Chapter 30: The Descent into Corpse Academy

Dungeon Entrance.

Stopping at a long-abandoned gas station, Yenir silently watched the distant academy.

Nestled on a suburban plain, the academy looked eerily desolate even in broad daylight.

Its grim white stone gate bore a rusty, crooked plaque. At first glance, the cluster of buildings resembled a vast graveyard.

【Corpse Academy】

A foggy white barrier shrouded the entrance, its rippling surface leading into another world.

After a careful glance around, Yenir walked forward with measured steps.

As an outdoor dungeon, the Corpse Academy not only boasts high difficulty but also restricts entry by power. Consequently, few Awakened dare challenge it on a normal day.

Footsteps echoed softly.

Standing at the dungeon’s entrance, Yenir calmly placed his hand on the grayish-white ripples.

Though it appeared to be an academy, it was completely inaccessible—a mere projection, in effect.

Aside from teleporting into the inner scene through the entrance, no external force could damage it. Likewise, once inside, no one could escape without completing the basic task.

Moreover, as a unique variant of the Corpse Academy dungeon, not only is there an entrance near the Tianfeng area, but similar illusions appear nationwide.

“Beep. Enter C-level dungeon [Corpse Academy]? Current dungeon access level: Second-Stage.”

“Confirm.”

Without hesitation, Yenir softly replied and immediately infused his spiritual energy.

In the next second, the system prompt rang out:

“Entry confirmed.”

“Solo entry detected. Randomly matching within the Battle Zone.”

“3..”

“7..”

“13..”

“Match successful. Current dungeon occupancy: 14 players.”

“Buzz.”

A flash of white light burst forth, and in an instant, Yenir was overwhelmed by a wave of vertigo.

Then everything went pitch-black, as if teleported, vanishing from sight in a split second.

…….

A slight daze and headache lingered.

When he regained consciousness, Yenir immediately opened his eyes wide.

He found himself in a dim classroom.

Inside, with the curtains drawn, 13 Awakened individuals clad in various outfits eyed each other warily.

Outside the classroom, a curved white protective shield enclosed them.

That was the safety shield.

At that moment, the system’s notification sounded:

“Beep. The Corpse Academy dungeon will begin in one minute.”

“Dungeon Overview: The current scene is ordinary—no paranormal or special events. Enemies include mutants, zombies, and a few humans.”

“The dungeon is set seven days after the apocalypse, with hordes of mutated, zombified humans overrunning the former academy.”

“Once the basic task is completed, you may exit the dungeon on your own.”

“Current Basic Task: Survive in the academy for 12 hours; during this period, you cannot leave.”

“Task Reward: Random White Equipment*1, Spiritual Energy Experience: 4”

“Optional Tasks:”

“1: Kill the Dismembered Female Corpse, Difficulty D.”

“2: Slay the Butcher Mutant, Difficulty C.”

“3: Eliminate all zombies in the academy, Difficulty C.”

…

The light screen dissipated, and the countdown began.

As the countdown started, a Second-Stage Awakened standing at the podium quickly scanned the room:

“Everyone, I’m Gao Yun.”

“I see you’re all Second-Stage. Surely none of you are new to outdoor dungeons.”

“I’ve been through the Corpse Academy once. Has anyone else participated more than once?”

“If not, I propose I lead the team.”

He spoke immediately. Clad in scale armor, the awakened seized the moment with full confidence.

Below the podium, several Second-Stage Awakened exchanged glances and silently shook their heads in agreement.

“None of us have done this before.”

“If any of you are experienced, then you should lead. But I’ve heard the Corpse Academy is extremely challenging.”

Gao Yun smiled at the response.

“That’s right. The Corpse Academy falls into medium-high difficulty among Second-Stage dungeons. Without proper coordination, annihilation is a real risk.”

“But with me leading, I believe we can get through this safely!”

As he spoke, Gao Yun calmly inspected everyone’s gear to assess their types. Yet when his gaze swept over Yenir in the corner, his brows furrowed:

“Zero-Stage?”

