Zhao Yibing's gaze flickered.
It looked as though everyone was on her side.
But-
This was all wrong!
She had meant to dump Shen Ye in public, but now he had completely turned the situation around.
-Now he was dumping her in public!
I'm not his lovesick doormat, so why is this happening?
"Shen Ye, we haven't cleared things up yet!" Zhao Yibing said urgently.
"Stop right there!" a male voice rang out at the same time.
A boy blocked Shen Ye on the stairs.
"Who are you?" Shen Ye asked.
"Sun Ming," the boy said.
Oh, third in the grade.
"Sun Ming, class is about to start. Don't block the way," Shen Ye said.
"Apologize to Zhao Yibing first." The boy folded his arms and looked down at Shen Ye from above.
"Apologize?" Shen Ye looked at him, then at Zhao Yibing's aggrieved face.
"Sun Ming, don't get this backward. Zhao Yibing called me here. I'm not the one pestering her."
Shen Ye spread his hands as he spoke.
"Apologize!" Sun Ming roared, punching the wall with a resounding thud.
Shen Ye was startled.
Whoa, an otherworldly version of Boiling Goat?
He could only turn around, walk up to Zhao Yibing, and say in a soft, gentle voice:
"All right, you win..."
He seemed to make up his mind. Even his eyes reddened as he gritted his teeth and said:
"Zhao Yibing, you can keep harassing me. Happy now?"
"?" Zhao Yibing.
"?" Sun Ming.
Looking utterly aggrieved, Shen Ye ran up the stairs.
Zhao Yibing could no longer hold back. "Wait-I didn't mean to force you-don't listen to Sun Ming!" she shouted.
Ah, I must have lost my mind!
Why would I say something like "I didn't mean to force you"?
Sun Ming really messed things up!
At that thought, Zhao Yibing shot Sun Ming a fierce glare.
Sun Ming panicked too.
He had clearly come to support Zhao Yibing and, while he was at it, put down that guy who couldn't get into a top high school.
How had things ended up like this?
No.
I have to fix this right away!
Just then, Shen Ye rushed past him.
"Kid, don't go! Stay here and explain yourself!"
He swung a fist at Shen Ye.
Shen Ye gave a faint, dismissive chuckle, entirely unconcerned.
As the former top student in his grade, Shen Ye's strongest attribute was Agility.
His Agility was 2.
-Twice that of an ordinary adult man.
Now, adding his only Attribute Point brought his Agility to 3.
That already surpassed a middle school student's level.
And with his combat experience from using Deer Walk Beneath the Moon to dodge gunfire last night-
Under everyone's watching eyes.
Shen Ye suddenly dodged the punch, leaped lightly, pressed a hand against the top of Sun Ming's head, and used his momentum to glide toward the wall. He took several running steps along it, swept over the crowded throng like a startled swan, and landed in the corridor.
The spectators all burst into cries of "Wow," "Ah," and "What?"
His movements were simply too fluid and natural. He scaled the wall as though walking on level ground, with the innate elegance of the Elves.
It was a sight no one could forget.
Even Zhao Yibing stared dumbfounded.
Sun Ming had had his head pushed down in public without even managing to react, yet he wanted to fight him?
Ridiculous!
Movement skills at that level should earn full marks, right?
Everyone silently thought so.
Shen Ye, however, couldn't be bothered with these people anymore and went straight back to the classroom to work on practice questions.
Ring, ring-
The bell rang for class.
A female teacher carrying a teacup and test papers came up the stairs. Finding the stairwell completely blocked, she couldn't help snapping:
"What are you all doing gathered here? Don't you know class is about to start?"
The students scattered, hurrying back to their respective classrooms.
A few minutes later.
Class Five, ninth grade.
A short, plump old man walked into the classroom with a stack of test papers and announced without preamble:
"A thirty-minute classroom test, then we'll go out to the grounds for a mock exam."
The papers were soon handed out.
Shen Ye had already put the earlier incident out of his mind. He picked up his pen and began reading the questions.
The paper consisted of very simple questions, such as:
From the following options, select the movement technique best suited to increasing movement speed.
What is the primary role of the Agility attribute in combat?
Which basic exercise is most effective for training footwork? Why?
The written exam covered few topics and accounted for thirty percent of the total score.
