Kapitel 32: Chapter 32: The Small Dark Room
The punishment of the Small Dark Room was considered the most severe in this highly-regulated school, and Song Shi had no doubt of its effectiveness.
In the cramped room, she stood in the center, and in any direction, taking three steps would bring her into contact with the walls.
There was no bed, no table, not even light.
Song Shi strained her eyes, holding her watch up to her face, but the hands were completely invisible.
The internal gears clicked, producing a rhythmic "tick, tick, tick" sound that echoed throughout the room.
It felt as though she were trapped in the bottom of a deep well, dozens of meters below ground.
She looked upward, but saw nothing. Reaching out, she couldn't touch the ceiling. Even jumping didn't help—she still couldn't reach it.
Instead, the sound of her toes tapping on the floor echoed back at her from above.
Determined to confirm her suspicions, Song Shi approached one of the walls, and lightly tapped twice with her knuckles. The dull "thud, thud" reverberated from her joints, and then, from all around—above her head, by her ears, even beneath her feet—endless echoes filled the space, as if countless people were tapping on the walls simultaneously.
Her eyes dropped. It was certain now: she was in a deep "well," perhaps tens of meters down.
Shivers ran down her spine as she touched her arms. She found a corner and sat down, cross-legged.
She had to stay here for 36 hours.
Normally, a minor mistake would result in a five-credit deduction, and 24 hours in the Small Dark Room would suffice.
But the disciplinary department had eagerly seized on her actions, adding numerous charges against her—"repeated violations," "failure to reform," "disrupting order," "wasting food," and more.
They extended her sentence by an additional 12 hours.
Before being locked inside, she had learned that during these 36 hours, she would be given water only once, no food would be provided, and she could only request to use the bathroom once.
It was clear: they meant to break her.
Leaning against the cold wall, Song Shi lowered her head to check her injuries.
She could see nothing, only feel.
Her ribs and right arm were badly bruised—every touch sent sharp pain through her body.
Her neck wound was the worst—just swallowing saliva felt like swallowing shards of glass, almost unbearable.
But the body couldn't stop producing saliva, and especially with this thought in her mind, her throat spasmed, instinctively forcing her to swallow.
Unable to endure the pain, Song Shi closed her eyes, forcing herself to sleep.
She didn't know how long she had slept.
When she opened her eyes again, the "tick, tick, tick" of the watch was still there, now louder and clearer, mixed with the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.
She tried to swallow again, but the pain persisted.
She closed her eyes once more.
This cycle continued seven or eight times until the relentless ticking of the watch woke her up again. Desperately, she opened her eyes. For the eighth time, she tried to swallow, but the sharp, unrelenting pain made her break down.
She slumped against the wall, her legs splayed out beneath her.
The watch kept ticking, tick, tick, tick, endlessly.
Now she understood why they searched her thoroughly before sending her into the Small Dark Room. Everything, except for her clothes, was taken away—only this mechanical watch was left behind.
It was a torturous device for those trapped in the lightless, suffocating room.
Time blurred for Song Shi; she couldn't tell how long had passed. Deciding to stay awake, she fixed her gaze on the glowing screen in her mind, distracting herself.
[Anti-abuse progress: 30%]
[Endurance progress: 52%]
Song Shi thought about the 10% of anti-abuse progress she had lost.
Frustrated, she rubbed her temples.
Why?
She was just a tool, discarded by them.
The true instigator, the curly-haired girl, was the one who had acted maliciously; Song Shi was merely a passive victim, crushed beneath their actions.
There was a clear cause for her suffering.
She had worked so hard for that 10% progress—taking blow after blow, each more dangerous than the last. Why was it so easily taken from her?!
Why?!
Song Shi lost control and slammed her fist into the floor.
The sharp pain in her knuckles snapped her out of her stupor. She suddenly came to her senses.
She had been controlled by her rage.
Taking a deep breath, she silently reminded herself to stay calm. If she didn't, her healing power would awaken.
After several attempts, the fire inside her finally subsided.
She began recalling the fight in the dormitory building.
There was no doubt that the girl's strength far surpassed her own.
Every move she made reminded Song Shi of the coach from her past life.
Steady, solid, and unflappable, his every movement exuded the calm confidence of one who had undergone formal training.
This was a level of skill Song Shi could never reach, someone who had only learned through repeated pain.
She longed for another fight with her.
She had a feeling she could learn much from this opponent.
Song Shi began mentally rehearsing the opponent's moves, analyzing each one and considering how she could have countered it to find the optimal solution.