“How can there be a Zero-Stage Awakened?”

Startled, he blurted out; among the Second-Stage medals, Yenir’s Zero-Stage tag stood out like a flickering firefly.

In an instant, everyone turned to look.

After glancing at Yenir’s badge, their expressions turned strangely odd.

“So he really is Zero-Stage? How does a lowly Zero-Stage kid end up courting death?”

“Hey.”

Among the Awakened, a burly, surly man pointed at Yenir in a harsh tone:

“Kid, did you enter the wrong dungeon?!”

“Among those you know, no one told you this is a Second-Stage dungeon?”

Facing everyone’s gaze, Yenir calmly met their eyes and corrected:

“I’m First-Stage.”

No sooner had he spoken than the 13 Awakened fell silent, many staring at him like fools.

Seeing his rhythm disrupted by Yenir’s unexpected remark, Gao Yun’s face turned cold at the podium:

“Alright, forget about him.”

“First-Stage kid, if you don’t want to die, you’d better stick with us.”

Glancing at the countdown, Gao Yun wasted no time and quickly continued:

“Everyone, the basic reward for this dungeon is a piece of white equipment, but I’m sure you all would like to attempt the high-difficulty tasks as well.”

“But let me warn you first: do not pick up any tasks on your own! The dungeon’s mechanism ensures that once a task is accepted, monsters will relentlessly hunt you down!”

“In this dungeon, we aren’t the hunters—we’re the hunted!”

The group listened in solemn silence. Seeing Gao Yun’s grave expression after his own ordeal, they realized just how perilous this dungeon was.

They nodded slightly.

“Alright. I personally suggest we all take on the first task—killing the Dismembered Female Corpse. Steer clear of any other tasks.”

“The Dismembered Female Corpse is of intermediate Second-Stage level. With our combined strength of 14…13 members, we should be able to handle it with minimal losses.”

“As long as we avoid the subsequent C-level tasks, our safety is assured!”

“The upcoming Blood Butcher is a high-level Second-Stage enemy with formidable defenses! Last time, an overly confident idiot took on a C-level task and nearly wiped us out!”

Gao Yun warned sharply, his expression sour as if recalling the previous ordeal.

Under the combined pressure of two Second-Stage opponents, he almost failed to finish his briefing.

It was partly due to a previous run that involved a First-Stage member dragging the team down, resulting in heavy casualties.

Seeing the 12 Second-Stage members before him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“No problem, Captain Gao Yun. We’ll follow your lead.”

“Anyone with experience wouldn’t risk death like this.”

Listening to Gao Yun’s briefing, the twelve Awakened nodded in agreement, with several of the female members drawing closer with determined expressions.

“Captain Gao, if danger arises, we hope you’ll have our backs.”

A few Second-Stage members, their figures on display and faces attractive, nonchalantly revealed a streak of snow-white fabric on their chests.

Amused by the unfounded praise, Gao Yun nodded impassively.

A few flattering words expecting him to risk his life? What nonsense. As long as they were willing to follow him, he held high hopes for this dungeon run.

Yet, as his eyes subconsciously swept over Yenir in the corner, he couldn’t shake the feeling of bad luck. Low-level Awakened were utterly useless and only served as a burden.

One minute passed swiftly.

As the white protective shield vanished in an instant, the distant, bone-chilling howls of zombies echoed outside like death knells.

“Everyone, let’s move! Follow me!”

Without hesitation, the moment the dungeon activated, Gao Yun decided to lead the group to safety.

But no sooner had he spoken than the sharp sound of shattering glass rang out.

“Bang!”

In the corner, the overlooked Yenir literally crashed through the glass, leaping off the school building in the blink of an eye and disappearing from sight.

“Not sticking with them?! This kid’s courting death?!”

Just as he stepped out, Gao Yun turned back in shock at the shattered window, his expression shifting rapidly:

“Forget him—if he wants to die, so be it!”

“Outside, hordes of zombies will soon appear, and any skirmish will attract mutant swarms. Stick with me if you want to survive!”