Leonard quickly ran to the second floor of Building B. It was 5 p.m.—the cafeteria would open at 5:30, and self-study officially began at 6:30. they still had plenty of time.
Knock knock knock!
"Nerio, it's me, Leonard…"
The knocking sound was steady yet cautious, but Leonard didn't have to wait long. The moment he knocked, the door suddenly opened on its own.
Before Leonard could react, a torrent of water burst out from the room—fierce like a flood capable of sweeping away everything in its path.
Leonard was hit head-on. His whole body was immediately swept up; he could only cling to the corridor railing as tentacle-like strands shot out and wrapped tightly around it, while the raging water poured over his body before cascading down to the ground floor.
Everything was soaked, as if a flood had just ravaged the place, even the grass outside bent heavily under the onslaught.
The others could even hear the roar of rushing water. When they ran over to look, they were greeted by Leonard dangling from the second-floor railing of Building B.
"..."
[Oh my god hahaha, I have no words.]
[Nerio did that on purpose, right?!]
[Nerio doesn't care about Leonard at all. That title of "top believer"? Totally meaningless! Poor Leonard.]
[Nerio's always been like that—deal with it or don't, who cares. And Leonard keeps following him around, too.]
[I thought Nerio would at least be moved a little by Leonard's sincerity. Guess I was delusional. The "slowly softening his heart" route is impossible.]
"Nerio, are you alright?"
Leonard gathered and leapt into the room, his face filled with worry.
Nerio sat on the sofa, the entire room perfectly dry and spotless—as if nothing had happened.
[How could anything happen to Nerio? He's the one who bullies others; no one could ever bully him. I really don't get Leonard's baby-bird lens of weakness. He treats Nerio like a normal being who can be harmed…]
[This is sincerity! Pure sincerity! What would you chickens know?!]
[Nerio was disinfecting the place a little, Leonard hahaha.]
[The room's already spotless, yet he's disinfecting again. I'm 100% sure Nerio knows something!]
[Same!]
[+1]
[+1111111111111111]
At this moment, Nerio intently stared at the rough porcelain vase on the table before him. Hearing Leonard's loud call, he couldn't help but lift his eyes and glance at him.
Leonard froze. Despite being such a big man, he looked like he wanted to sink into the ground immediately.
Nerio raised his brows and spoke slowly: "What's the matter with you?"
His voice was childish, soft, without a hint of anger.
Leonard immediately said, "Let's eat together, then head straight to evening classes."
"Not going," Nerio said it flatly.
Just this morning, he had been affectionate and clingy, yet now he acted cold and distant, like a stranger.
Leonard muttered, "But you said you're just an ordinary student…"
Nerio crossed his arms and nodded matter-of-factly. "That's right. And ordinary students want to break school rules. Go by yourself."
Leonard's mouth fell open in frustration, but he could do nothing except leave dejectedly in the end.
[I can practically see Leonard's tail drooping… poor stray dog.]
[Comparing him to a stray dog isn't very nice, you know…]
[Nerio's really too harsh, poor Leonard!]
[Haha, I actually like Nerio this way. Leonard was rushing in—what's so pitiful about that?]
[Same.]
[If Leonard's fans so outnumbered by Nerio's, there'd probably already be a full-blown comment war right here.]
[Hahaha.]
Nerio watched the door close before him, showing no reaction as he stood up and walked toward the bed.
His hand brushed against the vase on the table by accident. The rough porcelain vase fell to the ground and shattered into countless pieces.
Nerio glanced at it once, then his gaze shifted toward the vase on the vanity beside the bed.
[Wait a minute—does this mean something?]
[I don't remember there being anything special about those vases…]
[hmmmmmmm]
The porcelain scraping echoed as Nerio shifted the vase back and forth. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, one hand propping his chin, the other idly moving the vase across the vanity, his expression seemed lost in thought, his eyes unfathomably deep.
[I don't know what he's thinking, but I'll bite these shota thighs first—goodbye everyone.]
[Get lost!]
[The only being I can bring myself to care about.]
[What scheme is he plotting this time? Just smash it already, what's there to think about?]
[And what if he's doing it simply because he wants to…?]
[Humanity is wailing outside, and their god is brooding over a vase…]
As the comments suggested, the humans truly were struggling outside.
They followed the old path to return to the school—all they had to do was walk through the forest.
But they had overestimated the benevolence of this dungeon.
They had walked for over fifteen minutes, yet the forest remained thick and oppressive. The shadows grew heavier and heavier. Instead of nearing the school, it felt like they were sinking deeper into an inescapable trap.
Damian looked at the mark he had just carved into a tree and gravely voiced what everyone already knew: "We've gone in circles three times now. What do we do next?"
Who knew what horrors might appear once night fell if they kept being trapped here? And worse, they couldn't afford to miss evening self-study—that would break the rules.
Aria's face was pale, but she didn't seem overly afraid. She believed they would find a way out.
"In cases like this, we either brute-force our way through or use some special method," Bella spoke softly, then turned to Leonard. "Nerio isn't with you?"
If Nerio were here, Bella swore, they wouldn't be lost. He would surely find a way out even if they were trapped.
Leonard shook his head. He had slipped back into his usual state: head hanging low, silent, hands twisting together. He looked distracted, as if his thoughts had drifted far away.
Just then, Luther suddenly closed his eyes. After a moment, he spoke quietly: "Take another path. There's a hollow tree—destroy it, and we'll never be trapped here again."
His long hair seemed to flutter slightly as if blown by the wind. When he opened his eyes, his red pupils glimmered. His face was still deathly pale, like the complexion of an ancient vampire.
Thomas spoke in a low, firm voice, hearing this: "Do as Luther says."
Bella smiled faintly at him. "You seem to trust your comrade. Admirable. But aren't you afraid he'll lead us to our deaths like before?"
Luther furrowed his brows, his frail body swaying slightly.
Bella was practically like a lit fuse in this dungeon.
One might have expected Thomas to be angry—but he wasn't. Instead, he looked at Bella with surprising gentleness. The face that usually carried a trace of fierceness now showed a rare calm.
"Bella, I know your first impression of us wasn't good. But right now, we're a team. We need to stay united to overcome this hardship."
His words were truly moving. Bella narrowed her eyes at him, though she said nothing.