In the dead of night, a group of sneaky figures approached the south gate of the school.
Among them was a head of golden hair, slightly conspicuous in this dark night.
This year's freshmen included other mixed-race students, but only one with pure golden hair: Fu Erdai.
However, Fu Erdai wasn't the leader of this operation.
In fact, he walked at the very back of this small group of ten or so people.
Leading at the front was an ordinary-looking boy.
"Chang Jiantao, are you sure the information is correct?"
A girl within the group softly inquired of him.
"Don't worry, my brother is a sophomore at our school."
"He's the one who told me about it."
The leading boy turned his head, and though his expression couldn't be seen clearly in the dim light, his tone was certainly confident.
Their target in the south forest this time was a small scavenger magical beast known as the Nightglow Spider.
Though only ranked F, its particular luminous nature made it more valuable than typical F-rank mystical beasts.
These creatures were nocturnal, becoming most active near midnight when they search for food.
At other times, even under someone's nose, they might not be noticed due to their strong concealment abilities.
The purpose of this small group was to capture some Nightglow Spiders.
Alive or dead, though alive was preferred.
Capturing Nightglow Spiders wasn't for monetary gain.
If it were for money, Fu Erdai wouldn't have participated.
The reason for capturing these beasts was a course requirement after school opened, called Material Collection.
This course supposedly had the highest failure rate this semester, often seeing students fail because they couldn't complete the final collection task and had to retake it.
Their action tonight was a proactive measure.
Because the course had high flexibility, as long as you had the skills, you could gather enough valuable materials before classes started and still be recognized.
The standard considered multiple factors.
For instance, in the realm of beast materials, the magical beast's strength, material functionality, rarity, and whether the collection was completed independently all affected the final score.
If you could truly meet the standard ahead of time, it would be like earning an exemption gold medal, freeing you from worries for the semester.
The Nightglow Spider was one of the recognized materials for this course.
Just one living specimen or three complete ones would meet the requirement.
Of course, most freshmen were unaware of this information beforehand.
But who would have thought Chang Jiantao's brother was a sophomore here, who had failed the course last year due to an unexpected injury?
Logically, his senior brother should have led the operation tonight.
However, Chang Jiantao had been unable to find him since yesterday; all phone attempts resulted in voicemail.
In the end, they had no choice but to organize the operation themselves.
"But I heard freshmen aren't allowed to leave freely now."
"That's right; you must have a senior student or a teacher's note to lead the way."
At this point, another person in the group expressed unease.
"Don't worry, I've already checked this out."
"That's why I asked you to prepare beforehand."
Chang Jiantao said, lifting his foot slightly.
Before leaving the dorm, each of them had sponges tied to their soles.
"Is that gatekeeper at the south gate really as magical as you say?"
Though everyone complied, some remained skeptical.
"Wrong, it's not him who's impressive."
Chang Jiantao shook his finger, his expression serious.
"It's his summoned creature, the Earth Listening Beast."
"It's rumored nothing within five miles escapes that Earth Listening Beast's monitoring."
"You can't hold a gatekeeper position at Xidu University without some skill."
"His strength and status surpass those of regular teachers."
This information, overheard from his brother, Chang Jiantao knew wouldn't be false.
"If that Earth Listening Beast is so powerful, will our preparations work?"
At this moment, another person questioned.
"What do you know..."
"Of course they won't work."
But just as Chang Jiantao was about to confidently reply, the gatekeeper uncle seemed to appear out of nowhere beside them, interrupting his words.
"..." xN
The group suddenly fell silent.
The quiet was so absolute, it seemed like the night should naturally be that quiet.
Someone wanted to run but found themselves completely unable to move.
"A bunch of little rascals, quite daring, aren't you?"
The gatekeeper uncle wore a stern face, turned, and walked away with his hands behind his back.
"Since you don't want to sleep so late, then don't sleep at all."
"Everyone, come to my gatekeeper's room."
Clearly, no freshman wanted to follow his orders, yet they were horrified to find their feet moving of their own accord.
Five minutes later, in front of the south gatekeeper's room.
The dozen or so members of the small group who attempted to leave school stood neatly in a line.
"All with sponges on your soles, seems you were prepared."
"But do you look down on my Earth Listening Beast so much?"
The gatekeeper uncle stood before them, a stern yet indifferent look on his face.
Behind him lay a wrinkly old bulldog, though it wasn't genuinely old; its appearance was just this way.
Aside from its size being somewhat large, it looked no different from an ordinary shar-pei dog.
The only exception was its large, long ears, with half drooping to the ground.
This was the Earth Listening Beast Chang Jiantao had mentioned earlier.
"You should all reflect hard, stand here until dawn."
After sweeping his eyes over the group, the gatekeeper uncle was about to turn back into the room.
Leading at the front, Chang Jiantao lowered his head, displaying a deeply remorseful and pained look.
Having grown up frequently punished, he'd long since gained experience.
The more sincere and repentant you acted at times like this, the lighter the punishment would be.
Beside him, Fu Erdai could almost kill this guy with his gaze.
If left with a disciplinary record, wouldn't it mar his academic career?
"I won't go on about the dangers of leaving school without permission."
"Someone will explain it to you properly tomorrow."
Seeing the freshmen before him, the gatekeeper uncle couldn't help but think of someone else.
That limp boy who got permission to leave school this afternoon.
It's been half a day; how come he hasn't returned?
That new teacher, Li Fan, should at least have his summoned creature secretly protecting him, right?
"Huh? What's that light over there?"
At this moment, a girl's words interrupted the gatekeeper uncle's thoughts.
All at once, everyone turned to look where she was pointing.
On the other side of the south gate, a cluster of tiny white lights glowed like a pentagram, slowly approaching.
"Hmm?!"
Seeing the strange lights, Chang Jiantao was stunned: "Why are there so many Nightglow Spiders?!"
"No, wait, there seems to be a figure among them!"
...
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