The remaining seventy percent came from the practical test.
Shen Ye picked up his pen and got to work.
As he worked through the questions, many of the things he had learned gradually came back to him.
Shen Ye nodded slightly.
-Looks like I need to grind through practice questions like crazy before the exam.
Time slowly passed.
Once they handed in their papers, the whole class began assembling to head to the sports field for the mock test.
"Shen Ye."
Walking at the back of the line, Chen Haoyu quietly tugged at Shen Ye.
"What?" Shen Ye asked.
"The testing takes forever. They won't call us for a while anyway. How about we wander around for a bit and come back?" Chen Haoyu said.
"Where?" Shen Ye asked with a smile.
"A manga café opened by the school's back gate. They've got lots of new series we haven't seen. Let's climb over the wall," Chen Haoyu said.
That reminded Shen Ye.
While everyone was warming up on the sports field and waiting for their tests, he could get today's evaluation entry done first.
"You go. I don't feel like going today," Shen Ye said.
Chen Haoyu looked displeased.
Somewhat amused, Shen Ye asked, "What are you up to?"
Chen Haoyu glanced in one direction and gestured with his lips, lowering his voice. "I didn't want you to see it. I was afraid it would ruin your mood."
Shen Ye looked in the direction he indicated and saw that the students from Classes Two and Three of the ninth grade had also arrived at the sports field.
In Class Two's line, a pretty girl was chatting with several girls beside her.
Just then, a boy from Class Three came over to her, and she began talking and laughing with him.
Zhao Yibing.
Boiling Goat-no, Sun Ming.
Shen Ye understood Chen Haoyu's concern.
-But he had no time to bother with such trivial matters.
"You know, I don't actually like her."
Shen Ye spoke quietly.
"Really?" Chen Haoyu asked.
"Of course," Shen Ye said.
"Hmph. She used to come looking for you every day, but after you missed the exam, she never came to our classroom again," Chen Haoyu said.
"We've already talked things through. She won't keep pestering me anymore," Shen Ye said seriously.
Keep pestering you...
Put that way, it seemed perfectly reasonable, yet something also seemed off.
In any case, Shen Ye had resolved the matter.
"All right. That's for the best."
Chen Haoyu said.
Shen Ye looked over the line and silently calculated the time.
Each person had to warm up, get ready, take their place, and wait for the teacher to say "Begin" before starting the test. It took a long time.
He and Chen Haoyu were among the taller students, so their turns would come last.
It would be almost noon by then.
On the sports field, everyone else was warming up or silently practicing the test movements.
He had no need to waste time here.
"Haoyu-save my place in line. My stomach hurts. I'll be back after using the bathroom."
He called out to Chen Haoyu.
"Sure, I'll save your place," Chen Haoyu said.
"If I don't come back, just say I wasn't feeling well and went back to rest," Shen Ye said.
"Okay."
Shen Ye nodded, turned, and headed off the sports field.
There were security cameras everywhere on campus.
But not in the classrooms or bathrooms.
The bathroom... someone might go there...
I remember several classrooms on the top floor being empty. I might as well go there.
Shen Ye quickly went up to the top floor, pushed open the door to an empty classroom, and walked into the farthest blind spot.
Gate.
He said it silently in his mind.
A classroom door quietly appeared on the wall.
Quite fittingly for its surroundings, the parchment nailed to the door had also turned into an exercise book.
Shen Ye peered through the window into the doorway.
Big Skeleton actually isn't here?
A perfect opportunity.
Shen Ye took out the Crown of Pale Shadows and put it over his face, immediately transforming into a handsome male Elf.
He then pinned the Silver War Medal to his chest before stepping through the Nightmare Gate.
Click.
The door closed behind him.
Chilly gusts swept through the corridor, making even the gaps between his bones shiver.
At that moment, Shen Ye had two choices-
One, check whether the door at the end of the corridor was locked or open;
Two, use the Silver War Medal to teleport directly to Elf Territory.
...Only children choose.
To improve his evaluation, Shen Ye first crossed the corridor and reached out to press the lock on the door.
It did not budge.
With the door locked, other monsters couldn't enter this place.
What on earth is Big Skeleton up to?
Does it want me all to itself?
After all, I represent the resources of another world.
Shen Ye did not kick the door open.
