DSMC Chapter 130

Yan Jiyun did not see the grading for his paper in the system. It seemed the teacher had to mark it first before he could receive a score.

After being reported by another player, his identity as a player was probably exposed. Other players weren’t fools.

There were 50 players when he entered, now there were 100. He guessed that 50 of them were merged from other instances. As for what level those players were, it was hard to say. None of them were easy to deal with. Either they were the type to strike first, or the type who accumulated strength before acting.

He guessed the player who reported him belonged to the former, already experimenting and searching for optimal strategies right at the start.

Whether dealing with NPCs or players, Yan Jiyun now had to stay highly vigilant at all times.

During the Peak Competition, he had also encountered high-level players. They didn’t care whether he was new or experienced. If it benefited them, they would set up unfamiliar players without hesitation, even if it cost the other party their life. After all, killing wasn’t illegal in this game.

He still didn’t know what the upcoming vocal class would bring, and the thought made him uneasy again.

Earlier, he counted that there might still be players lurking in the class like Han Ruibai’s deskmate.

He couldn’t afford to be careless anymore.

The NPC class monitor reminded everyone, “Don’t be late for Qu-laoshi’s class, or bear the consequences.”

Yan Jiyun still wanted to use the ten-minute break to find Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi.

Right now, completing missions was the priority. They weren’t clueless newbies, so they should be able to handle things on their own.

He quickly followed the group. According to the class monitor, being late for the next class might cause problems.

But if he followed the instance’s schedule, how would he explore the storyline?

Why would a dungeon set in a campus be called [Mermaid]? What did it represent?

Since the Newcomer instances, it had already become difficult to guess the true content of a instance just from its title.

The most important thing now was not to be led by the nose by the game. If he followed the class schedule, the entire day would be wasted on classes. He was here to find clues, not to attend school, that is, unless the clues were hidden within the classes.

Yan Jiyun’s thoughts spun rapidly. He wasn’t familiar with the other players, and he had just nearly been set up by one of them. He felt some resistance toward sharing information, especially since everyone might have hidden motives.

His role specialized in vocal music and was also set as a top student. If he sang poorly and got called out by the teacher later, it would be disastrous.

The exam earlier could be handled with Han Ruibai’s help, but singing couldn’t be substituted.

Yan Jiyun felt his scalp go numb as he started thinking of ways to leave during class.

But then again, could the vocal class be related to [Mermaid]? After all, a mermaid’s singing voice was famously beautiful. Comparing someone’s voice to a mermaid’s was a form of praise.

Maybe he couldn’t skip this class. Perhaps the best singer in the class was the “mermaid.”

All the players in their class had already followed into the vocal classroom.

The vocal classroom was not in the main building, it was located behind it.

There were many instruments inside. Sitting behind the piano was a vocal teacher with shoulder-length hair. He was tall, around 25 or so with outstanding looks, smiling as he waited for the students.

However, what caught attention more was the group of students leaving the classroom earlier. Yan Jiyun noticed that some of them looked extremely pale, one paler than the next. Some were even covering their mouths and rushing to the restroom, clearly nauseated.

Yan Jiyun counted that their class had thirty people, but only twenty-five students came out from the previous class.

Something had happened, though he didn’t want to think too deeply about it.

This vocal teacher was not to be underestimated. He was possibly even a cruel NPC.

Yan Jiyun saw many players at the door hesitating to enter. He himself felt uneasy. Just moments ago, he thought this class might reveal key figures in the dungeon. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Regardless, Yan Jiyun pretended nothing was wrong and calmly walked into the classroom.

Other players, having already identified him as a player, followed in after hesitating.

It made one wonder whether he was a player or truly just a student.

The last time Yan Jiyun had music class was in high school, and those were relaxing classes. Real professional lessons would be completely different.

The vocal classroom was unlike a normal one. Each student had a chair and a music stand.

Yan Jiyun recalled their specialization, and it was indeed related to vocal training.

The teacher stood upright with excellent posture and tasteful attire.

If a teacher like this existed in a real high school, the female students would definitely admire him.

Yan Jiyun quietly sat in the back row, coincidentally in the same row as Han Ruibai.

He whispered, “If I pretend to have a stomachache and leave later, what would happen?”

Han Ruibai looked at him suspiciously. “You’re thinking of skipping class again?”

Yan Jiyun lowered his voice. “Keep it down. I don’t want to attend today.”

Han Ruibai said, “Unless you actually faint, Qu-laoshi won’t let you take leave.”

