Big Boss, Save Me

The principal turned and walked away, as if having made some resolute decision.

Or perhaps, it seemed like he was giving Ye Chuan’s little sister some face—though Ye Chuan didn’t understand why, he wasn’t in the mood to fight the principal right now.

After all, the man appeared to be at least boss-level. Without knowing his true strength and without securing the rewards he wanted, starting a fight wouldn’t be wise.

What if the rewards vanished?

"Brother." Seeing Ye Chuan about to enter the changing room, his sister quickly reached out and grabbed his arm—her grip was surprisingly strong, like an ox’s, holding him firmly in place.

Ye Chuan glanced at her in confusion.

"Don’t go… You want to go to the basement, right?" his sister whispered. "It’s…"

"Scary."

"Don’t."

"Please don’t." Her voice trembled with pleading.

Ye Chuan paused, studying her closely. Her lips were pressed thin, her long lashes quivering with unshed tears, as if terrified of him stepping inside.

"Why?"

"Just this one thing, please, brother." She seemed unwilling to explain, stubbornly tugging at him. "Okay?"

"I…" Ye Chuan had half a mind to shake her off, but for some reason, he stopped. Scratching his cheek, he relented.

"Fine."

The moment he agreed, his sister’s face lit up with a bright, adorable smile. She happily clung to his arm. "Let’s go back."

"…" Ye Chuan responded nonchalantly.

So, the basement really held something extraordinary—likely the biggest secret of this Mute Academy. But his sister’s actions didn’t seem malicious.

Meaning, he just hadn’t met the conditions to enter yet?

"…" His thoughts drifted to the other restricted area—the laboratory.

Peering through his magic glasses, the ground below was shrouded in an impenetrable red haze, as if blocked by something.

In that case, he’d explore elsewhere first.

Ye Chuan planned to return later, though it was clear the principal would likely reappear if he got too close again.

After following his sister back to the school building, she returned to her classroom.

Ye Chuan lingered in the hallway, intending to locate the lab, when the sound of frantic footsteps and a struggle caught his attention. He raised an eyebrow.

Two players were being chased by a monster, their faces pale with terror and frustration.

"Dammit! This stupid dungeon!"

"Why does bumping into a teacher at a corner trigger a rule violation?!" Tian Xiaotian thought this world was horrifying—even the smallest mistake could spell doom.

Earlier, she and Zhang Ya had accidentally collided with a teacher in the hallway, only for them to transform into a monster hellbent on hunting them down.

Worse, Tian Xiaotian was certain the teacher had deliberately stepped into their path with an armful of files—like some kind of scam!

"Don’t run!" The monstrous teacher shrieked. "No shouting in the halls! Won’t you apologize for bumping into me?!"

"Stop! Come to the office for disciplinary action!"

No way were they stopping. Thankfully, the creature was slow, struggling to keep up.

"Xiaotian, look ahead!" Zhang Ya shouted.

Tian Xiaotian glanced up and spotted Ye Chuan standing in the corridor. Instinctively, she blurted out, "B-Big Boss?!"

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it.

This guy clearly wasn’t the legendary player she knew—just another monster, right?

She wasn’t sure if her outburst would trigger anything, but right now, running was their only option.

"Hm?" Ye Chuan froze at the oddly familiar yet unfamiliar address. He stared at Tian Xiaotian, momentarily stunned.

Her face overlapped with the image of that cowardly little girl from his memories.

"Gold Bar?" Ye Chuan rubbed his chin, testing the name.

"B-Big Boss?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Eh? ↗"

"Eh?! ↘"

"BIG BOSS, SAVE ME!!!!!" Tian Xiaotian screamed at the top of her lungs.

The monster lunged—but in the next instant, Ye Chuan moved.

A single step forward, a flick of his wrist, and a spiritual sword materialized in his grip. A cold gleam flashed as the blade sliced through the air, cleanly bisecting the creature mid-charge.

The monster collapsed, dissolving into an unidentifiable liquid, leaving only an empty husk behind.

"Swords work fine too." Ye Chuan sheathed the blade. Without spiritual energy to empower it, the weapon couldn’t perform flashy techniques like flying or raining down swords, but its sheer sharpness made short work of low-tier monsters.

Seeing the familiar spiritual sword, Tian Xiaotian’s eyes welled up. She dropped to her knees and clung to Ye Chuan’s leg, sobbing.

"BIG BOSS!!! I’ve missed you so much!!! Every time I enter a dungeon, I pray to meet you again!"

Ye Chuan grimaced as snot smeared across his pants. "You… Tian Little Melon?"

"Boss, I’m Tian Xiaotian, wuwuwu—no, Melon’s fine! Just save me!"

Ye Chuan glanced at the other girl, Zhang Ya, who looked utterly bewildered. Clearly, she’d never seen the usually tough and aloof Tian Xiaotian act so pathetically—clinging to a man’s leg and begging for help.

"How’d you grow up so fast?" Ye Chuan asked.

"I—I grew up normally?" Tian Xiaotian sniffled, wiping her face.

Ye Chuan eyed her melons. Were they ripe?

"It hasn’t even been half a year since we last met," he said.

Did she take some kind of growth serum?

"Half a year? Boss… it’s been ten years."

"Ten?"

"Yeah."

"I see…" Ye Chuan wasn’t surprised. Given they were from different worlds, differing time flows weren’t unusual. After hopping across so many realms, he’d long since stopped questioning such things.

Noticing their injuries—clothes stained with blood—he tossed them some healing pills.

"This…" Zhang Ya hesitated, eyeing the medicine. Weren’t items disabled in this dungeon? How did he produce these?

Unlike her, Tian Xiaotian swallowed the pill without hesitation. Instantly, her wounds stopped aching.

"Boss! I always carry gold bars, but this dungeon blocks items…"

"Enough." Ye Chuan waved her off. "Consider this a chance encounter. Pay me back next time."

"Deal!" Tian Xiaotian nodded eagerly.

A next time meant she’d survive this nightmare.