Farewell to Acquaintances

"Big shot?" The girl with a curvaceous figure froze for a moment when she caught sight of Ye Chuan, her face flashing with surprise. But when she looked again, the man had already turned away.

"What's wrong, Xiaotian?" another girl beside her asked.

"I... think I saw someone familiar. A big shot who once carried me through a dungeon," Tian Xiaotian said hesitantly. "But that was ten years ago. I can’t quite remember his face."

"Ten years ago? Was that when you first started playing the game?"

"Yeah, my first dungeon was 'Haunted Dormitory,' and he was the one who helped me clear it." Tian Xiaotian shook her head. "Must’ve been a mistake. If it were really him, he wouldn’t look that young."

And Tian Xiaotian was no longer the naive, sweet little girl she used to be. Now, she was mature and composed, even her figure had blossomed. But she didn’t dwell on these thoughts—her focus was on the challenge ahead.

"What class are you in? Get back to your team!"

Finally, someone in the group spoke up. "Teacher, I’ll go back now."

With that, the man, seeing that the teacher neither reacted nor attacked, quickly slipped into a nearby team. Others followed suit, dispersing into different groups.

The hall fell silent again, but the faint scent of blood lingered in the air. No one dared to speak.

"Thud, thud…" Moments later, an elderly man slowly walked to the front of the hall. He wore a white half-mask, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.

"Good afternoon, students."

"Clap, clap, clap."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressionless students began to applaud in eerie unison, like robots.

Ye Chuan joined in, clapping while studying the masked old man. He wondered if this guy was the final boss of the Silent Academy.

"Should I take a shot? The boss must be this old man, right?" Ye Chuan considered making a move but held back, not wanting to risk missing out on the ultimate red-tier reward. He decided to observe a little longer.

Let’s see what this old geezer is up to.

Besides, the final boss wouldn’t show up so easily if the red-tier reward was at stake.

"I am your principal…" the old man continued. "Welcome to this united and loving academy. Heh."

His voice trailed off with a grating, sandpaper-like chuckle.

"I trust every student has read their admission letter.

"Rule one: The laboratory and basement are restricted areas. Entry is strictly forbidden.

"Rule two: Romantic relationships between opposite genders are prohibited within the academy.

"Rule three: If you encounter anything unusual in the academy, you must report it to a teacher immediately."

He paused. "Any objections?"

The hall remained dead silent—not just the eerie students, but even the newcomers didn’t dare speak, watching in silence.

"Good, since—" Before the principal could finish, a slightly out-of-place voice rang out from the crowd.

"Oi, Principal, I’ve got an objection."

The words made everyone turn toward the source. A young man stood there, smiling as he raised his hand.

"Speak." The principal’s eyes flashed crimson. "Go on."

"Why can’t opposite genders date?" Ye Chuan asked.

The principal rasped, "Romantic distractions hinder academic progress. Hence, relationships are forbidden."

"So same-sex relationships are fine? What’s the academy’s stance on that?"

The principal: "..."

"No," he added.

"And why can’t we enter the basement or laboratory?"

The principal’s voice grew impatient. "Academy rules."

"What if I go in anyway?"

"Heh heh… Feel free to try," the principal chuckled ominously.

"And if we find a teacher acting strange, should we still report it to them?"

"..." The principal stared at Ye Chuan without answering. Around them, the others held their breath, sweat trickling down their spines, as if expecting Ye Chuan to be torn apart any second.

"Then come to me," the principal finally said, defying expectations.

"Student, any other questions?"

"Are you ugly? Wearing a mask at your age?" Ye Chuan pressed.

The unexpected question made the principal freeze. The next moment, his body began to swell grotesquely, muscles bursting through his clothes as a crimson mist enveloped him.

"Gurgle, gurgle." His throat emitted strange, retching sounds.

The crowd’s hearts leapt into their throats, but since they hadn’t broken any rules, they could only watch Ye Chuan with pity, as if he were some reckless fool.

Bold. Too bold.

Provoking a dungeon monster like this was practically suicide.

Yet as the principal’s body twisted and expanded, Ye Chuan remained unfazed, his smile unwavering.

"Principal, I’m just asking. Students should be curious, right?"

The principal’s bloated form deflated like a punctured balloon, reverting to his withered old self. He stared at Ye Chuan, his expression unreadable.

"Curiosity… is good."

With that, he ignored any further questions and turned to leave.

"That’s it?" The other players gaped in disbelief. They’d seen people die for misspeaking to the teacher earlier, yet this guy had taunted the principal multiple times and walked away unscathed.

"He must’ve figured something out."

The thought crossed most of their minds—it was the only logical explanation.

To them, Ye Chuan’s provocations couldn’t be mindless. There had to be a reward for challenging the rules.

"Objection equals reward."

Emboldened, another man quickly spoke up. "Principal, I’ve got an objection too."

The principal halted, his head twisting unnaturally. "Speak."

"Uh…" The man, unprepared, parroted Ye Chuan’s earlier question. "Why can’t we enter the basement?"

The principal’s gaze locked onto him, lips curling into a grotesque smile.

"I already answered that. Seems you weren’t paying attention. Teacher, educate him."

The nearby teacher’s face split open, revealing rows of jagged teeth. "Gladly—"

The man: "?!"