She didn't know how long the mental exercise lasted, but eventually, she fell asleep without realizing it.
When she awoke again, she continued refining her thoughts.
Soon, there was nothing left to remember. She stood up and began practicing her left-handed movements in the air, re-enacting the previous battle's scenario.
The space was too small for her to move freely, and she often forgot to account for the distance, bumping into the walls.
After a few collisions, she grew tired and lay down in the corner to rest.
The cycle repeated, over and over.
Her mind teetered on the edge of collapse.
Even with her eyes closed, sleep refused to come.
The rhythmic ticking of the watch filled her ears, and it felt as if her very brain was vibrating in sync with it. The entire world seemed to shake.
Song Shi opened her dry eyes, removed the watch from her wrist, and threw it to the ground.
It didn't break.
The ticking continued, unbroken by the impact.
She crawled over in the darkness, grabbed the strap, and slammed it onto the floor again.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Each blow sent a shock through her arm, her fingers scraped raw, the faint smell of blood hanging in the air.
She paused for a moment, listening for the sound. It was still there.
In a frenzy, she threw the watch at the opposite wall.
Returning to her corner, she hugged her legs tightly and pressed her forehead to her knees.
She hadn't slept a wink.
As time passed, hunger began to gnaw at her.
Each wave of hunger tormented her insides.
Song Shi's patience was wearing thin, the aura of violence barely contained.
Before long, she felt a heat spreading in her chest. She broke out in a cold sweat, realizing how dangerously close she was to losing control.
Desperate, she focused all her energy, breathing deeply to maintain control.
This cycle continued, and eventually, the sweat dripped from her forehead, dampening her pants. It was enough to make her lose focus on the ticking.
Suddenly, she heard a loud "clang" at the bottom-right corner of the door.
Song Shi flinched, looking up. A small window, no larger than a human head, was opened from the outside, and a beam of light spilled in. A metal bowl was passed through.
"Drink quickly!"
A voice from outside shouted, followed by two heavy kicks against the iron door. The roar of the sound reverberated violently in the cramped space, and Song Shi covered her ears in agony.
After a minute, she stood up, first picking up her watch from the corner before going to grab the water.
Using the light from the small window, she glanced at the watch and saw it was 10:00.
She had been locked in here since 10:00 the previous night.
She couldn't tell if it was 10:00 in the morning or at night, nor how long she had been there—12 hours, or 24?
She hoped it was the latter.
Song Shi sipped the water slowly, trying to minimize the movement as much as possible.
It took her quite some time to finish the bowl. After setting it back in its place, the impatient voice from outside cursed, "Stop dawdling," snatched the bowl, and quickly closed the window.
Then came the sound of the door locking.
Once again, the world was plunged into darkness.
She sat still for a while, then returned to the corner.
The watch was still in her hand, and the ticking no longer seemed as unbearable as before.
She put it back on her wrist, consciously releasing her mental energy.
The violent aura surged through the room.
A mental string inside her mind kept her alert, preventing the energy from spiraling out of control.
It was like fishing at the shore, never allowing the fish to bite.
The moment it seemed like the fish would strike, she would raise the rod and pull the bait from its mouth.
That fish was the healing power.
Song Shi played this game, moving from tension to ease, as though she had left the Small Dark Room behind and was sitting by a river, relaxing in a lounge chair with a sun hat, teasing the fish in the water.
Her emotional control was absolute.
If there had been another awakened berserker present, feeling the
intense and domineering aura of her power, yet seeing her remain calm, even humming a tune, they would have been utterly stunned.
Time passed swiftly in this battle with herself.
The door lock clicked open, and the heavy iron door creaked as it slowly swung open.
Brilliant light poured in, bathing Song Shi, still sitting in the corner, in its brightness.
Her eyes, adjusted to the darkness for so long, were overwhelmed by the sudden light. She quickly closed them, burying her face in her arm.
"36 hours are up! You can leave now."
Song Shi pushed herself off the wall, shielding her eyes with her uninjured left hand, leaving a small crack to see the open door as she slowly walked toward it.
Her eyes gradually adjusted to the light, and as she looked at the world around her, she felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.
"After you leave, follow the school rules, and don't come back here!" the officer called out as he locked the door.
Song Shi snorted but didn't turn back, walking toward the teaching building.
She was starving, but it was 10:00 AM, and the cafeteria was closed. She couldn't return to the dormitory, so she decided to go to class first.
Climbing to the floor where the classroom was, Song Shi pushed open the door.
(End of Chapter)
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein