NOVEL NEXT Ch. 10
Chapter 10: The Game Begins
At the moment the puppet announced the start of roll call, that invisible force clutching everyone’s mouths vanished.
Yet the classroom remained as silent as before, not a single person dared to make a sound.
Even their breathing became cautious.
“Next, when I call your name, answer.”
The puppet pulled out a roster from who-knows-where and spoke to everyone.
“Wu Fan.”
“…Here.”
Wu Fan raised his hand slightly, his voice trembling.
Arrogant as he usually was, in the face of this horror-movie-like scene before him, he had finally learned what fear was.
“Lin You.”
“Here…”
“Dong Ningning.”
“Here…”
“Bai Quye.”
“Here…”
……
“Liuli.”
“…Here.”
When Liuli, the last name, was called, many eyes in the class turned toward her.
Lu Feng hadn’t expected that Liuli had now become one of their classmates.
The puppet that called itself Teacher Zhu closed the roster, seemingly very satisfied as it nodded.
“Very good. All 37 students are present. Next, the first game is about to begin. But before it starts, I will provide some guidance.”
It spoke in an unbearably grating voice.
The first game?
Before Lu Feng could think further, the puppet picked up chalk and began writing something on the blackboard.
It wrote quickly, speaking as it wrote.
“These rules are very important. I hope everyone remembers them. If you can’t, then copy them down.”
Lu Feng steadied himself and turned his eyes to the blackboard—
【First Game: Ghost Hunt】
【Game Rules:A vengeful spirit will appear in the game scene. Every 2 days, it will kill 1 surviving player.
When the number of surviving players falls below half (the deaths of its believers are not counted), the game ends and the vengeful spirit wins;
Among the 37 people, 5 have already been chosen as the vengeful spirit’s believers.
They will assist it in killing other players.
Their win condition is the same as the spirit’s;
All other players, aside from the believers, must complete two tasks in order to win:
First, using limited hints, discover the spirit’s name in life and uncover its cause of death;
Second, identify all five believers.
If even one believer remains undiscovered, then the vengeful spirit wins.
During the game, only the vengeful spirit can kill players;
After the game ends, all players on the winning side will be revived, while all players on the losing side will be erased;
(The following three rules can only be seen by the vengeful spirit’s believers)
#:#,?,/
#*#~~
#!*!?!/】
【Hints:
Certain special items can delay the spirit’s attacks;
When the spirit attacks, if multiple people are present, it will kill the one closest to it;
The spirit will not attack the same player consecutively;
The spirit possesses an unknown ability.】
【Victory Reward:
After the game ends, all players on the winning side will be scored.
The highest scorer will receive a reward from the high school as well as one “Choice.”】
After writing, the puppet acted like a normal teacher, tossing away the chalk, clapping its hands to shake off the chalk dust, and said,
“Now I will give everyone five minutes to memorize or copy down these rules. After five minutes, I will take you to the First Multi-Function Classroom to begin the first game.”
Game? Spirit? Believers? What was all this?
Lu Feng could hardly accept what was happening before his eyes.
He stared blankly at the blackboard, his mind in chaos.
But as someone who occasionally saw ghosts, Lu Feng’s tolerance was far stronger than most people’s.
After the initial fright, he quickly snapped back to himself.
He immediately pulled out paper and pen to copy down the blackboard’s contents.
No matter what this strange puppet’s so-called “game” really was, for now he had no choice but to take one step at a time.
During this, Lu Feng glanced at Liuli beside him.
She was staring fixedly at the blackboard with an unusually grave expression, as if the sky itself was about to collapse.
Five minutes passed quickly.
The puppet known as Teacher Zhu didn’t allow even a second longer.
It lifted its hand, and the blackboard behind it cleared of its own accord.
Lu Feng had just finished copying.
He tore out the page with the game rules, folded it neatly, and tucked it into his pocket.
“Alright, now please follow me to the First Multi-Function Classroom to begin the first game.”
