Sister

Next door in Class 3.

Tian Xiaotian and her companion had already taken their seats. Earlier, the homeroom teacher had posed the same question, and with only one spot left, Tian Xiaotian had a quick-witted idea—she remembered noticing an empty classroom on the way and managed to fetch a chair, finally securing a safe place to sit.

Sitting beside her companion, she pulled out paper and a pen from the desk drawer. After scribbling a few notes, the two began analyzing their current situation.

[The Mute Academy] prohibited the use of any items, and the mortality rate was terrifyingly high. In ordinary dungeons, answering wrong might cost you an arm or a leg, but here, it would cost your life.

"Truly an S-rank difficulty dungeon. Even the slightest misstep could mean death," her companion muttered grimly. "We drew the worst possible lot with this one."

"But from what I can see, we don’t need to engage in direct combat. We just have to play the role of [students] convincingly," Tian Xiaotian observed keenly.

"And I’ve already noticed—when the teacher asks you a question, as long as you give a reasonable explanation, you can keep yourself safe."

"True. We’ll have to make the most of that rule," her companion nodded. "After class, let’s scout out the other classrooms. But we should avoid the lab and the basement."

"Right. Let’s see if there are any other rules first."

For some reason, Tian Xiaotian thought of Ye Chuan. She glanced silently at the wall beside her—just on the other side was his classroom.

Is he… really the expert I thought he was?

……

As Tian Xiaotian and her companion discussed, the barrage of comments continued scrolling—

[The Mute Academy lives up to its name. As long as you don’t say the wrong thing, there’s a chance to clear it.]

[Then what’s up with that guy earlier? He seemed to be spouting nonsense and still got away with it?]

[No, it might’ve sounded like nonsense, but it was actually plausible… But how did he even have a weapon?]

[Items are randomly assigned when you spawn into a family at the start of the dungeon. He probably got it there.]

[The Mute Academy doesn’t allow outside items. He must’ve picked it up before coming to the gym.]

[Just dumb luck. Recklessness will only get you killed here, becoming food for those things, heh heh heh.]

[The truth was already revealed the moment you stepped into the academy, heh heh heh.]

……

"Class dismissed?" The bell rang, and Ye Chuan, still seated in the classroom, noticed that the other students remained motionless in their seats, eerily silent.

Like puppets frozen in place.

"Might as well take a walk," Ye Chuan said, stretching his neck.

Where to?

Obviously, the basement or the lab—nothing like a little rebellion.

Standing up, he strode straight toward the teacher, who was about to leave. "Teacher, got a question."

The teacher paused mid-step, eyeing Ye Chuan with an odd, almost reluctant expression, as if unwilling to engage with him.

"Speak."

His voice dripped with exhaustion.

"Where’s the basement?" Ye Chuan asked with a grin.

"You… don’t you know the basement is off-limits?" The teacher’s gaze bore into him.

"I know," Ye Chuan replied, then added, "But there’s no rule against asking, right?"

"Nothing says I can’t ask, yeah?"

The teacher’s briefly excited demeanor deflated instantly. "True, there isn’t…"

"Stop asking. I don’t know." The teacher turned away, clearly done with the conversation.

As if Ye Chuan was nothing but an annoyance.

"Teacher, where are you going?"

"Teacher, say something."

"Oi!"

Out in the hallway, players from the neighboring class witnessed the bizarre scene—Ye Chuan quickening his pace to chase after the teacher, who in turn sped up as if desperate to escape him.

"……"

Is this… normal?

Having seen these monstrous teachers devour so many people, the other players wouldn’t dare provoke them, let alone chase one down like Ye Chuan was doing.

And no one dared imitate him now—the last guy who tried had been slaughtered.

Ye Chuan had intended to catch up to the homeroom teacher, but the moment he turned the corner, the man vanished without a trace.

"Huh?" He stopped in his tracks.

Whatever. I’ll find it myself.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a voice sounded beside him. "Brother."

Ye Chuan turned to see a girl with snow-white hair and crimson eyes standing there.

"Oh, little sister. What brings you here?" he asked, addressing his impromptu sibling.

"I came to check on you," the girl said with a smile, though her eyes scrutinized him intently, as if searching for something in his expression.

"How was your first day of class?"

"Not bad. Just that the teacher ran off too fast," Ye Chuan replied, reaching out to pat her head. "I’m fine."

The moment his hand touched her, her body stiffened noticeably. She stared at him, frozen, as if unable to react.

"What’s wrong?" Ye Chuan asked.

"Nothing…"

He glanced at his palm. When he’d touched her, her hair—supposedly soft and silver-white—had felt strangely slick, almost like flesh beneath his fingers.

Did she not wash her hair yesterday, or am I seeing something different?

But with the Chaos Power active, he doubted his perception was that far off.

"Brother," the girl suddenly spoke again.

"Yeah?"

"Can you… hug me?" Her voice was soft, pleading, as she held out her arms, as if seeking confirmation of something.

"A hug?"

"Yes." She smiled, insisting, "A hug."

The next second, she froze again—because Ye Chuan pulled her into his arms without hesitation. The moment she felt his warmth, she seemed to short-circuit.

"Why… did you do that so easily?"

"What do you mean? You asked for it, didn’t you?"

"Aren’t you afraid?"

"Afraid of what? Hugging my cute little sister sounds great." As he spoke, he pinched her cheek playfully.

The texture was still weird, but in this world, she was undeniably adorable.

"Cute… hehe." Complimented, the girl giggled shyly.

Meanwhile, nearby players who happened to glance outside turned deathly pale, as if witnessing something horrifying. From their perspective—

Ye Chuan stood face-to-face with a grotesque, 1.5-meter-tall mass of writhing flesh and tentacles, oozing crimson slime. The thing had no face, only pulsating tendrils, yet it spoke in a girlish voice.

And Ye Chuan, now smeared in blood, had even embraced it!

A m-monster?!