Yan Jiyun: “Alright then. What are we doing this class?”

Han Ruibai opened the sheet music. “Probably practicing singing.”

Sure enough, there was sheet music on Yan Jiyun’s stand. The system had arranged everything meticulously, and that only made it more unsettling.

The bell rang again. Yan Jiyun sat upright, trying not to stand out.

The front rows were filled with female students (the NPCs ones) captivated by Teacher Qu’s appearance. Players sat toward the back.

So now, aside from the earlier students, the back rows were entirely players.

As the class began, all players were tense.

Teacher Qu smiled warmly. The girls in front were dazzled, eyes shining, in stark contrast to the tense players in the back.

Teacher Qu said, “Today we’ll learn a new song.”

All players, including Yan Jiyun, felt a jolt.

Yan Jiyun looked at Han Ruibai, who shrugged. He didn’t know why the teacher changed songs either.

Teacher Qu: “The score is on the second page. Turn to it.”

Yan Jiyun followed along and opened it, and saw it was titled “Song of Meow.” The entire piece was just “meow meow meow,” to the point he almost forgot what “meow” looked like.

The students laughed. Someone asked, “Laoshi, why this song?”

Teacher Qu chuckled. “It’s popular online recently. Just to relax, no pressure today.”

NPCs were cheerful; players looked miserable.

Players: Not relaxing at all! This was still difficult.

Then Teacher Qu added, “You have 10 minutes to learn it. After that, I’ll randomly check.”

Yan Jiyun: “……”

So it was still making things difficult.

Now he understood why Qi Feng kept a piano at home. This game required everything: academics, combat, arts, even more.

For trained vocal students, this was easy. For players with no background, it was deadly.

Yan Jiyun could read the “meows,” but the melody was the problem.

Teacher Qu said, “Begin practice.”

“Random check” carried heavy implications.

Instead of staying at the piano, the teacher walked around, increasing pressure.

Soon the room filled with “meow” sounds.

Han Ruibai practiced seriously. Yan Jiyun just moved his lips, pretending.

Teacher Qu seemed satisfied.

Yan Jiyun casually meowed a few times. He thought he sounded quite professional, if only pitch didn’t matter.

He recalled that the class monitor only said “don’t be late,” not “don’t leave.”

He looked at the window. The room was too spacious. Walking there would attract attention.

And it was the third floor… jumping would definitely break his legs.

There were five minutes left of the ten minutes the teacher had given.

When Teacher Qu approached, Yan Jiyun decisively raised his hand. “Laoshi, my stomach isn’t feeling well. I’d like to go to the restroom.”

Teacher Qu gazed at him gently for two seconds. “Go ahead.”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Thank you, Laoshi.” He held his stomach and left the classroom, his expression extremely sincere.

The other players: “……”

Damn, that guy beat them to it.

A teacher might believe the first student who leaves due to stomach pain, but if one after another asks to leave, the teacher would not only doubt them but become suspicious.

How had they not noticed the loophole in what the class monitor said?

Damn it, one step too late.

Yan Jiyun’s departure didn’t affect the NPCs, who continued their “meow meow meow” in class.

Fortunately, the other players hadn’t realized the loophole before he left, allowing him to seize the initiative and slip away.

After successfully escaping the vocal class, Yan Jiyun turned into a stairwell. He had one minute left on his transformation card and decided to wait there to turn back into a cat.

If he continued in human form, he would still need to maintain his persona. After turning back into a cat, that might no longer be necessary. Of course, he was also testing something.

He was testing whether the system imposed restrictions on his cat form.

Since entering the game, he had been using Human Form Time Cards, and more than an hour had already passed.

When the card expired, Yan Jiyun transformed back into a black cat in the empty stairwell.

Just as he was about to find a corner to hide and eavesdrop on the vocal class, he took a step, and suddenly realized his perspective had changed?

Looking down again, his big paws had changed too. Where were his beautiful big paws?

Could it be that the system not only reduced his human age, but also his cat form’s age?

His original body had also shrunk to the size of a six-month-old kitten. His body hadn’t fully grown yet!

This damn system was really annoying. A six-month-old cat was weaker and smaller than an adult cat.

He had worked so hard to grow into an adult, only to be reset overnight.

[Want to be Human] livestream channel: 

“Hahaha, my Kitty Baby has shrunk! I’m really raising a virtual kitten now! Anyone who’s raised cats, how old does he look now?”

“This is definitely still a kitten, clearly underage. Fits the school setting purr-fectly.”

