How could this be?!
Seeing the gleaming “S” and “F” above the white-haired young man’s head, silence swept across the hall like a massive tide.
Not only Zong Jiu — everyone else was utterly dumbfounded.
[Those who watched A’Jiu-gege’s live broadcast, come over and back me up. Is it possible that the S-rank rating was because he made some kind of hush-hush, wink-wink deal with Master Zhuge in the instance? Also, at the end, after A’Jiu hammered that perverted doctor down, he even took the S-rank prop with him when he left. By all accounts, getting an S-rank rating is reasonable, right?]
[Wtf, this little whitey got his hands on an S-rank prop? What’s going on? Did I miss something? /shook.jpg]
[Whatwhatwhat? An S-rank prop? Upstairs, now that you’ve said that, I suddenly feel like the system giving him an S-rank rating isn’t the problem here. Choked speechless.]
[…Terrifying. Are newcomers this fierce now? My melon seeds just fell out of my hands.]
After all, the bullet chat had watched from an omniscient perspective, so they were privy to more information.
By the time they came back to their senses, another question arose.
[Huh? I’ve figured out how he got an S-rank rating from the system, but why did he get an F from the instructor?]
[Honestly, I wanted to ask that too… He got an S from the system, so why did the instructor go so far as to flunk him? I don’t get it.]
[@upstairs, that sis who watched the live broadcast.]
[I’m here, I’m here, I’m here. Uh, I’ve been thinking about this too. If I had to come up with a reason, I think it’s probably because A’Jiu killed an NPC with a hammer — zero mercy. After all, it’s an unwritten rule in the infinite loop not to hurt NPCs… so maybe the instructor gave him a low rating because of that? /think.]
[It might also be because Master Zhuge helped him, I think. Who knows what happened when that bigshot used an S-rank prop to isolate a space.]
While the bullet chat was on fire, the discussion in the broadcasting studio grew increasingly heated.
The Exorcist said theatrically, “Oho, F-rank. Good lord. Did this kid offend the instructor?”
The other nine thrones remained silent. Even the mysterious No. 6 looked thoughtful.
Until now, no one knew who the “instructor” mentioned by the system actually was. But according to their previous inferences, since the instructor’s ratings and the system’s ratings had never differed too drastically, it implied that their rating criteria were at least somewhat consistent. Otherwise, they would not have been so close.
But now, the “F” received by the white-haired young man had shattered everyone’s assumptions.
A psychic suddenly said, “Interesting. It sounds as though the instructor is some kind of supreme being. Could the system have refined itself into a spirit?”
Everyone else thought it was just a joke, but the dark-haired man, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, lifted his eyelids and coldly dropped a sentence.
“Spirit refinement is prohibited after the founding of the country.”
Everyone else: “…”
What did that mean?
It sounded Antarctica-level cold.
They suddenly remembered that Zhuge An was the owner of the Eastern Taiji Eight Trigrams. Since the topic involved spirits, perhaps the necessary knowledge belonged to a highly specialized field.
Everyone wiped their sweat and offered false praise.
“Ahaha, bro. You’re so funny.”
It was rare for Zhuge An to speak. Everyone also forgot their previous discussion, and the highest vantage point once again returned to being as uneventful as stagnant water.
On the contrary, the one seated at No. 2 beside him inexplicably turned his head and glanced at Zhuge An.
While the voices above had died down, there was still plenty of noise below. Even after the evaluation of all E-rank trainees was completed, the focus of the discussion remained fixed on the newcomer who had received such a polarizing rating. People continued to glance at him from time to time.
“This is practically a drama. Who knew it would end up like this? What a letdown.”
“I know, right? At first, I thought a dark horse capable of showing up those veterans had appeared. But man, who would have thought…”
[Source text corrupted here by anti-copy protection; omitted rather than reconstructed.]
F-ranks would be eliminated in this round of evaluation and forced to enter the punishment instance. On the whole, it was a good thing that Zong Jiu had managed to be promoted a few ranks from E-rank, and with room to spare.
Only, Zong Jiu was a little unhappy now.
Anyone who was told they had scored a perfect 100 on an exam, only to receive 30 points when the papers were returned, would definitely be in a foul mood, right?
His expression did not change. The people beside him did not dare say anything, only secretly exchanging looks with one another.
After this series of events, there seemed to be a subtle distance between him and the other newcomers. Not a single person dared to approach him and strike up a conversation.
As time passed, the system’s evaluation reached the A-ranks. Everyone’s attention returned to the broadcasting studio.
Up to this point, there had only been one red S-rank in the entire hall.
Fortunately, the powerful A-rank trainees did not disappoint. Among fewer than two hundred people, nearly ten had red letters appear above their heads.
Incidentally, all of these people received higher ratings from the instructor than from the system. A few had only been given A or B-ranks by the system, but the instructor generously awarded them S-ranks as encouragement.
The more Zong Jiu watched, the more he felt that he was being targeted.
The instructor’s rating.
He silently repeated these words in his mind, falling into deep thought.
This instructor had definitely given him an F-rank on purpose.
But when Zong Jiu searched through his mind, trying to work out the logic behind it, he could not find anything that matched.
After thinking it over, the most confusing factor was still Sheng Yu.
Sheng Yu had not even made it back alive, yet this man had left Zong Jiu with a list of countless riddles, leaving a deep impression on him. The most suspicious death was once again the one that felt effortless and imbalanced, as though it had been abruptly cut off without any further context.
Another factor that appeared very suspicious was that doctor…
Anyway, Zong Jiu had already gotten his revenge. And as he had guessed, there should have been a point deduction for injuring an NPC.
Nevertheless, Zong Jiu felt that hammer blow had been well worth it. He had rid the world of a scourge and had not taken a loss at all. Besides, why should he care about an NPC? Once he left the instance, he would never see that doctor again.
So, the source of the problem still revolved around Sheng Yu.
As Zong Jiu was contemplating this, the evaluation of the S-ranks ended.
Without exception, the results were sunset-red across the board. In the end, only No. 9 and No. 10 exchanged places. The seats above did not change, and none of the trainees below managed to usurp their positions.
In fact, the higher the ranks, the smaller the range of power shifts. For high-ranking trainees, their strength was not much different from what the system had initially evaluated. Only if they were thrown together into a sufficiently difficult instance could the distance between them widen; otherwise, the scores were extremely close, virtually indistinguishable from one another.
[The second round of evaluation has concluded. Trainees may now move.]
Zong Jiu slowly followed the crowd and ascended two steps, arriving at the step for the C-ranks.
The hall was noisy. Whether or not they had been promoted, the faces of the trainees who had not fallen to F-rank were full of joy.
At the same time, the faces of those wearing purple badges were starkly different. Their expressions were tense and distorted, and some were crying hysterically.
[Punishment instance is being opened…]
Once the trainees in the other ranks had taken their positions, all the F-ranks were forcibly transferred away by the system, vanishing into thin air inside the broadcasting studio.
Now, the lowest rank was E. While the E-rank trainees were thankful to have escaped disaster, they also began to worry about how they should act in the next round. If they did not get promoted in the next instance, they would face the same fate as the eliminated F-ranks.
[Forced transfer complete.]
A cold system prompt rang out in the hall.
[The second instance will open in three days. Venues will be randomly assigned according to the results of this ranking. Trainees are strictly forbidden from privately selling or trading information gained through rank advantage. Once discovered, severe punishment will be imposed.]
Information referred to the advantages held by trainees of different ranks.
Previously, Zong Jiu had heard by word of mouth that S-rank trainees could learn the background and venue of the next instance in advance. Higher S-ranks would even receive unimaginable benefits, such as being able to choose the instance they entered. The higher the trainee’s rank, the more information they would be given to prepare beforehand. But a C-rank trainee like him could only wait blindly for his assignment, leaving everything to fate.
According to the post-match settlement for Zong Jiu’s current status as a C-rank trainee, he could only receive 2,000 survival points.
If his hands had been injured in a horror instance, even if they had been broken or worse, he would have been able to restore them to perfect condition with a single click for only five hundred points. However, Zong Jiu’s injury had been brought over from reality, so according to the rules of the infinite loop, the required points would be five times higher.
In addition, Zong Jiu was somewhat greedy. Since the infinite loop offered this option, he wanted to further strengthen his hands. It would be wonderful if he could restore them to the optimal condition they had been in when he was a renowned magician.
At present, there was a large divide in strength and experience between veterans and newcomers. After screening everyone through the first instance, the system should provide a platform to prevent the gap from widening further and keep the newcomers from stagnating where they were. After all, the system’s purpose was never to send newcomers to their deaths, but to select the cream of the crop.
Just as Zong Jiu was thinking this, the system revealed the schedule arranged for the three-day intermission before the next instance.
[During the intermission between the two instances, in order to provide more opportunities for newcomers and promote relationships between trainees, a special scene will unfold in the north wing of the trainee dormitories: Las Vegas Casino.]
[Trainees may participate in various activities in this casino during these three days to earn more survival points.]
[Survival points can be exchanged for certain special props in the casino’s limited-time shop, or used directly for physical enhancement to improve the odds of survival in the next instance.]
The hall roared.
The “Las Vegas Casino,” as the system called it, was undoubtedly a golden opportunity for every newcomer. It also possessed a fatal allure for veterans.
Because in the infinite loop, the only way to obtain special props was through horror instances, and the probability of obtaining them was pitifully low.
But now, the system was giving them a way to redeem props using survival points. Many veterans who lacked props were already pumping their fists, fully prepared to rush into Las Vegas and have a good time.
Just as everyone was deep in heated discussion about Las Vegas, a chorus of gasps suddenly came from the higher steps.
Gradually, the sound grew louder. So much so that within mere seconds, all the newcomers on the lower steps stopped talking and looked upward in confusion.
Behind a throne on the highest step, someone hummed a strange, tuneless song, the tips of his leather shoes stepping upon darkness that surged endlessly upward.
[Holyshitholyshitholyshit, is that who I think it is?! Is he here?]
[AHHHH, he’s coming, he’s coming! The man I willingly scrolled through the list of live broadcast rooms all day long for!]
[Aside from that video on the forum back then, this should be my first time seeing this person. Ah, my life is complete.]
He had come.
The man wore a neat black suit, his medium-length black hair tied behind him. The bow tie on his classic white dress shirt was folded neatly, a red rose soaked in dew was pinned to his breast pocket, and the cold chain of his gold pocket watch dangled from one pocket. His posture was elegant and noble, hiding madness within, as though he were about to attend a grand court ball.
Under the golden chandeliers, his handsome countenance was carved by sharp contrasts of light and shadow. In the light, he was bright and flawless, perfect like God’s proudest creation beneath the throne, the incandescent angel Gabriel. In the darkness, he was a bottomless abyss, as deep as the cold, twisted fallen angel Samael in hell.
This face was a perfect amalgam of divine holiness and demonic madness, simultaneously possessing childlike innocence and terrifying devilish might. No one could disobey it. They could only cower in fear and submission.
He advanced step by step. With each step, the darkness behind him rose gently. Transparent threads tumbled and swirled from his fingers, falling into invisible space.
Everyone watched him.
The eyes of countless contestants filled with undisguised mania, their heads lowering in worship.
[Welcome to the scene, No. 1.]
The system spoke tonelessly.
No. 1!
The newcomers exchanged shocked looks as they watched the man take his seat on the highest and centermost throne.
“Good evening, gentlemen.”
No. 1’s voice was low. Those more perceptive could hear the lightness hidden within it.
His fingers interlaced. His white gloves pressed down through the air.
The broadcasting studio immediately complied with astonishing speed.
The entire room fell silent.
Zong Jiu narrowed his eyes.
Just now, he had felt a shiver tingle up his spine — as if someone had used a gaze as viscous and sharp as a viper to carve over his body inch by inch.
It was a familiar look.
A bold conjecture surfaced in his mind.