When they left the music classroom, it was already 10:30 p.m.
For Shengying High School at night, this was just the beginning. The school wouldn’t return to its normal human-world state until 6 a.m., when students started arriving.
During this time, players naturally couldn’t rest.
Not only because rest was impossible—ghosts could appear anywhere, and some might even start chasing them—but also because there was no safe place in the entire campus.
The three of them walked down the stairs and arrived on the fifth floor.
As soon as they stepped onto the fifth floor, a terrified scream echoed through the hallway. The three turned toward the direction of the scream.
“It’s the art classroom,” Chai Yingying said knowingly. “Should we check it out?”
She looked at Gu Jiu and the other player. Her tone suggested she wanted to check it out, but she hesitated, worried that the temperamental Gu Jiu might not care or wouldn’t want to interfere.
Gu Jiu’s response was to stride straight toward the art classroom.
Watching her bold and confident back, Chai Yingying followed with a quiet smile. She realized she had been overly cautious. It also confirmed her judgment of Gu Jiu’s character was spot-on.
A B-level player is considered intermediate.
They aren’t as vulnerable as D- or C-level players, possessing a fair amount of survival tools, but they’re not as overwhelmingly powerful as A- or S-level players, who can often function without help. Because of this, B-level players tend to adopt a nuanced attitude toward other players in the same game world. They prioritize forming alliances and helping others unless absolutely necessary to act otherwise.
After all, having honed their skills in D- and C-level scenarios, they now possess sufficient tools and techniques to protect themselves. They don’t need to continue standing by idly when others are in danger.
Of course, this describes the mindset of most average players—extreme or pathfinder players are exceptions.
Before entering the B-level field, Chai Yingying had specifically studied its dynamics and learned a lot about B-level players.
The three of them rushed to the art classroom.
The classroom’s doors and windows were wide open. The space inside was massive. At the front of the room, on the teacher’s platform, stood a ghostly plaster sculpture, its entire body pale and eerie, striking exaggerated poses. Below it, three players were seated in front of easels.
The players were drenched in cold sweat, frantically painting on their canvases. One of them was missing two fingers on their painting hand, with blood dripping from the stumps and onto the paper.
The three newcomers quickly understood what was happening.
The players had encountered the plaster ghost. One of them had already lost two fingers, and now they were all being forced to paint. If their work didn’t satisfy the ghost, it would devour them.
The scream they’d heard earlier must have come from the player who lost their fingers.
The plaster ghost’s eerie voice echoed from the platform:
“Hurry up and paint! If your work isn’t good enough, I’ll eat your hands first, then the rest of your body!”
Its voice was harsh, almost grating, making it hard to tell if it was male or female.
The ghost’s tone was arrogant, while the three players seated at the easels looked increasingly grim as they worked.
Gu Jiu observed for a moment and quickly pieced together the situation.
This art classroom was the plaster ghost’s domain. Anyone who entered was forced to obey its rules. It demanded the players create paintings for it. If their work didn’t meet its standards, the ghost would devour them.
But given the insatiable greed of ghosts, no level of skill would likely ever satisfy it. In the end, the players stood no chance of escaping.
“Wow, this ghost is ridiculously arrogant!” Chai Yingying exclaimed.
“Then why don’t you go in there and deal with it?” Gu Jiu suggested casually.
Chai Yingying rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Miss Gu, are you planning to take it on?”
Gu Jiu didn’t answer directly. Instead, her gaze shifted toward the podium where the plaster ghost stood. There hung a portrait of a beautiful girl dressed in Shengying High School’s uniform. Her snow-white skin, rosy cheeks, and starry eyes brimmed with innocence and youthful vibrancy.
However, the longer one looked at her, the more that initial innocence seemed to morph into something worldly and greedy.
It was as if the painting had noticed the onlookers. The girl in the portrait turned her gaze toward them.
A moment later, the plaster ghost also turned to look outside the window, its voice brimming with cheer. “Do you want to come in and paint too? Come on in! It’s so much fun here. If you create a piece I like, I’ll even reward you with a special gift~~”
The voice exploded in their ears, now unmistakably sweet and girlish.
The three of them instantly realized the voice belonged to the girl in the painting, borrowing the plaster ghost to speak.
Through the glass window, Gu Jiu locked eyes with the girl in the portrait and said, “A-Ji, you stay here. Sister Chai and I will go in.”
Lu Ji gave a quiet acknowledgment, making no effort to stop her.
This unconditional trust made Chai Yingying a little envious. It wasn’t easy to find a partner in the game world, let alone someone who trusted you so completely.
The two stepped into the art classroom.
The moment they entered, their bodies moved involuntarily to the empty easels, where they sat down and picked up the prepared brushes.