“I haven’t raised cats, but comparing this to his adult form, the difference is huge. Looks about five or six months old. But even then, some kittens can weigh as much as adult cats.”

“Wait, Kitty Baby got smaller, but did you notice this is a Level 4 instance?”

“Holy shit, I didn’t even realize! Doesn’t that mean Hard-level difficulty? How many instances has he even cleared?”

“He has enough points to enter Hard levels, but as long as he’s not crazy, he wouldn’t choose it himself. So the system must have glitched.”

“Yeah, definitely a system glitch.”

“What’s this dungeon about? I just see [Mermaid] and wonder if our Kitty can eat it. Hehe, I’ve got a cat brain now.”

“Tsk tsk, Level 4 dungeon is truly tough. I remember the main mission is to find the best singing mermaid. The boss in this instance is especially cruel.”

“Really? That Qu-laoshi looks so gentle and handsome though, he’s totally my type!”

“Heh, this is a Level 4 Hard dungeon. Just wait, you’ll see surprises.”

Yan Jiyun hadn’t yet experienced the “surprise” mentioned in the chat, but he was already worried about his current state.

A smaller body meant slower escape speed.

He hadn’t expected that reverting to cat form would also reduce his age. Even though the system had a bug, it was extremely strict with details without any loopholes.

Fortunately, he could still switch back to cat form in this dungeon.

He had converted 1.5 million points from the Peak Competition into transformation cards, totaling only 25 hours. This instance lasted 7 days. If he stayed human the whole time, he could only last one day. On average, he only had 3 hours per day.

The worst part was, this was a Level 4 instance. The time was far too limited.

His role was still a student. If he stayed in class all day, he’d be eliminated within two days.

Yan Jiyun hadn’t even identified all his classmates yet. Inside, the classroom was still filled with “meow meow” sounds.

He heard the classroom door open. The sharp clicking of leather shoes echoed in the hallway. The teacher was heading toward the restroom.

Yan Jiyun’s heart skipped a beat. Was Teacher Qu going to check on him?

No. He couldn’t let him go to the restroom. He had to divert Teacher Qu’s attention.

After ten minutes, the teacher would return for random checks. That was his time limit.

Yan Jiyun crouched in the stairwell and let out two soft meows.

As soon as he heard his own voice, he wanted to roll his eyes. His voice had reverted to a kitten’s voice too, sounding more higher-pitched. He deliberately kept it quiet. Only a soft sound would attract attention. Too loud would have the opposite effect.

Sure enough, Teacher Qu’s footsteps stopped and moved toward the stairwell.

The stairwell was brightly lit with no place to hide. He needed to be seen but not caught.

So he ran down a short distance and crouched at a corner, peeking out at Teacher Qu.

Teacher Qu saw him!

Yan Jiyun pretended to be weak, pitiful, and timid, stepping back slightly.

He didn’t hear footsteps coming down. Soon, the clicking shoes sounded again, this time heading back to the classroom.

He let out a breath. That should buy him some time.

After Teacher Qu returned, the classroom fell silent. He even caught two players trying to escape through the window. One of them was Han Ruibai’s deskmate.

Teacher Qu asked them gently, “Do you dislike my class that much?”

Yan Jiyun heard the window being shut. He quietly moved to the classroom door, preparing to observe what was happening inside up close.

After all, he needed to identify people. Voices alone might not match the protagonist he was looking for.

Of course, he didn’t expect the game to let him find the main character immediately upon entering.

How had Teacher Qu managed to catch the two players so quickly? He was just a music teacher and those were two adult players, yet they couldn’t escape his grasp?

Yan Jiyun crouched outside the door, watching the situation inside.

It was class time, all teachers were inside classrooms, and no one was outside. Only then did Yan Jiyun dare to squat openly by the door.

The two players dragged back by Teacher Qu now sat obediently on their chairs.

Teacher Qu returned gracefully to the piano. His voice was gentle as he began calling names: “Jiang Si, you sing the first measure.”

Jiang Si stood up trembling.

This person should be a player. Teacher Qu wouldn’t bother testing an NPC, would he?

All the players knew Teacher Qu would call on them; it was just a matter of who.

Though nervous, Jiang Si managed to sing the “meow meow meow” of the first measure.

Teacher Qu let him sit. “Barely passed.” He called the second person, “Next, you— the one who just tried to skip class.”

This time, Teacher Qu stood up from the piano.

Anyone who tried to escape while Teacher Qu left likely had no vocal training, just like Yan Jiyun.

