Chapter 11: Ivywood Girls’ Academy (11)

Dozens of eyes turned toward the players standing in the corridor. Their pupils were pitch black—deep, endless voids that seemed to devour everything.

The uniformed schoolgirls tilted their heads slightly. The light above them began to dim, and from their scalps, an oily, putrid substance started to seep out.

The filth oozed down from their heads, thick and rancid, like a curse lurking in the darkness. Drop by drop, it fell to the ground with an eerie drip… drip… drip…

"A-Ahh—oh my god, someone save me! I want to go home!"

The players in the hallway were on the verge of losing their minds. They lowered their voices in panic, diving into the classrooms, too terrified to look outside.

In just a few moments, every single one of them had fled from the corridor and taken refuge inside.

Just when they thought they had escaped, the students outside slowly approached the classroom windows. One by one, they pressed their faces against the glass, eyes wide, silently observing the people inside.

Under the night sky, the air felt frozen.

The players inside turned pale as death, their tongues stiff, cold sweat streaming down their backs. Goosebumps spread over their skin, and their hearts pounded violently against their ribs.

Just a minute ago, everything had been normal.

But in the blink of an eye, these seemingly harmless NPCs had shed their disguises, revealing a terrifying truth—they wanted nothing more than to scare them to death.

"This is all his fault! That guy—Rowan! If it weren't for him, these NPCs wouldn't have suddenly changed like this. It has to be because he touched the corpse!"

One of the players, Jack, immediately tried to shift the blame onto Rowan, taking the opportunity to fan the flames.

"I knew it—he's nothing but trouble. That bastard must be trying to get us all killed!"

The easiest way to suppress fear was to replace it with anger. Soon, more and more players began condemning Rowan for his reckless actions.

And then—

Rowan appeared outside the window.

"Look! He—he's back!"

Rowan glanced at the schoolgirls clinging to the glass. Then, to everyone's shock, he leaned in closer—

And took a deep breath.

The players: …?

What the hell is wrong with him?

Other people inhale cats; this guy inhales monsters??

But strangely enough, the schoolgirls didn't seem to react much. They remained stuck to the window like parasites, their pitch-black pupils revealing nothing of what they were actually looking at.

Then, Rowan slowly turned his head—toward the classroom.

His gaze sent shivers down the players' spines.

"H-He's looking at us… What is he looking for? Do those things want something?"

Rowan chuckled and said, "More specifically, someone."

"What do you mean?" Jack growled. He had always found Rowan insufferable. That pretty-boy act, staying so damn calm the whole time—what a joke. If it weren't for the fact that the classroom door couldn't be locked, Jack would've locked Rowan out in a heartbeat.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Rowan strolled back into the classroom.

From start to finish, not a single one of the creatures outside even glanced at him.

"The person they're looking for was standing in the hallway just now. Otherwise, why haven't they left yet?"

Even the dullest among them could understand what Rowan was implying.

But just moments ago, two-thirds of the class had been outside.

Even if they wanted to figure out who the monsters were after, they wouldn't be able to do it in one night.

"T-Then… if we do find that person, what will happen to them?" Jose asked weakly.

Rowan sank into his chair and shrugged. "How should I know? Worst case scenario, they just get eaten."

Eaten?! Then who the hell would dare go outside?!

Rowan leaned back lazily. "But instead of worrying about the monsters outside, shouldn't we be more concerned about whether the school rules are actually real?"

He casually pointed out Rule #6:

"6. Students may switch classes freely."

If Rowan was right, and the students who jumped were already dead, then these students were most likely dead too. And if they weren't alive—

They were monsters.

But the rule explicitly stated that students could switch classes freely.

That was basically the same as saying, "Feel free to go dance on someone's grave."

Or in this case, "Feel free to walk straight into a monster's mouth."

"No way… The school rules can't be fake," Jose muttered in disbelief.

Yet, Rowan's actions had unwittingly led the players to a crucial discovery:

The school rules weren't trustworthy.

This was an extremely important piece of information.

Suddenly, a loud BANG! echoed through the room as a burly man slammed his hand against his desk.

"This is impossible!"

Everyone turned to look at him.

He was a veteran player, someone who had already cleared a Level Two Instance.

"There's no way! This is just a Level One Instance—the easiest survival mode in the entire game. How could it possibly have fake rules?!"

"N-No, it's not impossible."

A voice interrupted.

A man wearing black-framed glasses, his expression solemn, spoke up.

"My name is Logan Whytt. I've cleared a Level Two Instance before. To be honest, I was just here to—uh, pass the time. But here's the thing… In any normal Level One Instance, the school rules should always be accurate.

Unless someone altered them."

The burly man immediately questioned, "Altered? Are you saying someone here actually obtained an Identity Card?"

Logan nodded. "Yes. It's rare in a Level One Instance, but not impossible. And if that's the case… that person is most likely our enemy."

He continued, "All of this—everything that's happened—only makes sense if a high-level player entered this instance and forced the system to adjust the difficulty."

The new players quickly realized what Logan was implying.

They were nothing more than cannon fodder for some higher-tier player.

Logan's tone remained firm. "As far as I know, Level One Instances are practically idiot-proof. Ahem… what I mean is, they're very easy to clear.

So, all we have to do is find the high-level player and let them be erased by the system.

Once that happens, the game difficulty should return to normal."

The rules that had been verified so far were Rules #1 and #2.

And if they wanted a high-level player dead, all they had to do was strip them of their uniform.

"But there are still thirty of us left. How are we supposed to figure out who it is?" Jose asked hesitantly.

Logan's gaze slowly shifted—

Toward Rowan, sitting calmly in the corner.

"Based on what I know—or rather, based on statistical analysis—

The calmer someone is, the stronger their mental resilience. The more experienced they are in the game.

And someone who can remain completely composed in a situation like this…

Is highly likely to be a high-level player."

Logan's voice was heavy as he spoke his final words.

"Regardless of whether they have an Identity Card or not, a high-level player is—without a doubt—everyone's enemy."

The moment he finished speaking—

The way everyone looked at Rowan completely changed.