Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Entering the Game
Several other students chimed in.
"Yeah, I feel like Jon wants us dead!"
"Maybe he's tired of living and wants to drag us down with him. I still think the class president should go!"
"Right, Hanson, you should do it!"
All eyes turned to the boy in the fourth row on the right. It was the tall, skinny boy with glasses who had earlier directed them to break the classroom windows. His name was Hanson, the class president.
Hanson was always the top student in class, getting A+ in every subject and winning full scholarships two years in a row.
Seeing everyone's support, Hanson didn't immediately agree. He thought it over. If he volunteered, he would undoubtedly get unanimous approval. But Hanson knew surviving for 30 days in a rule-based horror world would be incredibly challenging. He admitted he was scared and unsure of his chances.
However, he'd rather trust himself than Jon, whose reputation in the class was poor. Some even said Jon tortured animals and conducted cruel experiments in the dorm. Jon often skipped classes and had failed many subjects last semester, nearly repeating a year. He seemed to have given up on life.
How could they entrust the fate of the entire class to someone like him?
With that thought, Hanson made up his mind. He stood up and said, "I volunteer too."
Black Goat wrote Hanson's name on the whiteboard. "Now there are two volunteers. The countdown is almost up. Looks like no one else is stepping forward."
He looked at Jon and Hanson. "Alright, you two should make speeches to win some votes."
Hanson nodded, feeling it was unnecessary but spoke anyway. "Please trust me. I'll do my best to survive."
"Just surviving isn't enough?" Jon stood up. "My goal is a perfect clear."
Hanson frowned, "Jon, arrogance will get you killed! This isn't just your game. Any mistake will affect us all."
Jon smiled slightly. "I have a reason for my confidence."
"Go on, then," Hanson was curious about Jon's confidence.
Jon stared at Hanson. "Do you remember the entrance exam question?"
Hanson replied, "It's Grandma's Forest Cabin, right?"
"Correct." Jon paused before asking again, "What about the five rules given after? Did you remember those, or just the title?"
Hanson was speechless. Initially, everyone was too frightened to read carefully. The rules were only on the board for about a minute before Black Goat switched to the countdown. Most people only glanced at them once. Remembering them completely was impossible.
Hanson tried to recall but could only remember one or two rules. The chaos caused by James had made many forget the rules entirely.
"Did you memorize them?" Hanson asked incredulously.
Jon smiled and began reciting. Shockingly, he didn't start from the exam question but from the detailed rules of the entrance exam. Soon, he had recited everything that had been on the electronic whiteboard.
The entire class fell silent, staring at Jon in stunned disbelief.
They had thought they knew Jon well, but their prejudice had painted a false picture. They arrogantly assumed a loner who skipped classes and didn't care about others must have no redeeming qualities.
Even Black Goat nodded in approval. "Impressive, not a word wrong."
Jon continued, "To survive in a rule-based horror scenario, you must remember the rules. You can't waste time looking at notes when danger arises."
Hanson was silent for a moment. With Black Goat's permission, he walked to the back of the classroom. He approached Jon and asked quietly, "Jon, are you confident?"
"For a perfect clear, yes," Jon replied confidently. "But if the class insists on choosing you, there's nothing I can do."
Hanson made up his mind, sighed, and said, "Then it's up to you. Good luck!"
Jon's confidence and lack of fear in the face of danger convinced Hanson that Jon was the better choice. Feeling he had already lost mentally, Hanson turned to Black Goat and said, "I withdraw and give my place to Jon."
The class erupted. Jon's display of extraordinary memory wasn't enough to change their views.
"No way! Jon can't represent us. I don't agree!" came a slightly dramatic female voice.
Jon looked toward the sound and saw it was Nora, a girl sitting in the second row.
She had a sweet face and was the belle of the class. Nora spoke up, "Jon is a freak, remember? Last semester, he brought a litter of stray cats back to the dorm and killed them."
Jon smiled wryly. It had been a misunderstanding, and he saw no need to explain. He knew these people didn't care about the truth. They only believed what they wanted to and used moral superiority to suppress those they deemed bad, thinking it made them virtuous. Ignorant, shallow, and laughable—that's what they were. Explaining to them was a waste of time and lowered his dignity.
Despite Nora's aggressive accusations, Jon remained silent, offering no explanation. The countdown was almost over, and there were no other volunteers. Nora's opinion wouldn't change the outcome.
"If the class president won't go, we should choose someone else," Nora said, but suddenly felt a cold gaze on her back. She turned sharply to find Black Goat squatting on her desk, his eerie vertical pupils staring intently at her. "Nora, are you volunteering?" he asked.
"Ahhhh!" Nora screamed and fell to the floor, terrified. "No, no, I'm not participating, I just don't want Jon to go..."
Black Goat's face darkened. "If you're not participating, then shut your mouth."
The countdown had only 20 seconds left. Black Goat walked over to Jon and asked softly, "Jon, are you ready?"
Jon nodded, "I'm ready."
"Then the entrance exam..." Black Goat raised his right hand, looking back at the countdown on the board. "Begins now!"
As the timer hit zero, he snapped his fingers crisply.
"Snap!"
Jon took a deep breath, his eyes shining even brighter. Everything in the classroom was swallowed by darkness, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss...
[Entering the rule-based horror: Grandma's Forest Cabin]
...
Seconds later, Jon felt a piercing cold even before his vision returned. When the darkness receded, he found himself in a slightly cluttered bedroom. It was freezing cold, and his breath was visible.
He surveyed the room, which was small with just a bed, a table, and a cabinet. There was a window, but the white curtains were tightly closed. Though some light seeped through, the room remained dim.
Jon began to investigate the room. He approached the wooden table and found a note, part of a letter torn off.
Grandma: My dear grandson, by the time you read this, I might have passed away. You must leave before the snow seals the mountain. If you're already snowed in, follow these rules to stay safe. 6. It's very dark in the cellar; don't trust anything you see there. 7. If you hear strange noises in the house, stop what you're doing, stay quiet, and look at the ranger's lookout from the second floor. The ranger will help you.
Jon read the note quickly and grinned. The rules that had appeared on the whiteboard earlier were missing here. Many players would probably lose their lives recklessly because they couldn't recall the earlier rules.
Jon chuckled to himself, "Those sheep-headed bastards are truly devious."
"Creaaaak—"
Suddenly, the quiet room was interrupted by the sound of the door slowly opening. The door behind Jon had opened just a crack. He could feel it clearly: from the darkness beyond, a gaze was fixed on him, staring intently...
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