Players came to find clues, not to follow the plot. Wanting to escape was understandable, Yan Jiyun himself had been the first to run.

The player called upon hadn’t practiced seriously at all. He couldn’t even produce the “meow” sounds and immediately cursed: “Damn it, I can’t do this. Do whatever you want!”

He rushed toward the door, but Teacher Qu, who had already stepped down from the platform, was faster. He lightly pressed a hand on the player’s shoulder.

The player tried to shake him off, but found he couldn’t move Teacher Qu’s hand at all.

Teacher Qu smiled and asked, “Do you dislike my class that much?”

The player snapped, “Whoever wants to sing can sing. I can’t!”

Teacher Qu didn’t seem angry at all. He said gently, “If you can’t, you can learn. I can teach you. But you keep swearing and that’s not right. As a vocal student, you must learn to protect your voice. Since you don’t want this voice, then you don’t need it. Keeping it is useless anyway.”

Before the player could react or use any item, Teacher Qu’s fingers clamped around his neck. With a slight exertion of force, he killed him.

The player’s face twisted grotesquely, his neck snapped to the side, and he collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.

All the players fell silent in terror. The NPC students acted as if nothing had happened. The other player who had tried to jump out the window turned pale.

They realized that even with the doors and windows wide open, escape was impossible.

Teacher Qu, who appeared gentle, was actually a cruel NPC. His appearance was highly deceptive. Even though the players were cautious, no one expected that with a simple pinch of his slender fingers, he could snap someone’s neck without a single drop of blood on his hands.

He lightly spun the fishbone ring on his right index finger and said softly, “My duty is to teach, and your duty as students is to listen. Did everyone understand?”

Teacher Qu spoke the gentlest words while committing the most brutal acts.

A completely new interpretation of “teaching and nurturing.”

Watching from the doorway, Yan Jiyun saw everything clearly. He shrank back in fear, his long tail drooping.

That was terrifying! Luckily, he had found an excuse to leave early.

The player’s corpse quickly disappeared from the classroom, and Teacher Qu didn’t seem to think it was anything unusual.

He continued calling names. “Let’s continue. Who’s next?”

Yan Jiyun wondered if he wouldn’t get to hear any NPCs sing, since Teacher Qu had only called players so far.

“Han Ruibai.”

Huh?

Han Ruibai? He was an NPC.

Yan Jiyun, who had been about to leave to wander other classrooms, stopped and stayed crouched outside.

It seemed Teacher Qu called both players and NPCs.

He wondered how Han Ruibai would sing.

Even as a non-professional, singing “meow meow meow” felt embarrassing to Yan Jiyun.

But Han Ruibai calmly finished the assigned section. Teacher Qu praised him: “Not bad. Your pitch is accurate. Add more emotion, some variation would be better.”

Teacher Qu seemed to like Han Ruibai and gave him additional guidance. After listening, Han Ruibai sang again, and it was clearly different. Even Yan Jiyun, a layman, could hear the improvement.

This showed that Teacher Qu truly had skill, no wonder he was so harsh with students who disliked studying.

During the rest of the class, Teacher Qu called on two more players. Fortunately, they both passed.

Yan Jiyun knew he absolutely wouldn’t pass, so he listened to the entire class from outside.

By the end of the lesson, he hadn’t heard Teacher Qu praise anyone’s tone or identify a favorite student.

Soon, class ended. Yan Jiyun heard other classrooms dismissing as well, and Teacher Qu didn’t drag the lesson longer.

But at the last moment, he suddenly asked, “What’s the name of the student who felt unwell?”

The class monitor replied loudly, “Teacher, his name is Yan Jiyun.”

Teacher Qu nodded. “Good, I’ll remember that. Next class, I’ll have him come up and sing the entire piece.”

Yan Jiyun, who had already reached the stairwell, nearly tripped.

Wow. Thanks a lot, class monitor.

At the same time, he received a system notification.

[Congratulations, player has triggered hidden mission: “Teacher Qu’s Anger”.]

[Mission details: Teacher Qu dislikes students skipping class the most. Please calm his anger before the next class, or bear the consequences~]

Yan Jiyun: “……”

Wait, he hadn’t even done anything. How did he trigger a hidden quest?

How could Teacher Qu be so hypocritical? He could kill people, but students couldn’t skip class?

[Want to be Human] livestream channel: 

“The streamer’s amazing, ah. He actually triggered ‘Teacher Qu’s Anger.’ This mission is rare and hard to complete. Hehe, as everyone knows, Qu-laoshi is a yandere~”