Return to "School"

Bang!!

A sound like the flash of an old-fashioned camera went off.

At the same time, dazzling white light enveloped everyone in an instant...

As their vision gradually returned, the students of Class 04 of Season 12 realized they were back in the original classroom, sitting in their own seats.

Nothing had changed!

It was as if they'd just rested their heads on their desks and taken a pleasant nap, instead of...

Everyone was drenched in cold sweat. Their bewildered eyes, still filled with deep fear, darted around, and even their breathing was soft and cautious, as if they were afraid of disturbing something.

It seemed no one wanted to break the suffocating silence.

At last, one boy seemed unable to bear the eerie atmosphere. He gently tapped the student in front of him and asked, "C-Classmate, was... was that just... a dream?"

"Ahhh!! No... Get away! Don't eat me! No!!"

The boy he'd tapped suddenly screamed like a madman and tumbled to the floor. Trembling all over, he crawled across it, tears and snot covering his bloodless face in an instant. A sharp smell of urine wafted from him.

His screams were like a fuse. In an instant, the classroom, previously silent as the grave, erupted into chaos. Some students wailed like lunatics, some overturned desks and chairs, and some yanked at the windows and doors, trying to escape. There were those firing guns with a "rat-a-tat-tat," those comforting others, and those being comforted. Some sat in gloomy silence, while others seemed relaxed and carefree. In short, there was every kind of reaction imaginable.

And some were fighting, too!

Yin Kuang and Li Shuangmu, for instance...

The moment the classroom erupted, Yin Kuang sprang up and lunged at Li Shuangmu. He seemed to whisper something discreetly in his ear, then the two began fighting like sworn enemies, trading punches and kicks. After only a few exchanges, Li Shuangmu's handsome face was already swollen and bruised. Yin Kuang fared even worse: a kick sent him flying, crashing into a whole row of desks and chairs. Even Zeng Fei and Wei Ming, who tried to break up the fight, took a couple of stray punches.

Qian Qianqian, who had a crush on Li Shuangmu, was frantic. She wanted to go over but didn't dare, and could only stamp her feet in helpless anxiety.

Wang Ning went over to break up the fight, too, but seemed rather pleased to see Yin Kuang and Li Shuangmu beating each other senseless. Still, whenever he glanced at Yin Kuang, a trace of suspicion showed in his eyes. Did I remember wrong, or... why does he seem a little shorter?

Before he could think it through, Yin Kuang and Li Shuangmu fought their way right in front of him, forcing him to intervene. "You two, stop fighting! Whatever the problem is, can't you sit down and talk it out?" As he spoke, he edged away. He didn't want to get beaten up for no reason like Wei Ming and Zeng Fei.

Whether Wang Ning was just unlucky or what, Yin Kuang and Li Shuangmu seemed to follow him wherever he tried to hide. As he dodged from place to place, someone punched him. It hurt so much that he nearly lost control and rushed over to stab the two of them.

Keep a low profile... keep a low profile... I'll remember this! Damn it, you're at it again?

Yin Kuang had meant to punch Li Shuangmu in the face, but Li Shuangmu dodged by turning his head. Carried by its momentum, the punch headed straight for Wang Ning instead.

Was Wang Ning going to stand there and take the hit? Of course not!

But he was unlucky. He shifted aside and leaned his head back to avoid Yin Kuang's punch, only to get kicked in the stomach by Li Shuangmu, who was sweeping his leg at Yin Kuang. The blow sent him stumbling backward several steps and crashing into several people. In an instant, Wang Ning's lowered face darkened. At some point, the hand clutching his stomach had drawn a thin blade. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. "Since you're asking to die..."

But just as he was about to charge in again and use "breaking up the fight" as cover to stab them, a tall, dark figure appeared before him like a ghost...

"S-So fast!!"

At that moment, Wang Ning thought he caught the faintest scent of blood. In his three years in the underworld, he'd killed countless people. He knew that smell all too well: the scent of the freshest blood, spurting from a slit throat.

