"It looked perfectly ordinary." Mu Bingge's voice was flat.
Ye Buyu's mouth twitched. So bland it was practically tasteless. How could anyone be as lifeless as stagnant water?
She glanced around. "Could you describe what you saw? We might not be seeing the same things."
Only then did Mu Bingge turn back. After a moment's thought, she said, "A Headless Corpse blocking the way, a White Bone Claw, monsters that disguise themselves to eat people... but those should be everyday fare for an Awakened."
"Huh???"
Ye Buyu froze on the spot, sweat beading on her forehead. Suddenly, even the breeze blowing past her felt eerie.
Mu Bingge frowned. "Was there a problem?"
There was a huge problem! That wasn't what I saw!
Out of the corner of her eye, Ye Buyu spotted the three guys playing basketball with flashy moves on the court. She shakily raised a hand.
"Mu Bingge, what were they doing?"
"Trying to defeat the Headless Corpse."
Ye Buyu swallowed. "Weren't they playing basketball?"
Mu Bingge: ...
A flicker of emotion finally stirred in her clear blue eyes. Her expression practically said, "Something's wrong with your eyes," making Ye Buyu pout in grievance.
"What I saw was the three of them showing off their basketball skills."
The two stared at each other, silent for a long time, each having her understanding of the world rewritten.
Mu Bingge spoke first. "Want to go down and take a look?"
The instant Ye Buyu nodded, a strong hand pressed onto her shoulder. Then a tremendous force surged through her, mercilessly flinging her out of the corridor.
It was as casual as shaking water off one's hands after washing them.
As the world spun around her, Ye Buyu's heart hammered. The sensation of weightlessness made her scream involuntarily. She wanted to grab something to save her life, but all she could do was hug herself helplessly and burst into tears.
Just as she thought she was done for, the moisture surrounding her drew together, forming a protective shield that carried her safely to the ground.
Before she could recover, Mu Bingge landed steadily, grabbed her arm, and took off. She gave Ye Buyu no chance to speak, racing along and showing her firsthand the absurd math problem she had once gotten wrong in class.
A woman was hurtling forward at thirty meters per second.
The wind distorted Ye Buyu's mouth and eyes until she looked as though she'd had a stroke. Tears streamed down her face in despair. So math could lie, too! Who said no one could move that fast?
Before they reached their destination, Mu Bingge discovered that the person in her grasp had gone limp as a noodle and collapsed onto the ground.
"You... why didn't you protect yourself with energy?"
Ye Buyu took a deep breath, sucking her wandering soul back into her body, and nearly failed to catch her breath. "Do I look like I know how?"
Mu Bingge: ...
"What rank were you?"
"Zero Rank, dear."
Ye Buyu wanted to cry but had no tears left. "Sis, I'm not the kind of special recruit you're imagining, someone who can soar through the skies, burrow underground, do anything, and be ridiculously badass. I'm a total noob. I need protection. The gentle kind."
For a moment, Mu Bingge could almost see the words written on Ye Buyu's face: fragile, handle with care.
"Sorry."
"It's fine. Just remember to handle me with care next time."
Ye Buyu waved a hand and dragged her noodle-soft legs along as she and Mu Bingge headed toward the three guys.
Every single person they passed turned to look.
One had white hair and red eyes, a listless expression, and a pale fragility. Like an Otherworldly Flower blooming in hell, she captivated the soul and seemed no visitor from the mortal world.
The other had an icy bearing and impersonal, aqua-blue eyes that reflected no one. Like an ice lotus meticulously carved from profound ice, she kept everyone at a distance.
Students who knew who Mu Bingge was grew curious. Why did the number one on the Genius Rankings have time to take someone out for a stroll?
Gossip perked everyone right up, especially when it involved a genius underclasswoman like Mu Bingge. Before anyone realized it, quite a crowd had gathered around the small court, watching the three guys bravely battle the Headless Corpse.
"Did you figure anything out?" Mu Bingge asked.
Ye Buyu considered it before speaking. "They... should probably aim for the hoop. If they throw the basketball into it, this thing will go away."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. That's what I did earlier."
Everyone: ???
Why did this conversation feel so strange? Weren't they discussing the Headless Corpse? How had they gotten onto basketball?
Mu Bingge looked at the three guys trying things at random on the court and prepared to intervene. "Where's the hoop?"
"Uh... probably where the neck of that Headless Corpse you mentioned was. Wait, what are you planning to do?"
"Try it."
Ye Buyu grabbed Mu Bingge. "Maybe don't? I succeeded earlier, but I'm not sure now. What if you make the shot and this thing doesn't leave? Wouldn't being that close be dangerous?"
Mu Bingge said, "It's fine. If it doesn't work, I can kill him another way."
Seeing the confidence in Mu Bingge's eyes, Ye Buyu let go. A powerhouse really was a powerhouse. She made it all look so easy.
"Then go ahead. I'll cheer you on."
As cool moisture swept past her hair, that sprite-like figure had already leaped above the Headless Corpse. Water flowed from her fingertips like chains, shooting out to bind him.
"Give me the head."
Hearing that, the three immediately tossed the troublesome head over.
They had intended to study the phenomenon, but nothing had worked. No matter how they hurled the head, the Headless Corpse refused to leave. They had no idea how that special recruit had managed it.
"Be careful! This thing's already gone berserk. If you can't handle it, leave it to the upperclassmen over there!"
The students who had come to watch twitched at the corners of their mouths, their faces darkening. These were their dear classmates, all right, thoughtfully dumping a problem they couldn't solve onto them.
"Don't take on a job you haven't got the tools for."
"You've only got one face. Could you stop losing it so freely? You three are about to destroy every scrap of dignity we have as upperclassmen!"
Ye Buyu thought, You didn't have much dignity left the moment you crowded over to watch the drama.
How was this any different from upperclassmen hundreds of years ago eating watermelon while watching freshmen suffer through military training?
The three on the court sneered and pointed in unison at Mu Bingge, who was fighting the Headless Corpse.
"If you've got the tools, why don't you go?"
"She's obviously trying to study something. It'd be rude for us to interfere. But what about you three? Did you lose your minds today, or did you get some special assignment? Why come experiment on the Headless Corpse?"
The three shifted their gazes to Ye Buyu.
Ye Buyu pointed at herself. "Did this have something to do with me?"
All three nodded.
"You actually threw a head at the Headless Corpse earlier, and he just stopped blocking the way and left. We thought it was worth studying, so we came to try it ourselves."
"If we hadn't wanted to study it, we'd have cut this guy down ages ago with our strength."
"Anyway, how exactly did you do it earlier?"
With all those eyes fixed on her, Ye Buyu turned stiffly to look at the court, where Mu Bingge was trying to throw the basketball-uh, no, the head-into the hoop...
No, it wasn't a hoop either. That should be the Headless Corpse's neck? Or his chest, or something else...
Ye Buyu was going crazy. How was I supposed to describe this?!
Before you continue