Chapter 11: Why Is My Quest Different From Yours?

Human or ghost?

Wu Wang squinted and quietly circled around to the stone pillar beside the school gate to hide. Even though the bulky bags and packages on his body made him look clumsy, he didn't make a single sound, slipping in like a ghost with absolute silence.

He knew this environment far too well.

"Isn't it a five-person instance? Where did the last person go? Would some idiot give up a chance like this?" one of the tall guys draped in a school uniform cursed.

Standing beside him was someone wearing a mask that obscured their face, but from the flowing long straight black hair and a voice like silver bells, one could tell it was a girl who said disdainfully, "Doesn't matter. A reality-targeted instance can still open as long as the minimum number is met."

"Hehe, one less person is even better — we might get a bigger share of the good stuff." A short boy who looked only about one-sixty-something in height was circling the flower bed at the school gate, answering gleefully.

He was the one whose footsteps had just been heard.

There was also a middle-aged uncle with a face full of stubble standing silently beside them, a cigarette dangling from his lips wreathed in curling smoke, and combined with the knife scar on his cheek, the school uniform on him looked oddly out of place.

The hell — these are students?!

Wu Wang's expression turned slightly odd.

The moment he heard the words "reality-targeted instance," he guessed these people were most likely players too, not ghosts from the Gaoshan Middle School instance that had somehow leaked into reality.

But why would they come here?

Wu Wang could understand that there was more than one school uniform out there — after all, in the last Xinshou Sect tutorial he'd played hide-and-seek with fifty murderers.

But the uniform's item description never specified which school you had to go to!

What a coincidence that everyone just happened to come to this abandoned school, Hope Middle School?

Wu Wang didn't believe in coincidences like that.

Before he could figure it out, a toilet-Sadako-style prompt echoed through the minds of the four people on campus—

【Targeted instance launch conditions met】

【Welcome to Gaoshan Middle School】

【Instance Name — Truancy Officer】

【Instance Description: This is a legendary top-tier academy with a university-entrance rate as high as 98%. Parents from all over the country will fight to the death for a single enrollment slot. Graduate from here smoothly, and your future will be bright!】

【Team Main Quest: Prevent any truancy at Gaoshan Middle School within five days. For every truant caught, the reward value stacks by one point.】

【Side Quest 1: Uncover the secrets of the principal and the homeroom teachers (I have a little secret~ little secret)】

【Side Quest 2: Uncover the truth behind the urban legends of the Black Room and the Arts Building (It is watching you, watching you without blinking~)】

【Clear Reward: Base reward is one random piece of Common-grade equipment. Specific rewards are calculated based on the cumulative number of truants caught (the reward pool is still stacking!)】

【Hidden Reward: Conditions unknown】

【Wishing you all find the death that belongs to you】

At the same time.

The surrounding environment also changed from the bleak, ruined abandoned school it had been to something clean and tidy.

The ivy and moss on the buildings vanished, replaced by a large banner—

"If study doesn't kill you! Then study till you die!"

The pitch-black darkness of deep night also brightened into blazing sunshine, and the group realized they were no longer at the flower bed by the gate of the Hope Middle School ruins.

They were now inside a dormitory room.

But the awkward thing was…

There were five people in the dorm.

On the bunk in the corner lay prone a fellow who looked like a military enthusiast, his body covered in all sorts of strange warding-off-evil trinkets, peering at the four of them through the gaps in the railing.

"Yo, hey everyone, you're the new roommates moving in, right? I'm a Gao San upperclassman, nice to meet you." Wu Wang opened his mouth into a perfectly natural grin.

Not a flicker of guilt on his face.

Under his masterful acting, the lie had not a single crack, but in his heart he was already cursing up a storm.

Did this damned system have to gather all the players together first? He'd been planning to hide and pull off something big!

He seriously suspected the system was getting back at him for streaking through the broadcast calisthenics last night.

The four people below the bunk exchanged uncertain glances.

They couldn't quite tell whether this person was an NPC inside the instance or a player.

Until the scarred-faced uncle silently pressed his finger against his own school uniform.

