"Hey, why do I keep getting the feeling that our new female teacher is looking at me kind of strangely?"
In the classroom, Ansu cautiously glanced over his shoulder and asked out of the blue.
"Over the past few days, I've secretly watched her out of the corner of my eye, and she's always staring at me..."
"Whenever I'm at school, I run into her wherever I go... It's like she's following me, secretly keeping tabs on everything I do..."
"Is something wrong with her? What do you think she wants?"
Just as he finished speaking, Ansu happened to meet a pair of eerie eyes.
The young female teacher was standing outside the window in the back door, staring straight at him. Her gaze was so fixed that she looked like she was watching prey that had already fallen into her hands.
Ansu felt deeply uncomfortable.
After their previous teacher had taken an extended leave of absence due to illness, a young woman named Mary had come in as a substitute. Mary usually wore a stern expression that warned people to keep their distance, yet for some inexplicable reason, she paid an unusual amount of attention to him...
His deskmate, however, didn't think much of it. "Don't you think you're being a little paranoid? Teacher Mary treats you so well, and you're still not satisfied."
"Forget it..." Ansu didn't know how to explain. It was precisely because she treated him "well" that something felt wrong!
He turned around again. The doorway and the hallway were empty; the female teacher had already left.
But the unease that made his heart race refused to go away.
"Ugh..." Ansu pressed a hand to his aching forehead. He'd had a migraine all morning.
He couldn't be blamed for being so suspicious. There was a reason he was on edge...
In half a month, he would die a gruesome death at this school.
When you knew in advance that you were going to die, anyone would become ten or a hundred times more wary of the "strange things" around them.
It had all started two days ago.
That day, Ansu had gone to school as usual. But the moment he sat down, a violent headache struck, and then a vast flood of memories from his previous life poured into his mind.
The legendary "awakening of past-life memories."
As the memories continued to merge with his own, Ansu was shocked to discover that he had been reincarnated into a game he'd once played.
Eternal Night Sword, a dark fantasy open-world RPG.
The game was set in an era where steam technology, black magic, bizarre monsters, and demi-human races coexisted. It featured vivid characters and an expansive world—
The world had fallen apart under the invasion of a corrupting force. In the game, players took on the role of a Chosen One selected by the gods. They met companions of all kinds along the way, gradually uncovered the truth behind a world shrouded in mist, and ultimately foiled an evil god's plot to save the world...
At first, Ansu had been pretty excited. He wasn't a hardcore gamer, but at least he knew how the story went.
Following the usual playbook, he could cozy up to the main cast, use his foreknowledge to seize opportunities, and then rise to the top and make a name for himself in another world. It all seemed well within reach.
But when he realized who he was now...
He couldn't smile anymore.
He had been reincarnated as a minor character who died horribly in a certain infamous incident—the kind who was killed off by the plot...
If his calculations were right, a shocking cult sacrifice would take place at his school, Benalu Royal Academy, in half a month.
When it happened, he and many other promising young students would die there under mysterious circumstances.
And the reason Ansu knew what became of a cannon fodder character like himself had to do with his younger sister.
[Hunting the Darkness—Vera], an important character in the game's protagonist faction, was very popular among players.
[Hunting the Darkness—Vera] had grown up relying on her adoptive brother, who wasn't related to her by blood. But an evil ritual at their school had led to his untimely death. To investigate the truth, Vera had joined the Church's Demon Hunter Squad of her own accord, vowing to avenge her brother...
Later, after going through many trials, she gradually became a demon hunter who struck terror into the hearts of the antagonists.
Thinking that he was about to become the catalyst for his sister's revenge and growth, a background character whose death would push the plot forward, left Ansu speechless.
Being used as a stepping stone? No, thanks...
But I'm just an ordinary student. How did I get caught up in the villains' scheme? Ansu racked his brain, trying to remember the game's story. How can I not remember any of the details of this case...?
It wasn't that he had a bad memory. He hadn't skipped the story, either.
The incident had taken place three years before the main game began. It had only been mentioned in a character profile, and even then, it had barely gotten more than a passing reference.
He only vaguely remembered that the cult sacrifice was connected to the major antagonist from the later game, the Witch of World Destruction, and that he would most likely die at her hands.
That was also why Ansu was so wary of the new "Teacher Mary."
They said the evil female antagonist was also known as the Thousand-Faced Witch, and was exceptionally good at disguising herself. It made sense that she might infiltrate the school ahead of time to carry out her plan...
Could it be that my creepy teacher is the Witch of World Destruction?
As he pondered this, the dismissal bell suddenly rang.
Even in another world, the end of class was the same. The classroom immediately filled with the buzz of students, and many rushed out without a moment's hesitation.
Ansu's biggest worry came true.
