Replica 05

Isn't this just the usual trope of eerie teachers and eerie students? There was once a horror dungeon called "Haunted Schoolhouse," which she nearly cleared flawlessly. Still, she didn’t underestimate Fang Zhiyi, especially after hearing from the system about his notorious reputation.

Entering the classroom, Mei Lin glanced at the sparse gathering of eerie classmates. She found a seat, crossed her arms, and assumed an air of unrivaled confidence while silently calculating Fang Zhiyi’s intentions.

But strangely, no students came to pick a fight. There were no dripping blood or severed heads popping out of desks.

The surroundings were eerily peaceful—so peaceful it felt like a normal school, just a bit run-down.

With the plot refusing to kick off, Mei Lin grew inexplicably restless. She revisited Fang Zhiyi’s profile, deducing from the traces he left behind that this man’s mind was anything but simple...

Finally, as an eerie old man walked in, her spirits lifted. Was it starting now? She could hardly wait.

But what followed defied all her expectations.

The eerie teacher picked up a piece of chalk and began writing on the blackboard:

"Let the function I(X) be defined by the following limit:

I(X) = limn→∞∑k=1n (n + k)e^(−X⋅n/k)

Please solve the following problems:

1. Express I(X) in terms of a definite integral.

2. Prove that I(X) has a unique minimum point X0 on (0, +∞).

3. Show that the minimum point X0 satisfies the equation ∫₀¹ (1 + t)e^(−X0t) dt = 0, and determine whether X0 > 1."

Mei Lin froze.

So did the live-stream audience.

"Wait, where the hell am I?"

"I graduated! I swear I graduated!"

"Is this a dungeon?"

"I never, in a million years, expected something this abstract."

"I was so tense, but then I remembered I’m not the one trapped here. Life is beautiful."

The eerie live chat flooded with question marks.

Suddenly, one eerie viewer spoke up: "I know that old man! Isn’t he that cranky professor from Ghost University?"

"Oh! You’re right—the one who lectures to empty air all the time."

"No idea what he’s writing, but it looks impressive."

The eerie crowd buzzed with chatter.

The analysts from Dragon Country all turned to Fang Zhiyi with strange looks. He shrugged. "What can I say? Limited points to spend. Had to make do."

Was this really a "make-do" situation?

Someone actually tried solving the problem but soon gave up: "Sorry, I’m useless."

Beads of sweat formed on Mei Lin’s forehead as she watched her eerie classmates scribble away diligently. Her brain short-circuited. What kind of lunatic designs a dungeon like this?

The eerie teacher calmly announced, "This is one of the graduation exam questions. Raise your hand if you’ve finished."

To Mei Lin, the problem might as well have been hieroglyphics. After what felt like an eternity, she suddenly understood Fang Zhiyi—now, she wanted to be Fang Zhiyi.

"System! Enhance me!" She decided to brute-force her way through this dungeon.

The drowsy live-stream audience jolted awake as Mei Lin suddenly stood up.

She leaped into the air and threw a punch at the eerie teacher.

"Damn, she’s trying to copy Fang’s style?"

"Looks pretty fierce."

"?"

"?"

"?"

The old man merely waved his hand, and Mei Lin was slammed into the ground by an invisible force. The impact knocked the wind out of her, blood trickling from her lips.

"No way!" She struggled to her feet, panic flashing in her eyes. But then she noticed something worse—her system was trapped in a swirling current of energy. Before she could react, a bolt of blue lightning shot through the window and exploded nearby.

"Holy crap! The contestant from Nono Country just got struck by lightning!"

"Not quite—it hit next to her. More like a warning."

"Since when can eerie beings summon lightning?"

"Terrifying."

"I think the real horror is her having to solve that problem."

"Wait, no time limit? So she’s stuck here forever?"

"Life sentence."

"Even if the analysts crack it, they probably can’t relay the answer in the limited communication window."

That remark reminded everyone—there were analysts, after all.

Mei Lin’s fear spiked. For a split second, she sensed the gaze of something colossal, a presence so overwhelming her heart nearly stopped. Then... her system shattered.

Was this world’s heavenly law that terrifying? She stared at the eerie teacher, who remained utterly unperturbed. He even turned back to the board and wrote another problem: "For students who disrupt class, an extra question."

Her hands trembled uncontrollably as regret washed over her. She never should’ve chased that fugitive here. Now what? Her eyes locked onto the new problem on the board, brimming with dread.

The analysts from Nono Country were dumbfounded. Another question? Game over.

Fang Zhiyi lost interest. He hadn’t expected his opponent to fall into the trap so quickly. He barely needed Xiao Hei’s power, so there was no backlash from the heavenly law (though, admittedly, Xiao Hei was mostly useless). The few times lightning struck him were due to his own flamboyance. But this woman? She was practically begging for death. And he’d even spent points on insurance.

"Why didn’t this happen in Fang Zhiyi’s run?" an analyst muttered in confusion.

Fang Zhiyi knew what they were thinking—his actions had been far worse, yet the rules never intervened. But he didn’t answer. He simply stood and walked out.

No one stopped him. Only the minister followed.

Fang Zhiyi glanced at him. "I spent all 100 points from the last dungeon reinforcing the rules."

The minister was stunned—first, because he hadn’t known that was an option, and second, because that wasn’t even the question he’d wanted to ask. He could guess Fang Zhiyi’s concern: leaking his methods.

But seeing Fang Zhiyi’s nonchalance, he asked anyway, "Dungeons must have an escape route. Yours..."

"Did she die or not?" Fang Zhiyi retorted, almost playfully.

The minister gaped, speechless.

"Honestly, clearing it was simple. She just didn’t read the instructions," Fang Zhiyi sighed.

"Huh?" The minister’s curiosity piqued, but after a pause, he shook his head. "Never mind. As long as you’re confident, no need to explain."