Then, with a single thought—

The next second, Wu Wang saw the item description float up beside his uniform—

【Gaoshan Middle School Uniform: When three or more holders of this uniform gather and stay for one hour within the Hope Middle School ruins in the suburbs of Mingyang City before midnight, a non-lethal reality-targeted instance can be launched.】

"?"

A huge question mark popped up in Wu Wang's mind.

How come this uniform is different from his?

Not to mention the 【Bloodstained Uniform】 that had been warped by that red-eyed Mr. C — even the original, unaltered uniform, his wasn't like this either!

Could it be that his uniform was special from the very start?

And the blood-eye on the inside of his wrist had just twisted it further?

At the same time, a line of text floated above the scarred-faced uncle's head—

【Eagle's Gaze • Chen Baili】 【Lv6】

"Brother, drop the act — you can see the player panel, right?" The scarred-faced uncle pressed his cigarette butt out on the table.

Shit, he'd been played.

Wu Wang immediately realized the guy had been watching his eyes the whole time. The moment his gaze drifted upward proved he could see player IDs — so he couldn't possibly be an NPC.

This guy was a seasoned veteran!

Before Wu Wang could answer, the scarred-faced uncle said calmly, "I'm an agent of the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs. My ID is Chen Baili. You can verify that for yourselves."

"This reality-oriented instance is a team-cooperation type, no need to fight each other. I hope everyone can be a little more frank—there's no need to test or even attack one another. Sincere cooperation, mutual benefit, and shared victory is the true way!"

The Anomaly Bureau, full name the Bureau of Anomaly Management.

Independent of the police and military departments, it specifically handles the supernatural individuals and paranormal events related to 【Spirit Disaster Games】.

In short, it's an official government department.

The tall guy and the masked woman exchanged a glance.

Then the two of them publicly revealed their IDs at the same time.

【Shi Gandang】【Lv5】

【Qing He Yikan】【Lv5】

Seeing that everyone had chosen cooperation, the shorty shrugged and revealed his own ID as well.

【Tu Tu Xing Sun】【Lv4】

Immediately after, everyone turned their gaze toward Wu Wang's position, a hint of confusion showing in their eyes.

This kid can't still be stubbornly trying to play the NPC, right?

Little did they know, Wu Wang was facing another difficult problem—how the hell was he supposed to publicly reveal his player ID!?

He mulled it over for a long while before finding the trick.

Then, with a mere thought, his jaw-dropping player ID was displayed before everyone.

【Wei Wang Ren】【Lv1】

The expressions of the four people opposite instantly turned strange, because the complaints this cosplay freak had revealed were simply too numerous.

The shorty Tu Tu Xing Sun couldn't hold it in and spoke up: "Bro, XP stuff like that is still pretty private—no need to show off your tastes to everyone, right?"

Before Wu Wang could reply, Bai Li Dao noticed another blind spot—this kid was only level one!

Frowning, he asked Wu Wang: "You… haven't gone through any instances since becoming a player?"

I'd love to have the time to go through a few more instances! The key point is I only just became this damn player last night!

Wu Wang said with a slight smile: "Mm, I'm kind of a coward, and I'm also afraid of pain, so I never took the initiative to enter an instance. This time was an accident."

"Sigh… didn't expect we'd have to carry a newbie. Fine, then let me first explain the missions and instance types and stuff to you." Bai Li Dao pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed.

He really hates newbies.

Most newbies like to think they know everything, not to mention he's even more afraid of the other party provoking something that would wipe out the entire team.

Fortunately, the Anomaly Bureau had specifically given their agents training on this aspect of briefing newbies.

The department also hoped to win over wild players this way—not necessarily getting them all to join, just as long as they didn't oppose the authorities.

Bai Li Dao then explained to Wu Wang the priorities of their current main quest and two side quests, hoping the other party wouldn't force the side quests and cause problems with the main quest.

But the more Wu Wang listened, the stranger his expression became.

Because of what he'd heard before entering the instance…

The side quests were no different, but the main quest alone seemed to be a little different?

Still worried he might have misheard, his gaze unconsciously flicked to the information on his own panel to confirm the content—

【Main Quest: Escape from Gaoshan Middle School within five days. The more living student companions who escape with you, the richer the reward. (Who exactly should decide our lives?)】

Oh no!

A team instance means I solo an entire team of other players, right!

Is this game discriminating against me or what?