The homeroom teacher’s voice interrupted Zhou Qi’an’s thoughts.
She instructed the class monitor to distribute the student handbook.
Outside, the rain started, accompanied by thunderstorms.
A flash of lightning illuminated the homeroom teacher’s face, twisted into a menacing expression. “The school will soon evaluate scholarships and financial aid. The details are in the student handbook. This is an important matter, so I’ll emphasize it again…”
Since this involved the main quest, everyone immediately flipped through their handbooks while listening attentively.
The text in the student handbook was tiny, and the printing was uneven, resembling a swarm of bedbugs crawling across the pages.
On the last few pages, Zhou Qi’an finally found the relevant information.
Scholarship Evaluation Criteria:
- Academic Performance – Students ranked at the top of the daily assessments will be eligible to apply. The assessment score is based on the average of daily test scores.
- Spirit of Improvement – Today’s exam score must not be lower than yesterday’s.
- Physical Fitness Test – Failure in this test will result in immediate disqualification.
Having already failed his first test, Zhou Qi’an felt the game’s deep malice.
However…
He had set the perfect starting point.
Since he had already failed, there was no way his score could drop further next time.
“No wonder the mortality rate is so high,” Zhou Qi’an mused, his expression unreadable. “Other than those exceptionally skilled players, who can perfectly control their scores?”
His expression became even stranger when he read the financial aid requirements.
The homeroom teacher lifted her chin and said, “The scholarship is reserved for the very best students, making it extremely difficult to obtain. Financial aid, on the other hand, is different—it focuses on authenticity.”
“To support struggling students in earning while studying, the school has set up assistant positions in the infirmary. If you truly come from a disadvantaged background, you won’t want to miss this opportunity!”
“Priority will be given to students whose parents are unable to work, as well as those with siblings suffering from severe illnesses or disabilities.”
“Students with severe congenital defects or major disabilities, as certified by the school doctor, will also be prioritized.”
A bolt of lightning struck outside. The players and their guardians, still reading the student handbook together, felt an eerie chill creeping up from the soles of their feet, sinking into their hearts.
The classroom fell into dead silence.
Amidst the thunder, the homeroom teacher’s voice became increasingly sharp, her gaze lingering conspicuously on those with accompanying guardians.
She looked at the students as if they were fish in an ornamental tank.
And when food was scarce, fish would turn on each other to survive.
“Now, for another important announcement,” the homeroom teacher declared. “Starting tomorrow, the exam will follow an elimination system.”
“We will test two subjects.”
She instructed the students to take out Shifting Shadows and Ghost Sutra. “Our class has high standards—70 is the passing score. If you fail either subject, you will be transferred to the neighboring class.”
“Xiao Nan.” At the back of the room, the girl looked over anxiously.
She had clearly seen earlier that the classroom next door was locked, with no one inside.
The player surnamed Hao made a “shh” gesture, signaling her not to talk during class.
The homeroom teacher continued her lengthy speech, but as soon as the bell rang, she didn’t extend the lesson any further.
The newly arrived guardians immediately began asking all sorts of questions. Zhou Qi’an glanced at the college student, who gave him a slight nod, ready to play the role of his parent.
Before leaving, the college student asked, “What if the homeroom teacher insists that I stay as well?”
Zhou Qi’an replied, “Just agree.”
If he disappeared afterward and the security guards saw no one leave, it would be an unsolvable mystery.
The college student took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and left the classroom, heading alone toward the office.
Zhou Qi’an remained seated, flipping through Ghost Sutra, one of the subjects for tomorrow’s exam.
The text in this book was just as tiny as in the student handbook. Each palm-sized section was packed with a series of complex details.
The most absurd part? It was actually a textbook about ghosts.
Zhou Qi’an followed the table of contents down to Exorcism.
Exorcism: [Human Seal] – The lingering spirit of the deceased, a variant of a bound ghost, unable to leave its designated area.
It perfectly matched Jin Zhi’s situation.
“I’ve encountered so many types of ghosts from this book,” Zhou Qi’an muttered, as he heard others exclaiming in surprise behind him.
The book categorized all the ghost types found in the game’s dungeons. If they ever made it out, reading this book would undoubtedly be a great advantage for clearing future levels.
“Heh.” Zhou Qi’an suddenly chuckled. “I must be starving to the point of stupidity.”
A normal person wouldn’t even be able to memorize one percent of this book, let alone all of it.
Meanwhile, the college student was nearing the office.
[Would you like to activate the deception tool?]
“Yes.”
[Please confirm the identity to be impersonated.]
Fearing any oversight, the college student wrote it down carefully: “Father of Zhou Qi’an, a current trainee student.”
The office was on the same floor as the classroom, making it easy to find.
The lighting was dim, and the iron door latch emitted a dull, unsettling metallic sound when moved. As the homeroom teacher’s cold, piercing eyes looked over, the college student clenched his teeth and stepped inside.
The [Face-Altering Card] only lasted three to five minutes—if he exceeded that time limit, he was doomed.