“All right, you can begin,” the plaster ghost announced.
This time, its voice reverted to the grating, indistinct tone that blurred the line between male and female.
The three players already inside hadn’t expected anyone else to join them. They assumed these two newcomers were after the plaster ghost’s promised reward.
Chai Yingying, lacking any artistic talent, was well aware of her skill—or lack thereof. Anyone who knew her would confirm that her drawings were utter trash. Still, she radiated inexplicable confidence as she began to draw.
The plaster ghost watched the five students seated before it.
Among them, the two newcomers stood out: one appeared calm and unruffled, while the other exuded an unshakable self-assurance. Naturally, the ghost pinned its hopes on the confident one, assuming her artistic skill must be exceptional.
Excited, it began posing again, trying its best to showcase itself.
At last, Chai Yingying put down her brush and declared with absolute certainty, “I’m done!”
Not only did the plaster ghost turn to look, but the other players also glanced over, intrigued by her confidence. They couldn’t help but hope her work would be impressive. After all, what kind of reward would the ghost give if someone actually pleased it?
The plaster ghost strutted over with eager steps. But the moment it saw Chai Yingying’s drawing, its entire body froze, trembling violently, as if overwhelmed by emotion.
The other players craned their necks to see.
Even though they were forced to stay seated at their easels, they could still move enough to peer at her work. Since the players were seated close together, a simple turn of the head allowed them to see Chai Yingying’s canvas.
On the stark white paper was a misshapen potato, complete with matchstick-like limbs sprouting from its bottom. It vaguely resembled a humanoid figure—much like something a kindergarten child might draw.
Anyone with a normal sense of aesthetics would never believe this drawing resembled the plaster ghost.
Chai Yingying, however, declared with full confidence, “Look! Doesn’t this look just like you? That artistic head, that elegant, elongated body.”
The plaster ghost: “….”
Everyone else: “….” She was clearly provoking the ghost on purpose.
As expected, the plaster ghost flew into a rage. In a chilling voice, it said, “I’m going to eat you!” Never before had it been so humiliated. This student infuriated it to the point where it wanted to devour her bit by bit.
The plaster ghost grabbed Chai Yingying and bit off her hand.
The other players, unable to bear the sight, quickly turned their heads away, already imagining her screams of pain.
However, no scream came. Instead, there was the sound of the ghost spitting in disgust. It shouted in fury, “What is this?!”
Looking closer, the Chai Yingying in its grasp had disappeared, replaced by a substitute doll. The ghost had essentially taken a big bite of nothing.
Chai Yingying reappeared on the other side of the classroom, visibly annoyed. “I drew such a masterpiece, and you still wanted to eat me? What kind of logic is that?”
The plaster ghost roared, “You call that a masterpiece?! Even kindergarten brats can draw better than you!”
“That’s just because you lack taste! My artwork has been praised by many!” Chai Yingying shot back angrily. “Nobody has ever called my work ugly! No wonder you became a plaster ghost—with your terrible sense of aesthetics, you’re as ugly as your current form! Even the greatest artist couldn’t do justice to your hideousness!”
The plaster ghost, enraged, lunged at her, determined to eat her.
Chai Yingying turned and ran.
And so, the ghost and the girl began a chaotic chase around the vast art classroom, completely ignoring the four players at the easels.
—
Gu Jiu calmly stood up from her seat.
When the three seated players saw her rise, they were momentarily surprised, then realized she must also have some kind of substitute tool like Chai Yingying.
Before they could think further, Gu Jiu walked over to them, pulling out three paper talismans. She slapped the talismans onto each of them.
The moment the talismans touched their bodies, the restrictive force binding them to their seats vanished. They were free to move. In their place, the talismans transformed into paper effigies that sat at the easels, holding brushes and painting in their stead.
The three players exchanged glances before unanimously deciding to join Chai Yingying in holding off the plaster ghost.
Meanwhile, Gu Jiu approached the portrait on the podium.
The girl in the painting still wore an innocent, flawless expression, her face adorned with a gentle smile. But the darkness in her eyes grew denser and denser, and her greedy malice was now impossible to conceal.
She glared at Gu Jiu venomously.
Gu Jiu pulled out her Lingyuan Blade, holding it up to the painting as though measuring the girl’s face. Smiling, she said, “Such a pretty little face. Wouldn’t it be a shame if it got scratched?”
The girl in the painting nearly lost her composure. Fear flickered in her eyes as she realized Gu Jiu might actually harm her face.
Gu Jiu smiled at her before swiftly making a slash across the canvas. A deep red gash appeared on the girl’s face.
The girl nearly screamed.