And that speed—so fast he couldn't react at all!!

If... if I had to face him... would I be killed in an instant?

Looking at Xiong Ba's broad, towering back, Wang Ning was suddenly gripped by overwhelming fear...

The next moment, under everyone's astonished gaze, Yin Kuang and Li Shuangmu were sent flying like kites with their strings cut. Like cannonballs, they slammed into the wall at the back of the classroom!

That's right—they slammed into it!

But they didn't break through the wall. Instead, the white surface was like an enormous slab of jelly. Though the force sent them hurtling toward it, they sank into it with a "glug" when they struck. Two ripples spread across the surface like waves, and then the "Jelly Wall" bounced Yin Kuang and Li Shuangmu back out. They landed heavily on the floor!

"If you two still want to fight, I'll gladly give you a proper beating."

Xiong Ba's cool, indifferent voice rang in every student's ears. At the same time, the shadow cast by his two-meter frame fell over Yin Kuang and Li Shuangmu.

The two climbed to their feet, glaring at each other, but were astonished to find themselves completely unharmed. Xiong Ba's kick had been strong enough to send them flying more than ten meters. How could they not feel even a little pain?

Perhaps Xiong Ba had held back, or perhaps it was the "Jelly Wall" that had done the trick.

Both of them glowered at each other, but they knew better than to keep fighting. Who knew if they'd end up seriously injured by Xiong Ba, the violent brute?

The gap of an entire year between them made it clear that Xiong Ba was far too strong for new students like them, who had only just "enrolled," to stand a chance against.

Xiong Ba snorted and turned around. "You have ten seconds to get back in your seats. Otherwise, I'll kill you! I'm warning you: at 'university,' if you're killed, there's no chance of coming back to life. Don't think it's like the 'exam,' where dying only costs you some lifespan."

Silence—

The next second, faced with the threat of death, all the students scrambled into action. They were astonishingly efficient: in less than five seconds, everyone was sitting quietly and neatly in their own seats.

The three Teaching Assistants were there. Otaku leaned against the blackboard, his pale face dark with resentment, his head bowed slightly. His cold, sinister gaze swept back and forth across the classroom, as if every student were an enemy who had murdered his father and stolen his wife. Everyone his gaze landed on broke into a cold sweat, and not one of them dared meet his eyes.

As for Ji Wen, she wasn't as miserable-looking as Otaku, but her expression was still awful. She leaned against the edge of the podium without the slightest intention of speaking. In her hand, she held a smooth pebble, which she clutched like a treasure. Ji Wen stared blankly at it, letting out a sigh now and then, as if she were troubled.

Xiong Ba looked at Otaku, then at Ji Wen, and grunted. "How did I end up with you two as teammates?" After complaining, he walked up to the podium, braced both hands on it, and looked down at the thirty boys and girls. "By now, I hope you've started to get the picture. After the 'Entrance Exam,' you're no longer 'Rookie Students.' You're 'Freshmen.' This exam was just an appetizer. There are plenty more courses ahead! No matter how unwilling you are, even if you have to brainwash yourselves, you must force yourselves to accept the reality in front of you—unless you really want to die!"

"No matter how many rewards you got in the 'exam,' I advise you not to exchange them for any items or abilities just yet. Of course, I've said my piece. Whether you listen is up to you."

"We'll be together for six more days," Xiong Ba continued. "During those six days, we'll accompany you through six 'classes.' If you're lucky enough to get a good 'teacher,' you might not need us at all. But if you're unlucky... if you have any questions, you can come to any of the three of us..."

"Don't come to me! You're a pain to look at!" Otaku gritted out.

Ji Wen shrugged. "I'm free on odd-numbered days. Don't bother me on even-numbered days."

Xiong Ba nearly rolled his eyes. "As for our contact information, I've already sent it to your 'Information Interface.' Now, rookies, listen carefully to the rest of what I have to say!"

Everyone, who had started lowering their heads to open their Information Interfaces, immediately sat up straight and looked at Xiong Ba on the podium.