“Hello, I’m Zhou Qi’an’s father.” The college student tried to keep his voice steady.
The homeroom teacher forced a slight smile, though her tone was still harsh. “So you’re Zhou’s parent. This is our first time meeting.”
The college student responded with empty politeness, “I… I’m also a first-time father.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself.
The overwhelming psychological pressure was already making it hard to maintain his composure.
To distract himself, he tried to think like Zhou Qi’an. If Zhou Qi’an had a deception tool, why did he still insist on making a phone call at noon? Was he trying to confirm something?
The “call the parents” event was definitely dangerous, yet so far, nothing had seemed out of place. The relatives of the previous players had also left safely.
A four-and-a-half-star dungeon—there was no such thing as an easy checkpoint.
If making the call itself wasn’t the difficult part, then the real challenge had to be finding out how to make the call.
The class monitor.
The image of that limping girl flashed through the college student’s mind. Could it be that Zhou Qi’an was suspicious of her?
That… did seem strange.
He had helped the girl move books a dozen times, and she never responded. Yet, when Zhou Qi’an simply said a few words to help in the morning, she immediately gave him the location to make the call. That was definitely abnormal.
[Face-Altering Card is about to expire.]
The college student jolted back to reality.
In front of him, the homeroom teacher was still berating students for their poor grades. He hurriedly interrupted, “I plan to accompany him as a guardian to supervise his studies and ensure he stays focused.”
The homeroom teacher was clearly displeased at being cut off, but upon hearing such a cooperative suggestion, her harsh expression softened slightly.
“We have high expectations for accompanying guardians as well.”
“You must study alongside the students at all times, participate in exams, and face the same punishments if you fail.”
She repeated what she had said in the classroom earlier, the word punishment squeezing through her teeth with an almost eager anticipation.
[Expiration countdown: 20s…]
The college student’s face turned pale as he frantically debated whether to find an excuse to run.
[10s… 5s…]
“I’ll emphasize this one more time—grades are everything in this school.”
“Yes, yes. I understand. I-I’ll go back to the classroom right away and focus on studying.”
His words barely made sense as he turned and bolted from the office.
Just before stepping out, he mustered the courage to glance back.
The homeroom teacher’s twisted, malicious smile remained unchanged.
His heart pounding, the college student raced down the hallway—nearly colliding with someone head-on.
Looking up, he was stunned to see Shen Zhiyi.
The man was holding a book as he walked through the corridor. His tall, upright posture and refined features made him look more like a teacher than a student. No one would have guessed that someone with such a top-student face had actually failed.
Instinctively, the college student stopped in his tracks. “You… are you going to see the homeroom teacher alone?”
Shen Zhiyi gave a slight nod but didn’t stop walking.
Inside the office, the homeroom teacher hadn’t even had time to sit back down before seeing Shen Zhiyi enter alone.
Her eyes lit up with joy.
Finally, a student who didn’t follow the rules.
It had been so long since she had a real feast.
The homeroom teacher unconsciously bared her sharp, closely packed teeth, while the shadow beneath her seemed like a starving beast. “Looks like your parents didn’t show up as promised.”
Shen Zhiyi replied, “They’re on their way.”
The clock on the wall ticked forward relentlessly, each second like a death knell.
Evening self-study was about to begin.
The homeroom teacher smirked coldly, waiting for the last bit of time to pass.
With just one minute left, Shen Zhiyi spoke softly, “If they’re still not here by now, they might have died on the way.”
Storms, accidents, fatal car crashes—it was a perfectly reasonable explanation.
The homeroom teacher could no longer suppress her hunger. “If that’s the case, then you can go accompany them—”
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Zhiyi’s slender fingers suddenly flipped open the textbook they had received that morning—Ghost Sutra.
Closing his eyes, he began reciting in an ancient, eerie language.
The homeroom teacher froze for a moment before breaking into near-hysterical laughter.
This was the first time she had seen a freshman try to summon ghosts from the underworld.
The ancient language recorded in the book had long been lost. If just reading from a textbook could summon ghosts, then—
But before she could finish her thought, the temperature in the office plummeted.
The grimy concrete floor cracked open, and a terrifying white skeletal hand pierced through her shadow, reaching for her calf.
The moment the sharp claws touched her skin, they were ready to sink deep into her flesh.
Shen Zhiyi held the book open, his voice unwavering as he continued chanting the ominous incantation.
In the dimly lit office, ghostly energy swirled around him, and his eyes turned completely white.
“Stop… Stop it now…”
Shen Zhiyi remained expressionless. “Great-Grandmother of the underworld, please grant us an audience.”
Another ghostly claw emerged, this time grasping for the hand that loved to throw things at students.
“I SAID STOP!” the homeroom teacher screamed, her voice almost an order.
The sound echoed through the hallway, reaching the classroom.
The players who had been talking instantly fell silent.
—
Author’s Note:
Students: “What just happened?”
From that day on, the school gained a new urban legend—
The Office’s Bloodcurdling Scream.
Shen Zhiyi, unfazed: “Just bad at a few subjects.”
