Ning Changfeng replied, "It's too early to think about that now. We still know nothing about how to seize memories, or anything about that monster. We don’t even know if it’s possible. Let’s go back to the dorms."
The players who had gone into the Reflection Hall had returned by now.
They went to check on Shi Tianzhu first.
Shi Tianzhu was fine. After completely losing her memory, she could still vaguely recall events from the past few days.
The same went for Zhou Xiang.
It seemed that in this world’s setting, each player only lost their memory once.
Once was enough—losing all their knowledge-based memories meant that within two months, it was impossible to go from learning to read pinyin to scoring 600 points on the college entrance exam.
By midnight that day, four players had been dragged away. These four would not be able to take the college entrance exam, essentially meaning they were already dead.
Five players died while resisting, and nine players lost their memory.
In total, nine players had died, and seventeen had lost their memory.
This was just the first week after entering the dungeon, and the situation was already looking grim.
What was even more concerning was the next day. Among the players who went into the Reflection Hall for the second time, nearly half started showing signs of memory loss on the second day.
The ones feeling the panic weren't just the 25 players who were losing their memories but also all the others ranked at the bottom.
With 17 players already having lost their memory, 25 more losing theirs, and 9 players declared dead, how many spots would open up among the bottom 100 players compared to the initial test?
Previously, 8 players had firmly occupied the last 8 spots in the grade rankings. Would that still be the case going forward?
With so many players losing their memory, could anyone still cover for them?
How long until they went into the Reflection Hall for the second time? How long until they lost their memories?
Among these 25 new memory-loss cases, some were players who had earlier dismissed the memory-loss sufferers as burdens and told them to just die.
Now, more than half of them were clinging tightly to players who still had intact memories, begging them for protection, while others had expressions full of fear and despair.
The experience of losing one's memory was already terrifying. Learning that in this game, memory loss equaled death made it all the more horrifying and hopeless.
Lu Yue said, "Some of them still don’t know that memories can be transferred, do they? We need to tell them, give them hope, and strengthen their resolve to survive."
Ning Changfeng replied, "You can go tell them. But there's one thing you need to understand: once they know memories can be transferred, that’s when the real horror of this dungeon begins."
He always anticipated the darkest aspects of human nature, giving them an early warning.
After thinking it over, Lu Yue still went to tell them.
The twenty or so players who were currently suffering from amnesia were almost moved to tears with joy.
They each picked up utility knives and, in front of the other players, began carving words into their palms and arms, imitating the first amnesiac players. This was to show their determination to secure a spot in the bottom 100 of their grade, reassuring the other players to protect them and help them recover the memories needed to score 600 points.
Blood and tears dripped steadily down. These were the symbols of their resolve and humble pleas.
While the players had been moved when they first saw the initial amnesiac players carving words into their skin, seeing so many players doing it a second time now caused more irritation than sympathy.
They indeed had to protect these players. It was already difficult enough to score among the bottom 100 of the grade. If too many of these players failed to take those spots, the rest of them would inevitably end up in the bottom 100.
However, the mentality was different this time.
Perhaps it was the way the humble pleas of the amnesiac players were so clearly displayed on their faces and in their actions that it gave the other players a sense of control over their fates, a feeling of superiority.
Once the players knew that memories could be transferred, the amnesiac players became even more desperate to survive and more eager to be shielded after losing their memories. In order to persuade the other players to help them recover their memories needed to score 600 points, they resorted to excessive flattery.
The other players, of course, also realized that the amnesiac players were taking their spots in the bottom 100, and that protecting the amnesiac players from being discovered by the teachers was a fair trade, as proposed by Shi Tianzhu.
But helping them recover their 600-point memories too?
A distorted and unequal relationship quietly began to form among the players.
Ning Su and the others keenly felt the gradual inequality in relationships among the players. It didn’t take long for this to become apparent—by that same night.
After the evening study session, Ning Su and Ling Xiao didn’t stay in the classroom.
Both of them could consistently score 600 points. They didn’t need to study hard; as long as they followed the school rules and avoided being caught and sent to the small Reflection Hall to write self-reflections, they were fine.
They went to find Ning Changfeng and Shi Tianzhu. Ning Changfeng could also reliably score 600 points, while it was impossible for Shi Tianzhu to score 600 points, so there was no need for her to stay and study after the evening session either.
Together, they used their top student campus cards to buy snacks and drinks and headed to the school’s playground. There weren’t many people on the playground after the evening study session, so they could teach Shi Tianzhu some useful knowledge there and also bring the two younger kids along to learn as well.
To get to the playground, they had to pass by the campus path next to the school’s black woods.
On that path, the three, who had excellent hearing, heard strange sounds coming from the black woods. They all stopped in unison and looked inside.
Shi Tianzhu also stopped, staring into the woods with a blank yet curious expression.
Ning Changfeng coldly ordered, "Come out!"
His voice was distinctive, making it immediately clear that it was him calling from outside.
Rustling noises came from within the dark forest, and soon two disheveled players emerged.
They all recognized the female player with the two pigtails.
After the test ended last night, when players saw the carvings on the bodies of the eight amnesiac players, many were moved. In the cafeteria, players sat next to the amnesiac players, promising to help them.
At that time, tears had dripped from this amnesiac female player's eyes into her rice.
How ironic and pitiful. Now, her face was pale and blank, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. Her clothes had been torn apart in the dark forest, and her school uniform skirt was ripped in one place.
Perhaps because there was an important amnesiac female player among them, both Ning Su and Ning Changfeng, who usually didn't meddle in other people's business, couldn't hold back their anger.
Before they could react, a figure flashed before the male player. A slender, fair hand wrapped around his neck.
The male player was lifted by Shi Tianzhu's grip, and in the next second, he was slammed forcefully to the ground, her foot pressing hard on his wrist, grinding it down.
A scream, like that of a pig being slaughtered, echoed by the dark forest.
"…"
Shi Tianzhu glanced at her foot on the male player's wrist, tilting her head with a hint of confusion.
Ning Changfeng said, "Stop staring. It feels off because you're not wearing high heels. The school doesn't allow them."
Shi Tianzhu often wore silver high heels. Even though she had lost her memory, the instinct honed over years remained in her body.
She had probably intended to pierce the male player's wrist with the sharp heel, but now she had only crushed his wrist bones.
The scream was too loud—surely the school security had heard it.
They decided to skip the playground and instead headed towards the dormitory, taking the female player with them.
As Ning Changfeng ran, his face grew darker and darker. He cursed as he ran, "Why the hell hasn’t that damn grade director transferred me to Class Five yet!"
The female player being dragged along by Shi Tianzhu continued to tremble even as they ran.
Completely amnesiac, not knowing or recognizing anything, players like her were as helpless and terrified as children just entering the world. This particular female player, already sensitive and anxious, was now even more so as tears streamed down her face.
"Scum!" Ning Changfeng cursed through gritted teeth.
However, they would soon realize that this was only the beginning.
