how would he ever maintain his reputation in the gaming community?

Just then, a cheerful humming sound came from outside the door.

Followed by energetic footsteps.

That sound...

Lu Ren's eyes lit up.

It was that orange-haired weirdo! That infinite-stamina perpetual motion machine!

"Hey..."

Lu Ren knocked on the stall door, his voice as weak as some kind of earthbound spirit, "Is anyone there...?"

The humming stopped abruptly.

"Huh? Who's talking?" Hinata Shoyo's voice echoed in the empty restroom.

"Here..." Lu Ren pushed the door open a crack, revealing half of his pale face, "Last stall..."

Hinata Shoyo leaned in curiously, and through the gap in the door, he saw Lu Ren's despairing expression.

"Ah! It's Senpai Lu Ren!" Hinata's eyes brightened, "Are you practicing your horse stance? That's amazing! Even using the toilet for special training!"

What a load of crap.

Lu Ren's mouth twitched. He suppressed the urge to retort and extended a trembling hand.

"Hinata... help me out."

"Help you with what?"

"Get me... out."

"Huh?"

"My legs... are frozen." Lu Ren gritted out, "Give me a hand. Right now."

Although Hinata didn't understand what "frozen" meant, he was a kind-hearted kid.