After saying this, it stiffly walked out of the classroom.
Inside, the students looked at one another, fear written deep in their eyes, unsure whether they should follow.
But it was Liuli beside Lu Feng who stood up first.
She tugged on Lu Feng’s sleeve, pulling him along.
He quickly glanced at Yu Mo, giving a silent signal with his eyes, before being dragged out by Liuli.
From the start, their faintly close behavior hadn’t escaped Yu Mo’s notice.
Realizing that the two seemed unusually familiar with each other, Yu Mo felt puzzled.
A trace of displeasure flickered in her beautiful eyes, dimming their brightness slightly.
Yet she didn’t reveal much outwardly.
She immediately stood up and followed Lu Feng and Liuli out of the classroom.
One after another, more students rose and followed.
After all, the terrifying puppet had said to go along.
If they disobeyed, who knew what might happen?
……
The puppet walked steadily ahead.
Lu Feng and the other two trailed two meters behind, with the rest further back.
It took a few minutes to get from Grade 3 Class 2’s classroom to the First Multi-Function Classroom.
As everyone followed in silence, the puppet suddenly spoke.
“While we walk, I will introduce Evil Spirit High School to you.”
It pointed its finger at the plaque standing atop the building, which read “Evil Spirit High School.”
“The history of Evil Spirit High School can no longer be traced. Countless students have entered it. However, because this is a new campus, there are currently only two cohorts. You are fortunate to be the third—”
The puppet paused, then continued in its harsh, rasping voice.
“Every ten years, Evil Spirit High School admits a new class of students. Once admitted, no one can leave voluntarily. There is only one way to graduate—participate in ten games.”
At this, the puppet seemed to think of something and suddenly burst out with a rattling laugh.
“But I must admit, the quality of this year’s Grade 3 Class 2 students is truly impressive. Among the three cohorts I’ve guided, you’re the best.”
As it spoke, it turned its head slightly.
The crude features painted on its face seemed to glance at someone.
Lu Feng vaguely felt that its gaze had landed on Liuli.
At that moment, the First Multi-Function Classroom appeared at the end of the corridor.
Its doors were tightly shut.
The once plain wooden door now bore a vividly painted, hideous ghost face.
That face grinned sinisterly at Lu Feng and the others, as though it had long been waiting.
Reaching the door, the puppet stopped.
From somewhere, it produced a keyring, selected one, and inserted it into the lock—
With a “creak,” the doors of the First Multi-Function Classroom swung open.
But inside was not the familiar classroom.
Instead, it was a boundless expanse of darkness.
The puppet stepped aside, leaving the doorway open.
“Alright, please enter quickly. The first game is about to begin.”
It spoke casually, like a teacher reminding students to pay attention in class.
But who dared step into that unnerving darkness?
And yet, someone did.
Without hesitation, Liuli pulled Lu Feng along.
He had time only to show a startled expression before the two figures disappeared into the blackness beyond the door.
……
Adros Manor.
This manor had once been glorious, its nights filled with music and revelry, with young men and women dancing and singing within.
Yet at some unknown point, a curse befell it.
Anyone who stayed within began to waste away, until one day they suddenly died.
Soon after, the manor became haunted.
Servants and even the master of the manor saw the terrifying vengeful spirit with their own eyes.
To rid themselves of the curse, they invited exorcists, hoping to drive the spirit away.
But the spirit did not leave.
Instead, their attempt enraged it utterly…
That night, not a single soul survived.
Everyone in the manor was slaughtered in one night, blood soaking every room.
From then on, no one dared set foot in Adros Manor again.
As people abandoned it, the manor lost its splendor, fell into ruin, and whether that vengeful spirit still lingered there remained unknown.
Time passed for over a hundred years.
Adros Manor lay untouched, frozen as if time itself had stopped on that night.
Until, one day a century later, 37 travelers arrived here—and the manor finally began to change…