Outside the door.

Lin Ming couldn’t hold it anymore. The stern expression he’d forced onto his face crumbled away.

“Huff… huff… huff… Man, pretending was so damn exhausting!” Lin Ming leaned against the corridor wall, gasping.

“The Headmaster really is getting less serious lately. He just pounced on the chance…” Lin Ming recalled how smug Dugu Bai looked after he’d tossed out the final task reward and Lin Ming’s attitude shifted.

“I’ll never act like that again. It was freaking uncomfortable.” Just thinking about his own stiff demeanor made Lin Ming’s face turn ashen.

“But… well, I’ll let it slide for this task’s reward.” His ashen face instantly flushed rosy, like a master of mood swings.

“Though, why is this task’s reward so generous? Something fishy?” Lin Ming wondered about the completion reward, suspicion flickering in his mind.

“Eh, whatever. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Hands behind his head, Lin Ming strolled down the corridor with feigned calm.

“Still… I looked so gross back there!”

…………

Inside the Headmaster’s office.

After Lin Ming left, Dugu Bai stopped admiring himself in the mirror. He paced the room now, his expression grave.

“That little fun moment aside… the first task was fine, but the second one came from higher-ups. The intel feels too sparse.” Dugu Bai frowned, recalling the jade slip he’d given Lin Ming.

“After all, their tasks are never reliable. And his injuries haven’t fully healed yet!” Dugu Bai sighed, worry etching his features.

“If it’s truly as the task describes, fine. But if there’s a trap… hmph!” His eyes flashed with icy fury.

A chilling aura erupted from him, bursting outward in a circular shockwave. Even with the office’s protective barrier, a sliver of that pressure leaked out.

Across the Academy, people shivered as if the air had dropped several degrees. Birds on roadside trees scattered in panic. The domesticated Magic Beasts grew restless. Such was Dugu Bai’s power—even a trace of his aura caused chaos.

“What’s that old geezer raging about?” Lin Ming muttered under his breath, feeling the pressure on the garden path.

“Holy crap! Did his mirror shatter?!” Red Sleeve whispered, staring toward the Headmaster’s office.

Second- and third-year students with decent strength also flinched at the aura.

“Damn, the Headmaster’s flexing hard,” a spiky-haired yellow-haired student remarked, awed on the path.

…

“Crap, I let my aura slip. Whatever—I’ll blame the mirror.” Dugu Bai snapped back from his thoughts, realizing his mistake. He grimaced, then decided to pin it on the mirror. After all, every senior student and teacher knew how vital it was to his vanity.

“Even if the task is risky, he can escape with his tricks.” Dugu Bai had absolute faith in Lin Ming’s getaway skills.

“But this mess…” He wiped cold sweat, surveying his office—now a wreck from the shockwave—and sighed.

………

On the campus path.

“Already noon. Gotta visit Prosperous Scenery Hall this afternoon, then start that old man’s task tomorrow. So damn busy.” Lin Ming grumbled, stepping out of the admin building.

Walking along the path, he spotted a familiar yellow-haired figure leaning against a tree, eyeing students in the adjacent square.

“Heh! That bastard!” Lin Ming narrowed his eyes at the back-turned silhouette. He masked his presence carefully, creeping closer.

He slowed his breath and heartbeat, knowing this guy’s senses were razor-sharp from habit. Any rustle would alert him.

Lin Ming ghosted toward the figure.

“Hmm! B-cup… a bit small. Hey! That one’s perfect—but flat as a board, barely an A+. Can’t there be any decent ones? Ugh!” As Lin Ming neared, he heard the lewd commentary.

‘He’s ogling girls again. So gross. Why do I only know weirdos?’ Lin Ming realized why Shi Jingtian was here.

Shi Jingtian, his classmate with that spiky yellow hair, was the ringleader of this morning’s teasing.

“Whoa! A lost E-cup over there! Gotta move fast before someone else snags her!” Shi Jingtian’s eyes lit up—he’d spotted two spheres…

Wait! Two bewildered Juniors. As a Senior, how could he not offer help? Definitely not hitting on them. Yep! Truly noble.

Shi Jingtian smoothed his sleeves, ready to approach the “spheres”—no, the Juniors—when a pair of dark hands clamped down from behind.

“Going somewhere? We haven’t settled this morning’s score yet!” Lin Ming saw Shi Jingtian targeting someone and lunged, his right arm locking around Shi Jingtian’s neck.

“Argh! Lin Ming?! Let go, damn it! Those tits—wait, that girl’s getting away! Cough… cough…” Shi Jingtian choked, twisting to see Lin Ming. He spotted a familiar upperclassman already chatting up the girl.

“Still chasing girls? I warned you this morning. No way you’re escaping now!” Lin Ming tightened his grip with a grunt.

“You just lost her. Serves you right for stirring trouble earlier.” Lin Ming released him, grinning as the upperclassman charmed the busty girl.

“Ahhh!! Lin Ming, I’ll curse your ancestors!” Shi Jingtian slumped forward in despair. He recognized that upperclassman—the legendary flirt who never got attached, nicknamed “Old Wang.”

‘I finally found a decent one… Lin Ming, I hate you.’ Shi Jingtian lay face-down, heartbroken.

Lin Ming felt vindicated. ‘You almost made me infamous campus-wide this morning. This is light punishment.’

‘Wait.’

‘Why’s it so quiet all of a sudden?’ Lin Ming sensed the hush around him.

“Lin Ming!” A crisp voice rang out behind him.

Lin Ming froze instantly.