"Don't worry. This is the Giant Whale-a tugboat refitted from a destroyer. A Category Twelve storm won't do anything to her," Mans said, looking up at the pitch-black sky. Lightning tore across the firmament without pause. He muttered, "Still... this rain reminds me of the Greenland ice shelf ten years ago. Getting close to those things always feels like staring at the end of the world."
"Be careful," Schneider's voice crackled through the headset, rough like grinding rust. "Safety first. Our underwater combat capability is too weak."
...
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
The deep tolling of a bell echoed across campus, lingering long after each strike.
Lu Mingfei sat up abruptly, still groggy. He glanced at the time and realized it was already noon. He had no idea when he'd fallen asleep last night.
Then he noticed something was wrong.
There was no snoring from Finger. No clicking of controllers or keyboards.
Impossible.
The dorm was so quiet it felt frozen in time. He could hear his own heartbeat. Even the blood rushing through his veins.
This only happened at one specific moment.
"Don't look for me. I'm right here."
The voice came from the side.
The Little Devil sat at the computer desk, wearing his usual small suit and white shirt-as if he owned no other clothes. He was playing StarCraft. One look at his hand speed and micromanagement made it obvious he was a hardcore pro.
"What is it this time?" Lu Mingfei glanced around. After confirming there were no lethal weapons nearby, he finally relaxed.
"Relax. I'm not planning to kick you off the building this time," the Little Devil said calmly. "With your current physique, falling from the third floor would at most give you a sprain. Last time was only because what you said was too annoying. And I can't stay long anyway."
"Then why are you here?" Lu Mingfei yawned. "Another dragon invasion? That's not something a freshman handles. I'm still tired."
"Haven't you already heard it?" the Little Devil said meaningfully. "The bell has already rung."
"...Blacksheepwall?" Lu Mingfei frowned.
"The StarCraft cheat that reveals the whole map. You remember," the Little Devil said. "That's the ability I'm giving you this time."
"Using it will give you a detailed map of your surroundings. But don't abuse it. Use it too often, and you'll be discovered."
"And once you're discovered..." He smiled. "The price will be painful."
"Even assuming you actually gave me this ability," Lu Mingfei retorted, "couldn't you give me something more normal? Last time it was a Hadouken. Now it's Blacksheep-"
Before he could finish, the Little Devil covered his mouth.
"I said, don't use it recklessly."
The weight in his tone and gaze forced Lu Mingfei to stop.
"You'll use it soon. At the moment you need it most."
After that, the Little Devil strolled over, opened the dorm door, and walked out.
Silence fell again.
A moment later, a shrill buzzing sound-like an air-raid siren-shattered the stillness. Lu Mingfei jolted upright.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked at the door.
Lu Mingfei knew he was back in the real world. Footsteps echoed everywhere. The world had resumed moving.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The rhythm and pauses were identical to before.
"Who is it..." Finger mumbled from the top bunk.
"Who?" Lu Mingfei climbed out of bed and opened the door.
He froze.
A petite girl in a Cassell Academy uniform stood outside. The bright hallway lights reflected off her platinum-blonde hair, dazzling. Her porcelain skin and ice-blue eyes were so clear they seemed to mirror Lu Mingfei's stunned expression.
"The academy alarm indicates a sudden emergency," Zero said calmly. "High-ranking students are summoned to the Library Control Room. It's written in the Emergency Protocol Manual."
"Oh... so I have to go too?" Lu Mingfei nodded instinctively. As an S-rank, he'd finally gotten used to being considered "high-ranking."
"Your uniform." Zero lifted a bag into his view.
"Mine?" Lu Mingfei's eyes widened. He vaguely remembered someone taking his measurements, but it had only been a few days.
And Zero delivered it herself?
"Distribution," Zero said flatly. "It was nearby. I brought it. Change. We're leaving."
"Oh-okay!" Lu Mingfei accepted the bag, thanked her repeatedly, and slammed the door shut.
"Junior, junior!" Finger poked his head down from the top bunk, winking with deep satisfaction. His face screamed I just heard something juicy. "Didn't expect you to make progress this fast! She's delivering clothes for you already! So tell me-are you secretly the heir to some royal family, and she's your childhood fiancée who followed you here?"
"Your imagination is top-tier," Lu Mingfei complained while stripping and changing. "Why don't you write webnovels? You could at least afford midnight snacks."
"How did you know I'm writing?!" Finger almost leapt out of bed, then remembered he slept naked and retreated halfway.
"You're actually writing?" Lu Mingfei paused. "What's the title? Let me see."
"Impossible!" Finger refused decisively. "A writer never lets people around them read their work. That's instant social suicide!"
"Does social suicide even exist for someone with skin as thick as yours?" Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes.
