Chapter 5: Ivywood Girls’ Academy (5)

Jack and Jose were both novice players, but Jack carried an aura of aggression—if others wronged him, he would return the favor.

He grabbed Jose's chin, eyes wide open. "Ha, I only asked for your name, but you're acting all guilty. You must know something!"

Jose's legs went weak with fear, shaking his head frantically. "I don't know! I really don't know anything!"

Rowan ignores them, glanced at the time and obediently climbed into bed.

Since Rowan was the one who raised the suspicion, Jack had assumed he would join in pressing Jose for information. But instead, he was actually just lying down and going to sleep?

Knocking sounds came from the rooms next door in succession. Jack's heart tensed—bad news. He immediately let go of Jose's collar and jumped onto his bed.

It was already 11 PM. That woman was making her rounds.

There was one condition for bed checks: players had to be lying in bed. Standing on the floor or sitting on a chair would count as violating the rule.

Knock, knock, knock.

The dorm supervisor finally arrived at their door. After three knocks, a stunningly beautiful woman appeared before them.

Jack didn't dare sit up to look directly. Using his peripheral vision, he observed the woman and his pupils shrank.

This woman had the exact same face as the obese dorm supervisor from earlier.

No one would believe that in just ten minutes, she had slimmed down so drastically. Her newly curvy figure was unforgettable.

Of course, this was a horror game world—common sense didn't necessarily apply here.

Now that she was thinner, her grin was even more pronounced. Without fat obscuring her features, it was clear that her mouth stretched unnaturally wide, almost to her ears.

Her eyes were wide open as she scanned the room, then she took out a pen and lightly tapped in the air above their beds.

"One, two, three. Very good. Such obedient children. Everyone's present."

After she left, Jack immediately yanked Jose off his bed, slamming him onto the floor. The impact made Jose see stars.

"Talk!"

Jose kept wailing, insisting he didn't know anything—until Jack pressed a knife against his throat.

"If you really don't know anything, then I'm a f* idiot. Either you talk, or you die."

This time, Jose was truly terrified. He went completely still, lips trembling slightly.

Rowan shifted positions, lying on his side to watch with a lazy smile at the corner of his eyes.

"I'll talk, I'll talk… J-Jack, do you remember what happened before you came here?"

Jack frowned. Before entering the game… he had been robbing someone. Just as he was about to stab them, he inexplicably found himself in this world.

Jose, on the other hand, had been selling illegal goods. He was being chased by the police when, suddenly, he ended up here.

"You remember the bald guy who got killed in front of the school building? I know who he is. He was on TV—he's a murderer. He once got drunk and killed a female student at a high school. He was arrested and was supposed to be executed soon, but somehow, he ended up here…"

That explained why the bald man had been so desperate to rush into the school. Maybe the sight of it triggered his past crimes, making him afraid to remember what he had done.

Jose continued in a weak voice, "If my guess is right, maybe… everyone here has committed crimes. The horror game might actually be a form of divine judgment on sinners."

Because they had done bad things, being in this eerie place made them even more terrified. They feared death more than anyone.

All players are sinners.

"But isn't that even more interesting?" Rowan suddenly spoke. His red eyes held an unreadable smile, adding a hint of wickedness. "That way, killing them won't come with any guilt."

"You… what did you just say?" Jose thought he must have misheard.

Rowan turned his head to the side and said nothing more.

"What about you? What crime did you commit to end up in this game?"

Jack narrowed his eyes at Rowan. The calmer someone was in this place, the more likely they were a psychopathic killer.

For all he knew, this guy had already taken many lives.

The thought that he might have provoked a serial killer made Jack's hair stand on end.

And they were in the same dorm room. He might not even realize how he died.

Rowan sat up at that moment, looking down at his wrist. There were a few scars on it. He tilted his head slightly. "I don't remember. Maybe… suicide?"

"Suicide?" Jack and Jose spoke in unison.

Rowan chuckled softly. "Suicide is also a form of murder."

Then, stretching lazily, he added, "Get some sleep. This is just a survival instance. We'll be out in seven days."

He was right—this was just a first-level survival instance. The NPCs wouldn't immediately start slaughtering them. There had to be a grace period for new players.

At 2 AM, under the combined weight of exhaustion and fear, most players had already fallen asleep.

Rowan, however, was one of the few still awake. He furrowed his brows slightly.

Ever since he arrived at Ivywood Girls' Academy, his system had sent him a few notifications:

[Your livestream has received a message from a god. Check it out now!]

[Lucian: So you like pink dresses, huh? I'll remember that~]

Rowan: "…" Uh. Seems like a god misunderstood something.

Even though he couldn't recall anything, the moment it involved the game, his instincts kicked in. For example, the term identity card had slipped out automatically when Leo mentioned a clue.

If the goal was simply to follow the rules and survive seven days, this game would be far too boring. If he were the game designer, he would never make a horror game this dull.

The real breakthrough point was the identity cards.

Not everyone who had an identity card was necessarily a criminal, but none of them could be considered good people. The fun of the game began right there.

Turning humans against each other—that was where the real entertainment lay.

He smirked as he sat up, got out of bed, and casually strolled out of the dormitory.

It took only ten minutes to walk from the dorms to the school building.

The bodies had all disappeared, but the stench of blood still lingered in the air.

Under the moonlight, the corridors seemed desolate. Every classroom door was shut tight. Through the glass windows, only pitch-black darkness could be seen inside.

At the end of the hallway, the dim lights cast long shadows. Rowan entered the building without hesitation, as if waiting for something.

One second, two seconds, a minute… Nothing happened.

"Just as I thought…" He chuckled softly and pulled the student handbook from his pocket, tossing it into a trash bin.

Rules three and four contradicted each other, proving that they were both false.

3. After evening self-study, return to the dormitory immediately.

4. Do not enter the third-floor restroom of the west teaching building after 10 PM.

Rule three implied that no students should be in the teaching building after evening self-study, which ended at 9:30 PM. Logically, by 10 PM, the building should be empty.

Yet, rule four prohibited entering the west teaching building's third-floor restroom after 10 PM.

If no one was in the building by then, why even establish rule four?

The answer was simple—both rules were fake.

A handbook containing false rules was nothing but trash.