What terrified her even more was that Gu Jiu didn’t stop there. She continued to inflict ruthless damage, leaving the once-beautiful face covered in scars. Blood oozed from the wounds, dripping onto the floor.
The plaster ghost, sensing something amiss with the girl in the painting, let out a furious roar and charged toward the podium.
But before it could reach Gu Jiu, it was intercepted by Chai Yingying and the three other players. Together, they held it back, preventing it from reaching its destination.
The plaster ghost’s immense strength made it extremely difficult for the four players to hold it back. Chai Yingying shouted, “Gu Jiu, are you done over there? If you’re done, come help us with this thing!”
Gu Jiu drove the Lingyuan Blade through the painting. The girl in the portrait finally disappeared, leaving only a pool of fresh blood on the ground as evidence of her existence.
With the disappearance of the portrait girl, the plaster ghost’s strength inexplicably surged.
The four players were thrown aside as if they were mere toys. The ghost strode toward Gu Jiu with heavy steps that caused the ground to tremble under its weight.
Gu Jiu immediately turned and bolted out of the classroom, with the plaster ghost hot on her heels.
As soon as she exited the classroom, a dark red whip lashed through the air, snapping against the ghost and dragging it back inside.
The four players inside seized the opportunity to escape by climbing out the windows.
The art classroom was the plaster ghost’s domain, where it held absolute control. However, once outside its territory, its power weakened significantly. Though still formidable, it became much more manageable for the players to fight.
Lu Ji, wielding his Infernal Blood Whip, lashed the plaster ghost relentlessly, causing it to spin like a top.
Meanwhile, Gu Jiu circled through the hallway, making her way to the art classroom’s back door. She re-entered the room, aware that the ghost would follow her.
The plaster ghost, seeing her reappear, roared in fury and charged after her. Just as it was about to reenter the classroom, the whip struck again, coiling tightly around its neck and forcibly yanking it back into the hallway.
The battlefield shifted from the classroom to the corridor.
Lu Ji used his whip to restrain the ghost, while the others attacked it with everything they had. But the ghost, made entirely of plaster, seemed impervious to all their efforts. No matter what they threw at it, nothing worked. Its seemingly immortal body simply shrugged off the blows.
Several times, Chai Yingying was knocked flat by the ghost’s attacks, coming close to unleashing a string of expletives in frustration.
No wonder players usually couldn’t deal with the plaster ghost. They could only rely on substitute tools to flee from it.
Inside the classroom, Gu Jiu searched thoroughly and eventually discovered another portrait. Hidden within this painting was the girl.
“Found you,” she said softly, flashing the girl a smile so gentle it was almost intoxicating.
The girl in the painting stared at her in terror. She hadn’t truly died earlier; she had only faked her demise and hidden herself.
Gu Jiu didn’t hesitate. She once again plunged the Lingyuan Blade into the canvas.
An invisible scream tore through the air.
Outside, the plaster ghost let out a furious roar. Cracks began forming across its plaster body, spreading rapidly until it finally crumbled into a pile of debris.
The players who had been fighting the ghost collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Relief washed over them—a rare sense of survival after a brush with death.
Gu Jiu walked out of the classroom, a calm smile on her face. “The girl in the painting is gone. It looks like she was the real form of the plaster ghost. Her essence was hidden inside the portrait.”
She explained further, “As long as the girl in the painting is alive, the plaster ghost is essentially invincible. To kill it, you have to deal with her first.”
Though the logic was simple, the execution was anything but.
After defeating the plaster ghost, the group returned to the art classroom.
Gu Jiu, Chai Yingying, and Lu Ji began rummaging through the room at lightning speed.
The three other players watched them in confusion. “What are you looking for?” one of them asked.
“I have no idea,” Chai Yingying replied casually, still rifling through the room. “But we need to find something. Otherwise, by tomorrow night, the plaster ghost might just reappear.”
The three players froze for a moment before the realization dawned on them. Without hesitation, they joined the search.
They understood the implication of Chai Yingying’s words. Over the past few days, the players had discovered that every night, regardless of whether the ghosts were killed or injured, as soon as the next night arrived, the dead or injured ghosts would regenerate and remain in their respective territories.
Shengying High School had been designated by the main system of the Multiverse Game as a Reincarnation School. This reincarnation didn’t refer to the cycle of time and space but specifically to the resurrection of these ghosts.
All the ghosts were affected by this reincarnation cycle, making them impossible to permanently kill.
Over the past few nights, they had killed quite a few ghosts. However, as soon as the next night came, the supposedly dead ghosts would reappear, continuing to hunt them down.
“So if we find the source, will they stop resurrecting?”
“I’m not sure,” Chai Yingying replied with a smile. “But it’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”