Lu Ce stepped into the classroom in front of him and immediately paused when he heard a voice in his earpiece.

Xie Antong had nearly perfectly predicted Park Bu Seong’s thoughts, but Lu Ce, on his side, wasn’t quite clear how capable Xie Antong actually was.

The All-Seeing Eye, a Legendary Weapon… it was indeed impressive, but it didn’t seem particularly suited for combat. Or rather, it hadn’t shown any combat capabilities yet.

She had to clear a level too?

Was this a joke? What if she failed? Would that mean his challenge counted as a failure too?! That would be completely ridiculous.

This Game was a Challenge Mode match between him and Park Bu Seong. The previous Game Restrictions never said what would happen if she failed.

As he thought this over, Lu Ce felt like the problem was even bigger than it seemed.

Once inside the room, the door closed automatically, and a strange air rushed in, but Lu Ce didn’t care about that. He pressed his earpiece again and said:

“Did you hear that last Game Restriction?”

“You confirmed the Game Difficulty as Hell Mode before selecting players. Only after that did the Game assign your teammate.”

“It’s already confirmed on Park Bu Seong’s side—he has more than one teammate, which means he has more help.”

“But for you, it was already Hell Mode by default. That means, originally, the teammate you got—me—was meant to drag you down.”

She responded while walking around the classroom casually, like she was bored, occasionally fiddling with sculptures in the room and switching their positions.

By now, she’d already rearranged every plaster sculpture in the room.

Lu Ce listened to her explanation and, after a pause, replied:

“Well, at least you’re self-aware.”

“You don’t hold back, do you…”

“Enough nonsense. Out of these Horror Mysteries, are there any that seem relatively easy?” Lu Ce’s tone grew slightly serious.

“You can pick one that’s easier. I’ll go beat them half to death, and you finish them off. Don’t waste time in the Game.”

Xie Antong: ......

At this point, she still hadn’t told Lu Ce about her own situation, because she’d pretty much guessed how Park Bu Seong planned to act.

After a few seconds of silence, she pressed on the helmet of her All-Seeing Eye. The armor around her ears liquefied, extended downward to envelop her earpiece, then reformed its shape.

Then, a thin neural spike pierced into her skull, and the pain made her frown slightly.

But immediately after, without speaking aloud, her thoughts were transformed into sound and transmitted directly into Lu Ce’s ears.

“Sin, I hope you won’t say anything out loud. What I’m about to say, the spectators can’t hear, and Park Bu Seong can’t possibly know. Only the two of us can hear it.”

Lu Ce: ...... “The weather at this school sucks.”

Xie Antong nodded in satisfaction and continued her mental reply:

“Long story short, whether I become your burden or not—it’s not up to you. It’s up to the Game.”

“The Game has this purpose, so the stronger you are, the more likely it might backfire. And Park Bu Seong is already working from that angle.”

“But I think, in this case, maybe we can turn the tables on him…”

Lu Ce didn’t really know how to act casual. Wearing the Wrath Mask made this kind of thing harder for him: “Hey? Why aren’t you talking.”

“In short, the upcoming Games probably won’t target you with restrictions. They’ll try to break through me instead.”

“Your task now is still to clear the Game with overwhelming force! Make them scared, make them panic. After that, I predict the opponent will issue another extra restriction.”

“Something like: ‘If any Black Side team member dies or exits, it counts as a failure of the Challenge Mode!’”

“That last restriction he added wasn’t enough, so this one is inevitable. As long as you act fast and hit hard, I’m 90% sure I know what Park Bu Seong is thinking.”

Xie Antong spoke quickly in her mind. Though only she and “Sin” could understand the conversation—and the spectators were totally confused—what she said was quite interesting.

That was—she had completely accepted that “Sin” would clear the Horror Mystery, and do it with rapid, violent efficiency!

She didn’t even offer a backup plan, as if everything was naturally expected. It was unthinkable that “Sin” would fail under normal circumstances.

And Lu Ce, hearing her theory, didn’t object either. It was as though he felt the same.

Their arrogance aligned perfectly at that moment—neither considered failure even once. Based on the results of the previous two Game Levels, Xie Antong had already placed “Sin” at the very peak of player capability.

Hearing no protest from Lu Ce, Xie Antong then cautiously added:

“So, I believe this can be used.”

“If, after your next Game completion, the opponent’s added restriction matches my prediction—”

“I hope during the next phase, you’ll be willing to follow my guidance. I may not always provide a reason.”

She knew that “Sin” was difficult to communicate with in his Wrath state, so she had to raise her “conditions” during relatively calm moments.

Otherwise, everything would once again spiral out of her control. And if Park Bu Seong really used her as the breakthrough point to win, she wouldn’t be able to take it.

Lu Ce didn’t really understand what she had in mind, nor was he sure of her plan, but he could sense her confidence.

If her failure could really drag him down too, then that might truly be the one complication he couldn’t ignore.

But it seemed like she was confident she could handle it...

“Alright,” Lu Ce replied. “Is this room the Art Classroom or the Music Classroom?”

Hearing “Sin’s” voice, Xie Antong pressed her lips together, unable to hide her reaction—like she’d just won a battle.

Even though she was still inside the Horror Mystery location, and even though the sketch sculptures were unsettling, the mental pressure from negotiating with “Sin” had clearly been far worse!

Two Challenge Mode Games in, and they’d finally formed a preliminary cooperative mode.

Now then... everything was ready!

She also noticed that under normal circumstances, “Sin” still had basic rationality and could be reasoned with. For example, just now, he’d even deliberately said something unrelated to cover things up.

He could be cautious when needed.

“Alright then, keep in touch anytime.” With that, Xie Antong exited the special brainwave communication mode. Her mental energy was depleted, and her face went a bit pale.

On the other side, Lu Ce: ......

Wait a sec...

So is this classroom the Art Classroom or the Music Classroom??