After all, his relationship with Big Skeleton was merely one of equal exchange. If it wanted to eat him, that relationship would not restrain it.
Shen Ye was about to teleport away when he suddenly noticed what seemed to be something in the corner.
He crouched down, took out his phone, and shone its light on it.
A black revolver lay there quietly.
A gun?
Now I remember. This must be that assassin's gun!
Shen Ye picked up the gun and checked it. There were actually a few bullets left.
Nice!
Big Skeleton might turn its nose up at it, but this is a treasure to me.
I've found something good as soon as I came in. What a great start!
Putting the gun away, Shen Ye stood up contentedly and pressed his hand against the Silver War Medal.
The medal slowly gave off a pure white light.
The space around him began to distort.
The teleportation had begun!
Everything spun around him.
He felt solid ground beneath his feet.
Immediately afterward, something cold and hard was thrust into his hand.
"I really can't do any more for you. Please take this. It's a token of the Human Race!"
A voice spoke beside his ear.
Around him were blue skies and white clouds.
The forest was lush and green.
A stream, wildflowers, and sika deer strolling leisurely.
Shen Ye stood beside the stream and looked around, but he saw no one, nor did he discover who had thrust the object into his hand.
But that voice sounded so familiar.
It seemed-
When I awakened my "Gate" ability, this was the voice that told me about the "cursed sculpture of the King of Myriad-Fallen Evil Ghosts."
Was it helping me?
Shen Ye looked down.
He saw that he held a black shortsword.
The sword's spine was dull and lusterless. Two joined heads were carved into its hilt, one human and the other a stag.
A glimmer leaped from the blade and manifested as small glowing words in the air:
"Nightfall." "Shortsword exclusive to human scouts." "White grade." "Trait: sharpness (beginner)." "This is a shortsword used for assassination. It has also been bestowed with the Human Race's 'Silent Sanctity' blessing." "Silent Sanctity: only human scouts whose souls have not fallen may wield this sword." "-The wielder of this sword is worthy of the Human Race's trust and may serve as a dedicated messenger of intelligence."
A token of the Human Race.
Strange.
Where did that being get a shortsword like this?
Why did it give it to me?
Suddenly, the sound of running came from the woods.
Shen Ye immediately tucked the shortsword inside his clothes to hide it, then took up an advantageous position and waited quietly.
The next moment.
Three elves appeared before him.
"Feren?"
One elf called out.
"Hmph, you're finally here-you certainly took your time," the second elf complained.
"If you hadn't come, we would have declared the mission a failure and gone back to report it to our superiors," the third elf said.
Who?
What?
Shen Ye did not understand for a moment, but he immediately said, "Something went wrong, so I'm a little late."
"All right. Whatever happened, at least you're here now."
The lead elf said in a low voice, "We've already gained this elven tribe's trust. They think we're brave soldiers who withdrew from the battlefield after being wounded."
"Let's act tonight. Kill their chief and seize their treasure-"
"Feren, are you ready?"
Shen Ye glanced at the three elves' chests and, sure enough, found that they were all wearing Silver War Medals.
Were they all elven soldiers who had earned great merit?
Shen Ye nodded. "My hands are already itching."
Only after hearing him say this did the three elves look somewhat satisfied.
Shen Ye suddenly reached up and touched his face.
"Don't touch it!" the three elves shouted in unison.
Now he understood.
"Don't worry. I'm just adjusting its position. It was a little uncomfortable when I put it on," Shen Ye said.
These three fellows have the same medals and the same Crowns of Pale Shadows as me.
They're all undead!
-What a goddamn setup!
Damn you, Big Skeleton. You're the Feren they're talking about, aren't you?
This is clearly your mission, and you just dumped it on me?
Shen Ye remembered the way Big Skeleton had crawled, hunched up in the corridor, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.
That fellow is injured and can't fight at all. That's why it resorted to this.
The lead "elf" glared at Shen Ye and said:
"Once we enter the Elf Village, you'd better be careful. If they see through you, the elves will kill you outright."
"Don't worry. When I, Feren, handle things, nothing ever goes wrong," Shen Ye said.
"It had better not."
(Thanks to Magical Little Arrow for the Silver Alliance donation. Thank you, boss! I'll release extra chapters for you once the novel goes premium. Kisses~)