Teacher Mary's expressionless face suddenly appeared in the classroom doorway. "Ansu, come to my office!"
Ansu's heart tightened. Did she figure out that I'm onto her?
Perhaps because Ansu didn't respond right away, Teacher Mary's blank face managed to form a slightly gentler smile.
"Come along, now. I'll be waiting for you. There's something I need to ask you to do."
But to Ansu, that smile looked forced, like a fake person's...
After she left, the classroom returned to its usual clamor, but Ansu could no longer sit still.
He trusted his instincts.
Teacher Mary is definitely suspicious. I could tell at a glance she wasn't human!
So, what should he do...
Skip school? Make a run for it?
There didn't seem to be a simpler or more direct solution than running away.
Was there anything more important than his life? He was done with school!
But just as Ansu hurriedly rose to his feet—
His mind suddenly buzzed, and rows of long-forgotten Chinese characters appeared in the depths of his consciousness.
[Version 2.0 updating...]
[Loading expansion pack. Reading data. Please wait...]
A new version? An expansion pack? The unexpected development left Ansu stunned.
[Loading complete]
[Want to reach the pinnacle of life? Welcome to the "True Simulation System," brought to you by our company. This system features the most advanced simulation engine, giving you countless chances to start over!]
[The system is giving you 10 points for your first simulation. Points are precious, so spend them wisely.]
[Available simulation times]
[Future]
[In 10 minutes (April 12, 10:32 a.m.), costs 10 points]
[In 10 hours (April 12, 8:22 p.m.), costs 50 points]
[Begin simulation?]
Ansu stared at the system prompt and fell into thought.
Simulate the future? This feature hadn't been in the original game. This late-arriving system wasn't quite what he'd expected.
But he had to admit, it was useful.
Maybe he could use the simulation to find out whether there was something wrong with his teacher...
Ansu didn't have much choice. He only had enough points for one simulation, and that would take him just ten minutes into the future.
Might as well use it. With that thought, Ansu silently selected the first option.
Future: In 10 minutes.
In an instant, the noisy classroom fell silent.
Ansu looked around. Every student had frozen in their last position, completely motionless, as if time had been paused.
Then darkness gradually swallowed his vision.
A countdown in glowing, rather old-fashioned script appeared before him.
[Future: In 10 minutes]
[Light Calendar, Year 625, April 12, 10:32 a.m.]
[Simulation beginning...]
When time began to flow again, Ansu's eyes flew open.
The classroom was gone. He was in a dim, cramped, unfamiliar room.
The air was stale and musty. Abandoned junk was piled on the floor. This wasn't Teacher Mary's office; it looked more like one of the unused storage rooms in the school building.
Ansu also discovered that he was securely tied to a chair.
He could barely turn his head. The rest of his body was almost completely immobile.
Had he been kidnapped...
He knew it. Teacher Mary really was suspicious!
"Hmph! The brat's finally awake."
Teacher Mary's voice came from somewhere in the darkness.
She walked up to Ansu, grabbed his cheeks, and turned his face this way and that before roughly lifting his eyelids to inspect them.
"Young and healthy. No wonder you recovered so quickly. I thought you'd be out for a long time after I knocked you out."
Only then did Ansu realize his head hurt. It seemed someone had hit him.
But he'd had a headache since that morning, so he was pretty used to it by now...
"Ugh... Teacher Mary." Ansu struggled to lift his head. "What are you going to do to me? I don't think I've ever offended you."
"What am I going to do?" Mary looked at Ansu, tied up from head to toe, and sneered. "You'll find out soon enough."
Ansu frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
A moment later, a mysterious magical glow flashed.
Mary looked to Ansu's side. Another person had suddenly appeared in the dim room.
"Lady Cecilia!"
The newcomer seemed to hold a far higher rank than she did. Mary bowed her head nervously and quickly reported, "I've found the person you wanted. Would you like to brainwash him here?"
What? Brainwashing?
Ansu was stunned. How had things taken such a turn?
He tried to turn his neck, straining to look to the side.
And there she was: a mysterious girl with long black hair and deep purple eyes, sitting on the desk and looking down at him.
A little light slipped through a gap in the curtains. With the girl's back to it, Ansu couldn't make out her face very well.
But he knew her name—and that trademark, faintly wicked smile—far too well!
[Witch of World Destruction—Cecilia].
"Good~"
Cecilia crossed her legs lazily, watching the visibly nervous Ansu as the corner of her mouth curled into a smile.
"Don't worry. It won't hurt at all. It'll be over in a second~"
Her beautiful, amethyst-like eyes glimmered.
"From today onward..."
"You belong to me."
(All characters are adults. This book is positive and uplifting, with no improper influence.)
If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author. Maybe it just changed its name!
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