"Are you looking down on me?!" Finger roared.
"If stating facts counts?" Lu Mingfei waved him off, tucked his student ID away, and headed out.
"Waaaah, you've changed!" Finger thrashed dramatically.
Lu Mingfei ignored him. He'd already developed immunity. The best way to handle a pest was to ignore it.
"Er-"
Lu Mingfei opened the door, stepped out, and immediately shut it again.
Zero was still standing there.
If she'd seen what was happening inside, Lu Mingfei wasn't sure whether her eyes would burn-or she'd just pull a gun and end Finger.
"You... waited?" he asked.
"Let's go." Zero nodded and turned away.
Lu Mingfei jogged to keep up.
Inside the Library Control Room, the atmosphere was grim.
Messages from the Kui Gate Operation Command streamed in.
An earthquake-triggered collapse had exposed the underwater Bronze City. Ye Sheng and Aki Shuda discovered the palace of Norton-the King of Bronze and Fire. After consulting the Principal, further exploration was approved.
Professor Mans descended with the "Key," activated Unstained Land, and opened the Bronze Palace with the Key's blood.
Then everything went wrong.
While recording the ancient dragon script on the bronze walls, Aki suffered a passive Spirit Vision. Hypnotized, she cut her own data line and activated the palace mechanism.
In an instant, the Bronze Palace-vast as a city, precise as a mechanical watch-began to move.
No one knew how complex its inner structure was. But for Ye Sheng and Aki inside, it was a catastrophe. The entrance sealed. No exit. Oxygen running out.
"This appears to be the construction stele. It should contain operational laws," Schneider said. "We need someone to trigger a Spirit Vision to find a path. Their oxygen is almost gone."
"Emergency assembly. Summon all high-ranking students."
This was everything that had happened before Lu Mingfei woke up.
"Your bloodline is very high," Schneider said, turning to Morin. "Can you produce a Spirit Vision?"
"I don't have Spirit Vision," Morin replied truthfully, eyes on the map. "Lu Mingfei should be able to."
"The S-rank?" Schneider nodded without hesitation. "He's been summoned. He'll arrive shortly."
Morin wasn't worried. His fingers tapped lightly on the railing.
From the beginning, the essence of this incident had already shifted.
Originally, it was a grand chess game-global factions reaching consensus, pieces moving as planned.
Now, a Hand of God loomed above the board.
All pieces meant to be sacrificed would have their fates forcibly rewritten.
A true, unexaggerated dimensional strike.
The outcome depended solely on that God's whim.
Above Kui Gate, an invisible magnetic force surged downward.
"Can you still contact them?" Mans asked grimly aboard the Giant Whale. "How long can communication last?"
"Ye Sheng's Snakes can maintain it for now," Selma said, pale. "But stamina drain is severe. Oxygen consumption is rising-"
"Watch out!"
Selma screamed mid-sentence, drew her gun, and fired at Mans.
Mans hit the deck instantly, rolling as Unstained Land expanded. The movement was fluid, instinctive-born of countless brushes with death. His gun was already in hand.
He turned.
Selma's expression told him she wasn't controlled.
Then he saw it.
A water-man.
A humanoid figure composed entirely of water.
The window was open. Droplets floated in, merging into its form. Bullets expelled from its body clattered onto the metal floor.
"You are too reckless," the water-man spoke, voice distorted.
"Who are you?" Mans demanded, gun raised. "Spirit: Lord of Water? Vortex?"
"That doesn't matter," it replied. "What matters is what you are doing."
"State your identity and purpose."
"I am a servant of the King of Oceans and Water."
A strange smile spread across its liquid face. Cold gripped every heart.
"I have come to discuss cooperation."
Bang.
Mans fired instantly.
The bullet passed straight through.
The water-man collapsed into a splash, losing its form.
Silence filled the control room.
Wind, rain, and thunder outside reminded them this wasn't a dream.
The King of Oceans and Water.
That name alone was enough to unite dragon-slaying families worldwide.
Even if it was only a servant.
"Did you hear that clearly?" Mans asked after clearing the water with Unstained Land.
"I did," Schneider replied from Cassell. His eyes were closed. His breathing uneven.
"What do you think?"
"If it's real," Schneider opened his eyes, cold and sharp, "desperate times call for desperate measures. We deal with the King of Bronze and Fire first. Temporary cooperation isn't impossible."
"If it's fake, ignore it. Increase ship security. Save Ye Sheng and Aki."
At that moment, high-ranking students poured in.
Chu led Lionheart.
Caesar led the Student Union.
Finally, Zero and Lu Mingfei entered together.
Eyes turned.
An Ice Queen.
And the first S-rank in forty years-who nearly took down both faction leaders alone.
When they walked in together, the attention doubled.